Fresh off their brand new and critically acclaimed fourth album, I Got Heaven, Philly’s Mannequin Pussy brought the buzz to Cleveland’s beloved Grog Shop on Friday night.
The sold-out crowd danced hard and belted lyrics harder. Mannequin Pussy—Marisa “Missy” Dabice, Kaleen Reading, Colins “Bear” Regisford, Maxine Steen, Carolyn Haynes—appear to be at the height of their powers, captivating both as songwriters and performers.
Also worthy of that praise? Openers (also Philly’s) Soul Glo—Pierce Jordan, GG Guerra, TJ Stevenson, Winston Hightower—proved even more captivating than their recent NPR Tiny Desk appearance where the audience was moved to mosh. To see both bands in such an intimate space was a treat.
Despite the January temperatures in Cleveland, it was a steamy night at the Grog Shop, as a sold-out crowd sandwiched together to see alt-country noise band, Wednesday.
The Asheville, NC band—consisting of members Karly Hartzman, Jake Lenderman (a.k.a. MJ Lenderman), Xandy Chelmis, Ethan Baechtold, and Alan Miller—have gained a whole new audience following the release of their awesome, critically-acclaimed, 2023 album, Rat Saw God. They gave the crowd a heavy dose of it, along with an excellent, show-opening cover of Edie Brickell & New Bohemians cover, “Ghost of a Dog,” as well as some previews of tracks from their next album.
The visceral “Bull Believer,” my personal favorite from Rat Saw God, inspired some guttural screams and crowd surfing. They conclude their winter US tour with Brooklyn’s Hotline TNT (who I unfortunately missed) mid-month and immediately head to New Zealand, Australia & Japan through March. Catch them in a smaller venue while you can.
One of the best live bands in the world, My Morning Jacket finished off their fall tour with a three-night run at the historic Chicago Theatre.
Together now for 25 years, the band seems to be aging like fine wine. Collectively they are a mesmerizing force, riffing off each other so that each song becomes a joyful journey. One minute you’re headbanging, the next you’re tearing up—especially when Jim James hits those high notes.
To be in the moment with this band and this fanbase is something special.
There are several high production pop artists who know how to put on a jaw dropping show. Beyoncé, Taylor, Gaga, Adele, and Billie are just a few of the powerhouse performers touring on the regular. We are truly blessed.
But there’s only one pop star who can flip and twirl on a rope from the ceiling while singing; who performs acrobatics while bungee jumping from the rafters; who will quite literally fly above you while belting a power ballad. It’s P!nk.
P!nk brought her massive Trustfall Tour to Cleveland last Wednesday. An ecstatic crowd at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse watched in awe while P!nk and her entourage of incredible dancers and musicians dazzled. Aside from stunts, P!nk cracked jokes, expressed her gratitude to her fans, and enjoyed some Twizzlers, which she adamantly asserted are better than Red Vines to laughter and protests from Red Vine advocates.
The US tour continues through November before heading to Australia and New Zealand in February.
For the 27th and final time of their 50-year career, glam metal pioneers, KISS gave Cleveland a pyrotechnic, hard rock extravaganza like only they’re capable of doing.
The night was as one would expect from KISS—an over-the-top stroll down memory lane full of tongue wagging, hip shaking, and pelvic thrusting. The KISS Army was especially enthralled by the occasional stage stunts, including puffs of fire, rising stages, and a war with aliens won by Tommy Thayer’s dual-threat guitar, which served as both a shred machine and a firework-spraying gun.
The Starchild, The Demon, The Spaceman, and The Catman conclude their End of the Road World Tour in New York City at Madison Square Garden in early December. So if KISS is on your concert bucket list, you better get on it!
3:15PM: Pesky rain pushed the Riot Fest gates today. A bunch of the bands on the front end of the lineup lost their set times. A true bummer, but a festival reality.
4:08PM: Brit rock and shoegaze pioneers, Ride seem to have coaxed the sun out of hiding. Their songs are the perfect musical accompaniment to the much appreciated warm rays.
4:55PM: AFI’s Davey Havok pauses their high energy emo punk set to give some love to this evening’s headliners, The Cure. “Every band playing here…was influenced by The Cure.”
