ROB THOMAS: Live from the Paramount

I recently made my first trip over to Seattle, and obviously had to catch a show while I was in town. Playing at the historic Paramount Theatre was Rob Thomas. Now I'm a huge Matchbox Twenty fan, so I had to jump on the opportunity to see Rob and support him on his solo tour. (especially with the reasonably priced $20 tickets)

My first thought was how impressed I was with the Paramount Theatre. The place is gorgeous, a venue more appropriate for a Broadway production than a concert. I've also seen Nirvana posters from a gig they had there back in the day, so you could sense the history of the building.

Rob Thomas has released two albums as a solo artist. 2005's Something to Be and 2009's Cradlesong. He performed material from both on the evening, and even previewed new songs from a forthcoming third album.

My favorite solo songs from Rob are 'Ever the Same,' 'Her Diamonds,' and 'Streetcorner Symphony,' all of which were sang on the evening. He also played his most well known tunes with 'Lonely No More' and 'Little Wonders.'

Rob's solo work is definitely different than his first job as the leader for Matchbox. Singles like 'Lonely No More' come off sounding more like Justin Timberlake than an alt rock front man. (I don't think the many middle aged women in the crowd seemed to mind though).

For the Matchbox fans in attendance, Rob did try to satisfy them. He played a piano version of '3 AM' and a lovely acoustic guitar rendition of 'Bent.' He even explained that he wanted to play more, but wants to respect the other guys from Matchbox since they are very much still a band. He even said to look for them in the near future to be back on tour.

A cool highlight from this show was that it really had a singer songwriter feel to it. Rob spoke a good amount on the stories behind the songs he was about to sing. He described the songwriting process and the inspiration behind them. The best story was on his first interaction with the legendary Carlos Santana, while recording smash hit 'Smooth.' Rob described Santana as the only man who could get away with wearing a yellow suit and hat. It also got some laughs that Santana instantly was able to tell that Rob had a Latina wife due to the songs lyrics. ("I would change my life to better suit your mood")

Between the lengthy setlist and the storytelling, it made for a full two hour show. That ran a bit long for me, as I'm usually on the side of keeping the audience wanting more. But it's really nothing to complain about. Rob Thomas is solid, and can't wait for another tour for Matchbox!

CONCERT RATING: 3 Stars



SETLIST:

1. Give Me the Meltdown 
2. Fallin' to Pieces 
3. Lonely No More 
4. Real World '09 
5. Mockingbird 
6. Trust You 
7. Cradlesong 
8. Sunday Morning, New York Blue 
9. Her Diamonds 
10. One Shot 
11. Ever the Same 
12. Someday 
13. Fire on the Mountain 
14. Not like you told me 
15. Streetcorner Symphony 
16. Easy / 3 AM / The Joker 
17. Little Wonders 
18. I Am an Illusion 
19. Encore:
19. Bent 
    (Matchbox Twenty song; Acoustic)
20. ...Something to Be 
21. Smooth 
22. This is How a Heart Breaks

Concert Review: THE KOOKS at Toad's Place

While visiting the parents in Connecticut last month, I was fortunate to have the trip line up with with a great show going on at Toads Place down in New Haven. The Kooks were playing with Joywave and Young Rising Sons. I had received a taste of the Kooks at Shaky Knees in May, and was excited to see a full set.

Toads Place is a small venue, and not too many attendees of the sold out show had arrived yet when Young Rising Sons took the stage at 8pm. The group is from New Jersey and reminds me most of an American Authors. They have lots of energy, and lead singer Andy Tongren displays an impressive voice. Those vocal abilities are best displayed on main single 'High,' which you may have heard on various commercials.

The young group though has promise for a future. They're heading on co-headlining tour with The Only Music Blog favorites Hunter Hunted this summer. One word of advice for Tongren though - I think he's trying to be a bit too cool bringing a bottle of Jack with him on stage and having it in hand while he sings. They seem too poppy to do that.

The second band was Joywave, who I've previously seen touring with Grouplove. The Rochester, New York based group just released their debut album and performed a handful of songs from it. Lead singer Daniel Armbruster was definitely the most entertaining part of this group. He doesn't quite look like the typical lead singer of a rock band, but he can get a room going.

Armbruster entered the stage proclaiming that their first tune performed was ' the greatest song ever written.' He asked everyone in the crowd to jump, and joked multiple times that if they didn't obey, it would only force him to play certain songs two or three times until he saw what he wanted.

