Show Reviews – Page 40 – Spinning Platters

An Evening with Tony Lucca at Yoshi’s Oakland, 01/29/2015

Seeing Simons & Lucca together is always a treat.

Tony Lucca will always have a special place in my heart…and my career. I say that because it was just about this time four years ago that I wrote my first review for Spinning Platters. I had met editor Gordon Elgart not long prior and discussed writing for him, but it was completely spur of the moment when I invited him to join me to see Mr. Lucca at the Cafe du Nord and cover the show. He asked, instead, that I do it myself. I admit, having never written anything of the sort, I was intimidated. But I did it, and I suppose the rest is the proverbial history? Anyway, I digress. Suffice all this to say that I was happy to catch him last Thursday evening at Yoshi’s Oakland. Even better, he had recently added my beloved Keaton Simons to his band, and offered me a little pre-show time for a chat. Continue reading “An Evening with Tony Lucca at Yoshi’s Oakland, 01/29/2015”

Sketchfest Review: Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Taking Over SF Sketchfest with Dana Snyder and Dave Willis at Marines’ Memorial Theater, 1/31/15

Aqua Teen Hunger Force is one of those shows that has managed to stay pretty far under the radar. It’s heading into it’s 15th season on Adult Swim, making it the longest running show in Adult Swim history. I, personally, believe that it’s the most inventive of the adult cartoons. Tonight, we had the very rare opportunity to get to listen to the show’s creators, Dana Snyder and Dave Willis, talk about this long running program.

Continue reading “Sketchfest Review: Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Taking Over SF Sketchfest with Dana Snyder and Dave Willis at Marines’ Memorial Theater, 1/31/15”

Sketchfest Review: Competitive Erotic Fan Fiction with Brian Cook at The Verdi Club, 1/30/15

I have a hard time believing that there is a soul alive that isn’t aware of Competitive Erotic Fan Fiction. If you don’t know about it, it’s an amazing show where comedians compete by telling titillating erotic tales based on pre-existing works. It is also the great equalizer, where big name comedians compete alongside up and comers, and anyone can win. Tonight’s performance was no exception, as we were treated with stories told by stars of stage and screen Harland Williams, Matt Braunger, Dave Hill, and Erin Foley alongside lesser known comics Jesse Elias, TJ Chambers, Andy Haynes, Barbara Holm, Matt Lieb, and JoAnne Schinderle.

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Show Review: Knife Party at Mezzanine, 01/28/2015

I’m going to be completely honest. I was worried that the crowd at this Knife Party show would kill my opinion of the show itself. I was worried that I would run into a Coachella-Lite type of experience, and I’d be dealing with neon day-glo tank top wearing bros who only came to rage out. I have never been so happy to have my expectations proven wrong. Continue reading “Show Review: Knife Party at Mezzanine, 01/28/2015”

Sketchfest Review: Jenny Slate & Friends at The Brava Theater, 1/23/15

Sketchfest really killed it this year, as usual. A lot of shows sold out quickly. However, the quickest sell out was Jenny Slate & Friends at The Brava Theater. Jenny Slate’s star seems to be on the rise swiftly. She starred in Obvious Child, my favorite film of 2014. Her web series Marcel The Shell With Shoes On and Catherine are both works of epic genius. It seems that everything she touches turns to gold. However, I’ve never seen her do stand up. Even a cursory YouTube search proved difficult in terms of finding any clips of her doing live comedy. It seems tonight was a very special and somewhat rare experience.

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Show Review: Nick Carter & Jordan Knight at Regency Ballroom, 11/18/2014

...and all the girls went wild. — …and all the girls went wild.

If admitting that I’ve loved a boyband (one in particular, and pretty much only them) for my entire life makes me uncool, then so be it. I’m uncool. Having said that, I never really got into pop in the way many do. New Kids on the Block aside, there was only really ever one other similar group whose music I got into, and that’s irrelevant. Anyway, whether because I decided so at a very young age, or simply because it’s true, I still find Jordan Knight to be one of the most beautiful men on the planet. And okay, if he wants to make a record and then tour with some other musician, well… I’d probably go see him with just about anyone. (Willie Nelson? Barbra Streisand? Rick Astley? I’m game.) If his choice is another cute boy from a similar boyband background, specifically Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys, well, alright. Look, he could tour with Miss Piggy and I’d go see him. And so I did, about a month ago (11/18), when the Nick & Knight tour stopped at SF’s Regency Ballroom. Continue reading “Show Review: Nick Carter & Jordan Knight at Regency Ballroom, 11/18/2014”

Show Reviews: Mid-November (2014) METAL Overload with Slayer, Exodus, Suicidal, and Judas Priest!

Photos and review by: Alan Ralph @ConcertGoingPro

There really is no such thing as “metal overload”. If there was this many epic metal shows per week every week of the year, that would be more like “metal heaven” (except all metalheads are Satanic, right? So, “metal hell”?) …

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Show Review: Erasure at Fox Theater Oakland

Andy Bell was in top form this past Saturday night.

Reading up on Erasure, before they performed to a sold out crowd at Oakland’s Fox Theater this past Saturday night, I discovered that they didn’t really break through into the mainstream’s consciousness until their third album was released in 1988. Could you imagine such a scenario in today’s modern-day music industry? Luckily, Mute and Sire records were good to them and foresaw the longevity in classic hits such as “Oh L’amour” and “Who Needs Love Like That.”

Andy Bell and Vince Clarke, the latter formerly of Depeche Mode, have been performing together since the 1980s. They’ve conquered adversity, the pitfalls of fame, and HIV (Bell was diagnosed in 1998). They also may not have had a proper hit in a decade, but that doesn’t diminish their invaluable contributions to the LGBT community or the staying power of the music they’ve created.

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Treasure Island Festival Diary 2014, Day 2

All photos by Kelly Hoffer unless otherwise noted.

I love a good music festival. Especially one where you can bask in the sun in October. It was another gorgeous day on the island. With even better music than the day before, if you could possibly believe that.

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Treasure Island Festival Diary 2014, Day 1

All Photos by Kelly Hoffer. She’s got a bunch more on her Flickr page.

Treasure Island Music Festival is always a good time. This year marks what may have been the biggest year ever for the event! Outkast are, arguably, the biggest name to ever play this event. It was also a blissfully sunny weekend, with temperatures staying in the low 70’s with just a subtle breeze throughout the affair. And, despite some of the biggest crowds ever, the event never felt “too crowded.”

So good. Continue reading “Treasure Island Festival Diary 2014, Day 1”