Author Archives: Alan Snodgrass

OAKLAND, CA | The legendary Robert Plant is back with a new project—Saving Grace—which includes a new album and a tour that is absolutely not to be missed. Recorded over the last 5+ years between the pandemic and Plant’s other obligations, Saving Grace was inspired by traditional folk and blues and highlights his collaboration with local musicians Oli Jefferson (drums), Tony Kelsey (guitar), Matt Worley (banjo, other strings), Barney Morse-Brown (cello), and his vocal muse, Suzi Dian.

The Bay Area normally shows up en masse whenever Robert Plant comes to town, so it was no surprise that Oakland’s Fox Theater was sold out for Saving Grace’s “Roar in the Fall” Tour, featuring songs from Plant’s twelfth solo album, which was released a mere two months ago, as well as a few surprises for the long-time fans.

The evening kicked off with a heavy dose of Americana courtesy of Rosie Flores (aka the Rockabilly Filly). With a red flower, a stark contrast against her jet black hair, Rosie and her band tore through 30 minutes of originals and classic covers, including Johnny Kidd and the Pirates’ “Shakin’ All Over” and Dave Alvin’s “Long White Cadillac.” That set the gathering crowd a-rockin’. Flores seemed as down for the party as the rest of the Fox crowd, suggesting post-show drinks at one of her old Bay Area haunts (Larry Blake’s, RIP) after the show and promising, “I’m a good hang!”

The sold-out theater was packed by the time Plant and his band took the stage at 8:40, every seat filled and nearly every hand with a fresh drink. The band took the stage with little fanfare and launched into “The Cuckoo,” immediately highlighting Worley’s mastery of the banjo. But after a cover of Martha Scanlan’s “Higher Rock” and a display of Robert’s skills with a harmonica, the show took an unexpected turn when the stage monitors (the speakers that allow Plant and Dian to hear themselves) went out. What to do?

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The Bay Area’s summer amphitheater season may be coming to a close, but not without a final week of shows punctuated by a crushing trio of rock and roll heavyweights co-headlined by Judas Priest and Alice Cooper on their “Shield of Pain” Tour.

While the previous day’s torrents of rain had subsided leaving a soggy lawn for the general admission folks, that didn’t appear to stop the fans from rolling out for a final outdoors bruhaha. And while the clouds looked a bit ominous leading up to Corrosion of Conformity’s 6:45 set, the evening kicked off as planned even as COC stared out at a lot of empty seats as the crowd maneuvered their way through the after work traffic.

Empty seats or not, COC delivered their swampy version of heavy metal with aplomb, seemingly oblivious to the folks constantly filtering into the amphither. Afterall, it’s rare that this band is playing to a seated venue of this size. That said, the band delivered a crushing set that most certainly upped the humidity on an already unseasonably soggy evening.

A quick change-over and it was time for original shock rocker Alice Cooper to take the stage. A black curtain dropped to reveal Alice’s Attic as he emerged from fog at the back of the stage in his signature top hat and swinging a sword as he made his way to the front of the stage where he joined the rest of his band.

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Hot off their epic set the previous day at the Portola Music Festival, The Prodigy hit San Francisco’s historic Warfield to make up for their April 14 show that suffered a last-minute cancellation due to an illness in the band.

DJ Nitepunk warmed up the eclectic crowd as they crammed every inch of the general admission floor, the 40 minute set doing a remarkable job of getting the San Francisco pumped and loosened up for the mayhem that was set to follow.

The house music blasted Iggy Pop’s “Lust For Life,” teasing an intro for The Prodigy as the clock ticked past the scheduled 9PM set time. The energy waned for a second before the band finally took the stage led by Liam Howlett who flashed his “Bring The Ruckus” forearm tattoo to the crowd in a sign of what was to come. Last out was Maxim, an imposing figure appearing out of the thick fog and wearing a hooded jacket.

Equal parts hypeman and vocalist, Maxim was clearly pumped for some action, calling out his “Warfield Warriors” as the band ripped into “Voodoo People” and the 100+ year old room went absolutely bonkers. Bathed in haze and with strobe lights blazing, Howlett held down the center stage encircled by all forms of electronic music gadgetry while Maxim prowled the stage, getting up close with the crush of the front row. Drummer Leo Crabtree was the perfect foil for Howlett, delivering a torrid tempo that didn’t let up all night.

