Tampa, Florida natives and metal-core innovators, Underoath, stopped at Brooklyn Steel on St. Patrick’s Day as part of their Voyeurist North America Tour. Voyeurist, Underoath’s ninth LP and second from Fearless Records, showed the band staying true to the hardcore/screamo sound they helped fashion in the early aughts, while also modernizing the production and adding electronic and futuristic elements. The band refers to this enhanced sound as “high-def violence” and are in peak form on this tour.
Underoath at Brooklyn Steel, 3/17/22. Photo by Buscar Photo
Underoath brought some new and long time favorite heavyweights to Brooklyn Steel to fill out an incredible hardcore quadruple bill. Long Island natives, Stray from the Path, opened the show, playing songs from a nearly 20-year catalog including their 2019 LP, Internal Atomics. Next up was Richmond, Virginia band, Bad Omens, who recently released their third LP, The Death Of Peace Of Mind, this past February on Sumerian Records. The penultimate performers were the incredibly exciting, Spiritbox, who released their debut LP, Eternal Blue, last September. Featuring vocalist Courtney LaPlante and her husband Mike Stringer on guitar, the band creates the perfect blend of etherial and melodic post-rock with crushing waves of heavy screaming hardcore. LaPlante stretches the vocal range with stunning beauty on the live stage.
Courtney LaPlante of Spiritbox. Photo by Buscar Photo
Underoath were thought to be permanently retired after their farewell tour in 2013. Founding drummer and clean vocalist Aaron Gillespie had left the band in 2010 and the remaining members went on to release a record without him, 2010s â (Disambiguation). Gillespie ended up performing with the band on the last show of the farewell tour in Florida in January, 2013 but the band seemed finished at the time. A few years later, they returned with Gillespie in the lineup and have since released two records, including Voyeurist, which has instantly become a staple in the band’s catalog.
Underoath at Brooklyn Steel, 3/17/22. Photo by Buscar Photo
The show at Brooklyn Steel was Underoath’s first time playing in New York since August, 2019 when the band played in Saratoga and Wantagh with Korn and Alice In Chains. The Voyeurist Tour is nearly complete as they are set to close the run with two hometown shows in Florida on March 26th and 27th. Find the remaining show details on the band’s website. Spiritbox on the other hand have gained so much momentum with this new album that their tour schedule is just beginning. After these shows with Underoath, they have numerous festival appearances and a European tour stretching throughout the summer. Head over to their website for the full dates and see our photo galleries from Underoath and Spiritbox below.
On March 16th, 2022, Conan Gray performed a sold out show in New York at the Radio City Music Hall. Bülow, born in Germany but now a globe trotter, is accompanying Conan Gray on his North American dates. Megan Bülow opened with “Don’t Break His Heart,” hidden by red light with an LED sign spelling out “Bülow” directly behind her.
After her opening song, the lighting changed, and she become visible. The most memorable part of her performance was during her cover of “Lost,” where the audience held up their phone lights, swaying to the beat of the song, which was undoubtedly a surreal moment for both the audience and Bülow.
Photo by Ambika VermaPhoto by Ambika VermaPhoto by Ambika Verma
30 minutes after Bülow finished her performance with her angsty hit song, “You & Jennifer,” fans eagerly prepared for Conan Gray’s stage entrance. His band members began to play, but he was nowhere in sight until suddenly he appeared at the top of a wall singing “Wish You Were Sober.” After, he came down to the stage, crouching down near fans to touch their hands and interact with the crowd. The crowd sang loudly to every song. Throughout, he made references to “Heather,” teasing the audience. His performance felt intimate despite being in the iconic Radio City Music Hall, and Conan made as much of an effort as possible to stay connected to the audience, not only through his songs but his actions through the performance. He returned for an encore with “Heather,” closing out his incredible performance.
