FOALS unite all walks of life at Hollywood Palladium

October 6, 2016 by 3 Comments

FOALSZach Bourque //

FOALS with Bear Hands, Kiev //
Hollywood Palladium – Los Angeles
September 27th, 2016 //

Of all the seven days in a week, Tuesday might be the least exciting. We go to work, grab a bite to eat and go to bed.

But when UK rockers FOALS come into town, things change. Bros get stoked, beers get drunk and fans get pumped. This exact course of events went down last Tuesday at the Hollywood Palladium for the band’s return to Los Angeles after a raucous performance in Oakland the night before (see our photos from the show here).

Few bands bring out such an eclectic cross section of a city like FOALS. While the majority in attendance seemed to be irresponsible USC students, old-timers, high schoolers, hipsters and average Joe’s all made an appearance despite the fall heat. The variety was no fluke. FOALS are a band that transcend expectations — a commercial indie-rock band whose appeal is equal parts KROQ and KCRW.

Opening duties came from Orange County’s Kiev, who were missed due to traffic, followed by Brooklyn’s Bear Hands. Instead of telling you what genre Bear Hands’ music fits under, it’s probably more efficient to tell you what they’re not. They’re not metal, they’re not country and they’re definitely not gospel.

Bear Hands


Bear Hands

Needless to say, Bear Hands were all over the map on this night. Rap vocals? Check. Catchy keyboards? Check. Each song sounded different than the next, which proved to be equally refreshing and infuriating. It was like they set out to chronicle the musical progression of today’s culture starting with Limp Bizkit and ending with Imagine Dragons.

This “throw everything at the wall and see what fits” worked to a certain degree for Bear Hands. Their music remained genuinely interesting to hear throughout their set, and the foursome definitely had the chops to handle a venue the size of the Palladium. Ultimately though, Bear Hands never coalesced into something extraordinary.

If the line outside the venue after Bear Hands was any indication, many skipped the opening acts entirely in anticipation of the main course. Around 9:50 p.m., FOALS took the stage and quickly got everyone’s feet moving with an instrumental prelude and the hard-rocking track “Snake Oil” off their latest release What Went Down. The band’s range was exhausted in full effect throughout their set as they transitioned into catchy, dance-friendly tracks such as “My Number” and slower tracks like “Give It All”.

FOALS closed out their rambunctious set with a killer take on the title track “What Went Down” that brought lead singer/guitarist Yannis Philippakis diving into the crowd, giving fans one hell of a selfie and proving their rock credentials for good. After all, any band that can unite 20-something bros with 50-something grandparents gets a gold star in our book. Rock brings people together, and those who made it out to see this unicorn of a band won’t live to regret it.

Setlist:
Prelude
Snake Oil
Olympic Airways
My Number
Providence
Give It All
Mountain at My Gates
Spanish Sahara
Red Socks Pugie
Late Night
A Knife in the Ocean
Inhaler

Encore:
What Went Down
Two Steps, Twice

Filed Under: Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: , , ,

Metric, Joywave drop a double dose of electro rock on their fans at Hollywood Palladium

March 2, 2016 by Leave a Comment

Metric


Metric

By Josh Herwitt //

Metric with Joywave //
Hollywood Palladium – Los Angeles
February 25th, 2016 //

Coincidence or not, Toronto’s music scene was surprisingly well-represented in LA last week. The Great White North’s largest city has been its largest cultivator of electronic music since the early 2000’s, boasting some of EDM’s biggest and brightest names, whether it’s DJs and producers like DeadMau5 or live improvisational bands like Holy Fuck, who we saw debut brand-new material from what will be their first studio album in six years last Thursday night (read more about the show here). But if Holy Fuck’s hour-long set at Los Globos was simply there to serve as the undercard for Toronto’s aural invasion in LA over a brief 24-hour period, then the main event belonged to a different Queen City quartet the following night: Metric.

The indie/new wave four-piece fronted by Broken Social Scene’s Emily Haines has been at it for almost two decades now, with six studio albums to boot, including 2015’s Pagans in Vegas that dropped this past September. But with their last visit to LA seeing them perform only nine songs as opening support for Imagine Dragons at The Forum, Metric had yet to play a proper show in LA since unveiling Pagans. And as evidenced by the near-capacity crowd at the Hollywood Palladium last Friday for the band’s first headlining performance in quite a while, dating all the way back to 2012, many fans were ready to get their weekend started as they arrived early to catch Joywave’s opening set.

