#concertreview – Page 2 – The Boring Old Man

Concert Review: Dogstar at the Great American Music Hall, San Francisco CA

Sunday night was our 4th time seeing Dogstar live in the last 12 months (give or take a week or so…). This time they were at the Great American Music Hall, which is a great venue, and highly recommended.

I’ve written about all their past shows here, and honestly nothing much has changed with Dogstar. My earlier prediction that Bret’s guitar playing would be on fire by the end of the tour has come to pass and they’ve still got a few weeks to go. I’ve known Bret for 40+ years and played in numerous bands with him, as well as followed his other projects over the years and I can say with absolute confidence that last night was some of the best guitar work I’ve ever seen from him! His playing brought me a lot of joy, seeing him come so far. And there was a really special (to me) moment during the show when Bret talked about growing up in San Jose and this being a “home” show, and how he and his friend “who’s here tonight in the audience” used to play clubs on Broadway in SF, and that’s where it all started… Anyway, it was maybe a little sappy to the rest of the audience, but to me and the Mrs. it was special for him to acknowledge our history. Thanks brother!

The set wasn’t much different than the last few shows, though they did throw in an oldie or two as well as a couple new songs not yet recorded… Overall though, it was another strong showing. It’s a shame more people pay attention to the bass player than the actual music happening on stage, but I’m still very happy for their success on this tour and their great new record.

The real shock of the night and a most pleasant surprise was the opening act, The Trims, from San Jose, my (sorta) home town.

I had never heard of the band, but a cursory search told me they’d been around for several years and are getting some traction on our local “Alt Rock” radio station, Live 105. Their sound had a stellar vintage ’80’s New Wave feel, like The Cure and the Damned, sorta dark and moody, but at the same time had some really punchy, upbeat parts. I really, REALLY liked this band and look forward to seeing them again. They were super enthusiastic and energetic on stage, particularly their lead guitarist Tito – he was unbelievably entertaining to watch and simultaneously he just kept whipping out killer guitar parts! It was an extremely fun set to see!

I spoke briefly with Tito backstage after the show and as it turns out, the band has their rehearsal studio in the same building I have my rehearsal studio! Its a small world my friends, a small world! I also had a passing moment with their bassist (who’s name I didnt catch unfortunately) and let him know how much I loved their set, to which he replied “Tell Keanu!”… Well, I had talked to Keanu earlier in the evening and didn’t see him again, so Keanu if you’re reading this, The Trims were AWESOME and you should definitely consider them for opening slots down the road!

Well friends, that about wraps up this review. We’ll be seeing Dogstar AGAIN in about 3 weeks, and that should be a wrap on this year’s tour, but we already have tickets for several shows coming up in 2024, so don’t fret I’ll be back to writing about other bands before you know it!

Thanks Dogstar and the GAMH Staff and last but not least The Trims for an excellent night of music!

Thanks for stopping by!

Concert Review: Royal Blood at The Catalyst, Santa Cruz, CA

Tonight was another long awaited show, Royal Blood. I’ve been a fan of theirs for nearly a decade now but this was the first opportunity we had to see them live. That when we finally got our chance it turned out to be at The Catalyst, well that was just icing on the cake! I’d been sitting on these tickets nearly 5 months, so excitement levels were high!

The opening act – Hot Wax – we’d not heard of. We checked out some of their tunes ahead of time, didn’t dig it, and set out late for the show.

Right about 9pm the lights dimmed and the theme from “the Good, the Bad and the Ugly” came busting out of the P.A. setting the scene for what turned out to be an unbelievably amazing show.

The band was to tight and powerful, it was really a sight to behold. Bassist/vocalist Mike Kerr is one of a kind, the most unique player to hit the scene since Les Claypool. How he manages to play “guitar” on a bass, while holding down the bass lines AND singing simultaneously?!?! I don’t know what kind of wizardry/voodoo this guy is putting out there, but what he does seems physically impossible. Seriously, I’ve now seen it with my own eyes, and I still don’t know how he does it. I was miles beyond impressed by his performance.

Drummer Ben Thatcher was solid as a rock throughout the entire set. For my money, he’s the closest thing we’ve to got a modern day John Bonham. I’ve seen a lot of “alternative” bands over the last few decades, and most of the drummers are “blah”… This was certainly not the case with Ben, he was outstanding from the first note to the last. A real pro.

