Jason DeBord's Rock Subculture Journal

Seal at Humphreys Concerts by the Bay | San Diego, California | 8/6/2012 (Concert Review)

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Last night Seal put on an incredible performance at Humphreys Concerts by the Bay in San Diego.  Stunning voice, amazing performance, he really filled the smaller, intimate, outdoor venue with life.  Beautiful songs (both his own and a few covers of classic material) and real, true emotion on full display.  Seal is an artist that sings from the heart, and I can’t imagine him being any other way, especially after having had the privilege of spending a good amount of time with him and a small group later, after the concert.  He is really singular in the field of music, and if he could not sing, after spending around 40 minutes hearing him open up to us about his thoughts and feelings on a few different subjects – talking with strangers as though they were old, close friends – if he could not sing, I would still remain a huge fan of Seal the man.  He is undoubtedly a person to look up to, who lives life with a great deal of introspection, honesty, and modesty.  Overall, the night was an unforgettable experience, and I feel so, so fortunate to have been a part of it.

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Aerosmith at Oracle Arena | Oakland, California | 8/4/2012 (Concert Review)

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Epic and Legendary… in this rare instance, both words apply.  An Epic performance from a truly Legendary rock band.  Unless you’ve been stranded on a deserted island for the past 40 years, you would at least know who they are, and some of their songs, as they are often referred to as “America’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band”, and honestly, I can’t imagine who could give them a run for their money for that title.  In any event, just sticking with the premise of this review, these guys are just remarkable.  They are living the rock and roll dream (in spite of the music industry’s ongoing implosion – more on that in a bit), and I think they sound and perform better than ever – they just become more incredible the older that they get, and I feel age suits them, as they are elder statesmen in music, they have an incredible history, and they – and their music – is as relevant as ever.  If you get the opportunity, you must see this band.  The current set of live dates is called “The Global Warming Tour”.

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Tears for Fears at Nob Hill Masonic Auditorium | San Francisco, California | 8/2/2012 (Concert Review)

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The Nob Hill Masonic Auditorium hosted last night’s concert performance by Tears for Fears.  It doesn’t get much better than a set that opens with “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”, closes with “Head Over Heels”, and finishes an encore with “Shout”.  Some of the most classic songs of the 80s, and the band looks and sounds as great as ever.  It was a fantastic evening with an awesome set that spanned their catalog and reflected the real diversity of their work.  Truly one of best songwriting teams that helped define the 80s.  A fantastic evening and true thrill to see them perform live, and in top form.  The songs never sounded better.

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Journey, Pat Benatar, Loverboy at Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harvey’s | Stateline, Nevada | 7/22/2012 (Concert Review)

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As part of their Summer Concert Series, Harvey’s hosted an incredible night of music at their Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena on Sunday, July 22nd.  The concert featured Journey as headliner, Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, and Loverboy. Truly an amazing line-up particularly for fans of 80s music, as all three had many hits during that decade, though their works of course span multiple decades, and their popularity has been ongoing.  It’s hard to summarize what was an amazing show in a couple of lines to open this review, but it was just an unforgettable evening, even for someone like me that regularly goes to many, many concert events.  Really, it was one of the best. [Read more…]

Maroon 5 at Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harvey’s | Stateline, Nevada | 7/21/2012 (Concert Review)

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Maroon 5 played a special one-off U.S. show last night at the Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harvey’s at Stateline, Nevada, as part of their Summer Concert Series.  The band will now embark on a broad international tour for their newest album, “Overexposed”.  Fronted by Adam Levine, who has further broken into the mainstream with his role as a judge on NBC’s “The Voice” and other activities, the band easily and quickly sold out the outdoor venue in South Lake Tahoe, and the audience at large were enthusiastic in their response to the show.  The band put together a great set of old and new hits alike, and the generally flawless performance (save for one bug swallowed by Levine) was high energy and very impressive.  The group’s funk and R&B infused pop hits really came alive on stage, and the band’s live renditions of the songs, with a bit of the polish off, came off great.