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SAN JOSE, CA | Since announcing their return in 2023 with their new vocalist Emily Armstrong, Linkin Park has been on a mission to enter a new phase of the band while maintaining their massive legacy. A previously unreleased song from the One More Light recording sessions was followed by a greatest hits album (Papercuts) and their first new album since 2017, From Zero, featuring Armstrong on vocals. From there, obviously world domination with their “From Zero World Tour” which is currently scheduled to run through June of 2026.

With original guitarist Brad Delson opting out of touring, Alex Feder took on lead guitar duties but the fans will recognize some familiar faces on stage including Joe Hahn (buttons and such), Dave Farrell (bass), and of course frontman Mike Shinoda. Rounding up the lineup was Colin Brittain on drums.

JPEGMafia kicked off the night with an energetic 30 minute set of “experimental rap,” but it was clear that the fans that circled the stage planted firmly in the middle of the arena floor were there to witness Linkin Park’s long-anticipated return to the Bay Area. The massive stage that consumed much of the floor was rimmed with lights and had two massive blocks of screens suspended above. With an abundance of lasers, one really needed to have a bit of distance from the action to truly appreciate the production whose scale aptly matched the magnitude of the band’s return to the stage.

As the crowd patiently waited for Linkin Park’s set, a 10 minute countdown clock appeared on the screens suspended above the stage promptly at 8:25 pm. From there the anticipation built until the whole arena was counting down the seconds until the band finally took the stage led by Joe Hahn before kicking off their set with fan favorite, “Somewhere I Belong.”

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Katy Perry’s “The Lifetimes Tour” hit San Francisco’s Chase Center on Friday night with an over-the-top mix of high-energy theatrics, devoted fans of all ages, and one particular moment that nearly stole the show—quite literally.

Rebecca Black kicked the party off promptly at 8:00 PM and Friday night into high gear with her 30-minute set. Dwarfed by the massive stage setup, Black kept things upbeat with a pair of backup dancers that helped keep the energy high and the crowd moving.

The lead up to Perry’s slightly-delayed set found the diverse crowd entertaining themselves by doing “the wave,” cheering for the fans who made it onto the big screen (thankfully no obvious Coldplay incidents) and appreciating the sheer magnitude of the ambitious production that was soon to unfold. The stage was backed by massive digital monitors, and the general admission floor was consumed by an infinity-shaped catwalk with the inside areas packed with eager fans, many in costume or holding signs to vie for Ms. Perry’s attention.

The room erupted with cheers when the lights finally dimmed, the intro video played, and Katy was eventually hoisted from the middle of the figure eight stage as a clad half-human, half-cyborg hero a la C3PO and launched into “Artificial” from her 2024 release, 143. After being lowered back through the stage, she emerged on the mainstage to join her raft of dancers for “Chained to the Rhythm.”

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Refused’s last official press release spelled it all out in inscrutable terms—they’re finally calling it quits—the band’s revolutionary mission becoming inexorably and undesirably conflated with the entertainment.

But they’re not going out without a proper send-off, hitting the road with the mighty Quicksand for one last spin around the globe. The tour, aptly named “Refused Are F**king Dead (and This Time They Really Mean It)” in a not-so-subtle nod to the 2006 documentary chronicling what at the time was to be the band’s last year in existence, hit the historic Warfield for a final jaunt in San Francisco.

Slaughterhouse, one of Los Angeles’ up and coming hardcore bands kicked things off with a 30 minute set that included a generous helping of material from their brand new EP which features the latest addition to the band, vocalist Meriel O’Connell. Loud, brash, energetic, and just plain entertaining, Slaughterhouse is simply impossible to ignore and should be on everyone’s must-see list. They even had the Refused guys rapt attention from side stage.

Post-hardcore three-piece Quicksand has been playing direct support for Refused on the North American run and provided a perfect complement to the chaos that would later ensue. A generous 50-minute set ensured that their fans were sated. It may have been Refused’s tour but clearly there were a ton of folks who had shown up for the coveted Quicksand appearance.

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With Halloween and Daylight Savings Time behind us and fall in full swing, amphitheater season is typically over. Not quite though, as Danny Elfman brought his dead man’s party for the second of two very special career-spanning shows to the Shoreline Amphitheater.

While Elfman has been celebrating his movie and television soundtracks live for the last few years, the idea to expand the setlist to include Oingo Boingo and solo material really only emerged as part of an oddly placed mainstage performance back in April at Sick New World Festival in Las Vegas where he shared the stage amongst headliners Slipknot and other heavy acts. Improbably, the reception was phenomenal.

