• BottleRock 2023 Day 2: Duran Duran, Lizzo, 8 other sets we loved on Saturday

    BottleRock 2023 Day 2: Duran Duran, Lizzo, 8 other sets we loved on Saturday

    Lizzo performs at BottleRock Napa Valley at the Napa Valley Expo on May 27, 2023. Steve Carlson/STAFF. NAPA — The impact was quick, if not immediate. The tension and excitement had been building, people jockeying for position and moving in as close to the stage as they could.…
  • REVIEW: The Cure mixes old and new at Shoreline Amphitheatre

    REVIEW: The Cure mixes old and new at Shoreline Amphitheatre

    The Cure performs at British Summertime Fest at Hyde Park in London on July 7, 2018. Courtesy Paige K. Parsons. MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — After walking onstage on Saturday, The Cure frontman, Robert Smith, surveyed the sea of people in the crowd at Shoreline Amphitheatre. A fanr offered…
  • Dogstar (Keanu Reeves' band) plays first show in two decades at BottleRock

    Dogstar (Keanu Reeves’ band) plays first show in two decades at BottleRock

    Keanu Reeves performs with Dogstar at BottleRock Napa Valley at the Napa Valley Expo on May 27, 2023. Steve Carlson/STAFF. NAPA — Alt-rock trio Dogstar, best known as being the band in which Keanu Reeves plays bass, played its first show in more than two decades on Saturday…
  • BottleRock 2023 Day 1: Smashing Pumpkins, Post Malone, 10 other sets we loved on Friday

    BottleRock 2023 Day 1: Smashing Pumpkins, Post Malone, 10 other sets we loved on Friday

    Post Malone performs at BottleRock Napa Valley at the Napa Valley Expo on May 26, 2023. Sean Liming/STAFF. NAPA — Thousands of attendees packed the Napa Valley Expo on Friday on the first day of the BottleRock Napa Valley music festival. The weather cooperated for once, with highs…
  • REVIEW: Shania Twain sparkles during her space western odyssey at Shoreline

    REVIEW: Shania Twain sparkles during her space western odyssey at Shoreline

    Shania Twain performs at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, Calif. on May 26, 2023. Photos: Derek Fisher/STAFF. MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Shania Twain was every bit the pop-country diva at her sold-out show at Shoreline Amphitheatre on Friday night, regaling an excited audience with a parade of singalong…
  • Obituary: Soul, rock and roll icon Tina Turner dead at 83

    Obituary: Soul, rock and roll icon Tina Turner dead at 83

    Tina Turner performs in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on Nov. 4, 1990. Photo by Rob Verhorst/Redferns. Superstar Tina Turner, an icon for both showmanship and resilience, has died at 83 after a long illness, near Zurich, Switzerland, her home for the last years of her life. Turner sang on iconic…
  • REVIEW: Mr. Bungle, The Melvins 'geek' out at the Fox

    REVIEW: Mr. Bungle, The Melvins ‘geek’ out at the Fox

    Mr. Bungle performs at Fox Theater in Oakland on May 23, 2023. Nate McKinley/STAFF. OAKLAND — Mike Patton’s eclectic musical tastes were on full display Tuesday night at the Fox. The Mr. Bungle (and Faith No More) frontman kicked off a 90-minute set of relentlessly chugging thrash metal…
  • Tuesday Tracks: Your weekly new music discovery for May 23

    Tuesday Tracks: Your weekly new music discovery for May 23

    VOICE OF BACEPROT, courtesy. This week we listen to overpowered rock with an important message from Voice of Baceprot, dark pop from Ama Lou, emo pop with a hint of R&B for the lovesick from guccihighwaters, shoegaze from Bleach Lab, psych rock for the summer by Parliamo and…
  • REVIEW: Matchbox Twenty flex their catalog and shine a new light at Concord Pavilion

    REVIEW: Matchbox Twenty flex their catalog and shine a new light at Concord Pavilion

    Matchbox Twenty performs at Concord Pavilion in Concord, Calif., on May 21, 2023. Photo by Jim Trocchio. CONCORD, Calif. — Matchbox Twenty frontman Rob Thomas made an observation as he looked out over the large gathering at Concord Pavilion during the home stretch of his band’s set. “It’s…
  • REVIEW: Love and Rockets mesmerize with tour opener at the Fox

    REVIEW: Love and Rockets mesmerize with tour opener at the Fox

    Love and Rockets perform at Fox Theater in Oakland on May 21, 2023. Karen Goldman/STAFF. OAKLAND — As Love and Rockets prepared to perform their second encore at Fox Theater Sunday night, nobody seemed able to find Daniel Ash’s acoustic guitar. “Can we go acoustic, please?” bassist David…
  • INTERVIEW: Christone "Kingfish" Ingram on being part of the evolution of blues

