Last Saturday night, lucky fans got up close and personal with Jesse Malin and the St. Marks Social for a nearly two-hour performance at Bowery Electric. Telling many of the stories behind his songs, Malin entertained the packed room with humorous anecdotes and even joined fans on the floor during a portion of his set.
A fitting start to the set, Malin and St. Marks Social kicked off the night with “Burning the Bowery.” Their last performance with Malin, his band, St. Marks Social impressed with killer guitar riffs and heavy hitting percussion.
“You guys gotta come closer! Make room,” Malin told the crowd. Intensifying as the night progressed, the band had the entire room dancing along.
The high energy set included current single, “Disco Ghetto” as well as older fan favorites. Before segueing into “Riding On the Subway,” Malin told the crowd it was about a girl he saw on the 7 train to Flushing.
“This one goes out to people that still like to go to record stores,” he said. He went on to explain how he tried to get the nerve to talk to a girl on the train who had a Replacements record in her bag. Unfortunately, he never got the chance. “The doors opened and she got off. At least I got a good song out of it.”
While his high energy impressed, it was tracks like beautiful ballad “Brooklyn” that struck a chord. With heartfelt vocals and soaring guitar riffs, his emotion was well showcased throughout the song.
As his two-hour set came to a close and his 14 month tour with St. Marks Social ended, Malin thanked fans for their support over the years.
The Young Things and River James opened the night with solid sets. D.C.-based River James warmed up the crowd with powerful lyrics, heart-thumping percussion and wavering guitar parts. Playing many tracks off their debut EP, including the moving “Avenue A” and the beautiful “Dreams,” the band impressed.
The Young Things followed shortly after and invigorated the room with their classic rock & roll. Reminiscent to the Beach Boys and The Clash, the New York-based band had everyone on the floor dancing along. Bass heavy tracks like “All My Friends Are Junkies” had much to offer with soaring guitar riffs and a driving percussion beat while “Uptown” had the crowd hanging on every word.
Though The Young Things only played for 30 minutes, they easily won over the room one song in. New Yorkers won’t have to wait too long to see them perform again though, as they played the next night at Bowery Electric and continue booking gigs around the city. An act this good won’t be slotted as an opener for too long.
Country music’s favorite funny guy, Blake Shelton, hosted his fan party Friday (June 10) night at Nashville’s Wildhorse Saloon. Blake took the stage to screams and greeted his fans with, “Hello, everybody! Welcome to CMA Music Fest. I know you all came here to see all your favorite artists. I’m here to tell you that I don’t give a damn about any other artist you came here to see, because it’s all about us in here tonight.”
A fitting start to his two-hour performance, Blake segued into the upbeat ‘All About Tonight’ with fans singing along word for word. He followed with hits spanning his decade-long career and a few surprises: buddies Nan Kelley, Laura Bell Bundy, Frankie Ballard and Mel Tillis, who all shared the stage with Blake at various points in the evening.
“Man, I love y’all so much. I don’t know if you have been to many of these fan parties before, but I have been known to get drunk. I don’t care if that’s bad. I don’t care if it’s offensive. This is a party. So here’s to y’all,” Blake said, raising his glass before asserting, “We’re going to play country music for a long time.”
For complete coverage of Blake’s fan party visit The Boot.
It’s been just over two years since I witnessed Ray Lamontagne in concert for the first time. After seeing him earlier this month, it is evident that he continues to be a force to see live. On May 11 he shyly walked onto the Letterman stage clad in a jean jacket, jeans and flannel shirt before he kicked things off with the soulful “Repo Man.” With a driving percussion and guitar interlude towards the end of the song, the band impressed.
Not one of many words, there was little onstage banter with the audience throughout the show besides the occasional “Thank you.” Before he began “New York City’s Killing Me,” he whispered into the microphone, “Take a deep breath” to which the room laughed. A slower, more somber track, LaMontagne’s soft vocals accompanied by the band’s soothing rhythms while wavering pedal steel gave the track a rustic, country feel.
