Jason DeBord's Rock Subculture Journal

Counting Crows at Ironstone Amphitheatre | Murphys, California | 7/3/2018 (Concert Review + Photos)

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“I wanted to write a song about that… I wanted to reflect the idea of the country, and the sense of the country…” Adam Duritz of Counting Crows brought a mix of concert and storytelling to Ironstone Amphitheatre at Ironstone Vineyards on Tuesday night, as part of the band’s “25 Years And Counting Tour”.  He shared some stories about the origins and inspirations behind the songs that are so familiar to their fans, in a sprawling set approaching two hours.  In addition, the crowd also enjoyed a lengthy set from the band Live as well as younger act Boom Forest.  It was a beautiful night in Murphys and the mix of musical styles and genres entertained the massive crowd in attendance. [Read more…]

Little Big Town at Ironstone Amphitheatre | Murphys, California | 7/1/2018 (Concert Review + Photos)

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“I mean, I don’t think there’s anything that we love more than California, drinking wine, and singing some songs…” Karen Fairchild of Little Big Town, performing before a massive crowd at Ironstone Amphitheatre Sunday night.  It seemed to be a sentiment shared by all in attendance as the band played through their own hits as well as some interesting cover songs, putting on a show that really impressed. [Read more…]

Ironstone Amphitheatre at Ironstone Vineyards 2018 Summer Concert Line-Up

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Richter Entertainment Group’s Summer Concert Season at Ironstone Amphitheatre in Murphys will be happening in June, July, August and September this year. Artists include Toby Keith, Little Big Town, The Isley Brothers, The Commodores, The Family Stone, Willie Nelson, Alison Krauss, Foreigner, Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience, Queensryche, Counting Crows, Live, Creedence Clearwater Revisited, America, Stone Temple Pilots, The Cult, Bush, Culture Club, The B-52s, Tom Bailey from Thompson Twins, and more!

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Notes & Words 2018: Benefit For UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland at Fox Theater (feat. Dave Grohl) | Oakland, California | 5/12/2018 (Concert Review + Photos)

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Early in his rare solo acoustic headlining performance at Notes & Words 2018, Dave Grohl at once revealed his laid back humor and his insightful personal pondering on life and how it intersected with the feelings of the evening in his stream of consciousness commentary leading into one of his famous Foo Fighters songs: “As I was thinking about the setlist earlier… 15 minutes ago… [laughs] I thought that maybe that I would begin the set with this song, but then decided not to… But I think that this song is one of the ones that makes most sense tonight. I wrote this song in a period of my life where I was down… and I finally stopped and took at look at everything I had and all the things that I’d taken for granted. A wonderful home and appreciation of life, and love, and my friends. And the good things, and the good people, and the big picture and how we’re all connected in some way. I wrote this song and it’s called “Times Like These”.  Every year, there is magic all around at the Notes & Words: Benefit For UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital event, and it was off the charts again Saturday night, as per tradition.  The format remained the same – entertainment including both writers and musicians on stage – and this year featured musicians Dave Grohl with Emmett Reeed and Oakland School for the Arts, as well as writer George Saunders and, as always, writer and event host Kelly Corrigan.  The highlight of the evening for sure was watching Dave perform on stage with his two very talented daughters, Violet and Harper Grohl.  Not just the music, but the opportunity to see a loving family share with the crowd in such an amazing, candid and joyful way.  And all this good will went toward making new happy beginnings as seen with some of the real life stories shared by families who have been helped by UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital.

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Wolf Alice at Ace of Spades | Sacramento, California | 3/17/2018 (Concert Review + Photos)

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“How we doing out there?” Ellie Rowsell with Wolf Alice at a rare appearance in Sacramento at Ace of Spades Saturday night, a few shows into their massive schedule taking them all over the world in 2018.  In addition to their own headlining shows, they are playing gigs in support of Queens of the Stone Age as well as shows across the festival circuit.  I’ve been following the band since 2015, and now with two studio albums under their belt (sophomore effort Visions of a Life came out late last year), they are better than ever, with a massive amount of killer songs to fill up their sets.  I’ve always seen them as a band made to play live, and they did not disappoint.  This concert will certainly rank among the top at the end of the year for me personally, so I can’t recommend enough getting out to one of their shows if they stop in at a city near you. [Read more…]

