Concert Reviews
Anthrax Celebrate 40 Years of Thrash with Career-Spanning Livestream Concert: Review
Setting the Stage: It’s hard to believe, but this year marks the 40th anniversary of the formation of thrash metal pioneers Anthrax. Considered to be one of the “Big 4” of thrash (along with Metallica, Slayer, and Megadeth), the band — which since 2013 has featured a lineup comprised of singer Joey Belladonna, guitarists Scott Ian and Jon Donais, bassist Frank Bello, and drummer Charlie Benante — undoubtedly would have preferred to celebrate this impressive career accomplishment with a thorough world tour, but instead offered up a virtual worldwide concert event. Anthrax officially formed on July 18th, 1981, and the metal legends started the 40th anniversary celebration a couple months back with a video series documenting their illustrious career through testimonials from the band members ...
At Miley Cyrus’ Intimate Pride Concert in Nashville, Love and Rainbows Were in the Air
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-06-09T14:30:47+00:00“>June 9, 2021 | 10:30am ET On Tuesday night (June 8th), the church pews of the famed Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee were rumbling with all the energy of a revival: service was in session, hosted by one of the city’s most famous exports, Miley Cyrus. A true homecoming, Cyrus spent the evening taping a Pride-themed special both grandiose and intimate in scale thanks to the venue’s capacity, which was just shy of 2,500 guests. The no-phone/camera show was ticketed via lottery exclusively to vaccinated residents of Music City — and Nashville came ready to dance. Cyrus’ connection to the LGBTQ+ community is longstanding and well-documented. Her Happy Hippie...
Concert Review: Korn Deliver “Monumental” Livestream Performance
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-26T16:38:47+00:00“>April 26, 2021 | 12:38pm ET Setting the Stage: Like most artists who released new albums in late 2019, Korn did not get the opportunity to mount a widespread tour in support of The Nothing – as the COVID-19 pandemic took care of that (particularly a summer 2020 outing that would have seen them co-headlining with Faith No More). So, why not a global streaming event? Titled “Korn: Monumental”, the performance was broadcast Saturday (April 24th) from the set of the interactive Stranger Things: The Drive-Into Experience in Los Angeles, and produced by Danny Wimmer Presents (known for rock festivals like Sonic Temple, Aftershock, Louder Than Life, and more). Taking ...
Concert Review: Philip Anselmo Celebrates Pantera Classics and Deep Cuts with Livestream Show
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-10T16:53:18+00:00“>April 10, 2021 | 12:53pm ET Setting the Stage: Before worldwide touring was shut down due to the pandemic, Philip H. Anselmo and the Illegals provided hard-hitting support on Slayer’s farewell tour in late 2019 by offering up a set full of Pantera classics. But for obvious reasons, the band was unable to build upon the buzz in 2020. So, how about a streamed concert performance dubbed “A Vulgar Display of Pantera Live”? Sadly, the idea of a Pantera reunion is no longer feasible following the tragic deaths of legendary brothers Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul. The band’s iconic singer, Philip Anselmo, has opted to keep the band’s spirit and music alive with these...
Julien Baker Brings Us Close to Little Oblivions at Nashville’s Analog: Review
Got Enough Gas: There’s music that makes you think and music that makes you want to move, and there’s Julien Baker. The songwriter has an uncanny talent for considering the underlying motivations for her own feelings and actions, and the result is often visceral music that hypnotizes the attention of the listener and prompts self-reflection, sometimes feeling deeply difficult and deeply healing at once — which is maybe part of the point. Baker released Little Oblivions last month and received instant praise for its bold and self-conscious digs into complex questions of addiction, survival, mental illness, and second chances. The album marked an evolution for Baker’s music into a fuller band sound, after she probed the depths of acoustic alt-folk in her first two albums and united her talen...
Redman, Method Man, and H.E.R. Join D’Angelo’s Verzuz in a Celebration of Live Music: Review
For music lovers, the COVID-19 pandemic effectively put an end to live performances for the foreseeable future. Many venues across the country have temporally (or permanently) closed or now operate with capacity restrictions. Never again will we take for granted the sweet simplicity of being able to catch our favorite artist/band in concert. But one of the few positive things to happen for live music during all the insanity that has taken place over the last year and counting is the emergence of the Verzuz series. Curated by super producers Timbaland and Swizz Beatz, who dueled in the first battle last March, Verzuz gave fans a lifeline as we sat at home watching our favorite producers and singers reminisce about the creation of their classic songs, many of which have defined hip-hop and R...