Photo by Ambika VermaPhoto by Ambika VermaPhoto by Ambika VermaPhoto by Ambika VermaPhoto by Ambika VermaPhoto by Ambika VermaPhoto by Ambika Verma
Bülow Setlist: Don’t Break His Heart, Revolver, Lost (Frank Ocean cover), Playing Me Back, Mona’s Daddy, Booty Call, Get Stüpid, Mercedes, You & Jennifer
Jake Scott Setlist: Wish You Were Sober, Telepath, Comfort Crowd, Fight or Flight, Astronomy, the Cut that Always Bleeds, Checkmate, Overdrive, Affluenza, The Story, Lookalike, Little League, Jigsaw, People Watching, Maniac
Today marks the anniversary of the maiden voyage for the Grateful Dead to Utica. Certainly no strangers to New York City and the Hudson Valley by 1973, the Dead would soon begin to make their mark all over the Empire State. The band was still very much in the emotional wake of the recent death of founding member Ron “Pigpen” McKernan who was laid to rest just weeks earlier. The first shows afterwards were three nights at the Nassau Coliseum and now this new iteration of the Dead headed upstate for two more in Oneida County. This first night of music is an impressive showing from start to finish, filled with fan favorites and a whole bunch of new material debuted earlier this year. It’s all gas and very little breaks as the set list will attest, just the latest dose of good music at the Aud with Santana having played here last month and Procol Harum scheduled for a gig next month.
The recording for this show doesn’t start until the tail end of the show-opening “Bertha,” picking up in the middle of a Jerry Garcia-led jam before its closing verse. The audio quality itself is more than passable though and the Dead launch into a first set staple in “Me And My Uncle” next. The opening set also features a “Wave That Flag,” a song that would only be played a handful of times on this spring tour in 1973 before later being formally resurrected as “U.S. Blues” next year. It’s the same melody and general song structure, just with some slightly different lyrics along side some ultra jazzy piano fills from Keith Godchaux.
After some customary post-song tuning, things take a turn for the mellow as Bob Weir takes the helm for the delicate “Looks Like Rain.” It’s a wonderful display of group musicianship as the playing ebbs and flows along with the emotional progression of the song, peaking in a short but explosive jam that the Utica crowd loudly acknowledges. The “Tennessee Jed” that follows gets stretched out even further, with a catchy jam that comes to a slow crescendo, before the Dead reign it back in with a “Box Of Rain” that sees Donna Jean Godchaux backing up bassist Phil Lesh on vocals on the American Beauty classic. Donna then assumes lead vocal duty for a cover of the Loretta Lynn tune, “You Ain’t Woman Enough,” another song only played a handful of times in 1973.
The opening set of music then reenters the “boy’s club,” so to speak, with the next two song selections, one old and one new. A spirited but quick run through of another first set stalwart in “Jack Straw” precedes a still-fledgling “Row Jimmy” that was debuted just last month, but all the same, sees the band tugging at the collective musical heart strings once more. Afterwards, presumably in response to crowd requests for “Saint Stephen,” Phil Lesh loudly affirms they “don’t do that one anymore” with Weir adding, “Because we liked it too much.” It wouldn’t be played live again for more than another three years.
Instead, the Dead run through the old, reliable “Beat It On Down The Line” before treating Utica to another live show newcomer. This time it’s a mesmerizing “Here Comes Sunshine” that sees guitarists Garcia and Weir complementing each other wonderfully on a song that certainly shows the potential to be a fixture for the years to come but, oddly, would be shelved for almost twenty years instead.
An already marathon-like first set then continues with, fittingly, a crisp take of “The Race Is On” with Weir impressing on rhythm guitar before Garcia takes the baton and leads the way through an incredibly emotive “Loser.” After Weir then follows suit with a Western-themed song of his own in “El Paso,” The Dead finally bring the landing gear down on their first ever set at the Memorial Auditorium in Utica with an absolutely flawless run through of “China Cat Sunflower” along with a vintage “blink and you miss it” segue into “I Know You Rider.” Then, for good measure, they tack on a “Playing In The Band” after this that the “core four” of Garcia, Weir, Lesh and drummer Bill Kreutzmann just run circles around. The jam instantly goes dark and deep, taking its sweet time before coming back up for air. It’s one of the show’s true highlights and caps off a lengthy first set that lasts well more than 90 minutes.
There’s no signs of this show slowing down anytime soon as the Dead reemerge for the second set with a feisty “Greatest Story Ever Told” that’s accentuated by Donna Jean’s passionate vocals. The band then introduces another newcomer to the scene, one of the earliest played versions of “They Love Each Other,” in its original faster, shuffle-like tempo that’s laid down smoothly by Kreutzmann. Afterwards, Weir and Garcia go tit-for-tat once more as they trade lead vocal duties on “Mexicali Blues” and “Brown Eyed Women,” respectively, before teaming up on a cover of “Big River” as the band keeps churning out songs.