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Modern English at Harlow’s | Sacramento, California | 7/20/2012 (Concert Review)

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Last night Modern English played Harlow’s in Sacramento as part of their U.S. West Coast tour, which begins and ends in the month of July.  For me, their biggest hit, “I Melt With You”, was definitely among the best and most decade defining songs of the 80s – it is really ubiquitous with the vibe and culture and new direction in music that took hold in the early 80s.  As the band has a history and habit of disbanding (in ’87 and ’91), this was my first time seeing them live, so it was an extra thrill to see the band featuring all of its original members.  Of course, it was a matter of time until that seminal classic song would be played on stage, but the set list leading up to it was a fantastic voyage through their incredible catalog, and they sounded absolutely fantastic (and kudos to Harlow’s for the really nicely tuned sound system).  It was both incredible and surreal to see this important band play live, just a few feet in front of me, but definitely worth the wait.

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Information Society at King King | Hollywood, California | 7/3/2012 (Concert Review)

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Late last night and into this morning at King King in Hollywood, Information Society played a special one off gig in the U.S.; the only scheduled show here for 2012 and their first live performance since 2009.  The band leaves for Brazil this morning to play a number of concerts there this month, and those who make those shows will likely be as thrilled to see the band as the fans here in the Los Angeles area.  It was a fantastic show and the group sounded as great as they ever have, and it was a thrill to see them perform.  It was a great crowd of dedicated music fans and the band obviously had a ton of fun playing in this intimate venue.  Epic night. [Read more…]

Jay-Z & Kanye West (Watch the Throne) at The Motorpoint Arena | Sheffield, England | 6/21/2012 (Concert Review)

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While contemporary rap music is not a subgenre at the forefront of my attention and music collection, generally speaking, I’ve always had a lot of respect and admiration for Jay-Z as an incredible artist and really intelligent business man.  I loved “old school” (to me) rap in the 80s (Run-DMC, Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, etc.) but to me, it was much more pop-oriented and hooky (and, well happy) compared to a lot of what is produced today.  But I would definitely put Jay-Z in a class of his own, and he’s really innovated his own personal brand and genre of music, and it was awesome to finally see it and hear it live, and with this opportunity, the added bonus of this special tour with Kanye West born of their collaboration on the studio album Watch The Throne, naming this tour the same.  I missed the U.S. swing through the east coast late last year as I was in England at the time, and funny enough, caught it now here in England at the second to the last show.  Stellar. [Read more…]

Ash at The Relentless Garage | London, England | 6/17/2012 (Concert Review)

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Last night was a really historic and wonderful event by a little band called Ash.  And I mean “little” in the most complimentary sense… a band that has stayed true to its roots and its fans.  The group from Ireland celebrated their 20th anniversary in style, by really creating an event that celebrated their fans as much as themselves.  This was most appropriately illustrated by their second of three (yes three!) sets, which transformed from an acoustic concert in a very small setting (which made the typical MTV Unplugged show look like a stadium gig by comparison) to a session of “Asheokie” (i.e. karoke, but with fans fronting for the band themselves).  It was really unlike any show I’ve ever been to, and demonstrated a lot of class and, well, tremendous fan service. [Read more…]

The B-52s at Ovations LIVE! Showroom, Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino | Chandler, Arizona | 6/8/2012 (Concert Review)

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I have been a fan of the B-52s going back nearly 30 years, finding their music when I was a kid, and being really moved and inspired by their unique and always catchy sound.  The thing that most struck me about their concert at the Ovations LIVE! Showroom inside the Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino last night… how their timeless music continues to have the same impact on generation after generation.  Within the crowd were a number of kids, just having the time of their lives.  And what was really moving for me were the efforts made by the band to not only acknowledge them within the crowd, but literally reach out to them, with members of the band giving them cool mementos to remember this great night, including drum sticks and guitar picks and the like.  Because when it comes down to it, as stylishly esoteric and at times irreverent as their music can be, the B-52s are all about celebrating life and doing so in the most positive manner we know how – through great music.  And the B-52s continue to deliver after all these years. [Read more…]