Vice featuring Cory Glover at the Bitter End

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Corey Glover was an aspiring actor when guitarist Vernon Reid recruited him into Living Colour in 1985, reportedly after hearing Glover sing "Happy Birthday" at a friend's party. Living Colour found immediate success with the release of its debut album, Vivid, in 1988. The album was certified platinum in 1989 and again five years later. The album's single, "Cult of Personality," won the 1989 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance and the band was named Best New Artist at the MTV Video Music Awards. Living Colour split in 1995, and Glover started a solo career, toured in the funk bands Galactic and Soul Rebels Brass Band, hosted various shows on VH1, played the role of Judas Iscariot in a touring company of Jesus Christ Superstar, recorded with the band Ultraphonix, and formed the band Vice. Vice consists of Glover, guitarist Mike Ciro, bassist Booker King, and drummer Nat Townsley.

Vice returned to the Bitter End tonight, this time with the addition of keyboardist Benny Harrison, and cranked out an assortment of hard rock, pop, and rhythm and blues songs. The first song was a raging rocker, and at the end Glover assured the audience that this music was designed to be played loud. The band quickly moved to lighter fare, however, and demonstrated how these well-seasoned session players were capable of playing most any genre of music. Vice was tailored to be an all-embracing vehicle for Glover's extensive musical interests, so each song seemed to push him in a slightly different direction. In the end, Glover proved to be an outstanding vocalist, ready to enhance rock, soul and blues songs with a rich, husky voice. "Cult of Personality," the set's closer, brought the set back full circle to where Glover's music career started. It would have been interesting if he had sung "Happy Birthday" as well.

MC50 at le Poisson Rouge

As a youth in the 1960s, guitarist Wayne Kramer formed the Bounty Hunters in the basement of Kramer's mother's basement in Detroit, Michigan. After some personnel changes, the band in 1965 became the hard rocking MC5, an abbreviation for Motor City Five. Based on its high energy shows and controversial politics, MC5 landed on the cover of Rolling Stone even before the release of the band's 1969 debut album. The band split in 1972 and Kramer began a two-year prison sentence in 1975 for drug offenses. After his parole, Kramer moved to New York City and worked as a carpenter for several years. In 1979 he played with Johnny Thunders in the band Gang War and also in Was (Not Was), and in 1980 he played with Fats Deacon and the Dumbwaiters. Kramer launched a solo career in 1994. Kramer briefly reformed various versions of MC5 until he stabilized a lineup from 2005 to 2012 with Handsome Dick Manitoba of the Dictators as vocalist. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of MC5's debut album, Kramer assembled MC50 for tours in 2018 and 2019; MC50 consists of Kramer, vocalist Marcus Durant of Zen Guerrilla, guitarist Kim Thayil of Soundgarden, bassist Billy Gould of Faith No More, and drummer Brendan Canty of Fugazi.

MC50 performed all eight songs from MC5's debut album tonight at le Poisson Rouge, though not in album order, plus seven tracks from the band's other two albums. Thanks to the all-star musicians, nothing could go wrong, even though all of Kramer's band mates were young children when the albums were released. In true MC5 proto-punk tradition, MC50's performance for the most part was fast, loud and intense. Kramer dominated the band, with a few lead vocals and numerous extended guitar solos. Durant sang soulfully, pouring his angst-filled vocals especially into the few slower, blues-inspired moments. MC50's hard-edged guitar rock was hearty, muscular, and angry. With no new music to promote, MC50 enacted a slice of music history, offering a half-century look-back into the root elements of yesterday and today's garage rock, hard rock, blues rock, and psychedelic rock.

Setlist:

1. Ramblin' Rose
2. Kick Out the Jams
3. Come Together
4. Motor City Is Burning (John Lee Hooker cover)
5. Tonight
6. Gotta Keep Movin'
7. Teenage Lust
8. Rocket Reducer No. 62 (Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa)
9. Borderline
10. I Want You Right Now
11. Starship
12. I Can Only Give You Everything (Them cover)

Encore:

1. Call Me Animal
2. Sister Anne
3. Let Me Try
4. Looking at You

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard at Summerstage at Rumsey Playfield

Seven musicians started off as a group of friends jamming together in 2010 in Melbourne, Australia. Lead vocalist Stu Mackenzie wanted to call the band Gizzard Gizzard. Another band member wanted Lizard King, the nickname of Jim Morrison of the Doors. They compromised with King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard. The band consists of Stu Mackenzie (vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, flute), Ambrose Kenny-Smith (vocals, harmonica, keyboards), Cook Craig (guitar, bass, vocals), Joey Walker (guitar, bass, keyboards, vocals), Lucas Skinner (bass, keyboards), Michael Cavanagh (drums, percussion), and Eric Moore (drums, percussion, management). The band is known for its energetic live shows and prolific recording output. In 2017, the band fulfilled a promise to release five studio albums within the year. The band released its 15th and most recent album, Infest the Rats' Nest, on August 16, 2019; it was the band's second album in 2019.

