My Morning Jacket

The Bam Team’s 5 Favorite Shows, Albums & Songs of 2025

December 30, 2025 by The Bam Team Leave a Comment

Well, here we are again with another year in the books. Music, for one, certainly had its ups and downs throughout 2025. There was Kendrick Lamar’s iconic Super Bowl halftime show, the long-awaited return of Britpop legends Oasis and of course the death of Ozzy Osbourne two weeks after performing for the final time that sent shockwaves across the world. Along with those moments, we witnessed quite a few of our own. Whether it was taking in the closest thing to a Rage Against the Machine show you can see these days, The Prodigy tearing down the house for their first North American headline date since 2017, an evening with Primus that was chock full of surprises, My Morning Jacket’s epic return to Red Rocks, one of the summer’s best co-headline tours with The Flaming Lips and Modest Mouse both sharing the stage and Lord Huron’s ascent to newly minted arena act, there was plenty to celebrate and remember over the last 12 months.

But with another year down and 2026 right around the corner, it’s time for us to reveal our annual “Best of” lists as we have done since this blog started more than a decade ago (see our 2024 picks here). As we always say, we will be the first to confess we didn’t attend every show or spin every album that was issued in 2025, but reflecting on the year that was remains just as fun and challenging as when we first started doing this yearly exercise.

So, without further ado, Showbams presents The Bam Team’s five favorite shows, albums and songs from 2025.

Listen to The Bam Team’s favorite songs of 2025:

Josh Herwitt // Los Angeles

Top 5 Shows of 2025
1. Nine Inch Nails at Kia Forum – Los Angeles, CA – September 18th-19th
When these Hall of Famers announced their “Peel It Back Tour” almost a year ago, we had a pretty good feeling that new music would be on the way. What we didn’t know is that it would for the new “Tron” movie that arrived in the fall. And while permanent members Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross showcased only the soundtrack’s lone single on this run, it was the production featuring a two-stage setup and reimagining of older songs — particularly on the “B Stage” with Boys Noize as Nine Inch Noize — in addition to the unexpected return of former touring drummer Josh Freese that had me thinking about these final two shows of the tour for weeks. That’s what live music can do when an unforgettable performance sticks with you, which was even more remarkable considering Reznor entered his seventh decade just earlier this year.

2. My Morning Jacket at Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Morrison, CO – August 15th-16th
3. Queens of the Stone Age at Arlington Theatre – Santa Barbara, CA – November 8th
4. Jack White at Hollywood Palladium – Los Angeles, CA – May 12th-13th
5. Primus at Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA – August 6th

Honorable Mention: The Prodigy at The Warfield – San Francisco, CA – April 13th

Top 5 Albums of 2025
1. Geese – Getting Killed
Let me just say first and foremost that this was not my favorite year for albums. That said, there were several that stuck out and the fourth full length from these NYC indie rockers stood squarely at the top. From the sonic chaos that greets us during “Trinidad” and the groovy, Sly Stoned-flavored “100 Horses” (which is apropos given his death in June) to lead single “Taxes” that’s one of its best and the frenetic finale “Long Island City Here I Come”, the variety of sounds being explored on Getting Killed is almost unparalleled. Geese shouldn’t be considered new kids on the block at this point, but there’s a legitimate reason why they were one of the year’s hottest bands and I am still kicking myself for missing their sold-out show at The Fonda Theatre in late October (resale tickets were going for as much as $800 and that was while the Dodgers were in the World Series no less). Well, fingers crossed for my first one in 2026.

2. Clipse – Let God Sort Em Out
3. The Mars Volta – Lucro Sucio; Los Ojos del Vacio
4. Lord Huron – The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1
5. Ty Segall – Possession

Honorable Mention: Lady Gaga – Mayhem

Top 5 Songs of 2025
1. Nine Inch Nails – “As Alive as You Need Me to Be”
I have no problem admitting that I am a sucker for any new NIN music. As one of my favorite bands all time, the industrial rockers had not released a proper album in more than a decade and we’re not sure if the “Tron: Ares” soundtrack technically counts in our book either. But we love it when Reznor leans into the electronic side of the project, and “As Alive as You Need Me to Be” with additional production from Boys Noize scratches that itch for us. While numbers don’t always tell the full story, the fact that it was our top played song on Spotify does mean something when you look back on all of the music we got to consume in 2025. Better yet, Trent and Atticus still making music of this caliber speaks volumes to their craft and talent as true professionals.

2. Clipse – “Chains & Whips” feat. Kendrick Lamar
3. My Morning Jacket – “Beginning from the Ending”
4. DARKSIDE – “One Last Nothing”
5. Lord Huron – “Bag of Bones”

Favorite Soundtrack of 2025: Nine Inch Nails – Tron: Ares

Andrew Pohl // San Francisco

Top 5 Shows of 2025
1. Home Front at Thee Parkside – San Francisco, CA – November 21st
Having caught Home Front last year in SF at Bottom of the Hill I know going into this concert that Home Front was going to absolutely crush it, but man oh man did they completely outdo themselves. Opening act False Flowers warmed up the crowd in spectacular fashion, and The Government did an excellent job as main support. The overly packed room was VERY ready to receive what Home Front was about to give them, and the band destroyed the place inside and out. Sonically crisp and very tight, the band has built a reputation of being a superb live act and it fully lived up to that at this show, playing much of the material from their new album Watch It Die along with material from their previous efforts and a Cock Sparrer cover to end the set.

2. Pile at Rickshaw Stop – San Francisco, CA – September 10th
3. Pixies with Blonde Redhead, Spoon at Greek Theatre Berkeley – Berkeley, CA – August 28th
4. Deep Sea Diver with Byland at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – April 8th
5. Dance Hall Crashers at Great American Music Hall – San Francisco, CA – June 7th

Top 5 Albums of 2025
1. Deftones – private music
For a band that has produced as much quality output as Deftones has over the years, it’s nice to see them outdo themselves like they did on this album. I wouldn’t qualify it as a “return to form” since it has much of the sonic familiarity throughout the rest of their catalog, but the songs themselves are just really strong and stick to your bones more than most of their other recent material. They sound like a unit that came into recording this with confidence and intention. The material also feels like it would translate well live, and based on how footage of their concerts this year looked, I stand correct. This is the album that I kept coming back to over and over again in 2025, which didn’t surprise me given my love for these guys.

2. Momma – Welcome to My Blue Sky
3. Home Front – Watch It Die
4. Deep Sea Diver – Billboard Heart
5. Viagra Boys – Viagr Aboys

Top 5 Songs of 2025
1. Viagra Boys – “Man Made of Meat”
This is such a perfect way to open Viagra Boys’ new album. Right off the bat you get that level of sass and weirdness that we have come accustomed to from the Swedish post-punk band. From the perfectly timed belch in the opening verse to the breakdown where frontman Sebastian Murphy brings up the idea of subscribing “to your mom’s Only Fans,” the song is a buffet of ridiculousness. The chorus is catchy as all get out, and the song as a whole is that perfect mix of accessible and clever. What a fun way for them to get things started.

2. Deftones – “Locked Club”
3. Preoccupations – “Ill at Ease”
4. Home Front – “Light Sleeper”
5. Momma – “New Friend”

Rochelle Shipman // Los Angeles

Top 5 Shows of 2025
1. Kendrick Lamar and SZA at SoFi Stadium – Inglewood, CA – May 24th
It’s hard to imagine anything other than a killer Kendrick show after the run he’s had this past year, but the Grand National Tour went above and beyond and around again. It was one set with songs from both artists’ catalogs being seamlessly interwoven before they came back onstage to perform a few of their hits together. Kendrick was riding his deserved high, while SZA was angelic (literally suspended above the crowd wearing wings) and somehow made it feel like we were watching two Beyoncés. The power and craft on that stage was something so special to witness.

2. Little Simz at Fox Theatre Oakland – Oakland, CA – November 17th
3. Clipse at The Novo – Los Angeles, CA – August 23rd
4. Bright Eyes at The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA – February 7th
5. Doechii at Gallagher Square (Petco Park) – San Diego, CA – November 5th

Honorable Mention: NxWorries at Hollywood Palladium – Los Angeles, CA – October 19th

Top 5 Albums of 2025
1. Clipse – Let God Sort Em Out
After a false start with Def Jam that resulted in a seven-figure buyout, Clipse finally found a home at Roc Nation for their newest album in 15 years over the summer — and now it’s hard to imagine it happening any other way. The brothers Thornton reunited to educate the kids on what a proper album rollout used to entail, the whole time sharing their experiences and emotions surrounding their parents’ deaths to a degree most men would never dream of doing. The beats and bars hit so hard all the way through they even make some of Pharrell’s cringeworthy moments sound catchy. There’s no question Mom and Dad are proud of them after laying down this masterpiece.

2. Little Simz – Lotus
3. Backxwash – Only Dust Remains
4. Landlady – Make Up / Lost Time
5. Panda Bear – Sinister Grift

Top 5 Songs of 2025
1. Little Simz – “Thief”
Opening her sixth studio album with an intro track that’s as intense as it is eloquent, the London rapper continues to prove she’s not the one to fuck with. Marking the first of a few songs on Lotus that artfully skewers her former musical counterpart Inflo of Sault, “Thief” leaves Simz’s broken heart totally bare against a compelling musical backdrop. It’s never fun to watch close friends have a falling out, but we would be damned if Little Simz didn’t make it sound so good.

2. Clipse – “The Birds Don’t Sing”
3. AJ Tracey feat. Jorja Smith – “Crush”
4. Casey Dienel (fka White Hinterland) – “Your Girl’s Upstairs”
5. Doechii – “Nosebleeds”

Michael Silver // Orange County

Top 5 Shows of 2025
1. Jack White at The Grove of Anaheim – Anaheim, CA – January 25th
The millennial guitar GOAT went on a generational run in 2025. A master of gorilla marketing and last-minute ticket announcements, White commenced his “No Name” tour with an intimate OC performance. The Internet gods were kind to me as I scored front-row access to see the Detroit native blitzed through a 21-song set spanning White Stripes cult favorites (“The Hardest Button to Button”) to The Raconteurs’ gems (“Broken Boy Soldier”) all while mixing in new joints (“Old Scratch Blues” followed by “That’s How I’m Feeling”). Between playing music halls and theaters as well as NFL stadiums with Eminem in front of a national TV audience on Thanksgiving, the virtuoso and ambassador for all things vinyl was officially inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The White Stripes this year and has carved out his own lane in rock history.

2. Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist at The Observatory – Santa Ana, CA – October 27th
3. The Eagles at Sphere – Las Vegas, NV – October 10th
4. Wu-Tang Clan at Crypto.com Arena – Los Angeles, CA – June 22nd
5. The Used at House of Blues Anaheim – Anaheim, CA – October 11th

Top 5 Albums of 2025
1. Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist – Alfredo 2
Following up on 2020’s Grammy-nominated collaboration, the Indiana rapper and California producer created a soulful, translucent vibe of hip-hop bravado. The opening guitar licks on “1995” showcase a new era of creativity by The Alchemist, while Gibbs provides a hypnotic and downright maniacal flow. “Mar-a-Lago” and “Lemon Pepper Steppers” define these sophisticated raps, with the emcee in total control painting a visual storyboard.

2. Deftones – private music
3. Turnstile – Never Enough
4. Clipse – Let God Sort Em Out
5. Joey Bada$$ – Lonely at the Top

Top 5 Songs of 2025
1. Turnstile – “Birds”
Has there ever been a more fitting rock anthem to take over the airwaves? Soaring in at 2:27 long, the Baltimore collective blasted into our collective conscience. With high-profile fans like Billie Eilish, Elton John and Hayley Williams singing their praise, it wasn’t long before mainstream radio added them into their rotations. To wrap up a wild press campaign, lead singer Brendan Yates performed the first-ever stage dive at NPR’s Tiny Desk series with “Birds” as his soundtrack.

2. Deftones – “Milk of the Madonna”
3. Diplo – “Flashlight” feat. Project Pat & Juicy J
4. GELO – “Tweaker”
5. Sublime – “Ensenada”

Favorite Soundtrack of 2025: Nine Inch Nails – Tron: Ares

Filed Under: Best of, Best of 2025, Editor's Picks, Featured Tagged With: AJ Tracey, Arlington Theatre, Backxwash, Blonde Redhead, Boys Noize, Bright Eyes, Byland, Casey Dienel, Clipse, Cock Sparrer, Crypto.com Arena, Dance Hall Crashers, Darkside, Deep Sea Diver, Deftones, Diplo, Doechii, Eminem, False Flowers, Fox Theater Oakland, Freddie Gibbs, Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist, Gallagher Square, Gallagher Square at Petco Park, GEESE, GELO, Great American Music Hall, Greek Theatre, Greek Theatre Berkeley, Grove of Anaheim, Hollywood Palladium, Home Front, House of Blues Anaheim, Inflo, Jack White, Joey Bada$$, Jorja Smith, Juicy J, Kendrick Lamar, Kia Forum, Lady Gaga, Landlady, Little Simz, Lord Huron, Modest Mouse, Momma, My Morning Jacket, Nine Inch Nails, Nine Inch Noize, NxWorries, Oasis, Ozzy Osbourne, Panda Bear, Petco Park, Pile, Pixies, Preoccupations, Primus, Project Pat, Queens of the Stone Age, Rage Against the Machine, Red Rocks, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre, Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre, Rickshaw Stop, Sault, Sly Stone, SoFi Stadium, Sphere, Spoon, Sublime, SZA, The Alchemist, The Arlington, The Arlington Theatre, The Eagles, The Flaming Lips, The Fonda Theatre, The Government, The Independent, The Mars Volta, The Novo, The Novo DTLA, The Observatory, The Prodigy, The Used, The Warfield, The White Stripes, The Wiltern, The Wiltern Theatre, Thee Parkside, Tom Morello, Turnstile, Ty Segall, Viagra Boys, Wu Tang Clan

Lord Huron make their hometown fans at Kia Forum see how they’ve gone from burgeoning indie-rock band to newly minted arena act

November 7, 2025 by Josh Herwitt 1 Comment

By Josh Herwitt //

Lord Huron with Feist //
Kia Forum – Inglewood, CA
November 2nd, 2025 //

One of the most redeeming qualities about following music and having the opportunity to address it in this space is watching the trajectory of any act that comes into our purview and strikes a chord with us. We see that kind of progression often manifest when an artist or band books larger rooms and bigger spaces for their latest tour, starting out in clubs of 500 or less and eventually graduating to ballrooms, theaters and amphitheaters that can hold as many as 10,000 fans.

But playing arenas requires a different level of “reach” aka popularity in layman’s terms, and if there’s an indie-rock outfit that I didn’t anticipate headlining arenas in an era when pop stars, rappers and DJs can fill seats at a much higher clip, Lord Huron would have to be on that list.

After all, the group’s continued growth is quite remarkable when you consider it was only 15 years ago that Ben Schneider (guitar, vocals, harmonica) founded Lord Huron as a solo project after relocating to Los Angeles from New York. A native of Michigan who drew inspiration from his visits to Lake Huron, he had been writing music even before studying visual arts while attending college in Ann Arbor as well as in France and then pursuing a career as an artist.

It was in LA, however, where Schneider’s dream as a musician would be realized after recording some material on his own that resulted in a couple of EPs and subsequent calls for him to perform live. That’s when he asked his childhood friends back home to join him on a wild ride that has only picked up more momentum since those early beginnings in 2010.

Schneider has surrounded himself with some different sidekicks since then, but Lord Huron’s cinematic sound and evocative imagery have always exuded modern country-western vibes. While their debut LP Lonesome Dreams laid the groundwork, it was the group’s 2015 follow-up Strange Trails that ushered in mainstream appeal and commercial success after the Netflix series “13 Reasons Why” shined a light on “The Night We Met” during its first and second seasons.

Any artist or band that has an album go certified platinum early on in its career — especially in this day and age — could easily rest on its laurels, and in spite of Strange Trails eclipsing that prestigious mark here stateside, there has been no letdown for Lord Huron. Their ensuing full length Vide Noir that they dropped three years later would reach as high as No. 9 on the Billboard 200 chart with such standouts as “Ancient Names (Part I)”, “Wait by the River”, “When the Night Is Over” and the title track bolstering the 12-song effort, ultimately cementing their status as one of the most exciting folk-based outfits in the past decade.

The indie-folk genre has felt increasingly crowded ever since the Garden State soundtrack came out in 2004 with Sub Pop and Saddle Creek, among other record labels, investing resources into upstarts like Iron & Wine and Fleet Foxes before Bon Iver, Mumford & Sons and The Lumineers would take things to another level. Those aren’t the only sonic-adjacent acts that come to mind when we consider how many others — including Father John Misty, Band of Horses, Local Natives, Grizzly Bear, The Paper Kites, Of Monsters and Men, Volcano Choir, and Blitzen Trapper to name quite a few — could also be lumped in with Lord Huron on the same bill now if push came to shove.

That’s actually something to celebrate given the uncertainty around the future of music and technology, but it is why we were surprised and at the same time equally impressed to see Schneider and company headlining the Kia Forum with a capacity of 17,500 to culminate a 44-date tour over the last five months that stretched from the U.S. to Europe and the UK before wrapping up along the West Coast.

I can’t and won’t claim to be a die-hard Lord Huron fan, but it was only a little more than four years ago when I caught them at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in what proved to be one of the first concerts I witnessed coming out of an 18-month lockdown from the COVID-19 pandemic days after covering My Morning Jacket at the Santa Barbara Bowl (read our show review here). And it’s one that I can foresee myself always remembering — mainly because of the skeleton cowboy Schneider portrays as a visual metaphor for a psychonaut who’s exploring the space between life and death — as it was honestly too memorable to forget given the spooky environs that paired with the onstage production. The album that they were touring in support of was the first they had issued any singles for believe it or not, and 2021’s Long Lost proved again with “Mine Forever”, “Not Dead Yet” and “I Lied” (with Allison Ponthier) leading the way that they are not a one-trick pony.

As thoughts from the Hollywood Forever replayed in my head as I arrived in Inglewood on the first Sunday after turning the clocks back, walking into an arena-sized venue for a Lord Huron show felt slightly strange. Having spent two nights at The Forum in September for the final dates of Nine Inch Nails’ “Peel It Back Tour” with Boys Noize when every seat in the house was spoken for, this wasn’t quite the same turnout. Nevertheless, it was rather evident Lord Huron have upgraded their western-style stage production — complete with a pay phone Schneider pretended to operate at the outset — since the release of The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1 in July to mark the four-piece’s fifth studio album and arguably its most complete one yet.

In fact, watching more than half of the songs on The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1 come to life in front of a hometown crowd only gave us a deeper appreciation for Schneider’s songwriting capabilities and the evolution of Lord Huron’s sound with each album cycle. There was the upbeat, almost frenetic “Who Laughs Last?”, which features spoken word verses throughout by actress and director Kristen Stewart on the record, to kick things off plus two other Cosmic Selector highlights in the form of “Looking Back” and “Bag of Bones” that followed. The setlist assembled for this year’s tour incorporated every one of Lord Huron’s albums, and Strange Trails certainly got its due with four consecutive songs before parting ways — “La Belle Fleur Sauvage”, “Frozen Pines”, “Meet Me in the Woods” and their biggest hit “The Night We Met” that was accompanied by a female and male actor who role played as a couple in love before going their separate — leading into the encore break.

Schneider and his cohorts Mark Barry (drums, percussion, vocals), Miguel Briseño (bass, keyboards, percussion, theremin) and Tom Renaud (guitar, vocals) seemingly didn’t stop there, though. With three touring members Brandon Walters (guitar, vocals), Misty Boyce (keyboards, vocals) and Waylon Rector (guitar, vocals) mixing into the equation, “The World Ender” opened the encore like there was a stallion galloping through the desert at full speed to make it five straight from their sophomore smash. Whether it’s country and folk or rock and pop, there’s a little bit of something for everyone coming through Lord Huron’s music. Regardless of where you come down on it, you can’t argue — at least seriously — that it’s not an eclectic. Of course, that’s what makes them a major draw at this point and one we can tell is progressively hitting its stride.