Joywave


Joywave

For as mainstream as Metric have become — and it’s only fitting considering that Haines and guitarist James Shaw originally named the group “Mainstream” when it first formed in 1998 as a duo — Joywave have garnered their own commercial success in their rather short career, though much of it can been attributed to “Dangerous”, the Big Data hit that peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart. But the electronic-inspired, indie-rock act that calls Rochester, N.Y., home harnessed that momentum to write and release its debut LP How Do You Feel Now? on Hollywood Records, so it only seemed appropriate that Joywave were here in Tinseltown to perform material from the album.

Evidently, frontman Daniel Armbruster came ready for the moment, bringing what felt like a Red Bull’s worth of energy to the stage while working the crowd in between songs with some unorthodox, yet comedic stage banter. He mentioned the group’s upcoming performance at Coachella this April and joked about LA being the ninth-most-privileged city to hear its new track from the Alice in Wonderland movie that’s due out May 27th. In the end, it was one of those exceptionally strong sets from an opener — even with only 45 minutes to work with — and we can only wonder what Armbruster and his sidekicks could do with another album or two under their belt and their own headlining gig at a large LA venue like The Palladium.

Metric


Metric

When it came time for Metric to take the stage, the audience had been properly warmed up and was hungry for more. To kick off their 23-song set that lasted almost two hours, Haines, Shaw, bassist/keyboardist Joshua Winstead and drummer Joules Scott-Key transported us all the way back to 2003 with “IOU” from their debut album Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? But while it was fairly safe to assume that at least part of the reason why they were embarking on a 24-date tour across the U.S. was to support their latest album, Metric only unveiled a handful of songs — five to be exact — from Pagans.

Instead, the Canadian rockers put together a career-spanning performance, whether it was “Empty” from 2005’s Live It Out, “Raw Sugar” from 2007’s Grow Up and Blow Away, “Sick Muse” from 2009’s Fantasies or “Youth Without Youth” from 2012’s Synthetica. Yes, singles like “Dead Disco”, “Poster of a Girl”, “Monster Hospital”, “Help, I’m Alive”, “Front Row”, “Stadium Love” and their most recent hit “The Governess” were left off the setlist, yet that didn’t stop them from throwing in a few wrinkles, including an a cappella intro for “Hustle Rose” and some audience assistance for “Dreams So Real”, the latter of which didn’t quite deliver as planned.

Nevertheless, it was these slight deviations that kept fans on their toes throughout the show, proving that Metric are more than just the sum of their studio cuts. Their four-song encore continued along that path, as Haines and Shaw performed an acoustic rendition of “Gimme Sympathy” before Winstead and Scott-Key made their return and closed things out with the group’s 2012 single “Breathing Underwater”. And with all four members singing their hearts out until the night’s very last note, it was easy to see why Metric have become the critically acclaimed band that they are today.

Setlist:
IOU
Help I’m Alive
Youth Without Youth
Twilight Galaxy
Cascades
Raw Sugar (a cappella intro)
Hustle Rose (a cappella intro)
Too Bad, So Sad
Artificial Nocturne
Dreams So Real (audience participation)
Blind Valentine (instrumental intro)
Sick Muse
Collect Call
Other Side
Black Sheep
Synthetica
Combat Baby (a cappella portion)
Gold Guns Girls
The Shade

Encore:
Empty
Celebrate
Gimme Sympathy (Emily & James acoustic)
Breathing Underwater

Filed Under: Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: , ,

LA welcomes back Beirut as they continue to climb the charts

October 12, 2015 by Leave a Comment

BeirutBy Josh Herwitt //

Beirut //
Hollywood Palladium – Los Angeles
October 8th, 2015 //

There’s something heartwarming about watching Beirut perform live. Led by Santa Fe native Zach Condon on trumpet, flugelhorn and ukulele, the six-piece band is truly one of a kind, melding elements of world music with Balkan folk and baroque pop to create a sound that is completely its own.

But what started as a solo project conceived in Condon’s bedroom, where he wrote a large majority of Beirut’s debut album Gulag Orkestar, has turned into a commercially successful outfit. After earning U.S. Billboard 200 placement with 2007’s The Flying Club Cup and 2011’s The Rip Tide, Beirut’s latest full length No No No, which was released on 4AD in September, reached its highest position (No. 46) of them all. And seeing that kind of response has to be comforting for Condon after recently going through a tumultuous time in his life that included the divorce from his ex-wife and a trip to the hospital for exhaustion due to extensive touring.