They played an hour-plus set, followed up with a 3-song encore, and honestly I’d kinda forgotten how many great songs they’ve put out since their debut album. It was really an amazing show, well worth the wait!

I’ve seen a lot of great shows this year and I can say without reservation that Royal Blood was amongst the best. I would absolutely go see them again, without hesitation.

Thanks for a great night, Royal Blood and crew!

And thank you for stopping by!

Concert Review: Des Rocs at The Independent, San Francisco CA

Another night at The Independent, one of our favorite venues, to see one of our favorite live bands, Des Rocs!

Christopher Shayne from Phoenix, AZ was the opening act tonight, and someone we’d never heard of. When they took the stage I didn’t know what to think – the first guy I see is sporting a cowboy hat, the next guy has long hair reminiscent of Chris Cornell, followed up by a dude with a foot tall Mohawk! Once they hit it, it all made sense! Lynryd Skynyrd meets Soundgarden with a good ‘ol boy meets punk attitude. Let me tell you, these guys KILLED IT! It was fantastic from start to finish. “All killer, no filler” as the saying goes. I was beyond impressed, the drummer was rock solid, powerful and right in the pocket through the whole set. The guitar work was excellent, particularly when they broke into harmonized leads, just mesmerizing. Really, the whole band was straight up professional and they tore the roof of the place. I was actually bummed when the set was over, they left me wanting more!

The second act – Starbenders – we’d also never heard of, and they gave up a mixed performance. Musically, they were pretty good. Drums and bass were pretty basic, but solid. The lead guitarist looked like a younger version of Slash minus the top hat and tattoos, and played some impressive stuff wrangling his Les Paul around. My biggest gripe came from the vocals…most of it was ok, but she used a weird voice + effect thing – a lot – that was frankly just grating. Like literally the sound frequency was painful…I don’t know how to describe it exactly but it really distracted from an otherwise decent set. What I will say, certainly some of the songs were really good and they all gave 100% on stage. It was definitely a performance, not a recital.

Finally the main event, Des Rocs! What can I say, this guy is simply one of the best live acts on the scene today. This was (I think) the 5th time seeing them in SF, and once again they just knocked it out of the park. The energy they put out on stage is electric and it is the kind of show that ALL rock shows should aspire to. If you like live music at all, you owe it to yourself to see them at least once, you won’t regret it!

When all is said and done, it was a fantastic night! Excellent musicianship all around, tons of energy, cool venue. An all around win!

Thanks for stopping by!

Concert Review: Polyphia at The Warfield Theater- San Francisco- CA

So tonight I did something I haven’t done in a long, long time – go to a show solo!

Back in the day, I used to do this all the time but its been decades. So I felt a little out of sorts, if I’m being honest.

I got there late due to the sucktastic San Francisco parking, and the opening act was already underway when I got to my seat. It was an usual act, a duo comprised of a keyboardist and a drummer, by the names of Domi and DJ Beck, respectively. I will say they both clearly spent time on their instruments and were obviously talented. That being said, their frantic jazz fusion music wasn’t my cup of tea. I was a little glad I got there late honestly, 3 songs was enough to get the gist and that type of jam just isn’t my thing.

I don’t know if it was the unexpected heat wave we were experiencing out here in the Bay Area or if the Warfield’s mechanical systems were on the fritz, but it was BLAZIN’ hot in there, which made the wait between the opening act and the headliner grueling!

Polyphia finally hit the stage about 9:20 The opening song started off with a slow burn, but quickly built up and they were off to the races!

I’ve been waiting a couple years now to see these guys live, and sat on the tickets for a few months in anticipation but to be honest, the show was a mixed bag.

On the positive side, the guys played great. Their guitarists outshine pretty much every modern fusion/prog player I’ve heard in the last decade. They really are phenomenal, especially when playing harmonized parts in unison. It is really something to behold.

That being said, the sound, the actual mixed sound from the PA system was horrendous. The bass guitar was so heavy in the mix that when things got really going with all the players, the sound just devolved into a rumbling, distorted mess. The drums too, we’re just completely buried – you could hear the back beat just fine, but ZERO of the finesse of his complex drum parts. He was also using very “dry” cymbals with little to no sustain – which can sound great recorded or in a small club, but here they were utterly lost in the mix.

