St Vincent released Live In London earlier this year, a recording of a live show performed with a symphony orchestra. Normally, I’d do extensive research before a show, including listening to the record numerous times. I opted against that this time, and instead decided I wanted to be surprised. This was the right choice. Continue reading “Show Review: St Vincent & The San Francisco Symphony with Arooj Aftab at Davies Symphony Hall, 7/30/26”
Category: Show Reviews
Mosswood Meltdown Day 3 – Highlights from the Mosh Pit
Buy! your ticket to see your favorite artists. Attend! to be with your closest 3,000 friends. Embrace! those odd conversations. Experience more music than advertised. This year at one of the hidden side stages was a “BitchFit” performance. A band of 4 friends unapologetically kicking in doors and yelling that violence will no longer be tolerated. Frontwoman Ailish shared a megaphone with fans to actively scream NO to their personal situation. This was followed by the crowd’s response – “fuck (person’s name), you suck.” The four artists are small, but their ideals and voices are changing the world. Continue reading “Mosswood Meltdown Day 3 — Highlights from the Mosh Pit”
2026 Mosswood Meltdown – Day 1: Blurring the lines of Music Genres – Pavement, Wednesday, Vivian Girls
Photos and Review by: Emily Anderson
Punk rock is more than music; it is a way of life. As life changes, punk will echo the experiences. The first day of the Mosswood Meltdown festival put awkward to a ripping beat, swirled in a country twang, and added comedy to remind us at times we really don’t know the lyrics. During Mosswood Meltdown, nothing is ever certain; its punk rock why expect anything else.
Vivian Girls – Beat vs Mosh
Their intro-set had an elegant awkwardness that matched the tone of the dark lyrics as they echoed versions of death. Each song spiraled into the next flawlessly. Then the announcement -“Here are a few old songs”; thus, the second set. The transition was from an awkward movement to clean angelic harmonies on top of a ripping, punk-beat that was faster than the mosh pit could circle, bump, or bounce. A distinct crowd favorite -“Out For The Sun”- amplified the beautiful chaos.
Wednesday – Who doesn’t love a punk rock scream!
They have a perfect blend of music containing variations from multiple genres: Rock, Punk, and Country. Their southern origin (North Carolina) bleeds country twang vibes into a punk rock edgy aesthetic. Allowing a hard rock power cord build up bridge bleed in a country twang with punk rebellion. It united every unique genre, as if this is the natural intended order of the world.
Karly Hartzman’s claim “Outlaw people are the punkest people out there” seemed believable when they transitioned from rock to country with the song “Phish Pepsi.” The entire band had an explosive performance. The following explanation revealed their reason and reality. On their last tour they could not celebrate the death of Lindsey ‘war-hawk’ Graham. Karly said she had to “Scream in memory from all the children that died in all the wars started by Lindsey Graham.”
“Wednesday” is the embodiment of their mixed genre style without rules. I noticed the guitarist adjusted the drums as the drummer tuned the guitar. When Karly inquired about the Oakland fragrance, a bottle was tossed from the crowd to the stage. Its contents were gingerly shared on stage. The performance was louder, faster, and more punk than previous.
Pavement – Comedy or concert?
Pavement’s performance was a remembrance to value the present, past, and unexpected. It was humorously linked by the charm, charisma, and comedy that only Pavement could deliver. The setlist ranged from Hits to dusty B-sides. They took liberties with legendary rock classics such as Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway to heaven’ by keeping the rhythm and altering the lyrics to “I should have rehearsed in the hotel room, cause I didn’t get it right”, instead of “truly makes me wonder.”
There was a musical tour of California, via a Pavement song to describe each city. It kicked off with the announcement ‘Oakland was the better part of Stockton’ which was followed by hardcore punk screaming guitar riffs. Most memorable mentions were “Sound” for the desperate housewives of Alameda, “Down Down” for the Joaquin River, with a little something special for the beautiful city of Lindsy.
There were some sentimental moments in remembrance of Gary Young, the original drummer who left us in 2023. A voice from the band yelled out he left us long before that. This might have been the reference to Gary leaving the band in 1993 for his own endeavors. Despite the laughs on his birthday date resembling the unending math equation of pie; it was a sentimental movement. Shortly after a man from stage right ran into the stage and grabbed a mic. Security was quick to escort his return to backstage but Pavement’s Mark Ibold put his arm around him and they sang furiously loud.
Show Review: Corrosion of Conformity melt faces at GAMH!
