Leon RussellGranada TheaterAugust 23, 2009Better than: Hearing a medley of classic Leon Russell songs sung in an Asian karaoke bar, but not much better… During the 1960s and ’70s, Leon Russell was the consummate sidekick and bandleader–and he was even solo star in his own right. Hanging with the Stones,…
Old 97’s, Telegraph CanyonBass Hall, Fort WorthAugust 21, 2009Better than: a night at the opera. Make no mistake: The crowd came to Bass Hall–some dressed in their operahouse best, others in more dive bar attire–for the Old 97’s. And though they’d sure get the Old 97’s–to the tune of a…
Bat For LashesThe LoftAugust 20, 2009Better Than: Staind, who played downstairs at the Palladium. As lightning from a distant storm flashed through the windows of The Loft, Natasha Khan (aka Bat For Lashes) proved herself to be an entertainer equal to her reputation. With the support of a fantastic band…
Paul McCartneyCowboys StadiumAugust 19, 2009Better than: a competitive round of Rock Band: Beatles, to say the least. Download: For more pictures from last night’s show, check Patrick Michels’ slideshow from the night.For the first hour or so of Paul McCartney’s set at Cowboys Stadium last night, the show had a…
Mos Def and Jay Electronica House of BluesAugust 18, 2009Better than: Beating the line to the show’s after party. Some artists perform for the audience. Others perform for themselves. And others? They’re still finding their footing as performers at all. Make no mistake: Last night’s show at the House of…
Bowerbirds and Megafaun Hailey’s Club August 12, 2009 Better than: Watching a performance on La Blogotheque Some days the life of a touring musician is just a bitch, especially when you are in that stage of your career that you are traveling in a van. Yesterday was one such day…
Method Man & Redman With Ghostface KillahHouse of BluesSaturday, August 8, 2009Better than: Watching How High sober. From Ghostface’s rant about how “the rap game in New York is fucked up” and how nothing on the radio these days inspires him to the cheers that greeted Method and Red every…
Broken Social ScenePalladium BallroomAugust 7, 2009Better than: The last time I caught Broken Social Scene in Vancouver. Check out photos from the show in our slideshow here.When Broken Social Scene frontman and co-founder Kevin Drew fell ill earlier this year, the band was left with no choice but to back…
Bob Schneider, Odis and Charlie Shafter and the Gnomes The Granada Theater August 7, 2009 Better than: Listening to a 68-year-old man proposition you to lay across his big brass bed. If you’ve never attended a Bob Schneider gig, it’s highly probable you spent a good portion of last night’s…
Ida Maria, GlasvegasThe LoftAugust 4, 2009 Better than: taking a group of foreign exchange students to the mall. It took 20 minutes for it to happen, but, finally, here it was: some palpable, legitimate energy about the room at The Loft during Glasvegas’ set. It was all coming together–the band’s performance, its fairly impressive light show, the…
De La Soul with Kenan Bell and Rhythm Roots AllstarsHouse of BluesJuly 31, 2009Better than: shows from performers ten years younger than these headliners. It was interesting to see what the scene would look like for a rap act celebrating 20 years since its debut album; it seemed like it’d…
Asher Roth, Kid CudiHouse of BluesJuly 30, 2009 Better than: Catching up on recorded TV, like you’d originally planned. Asher Roth and Kid Cudi Last night was an absolute testament of the following truth: Radio is irrelevant if artists can otherwise reach their listeners. Because, despite Asher Roth’s being all but…
Reel Big Fish, The English BeatGilley’sJuly 26, 2009 Better than: Going to bed early out of loyalty to a 9 to 5 job you don’t like anyway.”Hey, after the show, you wanna turn this energy around and ride the rollercoaster on the ceiling?” says Reel Big Fish frontman Aaron Barrett,…
Care Bears On FireJuly 19House of Blues First off, I am a father of a 9-year-old daughter and, as such, I sometimes have to succumb to the musical tastes of a girl whose obsession with Taylor Swift is beginning to become disconcerting. So when my daughter asked me to take…
Sonic YouthHouse of BluesJuly 15, 2009 Better than: getting a good night’s sleep. The Eternal may be the 16th album released by seminal noise rockers Sonic Youth, and members Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon may be in their fifties–but you’d never have thought either were true by the performance the…
Rx Bandits, Dredg, Good Old WarGranada TheaterJuly 14, 2009 Better Than: Staying in to watch that overrated jackass on Hell’s Kitchen. They look unwashed, unshaven, lazy and listless. They’re wearing what looks like the same clothes they pulled on days ago. They resemble Austin street-hippy people. …
BeyonceAmerican Airlines CenterJuly 5, 2009 Better than: Filming my own Youtube version of “Single Ladies.” Dallas was lucky to have Beyonce stop by last night on her international “I Am” tour de force. From start to finish, the show was phenomenal: Not only was it a showcase of her powerful,…
Vans Warped TourSuperpages.com CenterJuly 5, 2009 Better Than: falling asleep on the beach and getting a funny-looking tan. The weather could have been way worse for Sunday’s Warped Tour date. It could have rained all day. Or it could have been sunny and extremely hot. Luckily, the weather fluctuated between…
Boyz II Men, Eric BenetBass Performance HallJuly 1, 2009Better than: Um….getting my car towed? So…maybe Boyz II Men should have opened for Eric Benet, and not the other way around.Eric Benet, from the moment he walked on stage, had the crowd (a)roused with his forceful voice and charming interjections between…
Nylon Magazine Summer Music Tour Featuring Patrick WolfGranada TheaterJune 30, 2009 Better than: Sitting at home reading Nylon. Maybe. Check out our slideshow from the show, too.London-born multi-instrumentalist Patrick Wolf definitely wasn’t shy last night at the Granada Theater, as he gallivanted around the stage playing a good mix of…
Starlight Mints, Evangelicals, Matthew and the Arrogant SeaGranada TheaterJune 25, 2009 Better than: being stuck at home finishing another week’s installment of “North of the Dial” (as I am every Thursday night). A solid lineup on last night’s bill made for a solid evening of great music as all three…
Jenny Lewis, Heartless BastardsGranada Theater June 23, 2009 Better than: The Gospel According to Patti LaBelle. For photos from the show, be sure and check out our slideshow too.If not for the crashing rumble of IPA bottles getting tossed into the trash punctuating each song throughout Jenny Lewis’ set at…
