Live Music Reviews and Photographs / NYC, Buffalo, Toronto, Pittsburgh
Back in the late 80s through the 90s, Andy Bell and Erasure were a permanent fixture on the charts, providing GenX with non-stop catchy synth-pop tunes. Erasure had been formed after Vince Clarke had left Depeche Mode, then Yazoo (Yaz in the US), and was looking for a lead singer for a new project. The …
Whether it's writing and performing her critically acclaimed music, stretching the boundaries of fashion which often maintaining a very classic look, breaking stereotypes by becoming one of the most accomplished guitarist of any generation, or collaborating with Spotify on an escape room event for fans to promote her sixth studio album Masseduction, St. Vincent has …
Continue reading "St Vincent takes over Stage AE for All Born Screaming tour – Apr 13, 2025"
To say that Grouplove is one of my favorite bands is an understatement. They have always been such a fun act, seeming to enjoy every moment on the stage and off. In fact, just thinking about attending one of their shows brings a non-stop smile to my face. Their current “ Rock and Roll You …
Continue reading "Grouplove parties it up at the Roxian – Mar 22, 2024"
What else can we say about Taylor Swift's Eras Tour that hasn't already been said? Besides the monumental scale of the tour, each show is over three hours long, with a massive stage having to be built and torn down at each stop, and comprising of ten acts with multiple costume changes and colors representing …
Continue reading "Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour takes over Pittsburgh for two days – June 16, 2023"
NOTE: Ted Sablay, Lemon Twigs, and crowd shots are copyright Howard Shiau Photography 2023. The Killers photos are copyright Chris Phelps | @chrisphelps Las Vegas rockers The Killers hit Pittsburgh on March 19th (a re-scheduled show from last October) in a continuation of their 2022 "Imploding the Mirage" Tour. The record, released in 2020, is exactly …
Continue reading "The Killers play re-scheduled show at Petersen Events Center – Mar 19, 2023"
It's been almost exactly three years since I last saw the Silversun Pickups on a double session at the Paste Studio, then Terminal 5 in NYC. A pandemic and a record release later, I was able to catch them at the Roxian Theatre in Pittsburgh (actually McKees Rocks if you want to get technical) as …
Continue reading "Silversun Pickups play historic Roxian Theatre – Feb 23, 2023"
It's been quite a year for Just One More Concert. It was the first full year of live music post-pandemic although much has changed since 2019 (the last full year). Bands are still having to cancel shows/tours because someone in the band or crew tests positive for Covid, more acts have opted for having their …
Since James Iha and Jimmy Chamberlain rejoined the Smashingi Pumpkins, it feels like the band has been touring non-stop. Of course that’s not quite the case since they found the time to work on a THIRTY THREE song three-act rock opera “Atum”. The first act will be released on Nov 15th and each subsequent act …
Continue reading "Smashing Pumpkins play PPG Paints Arena without Jane’s Addiction – Oct 22, 2022"
On Thursday, August 11th, Billy Joel continued his non-stop tour with an incredible show at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. It had been six years since Joel played here and the capacity crowd showed their appreciation. Many fans came to the stadium early to tailgate, getting ready to party with their idol. Having been a Billy …
Continue reading "The Piano Man is still keeping the faith at PNC Park – Aug 11, 2022"
The Pretty Reckless headlined their first show since December 2017 at Stage AE in Pittsburgh on Friday, July 22nd. After their Paris show in 2017, little did they know that it would be almost five years before they would headline a show again. They had a tour planned in spring/summer 2020 that was pushed to …
Continue reading "The Pretty Reckless play first headline show since 2017 – July 22, 2022"
With her new single "Shotgun" already out and her new album "Sometimes, Forever" about to drop in May, it almost feels like I'm seeing Soccer Mommy (aka Sophie Regina Allison) just a month early. That being said, this spring tour is really what we had expected back in 2020 in support of her then new …
Continue reading "Soccer Mommy thrills crowd at Mr Smalls – April 2, 2022"
When I saw that Wolf Alice was playing at Stage AE in Pittsburgh, I thought it was great that they were playing larger venues. They are an amazing band, especially live, and are not to be missed. When I arrived, I discovered that they were playing on Stage AE's "club stage", significantly smaller than the …
Continue reading "Wolf Alice rolls on in Pittsburgh – April 1, 2022"
How old are the members of Sunflower Bean? "TwentyTwo in Blue" came out pretty recently, right? The pandemic and subsequent lockdown have caused us to lose two years so, yes, they're TWENTY SIX now!! After being somewhat radio silent since the "King of the Dudes" EP was released in January 2019, we finally have a …
Continue reading "Sunflower Bean previews new album at Club Cafe – Mar 6, 2022"
The last time I saw Tame Impala was at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY in 2017. At that show all attendees were asked to place their phones in Yondr pouches for the duration of the show. Fast forward five years; same amazing band, different restrictions (vaccination cards). The band opened up their 2022 …
It's been a rough two years for many but definitely not for UK artist beabadoobee (aka Beatrice Laus aka Bea Kristi). Besides releasing her amazing critically acclaimed debut album "Fake It Flowers" in 2020, she also collaborated with The 1975’s Matty Healy and George Daniel on 2021's EP "Our Extended Play" and, on Saturday December …
Continue reading "*beabadoobee wraps up tour at Stage AE – Dec 11, 2021"