The remainder of his set included many tracks off the band’s latest release, God Willin’ & the Creek Don’t Rise as well as some older fan favorites. While “Beg Steal or Borrow” and “This Love Is Over” continued the slow pace, it was on encore number “Henry Nearly Killed Me (It’s a Shame)” that LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs wowed the audience. With a rollicking beat, foot stomping and soaring harmonica, the track had the entire audience on their feet and clapping along.
Watch the complete performance below and for more, visit their Web site.
In an age where social media gives music fans closer access to artists, Pat McGee Band continues to showcase its relevance. Throughout their nearly two-hour performance, frontman McGee dedicated a track to a fan who hasn’t seen them live in 10 years, all thanks to a Facebook message he received.
“See, I’m the guy on Facebook that responds to you,” he said.
Later in the night, McGee went on to explain a suspicious Facebook message he received asking for his home address that read, “I have something you lost that you might miss.” Four days later a stolen guitar was returned to him.
Additionally, McGee has taken to Facebook to talk to his fans on a daily basis and fill them in on his latest record, No Wrong Way to Make It Right. Friday night acted as a private release party for Pat McGee Band. Although the album isn’t “officially” out yet, McGee said he had some copies available for eager fans.
While concertgoers seemed pleased to hear the new material, it was the older classics that caused the most excitement. The band kicked off their set to screams and played energetic fan favorite “Rebecca.” With a fast-paced musical introduction, Pat McGee Band quickly captured audience attention.
“We’re going to bring a little Nashville to New York City,” Darius Rucker told a sold-out crowd at Housing Works Bookstore Café Tuesday night.
And that he did.
Darius took the stage, surrounded by bookshelves, shortly after 8:00 PM, sporting his signature baseball cap, t-shirt and blue jeans. The intimate benefit show with an audience of just around 200 raised $18,000, with all proceeds going to help end homelessness and AIDS in New York. For just over an hour, the singer/songwriter played a slew of his country hits, as well as Hootie & the Blowfish classics, to a thrilled crowd.
Darius took the stage to screams and quickly segued into ‘Love Will Do That,’ from his recent album, ‘Charleston, SC 1966.’ Complete with finger-picked guitar, wavering Dobro and fitting percussion, the music never overpowered the booming baritone. ‘Alright’ had fans clapping and singing along, especially during one specific line: “Don’t need no concert in the city.”
Lucky Foo Fighters fans enjoyed a nearly two hour performance from the powerhouse rock group last night at the Ed Sullivan Theater. Their album release party as frontman Dave Grohl came to call it was complete with his signature growl and jaw-dropping guitar and percussion interludes throughout their more than 20-song set.
Dressed like the Beatles first US performance on the “Ed Sullivan Show” back in 1964, the Foo Fighters came onstage clad in black suits, button down white shirts and a tie complete with black dress shoes. “Personally, I don’t know how the Beatles did it because these fuckin’ suits are so hot,” Grohl said midway through their show.
During the first 60 minutes, Foo Fighters powered through every track on their new album, Wasting Light, with little more than a “Thank you” and song title. First song, “Bridge Burning” kicked the night into high gear with fast-paced guitar licks and heavy hitting drum parts. The audience, extremely satisfied, rocked right along with the band. First single, “Rope” followed suit with a mean guitar introduction and dark bass beat throughout. Nearing the edge of the stage, Grohl showed off his guitar skills and penchant for head banging.
“Dear Rosemary” introduced their keyboardist for the first time and further demonstrated the band’s prowess onstage. With just the nod of his head during “White Limo,” Grohl motioned drummer Taylor Hawkins from twirling his drumsticks mid-song into a minute long instrumental jam.
Next track, “Arlandria” took off to a slow beginning with Grohl singing alone with light guitar. The almost ballad-like start was a welcomed change, but not for too long. After the first verse the music picked right back up. Segueing strongly from a soft whisper and little music accompaniment to his raspy yell and heart-pounding percussion, the song was an adequate indication of the band’s versatility.