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard is a puzzling band. The psychedelic rock band released a rather chill album in April, followed by a thrash metal album four months later. The band's performance tonight at SummerStage in Central Park featured a similarly diverse variety of sounds. Many songs seemed rather experimental, changing gears with the introduction of a new instrument or a change of rhythm before igniting into a burning furnace seemingly ready to explode. The band played no simple songs; the paradox was that even the lighter, poppier songs often evolved into a complex arrangement, with individual musicians offering something to throw a melody or a time signature off the main frame. The band's rallying moments, however, were in the boisterous, high energy stingers, with their thick grooves and dark bass lines generating mosh pits and crowd surfing. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard's set was expansive and eclectic, defying musical predictability but guaranteeing a raucous party spirit.

Setlist:

1. Self-Immolate
2. Perihelion
3. The Great Chain of Being
4. Plastic Boogie
5. Inner Cell
6. Loyalty
7. Horology
8. Boogieman Sam
9. Evil Death Roll
10. Digital Black
11. Vomit Coffin
12. Murder of the Universe
13. This Thing
14. The Bird Song
15. Planet B
16. Mars for the Rich
17. Cyboogie
18. Medley: Am I in Heaven? > Altered Beast > Rattlesnake > Boogieman Sam > Cellophane

Orange Goblin at the Gramercy Theatre

Ben Ward

As a youth in London, England, Ben Ward was planning to study electrical engineering and be an engineer in the Royal Air Force. Instead he wound up making sandwiches at Wembley Arena. When he finished school, he played professional soccer for two years but then he discovered heavy metal, alcohol, and drugs, so football fell by the wayside. In 1995, he co-founded the band Our Haunted Kingdom, which became Orange Goblin, an underground favorite in the international stoner-rock and doom-metal genres. By 2002, the hard-rocking band incorporated more punk, blues, groove metal, space rock and other influences. Vocalist Ward, guitarist Joe Hoare, bassist Martyn Millard, and drummer Chris Turner have played together since the beginning. After a four-year wait, Orange Goblin released its ninth and most recent studio album, The Wolf Bites Back, on June 15, 2018.

At six feet and five inches, Ward towered over his band mates on stage tonight at the Gramercy Theatre, but he did not overshadow them. Clearly, Ward was the focal point, as he leaned over the stage monitors, shook his waist-length hair, and growled at his audience. Meanwhile, the power trio behind him cranked and crushed driving riffs, sludgy grooves and greasy guitar leads. Orange Goblin's music recalled classic hard rock from the 1970s, yet bristling with a darker and more unrefined attack. The set offered 17 songs spanning more than 20 years of recordings, plus a cover of Motohead's "No Class." Due to Chris Turner's visa issues, veteran metal drummer Chad Walls (aka Captain Killdrums) was a last-minute replacement and did well after only one rehearsal. To call the performance stoner-rock or doom-metal would be unfairly limiting; this was hard and heavy head-banging rock and roll.

Setlist:

1. Scorpionica
2. The Filthy & the Few
3. Sons of Salem
4. Saruman's Wish
5. Renegade
6. The Fog
7. The Wolf Bites Back
8. Some You Win, Some You Lose
9. Stand for Something
10. Your World Will Hate This
11. Blue Snow
12. Cities of Frost
13. No Class (Motörhead cover)
14. They Come Back (Harvest of Skulls)
15. The Devil's Whip
16. Quincy the Pigboy
17. Red Tide Rising

Afropunk 2019 at Commodore Barry Jr. Park, Day Two

Afropunk started as a documentary in 2003 that chronicled the black experience in a mostly white punk rock movement. This led to the Afropunk Festival in 2005 and quickly mushroomed into an expansive music and cultural event that annually closes the summer for 60,000 participants in Brooklyn, New York. The festival has since expanded to become an international brand running events in five cities across four countries. Afropunk spotlights live music, film, fashion, food, art, crafts, and activism within the black community, and promotes zero tolerance for racism, sexism, ableism, ageism, homophobia, fat-phobia, transphobia, and, an addition this year, Trumpism.

This year’s Afropunk Brooklyn festival, held at Commodore Barry Jr. Park on August 24 and 25, came with a new, positive theme, #AfropunkWeSeeYou, instead of the more resistance-counterculture marketing used in the past. Once again, live performances took place on four stages, and featured a wide range of music. FKA Twigs, Jill Scott, Kamasi Washington, Leon Bridges, Gary Clark Jr., Santigold, Danny Brown, Death Grips, GoldLink, Lianne La Havas, Toro Y Moi, Nao, Tierra Whack, J.I.D, Rico Nasty, Ravyn Lenae, Leikeli47, Earthgang, Kari Faux, Junglepussy, and numerous djs performed from about noon to 10:30 p.m. each of the two days.