LORD HURON

Setlist:
Who Laughs Last
Looking Back
Bag of Bones
Ends of the Earth
The Ghost on the Shore
Wait by the River
Secret of Life
Used to Know
Ancient Names, Pt. I
Long Lost
Twenty Long Years
Watch Me Go
I Lied
La Belle Fleur Sauvage
Frozen Pines
Meet Me in the Woods
The Night We Met

Encore:
The World Ender
Nothing I Need
Not Dead Yet
Life Is Strange

FEIST

Setlist:
I Feel It All
My Moon My Man
A Commotion
How Come You Never Go There
Hiding Out in the Open
Borrow Trouble
Let It Die
1234

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Allison Ponthier, Band of Horses, Blitzen Trapper, Boys Noize, Feist, Grizzly Bear, Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Kia Forum, Kristen Stewart, Local Natives, Lord Huron, My Morning Jacket, Nine Inch Nails, Of Monsters and Men, Santa Barbara Bowl, The Paper Kites, Volcano Choir

The Flaming Lips & Modest Mouse team up for one of the summer’s best co-headline tours as we witnessed at the Santa Barbara Bowl

September 12, 2025 by Josh Herwitt 1 Comment

The Flaming Lips

By Josh Herwitt //

The Flaming Lips & Modest Mouse with Dehd //
Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA
September 5th, 2025 //

A couple of weeks ago, we made the case that summer continues to be live music’s biggest and most important season after Louisville five-piece My Morning Jacket closed out their summer tour with three dates in California (see more photos from the shows here).

While the industry has always thrived when the days are long and weather is warm, one of the draws about seeing live music in the summer is the co-headline tour. Back in 2023 there was not only MMJ and Fleet Foxes sharing the iconic Hollywood Bowl’s stage (read our show review here), but also The Revivalists and Band of Horses that subsequently proved to be a fun mix to catch on a night out under the stars (see more photos from the show here).

Last summer didn’t offer much as far as co-headline tours go, and while having Phantogram open for Kings of Leon (see our photos from the show here) marked one of the best double bills from 2024, this year has brought together some new pairings and one standing out right away was psych-rock veterans The Flaming Lips joining forces with indie-rock pioneers Modest Mouse for “The Good Times Are Killing Me” tour across 18 U.S. cities.

Considering the longevity of both bands, each has spent countless hours on the road. Modest Mouse, after all, are no strangers to the co-headline tour, and while no pun was intended there, we do say that after watching them share the stage with Brand New back in 2016 on the heels of releasing their sixth studio album Strangers to Ourselves (read our show review here). Isaac Brock, who has served as the project’s lead vocalist, principal songwriter, guitarist and only constant member since forming out of the Pacific Northwest in the early 90’s, has kept things afloat even with founding members Eric Judy (bass, acoustic and rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals) and of course the late Jeremiah Green (drums, percussion) no longer in the picture.

It has already been more than four years since Modest Mouse put out new music, but they also remain one of a select few indie acts to craft a unique setlist for each show — something you can expect from a jam band — and it’s what has compelled us to be “in the room” whenever they come to town. There are plenty of bigger fans of jam bands than yours truly, yet there’s something about not following the same script every night that makes a Modest Mouse concert feel special.

Modest Mouse

Surprisingly, no material on 2021’s The Golden Casket was touched when Brock and his sidekicks came to the Santa Barbara Bowl for their first visit in almost two decades. Instead, they leaned into older tunes from 2007’s We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, 2004’s Good News for People Who Love Bad News, 2000’s The Moon & Antarctica, 1997’s The Lonesome Crowded West and even 1999’s Night on the Sun EP that was only made available in Japan. Highlights throughout their 75-minute set included several deep cuts starting with “Fly Trapped in a Jar” and “Paper Thin Walls” before “Perfect Disguise” and “Styrofoam Boots” came later as well as the new, unreleased “Dogbed/Sheetrock” that provided a change of pace sonically without Brock’s usual shout-bark vocals. What we found a bit ironic was not hearing the song the tour was named after, though we realized with a little bit of online research that it wasn’t played at any point during the tour and only twice so far in 2025.

The Flaming Lips, meanwhile, are still one of a kind and going strong for 40-plus years. This wasn’t our introduction, having seen them as early as 2003 when they were touring in support of what has become their landmark 2002 LP Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, and the feeling of being totally overstimulated by Teletubbies and other costumed dancers onstage at the age of 18 has been burned into my memory forever. Since then, we have caught the Lips in a variety of other settings — from festivals to their own headline gigs — but maybe none better than when they took a sold-out audience in Los Angeles for a ride at The Theatre at Ace Hotel (now known as the United Theater on Broadway), the historic movie palace that was built in 1927 and only seats 1,600 (read our show review here).

As much as its music sounds different from Modest Mouse’s, there is enough crossover appeal with the Oklahoma City outfit led by founding member and frontman Wayne Coyne for a co-headline tour like this to work. In fact, this wasn’t the first time the two groups have played the same night at the Bowl after the “Unlimited Sunshine Tour” that also featured Kinky, Cake and De La Soul stopped through in 2002. And when we saw Modest Mouse celebrate the quarter-century mark for The Lonesome Crowded West just a few years ago at The Wiltern, they covered “Five Stop Mother Superior Rain” on the Lips’ 1990 studio effort In a Priest Driven Ambulance during the encore, so to assume that there is no familiarity between them would be foolhearted. That said, any enthusiast of 90’s rock could get behind what occurred over the next several hours and despite the venue’s tight curfew making for an early start time of 6 p.m., you could not ask for a more picturesque scene on a warm and beautiful Friday evening as Chicago three-piece Dehd kicked things off well over a year after their fifth full length Poetry dropped on Fat Possum Records to favorable reviews.

With all of the antics and shenanigans that transpire during a Flaming Lips performance, there’s no way someone could be bored by the constant barrage of confetti cannons, inflatable stage props, oversized costumes and trippy visuals projected on the large screen behind them. If so, we probably don’t want to hang out with them. There’s so much happening up there it’s easy to get lost in the chaos, but it’s really the music and not the production that has convinced us to come back for more. A cover of “The Golden Path” by The Chemical Brothers that the Lips contributed vocals on, for instance, got its own permanent spot midway through, and Coyne’s homage to Ozzy in the form of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” was the most recent tribute to the legendary Prince of Darkness we have witnessed after Primus at LA’s Greek Theatre (read our show review here) and MMJ at Red Rocks Amphitheatre (read our show review here) delivered their own to loud applauses.

Coyne and his cohorts have been honoring the 20th anniversary of Yoshimi for the past three years and their setlist for this tour, unlike Modest Mouse’s, did not deviate at all from one city to the next. Usual live staples “The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power)”, “She Don’t Use Jelly” and crowd favorite “Do You Realize??” brought things to a fever pitch prior to the final homestretch that saw them end with The Soft Bulletin single “Race for the Prize”, which we remember was the opener for that initial encounter at the Hollywood Palladium. A lot has changed for the Lips in that span, whether it has been welcoming in new cast members or collaborating with household names such as Miley Cyrus, Thievery Corporation, Erykah Badu, Kesha, Nick Cave, Neon Indian and more. Coyne, for one, doesn’t appear to be slowing down at 64 years old, with his charisma channeling a love and zest for life he hasn’t lost, and we sure hope somehow he never does.

THE FLAMING LIPS

Setlist:
Sleeping on the Roof
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 2
Turn It On
Pompeii Am Götterdämmerung
Five Stop Mother Superior Rain
The Golden Path (The Chemical Brothers cover)
Feeling Yourself Disintegrate
The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power)
She Don’t Use Jelly
Do You Realize??

Encore:
War Pigs (Black Sabbath cover)
Race for the Prize

MODEST MOUSE

Setlist:
King Rat
Float On
Fly Trapped in a Jar
Teeth Like God’s Shoeshine
Dogbed/Sheetrock
Paper Thin Walls
Ocean Breathes Salty
Perfect Disguise
Night on the Sun
Dance Hall
Dashboard
Little Motel
Third Side of the Moon
Styrofoam Boots
Spitting Venom

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Band of Horses, Black Sabbath, Brand New, CAKE, De La Soul, Dehd, Erykah Badu, Fat Possum, Fat Possum Records, Fleet Foxes, Greek Theatre, Hollywood Palladium, Kesha, Kia Forum, Kings of Leon, Kinky, Miley Cyrus, Modest Mouse, My Morning Jacket, Neon Indian, Nick Cave, Ozzy Osbourne, Phantogram, Primus, Red Rocks, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre, Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre, Santa Barbara Bowl, The Flaming Lips, The Revivalists, The Theatre at Ace Hotel, The Wiltern, Thievery Corporation, United Theater on Broadway

My Morning Jacket close out their 2025 summer tour in a big way at Hollywood Palladium, Santa Barbara Bowl & Greek Theatre Berkeley

August 29, 2025 by Josh Herwitt 1 Comment

My Morning Jacket - Greek Theatre Berkeley 2025 - Jim James

My Morning Jacket at Greek Theatre Berkeley

By Josh Herwitt //

My Morning Jacket with Melt //
Hollywood Palladium, Santa Barbara Bowl & Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, Santa Barbara & Berkeley
August 19th-20th & 22nd, 2025 //

Is there a better season for live music than summer?

Even if it’s not your favorite season personally, it’s certainly live music’s. With the days long and weather warm, that’s when the industry truly thrives as summer tours and festivals take center stage all across of the world.

And while it doesn’t matter for us what time of the year it is when My Morning Jacket goes on tour, it’s hard to beat seeing the Grammy-nominated quintet perform during the summertime. That often means outdoor venues, and regardless of who’s onstage, there’s always somethings special about taking in a concert under the stars with an unlimited supply of fresh air.

Coming off two stellar performances at the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre (read our show review here) the previous weekend in support of their 10th full length is, MMJ headed west to California for the final three dates of their summer tour with NYC indie-soul outfit Melt.

My Morning Jacket - Santa Barbara Bowl 2025 - band

My Morning Jacket at Santa Barbara Bowl

It had been almost exactly two years since Jacket had played in LA during what was a magical evening at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery (read our show review here) after their headlining set at BeachLife Festival in 2024 was abruptly canceled due to high winds (read our festival review here), and with the band designating its already scheduled date at the Hollywood Palladium as one of five shows to honor the 20th anniversary of their fourth LP Z and playing its only indoor one of the summer, it felt like Jim James (lead vocals, guitar), Tom Blankenship (bass), Patrick Hallahan (drums, percussion), Bo Koster (keyboards, percussion, backing vocals) and swiss-army knife Carl Broemel (guitar, pedal steel guitar, saxophone, backing vocals) were intent on making up for lost time without a strict curfew to follow. We were treated to two sets and an encore as a result, with MMJ extending past the 2.5-hour mark thanks to stirring renditions of “Beginning from the Ending”, “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2”, “Where to Begin” and “Spring (Among the Living)”, the latter of which featuring a beautiful hat tip to the late Ozzy Osbourne in the form of a “Mama I’m Coming Home” tag.

Though we wouldn’t hear Z from start to finish the following night, the album still got some play at the picturesque Santa Barbara Bowl as Jacket opened with “Anytime” and brought back the intro jam on “Off the Record” that we fell in love with when we first heard their MMJ Live Vol. 1: Live 2015 release drop in 2022. “Phone Went West” would lead straight into “Only Memories Remain” and serve as an instant highlight, along with is standout “River Road” stretching past eight minutes to jumpstart a four-song encore that also boasted “The Way That He Sings” from 2001’s At Dawn.

Summer tour came to a close more than 300 miles north for my first visit to the Greek Theatre Berkeley, and the Friday night finale proved to be well worth the trek up to the 8,500-person amphitheater. Older tunes such as “X-Mas Curtain”, “Honest Man” and “I Think I’m Going to Hell” that we didn’t happen to hear in either LA or Santa Barbara made it into the setlist, as well as the trippy “Still Thinkin” off 2020’s The Waterfall II and the live debut of John Lennon’s “Love” around the midway point. But easily one of the biggest surprises came on the other side of the encore break as the group uncorked Evil Urges cut “Librarian” for just the second time this year and eventually treated us to some “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin” before it was all said and done — because a MMJ show in the Bay Area wouldn’t be complete without a little Sly & the Family Stone of course.

James and his sidekicks will return to the road for the third leg of “My Morning Jacket ‘is’ On Tour” this fall, and although we don’t have plans (or the funds quite honestly) to follow one of our favorite live acts around the country for a few weeks, it wouldn’t take much to convince us otherwise. That’s how good it feels to bathe in MMJ’s music whenever they turn on the lights, plug in and melt minds, compelling us to travel considerable lengths to witness each of their three California shows in a span of four days. In the meantime, here’s hoping we don’t have to wait as long before we get to experience it again.

AUGUST 19TH – HOLLYWOOD PALLADIUM

Setlist:
Set 1 (Z)
Wordless Chorus
It Beats 4 U
Gideon
What a Wonderful Man
Off the Record
Into the Woods
Anytime
Lay Low
Knot Comes Loose
Dondante

Set 2
Beginning From the Ending
Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 1
Die for It
Holdin on to Black Metal (with Veronica Stewart-Frommer)
Mahgeetah
Time Waited
Everyday Magic
Circuital
Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2

Encore:
Where to Begin
Spring (Among the Living) (with “Mama I’m Coming Home” and “Dear Prudence” tags)
Dancefloors

Editors’ Note: “Z” 20th anniversary show.

AUGUST 20TH – SANTA BARBARA BOWL

Setlist:
Anytime
I Can Hear Your Love
Circuital
Lemme Know
Mahgeetah
Golden (with Veronica Stewart-Frommer)
Run It
Half a Lifetime
Evil Urges
Here in Spirit (Jim James song) (with Veronica Stewart-Frommer)
Phone Went West (>)
Only Memories Remain
Wordless Chorus
Off the Record (included intro jam)
Squid Ink
Smokin’ From Shootin’
Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2

Encore:
River Road
I’m Amazed
The Way That He Sings
One Big Holiday

AUGUST 22ND – GREEK THEATRE BERKELEY

Setlist:
Out in the Open
X-Mas Curtain
Lay Low
Honest Man
Time Waited
Still Thinkin
Everyday Magic
Least Expected
Gideon
Love (John Lennon cover) (live debut by MMJ)
Steam Engine
Cobra
Here in Spirit (Jim James song) (with Veronica Stewart-Frommer)
Holdin on to Black Metal (with Veronica Stewart-Frommer)
I Think I’m Going to Hell
Victory Dance
Die for It
Wordless Chorus

Encore:
Librarian
Spring (Among the Living) (with “Dear Prudence” tag)
Phone Went West (>”Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” by Sly & the Family Stone)

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Photos Tagged With: BeachLife Festival, Greek Theatre Berkeley, Hollywood Palladium, Jim James, John Lennon, Melt, My Morning Jacket, Ozzy Osbourne, Red Rocks, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre, Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre, Santa Barbara Bowl, Sly & The Family Stone, The Beatles

My Morning Jacket continue to reinvent themselves while celebrating 20 years of ‘Z’ during two more dazzling performances at Red Rocks

August 22, 2025 by Josh Herwitt 3 Comments

By Josh Herwitt //

My Morning Jacket with Melt //
Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre – Morrison, CO
August 15th-16th, 2025 //

When it comes to experiencing My Morning Jacket in the flesh, there is no place I would rather see the Kentucky-bred band take the stage than at Red Rocks.

Colorado’s world-famous, open-air amphitheater has become one of the quintessential music venues — along with The Fillmore in San Francisco and Palace Theatre in Louisville — to catch a MMJ show and a rite of passage for many fans thanks, in part, to frontman Jim James dubbing it “the birth canal of the universe” in 2019.

That’s why I have made the trip out from Los Angeles each of the last three times that James (lead vocals, guitar), Tom Blankenship (bass), Patrick Hallahan (drums, percussion), Bo Koster (keyboards, percussion, backing vocals) and Carl Broemel (guitar, pedal steel guitar, saxophone, backing vocals) have come through Denver to headline two nights “on the rocks.”

What still amazes me after attending quite a few concerts at Red Rocks for almost two decades is that the experience doesn’t seem to grow old or tired, and that rings even more true every time I have seen Jacket perform there (read our First Times coverage from 2023 here). A lot of bands have become too popular to book the 9,525-person venue, opting for larger, more lucrative arenas and stadiums instead, but the psychedelic, jam-adjacent five-piece — for whatever reason we have yet to understand — has not garnered audiences nearly as large despite working with an outside producer for the first time ever on its 10th LP is that came out in March.

That honor, no less, would go to three-time Grammy winner Brendan O’Brien, whose decorated career includes studio time with AC/DC, Pearl Jam, The Offspring, Stone Temple Pilots, Soundgarden, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bob Dylan, Rage Against the Machine, the Killers and Bruce Springsteen. The result is a tight, 10-track effort that doesn’t rank among MMJ’s best but fits in quite seamlessly with the rest of their catalog. While some of the album finds them exploring new sonic avenues on lead single “Time Waited” and “I Can Hear Your Love” that sounds as if it could have been written by Buddy Holly or Roy Orbison, the back half is — or we should say is — what stands out with “Beginning from the Ending”, “Squid Ink”, “Die for It” and “River Road” all having the potential to be long-standing earworms.

But this year also marks the 20th anniversary of the group’s seminal full length Z, which saw it move away from the heavy reverb that dominated their earlier material to incorporate other genres such as reggae and dub, with Friday’s performance at Red Rocks marking the first of five dates that Jacket is allocating to celebrate the 2005 release on Rolling Stone’s “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time” list.

MMJ has a penchant for extending and stretching certain songs live, and though James and company didn’t veer off the beaten path for most of Z, they did unleash the longest “Dondante” since their 2019 version between “Creation Rock” and “Ship Rock,” with this one clocking in at a whopping 23 minutes. The unconventional second set that followed delivered its fair share of highlights — from Melt vocalist Veronica Stewart-Frommer assisting on “Here in Spirit” from James’ solo work to a shortened rendition of “Cobra” that was subsequently reprised during “Squid Ink” and flowed right into “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2” — but maybe none bigger than their live debut of Steely Dan’s hit single “Do It Again” considering no one could have seen it coming or had such on their Red Rocks bingo card.

The recent passing of Ozzy Osbourne, conversely, had been on my mind for the last several weeks with tributes pouring in all over the world, and I knew from social media that some of the members in Jacket were Black Sabbath fans. I had sent a direct message to Blankenship on Instagram after Night 1 with a request for some Sabbath to remember the late Prince of Darkness, and as I put on my Vol. 4 T-shirt on Saturday when I arrived for Night 2, something was telling me that my wish might actually come true. A woman in the parking lot made a comment in a sort of “rock on” tone as she passed by my car not long after I arrived, making me feel for a second like I had chosen the wrong gig to broadcast my affinity for heavy metal’s pioneers.

I wasn’t going to be fazed that easily, though. My Vol. 4 T-shirt had become an omen of good luck after watching Primus the week before cover “N.I.B.” with Ty Segall on the mic during their star-studded stop at LA’s Greek Theatre (read our show review here), and my love for Ozzy ran too deep for me to change shirts (yes, I had an extra). His death, albeit less surprising given his age, moved me much in the same way that Chris Cornell’s did when it happened in 2017. The farewell concert in Birmingham just weeks prior had serendipitously proved to not only be a fitting send-off for Sabbath, but also a larger-than-life figure. And what better place to show some appreciation for an absolute rock god than at Red Rocks?