The tide then turns back to the introspective with the delicate “Brokedown Palace” that follows along with a triumphant take of “Me and Bobby McGee” with some spirited backup vocals from Garcia. After another long tuning break, the Dead come out of the huddle with a fakeout of sorts as they play the airy instrumental “Weather Report Suite Prelude” but then instantly shift gears and drop into one of their signature psychedelic soundscapes, “Dark Star,” which more than ably takes cares of the “Space” portion for this Grateful Dead show.
Emerging from the “Dark Star” haze are the opening chords for another song soon to be a second set fixture for years to come, “Eyes Of The World,” which also made its live debut just last month. The Dead go deep once more here, with another fifteen-plus minute jam highlighted by some pure guitar wizardry from both Garcia and Lesh.
Things slow down one last time with the “Wharf Rat” that follows, a song that happened to make its debut at a legendary show at New York’s Capitol Theatre in Port Chester two years ago. The strides the song has made during this time are evident as a noticeably blues-driven collective jam gets attached to the back end of this one before coming to a standstill. To close out this impressive display of their ever-growing musical catalog, the Dead dole out a few more longtime favorites to the Utica crowd starting with an emphatic “Sugar Magnolia” that Bob and Donna Jean drive home. A set-closing “Casey Jones” then serves as the de facto encore this evening, wrapping up an extensive three-plus hours of music and setting the stage for a repeat performance here the following night.
View this and more Grateful Dead shows from across the years in New York State with our interactive map below
Grateful Dead Utica Memorial Auditorium – Utica, NY 3/21/73
Set 1: Bertha, Me & My Uncle, Wave That Flag, Looks Like Rain, Tennessee Jed, Box Of Rain, You Ain’t Woman Enough, Jack Straw, Row Jimmy, Beat It On Down The Line, Here Comes Sunshine, The Race is On, Loser, El Paso, China Cat Sunflower-> I Know You Rider, Playin’ In The Band
Set 2: Greatest Story Ever Told, They Love Each Other, Mexicali Blues, Brown Eyed Women, Big River, Brokedown Palace, Me And Bobby McGee, Weather Report Suite Prelude-> Dark Star-> Eyes Of The World-> Wharf Rat-> Sugar Magnolia, Casey Jones
On Thursday, March 17th, Saratoga Springs came together for a spectacular night of music at Putnam Place. Everybody was Irish this evening, and all were in for an extra-special treat. Led Zeppelin cover band, the Midnight Sun Project kicked things off, and Prince Bowie headlined, leaving everyone breathless, a little sleepy, and very satisfied.
The Midnight Sun Project
Tonight was the first for many hearing Midnight Sun Project perform. Previously, most had never heard Led Zeppelin sung by a female lead. Once you have, you may not want it any other way. Lead singer Shannon Lynch‘s voice absolutely blew me out of the water from start to finish.
With Vinnie Amico (of moe.) on the drums, Shannon Lynch on lead vocals and tenor sax, Christian deFrancqueville on bass, and Doc Danielson on guitar, the Midnight Sun Project rocked everyone’s socks off and then some.
Setlist: Communication Breakdown, Ramble On, Good Times Bad Times, The Rover, The Ocean, Out on the Tiles, Misty Mountain Hop, Bring it on Home, Immigrant Song, Custard Pie, Black Dog
Prince Bowie & The Horn Section
After an energetic opening set, everyone was more than ready for the main event. Prince Bowie took the stage and did what they do best — glorious glam rock mashups. However, for a St. Paddy’s Day present, we all had an extra special treat: The Horn Section, formerly of Turkuaz.
Whoever it was that decided to put Prince and David Bowie music together was a genius. Having never gotten to see either in concert, this was a close as some of us will ever get to the real thing. But the fact is, this lineup was so good, it doesn’t matter.