Their music is very catchy. Current single 'Now' is receiving some solid radio play right now. I recommend 'Somebody New,' which I believe is the strongest song from the group. The band is still best known for their first single, 'Tongues,' which is a bit more on the techno side. Overall though, both opening bands were solid and filled the gap nicely for the Kooks.

The Kooks are fronted by Luke Pritchard and hail from East Sussex. I found it very surprising they were playing a venue as small as Toads Place. This is a group that's headlined festivals in Europe. For some reason, their sound hasn't translated to similar popularity in the US. Never the less though, they still know how to out on a great show.

The Kooks are on a summer tour in support of their 4th album, entitled Listen. I was late to discovering this album, but it is excellent. The group performed 9 tunes from Listen on the evening, which I was very pleased about. This included opener 'Around Town' to start the show. This got the crowd going from the beginning.

Pritchard really got the crowd into it by playing three of their biggest hits consecutively in the middle of the set. 'Always Where I Need to Be,' 'She Moves in Her Own Way,' and 'Junk of the Heart' all seemed to rattle the old building with some great audience participation.

I believe the best song in the Kooks catalogue is the lead single of Listen - 'Bad Habit.' The audience and backing band members belted out the driving background rhythm, while Pritchard danced and smoothly sang the verses. This is just one example of how dance friendly the album is. No one in the crowd could seem to stand still.

The final song of the night was 'Naive,' giving way to a long ovation for an encore, which I believe turned out to be the best part of the night. Luke first sat at the piano to play of slower tune in 'See Me Now.' This is a very raw number, written and sung by Pritchard to his father. After this emotional ballad, the Kooks turned it up one more time for 'Forgive and Forget' to finish. It was an appropriate closer to a great show!

One of the most surprising and probably best shows of the summer here. Just add the Kooks to the already lengthy list of great bands coming over from England. I'll definitely be on the lookout for them again.

Concert Rating: 3.5 Stars



SETLIST:

1. Around Town
2. Ooh La
3. Eddies Gun
4. It Was London
5. Always Where I Need to Be
6. She Moves in Her on Way
7. Junk of the Heart
8. Dreams
9. Seaside
10. Bad Habit
11. Westside
12. Down
13. Sway
14. The Sabatoeur
15. Sweet Emotion
16. Sofa Song
17. Naive

Encore:
18. See Me Now
19. Forgive & Forget

CONCERT REVIEWS: A Weekend with Third Eye Blind

One of my all time favorite bands is Third Eye Blind. They were my absolute favorite in high school, as I own every album and could pretty much sing each word from every song. Their debut is an instant classic; Blue has some of the best fan favorites from 3eb's discography; Out of Vein is my favorite breakup album of all time; and I even loved the mixed reviewed Ursa Major. It was the soundtrack to my fall of 2009 and is still a constant go-to in my usual listening.

Through the years I've seen Stephan Jenkins and company 10 times. They've played venues as large as 20,000 for Bamboozle Fest back in 2010, to as tiny as a smalltown live music weeknight fair in 2011. I've seen them everywhere from professional venues, casinos, an outdoor hockey rink to even Sea World. Every time has been amazing.

I'm clearly biased.

So when Third Eye announced plans for a new album, as well as a summer tour with Dashboard Confessional to accompany the new tunes, I obviously jumped on it. I bought tix to both House of Blues Orlando, and a pit seat for their St. Augustine gig at the Ampitheater two nights later.

Night 1 Review:

The Orlando show was the smallest venue Third Eye will play all summer long. They came on stage late (10:40) following an hour long set by Dashboard. Jenkins is no stranger to unusual stage antics, and this was the case in Orlando. He remained clocked in darkness for the first few songs. He sang using a hanging microphone from the back of the stage, only outlined by the flashing lights.

It seemed like is wasn't until the first few songs passed that you got a good look at the frontman. Stephan is beloved by 3EB fans for the effort and energy he provides at each show. Tonight was no different. The singer will turn 51 this year, but you would never know it. He bounces around stage and even proclaimed that he's never felt more alive in his entire life before this summer.

The setlist was very friendly for casual Third Eye fans. All the greatest hits were played, including radio hits 'Jumper,' 'Semi-Charmed Life,' 'How's it Gonna Be?' and 'Never Let You Go.' They also played setlist constants in 'Losing a Whole Year' and 'Graduate.'