Sure enough, MMJ would have plenty of more surprises up their collective sleeves for Saturday as they touched on all 10 of their albums to create a career-spanning setlist in a matter of two and a half hours. Crowd favorites “Phone Went West” and “Steam Engine” came early, with the former getting a quick tag of Bruce Hornsby’s “Mandolin Rain” down the homestretch. Yet, the biggest moment came in the encore after dedicating “State of the Art (A.E.I.O.U.)” to Diana Ross. That’s when Jacket officially put a bow on the weekend with the haunting, eponymous opener to 1970’s Black Sabbath for the first time in close to 15 years, leaving room for Broemel to briefly offer his own Tony Iommi impression. By that point, I was completely satiated and satisfied. The ensuing “One Big Holiday” was an extra cherry on top, and as I took one last look at the natural beauty that has built one of music’s most sacred spaces, I thought to myself how sweet this life can be with both MMJ and Red Rocks in it.

MY MORNING JACKET – AUGUST 15TH

Setlist:
Set 1 (Z)
Wordless Chorus
It Beats 4 U
Gideon
What a Wonderful Man
Off the Record
Into the Woods
Anytime
Lay Low
Knot Comes Loose
Dondante (longest version since 8-2-2019)

Set 2
How Could I Know
Here in Spirit (Jim James song) (with Veronica Stewart-Frommer)
Half a Lifetime
Everyday Magic
Cobra
Squid Ink (> “Cobra” reprise >)
Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2
Where to Begin
Do It Again (Steely Dan cover) (live debut by MMJ)
Dancefloors

Editors’ Note: “Z” 20th anniversary show.

MELT – AUGUST 15TH

Setlist:
Veronica’s Apology / The Idiot
Shy
The Door
Waves
Stay for the High
Sour Candy
Plant the Garden

MY MORNING JACKET – AUGUST 16TH

Setlist:
The Dark
It’s About Twilight Now
The Way That He Sings
X-Mas Curtain
Phone Went West (with “Mandolin Rain” tag) (>)
Steam Engine
I’m Amazed
Aluminum Park
Smokin’ From Shootin’ (>)
Victory Dance (>)
Circuital
Holdin on to Black Metal (with Veronica Stewart-Frommer)
Spring (Among the Living) (with “Dear Prudence” tag)
Still Thinkin
Feel You
Least Expected
Love Love Love
Out in the Open
Lemme Know
Die for It

Encore:
State of the Art (A.E.I.O.U.) (Jim James song) (dedicated to Diana Ross) (>)
Black Sabbath (Black Sabbath cover) (first time since 2010)
One Big Holiday

MELT – AUGUST 16TH

Setlist:
Fake Romantic
More than Ever
Inside
Waves
Walk to Midnight
Stay for the High
Plant the Garden
Surrender
Harvest Moon (Neil Young cover)

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Bob Dylan, Brendan O'Brien, Bruce Hornsby, Bruce Springsteen, Buddy Holly, Diana Ross, Greek Theatre, Jim James, Melt, My Morning Jacket, Ozzy Osbourne, Palace Theatre, Pearl Jam, Primus, Rage Against the Machine, Red Rocks, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre, Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre, Roy Orbison, Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, The Beatles, The Fillmore, The Fillmore Auditorium, The Fillmore SF, The Killers, The Louisville Palace, The Offspring, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tony Iommi, Ty Segall

After a chaotic finish in 2024, BeachLife Festival returns for sixth year with Lenny Kravitz, Sublime & Alanis Morissette headlining

January 7, 2025 by Josh Herwitt 1 Comment

BeachLife Festival //
Seaside Lagoon – Redondo Beach, CA
May 2nd-4th, 2025 //

It’s a new year, and that means a new festival season is almost upon us.

On a day that saw high winds lead to wildfires in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, the organizers of BeachLife Festival just down the coast in Redondo Beach were announcing the lineup for its sixth edition after high winds caused the event’s final day in 2024 to end abruptly and never resume (read our festival review here).

It does feel a bit familiar considering the circumstances we found ourselves in last year when BeachLife had no choice but to cancel scheduled sets by ZZ Top, Fleet Foxes, Trey Anastasio & Classic TAB and headliner My Morning Jacket even with the wind dying down only a few hours to go before curfew. The fest did its best to make things right with fans, offering refunds and turning “lemons into lemonade” out of what was a very unfortunate situation, but there is no doubt it was quite a blow (no pun intended) to the psyche that left a lasting impression despite Day 1 and Day 2 going off without issue and featuring standout performances from headlining acts Sting and Incubus.

But this time around, Seaside Lagoon plans to host Lenny Kravitz, Sublime and Alanis Morissette at the top of another rock-heavy bill that boasts an undercard filled with plenty of top-notch talent. Also joining the aforementioned in LA’s South Bay this May are Train, Pretenders, Mt. Joy, O.A.R., CAKE, Jackson Browne, Aloe Blacc, Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles, The Beach Boys, The Struts, Skip Marley, Marcus King, Digable Planets, Sugar Ray, Big Head Todd and the Monsters, Shovels & Rope, ALO, Lily Meola, Long Beach Dub Allstars, Donavon Frankenreiter, Tomorrows Bad Seeds, Greg Graffin of Bad Religion, Common Sense, Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root and more over the course of three days. Take a peek at the poster above to see who else will be heading down to the beach.

While the music always serves as the main attraction at BeachLife, that’s not all there is to see and do with art installations, onsite activations, giveaways, boutique shopping, games and more very much a part of the whole experience.

Guests will also have the chance for the first time to become acquainted with the full-service California Surf Club opening next month that mixes gourmet cuisine with handcrafted cocktails in a personalized, fine-dining setting overlooking the main stage for both year-round members and festival attendees.

If that hasn’t sold you on attending BeachLife yet, it’s worth mentioning that the festival has continued to make waves in the local community by partnering with key organizations doing important work, including Heal the Bay as well as the Surfrider Foundation, Redondo Beach Education Fund, Wyland Foundation and Redondo Beach Police Foundation.

Looking to buy tickets? They are actually already on sale here! Three-day GA and GA+ passes are listed at $409 or $524, and VIP is available for $999 as well as single-day tickets set for $169 (GA), $204 (GA+) and $399 (VIP). If you’re for something new though, the Captain’s Plus pass will provide exclusive non-member access to a more intimate setting, including an opportunity to dine at the VIP restaurant onsite. BeachLife might be four months away, but it will be here before you know it so get those swim suits and sandals ready!

Filed Under: Featured, Festivals Tagged With: Alanis Morissette, ALO, Aloe Blacc, Bad Religion, BeachLife Festival, BeachLife Festival 2025, Big Head Todd and the Monsters, CAKE, California Surf Club, Common Sense, Descendents, Digable Planets, Dirk Miller, donavon frankenreiter, Fleet Foxes, Greg Graffin, Incubus, Jackson Browne, Jesse James Pariah, Jim Lindberg, Kyle Smith, Lenny Kravitz, Lily Meola, Long Beach Dub Allstars, Marcus King, Michael Glabicki, Milo Aukerman, Mr. Midway, Mt. Joy, My Morning Jacket, O.A.R., Pennywise, Pretenders, Rusted Root, Saxon Weiss, Shovels & Rope, Sitting On Saturn, Sting, Sublime, Sugar Ray, SULLVN, Susanna Hoffs, The Bangles Skip Marley, The Beach Boys, The Calamatix, The Rookie5, The Struts, Tomorrow's Bad Seeds, Too Rude, Train, Trey Anastasio & Classic TAB, ZZ Top

The Bam Team’s 5 Favorite Shows, Albums & Songs of 2024

December 30, 2024 by The Bam Team 2 Comments

2024 was a BIG year for music. With a continued return to normalcy playing out following the first global pandemic in more than a century, the past 12 months produced plenty of great moments onstage and in the studio — from record-breaking world tours to surprise releases and everything in between.

Every year we get to do this we feel fortunate to have the opportunity to do something that we love — witness live music. Yet, each one feels a little different than the last and this year certainly had its own unique collection of highlights. We saw Explosions in the Sky make a statement as one of post-rock’s most essential acts, Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan ring in his 60th birthday on the “Sessanta” tour, My Morning Jacket back at The Fillmore for a four-night run of no repeats, DIIV assure us there’s still a future for indie rock and Dawes celebrate the holidays with a brand-new album and star-studded cast of special guests. We also covered our first shows at the state-of-the-art Fox Theater Pomona and legendary Pappy & Harriet’s in Pioneertown much to our delight, with those sort of visceral experiences amounting to more than merely the music we heard there.

But with another year wrapping up and 2025 here very soon, it’s time for us to reveal our annual “Best of” lists as we have done since this blog started more than a decade ago (see our 2023 picks here). As we always say, we will be the first to confess we didn’t attend every show or spin every album that was issued in 2024, but looking in the rearview mirror can be nearly as fun and challenging as when we first started doing this yearly exercise.

So, without further ado, Showbams presents The Bam Team’s five favorite shows, albums and songs from 2024.

Listen to The Bam Team’s favorite songs of 2024:

Sting at BeachLife Festival // Photo by Josh Herwitt

Josh Herwitt // Los Angeles

Top 5 Shows of 2024
1. Pearl Jam at Kia Forum – Los Angeles, CA – May 21st-22nd
What a year it was for one of our all-time favorites acts. The release of Pearl Jam’s 12th studio album Dark Matter in April gave us more than a month to acquaint ourselves with their latest effort before we would see them blow the roof off a sold-out Kia Forum over two consecutive nights. By the end of the second, we were well-satiated thanks to Eddie Vedder and the Hall of Fame band delivering one tour debut after another while also seamlessly mixing in their new material. But the most poignant memory for us came on Night 1 when Vedder broke into Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)” at the end of “Daughter” with the crowd seemingly in the palm of his hand. Not only hearing the entire arena sing along to “We don’t need no education / We don’t need no thought control” but also seeing Vedder still command an audience like that at his age gave me chills — the good kind — down my spine that I don’t think I will never forget. All we can say is the power of live music felt very alive (no pun intended) and well in that moment.

2. My Morning Jacket at The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA – May 30th-31st
3. Queens of the Stone Age at Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA – May 24th
4. LCD Soundsystem at Hollywood Palladium – Los Angeles, CA – November 8th
5. Sting at BeachLife Festival – Redondo Beach, CA – May 3rd

Honorable Mention: slowdive at Fox Theater Pomona – Pomona, CA – April 26th

Top 5 Albums of 2024
1. Pearl Jam – Dark Matter
It has been a long time since PJ uncorked a full length as strong from start to finish as their newest, but when I first heard its lead single that would also serve as the LP’s title track, I could sense something was different this time. Maybe it was Matt Cameron’s drums sitting front and center in the mix or Mike McCready’s electrifying, Hendrix-like guitar solo down the song’s final stretch. Except the more time I spent with Dark Matter, the more I loved not just the singles but all 11 songs. “Waiting For Stevie” has become an instant fan favorite in its relatively short time while others like “Scared of Fear”, Won’t Tell”, “Upper Hand” and “Setting Sun” have been the glue, giving depth to an album that sees Vedder and company not resting on their laurels after more than three decades together. Whether it was working with Grammy-winning producer Andrew Watt or the addition of former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer to the songwriting process, Dark Matter sees one of the best rock ‘n’ roll bands in the business continuing to push itself creatively and that has carried over to the stage where Pearl Jam’s epic live shows remain full of raw energy and emotion (see above for more on that).

2. Kendrick Lamar – GNX
3. Jack White – No Name
4. The Smile – Wall of Eyes
5. The Smashing Pumpkins – Aghori Mhori Mei

Favorite Live Album of 2024: The War on Drugs – Live Drugs Again

Top 5 Songs of 2024
1. Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
After a year in which the Dodgers finally won the World Series fair and square, this only seemed like the right choice for any self-respecting Angelino like myself. “Not Like Us” compliments of Compton’s finest rapper would not just end up becoming a new anthem for my hometown of LA but the entire West Coast. As he goes down the “rabbit hole” with shrewd and clever wordplay, it’s clear why King Kendrick has sat atop hip-hop’s unofficial throne for a while now and has already cemented himself before the young age of 40 on its Mount Rushmore. What was released as a diss track in a series of them aimed at Drake has turned into so much more six months later, and the Mustard-produced gem continues to resonate for us no matter which side won the highly publicized feud. Because in our minds, it never was really close.

2. Pearl Jam – “Setting Sun”
3. LCD Soundsystem – “x-ray eyes”
4. Jack White – “It’s Rough on Rats (If You’re Asking)”
5. The Smashing Pumpkins – “Edin”

Favorite Soundtrack of 2024: Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – Challengers (Original Score)

Andrew Pohl // San Francisco

Top 5 Shows of 2024
1. Idles with Protomartyr at Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland, CA – May 10th
My anticipation of seeing Idles for the second time was palpable as I made my way into the Fox. The first time I saw them was at The Fillmore a few years earlier, and it was easily one of the best shows I had EVER seen (and I have been to hundreds of concerts). Once again, they delivered a performance that was not only interactive, but also filled with heart, raw energy and the kind of joy you don’t always see from road dogs like them. Every note seemed to be played with total satisfaction, which you could see on every member’s face throughout the 25-song set.

2. Green Day with The Smashing Pumpkins, Rancid, The Linda Lindas at Oracle Park – San Francisco, CA – September 20th
3. Black Pumas at Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland, CA – February 8th
4. Home Front with Neighborhood Brats, Build Us Airplanes at Bottom of the Hill – San Francisco, CA – December 14th
5. Rich Kids on LSD (RKL) at Bottom of the Hill – San Francisco, CA – May 1st

Top 5 Albums of 2024
1. The Smashing Pumpkins – Aghori Mhori Meiwo
This is the Pumpkins album that I have been wanting to hear since Zeitgeist came out in 2007. Some critics have said in recent years that guitar-focused rock music is “dead” … well, the band’s 13th studio effort has a bone to pick with that sentiment. After several releases that have varied from “questionable” to “just OK,” founding members Billy Corgan, James Iha and Jimmy Chamberlin went back to the basics and laid down a proper LP that every SP fan knew they were capable of making. After all, I always love a good comeback story.

2. The Cure – Songs of a Lost World
3. Alkaline Trio – Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs
4. NØ MAN – Glitter and Spit
5. The Jesus Lizard – Rack

Top 5 Songs of 2024
1. Yard Act – “Dream Job”
With how turbulent the world has been over the past few years, I have been finding myself gravitating toward music that’s a bit more upbeat musically — and this song is a certified infectious banger. Yard Act have this cool way of incorporating clever, oft-dark social commentary into what would otherwise be a tasty dance number, which is part of their charm and why they have blown up since forming in 2019. I kept coming back to this album during 2024, and this was definitely the track that kept my foot tapping.

2. Sammy Kay – “Love Song”
3. The Jukebox Romantics – “Packing Up My Knives”
4. Idles feat. LCD Soundsystem – “Dancer”
5. Jack White – “It’s Rough on Rats (If You’re Asking)”

Rochelle Shipman // Los Angeles

Top 5 Shows of 2024
1. Anderson .Paak & the Free Nationals at Hollywood Bowl – Los Angeles, CA – September 24th
Anderson .Paak pulled out all the stops for a performance of his seminal and (arguably) best album Malibu, bringing out every featured guest from BJ the Chicago Kid and ScHoolboy Q to Rapsody and Talib Kweli. As if that wasn’t enough, he got some help from the GOAT — Dr. Dre himself performing 2001 hits “The Next Episode” and “Still D.R.E.” — to jump start the second set and kept the surprises coming. Plus, the iconic Hollywood Bowl proved to be a stunning setting for the most ethereal evening.

2. Conor Oberst at Teragram Ballroom – Los Angeles, CA – March 7th, 14th, 21st & 28th
3. Something Corporate at Hollywood Palladium – Los Angeles, CA – October 11th
4. Stars at The Fonda Theatre – Los Angeles, CA – October 18th
5. Kate Nash at Teragram Ballroom – Los Angeles, CA – November 2nd

Top 5 Albums of 2024
1. Kendrick Lamar – GNX
For an album that dropped six weeks prior to the end of the year, GNX has been embedded in the fabric of K-Dot fans since Q2. Artfully teasing snippets like lead single “Squabble Up” months before its official release, Kendrick effortlessly reminded the world why “King” fits so naturally into some of his nicknames. Not that he needs any more, but blessing us with a surprise LP full of fiery tracks that keep breaking and setting new records gives him one more lick of proof that no one else is in his lane.

2. Little Simz – Drop 7
3. Yaya Bey – Ten Fold
4. Doechii – Alligator Bites Never Heal
5. Channel Tres – Head Rush

Top 5 Songs of 2024
1. Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
It feels disingenuous to pick any other song but “Not Like Us” in 2024. Kendrick’s meticulous takedown of Drake was the perfect evil antidote to an industry choking on espresso. “Not Like Us” was the golden middle finger with Lamar penning an impeccable balance between professor and troll, destroying Drake in a way that only a Pulitzer Prize winner could.

2. Little Simz – “Torch”
3. Desert Mambas – “Hot George Costanza”
4. Yaya Bey – “slow dancing in the kitchen”
5. Megan Thee Stallion – “Hiss”

Filed Under: Best of, Best of 2024, Editor's Picks, Featured Tagged With: Alkaline Trio, Anderson .Paak, Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals, BeachLife Festival, BeachLife Festival 2024, BJ the Chicago Kid, Black Pumas, Bottom of the Hill, Build Us Airplanes, Channel Tres, Conor Oberst, Desert Mambas, DJ Mustard, Doechii, Dr. Dre, Drake, Fox Theater Oakland, Green Day, Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood Palladium, Home Front, IDLES, Jack White, Kate Nash, Kendrick Lamar, Kia Forum, LCD Soundsystem, Little Simz, Megan Thee Stallion, Mustard, My Morning Jacket, NØ MAN, Neighborhood Brats, Oracle Park, Pearl Jam, Protomartyr, Queens of the Stone Age, Rancid, Rapsody, Rich Kids on LSD (RKL), Sammy Kay, Santa Barbara Bowl, Schoolboy Q, Something Corporate, Stars, Sting, Talib Kweli, Teragram Ballroom, The Cure, The Fillmore, The Fonda Theatre, The Jesus Lizard, The Jukebox Romantics, The Linda Lindas, The Police, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Smile, The Teragram Ballroom, Yard Act, Yaya Bey

On tour for their new album, Dawes celebrate ‘Christmas in LA’ with Eric Krasno, John C. Reilly, Mike Campbell & more at The Bellwether

December 13, 2024 by Josh Herwitt 1 Comment

By Josh Herwitt //

Christmas in LA: Dawes & Friends //
The Bellwether – Los Angeles
December 7th, 2024 //

When it comes to musicians and LA, it’s hard not to think of them like any 7-Eleven or Starbucks that you come across here — you can’t go very far before running into one. From amateur players all the way up to global superstars, so many have called California’s largest city home no matter where they have come from or how many miles it took them to reach Tinseltown.

But for as many as there are now and have been over the years, not nearly the same number are born and raised in LA. One of the world’s major entertainment capitals has always been a transient town for artists and creative types, and the proliferation of music makers who have moved to the City of Angels from other major U.S. markets in the past two decades has been particularly noticeable.

So when a homegrown talent comes along and climbs the ladder to book bigger venues, there’s always something special about watching a native Angelino thrive in one of the most competitive music scenes you will find anywhere around (and with no signs of that changing soon).

Taylor Goldsmith is certainly one of them. Growing up in Southern California and attending Malibu High School, he was exposed to music during his earliest years. His father Lenny Goldsmith was a longtime singer-songwriter whose fascination with James Brown and soul music inspired him to perform at local clubs throughout the Bay Area and eventually tour with Oakland R&B and funk band Tower of Power in the 80’s as its lead singer. And although Lenny has recently retired from the stage after leading Malibu’s 12-piece New Old Band for more than a decade, his sons Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith have followed in his footsteps admirably.