The remainder of the new album tracks included ear-grabbing guitar riffs and memorable percussion interludes while the moving “These Days” and “I Should Have Known” showcased Foo Fighters’ more serious side. Although a more mature sound for the band, Grohl’s signature growl and impressive guitar riffs were not forgotten for too long.
As the first hour neared to a close and the last song on Wasting Light was played, fans were in for a special treat: another 60 minutes of Foo Fighters’ previous hits. And, together for the past 16 years, there were a slew of them.
“And that’s our new record,” Grohl said as he addressed the audience for the first time and the band took a bow. “Personally, I don’t know how the Beatles did it because these fuckin’ suits are so hot, especially when you’re playing something like this,” he said before the band segued into the fast paced “All My Life.”
Hit song, “Times Like These” followed as Grohl walked into the audience with guitar in hand. “Sing it if you know it,” he advised.
“Okay, this one goes out to David Letterman because he let us use his studio today,” Grohl said as he introduced “My Hero.” The energy in the room skyrocketed with an impressive musical interlude toward the end of the song.
“Thank you guys for coming tonight. This is kind of cool. This is like our record release party, you know the record came out today,” Grohl said before he introduced the band, saying that his keyboardist wasn’t sweating. “It’s so disgusting underneath this jacket right now. I feel like a wet snake,” he continued as one fan screamed, “Take it off!”
“No, that would ruin everything! It’s supposed to look perfect. This is my party,” he said. “We were trying to figure it out. Guys like us can’t really ever get dressed up. We either look like a stoner going to court or someone that’s too old going to prom.”
The remainder of their set included past hits and fan favorites including “Monkey Wrench,” “Best of You,” “Learn To Fly” and Hawkins’ taking over on vocals during “Cold Day In the Sun” as well as Grohl’s always entertaining onstage banter.
“Well tonight certainly was a lot of fun and it was a perfect way to start this whole new phase in our lives. It’s been a long time since we made a record. This is the biggest break we ever took between records,” Grohl said. “We’ve been around for a long time now, it’s been 16 years, and we have to thank all of you people here and there for sticking with us this whole time. We’ll be seeing you soon enough and we won’t be wearing these fucking monkey suits. I’ll actually be able to run around a little more.”
Foo Fighters ended their two-hour performance with the energetic “This Is a Call” before Grohl once again thanked the audience. “Thanks a lot for coming you guys that was a lot of fun. Thanks for letting us live out our little rock & roll fantasy.”
You can read my review on MTV’s Newsroom blog here. Be sure to watch the complete two hour performance posted above!
On the eve of her record release, UK sensation Adele performed for lucky audience members at Ed Sullivan Theater Monday night. Part of the “Live on Letterman” broadcast, the show aired live on CBS.com. A comedian in her own right, Adele walked to the stage shortly after 9PM, surprised she made it without a fall.
“I was convinced I was going to drop on my face then. I’m trying to learn how to wear high heels. This was a steep floor,” she said. “Thank you very much for coming and braving the cold,” she continued before she performed her first track of the evening.
Clad in black from head to toe, Adele sat on her stool most of the night. With impassioned vocals and soaring piano and guitar accompaniment, she captivated the theater. “I hope you don’t mind me sitting down, it’s just that I knew you’d be sitting down and like I said, I’m practicing. I look better sitting in heels than I do standing in them,” she said.
An impressive mix of old and new songs along with two powerful covers — a stripped down performance of The Cure’s “Love Song” followed by Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love” — Adele’s soulful vocals and comedic onstage banter impressed.
The soulful Brit showcased her versatility throughout the night. In fact, the country-infused “Don’t You Remember,” off 21, was inspired by Lady Antebellum’s latest release, Need You Now.