6:12PM: The Dresden Dolls are performers through and through. They look to be having the time of their lives up there—the fans sure are! The reunited duo also busted out some great covers, including Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” and Beastie Boys’ “Fight for Your Right” with surprise guest, former Hole and Smashing Pumpkins bassist Melissa Auf der Maur.
6:59PM: It’s been a bit of an anticlimactic day because of the rain delay and photography restrictions for certain bands, such as The Mars Volta. I feel like the day has just begun but we’re winding down to a close. While I would’ve loved to photograph The Mars Volta, I’m grateful to have been witness to their commanding, hypnotic set.
8:31PM: There’s no shortage of tears during The Cure’s Riot Fest finale set. It’s an emotional and fitting ending to a weekend packed with memorable moments.
2:03PM: Punk Rock and Paintbrushes has a pretty sweet little gallery tent to the left of Riot Fest’s Roots Stage. It’s filled with musician originals, including work from Dave Navarro, Chad Smith, Matt Skiba and more.
2:34PM: Jehnny Beth is a force. Her solo work is less punk rock and more industrial than her work with Savages. No one seems to care about the rain; all eyes are on her as she caps off her set with an excellent cover of Nine Inch Nails’ “Closer.”
3:19PM: At least 30 couples are getting married at Riot Fest this weekend and I just got to witness one of them. Congrats to the happy newlyweds, who if I’m not mistaken, were both named Brynn!
3:36PM: You can always expect to see the following at Riot Fest: mohawks, witty t-shirts, black on black on black, Doc Martens, kilts, tattoos for days, lots of eyeliner. And today: juggalos and juggalettes.
4:02PM: “We’re Sweden’s third worst band,” lead singer of the Viagra Boys, Sebastian Murphy, jokes. Their dance punk set is a party and the crowd surfers are out.
5:00PM: With Head Automatica, Daryl Palumbo explores his indie rock side. It’s a different vibe than the hardcore style of Glassjaw, but compelling nonetheless.
5:16PM: Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls have attracted a massive crowd over at the Rise Stage. With confessional lyrics and an energetic stage presence, I can see why.
12:45PM: Riot Fest is back in Chicago for its 18th year and the lineup is stacked, as has come to be expected from the three-day (primarily) punk and metal festival. This fest in particular has a knack for convincing bands to reunite, convincing bands to play albums in full, and convincing bands who seldomly tour to dust off their instruments for a romp.
1:02PM: Nashville and Third Man Records’ Olivia Jean gets things going on a perfectly sunny Friday in Douglass Park. The look is rockabilly goth and the sound is garage rock.
1:41PM: When I was younger, my love of Elliott Smith led me to discover a slew of Portland, Oregon bands, one of whom was Quasi. So it’s awesome to see Sam Coomes and Janet Weiss recording music and touring together again.
2:18PM:George Clinton is 82 years young and still funkin’ touring! Parliament Funkadelic are tearing the roof off the sucker, wasting no time playing the hits.
2:44PM: I’m a sucker for political lyrics, especially if you happen to be a British band, so Yard Act is an early highlight. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot more of them in the future.
3:39PM:Kim Gordon saunters around the stage while her young, talented band rips. She’s in no rush; she’s in command.
4:37PM: While I listen to The Interrupters cover Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy,” I wander around the grounds, checking out the Logan Square Arcade tent and Riot Mall. The arcade has some pretty sweet games, including several Foo Fighters pinball machines, and the mall has a lot of vendors selling hemp edibles to teenagers. I catch some skateboarders on the halfpipe before making my way to the Rise Stage for my most anticipated set of the day.
2:14PM: We’ve got clouds and some more rain today but Bakar and band are doing their best to lift the soggy spirits of Lollapaloozans. The British singer pulls a crowd early in the day, despite the weather.
3:00PM: Duo Neil Frances—not to be confused with Chicago musician Neal Francis—kick off a shimmery set full of indie electropop at the Bud Light stage.