On the second of two nights at the historic Hollywood Palladium, Condon and his sidekicks — Nick Petree (drums, percussion, melodica), Paul Collins (electric bass, upright bass), Kyle Resnick (trumpet), Ben Lanz (trombone, sousaphone, glockenspiel) and Aaron Arntz (piano, keyboards) — dove into some of Beirut’s newest material from No No No, offering fans a taste of their fourth studio album with songs like “Perth”, “As Needed” and “So Allowed”. Though the venue was far from sold out, it was good to see Condon back onstage with his band and a piece of brass in his hands.

Filed Under: Featured, Photos Tagged With: ,

Going inside the mind of a hip-hop hero with Cut Chemist

October 10, 2014 by Leave a Comment

cut-chemist_postBy Josh Herwitt //

Lucas MacFadden has been collecting vinyl for more than 30 years. That is his job, after all.

The renowned turntablist, who his fans know better as Cut Chemist, has scratched and sampled his way to the top of the DJ world over the past 20 years, thanks in part to his work with Latin funk/hip-hop/rock outfit Ozomatli and 90’s alternative hip-hop pioneers Jurassic 5.

But neither MacFadden nor hip-hop would be anywhere near where they are today without the lifelong contributions of Afrika Bambaataa — and MacFadden would be the first to tell you that himself.

“It was all his vision for an entire culture,” he explained to me one day over the phone last week.

Afrika Bambaataa

That culture, hip-hop, would be characterized by more than just the music it fostered, as graffiti artists and break dancers found their calling during the late 70’s. But with street gangs and drug dealers also holding court in the South Bronx, it was Bambaataa’s hope for a different way of life, a peaceful way of life that transcended both its time and place.

“He was very active in the community in going from gangs to art, gangs to music and having that impact his community,” MacFadden continued on. “The groups that I’ve been involved with throughout my life have done the same thing. It’s no question why I gravitate toward people with those ethics.”

What ultimately lured MacFadden into Bambaataa’s world, though, was the legendary DJ’s fascination with the past and present — from royal space garbs to Native American headdresses — as strange as it may have seemed for a young, white boy first learning about hip-hop culture at the age of 12.

“He represented some other-worldly figure,” MacFadden remembered. “It was a representation of the past and the future in a way where it just seemed like he was in total control of the present. That was something I never experienced before, and I didn’t know how to comprehend that.”

Afrika Bambaataa

Just days after my interview with Cut Chemist, it’s nearly impossible to escape the net that Bambaattaa has cast wide over pop culture as I watch half chef, half television star Anthony Bourdain chat with “The Godfather” on the newest episode of his CNN show “Parts Unknown.” The brief exchange between Bourdain and Bambaattaa reminds me of some of the topics MacFadden and I discussed, including Bambaataa’s appreciation for Kraftwerk (he sampled the group in his 1982 hit “Planet Rock”) at a time when no one else in the U.S. even knew who they were.

“Just to take Kraftwerk and have the foresight to go, ‘You know, that’s a really cool song. I’m going to play that at the park,’” MacFadden said toward the end of our interview. “He brought Kraftwerk to the street. It’s crazy.”

It’s why when New York-based writer Johan Kugelberg first came to Cut Chemist and DJ Shadow (aka Josh Davis) with the idea of putting on a nationwide tour that would feature strictly Bambaataa’s historic archive of more than 40,000 records, the two beat makers didn’t think twice.

“I’ve already taken away more than I could have ever imagined,” MacFadden told me at one point during our conversation, even with more than a handful of shows to go on the 25-date “Renegades of Rhythm” tour that wrapped up October 9th in Vancouver.

DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist

At the Hollywood Palladium on a Friday night, a crowd of mostly 30-40-year-olds packs the dance floor, soaking up everything that MacFadden and Davis throw its way — whether it’s the Latin, African, Calypso or Soca grooves that Bambaataa once introduced as leader of the famed Universal Zulu Nation — over the course of a 90-plus-minute set.

The performance, which eventually ventured deeper into Bambaataa’s extensive catalog, would serve as an important reminder that hip-hop music and the culture many of us associate with it now has changed quite a bit, for better or worse, since Bambaataa’s heyday. But that doesn’t mean Bambaataa’s impact still can’t be felt to this day.

“I want people to know about Afrika Bambaataa as a person and as a figure that has contributed more to modern music than anybody else I can think of,” MacFadden replied when I ask him what he wanted his fans to take away from the “Renegades of Rhythm” shows.

In all likelihood, there never will be another Afrika Bambaataa. As two of hip-hop’s most prominent DJs today, Cut Chemist and DJ Shadow understand that better than most people.