Following up Sick New World with two headlining shows was no small feat; the Shoreline stage crammed with at least 50 people including a choir, an orchestra, and the “Elf-Band” which included Robin Finck (Guns N’ Roses, Nine Inch Nails) on guitar, Stu Brooks on bass, Nili Brosh on guitar, and Ilan Rubin (Nine Inch Nails) on drums.

The nearly two hour set ran the gamut of Elfman’s diverse career, including soundtrack work from The Simpsons, Batman, Beetlejuice, Mars Attacks, Edward Scissorhands, and of course The Nightmare Before Christmas during which Danny channeled Jack Skellington the “Pumpkin King.” During the instrumentals, Elfman stood in the shadows and the crowd largely stayed seated.

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The Psychedelic Furs and The Jesus and Mary Chain are on the road for a proper co-headlining tour, hitting San Francisco’s Masonic Auditorium on a Saturday night with opener Frankie Rose.

The Masonic was absolutely packed by the time The Jesus and Mary Chain took the stage for their 1 hour and 10 minute set, setting a dramatic mood as frontman Jim Reid tried his best to hide behind the mic stand as he belted classic after classic. A man of few words, Reid apologized in advance for any f***ups but otherwise let the music do the talking, inviting Frankie Rose to join the band on stage for “Sometimes Always” and fan favorite “Just Like Honey.”

The house lights came on after TJAMC’s set revealing a celebratory atmosphere although clearly some folks had over-imbibed in the lead-up to The Psychedelic Furs, at one point some friends carrying a totally limp but still conscious pal into the lobby. Yes, it was going to be one of those nights where the folks that don’t get out much take advantage of leaving the kids alone with the babysitter to let loose.

For those fans, the journey down memory lane continued with The Psychedelic Furs closing set that spanned their 40+ years of music. Original members Richard Butler (vocals) and Tim Butler (bass) ruled the stage as the crowd sang along, fueled by what seemed like a constant flow of alcohol.

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Bay Area metal legends ended their 33-date “Klash Of The Titans Tour” with co-headliner Kreator and opener Possessed with a hometown set at the epicenter of the thrash movement at The Warfield in San Francisco.

Local death metal progenitors Possessed kicked things off early and got the crowd hopping as frontman Jeff Becerra belted out the classics, unencumbered by the wheelchair he’s been confined to since 1989.

Kreator kept the energy high, blasting Iron Maiden’s “The Trooper” for a massive singalong as the crew busied themselves behind a giant curtain that concealed the stage. The curtain finally dropped and the band launched into “Hate Über Alles” off of their most recent release.

Kreator’s crew had obviously been busy in the 30 or so minutes since Possessed wrapped their set. Inflatable demons loomed over the band from the back of the stage and shrouded corpses hung from the rafters, others impaled on pikes on each side of the stage. But the band paid no attention to the gore as they blasted through a career spanning hour and ten minute set.

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Having reemerged in 2023 after a 20-plus year hiatus, Dogstar has hit the road on their “Summer Vacation Tour,” bringing their latest release, Somewhere Between the Power Lines and Palm Trees, to fans across North America including a Sunday night stop at The Catalyst in Santa Cruz, a relatively modest-sized venue compared to their other tour dates with a capacity of around 800. So to say that Santa Cruz turned up for Dogstar would be an understatement—the line to get into the sold out show stretched down the block and around the corner when the doors opened at 7PM.

The evening kicked off with a 30-minute set by Sons of Silver out of Los Angeles. Singer/guitarist Peter Argyropoulos was all smiles as the band crammed in front of Dogstar’s equipment on the tiny Catalyst stage, clearly happy to back in a “proper rock ‘n’ roll club.” The packed general admission floor was another reason for the band to celebrate as they used their opening slot to showcase material off of their upcoming release, Runaway Emotions, clearly gaining some new fans in the process.

The energy in the room ran high, necks craning for any view of the band as Dogstar’s set time approached. To someone unfamiliar with the band, a scan around the room may have been a bit confounding; no doubt there were plenty of Keanu Reeves super fans and curiosity seekers, but the vast majority of the room was stacked with die-hard Dogstar-ers, there for the music. So, when the band took the stage just past 9PM and launched into “Blonde” without fanfare, the place went nuts.

