Category: Show Reviews

Treasure Island Music Festival 2018 Journal

The Treasure Island Music Festival has, historically, been the last hurrah of summer. Taking place in the middle of October (or late September), it’s usually sunny and a great way to let go of the carefree warm months, before we all have to buckle to the stress of the holiday season.

Sadly, they had to take 2017 off. Even sadder was that, due to maintenance on the island, Treasure Island, for the first time, had to move from its namesake venue. We ended up drifting east a few knots to the shores of Oakland, to a beach in the middle of West Oakland’s warehouse district called Middle Harbor Park. Continue reading “Treasure Island Music Festival 2018 Journal”

Festival Review: Adult Swim Festival 2018 (DTLA)

Adult Swim Takes Over The Row

Rick-1

Coming off of a whirlwind Wasteland Weekend experience mere days before, I grabbed my camera and jumped right in to Adult Swim’s inaugural Adult Swim Festival. Taking place in DTLA’s The Row next to the now vacant American Apparel factory, the festival showcased Adult Swim’s animation and television series while musicians and comedians who have worked in some capacity with the company, performed back to back on two cat-themed stages across the long stretch of pavement from each other. The next two days were jam packed with non-stop entertainment featuring a plethora of artists that I was experiencing for the first time both sonically and visually.

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Show Review: Billy Idol at Safeway Open, 10/6/18

The signature sneer says exactly what he said before leaving the stage: “My name is Billy Fucking Idol!”

Billy Idol is a living legend. Evidently, he’s also a man of few words, as I recently discovered. See, when life gives you a punk rock icon served up on a platter (or stage, as it were) in your own back yard, you take it and say thank you. That’s exactly what I did this past weekend when I stood with my camera at the feet of Idol himself on the grounds of Silverado Resort at the end of 2018’s Safeway Open. Idol took the stage without much ado and began his set strong with “Cradle of Love.” Continue reading “Show Review: Billy Idol at Safeway Open, 10/6/18”

Show Review: Young the Giant at Safeway Open, 10/5/18

Young the Giant’s Sameer Gadhia

I started listening to Young the Giant (and bands like them) a few years ago when I bought a new car with satellite radio. This radically increased my exposure to all kinds of great bands. I quickly got hooked on Young the Giant songs like “My Body” and “Cough Syrup.” Later, “Something to Believe in” and “Silvertongue” continued to hold my interest. So when I found that they would be one of three concerts at this year’s Safeway Open in my own backyard (at Napa’s Silverado Resort), I made sure to clear my weekend to check them out live. Continue reading “Show Review: Young the Giant at Safeway Open, 10/5/18”

Show Review: Johnny Marr, the Belle Game at the Fillmore, 9/26/18

A night of nostalgia for all, Johnny Marr and the Belle Game gave a 4-apple performance at the Fillmore.

First up was the perfect support for Johnny Marr—and the perfect complement to my Parallels T-shirt—the Vancouver-based Belle Game, who have been synthing it up for nearly 10 years. And, they’ve never sounded better. Even their banter was on point, asking “How many people have already seen a show this week?” Many of us raised our hands, of course. Continue reading “Show Review: Johnny Marr, the Belle Game at the Fillmore, 9/26/18”

Show Review: Liz Phair, Speedy Ortiz at The Fillmore, 9/20/18

The year is 1995. I’m a 15 year-old that was just starting to figure out my musical tastes. I learned that MTV had a two hour-long program at midnight early Monday mornings, that aired “underground” music videos. (Underground is in quotes because, as a grown up, I’m aware that you couldn’t be that far underground to be shown on corporate television). Due to school getting in the way, I would set the VCR to record these videos to watch later. The music from these programs became the primary thing that encoded my tastes for the rest of my life. Two videos that I would rewind and re-watch incessantly, were Liz Phair’s “Never Said” and “Supernova.” 23 years later, I am finally fulfilling that dream of getting to experience this musician, who’s had such an intense effect on my development, perform a full-length concert. Continue reading “Show Review: Liz Phair, Speedy Ortiz at The Fillmore, 9/20/18”

Show Review: The National, Cat Power at The Greek Theater – UC Berkeley, 9/25/18

Photos by Jon BauerWords by Naomi Elvove

With two sets of talented brothers rocking the band, the soulful vocals of charismatic Matt Beninger, and a dynamic visual display, The National brought an evening of sensual delights to Berkeley’s Hearst Greek Theater last night. Continue reading “Show Review: The National, Cat Power at The Greek Theater — UC Berkeley, 9/25/18”

Show Review: Future Islands, Ed Schrader’s Music Beat at Gundlach Bundschu Winery, 9/14/18

All Photos by Tiffany Black Darquea

If you haven’t had the opportunity to acquaint yourself with the picturesque Gundlach Bundschu Winery in Sonoma, you ought to.

The venue’s main stage is a cozy, dark, and ambient-lit renovated barn. However, that wasn’t the setting for Friday’s show. Future Islands and ESMB played to a steep grassy hillside of wine sipping mid 30’s and 40’s hill bouncers.

Gundlach’s second stage features exquisite views of sprawling vineyard property. It is intimate but comfortably open and spacious for moving about during the show.

The opener, Ed Schrader’s Music Beat (ESMB), sauntered out anxiously, compensating with awkward stand up and 90s references. But the folks on the hill stood to attention when ESMB drilled forward at a fast pace into their avant garde post-punk set. Continue reading “Show Review: Future Islands, Ed Schrader’s Music Beat at Gundlach Bundschu Winery, 9/14/18”

Show Review: Korn: Follow the Leader 20 Years! at The Masonic, 9/12/18

Photos and review by: Alan Ralph @ConcertGoingPro

For the whole month of October in 2015, KoRn embarked on their 20th Anniversary tour and performed their debut album in its entirety. The local show at Fox Theater in Oakland was the final show of that tour, on the night before Halloween, and for which the band dressed appropriately for the occasion. It doesn’t get much better than that, and this show was one of their best.

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