Reviews of albums, films, concerts, and more from the Bay Area Music and Movie Nerds
Seeing Living Colour and Fishbone on the same bill is my 1991 fever dream. Put Primus on there, too, and I may have passed out from excitement. As it is, I was pretty darned excited to be seeing these bands together. While I’d seen Living Colour a couple of times recently, I hadn’t checked in on Fishbone for more than a dozen years. I was ready for a loud funky night in the city. Continue reading “Show Review: Living Colour and Fishbone at The Regency Center, 9/25/09”
Una de las mejores cosas sobre viviendo en los Estados Unidos es el hecho que todos quieren ser el crossover aquí. Esto significa que conseguimos a las estrellas arena-clasificadas de los países extranjeros que aquí tocan pequeños lugares a las pequeñas audiencias. Incluso si usted no conoce el trabajo del artista, todavía recomiendo enteramente ver uno de estos conciertos. Es una experiencia bastante asombrosa para conseguir un espectáculo grande en un pequeño lugar.
One of the greatest things about living in America is the fact that everyone wants to crossover here. This means that we often get arena-sized stars from foreign countries playing small venues to small audiences here. Even if you are unfamiliar with the artist’s work, I still wholly recommend seeing one of these shows. It’s a pretty amazing experience to get a big spectacle in a small place.
Continue reading “Reseñar de concierto: Paulina Rubio en teatro de Fox — Oakland, 9/26/09”
Pet Shop Boys concerts exist in their own universe. A universe of abstract expressionism, interpretative dance, avant-garde fashion, modular sets and (for this tour anyway) Adidas sports wear. They are such elaborate productions that the Pet Shop Boys themselves are almost accessories in their own shows. But that’s how it should be. From the very beginning they knew their minimalistic style couldn’t carry an entire concert. So they hired world class dancers and set designers to produce dazzling abstract synthpoperas. Continue reading “Show Review: Pet Shop Boys at The Warfield, 9/23/09”
What I learned last night: when going to a live Bon Iver show, it’s best to not have any expectations.
What I saw at the Fillmore last night went far beyond anything I imagined. It’s not that he had some stage act or any gimmicks; the tracks you love will be drastically different, but in an amazing way.
Bon Iver made a point to smash my expectation of a purely acoustic set, into a mixture of sounds and methods. Distortion, thumping bass, electric-slide guitars, ROCKING, respect-gathering falsettos, crowd participation, and delicate acoustic sets were what he served me up. I ate it up and was left wanting more. Continue reading “Show Review: Bon Iver at The Fillmore, 9/22/09”
Ever since I was introduced to The Gaslight Anthem and their brilliant breakthrough album, The ’59 Sound, I’ve wanted to see them live. I missed a couple of chances due to unsolvable conflicts, but last night I finally got the chance. As a devoted reviewer, I got there plenty early to check out the three opening bands as well. Four bands on one bill can be a bit much, especially for a Sunday night. So how did it all go in the end? Continue reading “Show Review: The Gaslight Anthem, Murder By Death, The Loved Ones and Frank Turner at The Fillmore, 9/20/09”
I arrived at the Warfield tonight for the Porcupine Tree show, and Market Street was already packed with people waiting to get in. Another night, another sold out show at the Warfield, and this time it’s a band with no “hits” to speak of. This time, it’s the masters of modern British prog, Porcupine Tree. I’m a huge fan, so I’m not the best person to judge whether this show was good or bad. But I can tell you, if you’re also a fan, everything you need to know. Continue reading “Show Review: Porcupine Tree at The Warfield Theater, 9/18/09”
So, yesterday was 9/9/09, the day of the Beatle. While everyone was at home listening to the newly remastered stereo and mono boxsets or playing the make believe Beatles video game, I opted to attend a performance by a slightly younger band that may only be as big as the Pope, not Jesus. (Now, if anyone at Harmonix or EMI is reading this, and would like me to review either Beatles Rock Band or the new remasters, feel free to send them my way: email me at dakin@spinningplatters.com and I will give you my mailing address)
Continue reading “Show Review: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, YACHT at The Fox Oakland, 9/9/09”