Rebelmatic

Fire from the Gods

Toro Y Moi

Burnt Sugar Archestra

Scarlxrd

BCUC

Lianne La Havas

Masego

Ho99o9

Santigold

Thandiswa

Danny Brown

Brittany Howard

Kamasi Washington

Death Grips

Sing Harlem

FKA Twigs

Afropunk 2019 at Commodore Barry Jr. Park, Day One

Afropunk started as a documentary in 2003 that chronicled the black experience in a mostly white punk rock movement. This led to the Afropunk Festival in 2005 and quickly mushroomed into an expansive music and cultural event that annually closes the summer for 60,000 participants in Brooklyn, New York. The festival has since expanded to become an international brand running events in five cities across four countries. Afropunk spotlights live music, film, fashion, food, art, crafts, and activism within the black community, and promotes zero tolerance for racism, sexism, ableism, ageism, homophobia, fat-phobia, transphobia, and, an addition this year, Trumpism.

This year’s Afropunk Brooklyn festival, held at Commodore Barry Jr. Park on August 24 and 25, came with a new, positive theme, #AfropunkWeSeeYou, instead of the more resistance-counterculture marketing used in the past. Once again, live performances took place on four stages, and featured a wide range of music. FKA Twigs, Jill Scott, Kamasi Washington, Leon Bridges, Gary Clark Jr., Santigold, Danny Brown, Death Grips, GoldLink, Lianne La Havas, Toro Y Moi, Nao, Tierra Whack, J.I.D, Rico Nasty, Ravyn Lenae, Leikeli47, Earthgang, Kari Faux, Junglepussy, and numerous djs performed from about noon to 10:30 p.m. each of the two days.

Chika

Kelsey Lu

Anahata

Tank & the Bangas

Kari Faux

Rico Nasty

Red Arkade

Ravyn Lanae

Earthgang

Leikeli47

Gary Clark, Jr.

Tierra Whack

J.I.D

Leon Bridges

Nao

Goldlink

Jill Scott

The Crazy World of Arthur Brown at le Poisson Rouge

Arthur Brown

Arthur Brown was born in 1942 as his family's home was being bombed by the Germans in a World War II air raid. As a young adult, he left his hometown of Whitby, a seaside town in northern England, to perform in several bands based in London, England, and later, in Paris, France. Returning to London in 1967, he formed the Crazy World of Arthur Brown. The band was a one-hit wonder when 1968's "Fire" sold over one million copies. Arthur Brown quickly gained attention for his powerful operatic voice (which spanned four octaves in addition to the banshee-like screech that ended "Fire"), his colorful face paint, and his burning metal helmet. After several personnel changes and no further commercial success, the band split in 1970. Brown then sang in several bands including Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come in the 1970s. In the 1980s, he worked as a carpenter, painter, and counselor while living in Austin, Texas. He returned to music with a new Crazy World of Arthur Brown in 2000. Since 2000, the Crazy World of Arthur Brown has consisted of  Brown, guitarist Z-Star, keyboardist Lucie Rejchrtova, bassist Jim Mortimore, and drummer Samuel Walker. The band's most recent album, Gypsy Voodoo, was released on June 26, 2019.

Perhaps curiosity and nostalgia drew an audience to see the Crazy World of Arthur Brown perform tonight at le Poisson Rouge. Brown performed in colorful face paint and changed into many flamboyant outfits, including a nearly floor-length vest with rows of flashing LED lights. Unlike his performance there two years ago, no flaming helmet accompanied "Fire" this time, and perhaps New York City safety codes were a factor in that decision. The set consisted of an eclectic mix of songs mostly from the debut album and 2013's Zim Zam Zim, plus the title track of the new album and three songs from Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come. Brown sang richly, and the band jammed wherever possible, so much so that the encore felt extended beyond reason. The Crazy World of Arthur Brown provided an entertaining show, but it was all warm-up for the zenith of "Fire."

Setlist:

1. Nightmare
2. Gypsy Voodoo
3. Want to Love
4. Gypsy Escape (Arthur Brown’s Kingdom Come cover)
5. I Put a Spell on You (Screamin’ Jay Hawkins cover)
6. Time Captives (Arthur Brown’s Kingdom Come cover)
7. Touched by All
8. Sunrise (Arthur Brown’s Kingdom Come cover)
9. Muscle of Love
10. Fanfare - Fire Poem
11. Fire

Encore:

