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On stage, Fishbone performs like an aged fighter backed into a corner and down on points. At the High Noon Saloon in Madison on Friday night, the band reinforced their reputation as uncompromising musical pioneers and thick-headed stalwarts even as bar-band doom stares them in the face.
After years of self-imposed exile from music-making, Jeff Mangum and his underground-rock group Neutral Milk Hotel have seen cult-like audiences grow in their absence — one that sees the group as indie-rock messiahs. Their concert in Madison on Saturday night was a second coming that proved miracles really do happen.
Let’s face facts. When most people think of the Twin Cities, images of blizzard-like conditions and bitter, breathless cold crystallize in their minds as fast as a Minnesota quick-freeze.
Rock legend Elton John gave a Vegas-honed performance Thursday night in Madison that paraded some of the greatest pop-rock songs of the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s in front of America’s Dairyland. And this without any assists from Cirque du Soleil.
Like the hobbled hero from some Hollywood movie, a clearly ailing Levon Helm rallied his strength during Tuesday night’s performance to give those who gathered at a downtown Milwaukee casino an enthralling lesson in American roots music.
Long stuck in the shadow of the metal titans Queens of the Stone Age, the Eagles of Death Metal have so primed their swaggering, rock ‘n’ roll engine that no one will mistake them for a hot-rod side project again. Their recent concert in Madison, Wis., demonstrates their groove-oriented tunes can shake hips as well as preconceptions.
Besides indie-rock hipsters, there was something else that filled Chicago’s Metro on Monday night for TV on the Radio’s sold-out concert: Doubt.
Can you guess what is frightening me this Halloween? Like a ghost haunting my mind, I have an old, spooky Marilyn Manson in my head and I can’t get rid of it. Continue reading
While 1960s-era garage rock remains a beloved touchstone to many in the underground-rock world, there are very few contemporary takes on the form that even come close to besting the originals. Continue reading
The members of underground-rock trio Dinosaur Jr. might now sport gray hair (or none at all) and remain firmly ensconced on the oldies reunion circuit, but these guys remain a fierce live unit. Continue reading
The latest installment of Bob Dylan’s archival release, “The Bootleg Series Vol. 10: Another Self Portrait (1969-71),” seeks to reverse opinions on one of the most reviled periods in Dylan’s creative life. Unfortunately, Dylan’s assistants obscure the true treasures of this period. Continue reading
At a tour stop in Chicago on Friday night, a troupe of all-star performers including Bob Dylan, Wilco and My Morning Jacket captured much of that old folkie spirit of hootenanny collaboration and musical joie de vivre to an arena of fans. And rarely has such a six-hour musical lecture left such an impression. Continue reading
With original frontman David Lee Roth back in the fold, Van Halen finally have a brand-new album out that is meant to bring a jolt of vitality (and a mark of respect) for what has become something like a reality- show-meets-oldies act. Continue reading
Bon Iver’s sold-out show at the regal Riverside Theatre in Milwaukee was an all-out feting that included standing ovations and the reading of a proclamation that it was “Bon Iver Day” within the city limits. Continue reading
Once, Robbie Robertson was a rare ’60s musical triple threat: guitar ace, songwriting visionary and master orchestrator of talent. Now, his new solo album, “How To Become Clairvoyant,” is easily the most vanilla creation of his solo career. Continue reading
Fueled by equal parts of fear and ambition, Britney Spears has now released a new record, “Femme Fatale,” that swings for the fences in an attempt to solidify her shaky hold on the pop audiences and to slide back into the pole position in the ongoing contest with her dance-pop adversaries, young and old. Continue reading
To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day properly, here’s a list of the best Irish drinking songs to mark the occassion. Continue reading