Yet, in paying the utmost respect to one of music’s greatest living legends over the last six weeks, they have proved to be worthy of at least some of the admiration and praise Bambaataa has warranted for almost 45 years. Because you never know — one day, two other talented DJs may just choose to honor MacFadden and Davis with a tribute tour of their own.

cut-chemist_1

DJ Shadow

DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Interviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Cut Copy heat up the dance floor in LA

April 3, 2014 by 1 Comment

Cut-Copy1By Josh Herwitt //

Cut Copy //
Hollywood Palladium – Los Angeles
April 1st, 2014 //

Is there a band right now that throws a better dance party than Cut Copy?

In 2014, you’d be hard-pressed to find one that can even come close.

Returning to Los Angeles five months after performing at HARD Day of the Dead, the Australian four-piece played its first proper headlining show in the City of Angels since releasing its fourth full-length album Free Your Mind last November.

Though the record may not live up to the same standard set by 2011’s Zonoscope and 2009’s In Ghost Colours, there are enough winners on 2013’s Free Your Mind for Cut Copy, as a band and not just as a DJ project, to keep their all-encompassing setlists from growing moldy.

At the Hollywood Palladium, the electropop extraordinaires dug into their new material right away, opening with their latest hit “We Are Explorers” before dolling out five other songs from the 14-track LP on Modular Recordings.

Cut-Copy

And while it may have been a school night for some, it sure didn’t feel like it inside the historic ballroom.

With fan favorites “Take Me Over” and “Hearts on Fire” coming within the first 30 minutes of its set, Cut Copy had a dance-happy crowd of mostly 20-somethings moving and grooving in a matter of no time.

But what may have been the biggest highlight of the night was how well newer cuts like “Let Me Show You Love” and “Meet Me in a House of Love” on Free Your Mind translated to a live setting. Because even after seeing Cut Copy twice in 2011, I walked out the Palladium’s front doors late Tuesday night feeling just as good as I did those previous two times.

In fact, if there was any drawback to note, it was that we didn’t get a few more songs out of frontman Dan Whitford and his bandmates on the final night of their North American tour. Whitford, all things considered, knows how to energize an audience as well as anyone out there these days, whether it’s with his old-school dance moves or incessant hand clapping.

Cut-Copy-post

Of course, it didn’t hurt that Cut Copy took its encore break right after unleashing “Lights and Music”, the band’s most successful single to date still. So, when Whitford (vocals, keyboards, guitar), Tim Hoey (guitar, sampler, percussion, vocals), Mitchell Scott (drums, vocals) and of course Ben Browning (bass, keyboards, vocals) left the stage for a couple of minutes in what served as an encore break, they instantly had their fans begging to hear more.

The two-song encore that ensued, nevertheless, offered a snapshot of the band’s current disposition, as it left us with one more tune off Free Your Mind — the oscillating, yet also comforting “Walking in the Sky” — before closing things out with the 80’s-laced anthem “Need You Now.”

It was a fitting ending for a band that has come a long way since dropping its debut album Bright Like Neon Love a decade ago, yet isn’t looking to ease off the gas pedal any time soon.

Cut-Copy2

Setlist:
We Are Explorers
Take Me Over
Free Your Mind
Where I’m Going
In Memory Capsule
So Haunted
Hearts on Fire
Saturdays
Feel the Love
Out There on the Ice
Let Me Show You Love
Meet Me in a House of Love
Lights and Music

Encore:
Walking in the Sky
Need You Now

Cut-Copy3

Cut-Copy6

Cut-Copy5

Cut-Copy4

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: ,

The Reflektors shine bright in Hollywood on Halloween

November 4, 2013 by 1 Comment

ReflektorsBy Kevin Quandt //

Arcade Fire performing as “The Reflektors” //
Hollywood Palladium – Los Angeles
October 31st, 2013 //

“My Grandfather played here. I can feel his spirit,” Win Butler announced to the packed house as the costumed and formal-dressed band took to the Hollywood Palladium stage to continue their ascension as the most buzzed band in the world.

It was not your typical night in the famed LA venue as the Reflektors would stir up a packed crowd on this night. Though this band normally plays under the moniker of Arcade Fire, the baroque pop was shelved to make way for a world-infused dance party that rivaled the most banging discotheque.

A massive line wrapped comically through a parking lot of stanchions filled with a vast array of costumed and formally dressed revelers, all patiently waiting to get in on the night’s festivities. Dressing up for the night was requested by the band, and the vast majority obliged, which Win would later comment on. In the meantime, the party was underway as soon as the doors opened — the lights stayed down as a mix of the Isley Brothers, James Brown and P-Funk got the crowd lubed up for the ensuing onslaught.