1. Jungle Fever
2. The Unknown

Kiss at Barclays Center, Brooklyn

Guitarist Paul Stanley and bassist Gene Simmons floundered in several local bands before teaming as Rainbow in New York City in 1970; in 1971, Rainbow would become Wicked Lester, which likewise made little impact. Inspired by harder rock and roll bands like Slade and the outrageous stage antics of Alice Cooper, Stanley and Simmons in 1972 assembled what would become Kiss, with guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss. Thanks in large part to the local dominance of the New York Dolls and similar bands, New York's music scene was in the throes of its short-lived glitter-rock era, where make-up and outlandish wardrobe was the norm. Kiss' kabuki-styled face paint and space age costumes were above the norm in 1973, however, and helped the band stand out among the local rockers. Kiss became known for its stage act, which included fire-breathing, blood-spitting, and pyrotechnics. By the fourth album, Kiss became an arena band. Kiss is one of the best-selling bands of all time, having sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Kiss also holds the title as America's top gold record award-winning group of all time, having earned 30 gold albums. Kiss has 14 platinum albums, with three albums being multi-platinum. Since 2004, the band has been comprised of Stanley, Simmons, guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer. The band's most recent studio album is 2012's Monster. The four original members of Kiss were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.

With Kiss' popularity experiencing many ups and downs, many tours were rumored to be the band's final tour until the first official farewell tour in 2000-2001. The band never actually retired, however, so even though the current tour is billed as the End of the Road Tour, could it really be the end of Kiss? If so, they went out with a blast. But then, all of Kiss' concerts always have been a blast, and the spectacle tonight at Barclays Center in Brooklyn was little different. Most of the staging was familiar. Fog, lasers, flash pots, flame towers, spiraling sparklers, confetti canons, balloon drops, hydraulic platforms, and B-stage interludes are rather common at arena concerts, but Kiss remains the only band that adds a blood spitter and fire breather. Stanley rode a zip line to and from the B-stage in the back of the arena; that was new, as were the cherry pickers that brought the musicians over the audience.  Guitar, bass and drum solos would have been a yawn if they were not elevated with special effects. More than half of the set was derived from the band's 1970s albums, and many of the lyrics sounded rather juvenile coming from senior citizen rockers, but long live rock and roll. Kiss' performance was for the Peter Pan in us; who wants to grow up when bigger-than-life rock idols continue to rally us to rock and roll all night and party every day?

Setlist:

1. Detroit Rock City
2. Shout It Out Loud
3. Deuce
4. Say Yeah
5. I Love It Loud
6. Heaven's on Fire
7. War Machine (Simmons breathes fire)
8. Lick It Up (with a snippet of the Who's “Won’t Get Fooled Again")
9. Calling Dr. Love
10. 100,000 Years (with Singer drum solo)
11. Cold Gin (with Thayer guitar solo)
12. God of Thunder (with Simmons bass solo; Simmons spits blood)
13. Psycho Circus
14. Let Me Go, Rock 'N' Roll
15. Love Gun (Stanley on B-stage)
16. I Was Made for Lovin' You (Stanley on B-stage)
17. Black Diamond

Encore:

1. Beth (Singer on piano)
2. Crazy Crazy Nights
3. Rock and Roll All Nite

Deerhoof at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music

Greg Saunier

Deerhoof began as an improvisational and experimental noise band in 1994 in San Francisco, California. Drummer Greg Saunier was an original member, vocalist/bassist Satomi Matsuzaki joined a year later (although she had no previous experience performing music), and with a cast of changing musicians, Deerhoof began recording a very eclectic series of albums; one of the band's signature moves is to change sound abruptly between albums. Since 1997, Deerhoof has been prolific, releasing 14 albums, with six between 2001 and 2005 alone. The most recent album in 2017's Mountain Moves. Since 2008, Deerhoof has consisted of Saunier, Matsuzaki, and guitarists John Dieterich and Ed Rodriguez. The band currently is based in Brooklyn, New York.

Deerhoof was among the headliners at this year's TIME:SPANS music festival, an annual series introducing avant garde music, at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music. Rather than perform music from the Deerhoof catalogue, the quartet performed a program entitled "In All Languages: Deerhoof Plays Hits of the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s." The performance consisted of eight pieces, each of which was a mash-up of abstracted excerpts of songs by Ornette Coleman, Voivod, the Beach Boys, Kraftwerk, the Police, Sun Ra, Parliament, Ennio Morricone, the B-52's, Dionne Warwick, John Cage and the Velvet Underground, among many other sources. The music carried a melody, then crashed, realigned with whimsical music patterns, then erupted, and somehow all along found the meeting point between the ambient and the clamorous. The program was bizarre yet heady enough for the listener to be blown away by the pure invention.

Beck at Forest Hills Stadium, Queens

Beck with Matt Shultz

Beck Hansen, better known as the singularly-named Beck, obtained his first guitar at 16 and initially performed on the streets and in city buses, coffeehouses, and clubs in his native Los Angeles, California. He was also in a band called Youthless that hosted Dadaist-inspired freeform events in coffee shops. He moved to New York City in 1989 and became involved in the anti-folk movement at Sidewalk. Returning to Los Angeles in 1991, he resumed performing in art house clubs and coffeehouses and recorded demos in his living room. The hip-hop leaning "Loser" was a one-off experiment, and it became a worldwide hit in 1994. Beck went on to selling multi-platinum albums and winning seven Grammy Awards. Beck plans to release his 14th studio album, Hyperspace, sometime later this year.

