BY DANIEL GLUSKOTER Fresh off the release of his sixth studio album, Michael Franti and Spearhead delivered a joyous hometown performance Friday evening during the first night of back to back shows at The Fillmore. ©DANIEL GLUSKOTER Michael Franti performs during the first of two sold out shows Friday night ...
Read More »Facing New York reunites at hometown show at Bottom of the Hill
BY CATHERINE STITES Releasing their first album in a decade, Facing New York took the stage to reunite with old fans and new at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco Friday night. The show was part release party for their new album “Dogtown,” and part reunion tour. The bands ...
Read More »Simple Minds return to San Francisco a rousing success
BY DANIEL GLUSKOTER Thirty-Three years after earning the right to perform in front of a global audience of close to two billion people at Live Aid, Simple Minds found their way back to the Bay Area for a rare San Francisco performance Thursday night at the Masonic. While the height ...
Read More »Liz Phair continues to do it her way at The Fillmore
BY DANIEL GLUSKOTER Indie-Rock heroine Liz Phair’s sold out show at The Fillmore in San Francisco Thursday night was a homecoming of sorts. The 51 year old singer-songwriter and guitarist is touring in support of the recently released “Girly-Sound to Guyville,” a retrospective 25th Anniversary three disc set of her ...
Read More »David Byrne keeps making sense with American Utopia tour
BY DANIEL GLUSKOTER 35 years after he guided The Talking Heads to “Stop Making Sense”, David Byrne clearly demonstrated that his genius continues to shine as he returned to share his view of an “American Utopia” at the Bill Graham Civic in San Francisco Wednesday evening. Backed by the precise ...
Read More »Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats electrify The Fox
BY DANIEL GLUSKOTER Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats brought their upbeat brand of Roots-Rock Americana to the Fox Theater in Oakland Saturday night for the first of a pair of sold-out shows. Rateliff, 39, is the face and lead vocalist of the Denver based band that has pleasantly merged ...
Read More »Jeff Lynne’s ELO Shines a lot of Love in tour opener at Oracle
BY DANIEL GLUSKOTER Playing their first Bay Area show in over three decades, Jeff Lynne and the Electric Light Orchestra put on a dazzling display chronicling a war chest of classic rock hits Thursday night for a sold out crowd at Oracle Arena. Lynne has always been the mastermind of ...
Read More »Jethro Tull celebrates 50 years at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley
BY DANIEL GLUSKOTER Taking the stage at the Greek Theatre to a backdrop of old color television consoles broadcasting scenes of Robert Kennedy, Vietnam and the Mexico City Olympics protest, Ian Anderson and his band arrived to perform a 50th Anniversary celebration of the music of Jethro Tull Saturday night ...
Read More »Paul Simon bids farewell to a sold out house at Oracle Arena
BY DANIEL GLUSKOTER While many an iconic artist has become infamous by hitting the road for what was billed as a “Farewell Tour,” only to be followed by years of touring, chances are good that in Paul Simon’s case his newly launched “Homeward Bound – The Farewell Tour” that ...
Read More »Chris Robinson’s As The Crow Flies rocks The Fox in Oakland
BY DANIEL GLUSKOTER Longtime Black Crowes frontman and lead vocalist Chris Robinson has pretty much avoided playing any material from The Black Crowes catalog following an acrimonious split with his estranged brother Rich that ensued after that bands final show at the Bill Graham Civic in San Francisco back in ...
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