“Reflektor” would open the ruckus evening as the expanded group were revealed behind a large curtain. Win wore a tiger-esque mask for the first song before unmasking. Somewhat surprisingly, they launched into Funeral track, “Neighbourhood #3 (Power Out)”, which got a great response from the devoted attendees. This was not a show for casual fans, as the tickets were much harder to procure than imagined with such short notice, among other mitigating factors. The next section of songs would be a grand-suite of Reflektor tracks which started with “Flashbulb Eyes” then “Joan of Arc”. It was pretty evident this room had heard the new album more than one or two times in the past week. “We Exist” was another new highlight, as this track is a sublime mix of an infectious dance beat coupled with a slightly more psychedelic take on the already famous Arcade Fire indie-rock sound many have come to love. At this point, the room was boiling as face paint smeared and costume layers were shed and abandoned.

The second half of the show held even more surprises for the moist crowd as “Headlights Look Like Diamonds” was opened with a nod to Lou Reed via a tease of Velvet’s “Beginning to See the Light”. “Normal Person” showed off blazing guitar notes that led to a decent pogo section in the crowd. The temperature rose. Though most in the venue were not alive when the next song was released, Devo’s “Uncontrollable Urge” got a rapturous reply as Win enthusiastically hollered the word ‘yeah’ over and over. A few more degrees were added to the thermometer. Somehow Win caught his breath before telling the crowd that THIS was the time to go crazy, and subsequently launched into dance opus “Here Comes the Night Time”. Conga lines spontaneously sprouted and snaked through the pulsating fans lost in the thick rhythms, and yes, it got even warmer in the Palladium.

An encore, which spotlighted Régine Chassagne, would close out the evening, starting with “Haïti” and then “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)”. It did seem a bit odd to end the show with Win stuck in the back of the stage, but it was great to see his lovely bride dance to her heart’s content as we all caught our breath. This would be the end of the live music section, but not the end of the show as the band stuck around for more dancing festivities.

Setlist:
Reflektor
Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)
Flashbulb Eyes
Joan of Arc
You Already Know
We Exist
It’s Never Over (Oh Orpheus)
Afterlife (with The Velvet Underground’s “Beginning to See the Light” outro)
Headlights Look Like Diamonds
Normal Person
Uncontrollable Urge (Devo cover)
Here Comes the Night Time

Encore:
Haïti
Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)

Filed Under: Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Showbams’ best shows of 2012

December 23, 2012 by 2 Comments

Showbams contributors name their favorite shows of 2012.

It has been a top-notch year for live music, and we witnessed some great acts that have come through California over the past 12 months. Check out our favorite shows from 2012.

What was your favorite concert in 2012? Let us know in the comments below.

The xx at Treasure Island Music Festival

The xx at Treasure Island Music Festival

Mike Frash – San Francisco

1. Sigur Rós at Outside Lands Music Festival – San Francisco, CA – August 11th
Leaving Metallica for Sigur Rós to end the second day at Outside Lands was a torturous decision. Metallica was a warzone spectacle, but i stuck to my guns and headed to the Twin Peaks stage. I’m glad I did. Jonsi now conducts a mini orchestra, and the eerie SF fog lowered on command to the slow builds & crescendos. It was a spiritual show that effected me more than any other concert in 2012.

2. Japandroids at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – June 14th
Brian King and David Prowse brought ecstatic energy to the sold out Independent in June the week after Celebration Rock was released. Brian King understands how to control the pace of his set, offering fun pre-song statements that prepare you for what’s next. Their songs are vibrant live – it doesn’t sound like only two people are playing instruments. They truly seem to live the life they glorify on their 2012 album – still drinking, still smokin, and full of hyperactive desperation.

3. Phish (Night #3) at Bill Grahm Civic Auditorium – San Francisco, CA – August 19th
The highly anticipated phish three-show SF run in August started off a bit slowly. Saturday’s show left me a little bummed about Phish due to some sloppy play (“Split open and melt”) and what felt like a lack of enthusiasm. I was questioning why I still see Phish live heading into the last show of the weekend. My lowered expectations combined with a killer show quashed those thoughts. “Crosseyed and Painless” > “Light” > “Sneakin’ Sally” > “Crosseyed” was some of the best Phish I’ve ever heard, “Boogie on” redeemed Stevie Wonder’s omission of the song at Outside Lands the week before, “Meatstick” made me really happy, and the San Francisco-mentioning “Ride Captain Ride” made a surprise encore appearance. The show was pure bliss.

