Return to the Greek Theater: Future Islands in Concert

 

On a whim, I saw that Future Islands -- a synth-heavy indie band I've enjoyed over the years -- was playing at the Greek on Sept. 1, the day after my birthday. What the hell, why not! I convinced Maria to come along, and we were treated to a fun, energetic show featuring the always energetic lead singer, Samuel T Herring. Some shots from our angle:

Queen and Adam Lambert Concert: The Blogger Kid 2.0's First Full Concert Is a Hit

Over the Christmas holiday, Maria and I were watching a screener of "Bohemian Rhapsody" in our living room when the Blogger Kid 2.0 (age 9) came in and plopped down next to us. He was intrigued: What was this music? And who was this guy Freddie Mercury?

He needed to learn more. So we started playing him some Queen, starting with the songs he remembered from the movie. From there, he wanted to watch Queen videos on YouTube, over and over. He wanted to check out Queen's 1985 performance at Live Aid. And every morning when I drove him to school, I had to play him "Bohemian Rhapsody" and several other Queen songs.

Every. Day. For six months.

I took the Kid to an "American Idol" taping for Queen night, but sadly, Adam Lambert and the surviving Queen members were only on tape. It was fun to hear the contestants perform Queen hits live, but I knew the Kid wanted to hear the real thing. So I began checking on concert dates.

Turns out Queen + Adam Lambert were performing at the Forum in July -- but the show was mostly sold out, with remaining tickets upwards of $200. I was going to give up. But then I had the opportunity to get tickets and review the show for Variety. I jumped at the chance.

On Saturday night, the Blogger Kid and I hit the Forum. Read my Variety review:

The mostly older audience likely appreciated all the nods to the Queen they grew up with. But Lambert still made plenty of the show his own, interjecting his own swagger and personality in the mix — from licking a microphone to frequent, and outlandish, wardrobe changes.

The setlist offered the usual greatest hits package, with plenty of songs from the movie getting their due. There was no surprise to the ending: Queen and Lambert wrapped up the initial set with “Bohemian Rhapsody,” while “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions” served as the encore.

The Blogger Kid 2.0 couldn't see at first, which hampered his enjoyment. But eventually the woman behind us gave us permission for him to stand on his chair — and it was just in time to see the second half of the show. He came away cheering — and with a pricy concert T-shirt. It was a fantastic night. More shots:

Florence and the Machine, Chvrches, Death Cab for Cutie and More: Highlights From KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas

Thanks to KROQ — specifically Dave "The King of Mexico" Sanchez — for allowing me to partake in another fun Almost Acoustic Christmas concert. Night two of the annual event took place on Sunday night at the Forum, highlighted by headliners Florence and the Machine (above) and others. Besides her powerful voice and a set list with plenty of KROQ favorites, Florence also brought down the house by asking the crowd to put down their phones. And the Forum crowd obliged!

The real highlight for me was earlier in the evening, however, when Chvrches performed. From its synthpop sounds to Lauren Mayberry's voice, they're phenomenal live. And yes, I followed up their performance by embarrasing myself in front of them later in the Forum club. Turns out blurting "Hey Chvrches!" and then waiting for them to respond wasn't the best way to get them to talk, but it was a great way to get them to look at me weird.

Mike Posner, who ended his set... with beat poetry.

Young the Giant.

Bastille played the hits, ending with "Pompeii."

Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard.

More from Florence and the Machine.

The Kevin & Bean crew, minus Bean.

KROQ's Beer Mug, in character as "Mugos."

Just Can't Get Enough: A Scoop of Depeche Mode at the Hollywood Bowl

There's perhaps no bigger Depeche Mode fanbase than right here in Southern California, where the band could have probably kept selling out even more shows at the Hollywood Bowl. We were there on Wednesday, Oct. 18 for the final night of four concerts, and the place was electric. Dave Gahan (looking a bit like Bill Murray circa "Rushmore") strutted and swaggered as DM played some of its crowd favorites.

It was a 1990s-heavy night, with the majority of the songs performed from Depeche Mode's three 90s albums, "Violator," "Songs of Faith and Devotion" and "Ultra." The current tour is promoting the release of their latest release, "Spirit," but only three songs were performed from that album.

Here's the setlist from the night:
Going Backwards
It's No Good
Barrel of a Gun
A Pain That I'm Used To
Useless
In Your Room
World in My Eyes
Cover Me
Sister of Night
Home
Precious
Where's the Revolution
Wrong
Everything Counts
Stripped
Enjoy the Silence
Never Let Me Down Again
[Encores:]
But Not Tonight
Walking in My Shoes
Policy of Truth
I Feel You
Personal Jesus

More pics below!

The Blogger Kid Attends His First Concert: Coldplay at the Rose Bowl

It all started with the 2011 video to Coldplay's "Paradise." The Blogger Kid, who was 6 at the time, loved the story of Chris Martin, dressed as an elephant, escaping a London zoo and traveling to Africa to find his home. But last year Coldplay easily became Evan's favorite band thanks to the video to "Adventure of a Lifetime," the motion-capture short inspired by Andy Serkis. (Mat Whitecross directed both videos.)

When the Blogger Kid got his first iPod, he had me upload Coldplay's catalog of hit songs, which he now knows by heart. So when Coldplay announced its shows at the Rose Bowl, I knew it would be the perfect first concert for him. (He's seen plenty of live music over the years at events like the Kids' Choice Awards, but this was his first full-blown concert by a major artist.)

We made it to the Aug. 20 show, and indeed, this was quite the experience -- the huge crowd, the epic size of the show and the energy inside the Rose Bowl. (On the down side, stadium shows mean a long wait just to get past security and inside. Then there was trying to leave after the show -- we sat in a car for an hour, not even moving.)

Despite being inside a huge stadium, the show felt surprisingly intimate, even from way up in the stands. Chris Martin connected with the fans (even apologizing for the expensive experience -- I know, I know, but it worked) and the group played most of its big hits.

Some pics from the show: