Live Music Reviews and Photographs / NYC, Buffalo, Toronto, Pittsburgh
catch up post Electro-pop band Oh Wonder continued their 2018 tour at Summerstage in New York City's Central Park at the heels of their 2017 record "Ultralife". Opening was singer/songwriter Sasha Sloan (aka Alexandra Artourovna Yatchenko), who's debut EP "Sad Girl" was released in April. NOTE: all photographs are copyright of Howard Shiau Photography Oh …
Continue reading "Oh Wonder thrills Summerstage – July 9, 2018"
Yet another catch up post! Auto manufacturer Lincoln hosted an Atlas Genius show on the waterfront at Pier 17 on July 3rd. As the drizzle came down and lightning threatened, we weren't sure whether the band would get a chance to play but the rain stopped in time for them to get a nice set …
Continue reading "Atlas Genius holds off the rain at Pier 17 – July 3, 2018"
still in catch up mode Scottish electronic pop band Chvrches hosted the record release party for their latest record "Love is Dead" at iHeartRadio's tiny venue in Tribeca on a sunny day in May. With a capacity under 200, it promised to be an intimate event. This photographer was lucky enough to score a quick …
Continue reading "Chvrches celebrates with fans at the iHeartRadio Theatre – May 22, 2018"
still in catch up mode If you want to listen to pop that just makes you happy, Spanish band Hinds have the remedy for you. After the release of their sophomore album I Don’t Run, the band has been on a global tour covering Europe, the US and Canada. On the night of May 10, 2018, …
Continue reading "Hinds party it up at Warsaw – May 10, 2018"
(still in catch up mode) You may be familiar with British punk band COUNTERFEIT lead singer and guitarist Jamie Campbell Bower from his acting work on the Twilight trilogy, Mortal Instruments, or Sweeney Todd. I wasn't but found out quickly as I waited on line with his many fans. Don't let that sway you into …
Continue reading "COUNTERFEIT gets down and dirty at Knitting Factory – May 1, 2018"
(still in catch up mode) Pancakes & Whiskey's series of private shows at the exclusive Soho House continued with local band Kitten making a move on the national scene with their latest record. Opening for them was another mainstay on the New York music scene, Frances Rose. See write-up of my coverage here. NOTE: all …
Continue reading "Kitten and Frances Rose rock Soho House – Mar 31, 2018"
(still in catch up mode) MGMT presided over the Grand Opening of Sony Hall, a collaboration between Sony and Blue Note. The occasion brought out many VIPs and some hardcore MGMT fans waited hours for entry! MGMT did not disappoint as they played old favorites as well as songs from their excellent new record "Little …
Continue reading "MGMT opens the new Sony Hall with a bang! – Mar 27, 2018"
(Still in catch-up mode) After playing her sold out show at Irving Plaza, K.Flay followed it up with another incredible performance at Warsaw. Opening for her was young Brit, Yungblud (aka Dominic Harrison), who got the crowd energized with his hard hitting hip hop inspired act. Thanks to Loudie NYC for the tickets! NOTE: all photographs …
Continue reading "K Flay slays Warsaw (yeah i know) – Mar 20, 2018"
If my previous post was about a band that took me back to my school days, many in the audience at this Lights show are still living through their school days, including a 9 yr old in the balcony. Her 4th studio album paired with a comic book mini-series that she wrote and drew really …
Continue reading "“We Were Here” for Lights at Irving Plaza – Feb 26, 2018"
I was taken back to my school days as the original line-up for Bananarama is touring the United Stated for the first time. I still remember mixed tapes with "Love in the First Degree"! My write-up and photos are here. NOTE: all photographs are copyright of Howard Shiau Photography
(Still in catch-up mode) Dr. Martens kicked off their customization tour with food, drinks, swag and a kickin' live set from Charly Bliss. This indie pop/rock band was set to explode as they would tour later in 2018 with Death Cab for Cutie. Baby's All Right could barely contain their infectious energy but that's exactly …
Continue reading "Dr. Martens Customization Tour featuring Charly Bliss – Feb 21, 2018"
My first show shooting for Pancakes and Whiskey was a sold out Børns concert at Terminal 5. My write-up and photos are here. NOTE: all photographs are copyright of Howard Shiau Photography
You know that feeling when the local band you've been following starts to make it and you're torn because, on the one hand, you want them to succeed and hit it big but, on the other hand, you want to continue to see them in cozy venues? Well, I have that feeling with both these …
Continue reading "Sunflower Bean and Sleigh Bells rock Brooklyn Steel – Feb 13, 2018"
Monday brought another show in the Steve Madden Presents series, this time with Bishop Briggs headlining and Philadelphia transplant Anna Shoemaker opening. It was a cold day in Williamsburg but fans had started lining up around 3pm. When Shoemaker took the stage at 9pm, she couldn't contain her excitement and mentioned that this capacity crowd …
After a video shoot earlier in the day, the snow coming down hard and ever, and Santa-con in full swing, it would have been easy to go home and just relax for the evening. However, I needed to head down to Rockwood Music Hall to see sister/brother duo Jocelyn and Chris Arndt play because they …