4. The Rapture at Coachella – Indio, CA – April 13th
5. The xx at Treasure Island Music Festival – San Francisco, CA – October 14th
6. The Presets at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – October 12th
7. STS9 at High Sierra Music Festival – Quincy, CA – July 5th-6th
8. Head and the Heart at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass – San Francisco, CA – October 6th
9. Tame Impala at The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA – November 15th
10. My Morning Jacket at Greek Theatre Berkeley – Berkeley, CA – September 15th

Honorable Mentions:
Father John Misty at Jansport Bonfire – San Francisco, CA – September 30th
Of Monsters and Men at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – March 22nd

My Morning Jacket

My Morning Jacket at The Wiltern

Pete Mauch – Los Angeles

1. My Morning Jacket at The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA – September 13th
MMJ capped off the best three-night run I saw this year with this stellar closing show complete with a horns section. This is a big statement for a band I knew I loved but wasn’t fully convinced about until this night. Highlights: “All Night Long” and “Movin On Up” with horns.

2. Phish at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium – San Francisco, CA – August 19th
Phish played a terrific 3-night run, and topped off by an amazing Sunday night show that proves that Phish is still top of the Jam Scene. Highlight: Light > Sneakin Sally Through the Alley

3. Ryan Adams at Walt Disney Concert Hall – Los Angeles, CA – February 17th
Ryan Adams, an acoustic Guitar, and a Piano is all this show contained, and it was truly special. Adams’ classic songs stripped down with his raspy croons is all I needed to make this a top show of the year. Highlight: “Rescue Blues” on Piano “Holy Diver” on Guitar

4. Trey Anastasio and LA Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall – Los Angeles, CA – March 10th
5. Neil Young & Crazy Horse at Hollywood Bowl – Los Angeles, CA – October 17th
6. Charles Bradley with Menahan Street Band at Royce Hall – Los Angeles, CA – November 29th
7. Radiohead at Coachella Music Festival – Indio, CA – April 21st
8. Trombone Shorty at Key Club – West Hollywood, CA – February 11th
9. Wilco at Hollywood Palladium – Los Angeles, CA – January 24th
10. New Multitudes (tribute to Woody Guthrie) at Mayan Theater – Los Angeles, CA – March 7th

Honorable Mentions:
Phish at Long Beach Arena – Long Beach, CA – August 15th
String Cheese Incident at Greek Theatre Berkeley – Berkeley, CA – July 14th
Roger Waters presents “The Wall” at LA Memorial Coliseum – Los Angeles, CA – May 21st
Umphrey’s Mcgee (True Hollywood Stories acoustic show) at House of Blues – West Hollywood, CA – March 16th

The Faint

The Faint at The Regency Ballroom

Molly Kish – San Francisco

1. Radiohead at HP Pavilion – San Jose, CA – April 12th
After merely catching glimpses of them while shoved against thousands of festivalgoers at Outside Lands 2008, I was determined to catch Radiohead the next time they came through the Bay Area. The sound, visuals, performance and energy of the evening were electrifying. Although I was extremely lucky to have been viewing the concert from the sixth row, the entire crowd looked as though they were just as lost in the moment as I was. The band’s enigmatic stage presence, fully developed set composition and career-spanning choice of material made for one of the most collectively impressive concert experiences that I have ever witnessed.

2. Of Montreal with Deerhoof, Kishi Bashi at Slim’s – San Francisco, CA – March 22nd
As a long time Of Montreal fan, I was ecstatic to get the opportunity to interview their opening act and latest addition to the lineup (Kishi Bashi) the night of their Slim’s performance. It wasn’t only for the sake of getting a personal perspective on the band, but also due to the fact that this would actually be my first time catching them performing live. The entire show and evening that followed was everything I could’ve wanted for my first experience seeing Of Montreal. Accompanied by three screens of psychedelic visuals, various costumed extras, balloon drops, props and whole score of vaudevillian rivalry, the band took the crowd and venue by storm. During the encore to top it off, I was able to reconnect with Kishi Bashi and ended up initiating an after-party with the entire band, crew and record label affiliates at an industrial themed “dark carnival,” taking place across the street at local dive bar Butter. Several jello shots, deep-fried twinkies and contortionist carnie-prompted dance battles later, I looked around and felt assured that I had enough material to develop my own personal “Of Montreal” concert story contender.