    INTERVIEW: Christone “Kingfish” Ingram on being part of the evolution of blues

    Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, courtesy the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. Christone “Kingfish” Ingram has been around for quite a while. You may have seen him play at the White House in 2014, for example. You may have seen him play at the fictional Harlem’s Paradise on the then-Netflix, now-Disney+…
  • INTERVIEW: Arts and crafts and pet rocks with grentperez

    INTERVIEW: Arts and crafts and pet rocks with grentperez

    grentperez, courtesy Theo Batterham. He’s selling out shows from San Francisco to New York now in support of his upcoming EP When We Were Younger (out June 2), but Australian musician Grant Perez’s music career began on YouTube, where his siblings started posting videos of him singing karaoke when he…
  • Navigating BottleRock 2023: An hour-by-hour guide for all 3 days

    Navigating BottleRock 2023: An hour-by-hour guide for all 3 days

    BottleRock 2022, courtesy. Even if you already know which of the headliners at BottleRock Napa Valley 2023 you’re picking to watch (Post Malone or the Smashing Pumpkins, Lizzo or Duran Duran, Lil Nas X or the Red Hot Chili Peppers), the festival presents many musical options. Because of the relatively…
  • REVIEW: M83 brings his 'Fantasy' to Fox Theater

    REVIEW: M83 brings his ‘Fantasy’ to Fox Theater

    M83 performs at Fox Theater in Oakland on May 16, 2023. Chloe Catajan/STAFF. OAKLAND — There are many artists in search of the next big hit. But Anthony Gonzalez has been avoiding his for years. And at the first of two nights at the Fox Theater on Tuesday, his…
  • INTERVIEW: Teddy Swims finds the shore on 'Sleep is Exhausting'

    INTERVIEW: Teddy Swims finds the shore on ‘Sleep is Exhausting’

    Teddy Swims, courtesy Lindsey Byrnes. It’s tough to pin down Jaten Dimsdale, better known as Teddy Swims, and he’d have it no other way. Whether it’s metal, country or R&B, Dimsdale’s mission is clear: Do whatever you can to be heard. BottleRock Napa Valley 2023 Lizzo, Red Hot…
  • REVIEW: Joan Baez and Taj Mahal star at Acoustic-4-a-Cure Fillmore show

    REVIEW: Joan Baez and Taj Mahal star at Acoustic-4-a-Cure Fillmore show

    Joan Baez, Taj Mahal and Sammy Hagar perform at Acoustic-4-A-Cure at The Fillmore in San Francisco on May 13, 2023. Steve Carlson/STAFF. SAN FRANCISCO — An unexpected appearance by Joan Baez, impressive blues chops of Taj Mahal and punchy one-liners by Chris Isaak highlighted the Acoustic-4-a-Cure concert at…
  • PHOTOS: Lil Wayne brings intimate Welcome to Tha Carter tour to the Masonic

    PHOTOS: Lil Wayne brings intimate Welcome to Tha Carter tour to the Masonic

    Lil Wayne performs at the Masonic in San Francisco on May 12, 2023. Matt Pang/STAFF. SAN FRANCISCO — Rapper Lil Wayne brought his Welcome to Tha Carter tour to the Masonic on Friday. The iconic rapper born Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. could have played arenas, but chose much more…
  • Interview: Nile Rodgers doing it all for the flops

    Interview: Nile Rodgers doing it all for the flops

    Nile Rodgers and Chic perform at Chase Center in San Francisco on Sept. 4, 2022. Sean Liming/STAFF. Nile Rodgers hasn’t stopped moving in years. The Chic cofounder and writer and producer of countless hits since the ‘70s—often the biggest hits of his collaborators’ careers—says his recent lifetime achievement…
  • INTERVIEW: Charlie Hall of The War On Drugs spreads vibes on instrumental LP 'Invisible Ink'

    INTERVIEW: Charlie Hall of The War On Drugs spreads vibes on instrumental LP ‘Invisible Ink’

    Charlie Hall, “Invisible Ink.” Charlie Hall has spent most of his music career making other people sound good. Hall is a multi-instrumentalist, but he’s best-known as the drummer for Grammy-winning band The War On Drugs. He has a reputation among other musicians as a generous support player. Now,…
  • REVIEW: Crowded House keeps it in the family at the Fox

    REVIEW: Crowded House keeps it in the family at the Fox

    Crowded House performs at Fox Theater in Oakland on May 6, 2023. Karen Goldman/STAFF. OAKLAND —”We’ve really diverged tonight!”vocalist Neil Finn told the audience about two-thirds of the way through the Crowded House set at the Fox Theater on Saturday night. As the show had opened with the circus-like ambience…