Concert Review – Page 6 – Spinning Platters

Show Review: The Package Tour – New Kids on the Block, Boyz II Men, and 98° at HP Pavilion, 7/7/2013

In the little world that exists between the New Kids on the Block and their fans, I’m what’s affectionately referred to as a “BH:” a Blockhead. I don’t say this with any level of chagrin or irony, and there’s nothing I feel guilty about in the pleasure I take from this group. The fact of the matter is, I’ve loved them for more than 25 years, and at this point, I don’t feel the need to explain or justify that to anyone who doesn’t get it. (And honestly, why do we feel the need to ridicule each other for something that brings us joy?) If anybody is experiencing anything like the fun I have with the NKOTB, I would be a fool to try to tear it down – that’s the kind of thing I think we ought to seek out and celebrate! Which is exactly what I did, when The Package Tour (NKOTB, Boyz II Men, and 98°) pulled up to HP Pavilion last night in San Jose. Continue reading “Show Review: The Package Tour — New Kids on the Block, Boyz II Men, and 98° at HP Pavilion, 7/7/2013”

Show Review: Sara Bareilles at Slim’s, 05/13/2013

Sara Bareilles wants to see you be brave.

It’s been two and a half years since Sara Bareilles released her last fantastic record, Kaleidoscope Heart. Now she’s got a great new single, “Brave,” and is challenging herself to be just that by touring solo. The “Brave Enough Tour” challenges Sara to play not only alone on stage, but without the support of an opening act. This week it was San Francisco’s turn to get up close and personal with Miss Bareilles at a sold-out, standing-room-only show at Slim’s on Monday night. And what a treat it was, as usual… Continue reading “Show Review: Sara Bareilles at Slim’s, 05/13/2013”

BottleRock 2013 Review: Napa’s Inaugural Music, Wine, and Food Festival

A brand new festival just outside my front door.

When rumors about the first ever BottleRock Napa festival began to circulate, they were impressive: early flyers listed Dave Matthews Band and Pearl Jam as headliners (neither was ever confirmed). Still, the festival had the attention of the Napa Valley and surrounding music lovers long ago.

Once the final lineup had been released and tickets purchased, however, it was time to finally see what all the hype had been about. Because my home is in such a central location within “Napa proper,” as we all call the city of Napa (so as not to confuse it with the rest of “the Valley”), I didn’t actually experience the crazy traffic so many locals worried about. And while I did hear on one of the first few days (Weds or Thurs, though I’m not 100% certain which) that it took someone approximately 90 minutes to reach the Napa Expo from Fairfield (normally a 25-30 minute drive), I know for sure that the traffic relaxed and was relatively comparable to any other holiday weekend. (Which is to say, not insane as predicted.) The parking situation was the same as it usually is, I know for sure. The first three days, I arrived well before noon. As such, I beat the crowds and was able to find nearby parking with such ease that I chalked that up to my knowledge of the neighborhood, vs. all those who were coming in from out of area who didn’t know where to look (and as a result, were paying $25-40 to park much farther away). Continue reading “BottleRock 2013 Review: Napa’s Inaugural Music, Wine, and Food Festival”

Show Review: Pentatonix with SPEAK at The Warfield, 1/27/2013

"PTX" takes the stage — “PTX” takes the stage (L to R: Kirstie, Avi, Kevin, Scott & Mitch)

Never heard of Pentatonix? That’s okay, you’re not alone: neither had our editor-in-chief until I mentioned my excitement at covering their sold-out show at the Warfield this past Sunday. While he feared he may be losing his touch (“getting old I am,” said his text), I reassured him that if a cappella groups aren’t his thing and/or he’s never seen a recent episode of NBC’s The Sing-Off, it makes sense that season 3 winners Pentatonix haven’t yet crossed his radar…until now.

Continue reading “Show Review: Pentatonix with SPEAK at The Warfield, 1/27/2013”

Show Review: Keane with Youngblood Hawke at the Warfield, 1/11/2013

Thanks to Jason Miller for this awesome pic of Tom Chaplin killin' it! — Thanks to Jason Miller for this awesome pic of Tom Chaplin killin’ it!

Have you ever seen something advertising a band playing in your city, and thought, “I’d really like to see them, even though I only know one or two of their songs”? That was the extent of my relationship with Keane until recently. I’ve certainly heard several of their songs on the radio over the years, and especially love their biggest hit, “Somewhere Only We Know,” but until I found out I had access to check them out with opener Youngblood Hawke this weekend at San Francisco’s Warfield, I hadn’t actually sat down to give their tunes a thorough listen. Continue reading “Show Review: Keane with Youngblood Hawke at the Warfield, 1/11/2013”

Show Review: Switchfoot with Paper Route at Regency Ballroom, 10/23/2012

P1050126 — Left to right: Switchfoot’s Chad Butler (drums), Jon Foreman (guitar & vocals), and Jerome Fontamillas (keys)

