Taylor Swift finding her inner rainbow at a concert at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California on May 11, 2018. Photo: Roman Gokhman. A common criticism I get on Twitter about this column, other than that I hate Europeans, is that I’m stuck in the past and hate modern…

Bruce Springsteen is like a big brother to a whole generation of working class romantics. He’s a role model for those just trying to find their own space to be exuberant despite being owned by bosses, coming from broken families, running from the cops and fighting the system. Now,…

Eminem (or MC Chris in disguise) Well, it finally happened. After doing 35 of these columns I got to a year where I couldn’t find five songs for the list. There were three locks, and a couple under-appreciated deep cuts in “Smoke & Mirrors” and “Days Go By” (or its…

There’s another excessively long longlist this week. You’re going to have to put up with these until I’d gotten out of high school and decided all new music was stupid. It’s an immutable human law, isn’t it? Music stops being good upon graduation from high school. Sure, there are…

“lus,” Illustration: Vivian Shih It’s “love and hate” week at RIFF. We’ve taken on the theme of Valentine’s Day to talk about both sides of love. Today, we asked our writers, photographers and editors about their favorite love songs. Additionally, we’ve partnered with talented artist Vivian Shih, who has illustrated…

This is the final in a three-part series. Read how I’m scoring my list and find out about my “special consideration” acts in PART 1 and 13 through 8 in PART 2. Favorite Shows 2015 | Favorite Shows 2014 Favorite Shows 2013 | Favorite Shows 2012 7 – STURGILL SIMPSON at the Fox Theater – Nov. 19 Two weeks ago,…

Jerry Lee Lewis, The Who, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, and Paul McCartney all on the same stage? It has happened, though perhaps not in a normal festival timeframe. They are just a few artists who’ve performed live at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies…

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform at Oracle Arena in Oakland on March 13, 2016. Roman Gokhman/STAFF. OAKLAND — Bruce Springsteen’s 20-song opus The River means many things to people, but The Boss himself gave two explanations for the meaning of his fifth album — originally released in 1980…

M83 performs at the Fox Theater in Oakland on April 17, 2016. I probably went to more shows this year than ever before. This year, artists such as Florence and the Machine, Coldplay, the Black Keys, Of Monsters and Men and the reunited Garbage didn’t even crack the ranks…