John C. Reilly

The elder Taylor began his music career in high school, where he met guitarist/producer Blake Mills and formed the post-punk outfit Simon Dawes that drew from each of their middle names. Over the next five years they would play with a number of bassists and drummers, including Taylor’s brother Griffin, before breaking up in 2007 when Mills left the band and joined Jenny Lewis on tour. While Mills ended up also going on the road with Band of Horses, Cass McCombs, Julian Casablancas and Lucinda Williams prior to settling in as a session musician and producer who worked on projects like My Morning Jacket leader Jim James’ second solo album Eternally Even in 2016 and John Legend’s sixth Darkness and Light that same year, Goldsmith teamed up with former Simon Dawes bassist Wylie Gelber and once again Griffin on drums in his new project he was calling Dawes. This time, though, he would go in a different direction sonically, one that embraced the Americana and folk-rock sensibilities of the Laurel Canyon sound that legendary acts like Buffalo Springfield, The Byrds, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Joni Mitchell, and The Mamas & the Papas popularized in the late 60’s and other icons such as Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt and The Eagles helped usher through the 70’s.

For Dawes, the association with LA’s celebrated Laurel Canyon isn’t just some contrived or pretentious PR strategy to turn consumers onto their product. It all started when Grammy-nominated producer and Father John Misty collaborator Jonathan Wilson invited the band to jam with a crew that included Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes, Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes and Benmont Tench of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Those informal sessions are what ultimately influenced and informed Dawes’ debut LP North Hills, which Wilson produced and recorded live directly to analog tape in … yeah, you guessed it: Laurel Canyon.

Yet, that was more than 15 years ago now and a lot has happened in the studio for Dawes since then. Putting out an album at a prolific rate of every two years (or less), their ninth and most recent effort Oh Brother dropped in October ahead of another headlining gig at The Bellwether for the group’s second annual “Christmas in LA” date. And like the inaugural event that saw Sam Nelson of X Ambassadors, Matt Koma of Winnetka Bowling League and Taylor’s own wife Mandy Moore, among others, take the stage in addition to a brief Simon Dawes reunion with Mills, it was a night filled with special guests as advertised when it was announced.

That said, a new year meant a new supporting cast for Dawes and as we found out over the course of two hours, there would be only one repeat appearance from 2023. The evening’s format had changed as well, with Dawes digging into some of their latest material at the onset and adding a new wrinkle to songs such as “Didn’t Fix Me” from 2020’s Good Luck with Whatever with Radiohead’s “High & Dry” as its intro. Montana alt-country artist Jonny Fritz, whom some might remember as Jonny Corndawg, was the first “friend” to arrive onstage, followed by Eric Krasno, who captivated the audience’s attention with his soulful singing and playful guitar work. This wasn’t the first time we had seen “Kras” in the flesh after many Soulive and Lettuce shows, but it had been a while and the three-time Grammy winner treated us to a sweet cover of Jerry Garcia’s “Sugaree” (watch below and h/t to Jen Cox for the footage) that came sandwiched between two Dawes cuts, including the tour debut of “If You Let Me Be Your Anchor”.

Christmas in LA 2024 - Dawes & Friends - Taylor Goldsmith & Mike Campbell

Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes (left) & Mike Campbell (right)

You know that one special guest we mentioned who was back this year? That would be Koma, who joined both Goldsmith brothers for a stripped-down, acoustic version of their new collaborative single “This Is Life” featuring Medium Build and Dawes that has already amassed almost 1.4 million Spotify listens since being released in June.

Of course, those weren’t the only tricks Dawes had up their sleeves and they made sure to save the biggest ones for last. It wasn’t a surprise that actor John C. Reilly would be in the building — we just weren’t sure how exactly he would be involved. The loud applause he immediately received when he walked out dressed in all white made him feel welcome nevertheless, as he dusted off his 2007 single entitled “(For Christmas) The People Want Cox” in a tribute to his leading role as Dewey Cox for “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story” and then duetted with Taylor on a cover of Gilbert Bécaud’s “Let It Be Me” that became a Top 10 hit in the states for The Everly Brothers.

When it came time to dial the energy back up a notch, it was Theo Katzman’s turn to bring the heat and the Vulfpeck guitarist proved to be all smiles in uncorking a searing solo on the Dawes single “Roll with the Punches” from 2016’s We’re All Gonna Die and subsequently showcasing his golden pipes during “Plain Jane Heroin” off his 2017 solo release Heartbreak Hits.

Some folks might be disappointed to learn that Dawes’ unequivocally most popular tune “When My Time Comes” wasn’t played like it was at The Fillmore in San Francisco and Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach. What we got instead was something no other fans on this tour will get to witness, and I’m not just talking about all of the aforementioned special guests. Because it’s not every day that you get to watch the guy who co-wrote many of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ greatest contributions to music plug in and rock out. When the crowd heard Mike Campbell deliver the opening chords to “You Wreck Me” however, most of us, if not everyone in that room, knew what we were about to get. Or at least we thought we did until Campbell took over midway through and brought Taylor in for a call-and-response section that had their guitars squealing by the time they had reached the summit. It was those gripping moments — whether they were with Krasno, Katzman or Campbell — that made this particular concertgoing experience feel unique, and as Dawes wrapped with the title track from 2015’s All Your Favorite Bands while a smaller collection of special guests from earlier in the night assisted, you remember that you never quite know what’s going to happen when you see live music in LA. That’s the absolute beauty of it.

Setlist:
Front Row Seat
If I Wanted Someone
Didn’t Fix Me (with Radiohead’s “High & Dry” as intro)
Mister Los Angeles
From a Window Seat
House Parties
Trash Day (Jonny Fritz cover) (with Jonny Fritz)
Middle Brother (Middle Brother cover) (with Jonny Fritz)
Raise the Dead
Somewhere Along the Way (with Eric Krasno)
Sugaree (Jerry Garcia cover) (with Eric Krasno)
If You Let Me Be Your Anchor (tour debut) (with Eric Krasno)
Christmas Tree in the Window (live debut)
This Is Life (Winnetka Bowling League cover) (with Matthew Koma)
(For Christmas) The People Want Cox (John C. Reilly cover) (with John C. Reilly)
Let It Be Me (Gilbert Bécaud cover) (with John C. Reilly)
Roll with the Punches (with Theo Katzman)
Plain Jane Heroin (Theo Katzman cover) (with Theo Katzman)
You Wreck Me (Tom Petty cover) (with Mike Campbell)
All Your Favorite Bands

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Band of Horses, Belly Up, Belly Up Tavern, Benmont Tench, Blake Mills, Bright Eyes, Buffalo Springfield, Cass McCombs, Chris Robinson, Conor Oberst, Crosby, Crosby Stills & Nash, Dawes, Dawes & Friends, Dawes & Friends: Christmas in LA, Eric Krasno, Father John Misty, Gilbert Bécaud, grateful dead, Jackson Browne, James Brown, Jenny Lewis, Jerry Garcia, Jim James, John C. Reilly, John Legend, Jonathan Wilson, Joni Mitchell, Jonny Corndawg, Jonny Fritz, Julian Casablancas, Laurel Canyon, Lettuce, Linda Ronstadt, Lucinda Williams, Mandy Moore, Matthew Koma, Medium Build, Middle Brother, Mike Campbell, My Morning Jacket, New Old Band, Radiohead, Simon Dawes, Soulive, Stills and Nash, The Bellwether, The Black Crowes, The Byrds, The Eagles, The Everly Brothers, The Fillmore, The Mamas & the Papas, Theo Katzman, Tom Petty, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Tower of Power, Vulfpeck, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Winnetka Bowling League, X Ambassadors

First Times: Experiencing a piece of SF history as My Morning Jacket take over The Fillmore for four sold-out nights with no repeats

June 7, 2024 by Josh Herwitt 1 Comment

By Josh Herwitt //

My Morning Jacket //
The Fillmore – San Francisco
May 27th-28th & 30th-31st, 2024 //

Growing up in Los Angeles, I have always loved going to the Bay Area. Sure, there is definitely no love lost between SoCal and NorCal when it comes to certain professional sports teams and their fan bases, but that hasn’t changed my feelings or how I think of it now — even if I bleed Dodger blue.

With my aunt, uncle and late grandparents living in the City, I have many fond memories of our family trips up north and still consider SF to be one of my favorite towns in the world that I have ever been to (and to be honest, there are a lot I haven’t stepped foot in). But from beautiful parks and breathtaking views to world-class art and innovative cuisine among a plethora of tourist attractions, there’s never a shortage of things to do in “The City by the Bay” no matter where your interests lie or how much time and money (obvious tip: it helps to have a lot) you have on your hands.

Since I began covering concerts more than a decade ago in this space though, my adventures in “music journalism” — if we can call it that — had not yet taken me to the same city where this blog was founded for “work.” I had visited back in 2011 to attend Outside Lands and Treasure Island Music Festival before returning five years later to cover what ended up being a disastrous and largely forgettable 2016 edition of TIMF (read our festival review here). Nevertheless, the right opportunity to photograph any individual shows had not presented itself despite all the years I have lived in the Golden State. That is, until one of my favorite acts in live music announced by early March that it had booked four in the span of five days at the historic Fillmore and promised not to repeat songs.

The first time I saw My Morning Jacket in the flesh, Jim James (lead vocals, guitar), Tom Blankenship (bass), Patrick Hallahan (drums, percussion), Bo Koster (keyboards, percussion, backing vocals) and Carl Broemel (guitar, pedal steel guitar, saxophone, backing vocals) completely blew me away after a three-night run at The Wiltern in LA with a unique opener — featuring Portugal. The Man, Iron & Wine and Shabazz Palaces — and setlist (inspired by fan requests submitted online) each night serving as the impetus for the Louisville-bred band’s “Spontaneous Curation Series.” The five-piece by that point was in between albums, having already released 2011’s Circuital almost 18 months earlier and toured the country in support of it, and the circumstances in the 415 felt similar with 2021’s self-titled marking the group’s last proper studio effort (unless you are counting MMJ’s holiday-themed LP entitled Happy Holiday! that they released in late November comprised mostly of Christmas carols plus two originals).

The weeks in May leading up to The Fillmore were certainly bittersweet. After all, this wasn’t supposed to be the first time I was seeing Jacket since their rescheduled — thanks to Tropical Storm Hilary — co-headlining date with Fleet Foxes at the Hollywood Bowl in August (read our show review here) after two sold-out gigs at Red Rocks (read our show review here). That was intended to be the first week of May instead of the last one, when they were scheduled to lead the third and final day of BeachLife Festival with ZZ Top, Fleet Foxes and Trey Anastasio & Classic TAB also rounding out an excellent lineup. But after covering the event’s first two days in Redondo Beach (read our festival review here), the final four hours were unexpectedly canceled — and many would say prematurely — due to a high-wind advisory.

In the matter of an hour, the only LA date that MMJ had slated for this year had been completely wiped from the record. The decision had already been made, and with the staff and security being sent home and an earlier curfew for Sunday in place, there was no way all the remaining artists could still perform. Attendees left that day visibly frustrated and angry with the fest’s organizers for calling it off so quickly, considering the wind had died down by 7 p.m. with time left on the clock. Subsequently, we have been wondering in the aftermath why BeachLife doesn’t target a weekend in June or another summer month rather than early May when it’s not exactly “beach weather” — unless you think daytime temperatures that peak in the mid-60’s and high winds of 45-50 mph is for some reason.

Is there any chance MMJ will eventually announce a makeup date for their SoCal-based fans? No one knows right now, but alas, there we were driving along Interstate 5 through California’s Central Valley a few weeks later, excited and gratified to be making the roughly 800-mile trek roundtrip to catch them at least on one occasion in 2024 and use that, on a personal level, as a way to celebrate the beginning of a new decade. Assuredly it helps when the weather in the Bay Area cooperates over the course of your stay, and with warm, sunny days filling the forecast, the stars were finally starting to slowly align after the disappointment we had recently experienced at BeachLife. Because when I walked up those burgundy-colored carpeted stairs at The Fillmore for the first time and was greeted by hundreds of old photos and posters plus a large bucket of apples (we can’t confirm if they were organic even if they passed our taste test), I could immediately feel the history of the place. And in the leadup to these shows, I had curiously spent some time learning more about Bill Graham and became fascinated with his backstory as I dived deeper into it. The legendary promoter whose mother placed him in an orphanage that helped Graham escape Nazi Germany has been credited with hosting some of rock ‘n’ roll’s most legendary musicians — Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, the Doors and Otis Redding — as the counterculture movement in the 60’s exploded all across Western civilization. Whether it’s the iconic Jerry Garcia photo that greets you at the top of the staircase on your way to the Poster Room or the bevy of ornate chandeliers that hang above the hardwood dance floor, there’s nothing quite like an evening at The Fillmore. It has been said that Graham wanted to make patrons believe as if they were hanging out in his own personal living room, and the warm, friendly staff we encountered matched the auditorium’s cozy vibe that he created thanks to entrepreneur and businessman Charles Sullivan, who owned the property’s master lease in 1965 and let him use his dance hall permit to put on concerts.

Holding only 1,315 guests, the former Majestic Hall built in 1912 is easily the smallest music venue that I have ever seen MMJ play. While they have never quite reached the level of an arena or stadium act like other popular rock bands, any room under a couple of thousand folks would be considered an “intimate” setting for them at this point in their 25-year-plus history. Between the live music industry shutting down during the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing demands of touring upon its resumption however, you also won’t find Jacket throwing down three- and four-night runs with much regularity nowadays outside of their own destination festival One Big Holiday in Mexico and a select few U.S. cities such as Denver and Chicago where some of the highest fan concentration in the MMJ community exists. That’s not to say there aren’t plenty who traveled great distances to arrive at the corner of Geary Blvd. and Fillmore St. on the edge of Japantown. One couple I met, in fact, came all the way from northeast Pennsylvania to catch all four performances, and that’s the kind of dedication you will see from longtime enthusiasts and loyal listeners.

But considering the setlists that were assembled, no one could have asked for much more when the final note of “Wordless Chorus” was struck. After an opening night that boasted a myriad of highlights, including “Master Plan” with a “China Cat Sunflower” tag as an ode to the Dead, a stretched-out “Only Memories Remain” that reached the 14-minute mark, the first “Librarian” since March 2018 and a Bob Dylan cover of “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” during the encore, there were more Fillmore fireworks on Night 2 when James and company broke into Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon” and later offered up “I Get Around” from The Beach Boys, which we were hoping to hear at BeachLife since MMJ performed the 1964 single last year during the GRAMMY’s televised tribute for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band. Yet, I knew Jacket would save some of their biggest bangers for the last two shows in SF and we can only imagine the 48-hour break between Nights 2 and 3 provided some necessary respite before they dove into another round of jams to unleash only the fourth “If It Smashes Down” ever, extend “Steam Engine” for a whopping 18 minutes, bring back “By My Car” for the first time in almost five years and close with a huge “Phone Went West” that included Journey’s “Lights” interpolated midway through.

That collection of songs would satisfy most Jacket fans on any given night, but I was sure they would save their best for last — and by “best,” I mean “Dondante” without a doubt. The Z finale has been my favorite MMJ tune for quite a while, and the nearly 22-minute version they uncorked at The Fillmore was by far the best (no pun intended) one I have witnessed out of four. You could tell by the end of it that the capacity crowd, having already been gifted “Cobra” at the onset as well as a cover of George Harrison’s “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)” earlier, was officially on cloud nine. Something special had seemingly happened in that moment and nothing could bring us down to Earth from that point forward — only making James’ ensuing “State of the Art (A.E.I.O.U.)” all the more powerful to experience live (you would have thought “the power is going out” from the way they played it with such fervor) along with the apropos live debut of Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay”, which was written following the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival in a Sausalito houseboat the “King of Soul” rented. The three-time Grammy nominees, on the other hand, have always made a point to mix in covers that correspond to a particular time or place, and this was one that couldn’t have been more perfect for the moment. It was just another example of what has us coming back around time and time again … and ultimately why we will have our fingers crossed for that makeup date in LA.

MAY 27TH

Setlist:
At Dawn
O Is the One That Is Real
Master Plan (with “China Cat Sunflower” by Grateful Dead tag)
Mahgeetah
Rollin Back
Run It
Evelyn Is Not Real
Carried Away (Carl Broemel song) (“Just My Imagination” by The Temptations tag)
Only Memories Remain
A New Life (Jim James song)
You Wanna Freak Out
Outta My System
Honest Man
Librarian (last played 3/5/2018; “Let’s Live for Today” by The Grass Roots tag)
What a Wonderful Man (preceded by a Jim solo version on omnichord)
In Its Infancy (The Waterfall)
Holdin On to Black Metal
Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 1
Here in Spirit (Jim James song)
Love Love Love

Encore:
Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan cover)
Feel You
Gideon
Dancefloors (with “China Cat Sunflower” and “China Cat Sunflower” > “I Know You Rider” by Grateful Dead transition teases)

MAY 28TH

Setlist:
In Color
It’s About Twilight Now
Strangulation! (instrumental intro due to technical difficulties)
War Begun
Slow Slow Tune
The Way That He Sings
X-Mas Curtain
Never in the Real World
How Could I Know (Oxen)
I Will Sing You Songs
Harvest Moon (Neil Young cover)
Come Closer
I Think I’m Going to Hell
Victory Dance
Aluminum Park
I Get Around (The Beach Boys cover)
Anytime

Encore:
Old Sept. Blues (with “Sleep Walk” by Santo & Johnny during intro)
It Beats 4 U
Spring (Among the Living) (with “Dear Prudence” by The Beatles tag)
One Big Holiday

MAY 30TH

Setlist:
Regularly Scheduled Programming
Compound Fracture
Off the Record
Tropics (Erase Traces)
Death Is the Easy Way
If It Smashes Down (only performed live three times & last played on 3/2/2018)
The Dark
Lowdown
Climbing the Ladder
Least Expected
Penny for Your Thoughts
Steam Engine
By My Car (last played 08/09/2019)
I’m Amazed
Picture of You
Believe (Nobody Knows)
Lay Low
Wasted

Encore:
Sooner
Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going to Be a Long, Long Time) (Elton John cover)
Smokin’ From Shootin’
Phone Went West (“Lights” by Journey interpolation > Phone Went West)

MAY 31ST

Setlist:
Cobra
If All Else Fails
Golden
Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth) (George Harrison cover)
Circuital
Easy Morning Rebel
Nashville to Kentucky
Like a River
Thank You Too!
Lucky to Be Alive
Evil Urges
Dondante
State of the Art (A.E.I.O.U.) (Jim James song)
Remnants
Run Thru

Encore:
Highly Suspicious
Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2
(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay (Otis Redding cover) (Live debut)
Wordless Chorus

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, First Times, Live Music Reviews, Show Experience Tagged With: BeachLife Festival, BeachLife Festival 2024, Bob Dylan, BottleRock, BottleRock 2024, BottleRock Napa, BottleRock Napa 2024, Carl Broemel, Elton John, Fleet Foxes, George Harrison, grateful dead, Iron & Wine, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, Jim James, Jimi Hendrix, Journey, Monterey Pop Festival 2017, My Morning Jacket, Neil Young, Otis Redding, Outside Lands, Outside Lands Music Festival, Portugal. The Man, Poster Room, Poster Room at The Fillmore, Santo & Johnny, Shabazz Palaces, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Doors, The Fillmore, The Grass Roots, The Who, TIMF, Treasure Island Music Festival, Trey Anastasio, Trey Anastasio & Classic TAB, ZZ Top

BeachLife Festival 2024: A bittersweet ending to an otherwise fun weekend of live music in Redondo Beach

May 15, 2024 by Josh Herwitt 5 Comments

Photos by Josh Herwitt, Melissa Herwitt & courtesy of BeachLife Festival // Written by Josh Herwitt //

BeachLife Festival //
Seaside Lagoon – Redondo Beach, CA
May 3rd-5th, 2024 //

If you live in the greater Los Angeles area and are reading this, you probably already know that the city’s live music scene has centered around the bevy of arenas, amphitheaters, clubs, theaters, stadiums and other entertainment spaces spread all across it — from Miracle Mile to Highland Park and everywhere in between those neighborhoods.