There’s something unique about Switchfoot. As a result, their fans have a different vibe than those belonging to your average rock band, and so their shows have a different feel to them than most I find myself attending. Sure, some consider Switchfoot a “Christian band,” but it’s not quite that simple. Yes, the members themselves are Christians. Yes, much of their lyrical content has spiritual undertones, and no they don’t try to hide it. But truth be told, I’m not sure I’d give them much of a second listen if they were the kind of band marketed solely to “Christian rock” radio. That just isn’t my thing. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that…) Because these guys prefer to live their lives as good, salt-of-the-earth people with a great sound and steer far clear of anything that might feel like they’re pimping their beliefs on me, I’ve been hooked for over a decade. But it’s more than that… There’s honestly a kind of “live and let live” mantra between the band and its fans: as long as you respect what I believe, I can do the same for you and we can all get along and enjoy each other. And that’s the sort of breath of fresh air that inspires me at a Switchfoot show, and what keeps me coming back. This week, they played San Francisco’s tiny Regency Ballroom Tuesday night, alongside Nashville indie rock band Paper Route, and before the night began, I was full of anticipation and excitement for a night of music by the band whose music has been something of a soundtrack for the last decade of my life. Continue reading “Show Review: Switchfoot with Paper Route at Regency Ballroom, 10/23/2012”

Show Review: The Magnetic Fields with Bachelorette at The Fox Oakland, 3/24/2012

Two years ago, New England musical mastermind Stephin Merritt graced us with two Magnetic Fields shows during the Bay Area’s 18th annual Noise Pop Festival. Spinning Platters was on hand for both performances, and two years later, Merritt and his quintet have returned, with a new opus in tow, to the Fox Theater in Oakland for a new round of orchestral whimsy and symphonic folk-pop playfulness. As the musical tide has turned for the mood and feel of the band’s newest release, Love At The Bottom Of The Sea, so too, apparently, has their attitude to live performances. Rather than occupy the resonant wooden floors and still-somewhat-fresh carpet of the theater with chairs for a quiet, introspective performance, the audience was given free reign in a regular general-admission get-as-close-as-you-like setting. There was a loud and upbeat performer opening the show. The band even responded to whoops, cheers, and catcalls. What a change is here! For even the most stoic Magnetic Fields fan, however, the change of mood was a rather uplifting one, and a general camaraderie was established between both the boisterous and the simply bemused for this acoustic exploration of the band’s charming new work.

Continue reading “Show Review: The Magnetic Fields with Bachelorette at The Fox Oakland, 3/24/2012”

Show Review: They Might Be Giants with Jonathan Coulton at The Fillmore, 11/12/11

tmbg5 — John Linnell of They Might Be Giants

After an inexplicable ten years without seeing They Might Be Giants, I got to the Fillmore early to get that spot right up front just like I remembered. What I wasn’t sure of was if I would still hear my favorite song and would the two John’s still rock it like crazy. Lucky for me, and hopefully everyone else at the sold out show, everything I hoped for happened, plus even more. Continue reading “Show Review: They Might Be Giants with Jonathan Coulton at The Fillmore, 11/12/11”

Show Review: The World/Inferno Friendship Society with The Phenomenauts and Locksley at the Rickshaw Stop, 10/3/2011

Let us now speak of brave men, who lived their lives just as they would have it

It’s safe to say, in this day and age, that defining what constitutes “punk” music is irrationally difficult. Classicists will tell you that it means 3-4 chords, lightning-fast drums, a general disregard for playing instruments BESIDES drums with extreme skill, and lyrics focused on dissent, disturbance, and general disquiet with the way things are. Others will claim that it’s more the attitude that matters than the instrumentation; the DIY aesthetic, the “we’re angry and we’re here to let you know what’s wrong with the world” message, and the desire to rebel against any manner of what constitutes the norm. The latter argument usually bears more weight; too often are to be found multi-platinum-selling artists playing their same recycled chords, in the aforementioned classic formula, with no specifically diligent message — only an intent to be a product that is easy to swallow, and thus, sell. Bands such as the World/Inferno Friendship Society are better examples of the image that punk music has so deftly stood for over the years, shifted into a medium of instrumentation and songwriting that borrows from so many genres and walks of life that, while they could not be called “punk rock” in the classic 70’s musical style, they possess the attitude and energy in spades — after all, how often do you hear jazz and klezmer music so furious that it breeds explosive mosh pits?

Continue reading “Show Review: The World/Inferno Friendship Society with The Phenomenauts and Locksley at the Rickshaw Stop, 10/3/2011”

Show Review: Ladytron with SONOIO and Polaris At Noon at the Regency Ballroom, 9/25/2011

Make free of the cities where time stands still

I have often said that electronic music concerts are the best example of an experience that can go one of two ways: either the dull setting of a single DJ with a mild array of lights and unreasonably loud walls of bass that do more to rattle your teeth than to provide enjoyable percussion, or a full-on experience — from either one man with a table covered in expensive gear, or an entire band centered around synths, drum machines, or other instruments of the digital age — with a dazzling visual accompaniment. It also helps, of course, if you have more to bring to the table than simple a throbbing house beat and a simple-yet-evolving methodology to your melody and rhythm; adding traditional or untraditional rock instruments, as well as an aesthetic that blends them with the sweeping pulses that make up the backbone of your sound, is a sure-fire way to something refreshing and undoubtedly successful. Such is the case with the Liverpool music collective known as Ladytron, who also up the scale every time they play by bringing an eclectic set of opening acts — guaranteeing an exciting show every time.

Continue reading “Show Review: Ladytron with SONOIO and Polaris At Noon at the Regency Ballroom, 9/25/2011”