Rob Thomas with Carolina Liar and OneRepublic
Uptown Amphitheatre
Sept. 29, 2009
Photo by Jeff Hahne
The Deal: Rob Thomas, lead singer of Matchbox Twenty, performs at Uptown Amphitheatre in support of his sophomore solo album Cradlesong. Opening acts include Carolina Liar and OneRepublic. (more…)
Motorhead with Reverend Horton Heat, Nashville Pussy
The Fillmore Charlotte
Sept. 11, 2009
The Deal: Motorhead, Reverend Horton Heat, Nashville Pussy and a whole lot of speakers hit the Queen City. (more…)
Heart w/ Tonic
Uptown Amphitheatre
Sept. 6, 2009
The Deal: Classic rockers bring along radio favorites.
The Good: Tonic is one of theose bands who you’ve probably heard, but can’t name one song off of the top of your head. It’s the “Ohhhhh yeah… I know that song…” factor. So, of course, there was a big sing along during “If You Could Only See.”
Heart hit the stage with “guns blazing.” Nancy Wilson walked out to the front of the stage (sadly, the only time any band member strayed far from their microphone stand) and kicked off the opening riff to “Barracuda.” Not a bad start to a set that lasted roughly an hour and a half.
Ann Wilson’s voice may have cracked once or twice, but damn if she doesn’t have one of the best female voices in rock. She also found a moment to play flute on “Love Alive.”
Nancy spent plenty of time jumping up and down and kicking out a leg in true rock style as she ripped through a cover of Led Zepplin’s “Immigrant Song,” and their own “Crazy On You.”
Adding in a cover of The Who’s “Reign O’er Me” that showcased the vocals once again, the band’s encore included a cover of Zepplin’s “Going to California” (with the name changed to Carolina) before a show-closing “Magic Man.”
The Bad: If you saw Heart open up for Journey last year, you pretty much saw the show they played on this night. The good part is they sounded just as strong as they did a year ago.
The Verdict: It’s always great to go to a show thinking you’ll know three or four songs by a band and then know most of the setlist. Heart’s catalog runs deep and is worth checking out. Ann summed up it up best when she asked the crowd, “Isn’t this better than sitting home and watching the news?”
Heart setlist
Barracuda
Never
Kick It Out
Straight on for You
Love Alive
Mistral Wind
Immigrant Song
Back to Avalon
These Dreams
What About Love
Alone
Reign O’er Me
Crazy On You
Encore
Going to California
Magic Man
Lil Wayne w/ Young Jeezy & Soulja Boy
Verizon Wireless Ampitheatre
Sept. 4, 2009
The Deal: “America’s Most Wanted” tour slides into Charlotte obviously referring to the teenage girls that want them, not their criminal records.
The Good: Probably the most time-conscious rap concert I’ve ever been to. The opening acts kept it brief, even Soulja Boy, sticking to this hits and skipping the highly unknown and unnecessary album cuts. Young Jeezy has mastered his “trap” star shtick, masterfully going through a set that include old hits and new. Actually did better with a band than a DJ, wouldn’t be surprised to see him use them more in the future.
Lil Wayne is officially a bonafide rock star, putting together a brilliantly, yeah I said brilliantly-choreographed stage show that lasted for roughly two hours and featured “un-rap” things like a excellent backing band, lots of pyro and explosions and lights that made me forget I was at Verizon Wireless for a while. He was the ringmaster of a circus on Friday and he let all the other elements shine while still showing he was in control. I was blown away by the execution.
Nicki Minaj’s ass also deserves a round of applause, although it could probably give itself one. Yeah, that good.
The Bad: Like most rap concerts, the bass drowned out the artist nine times out of 10, making it hard to hear any actual lyrics and forcing people to rap along with a familiar tune. Soulja Boy’s set was forgettable (Gucci Louie followed by Gucci Bandana left me all Gucci’d out). Without Drake, the Young Money All-Stars were mediocre stand-ins and the mini-concert in the middle of Lil Wayne’s set was frustrating. “Man Fans” were as creepy as ever! Hard to be a thug when you take your shirt off and scream another grown man’s name, just saying.
The Verdict: Shockingly good. Soulja Boy is huge but he can learn a thing or two from Young Jeezy and Lil Wayne about how to tear through a set, mixing singles, album cuts and mixtape hits, and leave the crowd blown away.
Young Jeezy setlist
Get Allot
Who Dat
Bottom of the Map
My Hood
Bang!
Go Crazy
Trap Star
Get Your Mind Right
Trap Or Die
Put On
Live In This Club verse (w/ live band)
I Luv Your Girl (w/ live band)
I’ma Do Me Remix (w/ live band)
Dey Know Remix (w/ live band)
I Luv It (w/ live band)
Go Getta (w/ live band)
Soul Survivor (w/ live band)
Black President (w/ live band)
Lil Wayne setlist
A Milli
Got Money
Sky is the Limit
Phone Home
S.L.U.