Beck's co-headlining concert with Cage the Elephant at Forest Hills Stadium tonight was like a mini-rockfest thanks to rocking pre-sunset performances by Sunflower Bean and Spoon. After sunset, Beck surprisingly started his set with his signature song, "Loser." Where would he go from there? Beck and his band (guitarists Jason Falkner and Marc Walloch, keyboardist Roger Manning, multi-instrumentalist Cal Campbell, bassist Dwayne Moore, and drummer Chris Coleman) romped through radio hits and deep cuts from seven of his albums, "Saw Lightning" from his forthcoming album, plus four cover songs for fun. Drawing from diverse influences, including Americana, hip hop, funk, rhythm and blues, and pop, Beck's bouncy alternative pop was indie to the max, but spit-shined and slick all around. Early in the set, Beck announced his link to Queens by sharing that his grandfather used to work at a gas station in the borough. High spirited and energetic to the end, Beck seemed to command attention even when one of his musicians was playing a solo. An encore of "Where It's At" led to a guest appearance by Britt Daniel of Spoon on Elvis Costello's "Pump It Up" and Matt Shultz of Cage the Elephant on a cover of Cage the Elephant's "Night Running." Beck's albums are eclectic, but his live performance brought the cohesion that turned all his songs into signature tunes.

Setlist:

1. Loser
2. Up All Night
3. Girl
4. Qué onda güero
5. Mixed Bizness
6. Debra
7. Wow
8. Saw Lightning
9. Dreams
10. Devils Haircut
11. Go It Alone
12. Lost Cause
13. Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime (The Korgis cover)
14. The New Pollution
15. Dear Life
16. E-Pro

Encore:

1. Where It's At
2. Good Times (Chic cover)
3. One Foot in the Grave
4. Pump It Up (Elvis Costello cover, with Britt Daniel)
5. Night Running (Cage the Elephant cover, with Matt Shultz)
6. Where It's At (reprise)

John Fogerty at Radio City Music Hall

Shane Fogerty (left) and his dad, John Fogerty

John Fogerty was born in Berkeley, California, and grew up in El Cerrito, California. Inspired by rock and roll pioneers while in junior high school, the vocalist/guitarist formed a cover band in 1959 called the Blue Velvets with bassist Stu Cook and drummer Doug Clifford. Later, Fogerty's brother Tom Fogerty joined the Blue Velvets as rhythm guitarist. In 1964, the Blue Velvets signed with a record company which changed the band's name to the Golliwogs without the band's knowledge. In 1967, the band changed its name again to Creedence Clearwater Revival. After four years of chart-topping success, including headlining appearances at major rock festivals, tensions within the band led to a breaking point. Tom Fogerty left Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1971, and a year later the rest of the band dissolved acrimoniously. In 1973, John Fogerty launched a solo career, at first calling himself the Blue Ridge Rangers; for many years he refused to perform the Creedence Clearwater Revival catalogue. Fogerty's ninth and most recent studio album, 2013's Wrote a Song for Everyone, is a collection of re-recorded hits and new songs.

Before he traveled upstate to Bethel, New York, where he would commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Woodstock Music & Art Festival, Fogerty brought his "My 50 Year Trip" tour to Radio City Music Hall. The program began with four hippie-dressed flower-laden members of his entourage dancing and twirling in the aisles to the blaring sound of 1960s hits. Fogerty and his band (guitarist Shane Fogerty, keyboardist Bob Malone, saxophonist Nathan Collins, trumpet player Julian Dessler, trombonist Adam Miller, bassist James Lomenzo, and drummer Kenny Aronoff) came on stage and opened with Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Born on the Bayou." From there on, Fogerty mirrored the band's set at Woodstock exactly 50 years earlier. Now performed by a much larger band than the original group, the songs were played well, as images and film clips of Woodstock and other period pieces helped transport the audience back to the Age of Aquarius. Fogerty was in fine voice, a uniquely raspy take that rocked his country and delta blues-rooted songs, and extended jams gave several of the songs new life. Whereas at one time Fogerty would play only his solo material, he went in reverse this time, playing all the Creedence hits but only three songs from his solo work. The weakest part of the show, however, was the half hour or so of the two-hour performance that Fogerty dedicated to covering songs by other 1960s musicians; this time could have been spent digging into deep cuts or introducing newer songs. As such, the name of the tour was a mislabel; there was little music that suggested a time continuum. Nevertheless, Fogerty successfully provided a partial soundtrack for the 50th anniversary of the Woodstock festival.

