Concert Review Site

The R&B artist R Kelly seems to have some reviewers confused as to what he’s trying to do with his concerts. He has always been able to do two different kinds of characters in his persona. One of these people produces a very ballad-filled repertoire. But the other one has a loud raucous side that is a good emotional outlet for some, but a challenge for others. He has always been a performer of the highest caliber and his shows are interesting for that reason. But it’s hard to know which version of him you are to expect when you walk into the performance space. Some people really enjoy this, but others could find it a little bit confusing. Either way, you might want to see his new performances and find out what this long-time top R&B musician has been up to all this time.

Carlos Santana is well known for his charitable work. He has been active with several organizations. So it didn’t come as a surprise this week when he came out to tell us that his concerts this month would also go to help the World Hunger Year charity. People who come to the show can bring non-perishable goods with them which will then be donated to the organization. Don’t worry, these aren’t going to go help fend off the munchies for the group after the show. Instead they will be sent to people who really need food. In addition, his concerts are expected to be very fun with a lot of interesting new songs and such. If you haven’t seen him in concert, you should make sure you do so this month. And bring your nonperishables with you.

We may be moving into the colder months, but there is no slackening of the concert schedule. The shows may not be at outdoor arenas anymore, but indoor concert halls and stadiums exist all across the land. Taylor Swift is one of the biggest artists of the year and she has an intense concert schedule throughout the year. Her shows are being given some of the best reviews of any performance this season. She is continuing to sing her great songs, many of them written by herself. They tell of heartbreak and happiness, youth and becoming an adult. And fans are flocking to the shows. This is only one of the big concerts that people are looking forward to this year and you can find concert tickets easily to see Swift or any other favorite performer this fall and winter.

Bruce Springsteen’s show in Kansas City was cancelled for this week because of a death in the family. It turns out that his cousin, an assistant road manager, was found dead overnight in a hotel room. But there is, at this point, no sense that there was foul play. The authorities are investigating, because anytime something unforeseen like this happen, they check up on it. This makes his concert tour a little bit less fun for many people. The show will go on, but the show in Kansas City is cancelled and the tickets will be refunded. No one has to worry about that. Hopefully Springsteen himself will feel better soon and continue to make the rest of us happier by listening to him.

Jim Gaffigan will be heading to his hometown of Chicago in January and it’s expected to be a fun show. The comedian is from the Windy City and many people say that he’ll be even funnier in his home, where he knows the audience and everything else. He knows local references that make people laugh. Have you ever seen an artist play in his or her hometown? If you thought that musicians were the only ones that have the “home court advantage”, you’re wrong. If the musician or comedian knows the audience in some way, then they tend to play even better. So the “Hot Pockets” jokes will be even funnier. Perhaps he’ll add some Chicago-Style pizza jokes in there. In addition, he mentioned that his hotel in Chicago will determine from where he gets his deep dish pizza, because he’s a pizza lover, “but also lazy.”

Bob Dylan is clearly one of the most respected members of the music community. That cannot be denied. That being said, however, he will have a lot of problems trying to get people to buy his new Christmas album, especially if all the reviewers are as upset as Jim DeRogatis of the Chicago Sun-Times. He says that Dylan has fallen into schmaltzy style in this one, but that his own delivery doesn’t measure up to that. If it were consistent, that would be one thing, but the charge is that his own singing doesn’t let it become beautiful anymore. One big example is that his “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” sounds more like a threat than a promise to a loved one. And his Latin isn’t that good either. But Dylan is sounding good onstage, so we can’t expect everything from a man at this point in his career.

A little more than a year ago, the B52s were out on a new tour. They hadn’t been on tour in nearly 20 years and their style has changed a bit. Remember they had the beehive hairdos, making it seem a little bit like the 50s or 60s. Now the women have hair that is flat and sleek. It’s like they got buffed like a car for the new millennium. Fred Schneider has his hilarious and fun style that he has always presented. It’s clearly a kitschy schtick, or a schticky kitsch, that gives the band their special character. If you had seen them, you would have heard many of their best hits, like Mesopotamia, Love Shack and maybe even Rock Lobster. I don’t think that they are planning to tour again anytime soon, but there have been rumors that another series of concerts might be in the works in the upcoming year or two.

With Thom Yorke working on his solo career, it seems as though the musician is leaving RadioHead. Although those are the rumors, it’s not actually the case. He has been working on his solo career, this is true, but a couple members of his backup band are RadioHead members and so it’s more like a small shift. Sometimes, they will be producing music as his backup and sometimes it will be RadioHead as you have always known them. Interestingly, earlier this year, he released a 12 inch album that was practically a secret. It had two tracks that hadn’t been previously released and “great artwork”. I haven’t it. If any of you have, I would love to hear what you thought about it and whether you liked it as much as regular RadioHead. Let me know!

When Weird Al comes to town, you can definitely enjoy his music. He doesn’t tour all that much, at least not in a headlines ways, but we have seen him all over the place. His music is unique, in that it’s all written by someone else. Except the lyrics of course. He is perhaps America’s leading song paradist and the music is always really funny. But it also has a deeper message, criticism, or observation. He’s not too judgmental about the world, but he does want to show some of the silliness that is around us all the time. He also gets people singing and dancing a little bit too. No matter whether you enjoy his music for the funniness, the musical styles he can do, or if you just don’t like the original music, you will certainly have a good time checking out Weird Al the next time he comes to town.

Kylie Minogue is still performing all over the country right now, starting in the Hollywood Bowl and going to all kinds of other places. She has become one of the best performers that we can imagine in the world, but it’s never clear whether she’s going to catch on in the US anytime soon. Her music is fun and gets some people hopping. But a lot of people just don’t get it. Perhaps it’s because she sings songs that aren’t quite so familiar here or because she’s not been able to sell as much, but for some reason people still think she’s weird and foreign, even after all of the things that we’ve heard over the years. Anyway, her tour is doing fine and the music is well-performed. She’s doing what she can, but I don’t think it’s going to catch the same way some people do.