A night with the masked men of Magic Sword

It was a cold and frigid night in Nashville this past Tuesday as I made my way to one of the hottest venues in the city, Brooklyn Bowl. It would be a new experience for me, as this is the one place in the city I had yet to see a show. One part bowling […]

How Tool overtook Sacramento

It was the first Sacramento show for Top Shelf in 2022! Tool and Blonde Redhead were a hit — let’s get after it! Fans were very excited and eager to enter the arena. There were many fans walking around wearing Tool merchandise, even concerts shirts from 2012. Some fans had mohawks and others wore all […]

Dave Navarro & Billy Morrison present Above Ground 3 all-star benefit show

Guitar gods Dave Navarro (of Jane’s Addiction) and Billy Morrison (of Billy Idol) have done it again! On December 20th, they brought together another star-studded group of unparalleled musicians and artists for the 3rd Annual Above Ground benefit concert and art auction at the Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles, CA. Continuing their support of MusiCares, […]

A wild night with Waterparks at SOMA San Diego

Pop rock fans rejoiced on Saturday, December 4th at SOMA San Diego, as Waterparks brought their Night Out on Earth Tour to southern California for their second-to-last stop (last being up in Los Angeles). Not only did Waterparks bring incredible vibes and our favorite songs off their newest album, Greatest Hits, they also brought LA-based […]

Reggae Rise Up Florida 2021: Day Four

Day Four began with a preempted sadness: the knowledge that the festival would be over by the end of the day weighed heavily on the minds of all the festival attendees, but the triumphant march through Reggae Rise Up Florida carried on. The humidity was swapped for a cooler, more overcast day, making for a […]

How The Dead South conquered Lake Tahoe

On December 18th, in snow-capped Lake Tahoe, The Dead South packed the auditorium at Bally’s Lake Tahoe Casino Resort. The opening act for the night was artist Willy Tea Taylor. His deep voice and intricate picking on his 1920s Martin 4-string guitar was reminiscent of the old cowboy songwriting days. His mix of folk music […]

Angels & Airwaves homecoming show at SOMA San Diego

Angels & Airwaves packed the house at SOMA San Diego on November 7th, marking an epic conclusion to the Lifeforms 2021 Tour. Some could consider this a full-circle moment for frontman and guitarist Tom DeLonge, after debuting his new band “Blink” at 18-years-old at SOMA San Diego in 1993. (Soon, the band changed their name […]

The night I reached for Starset, but got a tornado

Lightning cracked across the sky as crowds gathered at Delmar Hall to see American rock band Starset on a balmy 70-degree day in December in St. Louis. The ominous weather painted the perfect backdrop for the absolute otherworldly experience that was about to unfold. The small venue felt packed almost immediately, which is uncommon for […]

Reggae Rise Up Florida 2021: Day Three

Day Three of Reggae Rise Up Florida 2021 was met with the same eagerness that was present the previous two days, yet something was different because the air was tinged with some stoopid-ity and a feeling of ‘elovated’ joy as the festival buzzed with energy at every turn. Tucked away in the middle of all […]

CHVRCHES lights up The Pageant, St. Louis

CHVRCHES, a Scottish synth-pop trio (consisting of Lauren Mayberry, Iain Cook and Martin Doherty) from Glasgow, rocked The Pageant on a cold December night in St. Louis. The band has come a long way since the first times I saw them at Bonnaroo in 2014 and 2016; the addition of a fourth member, a drummer […]

HIRIE at San Diego’s Observatory North Park

On December 3rd, HIRIE headlined a show at the iconic Observatory North Park in San Diego, CA. They were further supported by two of the greatest local bands, Boostive and Tribal Theory, with live painting being done during each set by another amazing San Diegan, Jimmy Ovadia. Boostive was first… I got in a bit late […]

Opeth shakes Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium

The Ryman Auditorium was rumbling the Tuesday night of November 23rd, as Opeth, Mastodon and Zeal & Ardor rocked the legendary Nashville venue. This particular evening felt as if Christmas had come early for local metalheads, as three of the greatest names in heavy music took the stage. The night began with Zeal & Ardor […]

Postmodern Jukebox brings the swing to Thousand Oaks

Postmodern Jukebox (PMJ), founded by famous New York City pianist Scott Bradlee, took the stage at Fred Kavli Theatre in Thousand Oaks, CA on November 19th, 2021. The band is made of today’s best young jazz musicians, performing modern pop hits into swing and doo-wop sounds. Scott Bradlee’s PMJ is set to complete their nationwide […]

Goldrush AZ 2021: Night Three

Day Three of the greatest weekend of raving Chandler has ever seen commenced with an incredible sunset, illuminating the rotating ferris wheel full with eager festival-goers to get the night going. Even though Goldrush AZ was coming to an end, you couldn’t tell from the energy of early deejays Moore Kismet and Player Dave. As […]

Punk in the Park 2021: Day Two

On November 7th, Punk in the Park Day Two was held at the Oak Canyon Park in Silverado, CA. Saturday was headlined by NOFX, who were supported by 13 other great bands! For those that were over 21, there were over 100 different beers to try from all the different regional breweries that were there. The […]