With major concert promoters like Goldenvoice and Live Nation owning and operating the majority of LA’s music venues for a while now, making it in this “town” of more than 12 million is no easy task for younger players without the same level of connections and resources.

But when BeachLife Festival announced its inaugural edition in 2019 and picked Redondo Beach as its home, the South Bay’s entertainment portfolio was immediately raised. The coastal region consisting of 16 cities along Santa Monica Bay’s southern stretch has held a deep connection to hardcore punk ever since such legendary bands as Black Flag, Descendents and Circle Jerks emerged in the late 70’s and were followed by Redd Kross and Pennywise in the subsequent 80’s.

Redondo Beach, more specifically, has not been known as a major destination for live music despite its proximity to the rest of LA, and though the Saint Rocke remains just steps away in Hermosa Beach, the diminutive room that holds less than 300 guests has mostly served as a home for up-and-coming artists. But by booking All-Star talent in the form of Bob Weir, Brian Wilson and Willie Nelson to lead BeachLife’s first run at Seaside Lagoon, co-founders Allen Sanford and Rob Lissner had quickly demonstrated to the South Bay community at large that they really meant business.

Fast forward five years later following a global pandemic, and BeachLife is still going strong. The three-day music festival offers a laidback, family-friendly atmosphere perfect for the ages 35-65 demographic. These aren’t the vibes you will find almost 150 miles east out at Coachella only a few weeks earlier, but there’s still a lot of great music — albeit tailored for an older, less boisterous crowd — to catch whether you enjoy rock, reggae, country, funk, soul, folk, hip-hop or old-school electronic.

As newcomers to BeachLife, we have been impressed with every roster but were particularly enticed by this year’s lineup after Sting, Incubus and one of our favorite live acts, My Morning Jacket, were tapped as headliners. And for the festival’s first two days, things went fairly well from a programming standpoint. Donovan Frankenreiter & G. Love, City and Colour, Seal and Dirty Heads warmed us up over the course of Day 1 before Sting’s hits-laden set that any fan of The Police would have enjoyed took us all back in time. From there, Pepper, Santigold, Local Natives and Devo turned the dial up a few notches on Day 2 that led to an electric, career-spanning performance by Incubus — complete with covers of The Beatles “Come Together”, Portishead’s “Glory Box” and David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” along with a snippet of The Doors’ “Riders on the Storm” during “Are You In?” — and reminded us why we became huge fans of the Calabasas group dating back to its major-label debut S.C.I.E.N.C.E. in 1997.

Then we got to Day 3, which was the one we were unquestionably looking forward to the most. And after St. Paul and The Broken Bones’ set on the Hightide Stage and Margo Price’s on the Lowtide Stage had lifted our spirits under the shining sun, we were giddy over what was supposed to be a rockin’ finish that had ZZ Top, Fleet Foxes, Trey Anastasio & Classic TAB and MMJ lined up … until they weren’t.

Because as we waited prior to 5:30 p.m. for Fleet Foxes to hit the stage, the wind began to pick up and swirl in a way that felt a bit uncomfortable and prompted me to throw on a sweatshirt. Within minutes of doing so, BeachLife’s security team had jumped on the PA system and asked everyone to evacuate for one hour due to a high-wind emergency. While getting everyone to vacate the premises proved to be a challenging endeavor for organizers, the news that would follow on social media prior to 7 p.m. was an absolute gut punch to those of us who sought an answer outside the gates. What made the revelation that the remainder of event had been canceled even more painful to accept was the fact that the winds had completely died down, leading to a host of sarcastic comments as people left the site. We certainly understood the concern for safety, but in retrospect, there wasn’t enough transparency and explanation surrounding the decision — considering there was also Sunday’s earlier curfew time to factor in — until days later. Couple that with the poor media accommodations we witnessed but won’t get into here, and we will confess there’s still plenty of room for improvement going into Year 6.

It has taken some time for the initial shock to wear off, and in the aftermath, BeachLife has tried to “turn lemons into lemonade” by recently offering refunds. Of course no one wanted to see a fun weekend end in that fashion, but the gesture should reassure attendees that they can count on Sanford and Lissner to do the right thing when Mother Nature unexpectedly interrupts the party. We would recommend moving the dates to June when the weather is warmer and more predictable as well, even if that’s outside of our jurisdiction and not the feedback they want to hear (we only mentioned it because we want the best for BeachLife and the opportunity to fully experience the festival from start to finish).

That might not have been in the cards on this go-around, yet come 2025, we already know we will be anxiously anticipating the next one no matter what changes are implemented.

BeachLife Festival 2024 - Bedouin Soundclash

BeachLife Festival 2024 - Abraham Alexander

BeachLife Festival 2024 - Donovan Frankenreiter

BeachLife Festival 2024 - City and Colour

BeachLife Festival 2024 - The Expendables

BeachLife Festival 2024 - Paul Oakenfold

BeachLife Festival 2024 - St. Paul & The Broken Bones

BeachLife Festival 2024 - Courtney Barnett

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Festival Reviews, Festivals Tagged With: 7 Seconds, Abraham Alexander, ALL, Asiatica, Atlas Genius, BeachLife Festival, BeachLife Festival 2024, Bedouin Soundclash, Black Flag, bob weir, Brian Wilson, Chase Petra, Chevy Metal, Circle Jerks, City and Colour, Coachella, Coachella Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Courtney Barnett, Cydeways, David Bowie, Descendents, Devo, Dirty Heads, donavon frankenreiter, Epic Records, Fleet Foxes, G. Love, G. Love & Donavon Frankenreiter, G. Love & Special Sauce, Gaby Moreno, Grace McKagan, Immortal Records, Incubus, It's OK!, Jen Pop, Jon Snodgrass, Jordana, Kevin Seconds, Local Natives, Margo Price, My Morning Jacket, Pennywise, Pepper, Phish, Portishead, Redd Kross, Saint Rocke, Santigold, Sashamon, Saxon Weiss, Scott Reynolds, Seal, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Steel Pulse, Sting, Sugar Ray, Sun Room, Surfer Blood, The Beatles, The Bombpops, The Doors, The Expendables, The Last, The Police, The Rookies, The Samples, The Vandals, Tito Puente Jr., Trey Anastasio, Trey Anastasio & Classic TAB, Trey Anastasio Band, Wall of Sound, Warren Fitzgerald, Willie Nelson, ZZ Top

BeachLife Festival celebrates five years in 2024 with an impressive roster headlined by Sting, Incubus & My Morning Jacket

January 19, 2024 by Josh Herwitt 4 Comments

BeachLife Festival //
Seaside Lagoon – Redondo Beach, CA
May 3rd-5th, 2024 //

It might not feel like beach weather out there right now, but you know what they always say … spring will be here before you know it!

And with BeachLife Festival revealing plans for its fifth edition, those of us in Southern California have something to look forward to in a few months. This time the three-day music festival follows Coachella, which was a week behind schedule releasing its lineup for this year, in announcing a roster that again celebrates rock ‘n’ roll but also features a variety of other genres — from pop and reggae to jam, funk and punk.

Receiving top billing for the 2024 installment of BeachLife will be Sting, Incubus and My Morning Jacket while an undercard led by Dirty Heads, Devo and Trey Anastasio & Classic TAB packs plenty of punch. It’s also the second festival in the past two weeks that has included MMJ on the poster after BottleRock got the party started in the new year with the first lineup announcement.

📷 BeachLife Festival May 3-5, 2024 "Are You In?" 📷

Tickets on sale now! https://t.co/1vES7FNs0h pic.twitter.com/siAZiMckaD

— BeachLifeFestival (@BeachLifeFest) January 19, 2024

Some of the other highlights taking the stage at Redondo Beach’s waterfront, meanwhile, include Seal, Local Natives, Fleet Foxes, City and Colour, Santigold, ZZ Top, Courtney Barnett, G. Love & Donavon Frankenreiter, Pepper, Margo Price, Steel Pulse, Chevy Metal, Sugar Ray, St. Paul & the Broken Bones and Atlas Genius, but you can take a peek at the poster above to see who else will be performing during the first weekend of May.

Plus, guests can get extra bougie with the unique opportunity to sit on the main stage and eat a four-course meal as part of the DAOU SideStage Experience like the fest has offered previously in 2021, 2022 and 2023. That’s definitely one way to make some lasting memories with your friends!

Ready to sink your toes into the sand? Well, tickets are actually already on sale here! Three-day GA and GA+ passes are listed at $399 or $549, and VIP is available for $899 as well as single-day tickets set for $159 (GA), $229 (GA+) and $399 (VIP). If you’re looking to splurge though, there’s a three-day Admirals pass starting at $995 or a Captain’s pass for a whopping $3,099 and $1,349 (single-day). See you down at the beach for BeachLife!

UPDATE (April 5th): Set times are here, and boy, let us just say … this is looking like a spicy weekend of live music! If you haven’t picked up your BeachLife tickets yet, you can still grab three-day GA passes here but supplies are running low with three-day GA+ and Admirals passes having already sold out.

Filed Under: Featured, Festivals Tagged With: 7 Seconds, Abraham Alexander, ALL, Asiatica, Atlas Genius, BeachLife Festival, BeachLife Festival 2024, Bedouin Soundclash, Chase Petra, Chevy Metal, City and Colour, Coachella, Coachella 2024, Coachella Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Music and Arts Festival 2024, Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival 2024, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2024, Courtney Barnett, Cydeways, Devo, Dirty Heads, donavon frankenreiter, Fleet Foxes, G. Love, G. Love & Donavon Frankenreiter, G. Love & Special Sauce, Gaby Moreno, Grace McKagan, Incubus, It's OK!, Jen Pop, Jon Snodgrass, Jordana, Kevin Seconds, Local Natives, Margo Price, My Morning Jacket, Pepper, Phish, Santigold, Sashamon, Saxon Weiss, Scott Reynolds, Seal, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Steel Pulse, Sting, Sugar Ray, Sun Room, Surfer Blood, The Bombpops, The Expendables, The Last, The Police, The Rookies, The Samples, The Vandals, Tito Puente Jr., Trey Anastasio, Trey Anastasio & Classic TAB, Trey Anastasio Band, Wall of Sound, Warren Fitzgerald, ZZ Top

The Bam Team’s 5 Favorite Shows, Albums & Songs of 2023

December 30, 2023 by The Bam Team 3 Comments

It’s hard to believe that 2023 marked the first time since Earth was rocked by a global pandemic three years ago that COVID-19 was no longer a public health emergency. After everything we have endured since 2020, we could finally breathe (no pun intended) a sigh of relief. And over the last 12 months, the live music industry continued its recovery, with fans packing stadiums, arenas, amphitheaters, theaters, bars and clubs all around the world to experience one of life’s great pleasures.

Seeing people come together to celebrate music — no matter where it is — is always a beautiful thing to witness, and we feel fortunate to have been there for some stellar moments in live music this year while also sharing many in this space. There was a three-hour marathon by King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, the long-awaited return of Mr. Bungle and Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade to the road (and stage), Goose winning over new fans and Run the Jewels commemorating their 10th anniversary with a star-studded residency tour to name only a few of them.

But with coronavirus in the rearview mirror and 2024 arriving soon, it’s time for us to uncork our annual “Best of” lists as we have done since this blog first started (see our 2022 picks here). As we always say, we will be the first to admit we didn’t attend every show or hear all of the albums released in 2023, but recapping the year that was can be still a fun and yet challenging exercise, too.

So, without further ado, Showbams presents The Bam Team’s five favorite shows, albums and songs from 2023.

Listen to The Bam Team’s favorite songs of 2023:

My Morning Jacket - Red Rocks Amphitheatre

My Morning Jacket with M. Ward at Red Rocks Amphitheatre // Photo by Josh Herwitt

Josh Herwitt // Los Angeles

Top 5 Shows of 2023
1. My Morning Jacket at Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Morrison, CO – August 25th-26th
Picking the same band at the same music venue around the same time on the calendar for the second straight year might not seem all that interesting to those who happen to be reading this. But having the opportunity to photograph one of my favorite bands at one of the world’s best places to catch a concert was too special not to highlight here. From Jim James showing up early to play with M. Ward during his opening sets to the latter sitting in with the Louisville-bred outfit both nights, MMJ shows at Red Rocks just hit a little bit different and 2023 was no exception. Friday’s performance marked the first of several dates to honor the 20th anniversary of It Still Moves, while Saturday’s was particularly memorable this year with a cover of Traffic’s “Feelin’ Alright?” featuring a guest appearance by Nathaniel Rateliff and a four-part “Cobra” sandwich during the encore that reminded us how magical taking in a concert can be at “the birth canal of the universe” as James calls it.

2. Queens of the Stone Age at The Forum – Inglewood, CA – December 16th
3. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard at Hollywood Bowl – Los Angeles, CA – June 21st
4. Jack White at The Belasco – Los Angeles, CA – January 13th
5. Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade at The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA – July 14th

Top 5 Albums of 2023
1. Queens of the Stone Age – In Times New Roman…
The last few years have been filled with a tidal wave of emotional pain for Josh Homme. From his public divorce and custody battle to the deaths of friends and colleagues, it’s not surprising that the lead single on Queens of the Stone Age’s eighth studio album was entitled “Emotion Sickness”. But the fact that the 10-track LP didn’t make the cut for any year-end consideration by most of the major music media outlets is almost unconscionable to me. Regardless of what they think, In Times New Roman… to us is another masterpiece with Homme showcasing more vulnerability than we have ever seen from him before. Plus, after 25 years we can’t imagine finding a better cast of sidekicks in modern rock than what Queens have with Troy Van Leeuwen (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Michael Shuman (bass, keyboards, backing vocals), Dean Fertita (keyboards, guitar, backing vocals) and Jon Theodore (drums, percussion). There are only a few great rock bands out there that are still innovating and pushing boundaries, and In Times New Roman… proved QOTSA are once again unquestionably one of them.

2. Gorillaz – Cracker Island
3. Royal Blood – Back to the Water Below
4. Say She She – Silver
5. Slowdive – everything is alive

Top 5 Songs of 2023
1. Queens of the Stone Age – “Paper Machete”
As much as I liked the first two singles that were released off In Times New Roman…, it was the third hit that became an instant earworm for me this past summer. “Paper Machete” is the album’s shortest track at slightly more than three minutes, but it has that old-school QOTSA sound from Homme’s early days in the stoner-rock group Kyuss and a killer guitar solo by Van Leeuwen we would be remiss not to mention. And though some might consider it to be a diss track if there ever was one in rock ‘n’ roll, we will say that the lyrics beautifully paint a picture of “pain and misery” — as Homme sings toward the song’s finish line — in a metaphorical sense. Who said you need a lot of time to make a statement? Not Homme (or us).

2. Gorillaz – “Cracker Island” feat. Thundercat
3. Royal Blood – “Tell Me When It’s Too Late”
4. The Chemical Brothers – “No Reason”
5. Explosions in the Sky – “Moving On”

Andrew Pohl // San Francisco

Top 5 Shows of 2023
1. Botch at The Regency Ballroom – San Francisco, CA – December 12th
Holy hell, this show left me with zero face…. like, my face was not present afterwards. Both opener Kowloon Walled City and Botch dished out massive sets of music that thankfully sounded crisp, even given the Regency’s typical boomy nature. This was Botch’s last show of their reunion tour, and they showed zero signs of wear, delivering an incredible performance. Fun point of the night was Botch bassist Brian Cook calling out members of the crowd who claim to have attended their shows at Gilman Street and The Stork Club back in the day, saying “you’re lying because NO ONE was there.” Can you imagine that?

2. Sunny Day Real Estate at The Regency Ballroom – San Francisco, CA – April 8th
3. Hammered Hulls at The Ivy Room – Albany, CA – May 5th
4. The Postal Service & Death Cab for Cutie at The Greek Theatre – Berkeley, CA – October 10th
5. High Vis at Neck of the Woods – San Francisco, CA – July 30th

Top 5 Albums of 2023
1. Samiam – Stowaway
I knew that Samiam were going to be releasing new music this year, and I was already really hyped to hear it. Stowaway sees the band picking up right where they left off, with catchy, singalong choruses and a masterclass in post-hardcore musicality. It’s a tremendous effort from a band that already has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that it knows how to create incredible LPs.

2. Paint It Black – Famine
3. Flying Raccoon Suit – Moonflower
4. Snooper – Super Snõõper
5. Black Pumas – Chronicles of a Diamond

Top 5 Songs of 2023
1. Militarie Gun – “Very High”
2023 was a huge year for Militarie Gun. Their new album is a monster and made my Top 10, but this track may have been the one that stuck with me the most over the last 12 months. It’s got a killer hook and has that always welcome “all killer, no filler” quality to it. The chorus captures a bit of a Stone Roses essence without sounding like they are aping that sound at all. Overall, my feel good hit of the summer — and entire year.

2. Samiam – “Crystalized”
3. Fat Heaven – “Quarter Life Crisis”
4. The Blackburns – “Chill City Population You”
5. Cory Hanson – “Wings”

Tierra Whack at The Broad // Photo by Joseph Gray

Rochelle Shipman // Los Angeles

Top 5 Shows of 2023
1. Ron Gallo at Gold-Diggers – Los Angeles, CA – September 21st
I caught about 60 seconds of Gallo’s set at South by Southwest in a rush to a different stage, and those few seconds played on a loop in my mind for weeks. Six months later, I finally got a chance to see the Philadelphia garage-rock star up close, and he blew what little was left of my mind with some relatable hard truths and a blazing performance. It was somehow both perfectly measured and chaotic; he even shredded using a barstool as his guitar pick at one point.

2. Little Simz at The Novo – Los Angeles, CA – October 3rd
3. Kari Faux at The Echo – Los Angeles, CA – November 7th
4. Tierra Whack at The Broad – Los Angeles, CA – August 26th
5. The Cure at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre – Chula Vista, CA – May 20th

Top 5 Albums of 2023
1. Little Simz – NO THANK YOU
Technically a mid-December surprise release in 2022, this album got cheated out of inclusion on any year-end list so I’m making it right. It’s an absolute fireball follow-up to 2022’s Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, and if it wasn’t crystal clear before, Little Simz is here to stay. Fingers crossed that she will have mercy on us and keep rolling out some of the other bangers in the vault she has been hoarding.

2. Ron Gallo – FOREGROUND MUSIC
3. Islands – And That’s Why Dolphins Lost Their Legs
4. Avey Tare – 7s
5. Noname – Sundial

Top 5 Songs of 2023
1. Tele Novella – “Hard-Hearted Way”
There’s something about the magic in Natalie Ribbons’ voice that makes you feel like the main character in the newest Wes Anderson movie. It’s whimsical and romantic, bringing a sweetness to a song that’s named after being anything but. Not a single track is worth a skip on the Texas duo’s newest LP Poet’s Tooth, but this one remains a strong and emotional standout.