The band this evening featured Eric Gould (Pink Talking Fish, bass) Cal Kehoe (Pink Talking Fish, guitar) Michelangelo Carubba (Death Kings; formerly of Turkuaz, drums) Alric Carter (TAUK, keys) Matt Wayne (Bobby Deitch Band, saxophone) and The Horn Section (formerly of Turkuaz) featuring Josh Schwartz, Greg Sanderson and Chris Brouwers. With spot on energetic Bowie covers of “Fame,” “Starman,” and “Let’s Dance,” the group sequed smoothly into “Cream,” “I Wanna Be Your Love” and “I Feel For You.” The set closing finale of Bowie’s “Heroes,”
The crowd was perfectly satisfied with Prince Bowie’s set. However, they leveled things up and brought Shannon Lynch and her incredible pipes back out on stage for an encore of “Purple Rain.” Lynch performed on several songs during the night, singing and playing the sax, to the delight of everyone present.
Setlist: Rebel Rebel, Raspberry Beret, Fame, 1999, Under Pressure*, DMSR*, Starman, Kiss, Let’s Dance > Cream, Changes, I Wanna Be Your Lover, Moonage Daydream, Nothing Compares to You*, Young Americans*, I feel For You, Heroes Encore: Purple Rain *Shannon Lynch on vocals/sax
The Lineup
Prince Bowie doesn’t have a standard lineup. Instead, this group is a rotating cast of some of the top musicians in the northeast and beyond. If you want to catch this lineup, however, don’t fret. Catch them live on April 29th in Norwalk, CT at Wall Street Theater and April 30th in Beverly, MA at The Cabot.
Listen to The St. Patrick’s Day set via Archive.org
There once was a time when marijuana was illegal in New York State, and on March 21, 1976, David Bowie and three associates found themselves arrested for possession in Rochester. How he ended up taking the most iconic mugshot of all time unveils a deeper layer to the story.
David Bowie’s iconic mugshot
On March 20, 1976, David Bowie was in Western New York performing amid his 65 show international Isolar Tour, in support of Station to Station, having performed just once previously in Rochester on June 17, 1974. On this evening, as he was two years prior, Bowie was at the Rochester Veterans War Memorial, and began the evening as he did at each stop this tour – without introduction and showing the 1928 surrealist film Un Chien Andalou by Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí, which includes a famous section of a razor blade cutting into a woman’s eyeball. Bowie appeared on stage immediately as the film finished, while the audience was still disoriented.
9,200 fans came out for this Saturday night performance, and although Bowie reportedly had the flu during the concert, he sang without issue. As Bowie closed the show with “Jean Genie,” he said to the audience, “Thank you very much, we’ll see you in about five months from now, thank you.” Seeming to imply a return to Rochester that fall, tonight would be Bowie’s last time ever performing in Rochester.
David Bowie – Rochester War Memorial Auditorium – March 20, 1976
Setlist: Station To Station, Suffragette City, Fame, Word On A Wing, Stay, Waiting For The Man, Queen Bitch, Life On Mars, Five Years, Panic In Detroit, Changes, TVC, Diamond Dogs Encore: Rebel Rebel, The Jean Genie
Bandmates performing with Bowie this tour included music director Carlos Alomar (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Stacy Heydon (lead guitar, backing vocals), George Murray (bass guitar, backing vocals), Dennis Davis (drums, percussion), and Tony Kaye (keyboards). The band became collectively known as Raw Moon.
The next week, the penultimate North American tour performance took place at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, which was recorded by RCA Records with portions broadcast by The King Biscuit Radio Network, later released as Live Nassau Coliseum ’76. It is from this show that Bowie and his entourage would drive back to Rochester for their eventual arraignment on the 25th.
The Arrest of David Bowie
So how did Ziggy Stardust end up getting arrested in Rochester after the show? As detailed by the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle in 1976, and again in 2017 with a first hand account of the arrest, it seems Bowie was set up following the after-party, acting on a tip.
That first hand account comes from Chi Wah Soo, who at the time was a twenty-year-old Rochester local that had moved to Rochester from Hong Kong with her parents when she was eleven. Soo used lyrics from her favorite music to learn English, and attended the concert, catching Bowie’s eye from the front row. Bowie passed a note to her through a third party, saying “Meet me at my party. David”. Obliging him, Soo remarked that he had a “halo around his head” when he arrived at the party, saying “Hello, love” to her.
After the party, Bowie, his bodyguard Dwaine Vaughs, Iggy Pop and Soo went to American Rochester Hotel, at 70 State Street (now a Holiday Inn), and met two girls (undercover cops) at the hotel bar, who were looking to score cocaine. After receiving a seemingly unrelated prank call, and with police listening next door, the party was over for the night as the four were arrested for possession.