Setlist:

1. Born on the Bayou (Creedence Clearwater Revival song)
2. Green River (Creedence Clearwater Revival song)
3. Lookin' Out My Back Door (Creedence Clearwater Revival song)
4. Susie Q (Dale Hawkins cover)
5. Who'll Stop the Rain (Creedence Clearwater Revival song)
6. Hey Tonight (Creedence Clearwater Revival song)
7. Up Around the Bend (Creedence Clearwater Revival song)
8. Rock and Roll Girls
9. I Heard It Through the Grapevine (Gladys Knight & The Pips cover)
10. With a Little Help From My Friends (The Beatles cover)
11. Long as I Can See the Light (Creedence Clearwater Revival song)
12. Good Golly Miss Molly (Little Richard cover)
13. Everyday People (Sly & the Family Stone cover)
14. Dance to the Music (Sly & the Family Stone cover)
15. Give Peace a Chance (Plastic Ono Band cover)
16. The Star-Spangled Banner (John Stafford Smith & Francis Scott Key cover)
17. Run Through the Jungle (Creedence Clearwater Revival song)
18. Keep On Chooglin' (Creedence Clearwater Revival song)
19. Have You Ever Seen the Rain? (Creedence Clearwater Revival song)
20. Down on the Corner (Creedence Clearwater Revival song)
21. Centerfield
22. The Old Man Down the Road
23. Fortunate Son (Creedence Clearwater Revival song)

Encore:

1. Bad Moon Rising (Creedence Clearwater Revival song)
2. Proud Mary (Creedence Clearwater Revival song)

Dennis Dunaway & the Snake Charmers at Theatre 80

Dennis Dunaway

Who would have imagined that a boy born to a farm family in Cottage Grove, Oregon, would turn out to be a founding member of America's pioneer shock rock band, Alice Cooper? After moving with his family to Phoenix, Arizona, Dennis Dunaway in high school befriended cross-country teammate Vincent Furnier. Soon after, the duo formed several bands: the Earwigs, the Spiders, the Nazz, and finally, the band became Alice Cooper and moved to Los Angeles, California. The original Alice Cooper group sold millions of records and was on the cover of Forbes for having the largest grossing tour in 1973. In 1975, the band split, Furnier took the name Alice Cooper for himself, and Dunaway joined numerous bands, including Billion Dollar Babies, Deadringer, Bouchard Dunaway & Smith (BDS), Ant-Bee, and in more recent times, Hollywood Vampires, 5th Avenue Vampires, Blue Coupe, and Dennis Dunaway & the Snake Charmers.

To celebrate the release of Cold Cold Coffin, a short film based on a song by that name by Dennis Dunaway, Fixer Productions hosted a double feature and a concert at Theatre 80. Attendees saw Cold Cold Coffin plus Live From The Astroturf, Alice Cooper, a documentary about the 2015 reunion of the surviving members of the original Alice Cooper band, both followed by question and answer sessions. Finally, Dennis Dunaway & the Snake Charmers performed a brief set, with a different lineup on almost every song. Most of the set featured Dunaway on lead vocals and bass, Ryan Roxie and Nick Didkovsky on guitars, Chuck Garric on bass, Russ Wilson on drums, and Tish Bellomo and Eileen “Snooky” Bellomo on backing vocals. (Roxie and Garric are members of Alice Cooper's current band, Didkovsky and Wilson are members of Dunaway's band.) Alice Cooper's daughter, Calico Cooper, who is a dancer and actress in her dad's stage show, danced to Dunaway's "Cold Cold Coffin," and sang her dad's "Feed My Frankenstein." (She and Garic lead a band called Beasto Blanco.) Satellite radio personality Keith Roth joined on vocals for Alice Copper's "I'm Eighteen." The tight, driving rock and roll with its dramatic flair begged for Dennis Dunaway & the Snake Charmers to continue as a touring band, possibly with the two films as the opening act.

SYZYGYX at the Red Party at Mercury Lounge

Luna Blanc

Based outside of Washington, D.C., Josh Clark is a musician and audio engineer formerly known as DJ Impulse in two bands, Corrupt Souls and Sinthetix. Clark and vocalist Luna Blanc met in a retail store in Fairfax, Virginia, where he worked and she was interviewing for a job. Blanc had experimented with keyboards from a young age, but pursued photography, writing, and film in college. In time, Clark and Blanc fell in love, moved in together, built a home studio, and began creating music through synthesizers. They named themselves SYZYGYX (pronounced sih-zeh-jix) from the scientific word syzygy, a space term for the alignment of celestial objects. They added the letter “x” to symbolize the unknown. The Graveyard Compilation, released on released May 15, 2019, is a collection of songs from previous recordings.

SYZYGYX made its live debut at the Red Party, the monthly darkwave and gothic party at Mercury Lounge, and the question was whether the duo could bring its studio tracks to life. Unfortunately, ongoing technical problems plagued the set. Clark turned dials and flipped switches, but the pre-programmed music and the synthesizer itself would not cooperate with his wishes. Nevertheless, the duo showed promise, with Clark playing dark, bleak layers of electronic soundscapes and danceable beats behind Blanc's disaffected, husky vocals. The effect was haunting yet compelling. If future performances overcome tonight's technical glitches, SYZYGYX will prove to be a popular act on the darkwave and gothic circuits.

