Show Reviews

The 71st Newport Jazz Festival was held from August 1 to 3, 2025, at Fort Adams in Newport, RI, featuring jazz, R&B, pop, and hip-hop performers on three stages. This is the second consecutive year that the festival sold out, meaning an attendance of 10,000 each day. The festival thrived under bright, sunny skies, comfortable […]

There was magic in the air of San Francisco over the last three days, with a high concentration centered in Golden Gate Park. Sixty years ago, a band beyond description was born that would forever alter the course of music history, in no particular way but their own. Celebrating 60 years of the Grateful Dead, […]

In a blink, Day 4 at Lollapalooza arrived. The final day featured plenty of excitement around the Lakeshore Stage and T-Mobile Stage. A massive crowd gathered early to catch breakout pop group Katseye make one of their biggest appearances in their early career, and as the sun set, Finneas brought out collaborator Ashe to team […]

Day 3 at Lollapalooza had a low-key start, but by the early evening, the excitement picked up, particularly at the T-Mobile Stage, where Doechii delivered a showstopping set and Rufus Du Sol followed up with the headlining spot, both to massive crowds. On the other side of the festival, K-pop had its headlining moment with […]

Lollapalooza kept rolling on Day 2, with some tough set choices. The northern area anchored by the Bud Light Stage featured Bleachers and Korn. In contrast, the opposite end by the T-Mobile Stage and Lakeshore Stage had the opportunity to catch Djo, Wallows, and Olivia Rodrigo. Some of the big storylines of the day included […]

After a downpour the night before, the sun shone upon Grant Park for a picture-perfect start to Lollapalooza. Some of the big storylines of the day:  Here’s a spotlight on more sets (including deeper dives on Role Model and Gracie Abrams) that stood out from Day 1: Girl Tones Girl Tones got the BMI Stage […]

At first glance, a festival that is blatantly branded and named after its corporate parent seems ripe for protest by the cool, socially liberated kids. But Pabst Blue Ribbon holds a special place in the heart of anyone who has ever spent late nights in a dive bar smoking butts and pounding the cheap lager, […]

Over the course of two days, July 18 and 19, 2025, the Deschutes County Fairgrounds in Redmond, Oregon hosted a festival that brought an incredible lineup of independent country music artists and tens of thousands of fans to the high desert of Central Oregon. In the days leading up to Fairwell Festival, reports of nearby […]

Phish delivered a performance that will easily be remembered on Tuesday, July 15 as the group made their highly anticipated return to Philadelphia’s iconic Mann Center (TD Pavilion at The Mann).  The pre-show buzz permeating throughout the capacity crowd was palpable, as were the sweltering heat & humidity, reaching a fever pitch as the quartet […]

At a time when music festivals all feel like generic clones of each other, the 39th Green River Festival stood out as one of the best “small” festivals in the USA. The festival took place from June 20th to June 22nd in a beautiful, green space in the Pioneer Valley at the Franklin County Fairgrounds […]

Leading up to the biggest show in the Wilton, CT band’s life, headlining Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, Goose made a rare club appearance on Monday at the 650-capacity Racket in Manhattan. The group was in mid-tour form, delivering a long set that showcased their style to some fans and a host of newcomers.  […]

On June 16th, Pixies took the stage at the Van Buren in downtown Phoenix to perform a 29-song two-album show, composed of live versions of both Bossanova (1990) and Trompe Le Monde (1991). The venue was at capacity, and the setlist included over 30 songs, but it was only the first night of their Phoenix […]

To see James McMurtry live is to witness one of the finest American songwriters at work. Lucky for us, the 63-year-old Texan troubadour is still a road dog, criss-crossing the country for much of the year while somehow still maintaining a fairly consistent and now legendary residency at the fabled Continental Club in Austin. If […]

Ten years after the final notes rang out over the lush greenery of Berry Hill Farm in Summit Point, West Virginia, the All Good Music Festival finally made its triumphant return.  With humble beginnings that trace back to 1997, when All Good was a relatively intimate affair hosted at the now-defunct Wilmer’s Park in Brandywine, […]

Onstage, a giant snake hovers over a drum with the words “FUCK ICE” plastered on it with washi tape. Distorted tinfoil trees sway with trunks like giant fingers. It isn’t an acid trip- it’s Briston Maroney.  On June 14th, artist Briston Maroney and his band took over Arizona Financial Theatre in Phoenix, accompanied by the […]

Two of the most tried and true acts in rock and roll music are Deer Tick and the Drive-by Truckers. Resilience, quality songwriting and musicianship, and an ability to stand the test of time are all qualities they share despite one hailing from the Northeast and the other from the South. And this was just […]

Among the many big shed tours that take place in any given year, perhaps the most fascinating in recent memory is Sessanta. This outing brings together A Perfect Circle, Puscifer, and Primus – three acts that inspire a certain level of mainstream nostalgia while still dabbling comfortably in the fringe. With such big names – […]

It had been a minute since Ohio folk-rock sensations CAAMP last graced the city of Chicago with a performance (2022, to be exact). Still, that lengthy wait finally came to an end on June 5th as the band returned to the Windy City to kick off the first of two sold-out shows at The Salt […]

What happens when two of the most veteran acts in heavy rock music band together for an extensive tour? Though the Melvins and Napalm Death occupy different musical spheres, it somehow makes sense to pair them up for their Savage Imperial Death March tour as two hugely influential acts that have never compromised on their […]

For his 80th birthday celebration, John Fogerty headed east to the gorgeous Beacon Theater on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, setting up shop for the first of two nights with his Travelin’ Band. On a soaking and bleak Wednesday (May 28th), he celebrated his actual birthday by opening the show with a prepared video […]