BTS Bring the Fire and Set the Night Alight on MTV Unplugged: Review
Talkin’ ‘Bout My Generation: Recently, there’s been a growing divide between millennials and gen-z: side parts and skinny jeans are out. Different emojis are in. End up on the wrong end of the divide, and you’re in a tough spot. MTV Unplugged feels much more associated with the millennials, first airing in 1989 and rising to prominence in the ‘90s, ushering in many performances that have since become the stuff of legend. In 1992, Eric Clapton’s Unplugged album became the best-selling live album of all time. Mariah Carey’s episode marked a shift in her public reception and launched her cover of “I’ll Be There” to No. 1. MTV as a whole now often feels associated with a nostalgic time of TRL, flannels, and Blockbuster, but rest assured, millennials — if BTS is doing it, it’s still cool. The m...
BLACKPINK Light up the Sky Again with THE SHOW: Review
To paraphrase Wendy Williams: BLACKPINK? They’ve got a point: they are legends, and they are the moment. The pop quartet — made up of Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa — made a joyful return to the stage Saturday with their livestream concert, “THE SHOW”. It was just October of 2020 that the group released their debut full-length album (aptly titled THE ALBUM) following years of chart-smashing singles and EPs. Having already conquered international markets and ascended to unparalleled heights for a South Korean girl group, it’s easy to forget that, in terms of releases, BLACKPINK have only started to scratch the surface. Streamed through YouTube by the band’s label, YG Entertainment, “THE SHOW” was a spectacle indeed, involving a live band, a legion of backup dancers, and performance premieres...
Gorillaz Bring the Song Machine to Life with a Multimedia Extravaganza: Review
Editor’s Note: This review is of Performance 2 of Gorillaz’s Song Machine Live, which aired on December 12th at 7:00 p.m. ET. Setting the Stage: If there’s one thing that Gorillaz are known for, it’s irresistibly creative fusions of music and visuals. From the very beginning, they’ve ensured that their videos, concerts, web content, and assorted paraphernalia provided a characteristically cartoonish spectacle to match the flamboyant edge of their tunes. Their latest multimodal project, Song Machine, is the best example yet of that fusion, as it mixed episodic webisodes with an almanac, a proper LP — this year’s Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez — and more. Really, all that was missing were live performances — that is, until now. This past weekend, the group teamed up with LIVENo...
Concert Review: Primus Pull Out Deep Cuts for Livestream Show
Setting the Stage: Ever since their inception, Primus have always been a “live band.” Sure, there’s no denying that such studio offerings as Frizzle Fry, Sailing the Seas of Cheese, and Pork Soda are ‘90s quirk-rock classics … but long-time fans can verify that the trio – singer/bassist Les Claypool, guitarist Larry LaLonde, and drummer Tim Alexander – are best experienced in concert, as they most certainly take their songs to the next level onstage. So, with a proposed 2020 tour (that was to see the trio pay tribute to Rush’s 1977 prog classic A Farewell to Kings), scrapped due to COVID shutting down tours, it was announced that Primus’ lone show of the year – titled “Alive From Pachyderm Station” – would be streamed on December 11th, filmed at Claypool’s winery, Claypool Cellars, in Seba...
Foo Fighters Rally the Faithful and Preview New Songs at Los Angeles’ The Roxy: Review
The Foo Fighters Re-Emerge: “2020 was gonna be the best year ever!” Dave Grohl said, his fists clenched. “We had plans, man!” The last time the Foo Fighters played a full set together, they were closing down the Supernova stage of the Intersect Music Festival last December. Eleven months and… Please click the link below to read the full article. Foo Fighters Rally the Faithful and Preview New Songs at Los Angeles’ The Roxy: Review Tyler Clark You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards by chatting, sharing photos, blogging and help give users back their fair share of Inte...
GWAR’s Livestream Concert Turns Scumdogs of the Universe into a Virtual Bloodbath: Review
Setting the Stage: Not even a global pandemic can stop the band, the myth, the legend that is GWAR. The intergalactic barbarians just released a remastered 30th anniversary edition of their seminal Scumdogs of the Universe album, and what better way to commemorate this momentous event than a streaming concert on Halloween eve? For those not keeping up with the GWAR universe, following the tragic death of Oderus Urungus (Dave Brockie) in 2014, Blöthar the Berserker (Michael Bishop) took over lead vocals. Many fans originally know Bishop as the man behind bassist Beefcake the Mighty from 1988-1994 but this time around he returned from Scumdoggia as Blöthar to keep the GWAR machine ticking. While there’s no denying Oderus’ iconic status as GWAR’s frontman, the metal act has always had a rotat...