2. Little Simz – “Gorilla”
3. Ron Gallo – “AT LEAST I’M DANCING”
4. Lando Chill – “Believe Me Lonely”
5. slowthai – “Never Again”

Filed Under: Best of, Best of 2023, Editor's Picks, Featured Tagged With: Avey Tare, Black Pumas, Botch, Death Cab For Cutie, Flying Raccoon Suit, Gold-Diggers, Greek Theatre Berkeley, Hammered Hulls, High Vis, Hollywood Bowl, Islands, Jack White, Kari Faux, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Kyuss, Lando Chill, Les Claypool, Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, Little Simz, My Morning Jacket, Neck of the Woods, Noname, North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre, Paint It Black, Queens of the Stone Age, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Ron Gallo, Royal Blood, Run The Jewels, Samiam, Say She She, Slowdive, slowthai, Snooper, South by Southwest, Sunny Day Real Estate, Tele Novella, The Belasco, The Broad, The Broad Museum, The Cure, The Echo, The Forum, The Ivy Room, The Novo, The Postal Service, The Regency Ballroom, The Stone Roses, The Wiltern, Tierra Whack

The Revivalists live up to their new album ‘Pour It Out Into the Night’ at LA’s Greek Theatre while on tour with Band of Horses

September 13, 2023 by Josh Herwitt 2 Comments

The Revivalists

By Josh Herwitt //

The Revivalists & Band of Horses with The Heavy Heavy //
Greek Theatre – Los Angeles
September 10th, 2023 //

It was only a couple of weeks ago when we mentioned that a great co-headline bill on a warm summer evening in Southern California can be a fun and unique way to experience live music. Well, it wouldn’t be very long before our next opportunity arrived in my inbox.

My Morning Jacket and Fleet Foxes at the Hollywood Bowl (read our show review here) was one pairing this year that we had circled on our calendar, but there have been several others worth catching of late, including The Revivalists and Band of Horses as they proved at LA’s Greek Theatre on a Sunday night.

Hot off the release of a fifth studio album, The Revivalists came into town primed to make memories with their Pour It Out Into the Night material for the mostly capacity crowd that greeted the octet comprised of David Shaw (lead vocals, guitar), Zack Feinberg (guitar), Ed Williams (pedal steel guitar), Rob Ingraham (saxophone), Andrew Campanelli (drums, percussion), Paulet “PJ” Howard (drums, percussion), George Gekas (bass) and Michael Girardot (keyboards, trumpet).

Band of Horses

The 12-track Pour It Out Into the Night dropped in June, and since then The Revivalists have been filling venues — whether it’s the Greek or Red Rocks (read our First Times coverage here) — and performing at major U.S. music festivals such as Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza. A solid chunk of the new LP has been featured throughout the New Orleans group’s live show, representing almost half of its gig in LA, as well-executed covers of Radiohead’s “High and Dry” from The Bends plus Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ 1980 hit “Refugee” punctuated a two-encore performance.

As interested as I was to hear each co-headliner, it was a little surprising to learn that The Revivalists were allotted more time than BoH. I expected that The Revivalists would go last and close things out, primarily because they were listed at the top of the tour’s poster, but BoH have been around longer and have higher metrics across most social media channels as well as music streaming services.

None of that, however, seemed to bother BoH leader Ben Bridwell, who appeared to be in fine spirits when he and his four henchmen — Creighton Barrett (drums, percussion), Ryan Monroe (keyboards, guitar, backing vocals), Matt Gentling (bass, backing vocals) and the band’s most recent addition Brett Nash (guitar, backing vocals), who replaced Ian MacDougall at the start of last year — walked onstage around 7:15 p.m. to a roaring applause from the mixed-aged audience, most of which had filed into its seats by the time The Heavy Heavy had wrapped up their 30-minute opening set.

The Revivalists

Being the project’s only continuous member, Bridwell has maintained a sound and vibe for BoH that’s uniquely his. It’s not just Southern rock or indie rock or folk rock — it’s all three thrown into a blender. For me, there is something about his voice that has always captured my attention since the Grammy nominees’ debut full-length Everything All the Time. It’s what helped separate themselves during their early days in Seattle amid a competitive scene that only continues to grow with each passing day as more new indie-folk acts emerge.

Now several records later, BoH are sitting on their sixth entitled Things Are Great that came out more than 18 months ago via BMG and marked their longest gap between releases after Why Are You OK landed in 2016 on Interscope (BoH have signed to several labels over the years). Bridwell has had to account for numerous lineup changes along the way, yet he still knows how to keep things exciting for fans by switching up the setlist regularly and working in a cover, whether it’s INXS, Brooks & Dunn or even The Stooges. This was only the fourth time in 2023, for instance, that “Our Swords” was played, which sees Bridwell swap his guitar for a bass on the deep cut and croon about stepping on toes in a purportedly metaphorical sense.

By the time The Revivalists unleashed their chart-topping single “Wish I Knew You” as we neared the finish line, there was no doubt that packaging them together with BoH on the same tour was a strong move. I have enjoyed ruminating about and discussing which artists or bands should share the stage, and although this wasn’t one that specifically came to mind, it assuredly worked. Was it a total match made in musical heaven? Probably not. Would Trombone Shorty have made more sense to pair with The Revivalists considering his ties to the Big Easy? Maybe so, but any reason to spend a few hours hanging out at the Greek, especially with two bands of this caliber, is a good enough one for me.

THE REVIVALISTS

Setlist:
Good Old Days
Don’t Look Back
The Long Con
It Was a Sin
Down in the Dirt
Catching Fireflies
Soulfight
Otherside of Paradise
All My Friends
How We Move
Pour It Out Into the Night
High and Dry (Radiohead cover)
You and I
Celebration

Encore #1:
Only You
Wish I Knew You
Kid (with The Heavy Heavy)

Encore #2:
Refugee (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers cover)

BAND OF HORSES

Setlist:
Is There a Ghost
The Great Salt Lake
Hag
Crutch
Laredo
Lights
Never Tear Us Apart (INXS cover)
Casual Party
Warning Signs
No One’s Gonna Love You
Our Swords
Ode to LRC
The Funeral
The General Specific

THE HEAVY HEAVY

Setlist:
Man of the Hills
Go Down River
All My Dreams
Cherry
Dirt
One of a Kind
Miles and Miles

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Photos Tagged With: Band of Horses, Bonnaroo, Brooks & Dunn, Fleet Foxes, Greek Theatre, Hollywood Bowl, INXS, Lollapalooza, My Morning Jacket, Radiohead, The Heavy Heavy, The Revivalists, The Stooges, Tom Petty, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Trombone Shorty, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue

My Morning Jacket & Fleet Foxes don’t let a tropical storm stop them from eventually sharing the stage at the Hollywood Bowl

September 4, 2023 by Josh Herwitt 3 Comments

By Josh Herwitt //

My Morning Jacket & Fleet Foxes //
Hollywood Bowl – Los Angeles
August 28th, 2023 //

When I was invited to photograph my first show at the Hollywood Bowl more than seven years ago now (read our review here), I already understood how special it is for those who have the opportunity to play under the amphitheater’s iconic bandshell.

As I explained back then, any artist or band with a headlining date at the historic music venue can officially say that they have “made it” and nothing has ever changed there. But for a group like My Morning Jacket that has been around 25 years, performing at one of LA’s most prized possessions carries a little extra weight.

That’s because the Louisville-bred rockers were so inspired by the place more than two decades ago that they chose a photo of it to serve as the cover artwork for their sophomore LP At Dawn.

“Something about its otherworldly shape spoke such magic,” MMJ recently shared on social media.

My Morning Jacket

And yet, somehow Jim James (lead vocals, guitar), Tom Blankenship (bass), Patrick Hallahan (drums, percussion), Bo Koster (keyboards, percussion, backing vocals) and Carl Broemel (guitar, pedal steel guitar, saxophone, backing vocals) had never taken the stage at the Bowl despite plenty of trips to the City of Angels in the past.

Because as much as things have changed for Jacket since 2001, let’s be real: the three-time Grammy nominees still aren’t popular enough anywhere, let alone Southern California, to fill the 17,500-person landmark on their own. MMJ would be lucky to sell half that number of tickets, especially on a Monday night after Tropical Storm Hilary postponed the event’s originally scheduled date more than a week.

The folks at KCRW fortunately had the answer. Finding a suitable partner in Fleet Foxes to pair with MMJ, the NPR member station assembled a co-headline bill that was one of the most enticing we’ve seen in a while. The Bowl can certainly offer them with its massive capacity, and we have attended a few good ones over the years — from 90’s alt-rock outfits Nine Inch Nails and Soundgarden to 2000’s indie darlings Grizzly Bear and TV on the Radio (read our show review here). Nevertheless, we can’t say it doesn’t come with some drawbacks.

There’s something about sitting at a rock concert that doesn’t feel right to me, and fresh off MMJ’s two sold-out shows at Red Rocks (read our review here) over the weekend that saw them surpass the two-hour mark both nights, it was quite a stark contrast to what we experienced in Colorado with most fans there standing from Row 1 to Row 70. The “wine and cheese” crowd in LA, on the other hand, couldn’t be bothered to get out of their seats for much of the night. James and company didn’t let that stop them from closing their 2023 summer tour with a powerful set, though — even if it was only 75 minutes. “Off the Record” and “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2” got extended outros, and “Wonderful (The Way I Feel)” with Fleet Foxes frontman Robin Pecknold was a treat. It’s not everyday that you get to hear two of the best voices in music today collaborating onstage together, and moments like those always feel in retrospect a little extra special to witness.

Fleet Foxes

Speaking of Fleet Foxes, this wasn’t our first time catching them at the Bowl. A co-headline performance with Beach House in 2017 actually served as our first encounter, and it just so happened that it was also the indie-folk act’s Bowl debut.

Pecknold (lead vocals, guitar) and his four sidekicks Skyler Skjelset (guitar, mandolin, backing vocals), Casey Wescott (keyboards, mandolin, backing vocals), Christian Wargo (bass, guitar, backing vocals) and Morgan Henderson (upright bass, guitar, woodwinds, violin, percussion, saxophone), plus touring member Christopher Icasiano (drums, percussion) and New York-based brass quartet The Westerlies, had no problem filling the stage and the space with their beautiful harmonies and thoughtful lyrics. And after last summer’s sold-out gig at the Greek Theatre (read our show review here), it’s clear that 2020’s Shore has not only offered them more commercial success but also the opportunity to keep the current lineup intact. After all, it’s not very often that you get to see an artist or band perform with 10 musicians due to financial concerns, and Fleet Foxes’ eclectic instrumentation as well as Pecknold’s golden pipes are what really elevates their material in a live setting.

Of course we would be remiss to mention the Buffalo Springfield tune “Expecting to Fly” that Fleet Foxes took on with James a couple of songs before waving goodbye, something that they also did at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley. Despite their psychedelic tendencies, MMJ have always leaned in the folk direction, and while Grizzly Bear might be the perfect fit for a co-headline situation with Fleet Foxes, MMJ are able to turn up the energy a lot more with their huge sound — no further proof was needed than the finishing punch of “One Big Holiday” and “Dancefloors” from 2003’s It Still Moves as the clock struck 10:45 p.m.

As much as our ears would have liked to hear more, it wasn’t in the cards. A strict curfew of 11 p.m. at the Bowl has always been in place, and that wasn’t going to change this time (or ever). But you could do a whole lot worse than to spend an evening at the Bowl with MMJ and Fleet Foxes before summer in LA finally slips away.

MY MORNING JACKET

Setlist:
Wordless Chorus
Off the Record (Extended outro)
Spring (Among the Living)
Gideon
Wonderful (The Way I Feel) (with Robin Pecknold)
Steam Engine
Circuital
Love Love Love
Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2 (Extended outro)
One Big Holiday
Dancefloors

FLEET FOXES

Setlist:
Sun Giant
Sunblind
Can I Believe You
Ragged Wood
Your Protector
He Doesn’t Know Why
Third of May/Ōdaigahara
Phoenix (Big Red Machine cover)
Bedouin Dress
White Winter Hymnal
Mykonos
Montezuma
Blue Ridge Mountains
Grown Ocean
Expecting to Fly (Buffalo Springfield cover) (with Jim James)
The Shrine/An Argument
Helplessness Blues

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Beach House, Big Red Machine, Buffalo Springfield, Fleet Foxes, Grizzly Bear, Hollywood Bowl, Jim James, KCRW, My Morning Jacket, Nine Inch Nails, Robin Pecknold, Soundgarden, The Westerlies, TV on the Radio

First Times: Covering a concert at Red Rocks as My Morning Jacket return to sacred ground for two awe-inspiring nights rain & shine

August 31, 2023 by Josh Herwitt 5 Comments

By Josh Herwitt //

My Morning Jacket with M. Ward //
Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre – Morrison, CO
August 25th & 26th, 2023 //

No matter where you are from, a trip to Red Rocks should be on every live music fan’s bucket list. The mile-high, open-air amphitheater only a short drive from Denver in Morrison, Colo., has over the years become a destination venue for live music fans all around the globe with its otherworldly rock structure and stellar natural acoustics.

Red Rocks’ annual attendance numbers certainly prove that to be true, too. Just a couple of years ago, it received the distinct honor of being named the top-grossing and most-attended concert venue of any size in the world. For a lot of artists and bands, having the opportunity to perform in such a unique and sacred space ranks up there with playing other famous sonic sanctuaries like The Gorge Amphitheatre, Radio City Music Hall and the Hollywood Bowl.

That’s some elite company to be included with, but ask anyone who has been and they will say Red Rocks is worthy of such acclaim. It’s why the 9,525-person amphitheater also holds a special place in the hearts of so many performers, including one of live music’s absolute best: My Morning Jacket.

Since opening in 1941, Red Rocks has been home to quite a few noteworthy performances from U2 to Widespread Panic, with the latter holding the venue’s record for most consecutive sold-out shows at 69 after their latest three-night run in June. And though MMJ hasn’t nearly reached that high mark, there’s no doubt that some of their most important moments over the past quarter century have taken place in between “Creation Rock” and “Ship Rock.” So it shouldn’t be a surprise that fans travel from all corners of the country to catch the Louisville-bred outfit there.

Jacket’s very first appearance at the amphitheater, in fact, came in 2007 opening for the legendary Bob Dylan, but it only took another year before they were being offered their own date to headline. It wasn’t until 2012 for their “Spontaneous Curation Series” when MMJ started booking two nights “on the rocks,” with this year marking the quintet’s fifth time doing so for its 14th and 15th shows.

Nevertheless, it was a pair of performances at Red Rocks in 2019 that ultimately helped reignite the band and inspired Jim James (lead vocals, guitar), Tom Blankenship (bass), Patrick Hallahan (drums, percussion), Bo Koster (keyboards, percussion, backing vocals) and Carl Broemel (guitar, pedal steel guitar, saxophone, backing vocals) — with James coining the venue as “the birth canal of the universe” that year — to get back in the studio to record their ninth full-length album. Even the cover artwork for the ensuing, self-titled My Morning Jacket directly paid homage as you can see here. That’s how much one of Colorado’s most prized possessions has meant to the group’s success and longevity.

So after making the short pilgrimage from LA for two nights of MMJ at Red Rocks last August, I wasn’t about to miss them when it was announced that they would be returning for two more gigs in 2023. This time would be a little bit different, though. Not only had the supporting act changed with M. Ward slated for both shows, but being granted a photo credential for Friday and Saturday had finally afforded me the chance to capture a concert (or two) at the one and only “RR” with my camera equipment.

Red Rocks has always been one of my favorite places to witness live music. It’s somewhere that I have found myself going back to time and time again for almost two decades because there’s really nowhere else like it. The sound, atmosphere and fans all make it a one-of-a-kind experience and one of the best spots anywhere to watch a concert. From the first to the last row, there’s truly no bad seat in the house. Plus, the tailgating in the Lower South Lots alone is worth going for — and why you should always plan to arrive early before the doors open. You might even make some new friends in the parking lot!

For a band that rocks as hard as MMJ does, it only seems fitting that one of their beloved venues to visit would be Red Rocks. Friday’s show would see James and company not holding back as they performed their 2003 LP It Still Moves in its entirety, enlisting M. Ward to sit in on “Golden” and “Steam Engine”. As elated as I was to hear “Master Plan” again however, it was also the first time since 2018 that “Just One Thing” and “One in the Same” had been played. Thanks to an extended encore with deep cuts such as “Honest Man” from 2001’s At Dawn and “Smokin’ From Shootin'” off 2008’s Evil Urges, the evening still finished a lot better than it began after heavy rains put a damper on any pre-show partying and soaked plenty of us from head to toe.

Saturday’s forecast, on the other hand, proved to be quite the opposite. With clear skies and sunshine setting the stage for MMJ’s second night, we were treated to a setlist that was well worth hopping on a plane for. There was another sit-in from M. Ward — this time on “At Dawn” and “Off the Record” — but there was also the debut of Cat Stevens’ “The Wind” as well as a cover of Traffic’s “Feelin’ Alright?” for only the second time ever with surprise guest and Colorado native Nathaniel Rateliff on vocals. Those were definitely two of the biggest highlights (no pun intended) amid the light motif that MMJ signaled to us with “At Dawn”, “First Light”, “It’s About Twilight Now” and “The Dark” coming consecutively midway through their set, but it was the encore centered around a four-part “Cobra” — the track, after all, runs more than 24 minutes long on 2002’s Chocolate and Ice — with “Highly Suspicious”, “Off the Record” and “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2” interspersed in between, leaving the sold-out crowd mostly speechless. It was a setlist technique that you would see a jam band like Phish or Umphrey’s McGee employ, but not MMJ. The three-time Grammy nominees have always lived in the jam-adjacent space, even if they have been booked for some of the same music festivals you might find other jam bands at, including Bonnaroo, Hulaween and Peach. But ever since forming in 1998, MMJ have never presented or considered themselves to be a jam band and the same applies today.

Regardless of how you want to label their music, James, Blankenship, Hallahan, Koster and Broemel looked and sounded at Red Rocks as locked in as they ever have. A sincere joy emanated from all five members that was palpable the minute they walked onstage, and by the time MMJ had wound us down after more than two hours with “Love Love Love” to wrap up their two-night stand, nothing but immense gratitude and a genuine love for what we had just heard remained inside.

It’s safe to say that you can’t tell MMJ’s story now without referencing Red Rocks at some point along the way. The band knows that, and many of its most loyal enthusiasts have come to understand what’s there, too. Because if recent history serves as any indication, rocking out to MMJ under the stars while being surrounded by some red sandstone monoliths is like nothing else. Quite simply, it’s magical.

AUGUST 25TH

Setlist:
Mahgeetah (>)
Dancefloors
Golden (with M. Ward)
Master Plan (>)
One Big Holiday (>)
I Will Sing You Songs (>)
Easy Morning Rebel (>)
Run Thru
Rollin Back (>)
Just One Thing (first time since 2018)
Steam Engine (with M. Ward)
One in the Same (first time since 2018)

Encore:
Victory Dance
Least Expected (>)
The Way That He Sings
Honest Man
Feel You
Slow Slow Tune (>)
Smokin’ From Shootin’ (>)
Gideon
Wordless Chorus

Editors’ Note: “It Still Moves” 20th anniversary show; portions of “Wordless Chorus”, “At Dawn”, “Butch Cassidy”, “Feelin’ Alright?”, “Highly Suspicious” and “Cobra” were played during soundcheck.