Long story short, between the immense heat (along with some disturbingly rank body odor from someone seated in my general vicinity!) and the auditory assault from the bad mix through the PA, after 45 minutes, I’d had enough. I made for the exits before the set was over, not to mention any encore tunes.

I was glad that I got to see them, even if it was mildly disappointing. Knowing these guys CAN pull it off live was highly encouraging in this age of backing tracks and fake performances. That being said, I doubt I’d rush out to see them again any time soon.

As for the venue, I’ve decided to avoid the Warfield for a while, unless one of my “bucket list” performers comes through. Not that there is anything “wrong” with the venue (air conditioning aside, which was the first time I’ve experienced that there, and I saw my first Warfield show in 1982!), but the neighborhood has become so unbelievably bad I just want to stay out of it. Oddly, it’s not that I feel unsafe (thought truth be told, the Tenderloin District, where it is, happens to be either #1 or #2 of the most dangerous places in San Francisco according to crime stats) it’s just that it is really depressing. I’ve hung out in that area since my early teen years and I don’t even recognize it anymore. One “sidewalk shantytown” after another, up and down every block. Crazy people walking around screaming at nobody or everybody, drugged out zombies wandering aimlessly, and the non-stop, overwhelmed stench of urine and general filth. It really drags you down, being in the environment, even when nothing “bad” happens. It’s a real shame. San Francisco used to be THE place to be in Nor Cal, but over the last few years it is increasingly becoming the place to AVOID.

The best part of the ride out of town was this handsome devil

So like I said, a mixed bag. Keep up the good work Polyphia, and maybe find a different sound man to run your boards – it would make a world of difference!

Thanks for stopping by!

Concert Review: Qveen Herby at the Rickshaw Stop, SF, CA.

I debated writing this review due to being raised with the ethos of “if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all”… But after some reflection I figured honesty is the best policy so I’ll tell it like it was in my not so humble (musical) opinion.

First off, I’m a huge fan of Qveen Herby and have been for several years now. The Mrs. and our daughter are too. There is literally NOBODY like her. We’ve been waiting a LONG time for her to finally hit the road and do some live music, so when she finally announced a limited tour, we JUMPED! We were so excited for this show, more than many others we’ve been to recently. Seeing an artist you love for the first time can be such a thrill!

My daughter and I been to the Rickshaw once before and loved it. We were really looking forward to getting out there again. But something was really outta whack this time and we did not have the excellent experience that we did the last time around.

Things got off to a rocky start, right off the bat. The show was listed as “doors open at 7pm, show starts at 8pm. We got the venue at 8:02, and there was a line of people down the street and around the block… Not a good sign.

We didn’t actually step foot into the club until 8:45. Pretty bad for a show scheduled to start at 8! Anyhow, once we get in, I’m immediately drawn to the fact that there is essentially NO musical gear on stage. Just a table, center stage, and I can see some sort of device with a few protruding knobs and that’s it.

We stand around in the room that is getting increasingly packed and the next thing you know the “opening act” comes out at 9:15 – and it’s a freakin’ DJ. <Insert MASSIVE eye-roll here>. Good grief. The DJ proceeds to “perform” a 30-40 minute “set” of the most inane, generic disco night club crap you can imagine. About halfway through I commented to the Mrs.,”I find it odd that someone who clearly doesn’t like music chose to become a DJ…” It was absurd. As boring as watching paint dry. And certainly not something I’d ever expect to see at a concert.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, it was over.

Then we wait. Then we wait some more. Then we wait a little longer. And after just a little more waiting, the main attraction hits the stage at 10:10 with…no band. What. The. Hell?

Qveen Herby looked great and her voice sounded fantastic. Her singing is great and her rapping is as good as any rapper I’ve ever heard. BUT! There is only so much one person can do to fill a stage, no matter how talented.

Long story short, we ended up leaving early – we’d seen enough. Frankly, it was kinda like watching a music video. All the music, all the background vocals and harmonies were simply play-back tracks. Essentially the “band” is a laptop. That does not make for an exciting show.