For me though, the best part of a Third Eye show is the connection with the audience. That comes out best with fan favorites 'Motorcycle Drive By' and 'Slow Motion.' These songs get the most loyal fans singing along, uniting the room. The band seems to love it and it's always the lasting memory I have from 3eb shows. Most of these fans have been with Third a Eye for many years, and they show it here.

Overall, the Orlando crowd did it's job and it was a great show. I wouldn't expect anything less from Third Eye. Keep it up Steve!

Night 1 Concert Rating: 3.5 Stars





Round 2 Review:

I was back at it 2 nights later in St Augustine for a much larger venue show. The Ampitheater was close to capacity and the pit was bumping as Third Eye opened with the same tunes as the sun set. It was great to get back to St Augustine by the way. (first time since Mumford's Gentlemen of the Road stopover in Sep 2013)

It may have been due to the venue and acoustics, but right away I thought Steve sounded better on night 2. His voice was clear and he was rocking, stating early that he was in a mood to play all night long.

The setlist ended up being near identical to the Friday show, but I didn't mind. As mentioned prior, they played great tunes! This also gave me a chance to fully appreciate the new songs performed. Third Eye played 3 in total, including lead single for the new album - 'Everything is Easy.' This new tune proves Jenkins is still a capable songwriter and features a great hook.

The new album, entitled Dopamine, was just released a few weeks ago and I'm very excited to listen in detail. Even if 3eb never again reaches the peak they saw in the late 90's, it's clear they still have a great fan base that's satisfied to get some new music. Really proud of the guys for putting this out.

Some other highlights from Round 2 was a chilling version of 'Bonfire' and a crazy drum solo from Brad Hargreaves. Brad is the only other member from the original 3eb lineup when they were formed in 1993.

Overall, both great shows and I'll give the slight advantage to night #2. Stephan Jenkins sounded better for round 2 and you can't beat a full Ampitheater singing along with Third Eye's greatest hits. 3eb and Dashboard will continue touring together throughout the first half of the summer.

Night 2 Concert Rating: 3.5 Stars



SETLIST: 

1. Faster 
   (Guitar Intro only)
2. Graduate 
3. Blinded (When I See You) 
4. Wounded 
5. Crystal Baller 
6. Bonfire 
7. Never Let You Go 
8. Everything Is Easy 
9. Mine 
   (Beyoncé cover)
10. Losing a Whole Year 
11. Motorcycle Drive By 
12. Slow Motion 
13. How's It Going to Be 
14. (Drum solo) 
15. Rites of Passage 
16. Jumper 
17. Encore:
17. Something in You 
18. Semi-Charmed Life 

AVETT BROTHERS: Back to Back Nights in Orlando

I'd been waiting a long time to see the Avett Brothers. I got a taste of them at Lolla last summer, but I was waiting for a tour where I'd be able to see a full set. That wish was finally answered when the Avetts announced they'd be playing back to back nights at HOB Orlando in April.

I quickly purchased tickets for both nights, as the shows almost instantly sold out. The capacity of House of Blues is much smaller than the UCF Venue they played on their last Orlando gig. The place was packed on Saturday night as the group came on stage one after they next, ending with brothers Scott and Seth.

NIGHT 1:

The Avetts have so much material in their discography now, that it's impossible to predict their setlist. The breakdown throughout the night featured at least three songs each from six different albums.

Now the Avett Brothers have grown into a large band over the years, especially with an increased touring production. When they originally started, it was just Scott, Seth and bassist Bob Crawford. It was nice to see the three of them take the stage solo for a few tunes in the middle of the set. Crawford even left the stage at one point and let the brothers perform an acoustic duet.

Set highlights were 'Head a Full of Doubt, Road Full of Promise,' 'Kick a Drum Heart,' and 'Distraction #74.' Overall, I liked the passion put in by the band, but I was a bit disappointed with the crowd. It wasn't as much of a friendly sing a long crowd as I expected. Unfortunately, things like that sometimes play into the review. But still a good performance on night 1.

Night 1 Concert Rating: 3 Stars




ROUND 2:

While the friendly crowd may have been lacking on night 1, the Sunday crowd was much more laid back but ready for night 2. Rather than the buildup opening we received with 'Satan Pulls the Strings' on night 1, the Avett's jumped right into it on night 2 with 'Paranoia in Bb Major' to open. This was just the start of a ferocious opening that included 'I Killed Sally's Lover,' 'Open Ended Life,' and 'Die Die Die.'