3:58PM: The only disappointing note about Big Boss Vette’s set was its length. Clocking in at about half of the 45 minute slot, my guess is that she just needs a few more songs to fill out her show. I loved seeing her perform “Pretty Girls Walk” live.
5:13PM:Lil Yachty has one of the best albums of 2023, in my opinion, Let’s Start Here. In a surprising departure from his trap rap, the album is a funky, psychedelic journey. It sounds even better in person, but I wonder why he didn’t take this opportunity to have a full band backing him?
5:22PM: Shout out to the badass dude who just crowd surfed in his wheelchair.
5:33PM: After four days of observation, I’ve made a list of Lolla ’23 fashion trends: bubble braids, cowboy hats with fringe, long skirts, jerseys, of course, Barbie-themed apparel, heart-shaped sunglasses, facial art/bedazzlement, bucket hats, animal ears, plant sprouts on hats.
6:04PM: The Joey Bada$$ crowd continues to expand, sporadically chanting “JOEY!” and for good reason—he’s commanding the stage with finesse and ease, all while preaching love and positivity. And it doesn’t hurt that Chance the Rapper joins him for a couple songs.
1:03PM: The early Saturday story? Rain. It’s been a few years since we’ve seen anything but sunshine at Lolla, so we’re due. Fortunately the rain isn’t accompanied by thunder or lightning, so no evacuations are necessary. Waterproof gear temporarily covers Saturday’s fits. “Do my shoes go with this poncho?” I overhear someone asking.
2:09PM:The Linda Lindas rule. A couple Lindas are rocking braces. This tracks, as the oldest member is a mere 18 years old. Still, the quartet seem seasoned for their age. They are punk, after all.
3:05PM: Charlotte, NC’s Mavi is on the rise, especially since his 2022 critically acclaimed album, Laughing So Hard, It Hurts. He is all smiles at the Bacardi stage and so are his fans.
4:22PM: Model, actress, photographer, musician?! Suki Waterhouse can do it all. She commands the stage, all of her abilities combining to give a polished performance.
5:05PM:Sylvan Esso has a new fan base and it’s K Poppers. The minute the first beat drops, the crowd, who’ve already been waiting for headliners Tomorrow x Together in the rain for hours, release a big, satisfied cheer and commence dancing.
5:42PM: I’m back on the south end in time to see The Revivalists cover Radiohead’s “High and Dry.” “This is that Tom Green song,” I hear a teen say to another. Wrong Thom, kiddo.
7:05PM: One of my most anticipated sets of the weekend, J.I.D., turned into one of the best sets of the weekend. The Atlanta rapper is hugely talented and dropped one of the best albums of 2022 (The Forever Story). His set reinforced his lyrical skills and was capped off with a double rainbow. Maybe that was a gift from Mac Miller, who J.I.D. represented on his shirt.
3:17PM:There are times during a festival weekend when an artist impresses me so much that I don’t want to leave the set to head to the next one. Such is the case with Sudan Archives, who’s proving to be a performer with a capital “P.” A love of Irish music prompted her to pick up the violin, which lead to the development of her own style incorporating R&B, hip hop, and electronic sounds. Check out her critically acclaimed 2022 album, Natural Brown Prom Queen, if you haven’t already.
3:44PM: “You’ll definitely see me. I’m wearing a black jersey,” a guy on his phone claims, as he stands in a sea of humans at Buckingham Fountain. It makes me giggle, as there are literally thousands of men in jerseys wandering around.
4:21PM:Beebadobee fans have shown up in full force, many with handwritten signs and strong vocal chords for screaming. Filipino-English singer/songwriter Bea Kristi’s bedroom indie songs hit home with her listeners, as their chorus of voices sing along to every word.
5:15PM: I haven’t checked out the BMI Stage yet, and Nashville’s Charlotte Sands seems like a perfect opportunity to do so. She serves up some serious emo headbangers.
6:20PM: It’s time for a Foals dance party and I’m soaking it all up because they’ve acknowledged, as they wrap up their tour, that they won’t be back in the States for “quite some time.” I use this knowledge as an excuse to watch their whole spectacular set.