All that being said, we’re still glad we went to see her. I was really happy to see her get a packed house on her first gig in SF and it was cool to see/hear darn near everyone in the building singing along, word for word. I’m happy that she’s getting the recognition and love she clearly deserves. She is very entertaining and unlike so many other performers these days actually has a great voice – it’s not studio gimmicks and trickery. She’s the real deal. But for my money, if you’re doing a LIVE show, you better have some musicians on that stage! Otherwise, you’re just selling tickets to a Karaoke night.

Qveen, we still love you and your songs, but you need to go back to the drawing board when it comes to a live show. Costumes and lighting and props are great for plays and musicals, but live MUSIC needs live MUSICIANS!! If you put the care and feeding into the live act that you do for your videos, you’ll be unstoppable! I hope to see you continue to grow as an artist, and I hope this won’t be the one and only time we get the Qveen Herby experience IRL!

And to the Rickshaw staff…I’m willing to give y’all the benefit of the doubt due to my initial visit to your venue, but last night was a DISASTER. Y’all need to get your shizz together to make these events more successful. Just sayin’…

Thanks for stopping by!

Concert Review: Foreigner at Shoreline Amphitheater, Mountain View, CA

Ok, flashback time! Back in 1977, at the ripe old age of 9 (!!!) I was turned on to FM radio by my older next door neighbor (my honorary older brother) and my life was forever changed.

Growing up in my house, you got Barbara Streisand and Anne Margaret with my mom, and my pops was fond of the saying “there are TWO kinds of music- Country and Western”. And of course there was the grandmother, the matriarch of the family, that considered anything outside of a hymn to be “devil’s music”. But I digress. Suffice it to say, Rock and Roll radio in the 70’s knocked me for a loop! Until then my only exposure to rock and roll was Elvis Presley and the Beach Boys.

There were a lot of great bands back then making waves – Boston, Journey, Steely Dan, Doobie Brothers…but you simply couldn’t listen to the radio for more than an hour without hearing Foreigner – they were essentially on heavy rotation my entire youth and I was a big fan of the band as a kid.

Fast forward a few years to ’81/’82 and I became fully ensconced in Punk and New Wave music. I gave away all my “old” records and cassettes – stating I’d “never listen to the old crap again”. Yeah, youth and ignorance go hand in hand! But I basically stopped listening to what is now considered “classic rock” for about 20 years.

Ironically it was our daughter who mentioned that she’d really like to see Foreigner and as a surprise, the Mrs. picked up tickets for what turned out to be their farewell tour. I was game, figuring it would be a fun nostalgic night – and it was – but it was so much more than we expected!

For starters, we found out the opening band was to be Loverboy of all bands! We scoffed. We purposely left late for the show, not caring one iota about seeing their set. The Mrs. and I were middle-school aged kids when Loverboy exploded and of course we liked them at the time, same as all our contemporaries, but we never owned any of their records and in our jaded post-punk minds, they were sort of joke band, a caricature of 80’s music. Well, as luck would have it, we just sailed into the venue and despite leaving late we got seated right when they started their set. And boy are we glad we did!

Don’t let the looks fool you, Mike Reno is still an awesome vocalist!

To our shock and amazement, Loverboy were OUTSTANDING! Honestly I’d forgotten how many radio hits they had from back in the day and they just cranked ’em out, one after another. The playing was excellent and Mike Reno’s voice sounded as good today as it did 40 years ago. It was really impressive! I have a new found appreciation for them and I’m frankly still in a bit of shock over how great they were. Who would’ve guessed?!?!

Awesome guitar work and AMAZING tone!! One of the best sounding guitars I’ve heard in a long time!

Foreigner started their set with “Double Vision” and they came to deliver! Much like the Loverboy set, theirs was basically a Greatest Hits collection, and again I had forgotten just how many hits they’d put out over the years.

Now, I realize that this version of Foreigner has none of the original players, but some of the “new guys” have been in the band 15-20 years and the musicianship was simply phenomenal. Seriously. Each and every one of the guys on stage put up a blistering performance and it was honestly one of the best shows I’ve even seen, insofar as the precision and perfection with which they played. With the possible exception of Rush, it was the most “professional” rock show I’ve ever experienced. Just flawless. And what made it even more amazing was that it was ALL live. No backing tracks, no audio trickery, just a bunch of exceptional musicians performing real music at the highest level. Seriously, these guys are world class musicians, and together they were AMAZING. And the icing on the delicious cake was that it was immediately obvious that the band was having a great time doing it!

