My Morning Jacket @ the Fillmore (Photo: Sean Reiter) My Morning Jacket packed The Fillmore to the gills with a four-show run this week coming out of a daytime performance at BottleRock. It seemed that many in the audience were there for all four nights and had made the journey from out of town. MMJ’s team had packed as much light on stage as possible with more than a dozen huge lights behind the stage. Additionally, foliage had been brought in and hung from the ceiling from the back of the hall all the way to above stage and plants were place on the stage as well (in a very nice touc ..read more

Mill Valley Music Festival (Photo: Sean Reiter) The Mill Valley Music Festival returned to Marin County this weekend under spectacular May weather for two days of diverse artists performing in front of over 10,000 fans. The strong ticket sales, enthusiastic crowds and multiple artists regaling in the beauty of their surroundings in the festival’s third year should continue to strengthen the festival’s draw of both attendees and performers. Mill Valley Music Festival Crowd (Photo: Sean Reiter) Saturday’s opening day kicked off under a clear sky and high 70’s weather and was he ..read more

Seal @ the Mountain Winery (Photo: Kevin Keating) Seal, the iconic British singer-songwriter, graced the stage of the Mountain Winery in Saratoga, CA, this past Sunday night to kick off the 2024 season up on the hill -- and not only did he kick the season off with elegance and class as we've all come to expect from one of the best male vocalists in music today, but he did it while braving temperatures that dipped down to 46 degrees! It was absolutely frigid for the season opener, but the nearly sold out crowd braved the cold temperatures and bought a ton of the branded Mountain Winery ..read more

AJR @ the Chase Center (Photo: Sean Reiter) The Met brothers of AJR brought their good vibes and bombastic melodies to an adoring, near-capacity crowd at Chase Center on Monday night. “Ladies and gentlemen. We’ve been headlining in the Bay Area for 10 years,” lead vocalist Jack Met told the crowd as he then listed all the venues the band had previously played including Berkeley’s Cornerstone (“for about 50 people”), The Masonic, Bill Graham Civic and Concord Pavilion. But he marveled at the size of the crowd on their first arena tour. “There are over 11,000 people here tonight!” he ex ..read more

Geoff Tate @ the Ritz (Photo: Kevin Keating) Geoff Tate descended upon The Ritz in San Jose like a musical phoenix, his voice a searing force that scorched the souls of the enraptured crowd -- and has done so since the start of his career in the early '80s. On this past Thursday night, the former Queensrÿche frontman wove a spellbinding tapestry of sound, and commanded the stage with the presence of the metal vocal titan that he continues to be. Geoff Tate @ the Ritz (Photo: Kevin Keating) Tate's vocals danced with otherworldly agility, effortlessly scaling the lofty peaks an ..read more

Ler LaLonde, Maynard James Keenan, and Les Claypool @ the Greek Theatre (Photo: Kevin Keating) Time is an extraordinary phenomenon. On any given day, it can either crawl along or rush by, depending on our perspective. As we age, that perspective becomes more profound, reminding us of the preciousness of how much time might be left. As I find myself approaching the age of 50, looking back on the past, I think back to the first time I witnessed Maynard James Keenan perform... a moment from 32 years ago, when Tool graced the side stage of the 1992 Lollapalooza tour in Scranton, PA. The p ..read more

Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio @ the Masonic Auditorium (Photo: Sean Reiter) A capacity crowd at The Masonic was rocked Wednesday night by a punk rock show featuring three diverse bands under the “punk” umbrella. Worriers, Drug Church and headliners Alkaline Trio all hit different sides of the genre to create a well-paced night that avoided any type of same-same sound syndrome. Worriers @ the Masonic Auditorium (Photo: Sean Reiter) Taking the stage five minutes earlier than their scheduled start time, Worriers decided to max their time on stage. Lead singer Lauren Denitzio’s ter ..read more

Bruce Springsteen, Max Weinberg & Nils Lofgren @ the Chase Center (Photo: Kevin Keating) After over two decades of anticipation, the night of reckoning finally arrived in the City by the Bay. As the sold-out crowd packed into San Francisco's Chase Center, a palpable electricity coursed through the air, crackling with the promise of a long-awaited reunion with rock royalty. And when Bruce Springsteen and his legendary E Street Band took the stage, it was a sonic homecoming that sent shockwaves through the very core of music itself. Bruce Springsteen @ the Chase Center (Photo ..read more

The Lone Bellow @ the Independent (Photo: Sean Reiter) The Lone Bellow - Zach Williams, Kanene Donehey Pipkin and Brian Elmquist - took the stage armed only with acoustic guitars, a mandolin and their terrific harmonies to take on a rowdy, spirited Saturday night crowd at The Independent. The opener, Jonny Fritz had been created by an already full club with initial indifference – ignored and nearly drowned out by conversation before he eventually won much of the crowd over with a combination of confrontation and charm. But, despite their Brooklyn-origin and current Nashville residence ..read more

The Kills @ the Fox Theater (Photo: Sean Reiter) The Kills finished out their North American Tour with an incredibly energetic performance by Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince Saturday night at Oakland’s Fox Theater. The duo’s 90-minute set was light on banter and heavy on brilliant musicality. Combined with a brilliant opening set from Heartworms, it made for one of the most exciting evenings of music in recent times. Jamie Hince of The Kills @ the Fox Theater (Photo: Sean Reiter) Taking the stage with beverages in hand and getting quickly down to business, both Hince and Moss ..read more