Show Reviews

The phrase “Best weekend of the year” has grown to be synonymous with the Briggs Farm Blues Fest which celebrated its 26th year, this past July 6-8. The event, held on the Briggs family farm that dates to the 1700s, consistently draws thousands of mostly camping fans in northeast Pennsylvania and surrounding states. With fourteen […]

The name of Taylor Swift’s post-pandemic comeback tour is self-explanatory. How each of us got here is another story. We all have our own tale to tell (that we know all too well). Mine was filled with profound loss, much too personal to describe here, but also relevant in the fact that it led me […]

For some Baltimore-area Phish fans, last night’s (7/6) Trey Anastasio Band performance at the Pier Six Pavillion was long overdue.  After a pair of previously canceled gigs (a July ‘93 Phish show was aborted due to poor ticket sales and a May ‘20 TAB concert fell victim to the pandemic-related shutdown) the affable guitarist was […]

2023 is a major year for Jason Isbell. His newly released album Weathervanes (REVIEW) is arguably one of his strongest to date with its collection of character-driven Americana-rock tunes that hearken back to his days in the Drive-by Truckers. On top of that, this year also marks the 10-year anniversary of Southeastern, the album that […]

When Neil Young announced his 2023 solo “Coastal” tour, he specifically told people he’d be doing lesser-known songs. This includes ones Young has not played live over his six-decade career but has wanted to. Unlike the full electric shows with Crazy Horse and Promise Of The Real, where he fills the sets with more familiar […]

If you were one of the 3000 attendees at the Kings Theatre in Brooklyn on the evening of June 27th count yourself among the lucky ones. Rodrigo y Gabriela treated a theater full of fans to a 90-minute guitar fireworks show that would make the Macy’s 4th of July fireworks display envious. They are touring […]

As the Felice Brothers circa 2023 took the stage in almost sheepish fashion at The Monkey House on June 22nd in Winooski, it hardly seemed possible it’s been a decade since they last appeared in Vermont. Yet indeed it was almost ten years since Ian, James, and the company delivered one of the highlights of […]

The 2023 Green River Festival in Greenfield, MA delivered on an impressive folk-leaning line-up and its reputation as one of the most endearing local festivals in the country. The three-day festival took place over the weekend of June 23-25th with a number of regional and national acts performed on three main stages. The festival has […]

Twenty-three years ago Colonel Les Claypool enlisted an army of musicians and took flight as the Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, expanding his rhythmic, heavy, rock into improvisational lands…with a whole lot of Pink Floyd sprinkled in. While the backing members have changed, Claypool has brought this concept back on the road and pulled into Port […]

Every small town has that one restaurant that always serves everything just the way you like it. These are the joints we often gravitate to because they feel like a moment in time, a source of comfort and tradition. In a musical sense, the North Mississippi Allstars are this restaurant as they have spent over […]

When this reviewer wrote about last year’s Citi Field show, the air of uncertainty was surrounding the band. Rolling Stone immediately ran a “scoop” that it would be the final tour, which the band immediately debunked.  This year, however, they announced that it would indeed be the end of this project.  The announcement was made last […]

The Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival was a two-day celebration of multiple music styles that diverge wildly from traditional jazz. The famous Los Angeles venue hosted stars from the worlds of jazz, soul, funk, fusion, and hip-hop. The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association celebrated 43 years of the festival over Father’s Day weekend, Saturday and Sunday, June […]

On a gorgeous warm Sunday night on June 18th, the legendary Buddy Guy had this to say to the Summerstage Crowd in Central Park, “If you don’t like the Blues, you’re at the wrong fucking stage”. The 86 year old blues man is on his Damn Right, Farewell tour as he wraps up an astounding […]

If there’s one thing Pixies’ drummer David Lovering wants fans to know, it’s that they aren’t an asocial band. “We don’t do banter, we don’t make jokes in between songs, we just get up there and play. It’s not that we don’t want to be there, we aren’t being asocial, we just want to do […]

It’s no secret that legacy and classic rock acts are a big draw for deep-pocketed Baby Boomers. So, when a true legend like Ringo Starr, with the ultimate pedigree (The Beatles after all), comes to town, devoted followers will pay steep prices to see him perform. Add a lineup of all-stars from the classic rock […]

After more than fifty years, the Grateful Dead’s long strange trip through Philadelphia has finally come to an end. Maybe.  Since 1968, when the Jerry Garcia and Pigpen-led iteration of the Dead first visited the City of Brotherly Love for a three-night run at the infamous Electric Factory, Philly has proudly counted itself as something […]

It’s been over thirty years since the world was introduced to Seal, who took the 90s by storm with the release of his first two albums Seal and Seal II, numerous hit songs, and a skyrocketing career that solidified the soulful British crooner’s status as pop culture icon and global superstar. This is the reason […]

The extravagant music and culinary festival known as BottleRock Napa Valley took place over Memorial Day weekend 2023. Known for major rock, pop, reggae, country, soul, bluegrass, and hip-hop acts, the sold-out event featured Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lizzo, The Smashing Pumpkins, Duran Duran, Leon Bridges, and Los Lobos. The tenth-annual festival, in a luxurious […]

Shortly after bluegrass legend Del McCoury partnered up with Roy Carter of the High Sierra Music Festival in 2007, with the aim to bring a version of his wildly successful and eclectic festival to the east coast, McCoury knew he had found home.  After canvassing the mid-atlantic region for potential venues, Carter invited Del and […]

By all accounts, this year’s festival was a complete success. It should not come as a surprise, though. It was the festival’s tenth go-around and the team behind the curtain proved once again that they know how to keep the ship sailing smooth and straight. The weather also cooperated and made for consistently pleasant temperatures, […]