Category: Show Previews

EP Preview: “Nice Try” by Habibi AND TOUR DATES

 

Habibi was one of like five bands to get to complete their 2020 tour before the world shut down. And their good fortune did not end there… Anywhere But Here landed the band on a slew of year-end lists, enough to get the attention of the legendary label Kill Rock Stars, which is AMAZING news because there were six years between the band’s self-titled debut and second record!

While the band is in the studio working on LP #3, they have treated us with an EP of cover songs from some of their favorite performers. The first single is a cover of the Kleenex classic “Nice,” translated into Farsi by lead singer Rahill Jamalifard. The EP, called Nice Try, will be ready for your ears very soon. You can watch this countdown clock with bated breath like I have to know the minute it’s read! And they are also going on tour! Check out the dates below: Continue reading “EP Preview: “Nice Try” by Habibi AND TOUR DATES”

David Byrne’s “American Utopia” Coming To Theaters for One Night Only!

I’ll be rather blunt with you- I, personally, am not feeling totally safe with the idea of going to a lively, indoor, open dance floor show. Even though I’m vaccinated and would probably be double-masked, the prevalence of Delta and its intense infectiousness leaves me feeling like, for the good of my community, it’s best to stay away from spaces where we fling spit and sweat at each other. 

BUT- it still feels good to share the experience of music. And this may not be 100% safe; a safer way to enjoy this experience could be in the confines of a movie theater. Specifically heading out this Wednesday, September 15th, to enjoy the Spike Lee-directed presentation of David Byrne’s award-winning American Utopia. For one night only, mask up and take in one of the most cathartic music experiences of a lifetime. Showtimes and locations can be found here! 

BREAKING NEWS: Halloween Meltdown with John Waters is coming October 16-17 to Mosswood Park

Everything in the news is scary right now… Texas both making abortions illegal AND ALSO USING A FORM THAT ALLOWS CITIZENS TO “TURN PEOPLE IN” INSTEAD OF, I DON’T KNOW, ACTUAL LAW ENFORCEMENT? The West Coast is pretty much on fire, and we don’t have enough water to live anyways. The entire East Coast is flooding due to Hurricane Ida, creating nearly as much damage as Katrina over a larger footprint. The Taliban is back. COVID is 300% worse than it’s ever been. It’s like, what good is Halloween if everything is hell anyway? Continue reading “BREAKING NEWS: Halloween Meltdown with John Waters is coming October 16-17 to Mosswood Park”

BFF.fm presents the inaugural San Francisco Music Scavenger Hunt

I’m just going to say it… I’m gutted that the Delta Variant has taken a toll on our ability to gather again. Yes, shows are happening. Yes, the vaccines we have are highly effective against even Delta. But, also, I’m not willing to put any loved one at risk that can’t get vaccinated yet. And, quite frankly, I don’t even want to put strangers at risk of getting sick. And I sure as hell don’t want the next mutation to be on my conscience. 

But I also miss seeing my fellow music fans. So, in lieu of packing into and sharing germs with strangers at Bottle Rock on Labor Day Weekend, our good friends at BFF.fm have designed something super fun that will keep you moving so you aren’t taking in stale, COVID-infested air and hang with your music-loving friends and possibly make some new friends. They are doing a city-wide San Francisco Music Scavenger Hunt!!! This will consist of 100 different music-related trivia and challenges that will send you all over town over the course of the Labor Day weekend. And you can do it at your own pace- so you can sprint through it all in a day or take it leisurely over the three days—specifically, September 4th – 6th. Teams are limited to six people, and you can register here! All proceeds go to keeping the excellent BFF.fm up and running. Unfamiliar with BFF.fm? Try starting with this episode of Slightly Sobbing that your’s truly appears on. 

SF Sketchfest 20th Anniversary Dates Announced!

GOOD NEWS! Our good friends at SF Sketchfest decided NOT to try to squeeze yet another festival into the hyper-crowded Fall 2021 space. Instead, they are coming back next year for their usual “just after the frenzy of the holidays are over and just before work gets busy again” slot in mid-January. Specifically, January 7th – 23rd. This is extra exciting because it’s their 20th installment of the event, and one can assume that it will be a little apeshit. 

If you are a comic / sketch troupe / audacious soul, they are accepting submissions here. However, it appears Scott Baio and Ricky Schroeder probably shouldn’t apply because SF requires all attendees, performers, and staff to show proof of vaccination. So if you want to enjoy the 20th SF Sketchfest, please, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, GET VACCINATED!!! It’s free. They are effective. And I’m so sick of me having to put COVID disclaimers on EVERYTHING. 

Show Review: Korn + Staind, MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa, 8/07/2021

Photos and review by: Alan Ralph @ARPhotoSF

After the first couple months of 2020, as the music industry began to shutdown due to a worldwide pandemic, Korn was one of the few bands still on the road that was lucky enough to not have had the remainder of their tour cancelled.  Staind didn’t have to worry at all about that, as they have been on an extended hiatus, aside from a handful of shows and festivals here and there that they reconvened for.  This show at MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre was the second stop of their current summer tour together as co-headliners.