One of the best front men I’ve ever seen live!

I’m so grateful for our kid bringing this show to our attention and for my lovely wife for snatching up the tickets! This show was SOOO much more than simple nostalgia, it was a reminder of what made me fall in love with music, what made me want to be a musician, what drove me to attend hundreds of shows over the last four decades. It was an absolute blast and a show I’m sure to remember for a long, long time!

If you have the opportunity, I cannot give a higher recommendation for a concert. If you love good, old fashioned, straight ahead rock and roll you’d be hard pressed to find a better band to see live!

Thanks for stopping by!

Concert Review: Dogstar at the Guild Theater, Menlo Park, CA

Wednesday night found us back at the Guild Theater for another Dogstar show, our 3rd time seeing them in the last year.

We were excited to get back to the Guild, and it was the first time for the Mrs. to see a show there. The Guild Theater is quickly becoming our favorite Bay Area venue! Great staff, great sound, great vibe…just an outstanding place for live music.

The opening band was a 4-piece outfit by the name of Archer Oh.

First time seeing them (or hearing of them for that matter!) and they knocked it out of the park! Their sound was sort of a mash-up of the Smiths and the Strokes, with a touch of surf and a hint of psychedelia thrown in the mix. Altogether unique. The performance was excellent- fresh, exciting and wholly unexpected. By the time the set was over, we were fans. So much so we stopped by the merch table and bought both their CDs. I will ABSOLUTELY go see them again, given the chance!

Dogstar hit the stage and was immediately beset with equipment troubles from the guitar rig, so they got off to a bit of a rocky start. The tech was able to get things running quickly however and they were off and running, playing essentially their new album in its entirety, with an old tune and a new song thrown in for good measure.

As per usual, most if the attention was focused on the bassist Keanu (who did a great job, to his credit!) but it was guitarist/vocalist Bret Domrose that really carried the show. In spite of the initial gear wonkiness, he had an extremely strong performance. His guitar playing has only gotten stronger since the “record release” party back in December. I can only imagine his playing will be off the hook by the end of this tour with another 30 or so shows under his belt.

Aside from his mother, I’m probably Bret’s biggest fan, and it was really exciting to see him coming back to life on stage and doing his thing at such a high level. That is was at a “hometown” show made it all the more special.

Overall the band seems to have settled in and are getting comfortable with each other again after such a long hiatus. I would have LOVED to hear some of the songs from “Our Little Visionary” – a criminally underrated album – but I’m finding I really like the new songs. They show a lot of growth in the songwriting and the overall performance. I’ve got my order in for the new record when it comes out on October 6th, can’t wait to really dig in to it!

Overall it was a fantastic night. Great music, great, fun vibe in the hall, just an exceptional experience all around.

Thanks Archer Oh and Dogstar for an excellent night of music and some inspiration as well! We’ll see you again in December!

Thanks for stopping by!

Concert Review: Grandson & K.Flay at the Warfield Theater, San Francisco.

Monday night brought us back to the historic Warfield Theater in San Francisco for the much anticipated Grandson and K.Flay show. This was the Mrs.’ “birthday” show and we’ve been sitting on the tickets for months, so the excitement levels were off the charts and it turned out to be an awesome night!

Opening act Jack Kays was already on stage when we got to our seats and he was OK. Nothing surprising or spectacular, but solid. I wasn’t familiar with his work and what I heard gave me an early 00’s “Emo” vibe. Not really my thing, but I’ve certainly heard worse. At the very least he seemed to be engaging and enjoying himself.

Next up was K.Flay. All I can say is WOW! She came out swinging and delivered an amazing, high energy set that was just off the charts. Her band was outstanding; energetic, technical prowess and just great tone. Her guitarist, who’s name I just couldn’t catch unfortunately, was OUTSTANDING. Really a top-notch, stellar performance. These guys, and K.Flay herself earned my highest regards. This was our 3rd time seeing her show, and it just keeps getting better!!

