Reviews

Trey Anastasio brought his side project, the Trey Anastasio Band, to the Westville Music Bowl for the first time, along with the largest crowd the venue has seen since opening in May 2021. This high energy, jam rock meets big band ensemble brought many familiar qualities to the show, as well as new directions, including band members and song selection.

Trombone Shorty closed out the annual BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn Festival with the high energy New Orleans flavor that he is known for. The weather cooperated and yielded a thoroughly enjoyable evening for all fans in attendance.

Grounded by the pandemic, it had been a long time since I took to the air when I departed out of Philly for Labor Day weekend. Destination? Atlanta. Reason? A homecoming/reunion concert featuring Atlanta sons, brothers Chris and Rich Robinson and their band, the Black Crowes. To be honest, I had some reservations about my plans – the Delta variant, the usual fatigue of the work week, and the nagging little existential questions I had started to ask during the long, dark COVID winter - Will live music ever come back? Will I be too old and jaded for rock-n-roll if it does?

Iconic singer-songwriter Jackson Browne played his first post-pandemic concerts in Santa Barbara as part of a mini warm-up tour before launching into a national co-headline tour with James Taylor. The long-time Santa Barbara County resident first played the Santa Barbara Bowl on Sunday, September 5th, and the venue's first live music event since before the pandemic.

Dead and Company returned to Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati, Ohio last weekend for a Saturday night show that was one for the books. Great weather, perfect music, and a welcoming and happy crowd were just the right ingredients to make the perfect cocktail of a concert. To make things better, drummer Mickey Hart was celebrating his 78th birthday that day, and everybody loves a good birthday party.  

As part of their Good Day For A Good Day World Tour, Michael Franti & Spearhead made their way to the McMenamins Edgefield in Troutdale, Oregon summer concert series on September 11, and their ability to thrill and energize the fans was on point.

Dopapod started their 2021 fall tour with a bang last Friday night at the Brooklyn Bowl in Brooklyn, NY. The Brooklyn based quartet was all smiles as they delivered two sets of tasty originals and covers, including a few rarities. Friday night's performance marked the third show at the Brooklyn since the start of the covid-19 pandemic. Philadelphia, Pa's Muscle Tough lended support as the opening act.

Three generations of Punk Rock music fans gathered at Vina Robles Amphitheater on August 18th, many dressed in full punk regalia, for a trio of crowd-pleasing performances. The three bands appearing represented three different eras of the punk genre and were all met with an enthusiastic response from the multigenerational crowd.

Phish just wrapped up their annual three-night run at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park just north of Denver. Playing to near capacity audiences, the jam band jesters brought out the goods in spades with a combinations of bust outs, covers, and some serious jams. This year also marked the ten-year anniversary since JEMP began playing the venue and the love for Dick’s, as evidenced by the weekend, still remains.

Labor Day weekend arrived with a stellar performance by jam rocker’s Twiddle at the Stanhope House in Stanhope, NJ. Despite technical difficulties that abridged the outdoor performance, the band delivered their signature improvisation, positive vibes and several notable covers. This included an impromptu acoustic set to finish out the night inside the Stanhope House after the power for the PA mysteriously went out.

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