Lizzo performs performs at Golden Gate Park during Outside Lands on Aug. 11, 2018. Joaquin Cabello/STAFF. I was supposed to be at Outside Lands in Golden Gate Park right now. And by “right now” I mean both as I’m writing this and as you’re reading it, since I’m assuming…

Gary Clark Jr. performs at BottleRock Napa Valley at the Napa Valley Expo on May 25, 2019. Shawn Robbins/Staff. For those who haven’t been reading this column for its entire two-year run, the reason it’s called “RIFF Rewind” is because for its first year I listed the top five…

Clockwise from top left: Aurora, Billy Strings, Honeyblood, Bon Iver, Sum-41, Tool, Opeth, 100 gecs, Subhumans and Lizzo. Welcome back to RIFF’s year-end album roundup! If you’re joining us just now, start with part one. Our album review staff is pretty musically diverse, which might explain why Opeth, Bon…

Billie Eilish performs at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco on May 29, 2019. Joaquin Cabello/Staff Apple, late Monday, unveiled that it will hold its own awards show honoring musicians. The Apple Music Awards will be live-streamed and held at the company’s Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, as well…

Lizzo performs at The Fillmore in San Francisco on Nov. 9, 2017. Staff photo. As regular readers of my column are well aware, I don’t much like the Grammys. Sure, occasionally Fantastic Negrito or Weird Al wins a trophy, and they absolutely deserve it. But they win the non-televised…

David Byrne performs at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco on Aug. 22, 2018. Photos: Paige K. Parsons. I don’t usually rank my top 10 shows, but this year’s best show was so far above the rest, I decided to make it clear who was at the top:…

Florence Welch from Florence and the Machine performs at Outside Lands in San Francisco on August 11, 2018. Photos: Shawn Robbins and Joaquin Cabello. SAN FRANCISCO — Touting her new record, High As Hope, Florence and the Machine played her first U.S. show Saturday at Outside Lands with the new…

Photos: Joaquin Cabello BERKELEY — There’s something cleansing about the rain, both literally and figuratively, and for the crowd of more than 8,000 who braved the weather Friday to see Haim, it was, perhaps, an emotional purification. With the rain-soaked Greek Theatre set as the backdrop, the trio of Este,…

Lizzo performs at The Fillmore in San Francisco on Nov. 9, 2017. Daniel Lee/STAFF. SAN FRANCISCO — In an industry dominated by misogyny and the male gaze, Lizzo’s message of female empowerment and body positivity is a welcome breath of fresh air. The 29-year-old Minneapolis singer, born Melissa Jefferson, brought…