Reviews of albums, films, concerts, and more from the Bay Area Music and Movie Nerds
Howdy, Bay Area live music fans! I’ve got a great week for you! It’s a good time for you to stop sleeping for a while!
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 8/19/2010-8/25/2010”
While waiting in line to see Billy Idol last night at the Fillmore, I was talking to a friend on the phone that was rather disappointed to learn that his show was sold out, and the asking price on the streets was about $160. We were talking about Idol’s history, and I was informed that Idol was once a member of Siouxsie & The Banshees, but left the band because he felt that they weren’t taking music seriously enough. My immediate response was, of course, to chuckle, but I thought about Idol’s place in our society and realized that there is nobody else out there quite like him. He is part of the new wave era, the punk era, and the hair metal era, and managed to escape all of those trends with dignity & credibility. There is a reason that he is still able to sell out The Fillmore on a Tuesday night 30 years after his first record.
Continue reading “Show Review: An Evening With Billy Idol at The Fillmore, 8/17/10”
The second day of San Francisco’s Outside Lands Festival was met with both tiredness and anticipation from the thousands of fans who arrived to see the remainder of the odd but interesting festival lineup. While the day began just as overcast and somewhat gloomy as it had when it faded out the night before, blue sky finally broke through the clouds in the early afternoon, treating those who arrived to warm sunlight and renewed energy (especially with those who had been drained of theirs the night before). With a handful of big acts to come in the evening, it was expected that the opening bands would parallel their predecessors of the first day and serve as appetizers to the eventual banquet of concert frenzy; today, however, things got off to a rather slower, smoother start, which caused thankfulness in some and restlessness in others.
Continue reading “San Francisco’s Outside Lands Festival 2010: Day 2”
The official lineup for San Francisco’s third annual Outside Lands Festival caused some waves of bewilderment when it was first announced. Considering the lineups that had dominated Lollapalooza and Coachella this year, it was surprising that Outside Lands didn’t seem to step up to the same plate, while still remaining within the ballpark. Despite this, and the unusual inclusion of San Francisco regulars Furthur (featuring Phil Lesh and Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead) as headliners opposite acts such as The Strokes and Kings Of Leon, a handful of excellent acts did make their way into the roster, attracting yet another slew of thousands of avid concertgoers to the first day of the festival.
Continue reading “San Francisco’s Outside Lands Festival 2010: Day 1”
When a massive act plans a statewide, or possibly worldwide, tour, one of the factors involved is selecting opening bands for the tour. More often than not, the presence of a more famous and popular headliner will usually be a signal that larger, more well-known opening acts will come along for the ride. In the case of Porcupine Tree, however, their opening slot on Coheed And Cambria’s colossal new tour comes with the hope that at least a good chunk of the audience will be part of the dedicated following that they have carved out themselves within the states. As a nod to those fans, Porcupine Tree kicked off the tour with a special headlining show for one of their favorite cities (as claimed by frontman Steven Wilson on a few occasions): San Francisco, California.
This is Outside Lands weekend, and a surprising number of excellent non-Outside Lands related gigs are happening concurrently. So, if you don’t feel like watching Kings Of Leon getting pooped on (although who wouldn’t love to see that!), you’ve got some crazy good options. Read On!
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 8/12/2010-8/19/2010”
Ah, a Saturday night show. The one time the audience has no excuse but to bring the energy. At the We Are Scientists show at Slim’s the energy was bursting from the seams. There was great music, a relatively friendly crowd, a lot of laughter, and even more drinking. At least that’s what happened where I was standing… Continue reading “Show Review: We Are Scientists with Rewards (Aaron Pfenning) at Slim’s 8/7/10”
I’m gonna go see the Old 97’s in 45 minutes… I actually am borrowing David Price‘s computer to do this, just so I get to the show on time! Peace out, yo!
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 8/5/2010-8/11/2010”
At one point late in the Silversun Pickups set at The Fox Oakland, lead singer Brian Aubert started listing off all of the Bay Area venues they had played: Rickshaw Stop, The Fillmore, Bimbo’s, Cafe Du Nord, Bottom of the Hill (this one got the biggest applause), BFD, Outside Lands. They’ve been here a lot. Because of this, it’s a bit of a surprise that it took them nearly 18 months after the release of their last album, Swoon, to finally play a headlining show in the Bay Area. So, was it worth the wait? Continue reading “Show Review: Silversun Pickups with Against Me! and The Henry Clay People at The Fox Oakland, 8/3/2010”
This past Thursday, I attended the fourth installment of Flux Summit – a free, single-evening event that unites up-and-coming electronic and hip hop artists with professionals for an open discussion on the evolving dynamics of the industry. Hosted at Pyramind Studios, the session featured three panelists doling out expert advice on how you can get your music licensed in television shows, video games, and film.