Last night Dave Grohl brought together some of his music icons from his newly released Sound City documentary on stage as part of his Sound City Players concert at the Hollywood Palladium. The concert followed the Hollywood premiere of his film, just down the street earlier in the evening, and the legacy lived on with an epic show played before fans and VIPs in the upper levels of the packed venue. It was nothing short of one of the most creative celebrations of rock music I’ve seen, with Stevie Nicks fronting the Foo Fighters-based group closing the night out with the powerful Fleetwood Mac hit, “Gold Dust Woman” (a track from one of the best albums of all time, Rumors, which itself is celebrating its 35th anniversary this week with a series of special reissues). What an amazing concert, and one that will be long remembered by those in attendance at the show, which ran nearly three and a half hours. [Read more…]
Muse at Sleep Train Arena | Sacramento, California | 1/29/2013 (Concert Review)
The Muse concert in Sacramento last night at the Sleep Train Arena was, on a personal note, Night #2 of 2 for me, having seen them the night before at Oracle Arena in Oakland. Two totally different experiences (more on that later), but another Epic show by a band that delivers rock entertainment like no one else on tour today. Over the course of seeing them, one thing I’ve learned is that location matters at these shows, and I wouldn’t necessarily say one place is better than another (close or far), as they have such an elaborate and brilliant production and presentation, wherever you are in the venue you will experience something very special indeed. As I said in yesterday’s review, they are most definitely a band that needs to be experienced live in concert and their music is designed to be performed live in front of thousands. [Read more…]
Muse at Oracle Arena | Oakland, California | 1/28/2013 (Concert Review)
Muse are unlike any other band recording and performing today. And having watched them perform at Oracle Arena last night, they are most definitely a band that needs to be experienced live in concert. It’s as if the band, and their music, is designed to be performed live in front of thousands… and having been to a great many concerts in my time, I would rate their stage production itself in the top three I’ve ever seen. [Read more…]
Shawn Colvin at Sacramento City College Performing Arts Center | Sacramento, California | 1/27/2013 (Concert Review)
“So that’s what that last song was; that was my contribution. I kinda infused it with my own special brand of hopelessness, because the person is never going to get out…” Part of an explanation about one of her songs, and her sometimes facetious and self-deprecating view of the unwritten rules of being a part of the singer-songwriter world. Shawn Colvin provides a lot of thought-provoking entertainment during her concerts, including a few bits of dark humor and perspective here and there, in contrast to the “bright and cheery” impression that the delivery of her music might leave on someone who listens to her music without learning the meanings and ideas behind the words. Shawn Colvin really puts her heart and soul into her music, and in a live music setting, holds nothing back. [Read more…]
No Doubt at Jimmy Kimmel Live! Block Party | Hollywood, California | 1/8/2013 (Concert Review)
No Doubt served as the special musical guest for Jimmy Kimmel Live! last night, as part of a special episode debuting the new 11:35 PM time slot. In addition to performing two songs for the benefit of the television audience, the band put on a good number of additional performances for this concert with eight songs in total, which was awesome for the fans in attendance who either got free tickets through 1iota or won them from the World Famous KROQ. Having just seen the band about a month ago as part of their seven-night residency at The Gibson Amphitheatre, it was awesome to catch them again so soon, and again opening with the title track to their latest album, Push and Shove. During the high energy mini-concert, the band made some news by announcing that they will be doing a world tour starting this Summer. As with the Gibson gig, the members of the Anaheim band (Tony Kanal, Tom Dumont, Adrian Young, Stephen Bradley, and Gabriel McNair) seemed to be having the time of their lives on stage, and were dressed to the nines in their own stylish versions of tuxedos. Brilliant show and awesome crowd.
Visit & Tour of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas (Music Memorabilia Collection Photos & Pictorial)
In my recent trip to Las Vegas to cover concerts, I visited the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino as “The Joint” – their official concert venue – is inside the resort. The Hard Rock is world famous for their collection of music and rock and roll memorabilia, and the displays within this location is the most impressive I’ve seen. [Read more…]
Visit & Tour of Hard Rock Cafe Maui (Memorabilia Pictorial)
Last month I had an opportunity to check out the Hard Rock Cafe Maui in Old Lahaina Town. During the visit, I took some photos of the music memorabilia on display to share in this article.
Imagine Dragons at The Independent | San Francisco, California | 1/5/2013 (Concert Review)
“Tonight we’re doing something that means something…” Imagine Dragons front man Dan Reynolds from the stage last night, commenting on the $10,000 raised for Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland, in conjunction with Brad Brooks as supporting band, KFOG, and Another Planet Entertainment, as well as The Independent, who played host to the amazing concert put on by the Las Vegas-based alternative band. Imagine Dragons, about to launch their first headlining concert series this Spring, put on an incredible performance to the sold out 500-capacity venue for this special one-off fundraiser. In stark contrast to the band’s explosive success over the past year, Dan and his group seem very humble and grounded; appreciative of their fans and career trajectory. Having had an opportunity to see them twice in as many months, I can say that they are one of the most exciting bands to see play live today, and I suspect that by the end of this year, they will be playing much, much bigger venues to huge crowds, as word spreads that they are a must-see band with fantastic music.
The Rock Subculture Journal 2012 Year In Review (Jason DeBord’s Top 100 Concert Photos)
This is the second and last of my 2012 “Year In Review” articles, though this one is mostly a pictorial. I went through the pictures I took at shows throughout 2012 and pulled out 100 of my favorites to republish here, in celebration of an amazing year for concerts and a fun year for me with photography. You can also check out my other Year in Review article with my Top 10 Live Music Concerts and Top 10 Studio Albums & Songs. [Read more…]
The Black Keys at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino | Las Vegas, Nevada | 12/30/2012 (Concert Review)
The Black Keys played the first of two special New Year’s Eve show at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino last night, and delivered the special mix of garage/blues/indie rock to what appeared to be a sold out crowd in the Las Vegas venue. Having seen them earlier this year at Sleep Train Arena, which was a phenomenal show, I knew what to expect but was still blown away by the brilliance of this drums and guitar duo, who played through old and new material, including hits from one of 2011’s best albums, El Camino. On a personal note, as my 58th concert of the year, I can’t imagine a better way to close out an incredible year of live music. The Black Keys have no other purpose on stage other than to put on a rocking show and get their fans jumping with authentic rock and roll.
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