Hootie & the Blowfish at Madison Square Garden

R.E.M.'s Mike Mills (left) joined Darius Rucker (right)
and Hootie & the Blowfish at Madison Square Garden

Guitarist Mark Bryan was impressed when he heard Darius Rucker singing in the dorm showers they shared in the mid-1980s as university freshmen in Columbia, South Carolina. The pair began playing cover tunes as the Wolf Brothers, but by 1986 they formed a band and adopted the name Hootie & the Blowfish, the name being a conjunction of the nicknames of two of their college friends. Jim Sonefeld replaced the original drummer and since 1989 this quartet has remained the core of the band. Hootie & the Blowfish won the Best New Artist award at the 1996 Grammy Awards. The band's major-label debut, Cracked Rear View (1994), went on to become the 19th-best-selling album of all time in the United States, and in May 2019 was certified platinum 21 times. Hootie & the Blowfish went on hiatus in 2008 so Rucker could pursue his solo career as a country music performer, although the band reunited several times for special occasions. This year, the band reunited for the current Group Therapy Tour to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the release of Cracked Rear View. The band's sixth studio album, Imperfect Circle, will be released on November 1, 2019.

On the first of two headlining nights at Madison Square Garden, Hootie & the Blowfish was all about having a good time. The band performed all of its better-known feel-good hits from the 1990s, introduced a new song, and partied through a playful choice of cover songs. What has changed since the last time the band toured roughly 10 years ago is that in the interim Rucker became a country music success; a taste of twang now permeated much of the performance, with the help of touring musicians from Rucker's solo group, Peter Holsapple on mandolin and Gary Murray on banjo. Rucker told the audience that Holsapple had played acoustic guitar on the original version of the next song the band was going to play, then announced they would perform a tribute to R.E.M. with guest guitarist, Mike Mills of R.E.M. Rucker and Mills bgan by trading lead vocals on R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion." Mills then spoke about seeing a then-unknown Hootie & the Blowfish playing in a South Carolina bar in the 1980s and being impressed that the band was performing an R.E.M. song.  Mills then led the band in R.E.M.'s "Don't Go Back to Rockville." Hootie & the Blowfish kept the show fresh by frequently interrupting its string of hits with covers and mash-ups, some of which featured members of the opening act, Barenaked Ladies. Hootie & the Blowfish really knew how to make a comeback.

Setlist:

1. Hannah Jane
2. State Your Peace
3. I Go Blind (54-40 cover)
4. Sad Caper
5. I'm Goin' Home
6. Hold My Hand
7. Wishing
8. Let Her Cry
9. Hey Hey What Can I Do (Led Zeppelin cover)
10. Will the Circle Be Unbroken? (Ada Ruth Habershon & Charles Hutchinson Gabriel cover)
11. Desert Mountain Showdown
12. I Hope I Don't Fall in Love With You (Tom Waits cover)
13. Alright (Darius Rucker song)
14. Running From an Angel
15. Losing My Religion (R.E.M. song, with Mike Mills)
16. (Don't Go Back to) Rockville (R.E.M. song, with Mike Mills)
17. Time
18. Rollin'
19. Wagon Wheel (Old Crow Medicine Show cover)
20. Old Man & Me (When I Get to Heaven) / Fight the Power (Public Enemy cover) / Freaks of the Industry (Digital Underground)/ Shining Star (Earth, Wind & Fire cover)
21. Immigrant Song / With a Little Help From My Friends (The Beatles cover, with Barenaked Ladies)

Encore:

1. Goodbye
2. Go and Tell Him (Soup Song)
3. Only Wanna Be With You (With "Get Down On It" snippet by Kool & the Gang)

Bryan Ferry at the United Palace

Bryan Ferry CBE was born in Washington, England, and later studied fine art at a university in nearby Newcastle upon Tyne. During this period, Ferry was a member of several bands, including the Banshees, City Blues, and the Gas Board. In 1968, Ferry moved to London and taught art and pottery at a school while pursuing a career in music. Ferry formed the glam art rock band Roxy Music with a group of friends and acquaintances in 1970, achieving hit songs in the United Kingdom and a cult following in the United States. Ferry began his solo career in 1973, while still a member of Roxy Music. Roxy Music first disbanded in 1976 and reformed from 1978 to 1983, with several brief reunions since then, most recently in 2019 for the band's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2011, Ferry was made a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honors for his contribution to the British music industry, and in 2012 he was awarded the French national honor of Officier de l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres. Combining his sales as a solo artist and as a member of Roxy Music, Ferry has sold more than 30 million records worldwide. Ferry's 16th and most recent album, Bitter-Sweet, released on November 30, 2018 under the moniker of Bryan Ferry and his Orchestra, contains remakes of older songs by Ferry and Roxy Music.