Continue reading "Jocelyn & Chris Arndt at Rockwood Music Hall – Dec 9, 2017"
Pandora typically puts together two events for the holidays: One is a massive "holiday party" at Pier 36 with at least 3 performers. The other is usually a smaller event but with a higher profile artist. Last year was John Legend on the Lower East Side. This year, Luke Bryan took the stage and performed …
Continue reading "Pandora UpCloseWith Luke Bryan – Dec 6, 2017"
You know how you watch a TV show and the kids in the show seem to grow up so much between one season and the next? Yeah yeah, I know it's definitely been that way since I last posted but that's also exactly how it feels every time I see Sunflower Bean. And it's not …
Since there are huge gaps in this concert blog, we'll try to fill in as opportunity permits. I'm not sure what it is about shoe companies promoting free shows but I'm on board! The band gets free shoes (or boots as the case may be) and the fans get to see a free concert. The …
As usual, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals put on a fun high energy show. The Beacon Theatre is great for those who normally go to venues like Madison Square Garden. But for those of us that are used to being at the barricade, the Beacon is rough. We can't get tickets for the front row …
Continue reading "Grace Potter & the Nocturnals thrills Beacon Theatre – Nov 16, 2012"
This was at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park as part of the Good Morning America series of concerts. I've never been a huge fan of these early morning shows but getting VIP access and the good lighting ensures I can get quality shots. NOTE: all photographs are copyright of Howard Shiau Photography Video Neon Trees …
Continue reading "Neon Trees play Good Morning America – Aug 17, 2012"
This was a hell of a lineup: JJAMZ, Penguin Prison and Neon Trees at Webster Hall!! It was the second of four Neon Trees show this year for me and the first without Elaine Bradley, their drummer, who gave birth to her first child, Bryce, the previous day. More on that later. JJAMZ is a …
Continue reading "Neon Trees destroy Webster Hall – July 10, 2012"
As part of the promotion of their new CD, "The Lion the Beast the Beat", Grace Potter & the Nocturnals actually played twice the same day. The first was an acoustic show at the Best Buy store in Union Square and included a signing of their new CD. The event was nice and personal but …
Continue reading "Grace Potter & the Nocturnals – June 14, 2012"
Back to the 80s with English Beat and Squeeze! I never saw Squeeze back in their heyday but I got to enjoy the music of my youth this night. Dave Wakeling and English Beat opened the show and got the crowd going quickly with their upbeat ska set. While Ranking Roger was doing his thing …
Continue reading "Squeeze with English Beat – Roseland Ballroom – Apr 28, 2012"
This Neon Trees show is the 2nd of many I've attended as they would quickly become the band that I have seen the most. The Trees were about to release their sophomore album "Picture Show" and had started to stream a few of the songs to their fans. The first single "Everybody Talks" had already …
Continue reading "Neon Trees celebrate their sophomore release at Bowery Ballroom – April 16, 2012"
This was the first Fiona Apple show in NYC in years and came just before she released her new album "The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do". As usual, quite a mouthful. The die-hard fans were out waiting early …
Continue reading "Fiona Apple returns with new record – Mar 23, 2012"
Evanescence was back with the release of their self-titled album and a rejuvenated Amy Lee. The opening band was the Pretty Reckless, with Taylor Momsen from the hit TV show Gossip Girl. Taylor definitely tries to shed the good girl image from the show by dressing as provocatively as possible. She doesn't really need to …
Continue reading "Evanescence returns with self-titled record – Nov 1, 2011"
To cap off my summer/fall of 80s concerts, I went to see Howard Jones at Irving Plaza in October. He does look a bit like a grandpa but his singing was in fine form despite his being a bit sedate on stage. There were a couple of instances where fans jumped on stage to dance. …
Continue reading "Howard Jones parties on at Irving Plaza – Oct 19, 2011"
Wow, this was a fun show! A couple of friends happened to attend the same concert and joined us up front. Frankmusik opened the lively evening at Terminal 5 but it was Andy and Vince we had all come to see. They proved that Erasure is still writing great music and performing with the same …
Continue reading "Erasure has Terminal 5 dancing – Sept 13, 2011"
This show was at BB King's where you can have dinner while being entertained. The tables are first come first served so, being the nutjob that I am, we got a table right up against the stage. While waiting, we could see Pat doing soundcheck. Taking pictures was obviously a no-no because she turned away …
Continue reading "Pat Benatar plays BB King – July 11, 2011"