AUGUST 26TH

Setlist:
Anytime
Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 1
Spring (Among the Living) (Beatles “Dear Prudence” outro)
Evil Urges (>)
War Begun (>)
At Dawn (with M. Ward)
First Ligh
It’s About Twilight Now (>)
The Dark
Lay Low
Only Memories Remain
Butch Cassidy (>)
The Wind (Cat Stevens cover) (first time played)
Regularly Scheduled Programming
Circuital
Feelin’ Alright? (Traffic cover) (with Nathaniel Rateliff)
Wasted

Encore:
Cobra (Pt. 1>)
Highly Suspicious
Cobra (Pt. 2>)
Off the Record (with M. Ward) (>)
Cobra (Pt. 3>)
Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2
Cobra (Pt. 4>)
Holdin on to Black Metal
Love Love Love

My Morning Jacket with Nathaniel Rateliff

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, First Times, Live Music Reviews, Show Experience Tagged With: Bob Dylan, Bonnaroo, Cat Stevens, Hollywood Bowl, Hulaween, Jim James, M. Ward, My Morning Jacket, Nathaniel Rateliff, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Phish, Radio City Music Hall, Red Rocks, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre, Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre, Spontaneous Curation Series, Suwannee Hulaween, The Gorge, The Gorge Amphitheatre, The Peach Music Festival, Traffic, U2, Umphrey's McGee, Widespread Panic

The Bam Team’s 5 Favorite Shows, Albums & Songs of 2022

December 30, 2022 by The Bam Team 1 Comment

After seeing what the live music industry endured the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2022 was certainly a step in the right direction. For many artists and bands, this year marked the first since 2019 that they had the opportunity to step onstage — and that was a victory in and of itself.

While we aren’t completely out of the woods yet considering the coronavirus is still very much a part of our lives, there’s no signs of us returning to those dark and dire days of 2020. The shows simply must go on, and we are all better for it whether you’re a musician or just a fan.

Now as we turn to 2023 with cautious optimism, it’s time for us to share our annual “Best of” lists as we have done since this blog first began (see our 2021 picks here). We’ll be quick to admit we didn’t catch every show or hear all of the albums released in the past 12 months, but looking back on the year that was can not only be fun but also challenging with so much great music to consider.

So, without further ado, Showbams presents The Bam Team’s five favorite shows, albums and songs from 2022.

Listen to The Bam Team’s favorite songs of 2022:

Tool at Viejas Arena // Photo by Josh Herwitt

Josh Herwitt // Los Angeles

Top 5 Shows of 2022
1. My Morning Jacket at Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Morrison, CO – August 26th-27th
2022 will go down as easily one of my favorite years for live music. So many of the artists and bands I love toured after being forced to sit on the sidelines for at least two years, and as I look back on all of the shows I was fortunate enough to witness, it would be a shame to not mention the ones that aren’t already included here, whether it was Eddie Vedder, Baroness, Royal Blood, Interpol and The Shins at Just Like Heaven, Jack White (two nights), The Kills, Puscifer on my big day, Fleet Foxes, Big Gigantic Telefon Tel Aviv, Moderat, Khruangbin and Arctic Monkeys — plus Lorde — at the debut of Primavera Sound LA, The Mars Volta, Bonobo, Foals, Modest Mouse performing The Lonesome Crowded West from start to finish to celebrate the LP’s 25th anniversary or The Smile closing out their North America tour. But this year’s No. 1 spot once again goes to My Morning Jacket, which have become my top live band over the last decade among some very stiff competition (see the rest of the bands listed below to get a better idea). With back-to-back dates in SoCal at the Santa Barbara Bowl and Hollywood Forever (read our review here) serving as a preview for what would come the following week, the Louisville-bred rockers left no stone unturned in their return to Red Rocks. If there was ever an act to catch — not once but twice — at the legendary amphitheater after visiting it more than a dozen times in my life so far, this was the one for me and MMJ proved it over two sold-out gigs with no repeats as always.

2. The War on Drugs at Shrine Auditorium – Los Angeles, CA – February 26th
3. Pearl Jam at The Forum – Inglewood, CA – May 6th
4. Tool at Viejas Arena – San Diego, CA – January 19th
5. Nine Inch Nails at Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA – September 13th

Top 5 Albums of 2022
1. The Smile – A Light for Attracting Attention
It wasn’t until last year during a surprise performance for the concert video “Live at Worthy Farm” when we first learned of the latest side project from Radiohead members Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood with Sons of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner. But after putting out six singles off their debut LP that came out back in May, it was clear the three-piece wasn’t messing around. Across all 13 tracks on A Light for Attracting Attention, it’s safe to say there isn’t one worth skipping, reaffirming why Yorke remains one of the best songwriters out there in the last 30 years. And with him and Greenwood switching off between guitar, bass and synthesizer among a bevy of other instrumentation including vocoder, piano and harp, their talents are as palpable as they have ever been before. After all, hearing Yorke croon “Don’t mess with me” toward the beginning of “The Smoke” is an edict — literal or not — many would have a tough time disputing at this point.

2. Kendrick Lamar – Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers
3. Jack White – Fear of the Dawn
4. My Morning Jacket – MMJ Live Vol. 2: Chicago 2021
5. Bonobo – Fragments

Top 5 Songs of 2022
1. The Mars Volta – “Graveyard Love”
For fans of The Mars Volta, it has been a long wait since Omar Rodríguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala hit the studio to record new material. Even with the project’s two constant members on good terms these days, it took more than a decade before anything would enter our earholes. But despite many of the prog-rock tendencies it demonstrated on earlier albums dating all the way back to 2003’s seminal De-Loused in the Comatorium, the duo’s seventh studio effort delves unexpectedly into new sonic territory. With a pop aesthetic running through it that surprisingly sees no song surpass the five-minute mark, The Mars Volta will undoubtedly be looked at as a departure from the days of “Cygnus…Vismund Cygnus” and “Cassandra Gemini” when Rodríguez-López and Bixler-Zavala were captivating At the Drive-In fans as well as new listeners. Nevertheless, its second single “Graveyard Love” stands tall as some of their best work to date and reminds us that these guys haven’t lost what made them so uniquely special.

2. The Smile – “Thin Thing”
3. Jack White – “Eosophobia”
4. Interpol – “Toni”
5. Moderat – “EASY PREY”

Andrew Pohl // San Francisco

Top 5 Shows of 2022
1. Yard Act at Rickshaw Stop – San Francisco, CA – April 21st
Funny story about this show … I had been hearing a lot of buzz about Yard Act, and I had only listened to one song played a few times on KEXP, which I really dug. I had been on the Rickshaw Stop’s email list, and the venue ran a contest for free tickets. I happened to win so I took a chance and opted to see Yard Act’s show that same week. Wanting to familiarize myself with their material more, I immediately dove head first into their album and was totally hooked, so I felt really good about this turn of events. I hadn’t been to a gig at Rickshaw Stop in many years and was eager to visit again, so it felt great to be back in a packed room again for an intimate evening of punk rock. The opening act Buzzed Light Beer fell a bit flat in my humble opinion, but once Yard Act took the stage, the room started buzzing with life. Lead singer James Smith’s command of the crowd is very nonchalant, but he also knows he has you hanging on every word. The set was fun and well-executed, and the UK quartet was clearly on its “A” game after a lengthy run of shows and in between weekend performances at Coachella. Much to the chagrin of those in attendance, Smith kept referring to the audience as “San Diego” (LOL), though he did tell us that he had some mushrooms the night before, so … you know. To round things out, Smith offered to do a magic trick during the last song of Yard Act’s set before their encore and coaxed fans to hand over any loose bills they had, which he pocketed and took backstage. As it turns out, he actually gifted the money to the bar staff, which I felt was a nice touch and very much on-brand.

2. THE FEST 20 – Gainesville, FL – October 28th–30th
3. Coheed & Cambria at Greek Theatre Berkeley – Berkeley, CA – August 14th
4. Bauhaus at The Masonic – San Francisco, CA – May 22nd
5. The Velvet Teen at Arlene Francis Center – Santa Rosa, CA – June 17th

Top 5 Albums of 2022
1. Pilot to Gunner – Hail Hallucinator
Brooklyn indie rockers Pilot to Gunner hadn’t put out an album for a decade, and to be honest, I hadn’t really paid much attention to them prior to Hail Hallucinator. The name was always out there and I had friends who were really into them, but I never got around to checking out their music for one reason or another. And not unlike many other bands that came before them (i.e. Seaweed, Far, The Murder City Devils), I am bummed that I was so late to the party. They are absolutely fantastic, and this record was easily my most listened-to during 2022. From start to finish, the 10-track LP hit all the marks for me in terms of stellar songwriting, original-sounding guitar work that still feels familiar and vocals carrying the torch of the early 2000’s indie/emo revival sound ala Hey Mercedes and Jimmy Eat World all while not completely aping either group. “Drop the Sun”, “We’re Blasting to Masses”, “Total Rager” and “Escape Season” are among its best tracks, but I simply love all of them from beginning to end.

2. Thee Sacred Souls – Thee Sacred Souls
3. Yard Act – The Overload
4. Soul Glo – Diaspora Problems
5. High Vis – Blending

Top 5 Songs of 2022
1. 3rd Secret – “I Choose Me”
The supergroup 3rd Secret surprised the music world when their debut self-titled LP arrived in mid-April. Comprised of members from Nirvana, Soundgarden, Hater and Giants in the Trees, the album is a tour de force brought to you by grunge and alt-rock royalty. Its lead single “I Choose Me” turns things up and right out of the gate you can’t help but feel a little washed over with nostalgia from guitarist Kim Thayil’s signature riffage in addition to the thundering cadence courtesy of bassist Krist Novoselic and drummer Matt Cameron. What makes the song — and the album — stand out to me, however, is the work of co-vocalists Jillian Raye and Jennifer Johnson. The pair deliver gorgeous singing atop the otherwise gritty instrumentation, harkening back to what made so many 90’s albums awesome with a beautiful balance of dark and light. I kept coming back to this song a lot throughout the year, and it made me really reflect on just how incredible the music that came out of the Pacific Northwest was when I was growing up. To hear this collection of musicians conjuring up those aural ghosts through a contemporary filter was not only refreshing, but also something that I was really looking for in 2022.

2. Yard Act – “The Overload”
3. Thee Sacred Souls – “Can I Call You Rose?”
4. Cave In – “New Reality”
5. High Vis – “0151”

Animal Collective at Greek Theatre // Photo by Rochelle Shipman

Rochelle Shipman // Los Angeles

Top 5 Shows of 2022
1. PUP at The Fonda Theatre – Los Angeles, CA – April 21st
Two years and one full length after this show was originally supposed to occur, LA finally got to see PUP perform on their “Thank Fucking God” tour. Worth the wait would be a major understatement here as the Canadian punks transported us back to pre-pandemic times like nothing had ever happened — we were touching, we were screaming, we were moshing again! The night had such an innocent air to it. Despite the delay, 2019’s Morbid Stuff felt fresher than ever (and it still does).

2. Yaya Bey at Cafe Erzulie – Brooklyn, NY – June 16th
3. Animal Collective at Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA – May 20th
4. Vince Staples at The Fonda Theatre – Los Angeles, CA – August 23rd
5. Bright Eyes at Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA – June 23rd

Top 5 Albums of 2022
1. Lando Chill – if im being honest
The multi-hyphenate who’s based out of LA quietly dropped this mixtape early in the year, and it stood strong in my top spot from the start. With a sharp wit and silky delivery, Chill tears through pages of his diary without cutting a single corner. Thank God for vulnerability.

2. Smino – Luv 4 Rent
3. Pusha T – It’s Almost Dry
4. Yaya Bey – Remember Your North Star
5. Open Mike Eagle – Component System with the Auto Reverse

Top 5 Songs of 2022
1. Steve Lacy – “Bad Habit”
An earworm for the ages! This impossibly catchy tune took over TikTok and catapulted Mr. Lacy into the spotlight that he was born to occupy, whether he was ready for it or not. The cherry on top of his banner year was the singer-songwriter’s old iPhone (aka his instrument) landing on display in the Smithsonian.

2. Lando Chill – “guess”
3. Leggy – “Lipstick on the Mic”
4. Pusha T – “Brambleton”
5. Channel Tres – “Acid in My Blood”

Filed Under: Best of, Best of 2022, Editor's Picks, Featured Tagged With: 3rd Secret, Animal Collective, Arctic Monkeys, Arlene Francis Center, At the Drive-In, Baroness, Bauhaus, Big Gigantic, Bonobo, Bright Eyes, Buzzed Light Beer, Cafe Erzulie, Cave In, Channel Tres, Coachella, Coachella 2022, Coachella Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Music and Arts Festival 2022, Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival 2022, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2022, Coheed & Cambria, Eddie Vedder, Far, Fleet Foxes, FOALS, Giants in the Trees, Greek Theatre, Greek Theatre Berkeley, Hater, Hey Mercedes, High Vis, Hollywood Forever, Interpol, Jack White, Jimmy Eat World, Jonny Greenwood, Just Like Heaven, Just Like Heaven 2022, Kendrick Lamar, Khruangbin, Lando Chill, Leggy, Moderat, Modest Mouse, My Morning Jacket, Nine Inch Nails, Nirvana, Open Mike Eagle, Peaches, Pearl Jam, Pilot To Gunner, Primavera Sound LA, Primavera Sound LA 2022, Primavera Sound Los Angeles, Primavera Sound Los Angeles 2022, Pup, Puscifer, Pusha T, Radiohead, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Rickshaw Stop, Royal Blood, Santa Barbara Bowl, Seaweed, Shrine Auditorium, Smino, Smithsonian, Soul Glo, Soundgarden, Steve Lacy, Telefon Tel Aviv, THE FEST 20, The Fonda Theatre, The Forum, The Kills, The Mars Volta, The Masonic, The Murder City Devils, The Shins, The Smile, The Velvet Teen, The War on Drugs, Thee Sacred Souls, Thom Yorke, Tool, Trent Reznor, Viejas Arena, Viejas Arena at Aztec Bowl, Vince Staples, Yard Act, Yaya Bey, YouTube Theater

Ahead of their Red Rocks shows, My Morning Jacket are firing on all cylinders after rocking the Santa Barbara Bowl & Hollywood Forever

August 22, 2022 by Josh Herwitt 2 Comments

My Morning Jacket - Hollywood Forever Cemetery

My Morning Jacket at Hollywood Forever Cemetery

By Josh Herwitt //

My Morning Jacket //
Santa Barbara Bowl & Hollywood Forever Cemetery – Santa Barbara & Los Angeles
August 16th & 17th, 2022 //

When My Morning Jacket made the “deeply painful” decision to cancel their three-night New Year’s run at the Mission Ballroom in Denver last year with the COVID-19 pandemic still wreaking havoc thanks to the rise of the omicron variant, it was a gut punch for the Louisville rockers and their most diehard fans, many of whom were traveling from out of state to see them.

But more than six weeks later, the five-piece would announce its 2022 tour encompassing 33 dates with most of the venues booked, not surprisingly, being at outdoor amphitheaters and/or open spaces with a lawn. Keeping everyone’s safety in mind has always been the band’s priority first and foremost, and with the spring and summer bringing us the warmest months of the year, there was no way MMJ were going to further risk experiencing any cancellations during what we’ve dubbed as “outdoor concert season.”

And yet even with all the precautions that had been taken by everyone, it still wasn’t enough to prevent more COVID misfortune when frontman Jim James tested positive in June, just a day before the band’s two hometown shows — its first in six years — were scheduled to take place. While the news had MMJ fans once again feeling bummed about the state of live music after the last two-plus years, James (lead vocals, guitar) and his bandmates in Tom Blankenship (bass), Patrick Hallahan (drums, percussion), Bo Koster (keyboards, percussion, backing vocals) and Carl Broemel (guitar, pedal steel guitar, saxophone, backing vocals) have certainly put that behind them now after taking more than a month off from touring during July and part of August.

Believe it or not, MMJ in many ways sound better than they ever have after witnessing two of their three performances in California, starting with a return to the Santa Barbara Bowl last Tuesday only 11 months after their last visit (read our show review here) and continuing the following night in LA among the many celebrities now deceased — even “Toto” from the “Wizard of Oz” — at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

James, for one, has always sounded great at the mic and with a guitar in his hands, but he’s also never looked more at ease onstage despite his recent bout with the virus, shedding the big pair of sunglasses he once donned (as you can see here) for the naked eye — a clear sign that MMJ’s primary songwriter isn’t hiding from us if he ever was trying to previously.

My Morning Jacket at Santa Barbara Bowl

Arriving in Santa Barbara two days after making a stop at Frost Amphitheater on the campus of Stanford University, the clock hit 7:30 p.m. and MMJ went to work, diving straight into their self-titled LP that came out last October with “Never in the Real World”. James and company didn’t wait long at all to turn up the volume, however, with “Lay Low” subsequently sending the crowd into a frenzy early on. The six-minute track off 2005’s seminal Z has always been a personal favorite of mine to hear live and would quickly set the tone for the rest of the evening.

For a band that has always put an emphasis on mixing up its setlists and will rarely perform songs in the same order though, it was a couple of cuts on its debut album The Tennessee Fire that were surprising to hear midway through its standard 2 1/2-hour set. In fact, it was the first time this year — and just the fifth over the last five years — that MMJ have played “I Will Be There When You Die” while the acoustic “If All Else Fails” has been heard on solely a handful of occasions so far in 2022.

While other highlights in Santa Barbara included an extended version of “Steam Engine” with Broemel trading his axe for the sax at one point and just the third time “I Never Could Get Enough” has made it onto a setlist, it was the Hollywood show that grabbed more of the MMJ fanbase’s attention. Of course, the heightened interest around it was somewhat understandable considering that it’s not every day you get to catch a concert inside a cemetery, let alone one where rock icons like Johnny Ramone and Chris Cornell are buried, but the setting was, at most, half the story on The Fairbanks Lawn as day eventually turned to night.

Breathing life into “What a Wonderful Man” and James’ own “State of the Art (A.E.I.O.U.)” for only the second time this year and first since the jam-adjacent group’s three-day “One Big Holiday” destination event back in March, we had hoped that MMJ would be setting up for a special finish down the stretch and that’s exactly what they gifted us with a 17-minute “Dondante” that conjured up some major disco vibes. With the Z finale serving as one of several tunes MMJ has been known to stretch out when they perform live, it felt rather fitting to hear what James wrote after the passing of his late bandmate Aaron Todovich while being surrounded by a bunch of tombstones.

Even though MMJ had more music lined up for us before hitting the road for New Mexico, that was all many of us needed to hear to be satisfied. After waiting almost a decade for another “Dondante” in LA since their epic, three-night run at The Wiltern, everything else that ensued — from the one-two punch of “Wasted” and “Dancefloors” to a more abbreviated encore featuring “Wordless Chorus” and “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2” that ended things on a spooky note — was gravy. After all, this is an act that has always kept its fans on their toes, and as MMJ gear up this weekend for their most significant shows of the tour with two sold-out nights at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, there’s no telling what’s in store when James steps into what he has coined “the birth canal of the universe.” Call it whatever you want Mr. James because either way, we’ll be there for it when the lights go down and the first note is struck.

SANTA BARBARA BOWL – AUGUST 16TH

Setlist:
Never in the Real World
Lay Low
Compound Fracture
Least Expected
Mahgeetah
Feel You
Victory Dance
Gideon
Holdin On to Black Metal
I Will Be There When You Die
If All Else Fails
Tropics (Erase Traces)
Spring (Among the Living)
Steam Engine
I Never Could Get Enough
Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 1
Love Love Love
Complex
One Big Holiday

Encore:
In Color
Circuital
Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2
Wordless Chorus

HOLLYWOOD FOREVER CEMETERY – AUGUST 17TH

Setlist:
Feel You
What a Wonderful Man
Off the Record
I Will Sing You Songs
Victory Dance
Evil Urges
Golden (dedicated to “Toto” from “The Wizard of Oz”)
I’m Amazed
Spring (Among the Living)
Complex
One Big Holiday
State of the Art (A.E.I.O.U.) (Jim James song)
Love Love Love
Least Expected
Circuital
Dondante
Wasted
Dancefloors

Encore:
Wordless Chorus
Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2

My Morning Jacket at Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Chris Cornell, Frost Amphitheater, Hollywood Forever, Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Jim James, Johnny Ramone, Joy Oladokun, Mission Ballroom, My Morning Jacket, One Big Holiday, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Santa Barbara Bowl, Soundgarden, The Ramones, The Wiltern

The War on Drugs prove in Adam Granduciel’s new hometown why they deserved to win a Grammy more than four years ago

March 4, 2022 by Josh Herwitt 1 Comment

By Josh Herwitt //

The War on Drugs //
Shrine Auditorium – Los Angeles
February 26th, 2022 //

What can you say about Adam Granduciel that hasn’t already been said or written?