For this tour, which hit the United Palace tonight, Ferry's set pivoted on Roxy Music’s 1982 swan song, Avalon. Perhaps inspired by Roxy Music's recent induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Ferry and his band performed eight of Avalon's 10 songs, plus 10 other Roxy Music songs and only four songs from his solo catalogue. Alternately standing at the microphone or sitting at an electric piano, Ferry's seductive lounge lizard vocals sometimes brooded or languished on slower songs, yet on more upbeat, danceable songs, his understated, subdued delivery came alive. Longtime collaborator/guitarist Chris Spedding provided much of the juice for the rockers. With the focus almost entirely on 20th century Roxy Music songs, however, the concert showed little evidence that Ferry has a trajectory for future music.

Setlist:

1. India (Roxy Music song; intro short version)
2. The Main Thing (Roxy Music song)
3. The Space Between (Roxy Music song)
4. The 39 Steps
5. Out of the Blue (Roxy Music song)
6. Slave to Love
7. While My Heart Is Still Beating (Roxy Music song)
8. Don't Stop the Dance
9. Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues (Bob Dylan cover)
10. Boys and Girls
11. Dance Away (Roxy Music song)
12. My Only Love (Roxy Music song)
13. Take a Chance with Me (Roxy Music song)
14. To Turn You On (Roxy Music song)
15. In Every Dream Home a Heartache (Roxy Music song)
16. If There Is Something (Roxy Music song)
17. More Than This (Roxy Music song)
18. Avalon (Roxy Music song)
19. Love Is the Drug (Roxy Music song)
20. Editions of You (Roxy Music song)
21. Jealous Guy (John Lennon cover)
22. Let's Stick Together (Wilbert Harrison cover)

Queen + Adam Lambert at Madison Square Garden

Beginning in 1968, guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor played in a band called Smile in pubs in London, England. Vocalist Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara) was a fan and left his job working as an airport baggage handler shortly after joining the band in 1970. Mercury suggested they call themselves Queen and encouraged the other musicians to experiment with more elaborate stage and recording techniques. John Deacon became the band's permanent bassist in 1971. Queen became one of the world's best-selling music artists, with record sales estimated at between 170 million to 300 million units. The band earned many awards, including a Brit Award, the Ivor Novello Award, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, plus induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Mercury died in 1991 from AIDS-related bronchial pneumonia, and Deacon retired in 1997. Beginning in 2004, May and Taylor began touring with other vocalists, initially as Queen + Paul Rodgers and currently as Queen + Adam Lambert.

"I am not Freddie Mercury," Lambert told the audience, referring to the proverbial elephant in the room a few songs into Queen + Adam Lambert's second of two nights headlining Madison Square Garden. He went on to declare himself a fan of Mercury's who is humbled to have the opportunity to work with the remaining members of Queen for the past nine years. To his credit, Lambert affected a vocal style similar to Mercury's but perhaps intentionally did not replicate the songs exactly. May and Taylor were brilliant in their musicianship. The music was made full with the help of keyboardist Spike Edney, bassist Neil Fairclough, and percussionist Tyler Warren. Mercury appeared on a couple of songs via video. What Lambert said earlier rang true all evening, however, in that no one could replace Mercury's phenomenal voice, innovative songwriting, and over-the-top performance skills. The band revived all the well-known and several little-known songs with flash and talent, but in the end, Queen + Anyone could never be as exciting as when Mercury was creating new songs and pumping the audience with his unbeatable showmanship.

Setlist:

1. Now I'm Here (Queen song)
2. Seven Seas of Rhye (Queen song)
3. Keep Yourself Alive (Queen song)
4. Hammer to Fall (Queen song)
5. Killer Queen (Queen song)
6. Don't Stop Me Now (Queen song)
7. In the Lap of the Gods... Revisited (Queen song)
8. Somebody to Love (Queen song)
9. The Show Must Go On (Queen song)
10. I'm in Love With My Car (Queen song)
11. Bicycle Race (Queen song)
12. Another One Bites the Dust (Queen song)
13. Machines (Or 'Back to Humans') (Queen song)
14. I Want It All (Queen song)
15. Love of My Life (Queen song)
16. '39 (Queen song)
17. Doing All Right (Queen song)
18. Crazy Little Thing Called Love (Queen song)
19. Under Pressure (Queen + David Bowie song)
20. I Want to Break Free (Queen song)
21. You Take My Breath Away (Queen song)
22. Who Wants to Live Forever (Queen song)
23. Guitar Solo
24. Tie Your Mother Down (Queen song)
25. Fat Bottomed Girls (Queen song)
26. Radio Ga Ga (Queen song)
27. Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen song)

Encore:

1. Ay‐Oh (Queen song)
2. We Will Rock You (Queen song)
3. We Are the Champions (Queen song)