Concert Reviews
When Taylor Swift announced she was taking Australian singer/songwriter Vance Joy on her 2015 World Tour, I was surprised. His hit “Riptide” is catchy and charming, but the acoustic vibe of his debut album doesn’t …
I got my introduction to the L.A.-based electro-pop band Capital Cities — beyond the megahit “Safe & Sound” — at Coachella this year. There I discovered their penchant for lazy hooks and lofty horns, which …
Sometimes we’ve gotta eat our veggies after we have dessert. I’ve never tried it, but it’s basically what happened during the last half of the San Diego Symphony concert on Saturday night. The first half …
Erstwhile New Order member Peter Hook let his Light show shine in San Diego for the first time. It must have been a bitter pill when the band he cofounded reformed without him or his …
“I know we’re Primus and we suck,” said frontman Les Claypool, to cheers from the packed California Center for the Arts in Escondido. “But if you want to yell and scream, get it out of …
“This place is ratchet as f##k!" exclaimed a damp El-P to the Porter's Pub crowd, summoning cheers from the dank pit of restless angst. The recently formed duo Run the Jewels, an amalgam of former …
If you haven’t heard about Canadian bluesman JW-Jones, you’ve got to get out more. The Ottawa guitarist picked San Diego as the last stop on a ten-day West Coast romp and he made it perfectly …
With a only a few stops left on their tour in support of this year’s Fading West record, alternative-rock band Switchfoot was embraced by their hometown crowd at SDSU’s Cal Coast Open Air Theatre. Not …
Suor Angelica is not among Puccini’s most popular operas. On Sunday night, about 400 or so of us were wondering why, because it was fantastic. The performance was at St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church in …
The Experience Hendrix tour made a stop in San Diego county at Harrah's Resort in Valley Center, and the nearly three-and-a-half-hour show would've made Jimi proud. Guitarists Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society), Kenny …
(1) Kasabian likes their drums really loud. (2) Kasabian likes their bass even louder. That being said, people really got into Kasabian’s set as they moved to the hard beats that this British six-piece can …
At 17, Lorde may not quite yet be old enough for college, but if the native New Zealander eventually decides to attend in the U.S., don’t be surprised to find her at San Diego State …
If fans who turned out for the Kooks’ sold-out show at the House of Blues weren’t sure whether the British indie-rock band’s recent turn toward a more danceable sound was an accident, drummer Alexis Nunez’s …
A crowd of 42,000 people descended on East Village and packed Petco Park for Paul McCartney's "Out There" tour. It was a sold-out wall-to-wall love fest. Concertgoers looked blissed out over getting the chance to …
English punk band the Buzzcocks performed a blistering set before an enthusiastic audience at the Belly Up Tavern. The club was packed with a mix of scene veterans who remember the band from its original …