Let’s just cut to the chase then: the guy keeps getting better and better with age. And though he might give off the impression that he’s a tad bit older than the 43 years he just turned last month thanks to all of those late nights writing songs in his bedroom or at the studio, Granduciel has continued to push the band he formed in Philadelphia more than 17 years ago to new and greater heights.

The War on Drugs’ foray into music’s mainstream has been a slow churn dating all the way back to 2005 before it culminated four years ago when they beat out a number of hard-rock heavyweights in Metallica, Mastodon, Queens of the Stone Age and Nothing More to win the Grammy for “Best Rock Album” at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards.

It was a career-defining moment for the group that’s heartland sound has centered around Granduciel’s fascination with Bob Dylan — an enthusiasm for the legendary folk singer-songwriter that he and fellow Philly-bred indie rocker Kurt Vile shared when they first started playing together in each other’s projects — and continued with his love for Bruce Springsteen. (There’s also a hint of Rod Stewart and Tom Petty in Granduciel’s work for good measure.)

Six months prior, I had caught The War on Drugs at Apogee Studio for KCRW’s Apogee Sessions (read our review here), and after hearing them preview a few songs off A Deeper Understanding that evening, it was right then and there that I knew the album was well deserving of some significant hardware.

But following 2014’s seminal Lost in the Dream — the band’s third album which might be arguably better than its award-winning follow-up — with another 10-track masterpiece, Granduciel had done what only a few are capable of these days, particularly in the rock space, by creating an emotional, yet timeless gem for our earholes to bathe in.

With little room to go up from there, Granduciel certainly had a challenge on his hands when it was time to make another LP. It wasn’t just that he had become a father to his son Bruce (yes, he really is named after the Boss) in 2019 and officially moved to LA’s San Fernando Valley shortly thereafter even if those were two major life changes, but the expectations surrounding The War on Drugs’ next studio effort had only grown even more since the last one.

For Granduciel, it didn’t matter. He went back to the grind and delivered once again. What resulted after hours at his Burbank rehearsal space with engineer and producer Shawn Everett was I Don’t Live Here Anymore, which arrived back in October and peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard 200. It’s another record worthy of high praise — in fact, I ranked it my favorite album last year (see our 2021 picks here) — and at the same time more accessible than its predecessors.

What makes The War on Drugs’ albums so great, however, is that you can just let them run. There’s no need to skip a track as one flows right into the next, and I Don’t Live Here Anymore follows suit much in the same way Lost in the Dream and A Deeper Understanding do. And as Granduciel seemingly settled into his new environs with music videos filmed in California for “Living Proof” and the title track featuring Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig of Lucius, I was eager to hear the new material with an audience on hand.

So when The War on Drugs announced a tour for 2022 last summer and scheduled only one show in 2021 at Desert Daze, I knew their gig in LA at the Shrine Auditorium would feel even that much more special given Granduciel’s story but also because it was the final U.S. date before the band heads to Europe for a month. While that fact wouldn’t completely hold up with The War on Drugs replacing My Morning Jacket at Innings Festival the ensuing day, they made sure to offer quite a proper 2 1/2-hour concert experience for the nearly capacity crowd inside the landmark venue of 6,300.

Granduciel (vocals, guitars, harmonica, keyboards, samplers) and his cohorts — David Hartley (bass, backing vocals), Robbie Bennett (keyboards, piano, guitar), Charlie Hall (drums, organ), Jon Natchez (saxophone, keyboards), Anthony LaMarca (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals) and Eliza Hardy Jones (keyboards, backing vocals) — were treating us to “An Evening of LIVE DRUGS” and most were happy to oblige. That meant “Old Skin” leading things off with “Pain” batting second. “An Ocean in Between the Waves” never disappoints, and slotting it third before one of the highlights off I Don’t Live Here Anymore in “I Don’t Wanna Wait” created a huge wave of momentum that The War on Drugs carried through the rest of the set, which boasted “Strangest Thing” and “Red Eyes” back to back, another new standout in “Harmonia’s Dream” that has been extended live and an appearance by Lucius as expected with Wolfe and Laessig leaving their East Coast origins for the City of Angels a few years ago.

When it came time to take things up a notch, Granduciel turned to “Under the Pressure” as still one of the most shining achievements in his ever-expanding repertoire. That’s not to say what came after — the previously unreleased “Ocean of Darkness” that didn’t make it onto I Don’t Live Here Anymore but was debuted during The War on Drugs’ performance on “The Tonight Show” in 2020 — didn’t carry the same weight, because in many ways it did considering the song has only been played live seven times in total so far.

After taking a couple nights off in Portland and San Francisco, “In Reverse” subsequently returned to the setlist and propelled us into a short-lived encore break that only lasted a minute or two. Granduciel, after all, had more to get to before saying goodbye, as he used “Thinking of a Place” to jumpstart a four-song finish that included a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Born in Time” and “Comin’ Through” from The War on Drugs’ 2010 EP Future Weather to mark only the second time fans got to hear it on this tour and since 2019.

Granduciel isn’t one for much stage banter, and after one last thank you, he broke into I Don’t Live Here Anymore finale “Occasional Rain” to take us all home. Even though it has served as The War on Drugs’ closer for several shows on this tour, the title seemed rather appropriate in a city as dry as LA where we haven’t seen a whole lot of precipitation this winter.

People often say the phrase “when it rains, it pours” when they experience a barrage of misfortune all at the same time. In Granduciel’s case notwithstanding, the past eight years have been one big downpour of success for The War on Drugs. Now with the band at an all-time high, it doesn’t appear that the storm Granduciel has been riding will be letting up anytime soon.

Setlist:
Old Skin
Pain
An Ocean in Between the Waves
I Don’t Wanna Wait
Victim
Strangest Thing
Red Eyes
Living Proof
Harmonia’s Dream
Your Love Is Calling My Name
Come to the City
Rings Around My Father’s Eyes
I Don’t Live Here Anymore (with Lucius)
Under the Pressure
Ocean of Darkness
In Reverse

Encore:
Thinking of a Place
Born in Time (Bob Dylan cover)
Comin’ Through
Occasional Rain

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Holly Laessig, Innings Festival, Jess Wolfe, Lucius, Mastodon, Metallica, My Morning Jacket, Nothing More, Queens of the Stone Age, Rod Stewart, Shrine Auditorium, Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall, The War on Drugs

The Bam Team’s 5 Favorite Shows, Albums & Songs of 2021

December 28, 2021 by The Bam Team 3 Comments

The past 12 months have been interesting to say the least. While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage across the world after almost two years, 2021 did prove to be a little better than its predecessor on the calendar and a big reason for that was undoubtedly the return of live music during the second half of this year. For so many of us after being locked down at home, just having the chance to attend a concert or festival in person again provided some sense of normalcy to our everyday lives.

But as we look forward to hopefully better days in 2022, it’s time for us to unveil our annual “Best of” lists like we have done since this blog first began (see our 2020 picks here). No, we didn’t have time to catch every show or hear all of the albums released in the last 365 days, but forcing ourselves to make difficult decisions can be a fun exercise that helps us reflect on the year in music before turning the page.

So, without further ado, Showbams presents The Bam Team’s five favorite shows, albums and songs from 2021.

Listen to The Bam Team’s favorite songs of 2021:

My Morning Jacket (Jim James) at Santa Barbara Bowl

My Morning Jacket at Santa Barbara Bowl // Photo by Josh Herwitt

Josh Herwitt // Los Angeles

Top 5 Shows of 2021
1. My Morning Jacket at Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA – September 23rd
Almost six years had passed since the last time Jim James and company performed at one of Southern California’s best music venues, but after surviving 18 months without witnessing any live music, the wait for MMJ’s return to the stage felt even longer. Fortunately for us, the Louisville-bred quintet brought its A game to kick off a string of West Coast dates and powered through a collection of 23 songs at the Santa Barbara Bowl that included the emotive “In Color” off the band’s new self-titled album as well as “Where to Begin” from the “Elizabethtown” soundtrack. MMJ have earned a reputation over the years as one of the best live acts still out there, and they certainly validated that claim with a 2.5-hour performance that made the 90-mile drive from LA on a weeknight totally worth it.

2. Modest Mouse at The Theatre at Ace Hotel – Los Angeles, CA – September 25th
3. Caribou at Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA – November 15th
4. Lord Huron at Hollywood Forever – Los Angeles, CA – September 30th
5. Primus “A Tribute to Kings” at Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA – October 17th

Top 5 Albums of 2021
1. The War on Drugs – I Don’t Live Here Anymore
What can we say about Adam Granduciel that hasn’t already been said? After composing and producing The War on Drugs’ best material during his previous two trips into the studio with the latter effort winning a Grammy, we knew it would be tough for the Philadelphia native to match that same level of excellence attained in 2014 and 2017 with Lost in the Dream and A Deeper Understanding. And though I Don’t Live Here Anymore doesn’t quite get there, it marks another LP from Granduciel and his cohorts that you can listen straight through from start to finish without skipping a track. Because in an era when our attention spans have been shrunk thanks in large part to technology, that’s something we should all applaud.

2. Modest Mouse – The Golden Casket
3. DARKSIDE – Spiral
4. My Morning Jacket – My Morning Jacket
5. Royal Blood – Typhoons

Top 5 Songs of 2021
1. Royal Blood – “Boilermaker”
The English alt-rock duo comprised of lead singer/bassist Mike Kerr and drummer Ben Thatcher shared “Boilermaker” in the lead-up to releasing its third full length this year, and the promotional single certainly stands out from the pack as one of the best songs on Typhoons. Produced by Queens of the Stone Age leader Josh Homme, it opens with Kerr’s fuzzed-out riff and quickly builds into a head-banging anthem over the course of three and a half minutes. If you haven’t heard it before, just make sure to also check out the badass music video that’s directed by and stars Liam Lynch. Enjoy!

2. My Morning Jacket – “In Color”
3. Modest Mouse – “Walking and Running”
4. The War on Drugs – “I Don’t Wanna Wait”
5. Bonobo – “Rosewood”

Favorite remix: Four Tet – “Never Come Back” (Caribou)

Andrew Pohl // San Francisco

Top 5 Shows of 2021
1. Kowloon Walled City at The Golden Bull – Oakland, CA – November 30th
Regardless of the fact that I didn’t go to many shows this year, this would have likely been my No. 1 even if I went to more. I had only recently been turned on to Kowloon Walled City, but I was immediately drawn to their heavy sound and they proved to replicate that sonic fury live. The Golden Bull is a nice, intimate setting for live music, and the fact that KWC were able to dial in such a balanced sound at a small club made a huge difference given how BIG they sound on their studio albums. Everyone was fixated on the band throughout its entire set, and I barely noticed anyone looking at a phone — one of the modern-day signs of a great show.

2. Quicksand at Great American Music Hall – San Francisco, CA – October 15th
3. Bad Religion & Alkaline Trio at The Masonic – San Francisco, CA – November 24th
4. The Slackers & The Aggrolites at Cornerstone Berkeley – Berkeley, CA – December 9th
5. Lagwagon with Red City Radio & Decent Criminal at Bottom of the Hill – San Francisco, CA – November 4th

Top 5 Albums of 2021
1. Quicksand – Distant Populations
During a turbulent time like what we’ve all been collectively experiencing since last year, I think this album resonated with me so much because Quicksand has always been such a solid standby. Distant Populations is heavy in all of the right ways without being abrasive while also effectively showcasing Walter Schreifels’ dynamic song-crafting abilities. Quicksand aren’t necessarily breaking the mold here, but they’re a band that had already set the bar high with their earlier albums and this LP is an excellent continuation of their contribution to the hardcore scene.

2. Turnstile – Glow On
3. IDLES – Crawler
4. Kowloon Walled City – Piecework
5. Snail Mail – Valentine

Top 5 Songs of 2021
1. IDLES – “The Wheel”
I love how IDLES have the ability to take a song about a heavy subject like chemical dependency and turn it into an absolutely infectious banger. “The Wheel” is a perfect example of this, leaving you drawn in and tapping your foot while giving you something to ponder. The way that it can make you feel equal parts uplifted and uncomfortable is part of the appeal to me, and this was easily one of my most played songs of the year.

2. Decent Criminal – “Reap”
3. The Dirty Nil – “Doom Boy”
4. Kills Birds – “Rabbit”
5. Snail Mail – “Valentine”

Adam Schatz at The Gold Room // Photo by Rochelle Shipman

Rochelle Shipman // Los Angeles

Top 5 Shows of 2021
1. Adam Schatz at The Gold Room – Los Angeles, CA – November 18th
The Landlady frontman actually served as the opener on this night, but armed with little more than his saxophone, keyboards and loops, it’s safe to say Schatz stole the entire show. Fresh off a tour playing with Japanese Breakfast, he stepped onstage and quite literally let loose. It was the most refreshing, freeform, organic set full of wit and wonder, offering a sharp reminder why we need to protect the live music space (and to buy the killer album Landlady put out this year, too).

2. Foxx Bodies with Suzie True & Lando Chill at Resident DTLA – Los Angeles, CA – November 7th
3. Islands at Lodge Room – Los Angeles, CA – September 9th
4. Spoon at Teragram Ballroom – Los Angeles, CA – September 28th
5. Armand Hammer & The Alchemist at Echoplex – Los Angeles, CA – September 19th

Top 5 Albums of 2021
1. Foxx Bodies – Vixen
The raw emotions that come through Foxx Bodies’ debut on indie label Kill Rock Stars grabbed me by the ankles and knocked me off my feet the first time I heard it. For an album that explores everything from mental illness, sexual abuse, eating disorders, gender fluidity and beyond, it’s equally shocking how upbeat and uplifting it comes off. It’s part empowering riot grrrl and part rollicking surf punk, full confessional. Trigger warning: it will change your life.

2. Olivia Rodrigo – Sour
3. Tyler, the Creator – Call Me If You Get Lost
4. Backxwash – I LIE HERE BURIED WITH MY RINGS AND MY DRESSES
5. Noga Erez – KIDS

Top 5 Songs of 2021
1. Hiatus Kaiyote – “Red Room”
This song is the antithesis to 2021. It’s so warm and beautiful, so intimate as though it was conceived in a world where social distancing doesn’t even exist. Nai Palm’s soft, raspy vocals envelop you, and the uncharacteristically subtle sounds (for Hiatus Kaiyote) deliver perhaps the most consistent semblance of peace felt this year.

2. Olivia Rodrigo – “Brutal”
3. Foxx Bodies – “BPD”
4. Yaya Bey – “fxck it then”
5. Little Simz feat. Cleo Sol – “Woman”

Favorite remix: Kari Faux feat. J.I.D – “While God Was Sleepin’… (Remix)”

Filed Under: Best of, Best of 2021, Editor's Picks, Featured Tagged With: A Tribute to Kings, Ace Hotel, Adam Schatz, Alkaline Trio, Armand Hammer, Backxwash, Bad Religion, Best of 2021, Bonobo, Bottom of the Hill, Caribou, Cleo Sol, Cornerstone Berkeley, Darkside, Decent Criminal, Echoplex, Four Tet, Foxx Bodies, Golden Bull, Great American Music Hall, Greek Theatre, Hiatus Kaiyote, Hollywood Forever, Hollywood Forever Cemetery, IDLES, Islands, J.I.D., Japanese Breakfast, Kari Faux, Kills Birds, Kowloon Walled City, Lagwagon, Landlady, Lando Chill, Little Simz, Lodge Room, Lord Huron, Modest Mouse, My Morning Jacket, Noga Erez, Olivia Rodrigo, Primus, Quicksand, Red City Radio, Resident DTLA, Royal Blood, Rush, Santa Barbara Bowl, Snail Mail, Spoon, Suzie True, Teragram Ballroom, The Aggrolites, The Alchemist, The Dirty Nil, The Gold Room, The Golden Bull, The Masonic, The Slackers, The Teragram Ballroom, The Theatre at Ace Hotel, The War on Drugs, Turnstile, Tyler the Creator, Yaya Bey

My Morning Jacket spotlight the long-awaited return of live music to SoCal with a powerful performance at the Santa Barbara Bowl

September 28, 2021 by Josh Herwitt 3 Comments

By Josh Herwitt //

My Morning Jacket with Durand Jones & The Indications //
Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA
September 23rd, 2021 //

The past 18 months have been hard to say the least. No matter how you’re feeling at this moment in time, the COVID-19 pandemic has undeniably created additional issues and stressors for many folks while also taking away some of the things we enjoy most about life.

And for those of us who love live music, its absence has been quite a blow to the psyche.

If anything, being locked down at home for more than a year has only made us long for the thrill of watching an artist or band command an audience’s attention and completely mesmerize its fans.

Yet with so much uncertainty still in the world, it’s almost surreal to think that concerts have finally made their return. Yes, you’ll need to offer proof of your COVID-19 vaccination status or a negative test within 48-72 hours, but it sure beats tuning into another livestream from your couch.

So when My Morning Jacket announced a 23-date jaunt across the U.S. for the second half of 2021 that included a stop at the always-exquisite Santa Barbara Bowl where we caught them nearly six years ago (read our review here), I knew that was one show I couldn’t miss and boy, am I glad that I didn’t.

The Louisville-bred rockers are back on the road touring in support of their forthcoming self-titled LP — and ninth studio album — this October after releasing The Waterfall II in 2020, and they wasted no time reminding us of that fact by beginning with its first single “Regularly Scheduled Programming” to follow what was an upbeat and soulful opening set from Durand Jones & The Indications.

But this headlining performance on the second day of the fall season was as much about the quintet’s new material, including the slow burn of “In Color” for our very first listen of the My Morning Jacket cut, as it was a golden — pun intended since the It Still Moves track by the same name made it onto the setlist this night — opportunity for Jim James (lead vocals, guitar), Tom Blankenship (bass), Patrick Hallahan (drums, percussion), Bo Koster (keyboards, percussion, backing vocals) and Carl Broemel (guitar, pedal steel guitar, saxophone, backing vocals) to put their expansive catalog on display.

MMJ, after all, gifted us not only both parts of “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream” but also hair-raising renditions of “Lay Low”, “One Big Holiday”, “It Beats 4 U”, “Spring (Among the Living)” and “Anytime” while James belted out the lyrics to songs like “Wordless Chorus” (with the disco ball in full effect), “Circuital” and “Feel You” that reaffirmed why he has had one of the best voices in rock, if not all of music, for more than two decades now.

When it came time for the encore though, James and company once again delivered the goods to a crowded amphitheater that was already brimming with excitement. Starting with fan favorite “Victory Dance” before transitioning into “Off the Record” from their seminal record Z, they offered “Where to Begin” on the “Elizabethtown” soundtrack for the first time since 2015. Nonetheless, that brief respite was quickly countered with a final rush of blood to the head that featured “Wasted”, “Run Thru” and “Dancefloors” as the clock struck 10 p.m. to mark the Bowl’s early curfew time.

Cruising back down U.S. 101 to Los Angeles later that evening, I reflected on the last year without live music and how rough it has been to not see some of my favorite acts in the flesh. But after witnessing more than two hours of pure sonic bliss at one of the best venues along the West Coast, I am beyond grateful that there’s MMJ to welcome us all home again.

Setlist:
Regularly Scheduled Programming
Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 1
Wordless Chorus
Circuital
Lay Low
I’m Amazed (Jim and Carl solo, then full band)
Evil Urges
Golden
Feel You
Climbing the Ladder
One Big Holiday
In Color
It Beats 4 U
Love Love Love
Spring (Among the Living) (>)
Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2
Anytime