Tag: photos

Show Review: Noah and the Whale with Nikki Lane at Great American Music Hall, 11/21/11

 

Noah and the Whale

 

When I walked in to The Great American Music Hall the energy was already strong.  It was one of those fanatic crowds where, even though it wasn’t sold out, everyone was pushed up against the front of the stage. I have seen Noah and the Whale twice before, but never had there been people so excited to see then like there was at this show.  The energy was immediately infections and I stood impatiently with the rest of the crowd, pressing as close as I could to the stage. Continue reading “Show Review: Noah and the Whale with Nikki Lane at Great American Music Hall, 11/21/11”

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

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: Schande / Silent Pictures / Bam! Bam! at Hemlock, 7/30/11

 

Alexander Mann of Silent Pictures

Saturday Night’s show at the Hemlock was a reunion of sorts.  Most people there probably didn’t realize that each band was a new project of a former member of the queercore band BoySkout.  What that gave the audience was a varied show with seasoned musicians that somehow fit together just right. Continue reading “Show Review: Schande / Silent Pictures / Bam! Bam! at Hemlock, 7/30/11”

Show Review: Sondre Lerche with Nightlands and Kishi Bashi at Great American Music Hall, 6/28/11

Sondre Lerche - The sweet before the rock storm

This evening with Sondre Lerche and friends reminded me about why I go to shows.  The right performer can take their music and twist it just the right amount to bring you something new and dynamic with their live show.  Sondre Lerche, with his sweet pop/rock sounds on record will rock the hell out of you live; jumping around and playing his guitar hard.  It is unexpected and quite punk rock of him.  Add to that a great accompanying band and his intricate melodies and you get a show to remember. Continue reading “Show Review: Sondre Lerche with Nightlands and Kishi Bashi at Great American Music Hall, 6/28/11”

Show Review: Club BFD with Surfer Blood, Innerpartysystem, The Vaccines and Geographer at Mezzanine, 6/4/2011

Surfer Blood are head and shoulders above the competition

This is the first time I can remember Club BFD being better than original BFD. First off, there’s the lineup which has more melody in four bands than there’d be in 11 hours on Sunday. Then there’s the Mezzanine, which welcomes its visitors with a high-res screen featuring sharp animations about tonight’s show and future events. At “real BFD,” there’s a static monitor. And in a club that holds somewhere in the 1000-person range, there’s a multi-camera shoot being projected on walls throughout the venue; at big BFD, there were no screens inside the amphitheater at all. I’m not even going to discuss the drink price competition. So the Mezzanine is all class, we know that. But how were the bands? Continue reading “Show Review: Club BFD with Surfer Blood, Innerpartysystem, The Vaccines and Geographer at Mezzanine, 6/4/2011”

Show Review: The Wombats with The Tender Box and Wild Party at The Rickshaw, 6/3/11

The Wombats bring the energy

The Wombats’ new album This Modern Glitchhas quickly become my favorite of the year, overtaking all the others on my iPod until it spent two weeks as the only thing I listen to.  So on a Friday night after a long week I had high hopes that this would be the perfect night.  Continue reading “Show Review: The Wombats with The Tender Box and Wild Party at The Rickshaw, 6/3/11”

Show Review: IAMDONALD tour with Donald Glover/Childish Gambino at The Fillmore, 4/28/11

If you read Spinning Platters with any regularity, you know I love Donald Glover, so let’s just get the personal stuff out of the way now.  I spent all day with an increasing sense of agitation waiting to see if I was going to get a pass for the IAMDONALD show at the Fillmore tonight.  I got stuck in some angry self-righteous critic reel where I actually thought I deserved a ticket.  Well, I did write this review of the preview show.  Then I campaigned hard for Donald Glover/Childish Gambino’s album Culdesac to win album of the year in 2010.  Then I gave his fans a SXSW award (and missed The Dead Milkmen to see him!).  Is it possible this makes me his biggest fan?  And is it possible for a show to live up to expectations after all that? Continue reading “Show Review: IAMDONALD tour with Donald Glover/Childish Gambino at The Fillmore, 4/28/11”

Show Review: Railroad Revival Tour (Mumford & Sons) at Oakland Middle Shoreline Park, 4/21/2011

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Not technically the headliners, but you could've fooled me

The Railroad Revival Tour is a concept tour package where one of the main conceits is that all the bands have equal billing and play equal set lengths. That’s a nice thing to say, but the tickets sold lightning quick due to the recent boom of success of Mumford & Sons. While they weren’t officially the headliner, the singing along told another story. But by the end of the show, they convinced me that this was, indeed, a true group package. Seeing all three bands was a bit of a challenge, but worth it. Continue reading “Show Review: Railroad Revival Tour (Mumford & Sons) at Oakland Middle Shoreline Park, 4/21/2011”

Show Review: Bright Eyes with Farmer Dave Scher at The Fox Theater, 4/12/11

In sharp contrast to the last show I went to at Oakland’s beloved Fox Theater, the crowd was overwhelmingly mellow, especially considering this could be the last time Bright Eyes plays the Bay Area.  Luckily this ended up being more telling about Bright Eyes’ fans maturity than their level of worship.  Just like every other time I’ve seen Conor Oberst, Mike Mogis and their team of talented musicians (this was number nine if anyone’s counting), the audience still fell into a hush while a sense of quiet worship filled the room as the band took the stage.  And they held that stage for over two hours of intensity. Continue reading “Show Review: Bright Eyes with Farmer Dave Scher at The Fox Theater, 4/12/11”

Show Review: My Chemical Romance with Neon Trees and Architects at The Fox Oakland, 3/31/11

Fists in the air for My Chemical Romance

MCR!!!!  That’s all my fangirl heart was screaming while walking towards The Fox and the hoards of people, clad mostly in black, slowly making their way in to the theater.  Of course, I didn’t have a ticket, just a photo pass, but trivial details will not keep me from a show!  After a brief panic the ticket was procured and I made my way in and was amazed by the crowd already formed on the floor. By the excitement radiating through the room I could tell that this, the fourth time I’ve seen My Chemical Romance, was going to be the best. Continue reading “Show Review: My Chemical Romance with Neon Trees and Architects at The Fox Oakland, 3/31/11”