At 2:25 am on March 21, three police detectives and a state police officer searched Bowie’s three-room suite, where they found 182 grams of marijuana – a little more than six ounces. It does seem that Bowie mugged for the camera before being taken to jail, with the photo below showing Bowie posing for a photo opp., with Iggy Pop to his right and the arresting officers on either side.
All four were booked at Monroe County Jail on fifth-degree criminal possession, which at the time was punishable by up to 15 years in prison. The four were all released around 7 a.m. on $2,000 bond each, with Bowie covering the cost for everyone.
Upon being brought to jail, Bowie used his real name, David Jones, and an address of 89 Oakley St., London, England. The others he was arrested with were identified as James Osterberg, Jr., 28 (Iggy Pop) of Ypsilanti, Michigan, and Dwaine Vaughs, 22, of Brooklyn, who was Bowie’s karate instructor and bodyguard. Soo was also arrested, and while the three men moved onto the next show in Springfield, MA, it would be a few days before all four were back in court to face the charges.
The Return for Arraignment
On March 25, the first day Bowie had a break from tour to return to Rochester, the Thin White Duke was greeted by a large crowd that included a teen fan who got his autograph as he stepped off an escalator, and “a half-dozen suspected prostitutes,” according to the John Stewart from Democrat and Chronicle.
Bowie wore a gray three-piece leisure suit and pale brown shirt, holding a matching hat, and was represented by Rochester lawyer Anthony F. Leonardo. He was arraigned within 10 minutes, pleading “Not guilty, sir.”
Reportedly at the arraignment, Soo gave Bowie her traditional Chinese wedding blanket, and Soo believes that in the music video for Bowie’s 1983 hit “China Girl,” her blanket appears in the music video. The pair would not speak again after this day.
Bowie and his entourage used stairwells and elevators to avoid the crowds, using a side exit to arrive at Leonardo’s office on the Times Square building’s seventh floor. Although he had remained silent throughout the morning, Bowie granted a five-minute interview to newspaper reporters in Leonardo’s office, although his lawyer would not allow any questions directly concerning the arrest, saying it was the first criminal charge he’d ever faced.
While complimenting the city police, Bowie noted the protection they provided him when he arrived back in Rochester. “They were very courteous and very gentle. They’ve been just super,” said Bowie. His fans efforts were also noted, saying he felt “honored” by fans’ support and insisting that the arrest would not sour him on future concerts in the city. Bowie answered most questions in the brief interview with short answers, shaking hands with reporters as they entered and left Leonardo’s office.
Over the next month, all four were allowed to remain free, and Bowie, being in Europe on tour at the time, was excused from appearing at the next hearing. Perhaps having a sense of humor about the case, Judge Alphonse Cassetti set the preliminary hearing for all parties on April 20, 1976. The charges, however, were effectively dismissed in May when a grand jury declined to indict Bowie or the other three.
Another Look at the Mugshot
The mugshot photo was uncovered in 2007, when auction house employee Gary Hess was clearing out the estate of a retired police officer. Hess gave the print to his brother Todd to sell on eBay, and wanting to garner some publicity for the sale, Todd leaked the photo to The Smoking Gun, which quickly published the photos and helped the image go viral.
The photo ended up selling on eBay in 2007 for over $2,700 to an “uber fan” in the Midwest, who notified the singer of the special purchase; Bowie was reportedly “pleased” at the news.
As you might notice, the mugshot displays March 25 for the date, and while this is not a typo or error, the circumstances are certainly unique given that David Bowie was arrested in the early morning hours of March 21, yet the date displayed is four days later. The reason for this was that Bowie’s lawyer successfully argued to delay arraignment until March 25, given that Bowie was mid-tour – with four stops left in North America – and the penalties for being forced to appear in court on March 21 would be stiff, given that he was due to perform at Springfield Civic Center in Massachusetts that night.
Bowie took the opportunity for a ‘staged’ mugshot photo to look as dapper as possible, posing for one of the most iconic mugshots in rock n roll history. The mugshot has even spawned a documentary, Bowie Goes to Jail, as well as merchandise.