7:21PM: This is my first time witnessing the extravaganza of 30 Second to Mars in person and I’m taking it all in. Jared Leto has just leapt from the top of the Bud Light stage down to the crowd, where band flags wave and fans look on in amazement. It dawns on me that I’m at the church of the Leto brothers (Shannon is on drums) and, from what I can gather, they have quite a few members.
1:34PM: Let the festivities commence! The crowds are descending upon Grant Park in downtown Chicago for one of the largest and longest-running music festivals in the world. It’s a hot one today in both temperature and schedule: later tonight, Karol G and Billie Eilish will close out night one of Lollapalooza 2023. Both will be making history this evening: Karol, as the first Latina Lolla headliner ever; and Billie, as the majority of her show will be solar powered.
2:19PM: Sydney, Australia’s Angus Stone, better known as Dope Lemon, kicks off my Lollapalooza with some bluesy, psychedelic rock. The band is looking good—maybe a little hot?—in their maroon suits.
3:05PM:Joy Oladokun is making the crowd laugh in between serenading them with her voice. “I get stoned in my attic and write songs,” she admits. This is a winning system. Later, when a fan belts “I love you!” she reciprocates. “I love you too. That’s why I left my dog to be here.”
3:24PM:Junior Mesa is writing great music and he’s only 19. Vulnerable lyrics with a glam rock-y sound. I’m glad I caught a glimpse of the budding indie talent at the Toyota Music Den.
5:29PM: NYC duo Sofi Tukker has brought stage props, as in a literal playground. They’re climbing jungle gyms, spinning on a merry-go-round, and dropping beats that make you want to move your body.
6:51PM: The Bacardi stage is a favorite of mine, nestled in the trees in the northwest part of the park. It’s a perfect stage for Montreal dream poppers, Men I Trust. Couples sway to the breezy tunes.
This year, beloved underground hip hop genre-benders, JPEGMafia and Danny Brown, teamed up for a joint album and a co-headlining tour.
To our delight, they included a stop in good ol’ Cleveland at the Agora Ballroom. The show was cleverly divided into segments, with the two sharing the stage to perform songs from their Scaring the Hoes collaboration before mini solo sets featuring some of their individual hits.
As anticipated, it was a high energy show, and one that made me wish I had even 2% of JPEGMafia’s stamina. The youthful crowd was elated and sang along, moshed, and crowd-surfed themselves into a sweaty, happy frenzy. The tour concludes at the end of the month, but here’s hoping there’s more to come from these two.
Not long after her stint opening for Harry Styles, everyone’s favorite psychedelic country songstress, Jenny Lewis, is back on the road with a new album and a headliner slot.
The album—and tour—entitled Joy’All is doing just that: giving folks immense joy in both sound and sight. And on the day of her Cleveland stop at the House of Blues, she received some joyful news herself—her single, “Psychos,” hit #1 on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart. A nice honor for a musician who’s delivered several songs throughout the years deservant of a #1 slot.
As for the concert itself, it was everything I’ve come to expect from a Jenny Lewis show: a showcase of her beautiful voice and lyrical transparency; a top tier backing band; lots of sparkles; some cherry chapstick; a phone call from a dog; balloons with said dog’s face on them (cheers, Bobby Rhubarb); and some hearty belly laughs. Hop on the Joy train, y’all!
COLUMBUS, OH | Shout out to the Re:SET crew for handling severe weather threats in the Columbus area intelligently and with little attendee experience lost. Instead of barreling ahead as planned, Re:SET bumped up the start of the day by several hours and shortened set times. The result? Fans got to see all acts on the lineup before the weather hit the area.
Foushee, who has collaborated with Steve Lacy and James Blake on some seriously great songs, had the crowd in the palm of her hands from start to finish. She’s got the “it” factor. And how the hell is she not dripping sweat in those leather pants?!
Up next was Toro y Moi, a band that I’ve been rocking with since their 2010 debut, Causers of This. As expected, lead Chaz Bear and band brought the vibes with their sexy, funky mix of chillwave grooves – and a little “Party in the USA” riff for fun.
James Blake’s sound is so distinct: the voice; the keys; the fusion of R & B and electronic; and the commitment to analog equipment and live mixing. He’s a rare gem.