3. The Presets at Treasure Island Music Festival – San Francisco, CA – October 13th
Completely blown away by their performance the night before, I was overwhelmed with excitement and intrigue to see how the Presets could accomplish translating such energy to a festival setting. Anyone who had caught their Treasure Island Music Festival opener at the Independent instantly was taken over by sensory recall as they broke into song almost right where they left us hanging less than 24 hours earlier. Almost in homage to those who witnessed them destroy their previous set, they picked the dance party up right where they left off, only this time kicking it up about ten notches with the accompanied stage show, visual intensity and professional grade sound of seasoned professionals. Completely upstaging their more commercially recognized headliner and showing the younger generation how it should be done, they stole the show and were easily the stand out act of the 2012 TIMF. To this day I still find myself saying that I wish I could continually be going to a Presets show, based off of the concert experience I had at these two performances.

4. Dan Deacon at Great American Music Hall – San Francisco, CA – October 23rd
5. Against Me! at The Catalyst – Santa Cruz, CA – September 10th
6. The Faint at The Regency Ballroom – San Francisco, CA – November 18th
7. Justice at Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland, CA – November 4th
8. Metallica at Outside Lands Music Festival – San Francisco, CA – August 10th
9. Animal Collective at Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland, CA – September 21st
10. The Shins at Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium – Santa Cruz, CA – April 22nd

Honorable Mentions:
Yeah Yeah Yeahs at Creators Project – San Francisco, CA – March 17th
Cold War Kids at Bottom of the Hill – San Francisco, CA – March 5th
Dr. John at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – August 17th
Girl Talk at Sasquatch! Music Festival – George, WA – May 25th

David Byrnes & St. Vincent

David Byrnes & St. Vincent

Kevin Raos – San Francisco

1. David Byrne & St. Vincent at Orpheum Theater – San Francisco, CA – October 15th
This is my number one show of 2012 for a couple of reasons. First off, Love this Giant, the recently released collaborative album between Byrne and St. Vincent, was a major disappointment. One of my most anticipated albums of the year ended up being one of the most disappointing. All was redeemed, however, when I saw these songs performed live. The accompanying brass band and the chemistry on stage breathed new life into was I felt was a stale album. Playfully executed and precisely choreographed, these songs shined live.

Secondly, I am a huge David Byrne fan and was able to check a big one off my bucket list of musical artists. Byrne’s career needs no introduction, and this evening we were treated to a few Talking Heads classics such as “Burning Down the House”, “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)” and “Like Humans Do”.

This show was simply a once in a lifetime experience.

2. Phish at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium – San Francisco, CA – August 19th
A three night run at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium was capped off with a masterful performance by jamband kings, Phish. The final night of the run was easily the best night as the band flexed their improvisational muscles in a blistering two-set performance, highlighted by covers of the Talking Heads’ “Crosseyed and Painless” and Robert Palmer’s “Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley.”

3. Sigur Rós at Outside Lands Music Festival – San Francisco, CA – August 11th
Sigur Rós on my birthday to cap off an unbelievable festival day? How could it possibly get any better? It can’t really.

4. Duo de Twang at Terrapin Crossroads – San Rafael, CA – October 4th
5. Keller Williams, Steve Kimock & Kyle Hollingsworth feat. Bernie Worrell, Wally Ingram & Andy Hess at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Music Festival – San Francisco, CA – October 7th
6. Miike Snow with Penguin Prison at Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland, CA – April 12th
7. Washed Out at Mezzanine – San Francisco, CA – May 4th
8. Electric Guest at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – November 2nd
9. The Album Leaf with Blackbird Blackbird at Bottom of the Hill – San Francisco, CA – September 30th
10. CITIZENS! with Tomorrow’s World, Lescop and Housse de Racket at Rickshaw Stop – San Francisco, CA – October 12th

Honorable Mentions:
Zee Avi at The New Parish – Oakland, CA – September 28th
M83 at The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA – April 22nd

Japandroids

Japandroids

Eric Shaden – San Francisco

1. D’Angelo at House of Blues – West Hollywood, CA – July 4th

2. Passion Pit at Rock en Seine – Paris, France – August 26th

3. STRFKR at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – January 7th

4. Stevie Wonder at Outside Lands Music Festival – San Francisco, CA – August 12th
5. Miike Snow with Penguin Prison at Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland, CA – April 12th
6. A.Skillz + Krafty Kuts Presents Tricka Technology at MIGHTY – San Francisco, CA – June 1st
7. Aaron Freeman (Gene Ween) at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – October 19th
8. Japandroids at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – June 14th
9. Guns N’ Roses (Bridge School Benefit) at Shoreline Amphitheatre – Mountain View, CA – October 21st
10. Kid Koala (Vinyl Vaudeville Tour) at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – November 4th