Photos and review by: Alan Ralph @ConcertGoingPro
Corrosion of Conformity, Whores., and Crobot hit Great American Music Hall halfway through their current (mostly) west coast tour, and all three bands were firing on all cylinders and melting faces along the way!
Continue reading “Show Review: Corrosion of Conformity melt faces at GAMH!”
Show Review: Killswitch Engage and Machine Head wrap it up at The Warfield!
Photos and review by: Alan Ralph @ConcertGoingPro
The Warfield hosted the final show of Leg #1 of the Killswitch Engage and Machine Head North American summer tour. This could not have been more perfect for Machine Head, who reside here in Oakland, to end a tour in front of an almost sold-out crowd of their friends and family (Killswitch Engage, on the other hand, will have had a long way to go to get their band, crew and equipment back home to Massachusetts!).
These two titans of metal will see each other two more times this summer and early fall. Leg #2 crisscrosses Canada in August and Leg #3 hits America one more time for a couple weeks in September.
Continue reading “Show Review: Killswitch Engage and Machine Head wrap it up at The Warfield!”
Show Review: Metric, Broken Social Scene, and Stars at The Greek Theatre (Los Angeles) 06-16-2026
All The Feelings
Something that may not be entirely apparent, especially given the majority of shows I’ve covered, is that I like more than just metal music. Shocking, I’m sure, but true nonetheless, and as a kid who grew up through the 90s and very early 00s, the wave of Indie rock and indie pop was unavoidable. One thing I did have, however, was a bit of a discerning palate, but when a friend turned me on to Stars and then another to Metric in 2004, it was inevitable that I would go on a deep dive into a then-mostly unexplored genre for me, ultimately leading to a plethora of bands, but specifically to Broken Social Scene. So anyway, when I saw that not both Metric and Broken Social Scene not only had new albums coming out, but were to embark on a tour together, supported by Stars, well, I jumped at the opportunity.
Show Review: Belle & Sebastian do “If You’re Feeling Sinister” at The Masonic, 6/11/26
There are certain venues that seem designed for spectacle, and then there are rooms that feel built for stories. The Masonic in San Francisco sits somewhere in between. Perched high on Nob Hill, its steep seating and excellent sightlines make even a sold out show feel intimate. I’ve spent a lot of time there over the years, and somehow the room always manages to make a performance feel personal. Continue reading “Show Review: Belle & Sebastian do “If You’re Feeling Sinister” at The Masonic, 6/11/26″
Show Review: Metric with Broken Social Scene at The Masonic, 6/21/26
I thought I’d be upset when I started seeing nostalgia package tours geared towards people in my age bracket. (I was born in late ‘79, which I think is an Xennial?) But when this “Monsters of 00’s Canadian Indie Rock” tour was announced with Metric, Broken Social Scene and Stars, I didn’t feel old. I was stoked. So excited that I didn’t connect at first that it was Father’s Day, and a meltdown at the mini golf course thwarted my mission, and I missed Stars’ opening set. But I still made it on time for Broken Social Scene’s perfect dad rock set. Upon entering the venue, I noticed a LOT of entire families, dads leading the pack, and realized that I was at home with my fellow fathers.
Continue reading “Show Review: Metric with Broken Social Scene at The Masonic, 6/21/26”
Show Review: Kesha at Concord Pavilion, 5/27/26
(Photo by Chris Tuite)
I’ve always had a soft spot for Concord Pavilion, before that when it had a different corporate sponsor attached to the name, and through every era in between. It’s one of the few large amphitheaters in the Bay Area where the setting is genuinely part of the experience. Nestled into the hills, the venue manages to feel intimate despite its size, and there really isn’t a bad seat in the house. Whether you’re up close or stretched out on the lawn, the rolling landscape behind the stage becomes part of the evening. Continue reading “Show Review: Kesha at Concord Pavilion, 5/27/26”
Show Review: Magic Sword, Dance With The dead, Megan Mcduffie @The Echoplex, 06-22-2026
Sometimes, and perhaps more frequently, bands find themselves moved from an intended venue to another. The common assumption is that ticket sales are not meeting expectations and whether that is the whole truth is something I can only guess at. I was supposed to cover Dance with the Dead and The Magic Sword at The Belasco, but a few days prior to the evening the venue changed to The Echoplex. Fine by me, I like both venues, but I would have preferred to shoot them on that big Belasco stage. So, anyway…