Life

BY DANIEL GLUSKOTER Presenting a treasure trove of classic Beatles and Wings material, Paul McCartney’s long and winding road arrived at SAP Pavilion in San Jose Wednesday night for another sold out performance on his “Freshen Up” tour. Having turned 77 just weeks ago, McCartney continues to amaze with near three hour ...

BY DANIEL GLUSKOTER Nearly two generations after appearing at Live Aid and becoming one of the largest stars in the MTV galaxy, British new wave pioneer Howard Jones delivered a jubilant performance highlighting his four decade career in music Friday night at The Regency Ballroom in San Francisco. Jones, 64, had ten top 40 hit ...

BY DANIEL GLUSKOTER Returning for her first world tour in 15 years, English pop star Dido emphatically displayed that both her angelic voice and stage presence have only aged like a fine wine before a sold-out crowd at The Masonic in San Francisco Wednesday night. One of the best-selling artists of All-Time in the UK, her 1999 debut album, No ...

BY HELEN LAME’ AND DANIEL GLUSKOTER The seventh annual BottleRock Napa Valley Music Festival concluded Sunday night with headlining sets by Mumford & Sons, Santana and Pharrell Williams bringing the Memorial Day weekend event to a utopian close with over 120,000 fans attending the three day event. With temperatures consistently ...

BY DEBRA J. MORRIS Ah, the wonderful smell of freshly-mowed grass, the sound of children running through the sprinklers, the garden awash in color with summer flowers, and the mouth-watering smell of food grilling on the barbecue. Yes, summer is here with warm evenings spent outside, and friends coming over ...

BY DANIEL GLUSKOTER Scottish-Australian singer-songwriter Colin Hay’s performance at Terrapin Crossroads Tuesday night was a welcome revelation for anyone previously unfamiliar with his solo works. Best known as the lead singer and frontman for the long disbanded Australian band Men at Work, Hay has also created a solid catalog of ...

BY DANIEL GLUSKOTER “I don’t think that anybody in 1975 imagined that we would still be doing this today,” John Mellencamp stated near the end of a 25 minute documentary video that served as an overview of his long career which preceded his performance at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland Thursday ...

BY DEBRA J. MORRIS Blueberries are one of the delights of early summer. Their beautiful blue color means they’re ripe and ready to eat. The shrubs are harvested by hand five or six times throughout the season at the firm, ripe stage because blueberries do not ripen once picked. The ...

BY DANIEL GLUSKOTER Legendary Chicago blues guitarist Buddy Guy, who was raised in the Jim Crow south and rose to influence the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughn to name but a few, delivered a transcendent concert performance Saturday night at the Masonic in San Francisco. ...

BY CATHERINE STITES Australian pop-rock group The Faim helped Andy Black kick off The Ghost of North America Tour Sunday night at Ace of Spades in Sacramento. The group is said to be destined for big arenas and they energized the crowd with a passion that was easy to see over ...