I pull up to the parking lot of the Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts. It’s been two years and a couple of months since the last time I was at one of these things. One 40 ounce of malt liquor is disposed of while sitting in a warm car as ice and rain pounds away on the roof. Must make my way inside and show no weakness. My body has been in a state of mosh retirement for too long and there’s no telling how I’ll fare in a sea of savage longhairs.Continue reading
Here we are, my last gig of 2021, an interesting year to say the least. One which we started wondering if there’d be any live music at all. Witnessing a triumphant return of live music after so much hardship has reinforced to me the importance that Live music has on my life.
It’s a strange time to be a touring band. Faced with these difficult COVID-related circumstances, Baroness did what they do best. They chose to get creative with it. Instead of a traditional tour, the four piece embarked on the “Your Baroness – An Intimate Evening With Baroness” tour. Having seen Baroness perform at the 2,500 capacity Starland Ballroom and the 3,000 cap Terminal 5 on their 2019 trek with Deafheaven and Zeal and Ardor, getting the opportunity to see them at my second home, the 250 capacity Saint Vitus, was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. Also intriguing was that the show was an all-request set voted on by the attendees of each performance. This meant we could potentially hear songs they haven’t played in years or possibly ever. What a neat idea! As a fan I was super stoked by the idea and was eager to see what my fellow Baroness acolytes would choose to hear.
Strange Music. Always a good time, always fun memories, and always something special when they come to the The Strange New World Tour was supposed to come around in 2020, but obviously was postponed and had a bit of a lineup change due to the change of schedule. Originally it was going to be Tech N9ne, Jelly Roll, King Iso, Maez 301, and Jehry Robinson. The tour that came to be is without Jelly Roll and was switched out with former Strange Music artist Rittz, who now has founded his own record label called Whenever Tech N9ne and CNT Records, the rest of the tour has remained the same… kind of, more on that in a minute.
A year ago there were no shows to attend, let alone tours or festivals. As we claw our way slowly out of the darkest time in recent history as music fans, and concert goers (and photogs and writers too) the specialness of even the average show is not going to be taken for granted right now. So the return of Chain Fest, which has sprouted a life of its own after a humble beginning as the flagship event for Anaheim, California’s Chain Reaction, is huge for fans and really, the entire SoCal scene. While Chain Reaction remains a vital venue for bands, Chain Fest has kind of become a monster, growing every year and expanding to the Fivepoint Amphitheatre. When it was announced for 2021 and sold out pretty fast you could tell the excitement was high. Chain fest not only features special bands from Punk, Indie, Emo, and post-Hardcore, but always features bands doing special sets you can’t see anywhere else. We are all kind of living in a 2021 Punk version of Almost Famous where “it’s all happening” all the time!
In certain circles, some might say “so goes Matt Pike, so goes the entire metal scene.” As the co-founder of two of the most iconic bands of the last two generations of die-hard metal fans, Pike’s mighty riffs laid down with SLEEP and later with High on Fire has led him from the underground to mainstream love from critics and fans alike. With his debut book about to drop, and a solo album tentatively due in 2022, Pike is on a roll and a High on Fire show, playing their first concerts in a few years now, is a necessary ritual for fans.
Multi-dimensional artist and creative force Kris Esfandiari dropped one of 2021’s best records with her project King Woman – Celestial Blues (Relapse Records). Read our review here .Embarking on a short tour to support the album with shows in Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Oakland, Kris is bringing a penchant intense, dynamic, music and incredible performances to fans across the country.
Cradle of Filth is known for their melodic tales of gothic horror, striking fear into the hearts of their gleefully morose fan base. However, when faced with truly unfortunate circumstances, the band showed their ability to power through the darkness and give the fans the performance they so desperately craved.
Lansdowne Street in Boston, MA in October. It’s either extremely noisy and busy or it’s completely silent, in this instance it was the former rather than the later. Because we have Angels & Airwaves playing at the House of Blues the very same night that the Red Sox are facing the Houston Astros in the ALCS championship series… On the exact same street. We have baseball fans and music fans thrown together and it was pure magic. It’s gonna be a fun night, let’s dive right in.
Upon arrival at Trees in Dallas, it was evident that both the bands and the event staff were excited to welcome the return of live music to their venue. One could feel the excitement build as the empty space came alive with bands loading in gear, sound checks were completed and fans started filtering in.