Festival Review: LoveLoud 2019 at USANA Amphitheatre, 6/29/19

It’s July, and another successful SF Pride Parade is in the books… or so I hear. I personally missed it, sadly, but I did so for good reason. Obviously, we live in one of the most gay-friendly cities in the world, and while it would have been fun to come out to share the celebration (not to mention the spectacle) that is Pride in the Bay Area, I chose instead to celebrate with the LGBTQ+ youth of Salt Lake City.

The only photo I took of Kesha’s LoveLoud set: her fabulous rainbow confetti all over the ground.

Utah is, of course, fairly synonymous with Mormonism. Imagine growing up LGBTQ+ and having to consider whether to stay closeted, or to come out and risk being shunned, rejected, or excommunicated not only from your entire church, but your community and likely your whole family, too. It’s not hard to see why the LGBTQ+ youth in the LDS church have an incredibly high suicide rate. Enter one of the most famous Mormons this side of Donny & Marie: Imagine Dragons’ frontman, Dan Reynolds. Reynolds founded the LoveLoud Foundation, which puts on an annual festival in the Salt Lake City area every June to allow a safe place to celebrate Pride while raising money for local and national LGBTQ+ charities. 

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BottleRock Napa Valley 2019: A Preview

BRNV does it again!

The powers-that-be behind BottleRock Napa Valley never fail to impress me. This year’s festival lineup was announced this morning, boasting so many exciting artists it made my head swim a little: Imagine Dragons. Logic. OneRepublic. Sylvan Esso. Jenny Lewis. AJR. Anderson East. The Dandy Warhols. Neon Trees. Just Loud. Shannon Shaw. Flora Cash. And that’s just day one!

Days two and three add to the excitement, with Neil Young + Promise of the Real, Pharrell Williams, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Gary Clark Jr, Cypress Hill, Elle King, Sir Sly, Mumford & Sons, Santana, Bishop Briggs, Skylar Grey, Houses, and so many more. Also, anyone who watches Top Chef may have noticed that this year’s winner will have a slot on the culinary stage, which is always a fun place to check out between sets.  

It’s hard not to look at this list and know you’ve got to be there. I think the hardest part will be, as usual, determining how to get from point A to point B in such a way that you catch at least parts of all the acts you don’t want to miss! Until BRNV releases an actual schedule, however, there’s not much to do but listen to these bands and look forward to May in eager anticipation. To help you do that, I made a little playlist: I’ve included some of my favorites from the artists that are generating the highest levels of impatience. Let’s hope these next 4 ½ months fly by, and I’ll see you this summer in Napa! 

BottleRock Napa Valley 2019 preview playlist

BottleRock ticket info: 3-Day Tickets On Sale 1/8/19 at 10am. Single day passes on sale 1/10/19.

Show Review: My Chemical Romance with Neon Trees and Architects at The Fox Oakland, 3/31/11

Fists in the air for My Chemical Romance

MCR!!!!  That’s all my fangirl heart was screaming while walking towards The Fox and the hoards of people, clad mostly in black, slowly making their way in to the theater.  Of course, I didn’t have a ticket, just a photo pass, but trivial details will not keep me from a show!  After a brief panic the ticket was procured and I made my way in and was amazed by the crowd already formed on the floor. By the excitement radiating through the room I could tell that this, the fourth time I’ve seen My Chemical Romance, was going to be the best. Continue reading “Show Review: My Chemical Romance with Neon Trees and Architects at The Fox Oakland, 3/31/11”

Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 3/31/11 – 4/6/11

Yeah, so normally I put a funny pic that makes fun of the name of some band playing this week. But, instead, we are giving away a pair of tickets to see the Metalliance Tour at Mezzanine on Sunday, April 3rd. It will be an amazing night of  non-stop metal madness, capped off by the great HELMET! Simply email promo@spinningplatters.com by Friday at 3 PM, and one lucky winner will be picked at random. Just give me your name, email, and phone number and in the subject, put METALLIANCE CONTEST. Winner will be informed by email. And if you don’t win, tickets are for sale here!

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Mega New Release Round Up 3/16/10 and 3/23/10 – 52 Instant Album Reviews

Don't stare too hard or you'll go crazy

So I’ve been working a lot of long hours. It has sapped my will to be funny or amusing. Basically sapping my will…although I guess it could also be a direct result of listening to Bieber. Zing! Continue reading “Mega New Release Round Up 3/16/10 and 3/23/10 — 52 Instant Album Reviews”