Concert Reviews
Metallica Take Over Napa Valley with BottleRock Set and Late-Night Covers Show: Recap, Photos + Video
Napa, California’s BottleRock Festival finally returned after a two-year absence this weekend, and with Metallica headlining day one on Friday (May 27th), it got off to head-banging start. As they usually do, the legendary metal band made the show an event for their fans, making sure that they would have maximum Metallica intake. One of the bands that performed prior to Metallica’s headlining set was Bastardane, a hard-rock trio that includes James Hefield’s son Castor on drums. Although the band has a thrash metal influence, they have their own unique sound that seemed to get a seal of approval from the Metallica fans watching the show. Also approving was James himself, who could be seen behind the wings of the stage watching and nodding along, but soon he would be on a much bigger stage....
Kraftwerk Kick Off North American “3D Tour” with Mesmerizing Concert in St. Louis: Review
The sheer diversity of the concertgoers who descended upon Kraftwerk’s tour kickoff at The Pageant in St. Louis is a testament to the genre-spanning influence of the German electronic music pioneers. Punks, goths, metalheads, record nerds, businessmen, hipsters young and old: The near-capacity audience was a true smattering of personalities that transcended age and scene. More than a few attendees were even sporting the band’s iconic red-polo-black-tie Man-Machine-era look. And they were all there to witness Kraftwerk’s “3D Tour” — an illustrious audio-visual experience commemorating the group’s 50th anniversary (get tickets here). Upon entering the venue, everyone was handed a pair of white Kraftwerk-branded 3D glasses. On the stage stood the band’s four iconic keyboard pedestals, cutting...
Boston Calling 2022: Nine Inch Nails Deliver Blistering Headline Set in Place of Foo Fighters: Recap, Photos + Setlist
For the second time in a week, Nine Inch Nails played a festival headline slot that was initially intended for Foo Fighters. At both last weekend’s Welcome to Rockville and Friday’s Boston Calling kick off, Trent Reznor and co. served as last-minute replacements after the tragic loss of Foo drummer Taylor Hawkins. Festivals being forced to find fill-ins for canceled acts isn’t the rarest of things, but the circumstances around NIN adding these dates to their first tour in four years comes from uniquely sad circumstances. About an hour into their Boston Calling set, Reznor addressed the situation in a heartfelt statement from the stage. “We’re very happy to be here with you tonight and share this time with you,” he said. “And we’re very sorry for the conditions that led to us being here, wi...
Slipknot Crush Brooklyn’s Barclays Center for First NYC Show in 13 Years: Recap, Photos + Video
There’s a certain poignancy to Slipknot’s choice of pre-show piped-in track: AC/DC’s “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You).” That song was the emotional core of School of Rock for a reason. Amid the boredom and frustration and anxiety of daily life, it’s a sacred activity to transcend the B.S. with a healthy dose of heavy metal. And that’s exactly what thousands of dyed-hair suburban kids, up-for-anything parents and metal-loving weekend warriors did, packed into Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on the evening of May 20th. The mortar fire in the AC/DC tune gave way to actual pyrotechnics — to cheers. In an ironic twist, the track segued into country star Billie Jo Spears’ 1968 recording “Get Behind Me Satan and Push” — which locked onto the name “Satan” and seemed to melt. Devil’s...
Tears for Fears Debut Four New Songs Live at 2022 Tour Kickoff: Review, Photos and Setlist
Addressing the crowd on Friday (May 20th), the first night of their amphitheater tour with Garbage at Cincinnati’s Riverbend Music Center, Tears for Fears founding member Roland Orzabal pinpointed the band’s mood as “chuffed,” as in “deeply satisfied in a particularly British manner.” The band had brought out “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” three songs into their set, sounding just as pristine and cathartic now as it did when first recorded nearly 40 years ago. Conventional wisdom might be to save such an iconic hit for the latter half of the set or the encore. But Tears for Fears are not a mere legacy act capitalizing on Gen X-er nostalgia. You can identify the most popular songs by how many people start recording on their phones. But deeper cuts, like epic multi-parter “Bad Man’s Son...
Bauhaus Kick Off 2022 Reunion Tour in Portland: Photos + Setlist
Bauhaus kicked off their 2022 reunion tour on Tuesday night (May 17th) at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, Oregon. The legendary rock act’s set featured several covers and leaned heavily on their seminal 1980 album In the Flat Field. Interestingly, their recent single “Drink the New Wine,” Bauhaus’ first new music in 14 years, was absent from the setlist. Photographer Jeffrey Donavan was on the ground, soaking up the action for Consequence; the night marked the group’s first headlining show after they a trio of shows in late 2019. Additional US dates were scheduled in 2020, but naturally were canceled due to the pandemic. Advertisement Related Video Bauhaus (Peter Murphy, Daniel Ash, Kevin Haskins, and David J) are next set to hit Seattle’s Paramount Theatre on May 20th, foll...
