Author Archive
Faith No More Return to the U.S. With Powerhouse San Fran Show
April 13th, 2010
Conventional reunited bands give fans what’s expected. The often heavy but always mischievous Bay Area quintet Faith No More launched their first local show in 12 years at the Warfield Theatre last night with an accurate rendering of Peaches & Herb’s “Reunited,” the ultimate disco-era, slow-dance anthem. Their suits were so prom-ready that each left lapel was pinned with a boutonniere. While singer Mike Patton crooned and waved with aplomb, his fellow members rode the ...
Live Review: Devo Rip Through “Q: Are We Not Men?” and “Freedom of Choice” on Full-Album Tour
November 9th, 2009
Photo: Walter/GettyDuring their late-’70s and early ’80s heyday, Devo managed to be both extreme and mainstream: The Akron, Ohio quintet’s 1978 debut LP Q: Are We Not Men? We Are Devo remains one of the most lyrically and musically radical records to ever crack the Top 100, while their 1980 release Freedom of Choice helped pioneer and popularize both synth pop and dance rock with the breakthrough hit “Whip It.” But as trailblazing as these ...
Kylie Minogue’s Spacey Spectacle Lands at First-Ever U.S. Gig
October 1st, 2009
Photo: Dowling/Getty
“You’re everything I’ve dreamt of for 20 years,” said Australian dance-pop princess Kylie Minogue to the lucky crowd that witnessed the Oakland opening-night performance on her first-ever North American tour. As a platform for a singer who only briefly tasted mainstream U.S. fame with her 1988 cover version of “The Loco-Motion” and her 2001 breakthrough “Can’t Get You out of My Head,” the show provided everything her patient cult would want — except a ...
Green Day Talk “American Idiot” as Musical Debuts: On the Scene at the Berkeley Rep
September 17th, 2009
Photo: Shearer/WireImage
Minutes before the official opening of Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s staged rendition of American Idiot, the members of Green Day were their usual affable selves. “I had no concerns,” Billie Joe Armstrong said to sum up his feelings about adapting the band’s rock opera disc for the stage. “I was interested and flattered to meet [director] Michael Mayer. We were floored by Spring Awakening [the 2006 Tony-winning rock musical Mayer helmed], and so there were ...