On February 26th, Cannibal Corpse stopped by to a sold out show at Anthology in Rochester and accompanied with a pretty heavy line up by White Chapel, Revocation, and Shadow Of Intent. Upon entering the venue, you can tell right off the bat it was going to be a packed house with the main floor area already full and lines at the mercy tables. The show started off with Shadow Of Intent who reigned from Connecticut and wasted no time getting the crowd moving and you can feel the energy throughout.
Cannibal Corpse
Next up to kick off the wild night was Revocation, who was formed in Massachusetts. Revocation was a fun band to watch as front man David Davidson, who is the lead vocalist and guitarist.
White Chapel
After them, we had the heavy hitters, White Chapel who are well known for their American deathcore music. When they took the stage, things got a bit foggy and rowdy as some decided it was time to give the security staff a workout.
Looking back into the crowd, all you can see is a sea of metal lovers waiting for the main reason why we all came out tonight. Cannibal Corpse, who is no stranger to the area as they were formed in Buffalo back in 1988. As soon as the band kicked off their set, crowd surfers were in full force, making some of the photographers duck for cover as the security staff was busy catching them. Watching them perform was a delight, as they really showed why they are part of some of the most iconic death metal bands around. With their tour in full swing still, surely it won’t be long before Cannibal Corpse comes back with another killer show that would most definitely sell out again.
All That Remains brought their 15th anniversary of the “Fall of Ideals” album tour to Niagara Falls on Monday March 14, 2022. This was their third stop on a long awaited tour for the band. All That Remains is an American heavy metal band from Springfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1998. Three other bands join All That Remains on this tour – Miss May I (direct support), Varials, and Tallah.
Tallah
Tallah- Rapids Theatre (Photo credit Mike Miller)
The opener of the night was Tallah, a Nu metal band from Pennsylvania. They are currently signed to Earache records. Their whole setlist was filled with energy, power and emotion. At one point the singer Justin Bonitz, did a flip on the stage in the middle of a song. Tallah drew a decent size crowd considering they were an opener. Their setlist contained some of their hits titled; Overconfidence, No one should read this, and Telescope. Tallah consists of Justin Bonitz – vocals, Max Portnoy – drums (touring with code orange currently), Derrick Schneider – lead guitar, Alizé “Mewzen” Rodriguez – turntables, samples, keyboards , and Alex Snowden – rhythm guitar.
Varials
Bass- Mike Foley
Next up was Varials. They are an American hardcore punk band from Philadelphia, formed in 2013. The band currently consists of Lead Vocalist Mitchell Rogers, guitarist James Hohenwarter, bassist Mike Foley and drummer Sean Rauchut. The crowd started to hint at this point that there would be circle pits and crowd surfing later in the night. Fans started to bob their head and move with the music just slightly more than the previous band. Varial’s setlist consisted of; South of One, In Darkness Violent Measures, Pain Again, Romance, God Talk, Anything to Numb, and Empire of Dirt.
Miss May I
Vocals- Levi Benton
Miss May I is an American metalcore band from Troy, Ohio, formed in 2007. They are direct support for All That Remains on this tour. The crowd really got into the music and at times had multiple people crowd surfing into the photo pit. Security seemed concerned at times when bringing reinforcements up front to handle the people. The band stood on platforms in front of the stage at times so everyone in the crowd could get a good view of them. Some of the songs they played include, Under fire, My sorrow and Shadows inside. Miss May I band members include Levi Benton – vocals, B.J. Stead – lead guitar, Justin Aufdemkampe – rhythm guitar, Jerod Boyd – drums, and Ryan Neff – bass.
All That Remains
All That Remains at Rapids Theatre
By this time in the show, the crowd was packed together waiting for All That Remains to kickoff their set. You could feel the anticipation in the air by looking at each crowd member and seeing the smiles on their faces. The lights went black, and each band member walked out one at a time with intro music playing. Then appears the singer, Phil Labonte, walking out in a leather jacket. He quickly walks towards the front of stage and the song “Indictment” starts immediately.
Vocals- Phil Labonte (Photo Credit Mike Miller)
The crowd is instantly into the trance of the metal thrashing music. Drummer Jason Costa, blasting out 32nd note double bass runs and Lead Guitarist Jason Richardson shredding solos, hit the crowd hard. Ear protection was most definitely needed for the music plus the roar from the crowd can damage your hearing.
