musicreview

Violent Femmes

Concert Reviews

September 24, 2021 – The Met, Philadelphia PA

Violent Femmes stepped out on the stage and took their place as the audience went silent. Silent until Gordon Gano let out an iconic “DAAAAY……”, then the crowd went nuts and continued on singing ever single word of “Add It Up”. I have to admit that I did a little jump with my camera in hand as well, it was hard to hide my excitement as I own every one of their cassette tapes (yes, cassette).

Their tour marks the 30th anniversary of the band’s Fifth album, “Why Do Birds Sing.” They played a 15 song set of their classic hits. Brian Ritchie switched from Bass to the xylophone for “Gone Daddy Gone” before their biggest sing along “Blister In The Sun”.

As one of the most distinctive bands of the early alternative movement, the band still have it and show no signs of slowing down as they are 40 years into their cult classic career and still touring. Tour started on September 3rd in Maryland Heights, MO – St. Louis Music Park and will end in Minneapolis, MN at The Armory on October 23rd.

Stay up to date with Violent Femmes by following the band: http://www.violentfemmes.com

Santana

Concert Reviews

September 11, 2021 – The Borgata, Atlantic City NJ

Santana’s Blessings and Miracles tour kicked off on September 11th at the Borgata Spa & Resort in Atlantic City, NJ. The stage was set with a colorful, psychedelic, throw-back vibe and there was not one empty seat in the house as all awaited the guitar legend to come on-stage to electrify us with a jolt of his upbeat, positive magic. Santana and his band made their long-awaited return to the concert stage after a year hiatus.

The band was comprised of: Cindy Blackman Santana on Drums, Andy Vargas on Vocals, Benny Rietveld on Bass, David K Mathews on Keyboards, Karl Perazzo & Paoli Mejias on Percussion, Tommy Anthony on Guitars/Vocals.

The Multi-Grammy Award-winning Rock & Roll Hall of Fame guitarist has announced that the first single from his star-studded new album entitled “Move”, is set to be released to radio on August 18th.

The tour will conclude on October 2nd at the Choctaw Grand Theatre in Durant, OK. For more info regarding tour and updates, please visit http://www.santana.com.

Set List

  1. Soul Sacrifice
  2. Jingo
  3. Evil Ways
  4. Black Magic Woman
  5. Oye Como Va
  6. Samba Pa Ti
  7. She’s Not there
  8. Whiter Shade of Pale
  9. Move
  10. Yaleo
  11. Put Your Lights On
  12. Corazon Espinado
  13. Europa
  14. Maria Maria
  15. Foo Foo
  16. Are you ready people – Cindy Solo
  17. Smooth
  18. Love, Peace & Happiness





Post Malone

Concert Reviews

February 21, 2020 – Wells Fargo, Philadelphia PA

With his messy-hair, scraggly beard and face etched with “stay away” tattoos, Post Malone may seem an unlikely megastar, but his is undoubtedly one of the biggest singers and songwriters on the planet right now.

The rapper, pop star, rock star, singer and songwriter emerged through a haze of smoke playing to a full house at Wells Fargo. He made his way down a long runway that extended far out in the audience as he opened with the instrumental introduction “Hollywood’s Bleeding” as a quintessential way to start the “Runaway Tour”.

Post Malone dominated the stage and poured so much emotion into very single song. There was no major “theatricals” other than the constant fireworks and flames. It was Post Malone, intimate and raw, showing us who he is and how appreciative he is, being ever so humble thanking the crowd numerous times in between songs for being there.

“I went from sleeping in a closet to being able to tour and come and play and sing these songs for people who want to hear them. And it is the biggest blessing in the f-cking world and I cannot thank you enough.

What makes Post Malones music so well received? The secret can be seen in each hit…starting each song with a chorus. Post’s music is smooth. His sustained vibrato belches combined with hip-hop machine rhythm and rock’s tonal smearing leads you in an almost hypnotic state. The music streams into you and through you.

