When I left the Silk Sonic show at the Dolby Theater at Park MGM on Tuesday night, I made my way over to the official afterparty. There was a very short line to get in which they immediately steered us away from. All of us concertgoers were “guest list” which was a slow-moving, Disneyland-style mess of velvet ropes that I immediately noped out on. Why did I care about an official afterparty anyway? So I headed to the exit, only to run into the same Bay Area friend I had seen before the show. He introduced me to a friend of his who had come down from Portland for the event. He asked me what I was going to write about the show and I explained that I wasn’t going to write about it all, but then I spent the night not at the afterparty but thinking about what I should write about it. Continue reading “Without a Phone in Las Vegas: A Silk Sonic Diary”
Tag: Anderson.Paak
Single Review: “Pay Your Way In Pain” by St Vincent / “Leave The Door Open” by Silk Sonic
In typical times, March would be the beginning of the music business’ “year.” Normally, there is a lull of news and new releases between December and February, and March usually starts with the Grammys, allowing everything to “wake up.” We would have a slew of festival line-ups coming through, and everyone looking to make a big year would be starting that cycle with SXSW. Continue reading “Single Review: “Pay Your Way In Pain” by St Vincent / “Leave The Door Open” by Silk Sonic”
Outside Lands 2019: Instant Gig Reviews
These are the days of miracles and wonder…
It’s been a tough couple of weeks as a nation. Mass shootings in Gilroy, Dayton, and El Paso were not particularly well timed with Outside Lands. In the days leading up to the festival, many people were debating whether or not it was safe to go. Maybe we were next? I had a long talk with my partner about going this year, which included a plan for alerting each other to our safety, and talking about all of the steps that I’ve observed in my years attending this festival that have made me feel safe. In fact, I think I feel safer in Golden Gate Park during Outside Lands than pretty much anywhere else on Earth.
I’m also a firm believer in “not letting terrorists win.” We can’t let these folks scare us off from living. And, seriously, if you don’t have communing with friends and strangers to appreciate live music, is life really worth living? I’m going to keep going to shows and supporting life music because, well, I really think my life depends on it. Continue reading “Outside Lands 2019: Instant Gig Reviews”
Top 10 Outside Lands 2016 Acts From The Bottom Half Of The Poster
Yes, it’s that time of year again. Outside Lands is about to begin, and with it, a slew of great acts you love — as well as a bunch of bands you may have never heard of before. I know that your instinct is to sleep in and show up just in time to let Third Eye Blind know that you do, in fact, believe in science. However, if you do, you are going to miss some of the best music in the festival. The lower part of the poster is where the good stuff hides, so, who knows — you may just stumble across the next Black Keys or Ellie Goulding, both past lower-poster-graduates.
The schedule is out NOW, so you can start planning your weekend. I do believe it’s in your best interest to include some of these acts:
Continue reading “Top 10 Outside Lands 2016 Acts From The Bottom Half Of The Poster”