Recap: Kamasi Washington at the Mesa Arts Center
Kamasi Washington wrapped up the US leg of his Fearless Movement tour on Tuesday (June 11) with a stop at the Ikeda Theater (Mesa Arts Center) here in Mesa, AZ. I became aware of Kamasi Washington back in 2015 with…
Recap: Springsteen in Phoenix (March 19)
It’s been 19 days since the tour opener of the 2024 incarnation of Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band. The show took place here in Phoenix, his first show here since March 2016 (!) when Bruce and the Band…
Recap: Leif Vollebekk comes to Phoenix
Since discovering Leif Vollebekk’s music a few years back, I’ve looked forward to the day I’d see him live. Last night, St. Patrick’s Day 2022, was the night. Leif is back on a big tour, and thankfully he was booked…
Recap: John Mellencamp at Comerica Theater in Phoenix
I can’t quite figure out why it took me this long to see John Mellencamp live for the first time. Like so many other Americans around my age (that’s 45 in a few days), I came to know John Cougar…
Janelle Monae: Electrifying [Tempe Recap]
This woman is one of a kind. The Electric Lady, the title of Janelle Monáe’s latest album, is no joke. Electricity surges through her on stage: in the manic dance moves that channel James Brown, Michael Jackson, Prince, and Elvis;…
The Power and Mystique Of Minneapolis
On the fourth song into their set in the Main Room at First Avenue last night, Tom Chapman, lead singer of Battle, East Sussex’s Keane, realized he was going to have a personally transformative evening. It was during the devastating…
Recap: Cameo at the Celebrity Theater in Phoenix
Everyone’s allowed a pure and simple nostalgia trip from time to time, right? For me tonight, it was the funk/soul/R&B of Cameo that brought me back to simpler days. Crazy to think that the last time I saw Cameo in…
Recap: Los Lobos at Ovations LIVE! Showroom, June 15th
Have I ever mentioned that I love Los Lobos? I have? Well, I’ll say it again: I love Los Lobos. Last night, they stopped into town at the Wild Horse Pass Casino outside Phoenix, playing the relatively new and impressive Ovations…
Los Lobos: Live at the Furthur Festival, 1996
The first time I saw Los Lobos live was August 4th, 1996 as part of the Furthur Festival, launched by Bob Weir and Mickey Hart (two surviving members of the Grateful Dead) the year after Jerry Garcia’s passing. Along for…
Deer Tick roll through Phoenix [May 3rd Recap]
For the second time in seven months, Rhode Island band Deer Tick stopped into the Crescent Ballroom in downtown Phoenix to rock the joint with their good time fusion of bar room rock n’ roll, folk, country and punk. The…
