Arts and Entertainment

BY MASON BISSADA Kim Petras Wednesday night concert at the Mezzanine in San Francisco, the fitting final U.S. stop on her Broken tour, was a euphoric, rave-like wonder. Petras, who first came onto the pop-scene with her hit “I Don’t Want It at All,” sold out the SoMa venue/night-club and …

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 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 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 …

BY DANIEL GLUSKOTER Returning to the same stage at the Freight & Salvage where he recorded a live album in 2011, Graham Parker dazzled an intimate crowd of 500 people at the small Berkeley club Saturday night with a engaging 90 minute set. The 68 year old British singer-songwriter is touring …

BY CATHERINE STITES Re-Emerging London artist Khushi opened for James Blake Tuesday night at a sold out show at the Fox Theater in Oakland. It gave him the opportunity to play for potential new fans as his music is similar in style to Blake’s R&B soul wrenching melodies without the …

BY DANIEL GLUSKOTER Long-Time Jethro Tull guitarist Martin Barre, fresh off the release of a new solo album, kicked off of a brief two night stint in Marin with the first of a pair of shows at The Sweetwater in Mill Valley Wednesday night. ©DANIEL GLUSKOTER Martin Barre gestures to …

BY CATHERINE STITES After a five year drought from Northern California, the Bad Suns brought the rain to Sacramento Wednesday night with a sold out show at the Ace of Spades. The indie-rock band hails from Southern California but proved their following is strong on the second night of their …