Jason DeBord's Rock Subculture Journal

The Black Keys at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino | Las Vegas, Nevada | 12/30/2012 (Concert Review)

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The Black Keys played the first of two special New Year’s Eve show at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino last night, and delivered the special mix of garage/blues/indie rock to what appeared to be a sold out crowd in the Las Vegas venue.  Having seen them earlier this year at Sleep Train Arena, which was a phenomenal show, I knew what to expect but was still blown away by the brilliance of this drums and guitar duo, who played through old and new material, including hits from one of 2011’s best albums, El Camino.  On a personal note, as my 58th concert of the year, I can’t imagine a better way to close out an incredible year of live music.  The Black Keys have no other purpose on stage other than to put on a rocking show and get their fans jumping with authentic rock and roll.

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Bon Jovi “Because We Can – The Tour” Hits North America in 2013

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Bon Jovi will be touring North America starting in February, March, and April 2013.  Tickets officially go on sale tomorrow, November 30, though there is a special pre-sale from promoter AEG that starts today, and special VIP packages are also on sale.  This will be the first tour showcasing songs from the upcoming album, What About Now, due in the spring.  The concerts are comprised of special, multi-tiered pricing, including some tickets offered for under $20, with frontman Jon Bon Jovi wanting to make sure that everyone who wants to see them has an opportunity to buy tickets. [Read more…]

Billy Idol at Showbox SoDo | Seattle, Washington | 10/26/2012 (“Play My Birthday Billy Idol dot com” Concert) (Concert Review)

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The world needs Billy Idol.  The world needs cool, and it needs a bit of a rebel yell.  But it also needs dreamers.  And, sometimes, a crazy, impossible, outlandish dream can lead to great things.  And all of this was proven on an epic night in Seattle, as a young man with hope, ambition, persistence, and ingenuity leveraged the Internet in a way that lead to rock music legend and icon Billy Idol playing his 26th birthday party at the Showbox SoDo in Seattle last night.  I’ve seen Billy Idol many, many times over the years, but I can say without a doubt that last night’s special show featured the best audience I’ve ever been a part of at one of his concerts.  And in these challenging times we live in, it felt like everyone left their struggles and frustrations and all other negativity at the door, and embraced the awesome music and amazing live performance of Billy Idol and his band, as the put on a scorching show.  As just the second (by my count) U.S. date this year (with a third in Eugene tomorrow night), I believe it serves as evidence of the significant demand for fans to see Billy Idol play live.  He is one of my all-time favorite artist, has such a fantastic catalog of songs, and is one of the best live acts performing today accompanied by a peerless band and the incomparable Steve Stevens on lead guitar.  Cheers to Michael Henrichsen for having a dream and putting such effort into something that brings joy not just to himself, but everyone who loves Billy Idol who came to take part in it.  Michael certainly knows how to party, and he brought it to Seattle last night, in the form of the legendary Billy Idol.

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The Who Announce Special “Quadrophenia” Tour For North America In 2012/2013

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The Who surviving members Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey will be having their first tour in North America in four years starting November 1 and continuing well into 2013, with 37 dates planned.  Title “Quadrophenia and More, the show will include a performance of the entire 1973 album.  Tickets are on sale through AEG Live and Ticketmaster. [Read more…]

Garbage at The Warfield | San Francisco, California | 10/1/12 (Concert Review)

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Last night at The Warfield was my second time seeing Garbage this year, having seen them back in April in Las Vegas.  I was astounded at how much the band has evolved in this short time, having just been resurrected earlier this year, now completely transformed into one of the most kick ass bands touring in 2012.  This group – that completely defies genre – burst onto the stage and played a tight and rearranged set, including many songs off their incredible new album for upwards of two hours.  They also brought out one of the best audiences I’ve been a part of all year (and yes, audiences do matter!), who could not get enough of this band that comes across as beings from another, much more interesting planet.  All in all, I think the fact that Garbage isn’t currently selling out huge stadiums is a tribute to the fact that the 90s was, as a decade, mostly filled with crap music (compared to the decades that preceded and followed), and somehow this band never received the recognition nor massive following that it deserved.  People in the 90’s generally had no taste in music and it was a weak era in pop culture, and Garbage is, in my estimation, one of the most outstanding group of artists born of that time, and the fact that they somehow got back together to make music and perform live better than ever is nothing short of remarkable.  Hopefully at some point the masses will catch up to what they are missing, as the concerts this band puts on are among the best live shows from any band today.