The audience were all captivated by his versatility, authenticity, his movements and his style. He really is a true ROCKSTAR!

http://www.postmalone.com

Set List

  1. Hollywood’s Bleeding
  2. Better Now
  3. Saint-Tropez
  4. Goodbyes
  5. Die for Me
  6. Allergic
  7. Candy Paint
  8. Psycho
  9. Enemies
  10. Wow
  11. Paranoid
  12. I Fall Apart
  13. Over Now
  14. Take What You Want
  15. Stay
  16. Circles
  17. Go Flex
  18. White Iverson
  19. Sunflower (with Swae Lee)
  20. Rockstar
  21. Congratulations

LIVE

Concert Reviews

February 19, 2020 – Count Basie, Red Bank NJ

The multi-platinum alternative rock band from York, Pennsylvania is back on tour. They have sold over 22 million albums worldwide and have had two number 1 albums. LIVE is the soundtrack of the 90’s. Although there was a falling out with the band which led to lead singer Ed Kowalczyk to take a break and pursue a solo career, they are back together and stronger than ever. LIVE played with ease and comfort to the point where it felt like we were all amongst friends.

To the pleasure (and expectations) of the fans, LIVE performed their top hits including “I Alone”, ” All Over You”, “Lakini’s Juice” and of course “Lightning Crashes”. Everyone in the audience sang in complete harmony and I got chills as Ed led the way with his powerful voice commanding the dark intimate theatre. You can hear and feel the passion play through from every band member.

The band: Ed Kowalczyk on vocals/guitar, Patrick Dahlehiemer on Bass, Chad Taylor on lead guitar and Chad Gracey on Drums.

http://www.freaks4live.com

Rick Springfield

Concert Reviews

February 1, 2020 – Bergen PAC, Englewood NJ

Rick Springfield, the Grammy award winning singer, songwriter, musician and accomplished actor who has sold over 25 million albums and scored 17 U.S. Top 40 hits is on tour! The “Stripped Down Tour” is exactly that – a bare bones, authentically stripped-down experience with intimate, heartwarming stories of his personal life and the making of his music. The stage was dark and set with six guitars, a microphone, and a huge screen that was filled with photos and videos of his career. 

Rick opened the show with “I get Excited” which immediately caused all the women in the audience to get excited and spring to their feet. It’s no surprise that the entire audience was comprise of pretty much ALL women, as I only spotted a few men with what seemed to be reluctant eyes of jealousy. The evening followed with such hits as; “An Affair of the Heart”, “But don’t Try to Tell me” and ”Jessie’s Girl”. 

“The Human Touch” performance was an explosive and spontaneous, almost a “meet and greet” type of experience as Rick ran through the audience. The entertainer took his time going around the entire theatre posing for selfies with his adoring fans, even going as far as to give hugs, providing his fans with a little more of a personal, safe-keep moment with their heartthrob.

Snoop Dogg

Concert Reviews

January 23, 2020 – Wellmont Theatre, Monclair NJ

Warren G opened and appropriately set the mood with DJ’s and pole dancers -providing what was to be a grand entrance for the greatest rapper of all time. Snoop Dogg appeared from the…we’ll call it “smoke” filled stage like a ghost ship breaking through fog, appearing as smooth as ever, blunt in hand as if gliding on water. He danced and grooved through all of his songs, engulfing the audience with his cool-cat vibe where clearly the fans just could not get enough of him.

To the delight of the crowd, he performed his Rap classics “The Next Episode”, “Nothin But a G Thang”, “Doggy Style”, “P.I.M.P.” as well as some new hits off his latest album, most notably,”I Wanna Thank me”. Snoop played well into the evening closing the show with “Gin and Juice” to a full, standing and grooving audience reminiscing of the old days.

The “I Wanna Thank Me” tour kicked off in San Francisco on December 2nd and will conclude on January 26th in Detroit. This tour is powered by Snoop Dogg’s newest live entertainment company, Bobby Dee Presents.

For more info please visit http://www.snoopdogg.com

Hozier

Concert Reviews

November 19, 2019 – The Met, Philadelphia PA

Hozier is an Irish award-winning musician, singer and songwriter with a style of sound and play that draws from folk, soul and blues. Following the release of his new album “Wasteland, Bay!”, Hozier embarked on a lengthy and extensive North American tour over this summer. Due to popular demand, the tour was then extended throughout the fall.

Hozier and his band started the magic with “As It Was”, followed with “Dinner & Diatribes” and “Nina Cried Power”. They performed a new song “Jack Boot Jump”, along with lyrics displayed on screen, ensuring the audience not only knew but understood the message. The singer, commonly known for his religious and literary themes, “Jack Boot Jump”, is also a statement piece, or a protest song bringing awareness to the recent events that happened in Hong Kong.

The show ended with his hit song “Take Me to Church” which is a somber folk song that early on became an unlikely Top-40 smash, catapulting the Irish singer-songwriter into momentary pop stardom.

