Does everyone else have artists they will see over and over forever, or is it just me? Sometimes, this is because I want to see what’s new in the artist’s/band’s set (as is the case with someone like Pink, who will change much of her songlist, set, costumes, etc, every time she hits the road). On the other hand, sometimes this is just because I’m such a fan of the artist’s voice, lyrics, and music that I’ll see them every single time I have an opportunity, regardless of whether or not things have much changed since the last time. Such was the case this week with John Mayer’s Solo tour, which arrived at Chase Center on Tuesday. Continue reading “Show Review: John Mayer with JP Saxe at Chase Center, 11/7/23”
Category: Show Reviews
Show Review: Cavalera Conspiracy w/Exhumed, Incite, Thrown Into Exile, and SANGRE at The Wiltern, 10/18/2023
Cavalera: The REAL Sepultura
Show Review and Los Angeles Photos by: Oliver Brink
San Francisco Photos by: Alan Ralph @AlanHasPicks
This one was a bit special for me. Sepultura is a band that I fell deeply in love with in high school, and their music and the continued projects of Max Cavalera have been with me constantly as I navigate my way through life. I always find moments where I just need a song like “Refuse/Resist” or “Troops of Doom” to help me get through a moment of angry energy. So, of course, I had to jump at a chance to see Max and Iggor Cavalera, finally, and when that opportunity arrived, I jumped right the hell on it, even if it meant going to one of my least favorite venues to photograph. More on that later; bands first!
Show Review: BabyKlok Tour at The Youtube Theater, 10/12/23
“DEATH! DEATH! DEATH! DEATH!”
Sometimes, I get really tired of writing. It’s probably why these articles end up being late every damn time. Trying to think of good opening lines or hooks to pull you, the reader, in when I’m fairly confident you’re probably just here for the photos because how could you possibly relate to my subjective experience of these bands or live music in general? Yet, here I am, all self-deprecation aside, about to rattle on about why you should have been at one of the BabyKlok Tour shows regardless of which of these two juggernauts in their own rights is your favorite. Let’s get on with it, shall we?
Continue reading “Show Review: BabyKlok Tour at The Youtube Theater, 10/12/23”
Show Review: The Breeders with Belly at The Warfield, 10/23/23
On October 24th, 1993, my uncle brought me out to see my favorite band, Belly, as an early birthday present at The Warfield. I was *just* about to turn 13, and it was tradition for us to be taken to our first concert by our uncle. (My sister, a few years earlier, was treated with REM on the legendary Green tour. We are all pretty nerdy kids.) That was literally 30 years ago. Since then, I’ve probably gone to 100s of shows at The Warfield (especially since I worked there for a spell), and live music has essentially been a cornerstone of my life ever since. However, I wasn’t expecting to return to the place where it all started, WITH the band it started with, in time for that anniversary. On top of that, they would be supporting The Breeders! The Last Splash is a record that I know by heart, and although I never got to see them in their original go around, that record was one of my initial “Buy 5 for the price of 1” BMG record club picks! (The rest? Pork Soda by Primus, Human Wheels by John Mellencamp, Stone Free: A Tribute To Jimi Hendrix, and Ramonesmania.) Continue reading “Show Review: The Breeders with Belly at The Warfield, 10/23/23”
Show Review: Maneskin at Oakland Arena, 10/13/2023
Ever since the first time I heard Måneskin’s “I Wanna Be Your Slave” (and their excellent cover of The Four Seasons’ “Beggin’”), I was hooked. There’s something about the sounds of Damiano David’s voice that just captivates me, and the entire band just has a tight, catchy, fantastic sound that I can’t seem to get enough of. I didn’t get to catch them when they played the Masonic last November, so believe me when I say that I was not going to miss the Italian band’s first US arena tour. The Rush! World Tour came to Oakland Arena this past weekend (on Friday the 13th, no less), and I couldn’t have been more excited to hear them live. Continue reading “Show Review: Maneskin at Oakland Arena, 10/13/2023”
Show Review: Aftershock 2023… West Coast’s Biggest Rock Festival!
- Review by: Alan Ralph @AlanHasPicks and Emily Anderson @wisefoolfilms
- Onstage Photos by: Alan Ralph @AlanHasPicks
- AFI/Avenged/Korn Photos by: Kyle Kellogg @ Kellogg Foto
Discovery Park in Sacramento was once again the site for Danny Wimmer Presents annual Aftershock Festival, a four-day rock and metal music festival featuring four stages of many of today’s bona fide headliners as well as plenty of promising new blood. It is also a bit of an endurance test. There are the crazy fans who run in as soon as the gates open and stand at the barricade for basically 11 hours, with no food or even the means to leave to find a restroom (because they’ll never get their spot back). Security did hand out plenty of water up there though so that nobody passed out in the mid-90° heat! There are others who try to take in as much as possible by going from stage to stage to stage all day long to see as many bands as they can. Many just get drunk and sit around on their picnic blanket or at the VIP section tables, while others take it all in stride and hit up the myriad of food trucks, beer tents, alcohol and cannabis vendors… all while everyone is dealing with a heat wave that much of Northern California happened to fall victim to over this very weekend.
Continue reading “Show Review: Aftershock 2023… West Coast’s Biggest Rock Festival!”
Show Review: P!nk with Grouplove and KidCutUp at Chase Center, 10/14/2023
When I was nineteen, my friends and I had been known to crash a Hollywood party or two. At one party in particular, there was a beautiful young woman who looked about our age. She had spiky, cool hair dyed a shocking pink, oozed sexy confidence, and could sing like nobody’s business. I became a fan instantly. In the twenty-five years since, my love for Pink has only grown exponentially, not just because I think she has the best voice in the business, but because who she is as a person is someone I truly admire. Suffice it to say, I do everything I can not to miss her when she comes to town. This past weekend, that meant getting myself to Chase Center on Saturday night to catch her Trustfall tour. Continue reading “Show Review: P!nk with Grouplove and KidCutUp at Chase Center, 10/14/2023”
Show Review: Ladytron w/Danz CM @ The Belasco 09-22-23
“Destroy Everything You Touch”
Despite what most of my articles may have you believe, I don’t solely listen to Metal and Punk music. I know, I know, illusion shattered, but I like to believe that despite my inkling towards heavy music, I still have a fairly eclectic taste. The commonality is probably in the thematic songwriting, which almost always leans a bit toward the darker side of things. What I’m trying to say is that I’m a pretty damn big fan of Ladytron, and I have been since my high school days. So of course, I jumped at the chance to catch them at The Belasco Theatre, a venue which is fast becoming my home away from home, in DTLA.
Continue reading “Show Review: Ladytron w/Danz CM @ The Belasco 09-22-23”
Show Review: Mac Sabbath drives thru the Great American Music Hall!
Photos and review by: Alan Ralph @AlanHasPicks
“More Than Meats the Eye” is what happens when McDonald’s worst nightmare Mac Sabbath books a tour with a bunch of Transformers and they all Drive Thru the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on a warm Thursday evening.
Continue reading “Show Review: Mac Sabbath drives thru the Great American Music Hall!”
Show Review: Lauren Mayberry with Alaska Reid at August Hall, 9/28/23
Brilliant. Chvrches lead vocalist Lauren Mayberry decided to share her first solo album by touring it BEFORE releasing it. It’s such a brave endeavor- we all know her band’s work, but anyone who bought a ticket to this was taking a risk that this project would be worth their time and money. I decided it was worth my time because the curiosity was killing me. Continue reading “Show Review: Lauren Mayberry with Alaska Reid at August Hall, 9/28/23”