Spinning Platters had to get creative at the last minute to photograph and review this show as our press request was not replied to due to a publicist change (Korn) and press access was retracted due to growing COVID concerns (Staind).  Thankfully, Live Nation had their annual summer $20 lawn ticket special the week prior, and since our metal music writer + photographer (who has been in Florida for most of 2021) is a seasoned concert veteran, he was smart enough to know to bring a decent camera without a detachable lens (Nikon Coolpix P80), and was cunning enough to know how to sneak on down to the main floor in order to get these photos (they are definitely not as good as what we usually get from the Canon DSLR)!

Continue reading “Show Review: Korn + Staind, MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa, 8/07/2021”

Show Review: Brad Paisley, MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa, 7/09/2021

Photos and review by: Alan Ralph @ARPhotoSF

With the grand reopening of live music in America already pushing ahead full-steam and it almost feeling like COVID-19 is over and done, Spinning Platters home base of San Francisco is presently a little bit behind that national trend.  The Independent SF, the free Stern Grove Festival, Punch Line and Cobbs comedy clubs, and Cornerstone have each recently reopened, with Bottom of the Hill, Shoreline Amphitheatre, The Fillmore, The Warfield, The Regency Ballroom, The Chapel, August Hall, Fox Theater, and The UC Theatre all looking at August or September.

For the past several months, our rock photographer has been in Florida, a place that never completely stopped gathering for concerts.  Although the vast majority of our coverage is throughout the Bay Area, with the past 16-month drought of any live event here, we have been extremely thankful to have been invited to attend and review a variety of shows down there in Florida.  Even more exciting, most of these musicians (Foreigner, Styx, Sammy Hagar) have never before been showcased at Spinning Platters, and we are thrilled to be able to add one more artist and genre to this recent diversity, country music icon Brad Paisley!

Continue reading “Show Review: Brad Paisley, MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa, 7/09/2021”

Stern Grove Festival 2021 Lineup! Free concerts every Sunday!

Stern Grove Festival just has announced the full music lineup for the 84th summer concert season kicking off on Sunday, June 20.

Stern Grove welcomes one of its biggest and most musically diverse lineups to date with headliners like Thundercat, Fitz and the Tantrums, Joan Jett, Perfume Genius, Thievery Corporation, X, and St Paul & The Broken Bones. The season concludes on August 29 with a special performance at The Big Picnic featuring Oakland legends Tower of Power and Too $hort.

Continue reading “Stern Grove Festival 2021 Lineup! Free concerts every Sunday!”

In Defense Of: One Last Postponement

I know, I know, I know… We are all so very sick of COVID lockdowns and masking and social distancing and everything. And with recent news from the CDC saying that vaccinated folks drop the masks and live life like it’s normal should mean that we should stop seeing new postponements, right? Yet, just today, the Hella Mega Tour featuring Green Day, Weezer, Fall Out Boy, and The Interruptors just got pushed out a few more months, starting July 24th, 2021 in Dallas. This, along with recent news of Bikini Kill, Motley Crue, (which, if you don’t immediately scream to yourself “I’m gonna win that Motley Crue mirror if it fucking kills me” when you see those two band names together, then what are you even doing reading this blog?) and Rage Against The Machine pushing their late Summer / early Fall 2021 shows even further down the line, it’s gotta be a little frustrating, right? Continue reading “In Defense Of: One Last Postponement”

BottleRock Napa Valley 2021 Preview

It’s been nearly a year since the original lineup announcement for BottleRock Napa Valley 2020. It was only January, and we hardly knew anything yet about what would become of the world as we know it, especially for us live music lovers.

Fast forward to mid-May 2021, and most of us are starved for live events we might have once taken for granted. Fortunately, there’s finally a light appearing at the end of a very long and difficult tunnel.

I haven’t seen a show since January 2020. If you know me at all, you know that festivals are my favorite – especially one I can walk to from home. And finally, finally, finally, it seems like it’s about that time again. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you…

Bottle Rock Napa Valley 2021’s lineup! I’m happy to see that quite a few of those originally slated for last year’s BRNV will be playing this Labor Day when vaccinated music-lovers can convene to enjoy! This includes original headliner Stevie Nicks, plus Guns N’ Roses (!!) and returning headliners Foo Fighters. In addition to those three, I’m also looking forward to several smaller acts! Personally, I can’t wait to catch Finneas, the freaking Village People (!!), Absofacto, Atlas Genius, Miley Cyrus, Megan Thee Stallion, Brandi Carlile, Cage the Elephant, Portugal. The Man, Young the Giant, Maren Morris, Black Pumas, Jon Batiste, Digable Planets, Matt Nathanson, Mondo Cozmo, Meg Myers, among many others. Who are you most excited to see this year?

Here’s my preview playlist featuring some of my faves. Enjoy, get vaccinated, and I’ll see you in my hometown this Labor Day weekend at BottleRock Napa Valley!

BottleRock ticket info: On sale 5/20 at 10 am PST. Get yours here!