Grandson’s set was a mixed bag to be honest. Jordan (who essentially IS grandson) was great. He is so enigmatic and enthusiastic it’s impossible to NOT dig what he’s doing. He’s a little creepy and comes off as a little dangerous, but in the best possible way. His performance was certainly as strong as ever before, but the song selection for the set was a bit lacking. And if I’m being perfectly honest, his band was not up to the level we’ve come to expect. His guitar player was good, really good even. But not great. The bass player has been replaced by backing tracks, and the lack of real, interactive bass was noticeable. And his new drummer… I’m not saying he was bad – quite the contrary. He was actually extremely proficient and had chops for days, but he was NOT the right drummer for this band. Yes, I’m highly biased and critical of drummers – 45 years behind the kit will do thst to a guy. Now, I don’t know who this guy is, but I kept hearing gospel drumming throughout the set. Don’t get me wrong, gospel drummers are some of the hottest guys out there, it just didn’t work for me in the context of Grandson. Overall though, it was still a great set.

In the end I’d have to say that K. Flay stole the show, but it was a great night of high energy and excellent musicianship. If you ever have the opportunity, I highly recommend both artists!

Thanks for stopping by!

Concert Review: Duran Duran at SAP Center, San Jose, CA

It has been quite the weekend for music! After a packed day yesterday at the Bottlerock Festival, the Mrs. and I had a night out Sunday with Duran Duran in our sort-of Hometown, San Jose. The concert was at the SAP Center, home of the San Jose Sharks hockey team. We’ve been to a number of shows there over the years – Rush, the Who, Imagine Dragons, to name a few – so there was nothing new and/or notable about the venue itself. I will say though, despite not being a fan of giant venues, if there is a choice between SAP or the Oakland Arena, I’d pick San Jose, hands down. The fact that it’s less than 15 minutes from our front door doesn’t hurt either!

The opening act of the night was Bastille, however since we were recovering from the day before and moving slow, we didn’t make it in time for their set. I’m not familiar with them other than having heard the name, so I don’t know what I missed…

Next on the bill was Nile Rogers & Chic. All I can say is WOW! The energy was off the charts and the band was on FIRE! It’s not every day you get to see a living legend on stage, and let me tell you even at 70 years old, Nile Rogers was AMAZING. They played (of course) the classic 70’s Chic tunes, but also a bunch of songs Niles had a hand in over the years, made famous by other artists like David Bowie and Daft Punk amongst others. It was one of the best live performances I’ve seen in a long time, truly spectacular.

Nile Rogers, the man, the myth, the legend. Laying it down!

Duran Duran came on stage with much fanfare and launched into a moody number (which I didn’t recognize), and honestly I thought it was a very curious choice to open the show.

The 4 original members: Roger, Simon, John & Nick (L-R)

From there on out though, it was essentially a “greatest hits” set, spanning 4 decades of their work, with a couple new songs and a (seriously ill-fated Rick James) cover thrown in for good measure.

I’d never seen Duran Duran before, so I have nothing to compare this performance to. And I have a mixed history with the band. I first heard their song “Planet Earth” as a middle-schooler back in ’81 on KFJC – one of the greatest college radio stations ever! – and was really taken in by their unique sound. They were New Wave pioneers and when their Rio album came out the following year they took MTV by storm and their popularity grew by leaps and bounds on the strength of that record. I considered myself a fan.

Then it all went to Pop music hell, trying to compete with Madonna and Michael Jackson and I COMPLETELY lost my taste for them.

Fast forward 10 years, and they came back with guitarist Warren Cuccarillo (of Frank Zappa and Missing Persons fame) and knocked it out if the park with the eponymous DURAN DURAN album in ’93 and I was back in the fold.

That is taking the long way around to say I absolutely LOVE some of their songs, and others leave me flat, and their set was a pretty good mix of the two.

Musically, they were pretty solid. Simon LeBon’s voice was very strong and true – clearly he’s taken care of his instrument over the years. Bassist John Taylor (who is criminally under-rated as a bassist IMHO) was rock solid, grooving and fun to watch. Drums and keys – Roger and Nick, respectively – performed admirably, but nothing extraordinary. However, I’ve got to give props to their guitarist- whose name I couldn’t decipher over the PA. He was OUTSTANDING, whoever he is. Andy Taylor, the original guitarist, is a phenomenal player and very unique. Their second guitarist Warren Cuccarillo is a freakin’ wizard. So this guy had HUGE shoes to fill, and he NAILED IT, from start to finish. Really exceptional playing, I wish I knew who it was…

So to be perfectly honest, it wasn’t the best show I’ve even seen. Don’t think it would even make the Top 10 (though to be fair, considering I’ve seen about 1,000 shows in my life, Top 10 is pretty tough to break into!). That being said, I did enjoy the show and I’m glad I got to see them once. I also understand it was only the 2nd show of the new Tour, so they still have some kinks to work out before they really hit their stride I think. If they can fine-tune their set list, and the sound and lighting guys make some (seriously needed) tweaks, it can become a stellar show.

