August 25, 2010

Tom Petty & My Morning Jacket @ Izod Center, August 24

Every old generation likes to tell the new generation that things used to be better back in the day. This especially rings true in rock where many of those in their 50s and 60s like to tell me I totally missed out on the likes of Zeppelin, Hendrix and The Band and that no artist of the ’80s, ’90s and ’00s could ever compare. Last night at the Izod Center was the rare evening when the best of the old school and new school came together as current rockers My Morning Jacket and classic rockers Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers showed that rock music is in good hands over the course of three hit-heavy hours in East Rutherford, NJ.

My Morning Jacket came on exactly at the 7:30PM ticket time so that they could play for as long as possible before The Heartbreakers took the stage. The quartet opened with a little taste of Rollin’ Back before quickly segueing into The Way That He Sings. Despite only having an hour to perform, Jim James and his band mates made the most of each minute and packed the set with their best material. Near me, many of the patrons were clearly at the venue to see Petty and sat with arms folded through the first few songs. As MMJ tore through Off The Record and Gideon I could tell they were connecting with even the most jaded of Petty fans. Bopping heads turned into full body thrashing by the time One Big Holiday closed out the set. It’s always great to see people won over by good, honest music.

As the MMJ set progressed I started feeling bad for Petty. How do you follow one of the best bands in rock who is at its peak? James has great stage presence as displayed during his Wordless Chorus antics which included hiding underneath his cape while still singing loudly and proudly. The band’s newest song, Circuital, fit into the set nicely – quite the compliment considering the gems MMJ threw down on this night.

READ ON for more on Tom Petty & MMJ in New Jersey…

Popular kids TV show Yo Gabba Gabba!’s There’s A Party In My City tour kicks off on Friday night in Bethel, NY and DJ Lance Rock and the Gabba Gang

Last week Ropeadope Records reissued Antibalas’ landmark 2004 release Who Is This America? complete with a bonus track, Money Talks, produced by Scott Harding. The afrobeat collective’s LP was released

Once again, we’ve teamed up with Parker Harrington, aka @TMWSIY, who created a comprehensive survey asking fans for their thoughts about the recently completed second leg of Phish Summer Tour 2010. Parker’s poll includes questions about the scene, your reading habits, the venues and most importantly plenty of questions about the music from the leg.

[Photo by Adam Kaufman]

In other poll news, last week we asked our readers to grade the tour and with over 1,000 fans responding, the band earned a B or above from over 90% of those who participated. The results are down just a tad from the last leg in which 95% gave Phish a B+ or above. 5.4% graded the band a B- this time around, where is just about where I had ’em.

• Phish Survey Results: Leg One

You can make your voice heard by completing the survey found at this link or by READING ON for an embed of the document holding the poll…

Brooklyn’s MGMT put out an official video for the title track of the group’s sophomore effort, Congratulations. The video finds Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser wandering through the desert and

These United States @ The Fox Theater – Boulder, CO – August 21

Being the opening band is never easy. People don’t listen: they are too busy mulling around, deciding the best plan of attack to the bar, or scouting the best spot to get as close as possible to the headliner. Luckily it is not exactly like that for These United States. They have developed a healthy fan base, having released four albums in only two years and staying on a regular touring schedule. So, when they came on stage at 9:00 PM sharp on Saturday night, there was already a decent assembly of people ready and waiting.

Though most stood back from the front of the stage, those who knew the band sang along to their songs – a combination of upbeat Americana and thoughtful ballads. Those just being introduced to the music quickly warmed up.

TUS launched into a barrage of new songs as lead singer Jesse Elliott dubbed their new album, What Lasts, one of the “Top 100 Greatest Albums of All-Time, according to the members of this band.” The new album is more somber than their previous work. The songs pack less punch but are poetic and hauntingly memorable. On Saturday, ballads like What Lasts and Dug Him in the Dirt silenced the audience as J. Tom Hnatow slid his hand slowly on the steel pedal guitar. The more uplifting One You Believe and The Important Thing (the latter from their 2009 album, Everything Touches Everything), were the ones that got some heads bobbing and feet moving as the rhythm section brought it up a notch. READ ON for more…