Posts by Andy J. Gordon

BeachLife Festival returned to Redondo Beach, California on the weekend of May 13-15, 2022 with all of the charm, surfside vibes, and satisfying musical bookings we have come to expect. After just eight months since the previous festival took place (due to pandemic rescheduling), there were some changes, but much remained the same. The music […]

Paul McCartney visited Inglewood California’s cavernous SoFi Stadium on May 13, 2022, as part of his 13-city GOT BACK tour. The sold-out performance will be remembered as a masterpiece, not simply because it was musically brilliant, but for how Sir Paul made everyone feel like he was playing for each one of them, personally. Inside […]

The first weekend of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival took place on April 29, 30, and May 1, 2002. With 12 stages and a vast array of genres, there was plenty to capture via the camera lens, and Andy J. Gordon sent over the winners from the Blues, Jazz, and Heritage tents including […]

It has been three long years, but the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is back after cancellations, delays, and disappointments due to the pandemic. While the 2022 edition of the festival itself takes place from April 29 to May 1 and May 5-8, the clubs, special event venues, and outdoor parks abound with live […]

Journey is traveling across the United States on their Freedom Tour 2022. They were supposed to have support from Billy Idol, which was a debatable pairing. However, Idol bowed out to have surgery to treat a chronic sinus problem, and Toto, who was set to do the second half of the tour, agreed to fill […]

While relatively new on the music scene, Ghost Light has made a major impact. They were building a large fan base and a compelling reputation for improvisational creativity when the Covid-19 pandemic curtailed their live performances. Most recently, the band canceled their Winter 2022 tour. Fortunately, they were able to launch their Spring tour at […]

Longstanding New Orleans-based funk band Galactic is in the midst of their Winter Tour 2022 and they stopped at Hollywood’s Fonda Theatre on February 18 for a Mardi Gras celebratory performance. It was their first Los Angeles area appearance since 2019 and both the band and audience were excited to reconnect. Galactic has evolved over […]

North Mississippi Allstars rolled into Venice, California to headline a new club appropriately called “The Venice West” on February 2, 2022. The band led by the Dickinson Brothers  (Luther and Cody) had just released its thirteenth album Set Sail the prior Friday (1/28), so new music as well as tracks from their more than 22-year-old […]

Cory Wong and his band the Wongnotes hit the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood, CA on November 13 and were joined by vocalist Antwaun Stanley as well as surprise guest Dave Koz. Wong is a prolific songwriter, bandleader, and guitarist who released a shocking eight albums in 2020. He is best known for his work with […]

Dead & Company are wrapping up their 2021 tour with three shows at the historic Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, CA. The first of those performances took place on October 29th to set up a three night run that promised to cover almost all the vital parts of the iconic songbook. Drummer Bill Kreutzmann was […]

It has been over two years since Joe Russo’s Almost Dead performed in front of a Los Angeles-area audience. The COVID-19 pandemic shot down their 2020 scheduled performance, but now that the band is on the road again, JRAD finally hit the Palladium in Hollywood on October 22. They certainly made up for lost time. […]

Willie Nelson, the legendary musician, songwriter and social activist is still chugging away at 88. The singer brought his band to Irvine, California’s FivePoint Amphitheater on October 16, one of the 14 stops in 2021 along his annual Outlaw Music Festival tour. Joined by a strong supporting cast, Nelson and friends put on a solid […]

The Doobie Brothers’ 50th-anniversary tour was scheduled to take place in 2020, but the pandemic delayed those big plans. The overdue tour finally kicked off in July 2021 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band hit The Forum in Los Angeles on October 9. Michael McDonald, Pat Simmons, Tom Johnston, and John McFee […]

The Ohana Festival is a laid-back, annual live-music weekend that takes place adjacent to a popular surf spot at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, CA. This year’s festival happened from September 24-26, 2021, a music extravaganza that could just as easily be called the “Eddie Vedder and Friends Festival,” as the vocalist led three […]

The Nth Power is back on the road this autumn for the first time since before the pandemic and we’re all ready to Fall Back in Love. Helps that they’ve chosen that as the name of their tour, which has 20 dates across the United States. The much-loved band hit The Mint in Los Angeles […]

The BeachLife Festival returned with gusto to Redondo Beach, California, after a two-year hiatus on the weekend of September 10-12, 2021. After canceling in 2020 and getting rescheduled from the spring to the September dates, the festival drew a sellout crowd for three days of music and fun in the sun at the Seaside Lagoon. […]

The long-overdue Black Crowes 30th anniversary Shake Your Money Maker tour finally kicked off in July 2021 to celebrate the band’s enormously successful debut album and the surprising reunion of the famously bickering Robinson brothers.  On August 19th at The Forum in Los Angeles, Chris and Rich Robinson hit the stage with longtime collaborator and […]

It was a lively night on August 1st as a sold-out crowd celebrated the beloved music of Jamaica at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, as over 17,000 fans gathered up some good vibes and hear laid-back beats. Reggae Night XIX at the Bowl opened with Wailing Souls whose origins date back to the 1960s, […]

 The prolific saxophone player, composer, and awe-inspiring bandleader Kamasi Washington continues his growth as a musical shapeshifter and artist.  Washington has brilliantly accomplished the difficult task of crossing genres – his music is unquestionably rooted in traditional jazz, but there are noticeable influences from African rhythms, rock, hip-hop, soul and classical music. Audiences that favor […]

They are two legendary members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award recipients, who continue to amaze and delight audiences. As founding members of Jefferson Airplane, Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady deserve their place in rock’s pantheon of greats – and that’s the pioneering psychedelic rock band that earned […]