All That Remains Guitarists
All That Remains asked the crowd at one point, who has seen them before and who has never seen them. The applause for each was 50/50 so the band gained a-lot of new fans in Niagara Falls. They played all their hits from their “Fall of Ideals” album which include; Six, The Weak Willed and This Calling. Check out how far All That Remains has come from our review of when they last played the area at Town Ballroom in 2015 with Swedish band In Flames.
You can catch the All That Remains tour throughout the months of March, April and May. They will have another stop in New York on Thursday May 19th at the Paramount in Huntington.
Psychedelic mainstays Animal Collective brought their mind-bending live show to Brooklyn Steel this past weekend in support of their eleventh studio album Time Skiffs. “A thousand wasted Brooklyners, all depressed” sold out the Bushwick venue to see a band that has been on the forefront of modern psychedelic music for more than 20 years. Fans lined up early as the merch booth was transformed into a pop-up record store, selling nearly every Animal Collective album on vinyl including the Merriweather Post Pavilion special edition.
Animal Collective at Brooklyn Steel, 3/12/22. Photo by Buscar Photo
Animal Collective play a different set every night, but like every show, Saturday night in Brooklyn featured new tracks and a host of favorites and deep cuts. Time Skiffs featured with tracks “Strung With Everything” and “Cherokee” while Strawberry Jam hit “For Reverend Green” closed out the encore. For this tour the band dusted off deep cuts “Chores” and “Applesauce,” both of which have not been played live in 10 years.
Animal Collective at Brooklyn Steel, 3/12/22. Photo by Buscar Photo
Animal Collective are just beginning a very bust tour schedule for the rest of 2022. The US tour is two legs, with March in the east and midwest and May on the west coast. Then the band heads to Europe for two legs in June and November. Head over to their website to see the full schedule and see NYS Music’s photo gallery from the Brooklyn Steel show below, and check out our coverage from their 2016 appearance in NYC.
British indie rock sensation Wet Leg played to a sold out audience at Brooklyn Steel on Thursday (March 10, 2022) with support from Lowertown. Originally scheduled for Music Hall of Williamsburg, the band was forced to change to a larger venue when the show sold out almost immediately. Their meteoric rise in popularity came through their viral hit “Chaise Lounge” released in 2021, which garnered millions of views (and sparked endless memes).
The Atlanta based alternative duo Lowertown opened the evening with an animated and hard hitting set. They whipped the crowd into a frenzy leading up to Wet Leg’s set, and despite this being Lowertown’s first time on tour, they were a highlight in an action packed evening.
With their debut album still on the way, Wet Leg played several unreleased tracks during their nonstop set, as well as crowd favorites “On No,” “Wet Dream,” “Angelica,” and their breakout hit “Chaise Longue.” Throughout the set frontwomen Rhian and Hester interacted with the crowd and each other with genuine charisma and charm. The band played straight through with no encore, ending on their viral hit, “Chaise Longue.” This sold out show of 1800 people marks their biggest North American show to date.
Indie legends The Microphones played a late night set last Tuesday (March 8, 2022) at St. Ann and the Holy Trinity Church. The venue is known for having hosted other indie favorites such as Nick Cave and Sonic Youth throughout the years.
Emily Sprague at St. Ann’s and the Holy Trinity Church by David Reichmann
Emily Sprague opened the show with a warm acoustic set consisting of five songs. Her songs’ themes of death and darkness contrasted with the bright personality that came through when she briefly thanked the audience in the middle and end of her set.
The Microphones at St. Ann’s and the Holy Trinity Church by David Reichmann
Microphones’ Phil Elverum and Jay Blackinton took the stage to applause from the crowded pews, the dim lighting and quiet atmosphere lulling the audience into a quiet state. You could hear shifting seats and the creak of the historic church flooring before they began their set. They laughed and thanked the crowd before beginning their set, commenting on the awkwardness of standing on stage before the songs begin playing.
The Microphones at St. Ann’s and the Holy Trinity Church by David Reichmann
They played just one song, their 45 minute track “Microphones in 2020,” a semi-biographical two-chord meditation on their career which released in 2020 after a near 17 year absence for the band. By the time their set finished, the crowd almost looked dazed. It took a minute for the audience to realize the show had ended, and they gave a standing ovation and hearty cheers as Phil and Jay exited the stage.
You can listen to The Microphone’s catalog here. And you can find Emily Sprague’s music here.