“That was the last song I wrote for the new record. I was in Malibu and Lady Antebellum’s Need You Now was everywhere. I love Need You Now and then I got into early Dolly Parton stuff. She was a bit goth back in the day, wasn’t she? Yeah, a bit dark. It’s got quite an Americana sound to it and it’s one of my favorites.”
The remainder of her set included old fan favorites like hit single, “Chasing Pavements” as well as her first UK No. 1 single, the emotional “Someone Like You.” Soft piano helped accentuate the track and Adele even got choked up while she sang.
“I almost stopped singing at the wrong place, could you tell?” she asked the audience. “My heart was in my throat.”
Before she played the energetic set closer “Rolling In the Deep,” she told the crowd she was going to switch things up. “I’m going to play you an upbeat song. I don’t have many, but I come alive when I do. I’m going to stand up – ah!”
The song demonstrated her soulful side as the audience and band clapped along while Adele and her backup singers worked their vocal magic to finished the set. An adequate preview to her upcoming release, the 45-minute performance further convinced concertgoers of the UK singer’s talent and no doubt resulted in a purchase of her sophomore release the next day.
To watch the complete performance, visit CBS.com or see the video below.
Maxwell’s was packed to capacity Saturday night as fans anxiously waited for Fifteen Fleeting to take the stage. With many in attendance sporting 15 F t-shirts and glow stick sunglasses, the room lit up in a distinct green and yellow blaze.
“If you have glasses, put them on. It enhances your vision – Fifteen Fleeting vision,” said frontman Vinny Belcastro.
With a driving drum beat and soaring guitar and vocals, the band had the entire room clapping along to set opener “Streetlamp Limelight.” As the song ended, Belcastro waved his arms in the air, asking for more applause.
“Hoboken, let me know you’re alive out there,” he screamed. The animated frontman continued to grab concertgoers’ attention with his high energy and strong stage presence throughout their nearly 90-minute set.
“We basically gave birth to a child,” Belcastro continued. “This child is called Presents and we want you to all go home with a copy and play it in your car and for your friends,” he said of the band’s first full-length release.
I’ve been incredibly lucky to have interviewed some of my all-time favorite bands this year. As 2010 comes to a close, I can only imagine what 2011 will bring… (perhaps an interview with John Mayer?!). Instead of compiling my top 10 albums, songs, etc. of the year I decided to break up my Top 10 list with my five most memorable interviews and concerts of 2010. Be sure to let me know some of your favorites in the comments!
You Sing I Write’s Top 5 Interviews of 2010
5. Hanson
My younger self is still in disbelief. HANSON. I remember the years my best friend in middle school was CONVINCED she would marry Taylor Hanson. Little did I know I’d interview him a decade later. Extremely detailed, Taylor Hanson went on to thoroughly and thoughtfully answer every question I asked. Sorry Jacqueline, he’s married. Read my complete interview on Lemondrop here.
4. Colbie Caillat
Though I interviewed Colbie Caillat back in 2008 for my blog, I had yet to meet her in person and was thrilled to catch her in Hoboken and film my interview with her for VH1 Save the Music. You can read the complete interview on Hoboken Patch and watch a video excerpt below.
3. Pat Benatar
I still can’t believe I chatted with Pat Benatar on the phone this year! We bonded over living in Brooklyn and she gave me so much great advice that I shared with Lemondrop readers. And, your No. 1 question was answered. Yes, Pat Benatar still believes love is a battlefield. Read my complete Q&A on Lemondrop here.
2. Lady Antebellum
I still remember the first time I saw Lady Antebellum perform on an awards show and thought to myself, “I REALLY want to interview this band!” I had a hunch they’d explode and in 2010 they sure did. Out of all my interviews this year, I was most nervous for my in-person with them as I listened to Need You Now continuously, it easily being my most played album of the year. Nerves aside, the interview went well and I even stumped Lady A on a few questions. Read my interview with Lady Antebellum on The Boot.