It didn't seem like it was until the 6th or 7th song when you had a moment to almost look around and catch your breath. The beginning of the show was captivating, and any dull moment in the middle of the set was short lived. The Avetts pulled out fan favorites 'Shame,' and 'Head Full of Doubt' in the middle of the set to keep the sing a long momentum going.

This was the type of performance I was hoping for an excepting from these guys. They fueled off the volume of the crowd and crammed a total of 20 songs into the evening. Seeing them perform at HOB Orlando for such a small crowd was definitely an early highlight of 2015. Even though I was practically in the last row, by the back bar, I still felt close and connected to the band.

Night 2 wins the weekend for the Avetts. I must also mention these shows are somewhat of a tuneup for their headlining spot at Shaky Knees Fest. They set the bar high and should be a worthy Saturday night closer.

Night 2 Concert Rating: 4 Stars



Night 2 Setlist:

1. Paranoia in Bb Major 
2. Laundry Room 
3. I Killed Sally's Lover 
4. Open-Ended Life 
5. Rejects in the Attic 
6. Die Die Die 
7. Shame 
8. Thank God I'm a Country Boy 
   (John Denver cover)
9. Love Like the Movies 
10. Down with the Shine 
11. Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise 
12. The Lowering 
13. Murder in the City 
14. The Race Is On 
    (George Jones cover)
15. The Once and Future Carpenter 
16. Another Is Waiting 
17. At the Beach 
18. Country Blues 
    (Doc Watson cover)
19. The Perfect Space 
20. Encore:
20. Slight Figure of Speech 

Concert Review: CHERUB Returns to Tampa

It took just over a year for Cherub to return to the Tampa Bay Area. Unlike their first show at the Cuban Club, the Nashville duo was charging for admission this time as they performed at State Theatre. I'd say about 300 people were in attendance, which is fair but nowhere near the numbers of the Baltimore Soundstage show I saw earlier in the year.

Cherub hit the stage at 9:30pm and ended up playing a setlist identical to their Baltimore performance. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, as it's a solid setlist and at times it seemed like I was hearing it for the first time. (Most likely because Baltimore is quite the fuzzy memory)

The show ended in a fun way, with rapper ForteBowie joining the duo to provide vocals on newer single, 'Strip to This.' After a brief break, the gang was back for the expected encore of 'Doses & Mimosas.' This is clearly Cherub's biggest hit and it's cool to see it's carried them so far.

After the show, I was able to chat with guitarist Jason Huber. We told him about being at their Ybor show last year and Baltimore this past January. He was very appreciative and happy to hear about our support. Cool guys for sure and I hope to see them get bigger.

Concert Rating: 3 Stars



SETLIST:

1. Disco Shit
2. XOXO
3. Heartbreaker
4. Monogamy
5. Freaky Me, Freaky You
6. Minez Yourz
7. Do I (Where We Are)
8. Work the Middle
9. This Song Is For You
10. Where We Should Be
11. Lifesaver
12. Tonight
13. Jazzercise 95'
14. Chocolate Strawberries
15. Best Friend's T-Shirt
16. Strip To This
17. <3

Encore:
18. Doses and Mimosas

Old Crow Medicine Show make 2015 Stop at Jannus

Not long ago I reviewed the top sets of Shaky Knees Music Festival, and Americana group Old Crow Medicine Show had a deserved placement in the top 5 of that list. Less than a week after their Atlanta performance, I was back at Jannus to see the guys again. They had fellow folk rockers Devil Makes Three opening up for them and I scalped a ticket for half price on the rainy Friday evening.

Now the show was not advertised as sold out, but it must have been as close to sold out as possible. I don't think I've ever seen Jannus this packed. I struggled to get to the bar and waited about 20 minutes in line, missing the opening tune in the process.

I saw Old Crow for the first time at Jannus just over a year ago, and it seemed this show had twice as many people. In the year since, The Nashville group has released and toured their new album, Remedy. It was awarded Best Folk Album at this years Grammys and is full of hits. That's no doubt a big reason for the more demanded show.