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The Go-Go’s and The Psychedelic Furs at Mountain Winery | Saratoga, California | 9/30/2012 (Concert Review)

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The Go-Go’s and the Psychedelic Furs closed out my own personally selected Summer concert series at the always awesome Mountain Winery last night and I can’t imagine a better send off, with two classic and important 80s bands in top form playing their many hits, back to back.  A bit of a contrast in styles (though both bands, in their own ways, were a result of and reaction to the 70s punk movement), it was very much a celebration of the wide ranging and innovation music born during my favorite decade.  The Furs opened with what I would characterize as the best live performance I’ve seen from them, and the Go-Go’s closed it out with a fun and energetic set that felt very warm and personalized for the audience.  A great night hosted by two stellar bands, and I feel fortunate to have had a chance to be part of it.

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Huey Lewis and The News at Mountain Winery | Saratoga, California | 9/28/2012 (Concert Review)

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“I am not perfect.  But I’m perfect for you.”  This was a sentiment expressed by Huey Lewis early on in his performance with Huey Lewis and the News at Mountain Winery last night, which was a reference to the fact that this was a make-up show for one that was canceled about a month ago.  A Bay Area native, the band certainly put in a lot of “heart and soul” into producing a very special concert last night, playing through many of their hits and going the extra mile to bring their special brand of rock and roll to the stage.  It was a great show put on by this classic band that helped to define the 80s while mostly defying the sound of their peers with a musical identity all their own.  As one might expect, they put on a classy, positive, high energy show in Saratoga last night.

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Daryl Hall and John Oates at Mountain Winery | Saratoga, California | 9/18/2012 (Concert Review)

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An ongoing personal tradition of mine, I have made a commitment to try to see Daryl Hall and John Oates perform live every year, preferably at my favorite venue – Mountain Winery in Saratoga – and am happy to have been a part of that event again last night.  As readers of the Rock Subculture Journal would likely surmise, music from the 80s is the foundation for my love of popular music, and among all those wonderful artists that were highly prolific in those times, I would personally rate Hall and Oates among the very top.  Billboard Magazine rates them as the number one duo of all time for very good reason – they are simply brilliant songwriters, and have published seemingly endless hits, and their live shows are some of the best I’ve experienced.  Last night I had a great vantage point from which to take it all in.

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Duran Duran at Mountain Winery | Saratoga, California | 8/9/2012 (Concert Review)

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Duran Duran kicked off their North American tour this week with two back-to-back dates at my favorite venue, Mountain Winery in Saratoga, California.  I was fortunate enough to attend the second date on August 9th.  Duran Duran is one of my all-time favorite bands, and it was just an amazing night, with an incredible set that stretched two hours and kept the audience on their feet and singing and chanting along to favorites, old and new alike, as soon as they came out onto the stage. [Read more…]

Santigold at Club Nokia | Los Angeles, California | 6/1/2012 (Concert Review)

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Santigold has been on my “must see list” for a while, and with their latest tour, they did not schedule any Northern California shows, so I made a special trip to Los Angeles to see them last night, at one of my favorite venues, Club Nokia.  I have been a fan since the release of their first album, and have become an even bigger fan with the release of their second album, Master of My Make-Believe.  It was an absolutely fantastic night that felt like a giant celebration, with two great opening artists, so enough with the preface and I’ll get right to it.  The thing that most struck me about Santi was her natural ability to make those magic connections with individual members of her audience, one by one – her eyes seeking out and locking onto people with a special smile, expression, or gesture.  Wonderful stuff, and her music is so uniquely her – rare when a newer artist can produce and deliver such genuine art.  I really can’t recommend enough picking up her albums and seeing her do her thing live, with her awesome band. [Read more…]