Mr. Carter
Go DJ (w/ DJ 4our5 blended w/ Nolia Clap)
Fireman
Money On My Mind
Get Money (Biggie Cover)
Ambitionz As A Ridah (2Pac Cover)
Black Album Interlude (Jay-Z Cover)
Best Rapper Alive (w/ Lil Wayne guitar solo)
Walk This Way Cover (w/ Lil Wayne on guitar)
Medley of tracks from his rock album, Rebirth
I’m Me
Turning Me On Remix
Kush
Pop Bottles
Get Back To The Money
We Takin Over (w/ Birdman)
I Run This Bitch
I’m Paid
YOUNG MONEY MINI-CONCERT
I’m On It (backing band returns)
Let The Beat Build
Comfortable
I’ma Diva Remix
Mrs. Officer
Lollipop
Tie My Hands
Shoot Me Down
My Life (from Game’s album)
Every Girl – Finale
MJ Tribute – I’ll Be There & Billie Jean
Down w/ The Melvins, Haarp, Evil Army
The Fillmore Charlotte
Sept. 5, 2009
The Deal: Supergroup Down brings along The Melvins, Haarp and Evil Army for heavy metal gig at The Fillmore. (more…)
Traveling Circus and Medicine Show — Counting Crows with Michael Franti & Spearhead, Augustana
Uptown Amphitheatre
Aug. 21, 2009
The Deal: The Traveling Circus and Medicine Show — Counting Crows, Michael Franti & Spearhead and Augustana — stopped by Charlotte’s Uptown Amphitheatre for a unique night of music. Hopefully, if you went, you knew that it was getting started at 7:30. Adam Duritz posted this on the tour’s Web site:
Dear Everyone-Who-Happens-To-Read-This,
I know you’re all used to showing up at 8:30 or 9PM for concerts that started at 7. It’s understandable. You’re there to see YOUR band and you’re showing up when you think they’re gonna play, right? Well, starting on Thursday July 16th at Marymoor Amphitheatre in Redmond, Washington, that’s all going to change.
Ladies and Gentlemen, at 7:15PM, when the curtain goes up on The Saturday Night Rebel Rockers Traveling Circus & Medicine Show, Augustana AND Counting Crows are all going to be walking out onstage together and that show is going to start with EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US onstage singing and playing our brains out. We’ll do a few songs together and then it may be Counting Crows that plays the first set alone. I don’t know exactly how the shows going to run every night. It’ll definitely be different a few days later in Friant, CA when Michael Franti & Spearhead join up. It’ll probably be different every night. The only thing I know for sure is that EVERY show on this tour is going to start with EVERYONE onstage together and we’re going to all be running on & off stage all night playing on each others songs and playing songs all together and basically just playing whenever we feel like playing. So you get my point, right?
GET HERE ON TIME!
Cuz when the curtain rises…THE CIRCUS BEGINS
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So, how did it turn out? (more…)
Live Review: Mos Def + Jay Electronica
Amos’ South End, 9 p.m.
August 12, 2009
The Deal: Hip-hop’s favorite MC-turned-leading- (more like supporting-) man, Mos Def, comes back through the Queen City with lots of new music and Jay Electronica riding shotgun.
The Good: What a difference a year makes for Jay Electronica. Last year he put on an awkward performance when he opened for Talib Kweli and Nas, but this time, he flashed a welcome confidence and humongous stage presence while performing tracks that were new to most of the crowd who weren’t big fans before. Electronica did everything from read some local rappers flyer to the audience, to jumping in the thick of it to personalize one song to an audience member who wasn’t a believer in his skills …
… and forever changing the way you think of the Price is Right theme:
Incubus w/ The Duke Spirit
Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Aug. 12, 2009
The Deal: Incubus roll into town in support of their recent Moments and Melodies CD, bringing along The Duke Spirit. (more…)
Ours
Visulite Theatre
Aug. 10, 2009
The Deal: Melodic rock act Ours performs in Charlotte at Visulite Theatre.
The Good: It’s been a while since Ours’ last headlining show in Charlotte. The last time they were here they opened up for Filter at Amos’ Southend. Since then, they’ve been kicked off their record label and they’ve been writing new material, front man Jimmy Gnecco revealed during the show. Ours played songs mostly from their 2008 album Mercy (Dancing for the Death of an Imaginary Enemy) (“Willing,” “Mercy,” “Black,” “Ran Away,” “Murder,” “Live Again,” “God Only,” “The Worst Things Beautiful,”) and from their 2001 album, Distorted Lullabies (“Here is the Light,” “I’m a Monster,” “Bleed,” “Dizzy,” “Meet Me in the Tower,” “Miseryhead,” and “Fallen Souls”). Highlights included a lengthy, music-heavy version of “Live Again” and the acoustic “Meet Me in the Tower,” in addition a newbie tune called “Sing for Me.”
The Bad: Nothing was bad about this show. However, Gnecco mentioned the band had written enough new material for several CDs. I would have liked to have heard more than just one new song.
The Verdict: Ours is a band to check out any time they roll through town. Let’s just hope they don’t take too long, before coming back. In all my times of seeing Ours live, which dates back to 2001 performances, they have put on an impressive performance. The lyrics to Ours’ songs are always meaningful (and sometimes a bit gloomy), while the music that accompanies them is powerful and full of depth. You can’t get much better than that.
Ours setlist
Willing
Sing for Me
Mercy
Black
Here is the Light
Ran Away
I’m a Monster
Murder
Live Again
God Only
Bleed
The Worst Things Beautiful
Dizzy
Meet Me in the Tower
Miseryhead
Fallen Souls
The B-52s w/ Snagglepuss
The Fillmore Charlotte
Aug. 11, 2009
The Deal: Athens, Ga., new wavers surf into The Fillmore as Charlotte’s Snagglepuss nabs the opening spot. (more…)