The boys also mixed in plenty of tunes from their albums preceding Remedy, and displayed plenty of jam sessions to go along with those. As I've written about before, Old Crow is one of those bands where the members can almost rotate positions on the stage, with everyone playing each instrument. Every band member sings, and their way of introducing band members and connecting with the local venue really build up the community feel of their shows.

I was also most impressed with the covers OCMS put together. As they did last year, they covered classic tunes 'American Girl' and 'Seminole Wind.' This time around they even added a cover of Creedence's 'Bad Moon Rising,' with Devil Makes Three providing some help.

Overall, great folk rock show. Old Crow Medicine Show displays their musical ability better than most groups out there, and they also seem genuinely happy to see people at their shows. I'm hoping they make their May show at Jannus at annual thing.

Concert Rating: 3.5 Stars




Setlist:

1. Brushy Mountain Conjugal Trailer 
2. Alabama High-Test 
3. Take 'em Away 
4. Bootlegger's Boy
5. Brave Boys 
6. CC Rider 
7. Sweet Amarillo 
8. Humdinger
9. Carry Me Back to Virginia
10. Raise a Ruckus 
11. Caroline 
12. Seminole Wind (John Anderson cover)
13. Wagon Wheel 
14. Eight Dogs Eight Banjos 
15. Encore:
16. 15. Tell It to Me
17. 16. American Girl (Tom Petty Cover)
18. 17.  Bad Moon Rising (Creedence Clearwater Revival cover)

CONCERT REVIEW: Walk the Moon at State Theatre

I saw Walk the Moon for the first time in spring of 2012, playing at Big Guava Music Fest. The Ohio based group had an afternoon slot on the second smallest stage. I caught most of their set, along with 500-600 other people. I remember enjoying the set, but not to the point where it received praise in my top 10 power rankings from the weekend.

Fast forward to less than one year later and Walk the Moon is one of the most demanded bands in the country. They announced a spring tour back in November and sold out the dates in almost every city. This included their St. Pete stop at State Theatre last month. Luckily I bought my $28 ticket before I saw resale prices rise to the triple digits.

So what changed - well the group released their sophomore album - Talking is Hard, which is full of pop-rock tunes that get everyone dancing and signing along. It's one of those albums where you can't just listen quietly. It's lead single 'Shut Up and Dance' is a prime example of the albums energy, and the driving force behind the new fan hood and demand for the live shows.

The energy of Talking is Hard translated well to the live stage at State Theatre. Album opener 'Different Colours' also opened their performance, showing early that Talking is Hard would be well displayed on the evening. In total, the band played 9 tunes from the new album. They also mixed in 6 from their self titled debut.

Lead singer Nicholas Petricca sounded great throughout the night. Some of the new tunes challenge his vocal abilities, but in doing so, show them off nicely. Moments like the a capella opening to 'Down in the Dumps,' ferocious ending to 'Spend Your Money On' and sing a long chorus to 'Avalanche' display his ability to take over the room with his vocals, reminiscent of Brandon Flowers.

Speaking of the Killers frontman, Petricca gave a powerful performance of cover 'All These Things That I've Done' as the groups encore. This was a true highlight of the night. It led into the final song of the night with the bands first single 'Anna Sun.'

I was very pleased and impressed with the setlist put together by Walk the Moon. They clearly have many new fans, and they satisfied those by playing their new album in full, including ending with their monster hit. They also played tribute to their existing fans though. The group sounded just as good playing the older tunes, and it makes you wonder why they didn't have this type of popularity earlier.

Overall, the energy of this band made for one of the best shows of the year. I never found myself standing still. And I must say it was quite special to see them play the State Theatre, at a capacity of less than 800. Something tells me next time Walk the Moon is in the Tampa area, it'll be a much larger venue.

Concert Rating: 4 Stars



Honorable Mention:

I have to give some props to opening band The Griswolds. These rockers from Australia fit well with the genre set by Walk the Moon. They too displayed great energy and have some really catchy songs. Look for 'Beware the Dog' and 'Mississippi' to get a taste.


SETLIST:

1. Different Colors 
2. Tightrope 
3. Down in the Dumps 
4. Spend Your $$$ 
5. Shiver Shiver 
6. Avalanche 
7. Up 2 U 
8. Work This Body 
9. Portugal 
10. Aquaman 
11. Lisa Baby 
12. Jenny 
13. I Can Lift a Car 
14. Shut Up and Dance 
15. Encore:
15. All These Things That I've Done 
    (The Killers cover)
16. Anna Sun