Setlist

  1. As It Was
  2. Dinner & Diatribes
  3. Nina Cried Power
  4. To Be Alone
  5. Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene
  6. Someone New
  7. Nobody
  8. Talk
  9. Jack Boot Jump
  10. From Eden
  11. Shrike
  12. No Plan
  13. Living for the City
  14. Jackie and Wilson
  15. Almost
  16. Moment’s Silence
  17. Movement
  18. Take me to Church

Sting

Concert Reviews

November 17, 2019 – Metropolitan Opera House, Philadelphia PA

Not many people can pull-off going by a single name…and as one of the most recognizable voices in rock and pop music, no one does it better than Sting.

Sting is one of the most talented well-rounded musician & songwriter ever to hit the stage, boasting a successful 44-year career winning 17 Grammy Awards and selling over 100 million records.

The “My Songs” Tour is a world tour in support of his thirteenth solo studio album “My Songs”, an album of fifteen re-recorded songs from the first 20 years of his career, released on May 24th, 2019. The tour began on May 28th at La Seine Musicale in Paris and ends tonight on November 17th here at The Met in Philadelphia.

Although Sting was injured and in a sling, that did not slow him down. He still delivered effortlessly, mixing solo works with Police classics. Sting’s set included his most popular solo hits such as “If I Ever Lose My Faith In You”, If You Love Somebody Set Them Free”, “Fields of Gold”, “Message in a Bottle”, “Wrapped Around Your Finger”, “Roxanne”, “Every Breath You Take”, “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” as well as his recent collaboration with Shaggy.

The audience rose to their feet for every song that required them to and also as if on cue, took their seats to the more melancholy sounds of his more slower melodic tunes. It was a unique magical evening of storytelling and music.

http://www.sting.com for more info

Dweezil Zappa

Concert Reviews

September 13, 2019 – Bergen PAC, Englewood NJ

Dweezil Zappa, the virtuoso guitarist birthed from the late rock royal Frank Zappa has a unique connection to his father’s album “Hot Rats” that is more than just musical.  The album was made the year he was born and, in fact, dedicated to Dweezil.  So naturally one would expect nothing less than greatness when performing Hot Rats from start to finish.  Dweezil truly delivered as he played beautifully and effortlessly, and at the same time, with a ton of attitude and a ripping guitar just as the album’s songs demand. 

The tour includes Dweezil’s band: Sheila Gonzalez/Sax/Keys/Vocals, Adam Minkoff/Lead Vocals/Rhythm Guitar/Keyboards/Percussion, Cian Coey/Lead Vocals/Percussion, Ryan Brown/Drums/Vocals, Kurt Morgan/Bass/Vocals and Chris Norton/Keyboards/Vocals. 

In addition to playing the entire “Hot Rats” album, the band christened the audience with songs from his father’s other album entitled, “You are what you is”. The end-result was like being thrown into a time capsule, with music meticulously orchestrated as a result of tremendous hard work in an effort to not modernize any of it.

For a full list of Dweezil Zappa’s upcoming tour dates and ticketing info, head over to his website: http://www.dweezilzappa.com

Alice Cooper

Concert Reviews

August 15, 2019 – PNC, Holmdel NJ

If “school’s out” don’t miss the opportunity to see Alice Cooper, and if it’s not…cut class to go see him anyway! Just don’t tell your mom I told you to.

Alice Cooper boast 50 years of inherent showmanship and theatrical rock at it’s best!

Alice opened the show with “Feed My Frankenstein” set to a stage that was visually stimulating the entire time. Amazing props donned the stage from giant babies, straitjackets, a sexy nurse and heavy dripping makeup to his famed guillotine act, and the list goes on. Not sure anyone else can really measure up to this kind of shock rock therapy.

Complimenting the ultimate stage master, Alice assembled the best of the best when it came to his band with Nita Strauss on Guitar, Ryan Roxie on Guitar, Chuck Garric on Bass, Tommy Henriksen on Guitar and Glen Sobel on Drums.

Myself, along with everyone else in attendance didn’t want to show to end and luckily for me I was fortunate to have it last a while longer as I was granted backstage access after the show. With my kids in tow, similar to how they pull me hand in hand through an amusement park, I was thrilled to have them experience this show as their first rock concert. While it was a true, one-of-a-kind experience for them to see live music at its best by master musicians and true professionals…I’m afraid I created two little monsters. Albeit appropriately so.

For a full list of Alice Cooper’s upcoming tour dates and ticketing info, head over to his website: http://www.alicecooper.com