When all is said and done, I’d say I really enjoyed my time with Nile Rogers, Chic and Duran Duran. It was a fun night, good vibes and brought up a touch of nostalgia at the same time. A night well spent!

Thanks for stopping by!

Concert Review: Bottlerock Festival, Napa CA

If you’ve been reading my stuff for a while, you may have noticed the vast majority of concert reviews come from nightclubs and theaters, not arenas and coliseum events. I’ll make exceptions occasionally, but big events are really not my thing. However, today was one of those exceptions and we traveled north to Napa for Day 2 of the annual Bottle Rock Festival. The festival is a 3 day affair – if you’re a glutton for punishment and have a LOT of extra dough lying around you can make a long weekend of it and watch an absurd amount of bands play.

Sensory overload is the best way to describe the day. There were SO. MANY. PEOPLE. It was rather overwhelming. That being said, we did see a lot of good musicians ply their trade, and though it was crowded as anything I’ve ever witnessed, the patrons and staff were pretty well behaved. Lines moved quickly, no scuffles broke out (that we witnessed, anyway) and all in all it was a really fun day.

East Forest was the first act we caught. Very electro. Spacey, background music is how I’d describe it. Not exactly suited for a live show, especially outdoors, at noon no less. But hey, it was background music for us while we got ourselves oriented to the venue and figured out where we needed to be and when.

Paris Jackson was not someone we planned to watch, but we happened upon her set while we were getting some food and libations, and I was SHOCKED by how good she was. I expected the daughter of the “King of Pop”, would be nothing but fluff, but to my surprise she and her band were rocking, with Paris herself digging in on guitar as well as vocals. It was a pleasant surprise and I’ll definitely be looking into her discography.

Lupe Fiasco was the next set we saw. He was high energy and had a great vibe. He was funny, and had a lot of audience interaction, and he really poured it out for us, delivering a great set to an enthusiastic croud. It was a groovy good time, for sure. Would recommend his show if you have the opportunity.

Next in the agenda was Dogstar, the whole reason we went to this festival. Yes, Im highly biased. Regular readers may recall that the the guitarist/vocalist of Dogstar, Bret Domrose, is my best friend going back decades. I was the drummer in his first several bands and we cut our teeth together on the Bay Area club circuit back in the 80’s and 90’s before his career took off. This was the first-time Dogstar played to a big audience is a VERY long time, and you could tell they were having a good time with it. The crowd reaction was solid, but a little slow to respond at first. By the mid point of the set they had really picked up steam and finished really strong. It was a great set and I couldn’t be happier for those guys, hitting it again after a decade’s long hiatus.

Cautious Clay was the next artist we checked out. I didn’t know but one song from him prior to today, but he have us an impressive set too. His band was slamming, and he himself busted out the sax and guitar (a LEFTY no less!) which I had no idea he played. He definitely earned my respect with his performance today!

Tove Lo was the last act for us for the day. She was playful and sexy and obviously having a great time. Her band was solid and the performance was strong, but it was also very “programmed”, using backing tracks and loops and whatnot, that kinda takes away from the magic of live music. But I’ll give her props for her set. She’s clearly a professional and the set was flawless, if not electric with the musicians stepping out and adding some spice to the original compositions. I don’t think I’d go out of my way to see her again, but I wouldn’t be purposely late if she was opening for another show I was going to either.

The main headlining acts were Duran Duran and Lizzo, both playing different stages with overlapping times. The four of us were going to split up to see our preferred artists, but in the end we were all kinda wiped out after Tove Lo, and we decided to call it a day and head home.

All in all it was a great day. Expensive as all get out, but still a great day. Beautiful weather, great food and drink, fantastic music from a wide variety of artists. Who could ask for more on a May Saturday?

Thanks for stopping by!