1. Keith Urban
Never in a million years would I have dreamed I’d spend the day with Keith Urban! I remember the first time I heard a Keith Urban song. It was “Somebody Like You” back in high school in the movie, “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” and I downloaded it and played it obsessively for months. He was the first country artist I really listened to and I was happy to discover my college roommate Celine liked him as well. We’d play his album on repeat and admire his gorgeous locks, often wondering how they’re kept so perfect. I came to learn it’s thanks to his personal hair stylist as she was fixing his hair before my chat with him.
Happy to report my interview went swimmingly (see the video below) and Keith was one of the nicest artists I’ve ever met. For the complete writeup, visit The Boot.
You Sing I Write’s Top 5 Concerts of 2010
5. Pat Benatar, Nokia Theater
I was more than excited to get a pair of tickets to Pat Benatar’s show a week after my phoner with her. Many life realizations came to mind while I was standing near the stage during the entirety of her set. As Benatar’s husband Neil Geraldo provided climatic guitar riffs to accompany her soaring vocals, I couldn’t help but smile at the chorus of “Shadows of the Night.”
We’re running with the Shadows of the Night
So baby take my hand, you’ll be all right
Surrender all you dreams to me tonight
They’ll come true in the end
In 2010, so many of my dreams have come true. Some that I never even realized were possible a few years ago. Read more on Busted Halo.
4. CMT on Tour with Miranda Lambert and Eric Church, Terminal 5
For those who doubt country fans exist in New York, you obviously weren’t at Terminal 5 for the CMT on Tour kickoff. I have never witnessed a crowd so energized. Raising their beer cups and cowboy hats high in the air throughout Eric and Miranda’s sets, watching the crowd was just as captivating as the artists onstage. Read my review on The Boot.
3. The Gaslight Anthem, The Stone Pony
Seeing my favorite Jersey boys on their home turf was a concert experience like none other. My friends and I scrambled to find tickets to their sold-out show at the last minute. And, boy we’re glad we did! The outside stage setup within walking distance of the Jersey Shore and all their friends, family and Gaslight Anthem diehards in the crowd made for a unique evening. I had so much fun, a friend and I even crowd surfed up to the stage where we enjoyed most of the show from the front row.
2. Taylor Swift, Prudential Center
For being 21 and on her first headlining tour, Taylor Swift’s live show is impressive. Every moment of her set is thought out with precise detail and perfected on a nightly basis. Whether she was walking through the first level at the Prudential Center giving hugs to everyone who stopped her, or the arena erupting in heart shaped confetti at the show’s end, Taylor Swift is living proof that fairy tales do come true. Witnessing her live just proved this point even more.
1. NEEDTOBREATHE, Irving Plaza
I heard their show was good, but I never expected to be blown away the way I was. There is definitely a reason Taylor Swift tapped the band as her tour opener next year. From the moment NEEDTOBREATHE took the stage at Irving Plaza it was evident that this wasn’t just any concert. The South Carolina natives have been honing their live show for the past 10 years and the audience could tell. Their impressive instrumental interludes combined with frontman Bear Rinehart’s energy captivated. One can only imagine what 2011 will bring for NEEDTOBREATHE. Read my complete show review here and watch the band perform “Valley of Tomorrow” acoustic below.
After he jumped from the stage, Something About Death or Dying frontman Dan Pelic ferociously swung his microphone cord high above his head, begging the crowd to take notice.
The new heavy band performed at their favorite Hoboken spot for the first time to a packed room of musicians, friends and fans. With a high-energy 25-minute set, Something About Death or Dying impressed.
Something About Death or Dying came together over the desire to create a heavy metal outfit and play music they love.
“I think band practice is the most fun that we have in this band. We’re all friends who hangout and it’s very natural to play together and just have a good time. There’s no pressure,” Pelic said.
Having played in bands together since middle school, Coco, Kleinknecht and Pelic filled me in on their music, recording process and the stories behind their songs. For the complete interview, visit Hoboken Patch.