Roger Daltrey (with members of The Who Band) at Bob Hope Theatre | Stockton, California | 3/13/2018 (Concert Review + Photos)

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“…so for us, it was a very difficult time indeed. This song kind of sums it up, really quite well. Tonight, I’m going to dedicate this song to Rex Tillerson.” Roger Daltrey’s intro to “Another Trick Day”, performing before a relatively intimate crowd at the Bob Hope Theatre in Stockton on Tuesday night, given that he is the front man for one of the bands most anyone would name as one of the greatest of all time.  This was my first time seeing any incarnation of The Who live on stage, and I was struck by how much Daltrey seemed to enjoy it himself.  A born performer with boundless energy and enthusiasm, he is also a storyteller, giving background, stories, contest and inspiration behind the music that he and The Who Band played for the crowd.  And that crowd… one of the best ones I’ve stood among in some time, looking around, it would seem to almost be a religious experience for a lot of the people who turned out for the show.

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Oingo Boingo Dance Party at Pano Hall at Thunder Valley | Lincoln, California | 10/27/2017 (Concert Review + Photos)

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I think I was too “in the moment” to make note of any particular quote from the band during Oingo Boingo Dance Party’s performance in Pano Hall at Thunder Valley Casino Resort on Friday night.  Oingo Boingo Dance Party what?  Yes, exactly.  What the heck is Oingo Boingo Dance Party?  In short, it is more or less Oingo Boingo minus original front man Danny Elfman, with a very impressive Brendan McKian (formerly Brendan McCreary) on vocals.  It was really a spectacular show and experience for me personally (Oingo Boingo is one of my all-time favorite bands).  I never thought I would get such a live experience with all of that brilliant music ever again.  So I really can’t recommend enough turning out for one of these shows if Oingo Boingo Dance Party is ever in a town near you.  Highest recommendation. [Read more…]

Rewind Fest ’17 Presents Lost 80’s Live at Thunder Valley Outdoor Amphitheater | Lincoln, California | 9/3/2017 (Concert Review + Photos)

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“Cheers everybody!  Good health and be well!  Thank you for being lost with us!” Tony Hadley, formerly of Spandau Ballet, in his headlining performance at Rewind Fest ’17’s Lost 80’s Live concert at Thunder Valley Outdoor Amphitheater on Sunday night.  Filling out the line-up was Wang Chung, Berlin, Missing Persons, Cutting Crew, Naked Eyes, Trans-X, The Flirts, and Pretty Poison.  World One Presents continues to bring out the top 80’s era live shows to Thunder Valley every summer, and this one was really great.

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“iHeart80s Birthday Bash” at SAP Center | San Jose, California | 8/26/2017 (Concert Review + Photos)

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“It’s lovely to be here celebrating beautiful memories”… Boy George in one of his asides during his headlining performance at the inaugural “iHeart80s Birthday Bash” live concert event at SAP Center in San Jose.  The special show on Saturday night featured Boy George, Tiffany, The Romantics, A Flock Of Seagulls, Farrington & Mann of the Original When In Rome UK, Tommy Tutone, Animotion and Nu Shooz, with former original MTV VJ Martha Quinn hosting along with radio personalities Christie James and Morris Knight.  It was really a stellar show with end to end 80s-era hits and hitmakers putting on non-stop entertainment for four hours.

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Steve Miller Band & Peter Frampton at Ironstone Amphitheatre | Murphys, California | 8/13/2017 (Concert Review + Photos)

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“This is the 34th city on this tour.  And I woke up this morning with the cold from hell.  I made it through thirty three and a half days.  But however we do have a really great treat in store for you…  let’s get together and welcome Mr. Peter Frampton to the stage.  We’ve been having a really great Summer playing lots of different American blues tunes and we’re going to do three of them for you.  This very first one we do you already know, it’s called  “Mercury Blues” by K.C. Douglas”.  Steve Miller of Steve Miller Band on stage with co-headliner Peter Frampton playing to a sold out crowd at Ironstone Amphitheatre on Sunday night, bringing their popular tour to an end.  Both artists have made visits to Murphys in recent years, but it was nice to enjoy them on the same stage.  The crowd went wild for their performances both together and apart, as they had fans up on their feet much of the night. [Read more…]