Deftones Bring on the Blood Moon with Rooftop Performance in NYC: Recap, Photos + Video
Setting the Stage: After twice postponing their highly anticipated tour due to the pandemic, Deftones have finally hit the road again. Most of the fans in attendance at the Rooftop at Pier 17 in New York City had been holding onto their tickets for two years, and they were rewarded with a beautiful night of perfect weather on Sunday (May 15th). Not to mention, a full moon hung over the evening’s festivities, with a sensational real-life backdrop that included the Empire State Building to the left and the Brooklyn Bridge to the right. In fact, later on that night, a “blood moon” would be visible due to a total lunar eclipse. If that weren’t enough, French metal masters Gojira were providing direct support, with Australian electronic duo VOWWS opening the evening. Taking the Stage: With...
Sunflower Bean Give New York a Headful of Sugar at Webster Hall: Photos + Setlist
On the eve of the release of their new album, Headful of Sugar — and drummer Olive Faber’s birthday, no less — Sunflower Bean finally got to headline one of their hometown’s biggest venues: Webster Hall. (Get tickets for the rest of their upcoming headlining dates here.) The setlist featured almost every song from the trio’s latest LP (except highlight “Stand by Me,” which admittedly was a strange omission), but there were plenty of fan favorites and deep cuts in there too. “Twentytwo” — a track Julia Cumming revealed to us is her favorite song to play live — mad an appearance early on, while the encore closed with “Somebody Call a Doctor” off their very first EP, 2015’s Show Me Your Seven Secrets. While the concert was clearly a showcase for Headful of Sugar, it was also a fasci...
Pearl Jam Take Over Los Angeles With Two Arena Shows: Setlists + Exclusive Photos
Pearl Jam played back-to-back shows at Kia Forum in Inglewood, California on Friday and Saturday (May 6th-7th). Photographer George Ortiz was on the ground, soaking up the action for Consequence. The May 6th gig saw Eddie Vedder and Co. playing hits like “Black,” “Yellow Ledbetter” and “Even Flow,” while May 7th brought a touching Taylor Hawkins tribute. Pearl Jam next hit Glendale, Arizona, playing the Gila River Arena tonight (May 9th). Tickets for that show, and for the rest of the tour, are available via Ticketmaster. Advertisement Related Video Check out the setlists from both nights, and a full gallery of photos from the May 6th show, below. May 6th Setlist: I Won’t Back DownOf the GirlElderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small TownSuperblood WolfmoonCorduroyDance of the Clairvoyant...
Spoon Make Up for Postponement with Flawless Set in New York City: Photos + Setlist
No matter how careful or vaccinated we are, touring during the pandemic still isn’t easy. Spoon were recently forced to postpone a trio of shows after members of their party tested positive (and their current opener, Margaret Glaspy, had to pull out of a number of other shows for the same reason). When they finally did get back on track, Britt Daniel’s voice started to give out, causing yet more delays. It’s just not easy out there for touring bands right now — which makes shows like Spoon and Glaspy’s Friday, May 6th gig at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom all the more special. The show was one of those three aforementioned postponements, rescheduled under the mini-tour title “Let’s Try This Again…” Spoon made up for the delay by delivering a ferocious set full of hits and surprises. They ...
Pearl Jam Mark Return to Road with Joyous Three-Hour Concert in San Diego: Recap + Setlist
“I’m not gonna talk this much at other shows, but this feels like home, and I missed ya,” Eddie Vedder told the San Diego crowd on Tuesday night. The first time I saw Pearl Jam, it was December 1991 and they were the relatively unknown openers for Nirvana and Red Hot Chili Peppers. My friend had bought a Pearl Jam shirt before the concert (even though the “cool” thing was to get Nirvana merch), when suddenly a long-haired Vedder ran up from somewhere and thanked her. More than 30 years later, Vedder is still filled with this kind of enthusiastic gratitude. He showed plenty of tokens of it throughout Pearl Jam’s nearly three-hour set at Viejas Arena in the city he said “feels like home,” the place where he lived before moving to Seattle. Advertisement Related Video This was the first stop i...
Portishead and IDLES Deliver Truth and Fury at War Child UK Benefit Concert: Recap + Setlist
A variety of local heroes turned out for the UK’s “Help! A War Child Benefit Concert” at Bristol’s O2 Academy on Monday night – but it was the city’s twin bastions of loud and quiet rebellion who stole the show. With all donations from the night contributing to the unfolding crisis in Ukraine – alongside match-funding from the UK government – the concert offered an opportunity for the bands on show to nail their colors to the evening’s philanthropic mast in style. Alongside Portishead and IDLES, the lineup featured Katy J Pearson and Heavy Lungs. It’s worth remembering that Bristol was the English city whose residents dumped the statue of slave trader Edward Colston in their harbor in the summer of 2020, leading to an international debate that rippled across the US and beyond about whose n...