The Lumineers

The Lumineers at The Chapel

Marc Fong – San Francisco

1. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros at Slim’s – San Francisco, CA – March 25th
It’s not often I gush like a school girl (only about once or twice a week), but seeing ESatMZ at Slim’s was panty dropping. Can I say that? Well, I just did. It was a secret/private show so Slim’s was overcrowded. I stood center stage close enough to see the dirt on Alex Ebert’s suit. The sound was great, and the band always puts on a damn fine show.

2. The Lumineers at The Chapel – San Francisco, CA – October 11th
LIVE 105 brought the Lumineers to newly opened Chapel in SF and the band didn’t disappoint. The venue was the perfect size for the band and like most of the other bands on this list, the Lumineers had fun playing and it made for a great show.

3. Kronos Quartet at Greek Theatre Berkeley – Berkeley, CA – October 5th
OK, this was really Amon Tobin’s show, but Kronos opened and performed beautifully. Being a longtime fan, it’s not a surprise these openers made my list. Great music from great performers. And the Greek Theatre in Berkeley was the best venue to see them at … and most other concerts.

4. Willie Nelson and Family at Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland, CA – March 15th
5. Of Monsters and Men at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – May 22nd
6. Fun. at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – May 28th
7. Sage Francis at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – March 17th
8. Steve Aoki at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium – San Francisco, CA – January 21st
9. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros at Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland, CA – May 12th
10. Avicii at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium – San Francisco, CA – June 28th

Tame Impala at The Fillmore in November

Tame Impala at The Fillmore

Kevin Quandt – San Francisco

1. The Walkmen at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – January 20th-21st
These 10th anniversary shows were a Walkmen fan’s wet dream as they played their first album in full among multiple sets and configurations including a horn section. Over 30 songs of Hamilton Leithauser and company churning out their own brand of rock and roll to devote fans from across the States.

2. Refused with The Hives, The Bronx at The Warfield – San Francisco, CA – April 18th
Having seen their Coachella show a week prior, the anticipation was less palpable, yet the reigning post-punk champs delighted a more rowdy and dedicated crowd with a spirited set for the masses who patiently waited a decade to witness.

3. Trey Anastasio with Los Angeles Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall – Los Angeles, CA – March 10th
Dressing up for a show is fun, especially when Trey is at the helm of philharmonic symphony in one of the best rooms to hear, and see, music in. From the playful rendition of “Guyute” to the half hour “Time Turns Elasctic,” this night had the packed concert hall re-charmed by Ernest and his recharged song book.

4. Tame Impala at The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA – November 15th
5. Phish at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium – San Francisco, CA – August 19th
6. Woods & White Fence at The Chapel (Preservation Hall West) – San Francisco, CA – October 17th
7. Howlin Rain at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – February 18th
8. Radiohead at Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA – April 12th
9. Father John Misty with Har Mar Superstar at Bottom of the Hill – San Francisco, CA – May 5th
10. Mala at Yoshi’s – Oakland, CA – June 23rd

Festival sets:
Sigur Rós at Outside Lands Music Festival – San Francisco, CA – August 11th
Future Islands at FYF Fest – Los Angeles, CA – September 1st
Flying Lotus at Coachella – Indio, CA – April 14th

Justice

Justice at The Warfield

Sean Little – San Francisco

1. Justice at The Warfield – San Francisco, CA – November 4th
What else is there to say about Justice that hasn’t already been said. They came, they saw, and they melted faces with an amazing set the blew fans away and converted first timers alike. At least half my friends decided to go last minute (tickets were still available because it was a Sunday) and all of them became huge fans. Some of these friends are not into electronic music of any kind either, so that really says something. It was one of those rare shows where you leave euphoric and can’t stop saying “wow” to the people you went with.

2. Florence & the Machine at Coachella – Indio, CA – April 15th
The only other performer I’ve ever seen that commanded an audience like Florence did was Snoop Dogg back in 02 at the Smoke Out (stop-you’re not better than me so put that eyebrow back down). It was one of the rare festival sets where everyone felt really in tune with the performer and each other, singing along and knowing when to interact with each other and the songs. She was absolutely amazing, and the set was a dark horse highlight to my festival as I didn’t expect her to command the audience like she did. She’s truly a presence.

Showbams

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