The band appeared deliberate in not riding Reeves’ (who didn’t even have mic) fame, rather letting the music speak for itself. Bret Domrose did double-duty on guitar and vocals with aplomb as drummer Rob Mailhouse held down the beat with Reeves on bass as the set covered a broad swathe of new material punctuated by “How the Story Ends,” “Glimmer,” and “Breach.”

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Def Leppard and Journey have teamed up once again as tourmates for the The Summer Stadium Tour 2024 along with the Steve Miller Band, creating a proper triple-header that no doubt had the San Francisco Bay Area fans scrambling to get off work in time to catch an unapologetic evening full of rock and roll classics. 

The Steve Miller Band took the stage a few minutes before 6PM with the sun still high over the outfield with the Wednesday after-work crowd still busting through the gates. Those that made it in time were treated to a 60-minute set that charted the San Francisco band’s hit-making rise to stardom in the ’70s and had most of the fans on the field level on their feet and singing along from opener “Swingtown” to closer, “Jet Airliner.”

After a quick set change, Journey took the stage ready to celebrate their 50th anniversary in front of their hometown. The 90-minute set focused on the hits from the late ’70s and early ’80s and highlighted the band’s ability to remain relevant amidst numerous lineup changes. “Only the Young” kicked off the set on an energetic note with lead vocalist Arnel Pineda working every inch of the stage extension, high-fiving anyone within reach as he belted out the lyrics with precision that left no doubt why he was handed the mic back in 2007.

In a nod to their local history, keyboardist Jonathan Cain donned a Giants jersey while drummer Deen Castronovo did double-duty on vocals for “Lights” which Neil Schon dedicated to their legendary singer Steve Perry as the fans lit up the stadium with their cell phones. “Any Way You Want It” wrapped the set with an explosion of streamers. No doubt a hard act to follow, especially in front of their hometown crowd!

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Frank Turner is touring North America in support of his tenth album, Undefeated, along with a killer lineup of musicians featuring Amigo the Devil, Bridge City Sinners, and Micah Schnabel & Vanessa Jean Speckman.

One might question the wisdom of hosting a 4-band show starting at 6:30PM on a Monday night, but when Frank Turner is personally curating the lineup you make it a point to get there early. Indeed, by the time opener Micah Schabel took the stage there were a surprising number of folks already filling the general admission floor and they kept arriving in a steady flow in as Vanessa Jean Speckman joined him.

While oriented around singer/songwriters, the lineup was admittedly eclectic. How so? Look no further than satanic folk punkers Bridge City Sinners. No stranger to San Francisco’s Regency Ballroom, the Portland quintet got the crowd moving and singing along to their entire set including a few tunes from their upcoming release as well as an unnamed and unreleased song before which Libby Lux implored the crowd not to film.

With the crew making quick work of the stage, Amigo the Devil was already on the stage by 8PM and launched right into “Small Stone.” It was clear from the get-go that San Francisco loves AtD and that the feeling was mutual. The entire set turned into a massive sing-along with the crowd hanging on every word, from new tunes “My Body Is a Dive Bar” and “Crying at The Orgy,” the latter of which appeared to have been slipped into the set at the last minute as his time ran out. For a while there it was easy to forget that Amigo was not the headliner!

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Summer amphitheater season officially kicked off at the Toyota Amphitheater in Wheatland with the Red Hot Chili Peppers on a perfectly balmy Sunday night. And in spite of warnings of heavy traffic from the event organizers, the traffic along the single lane road into the parking lot backed up for miles amongst the farmland, the fans still managed to pack into the sold-out venue in time for the band’s 8:45 set.

Rapper Ken Carson kicked things off for the still-gathering crowd with a gaggle of hardcore fans moshing in the general admission section in front of the stage, but it was clear that the vast majority of the crowd was there for the Chili Peppers. So, when the lights finally dropped and Flea entered the stage, flipping over to walk on his hands, the Wheatland crowd went crazy.

Along with a keyboardist, Flea (bass), Chad Smith (drums), and John Frusciante (guitar) kicked the evening off with a funky jam before being joined by Anthony Kiedis as they went straight into fan favorite “Dani California” with the massive LED screen at the back of the stage lit up in psychedelia.

A brace on his right knee and a cast boot on his left foot didn’t seem to slow Kiedis who bounced around the stage as RHCP leaned heavily on the hits with only two songs from their 2022 release, Return of the Dream Canteen. No complaints from the crowd and “Under the Bridge” and “Give It Away” from Blood Sugar Sex Magik wrapped the encore perfectly, hopefully leaving folks in a pleasant mood for more time sitting in traffic.

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