I'm jumping ahead to 2011... Lipton and Pandora sponsored this show at Chelsea Pier. Most of the crowd was definitely not there to see the bands, Train with Keaton Simons opening. This is the only problem I have with some of these corporate events. You get a lot of people there drinking and talking loudly...very …
Continue reading "Pandora and Lipton present Train – May 20, 2011"
Never heard of Grace Potter before this WRXP sponsored show at the Studio at Webster Hall. The stage was only about a foot high so we were incredibly, almost uncomfortably, close to the band and the sexy Grace Potter. This was an acoustic show so it didn't have the huge power of a regular show …
Continue reading "WXRP Presents Grace Potter & the Nocturnals – Mar 10, 2011"
This was OMD's first US appearance in many years and there were some fans in attendance at Terminal 5 that had followed them from UK. Oh Land opened and were...interesting. But we were all waiting for OMD. Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys sounded EXACTLY the same as they did 25 yrs ago...in fact, if you …
Continue reading "Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark return the 80s to Terminal 5 – Mar 8, 2011"
Another of the concert series sponsored by iHeartRadio at the PC Richards Theater down in Tribeca, this show came right after a huge snowstorm. Getting to the show was difficult, trudging through the snow. Sara was funny yet seemingly subdued compared to her usual self. Videos Cover of Coldplay's Yellow Uncharted Lovesong
This was my introduction to the Neon Trees. Devo was supposed to be the headliner for this Halloween concert at Hammerstein Ballroom but they had to cancel. Elissa and I got to the venue early and Neon Trees was nice enough to let the early comers in for sound check. Then they did a nice …
Continue reading "Neon Trees spooky at Hammerstein – Oct 30, 2010"
Back in 2010, I used to listen to WRXP, the only alternative rock station in the NYC area. They had a number of online contests for free tickets to some shows, one of which was Company of Thieves at the Studio at Webster Hall. The only song I had heard of a little was "Oscar …
Continue reading "WRXP present Company of Thieves – Mar 9, 2010"
It was a regular work day from my home office when I found out that Sick Puppies had space for one more person in their live webcast. Rushing down to the EMI office down in the Flatiron district, I found myself waiting with about 9 others. We were ushered into a smallish room with 3 …
Continue reading "Sick Puppies webcast and private show – Feb 9, 2010"
Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr...what more is there to say, right? But what did I know about them before this show? Only the songs I knew from playing the video game Rock Band! Of course I had heard of these bands but didn't know the music very well. But what the hell...each concert is a brand …
Continue reading "Sonic Youth and why I wish I had ear plugs – Nov 21, 2009"
Amy Lee and Evanescence took a hiatus after their Open Door tour. In October 2009, Evanescence announced that they would hold a one-off concert at the Grand Ballroom (Hammerstein) on November 4th in NYC to get back into the swing of things and before they work on new music. Through the fan club, they were …
Continue reading "Evanescence Returns to pandemonium at Grand Ballroom! – Nov 4, 2009"
Saturday morning, October 11, 2009. Nothing better to do but check out what shows are playing. Turns out Kylie Minogue is in town and it's her first US performance EVER!! I remembered Kylie with "The Loco-Motion" from back in the 80s and that she had dated the late Michael Hutchence from INXS. Didn't hear from …
Continue reading "Kylie Minogue plays first ever US show at Hammerstein – Oct 11, 2009"
Up to this point, I was a concert attendee and occasional photographer. The only exception was my participation with the Sick Puppies World Crew. With the next show, I started filming as well as collecting memorabilia. Since I started to follow concerts more closely, I discovered ways of getting free tickets. In 2009, ticket giveaways …
Continue reading "The Next Stage – Silversun Pickups at iHeartRadio – July 31, 2009"
I saw this show completely by accident. I don't remember why I was walking downtown but I was headed down Broadway when I saw that the police were starting to close down the streets near the Ed Sullivan Theater. I asked an officer why they were shutting the street down and he told me that …
Continue reading "Paul McCartney Plays the marquee at the Ed Sullivan Theater – July 15, 2009"
I indoctrinated my 9 yr old daughter into the wonderful world of concerts in 2007 with two Duran Duran shows. As with all children, they are "forced" to listen to all the music their parents listened to. This included a ton of 80s "new wave". My daughter got a heavy dose of Duran Duran during …
While I attended an REM concert at Jones Beach in 2003 and an Erasure concert at Irving Plaza in 2005, it wasn't until I attended two Robin Hood Foundation shows that I caught the concert bug. The first was a Rolling Stones show at Radio City Music Hall. The B52s opened and the crowd didn't …
I didn't attend many concerts when I was younger. Besides a few one-off concerts back in the 80s and 90s, I didn't start really going to concerts until the mid-2000s. Perhaps it's my mid-life crisis, concerts being my sports car or motorcycle. Either way, the number of concerts have grown from once a year back …