Having gone from being an unknown Brooklyn band playing in bowling alleys, to selling out major clubs in every corner of the country, the group has recently emerged with a new album that’s been listed in Rolling Stone as the number one college album in the country.
TV on the Radio successfully transferred their studio-oriented material over to the live spectrum, although the group has become the indie scene’s new “flavor of the month” and the degree to which their new place under the spotlight will last, has yet to be determined.
The Secret Machines effectively took the spectacle of arena-rock and scaled it down for the size of a club, as their “In The Round” tour blasted through Boston’s Avalon Ballroom.
Tool’s sold out performance at the Tweeter Center was an apocalyptic sing-along that had to be seen to be believed. Maynard James Keenan and Co. started off the night’s first act with “Stinkfist,” the opener off 1996's Aenima. Early on, Maynard was lacking the explosion of energy he’s known for, and stood still. In keeping with his reclusive tendencies, as soon as the photographers ceased shooting, Maynard kicked it up a notch and exhibited the fierce stage presence fans were used to expecting from their favorite messianic front-man.
The east coast half of the two-date, bi-coastal festival presented an eclectic lineup of acts from every neck of the musical woods. Featuring artists like Jurassic 5 and the Wailers, all the way to rap/rockers like 311, and Boston’s hometown heroes the Dropkick Murphy’s; the abundance of represented genres was endless.
Apollo Sunshine kicked off a tour-closing set in Northampton’s Iron Horse Music Hall to a crowd of starry eyed teens whose presence at a gig that started past 11:30 had to have broken a few curfews. The Iron Horse has long been known as the groups “home-base,” so to speak, and seeing as this was the last set the group would be playing before going on a lengthy hiatus, they made sure to put the extra effort into the set for their hometown-fans.
Ben Harper gave his heart and soul to a sold out crowd at Boston’s Bank of America Pavilion, with a set-list full of established fan favorites, and newer material that is gradually working its way into the former category.
TV on the Radio
The generation gap was apparent, yet irrelevant, as Roger Waters rocked through two sets of premier Pink Floyd material to a sold out crowd at the Tweeter Center. In case the name doesn’t speak for itself, Waters most recent "Dark Side of the Moon” tour has incorporated the complete performance of the landmark 1973 album in its entirety, in addition to an entire set of other Floyd classics, while incorporating a few recent Waters originals into the mix.
Having toured with Mavis Staples, Robert Cray, Dave Matthews, Derek Trucks and Taj Mahal, things have been riding all uphill the past year for Grace Potter and the Nocturnals.
