Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Though Beyonce Knowles has earned fame as an actress and a spokesmodel, she is first and foremost a singer, as she showcases in the entertaining concert film The Beyonce Experience Live. Polished, effortlessly glamorous, and a strong showman, Knowles is the Diana Ross of the 21st century. The singer-songwriter is equally comfortable belting out a rocking dancing number or crooning a heart-wrenching ballad.
For all intents and purposes, Noel and Liam Gallagher are Oasis. So in Oasis: Lord Don’t Slow Me Down, it doesn’t really matter that the rest of the band (which includes Ringo Starr’s son Zak Starkey on drums) wasn’t in the lineup when the group made it big in 1995 with songs such as “Wonderwall.” The two-disc DVD offers a documentary as well as a concert filmed in the group’s native Manchester, England, in 2005. In its heyday, Oasis was at the top of its game.
Thirty-one years after Heart released its breakthrough album “Dreamboat Annie,” the Seattle-based band has made a DVD companion to that record. The concert performance for “Heart: Dreamboat Annie Live” was recorded in April 2007 at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles. The rest of the DVD includes documentaries on the band, along with interviews with Ann and Nancy Wilson–the sisters who are Heart.
Released more than a decade past its peak in popularity, Pearl Jam proves it still has what it takes to captivate an audience with the concert film Immagine in Cornice. Culled from footage taken throughout the band’s 2006 tour of Italy, the film captures the preternaturally youthful Eddie Vedder mesmerizing audiences with his full, rich voice.
During their career peak in the mid- to late 1980s, the Bangles were so famous that Saturday Night Live’s Dennis Miller was parodying lead singer Susanna Hoffs’ precious sideways glance. “The Bangles: Return to Bangleonia” is the female quartet’s live concert offering. But oddly enough, it isn’t a gig from that era, but rather a concert recorded in 2000 at the House of Blues in Hollywood.
Released in conjunction with a CD of the same name, Absolute Garbage is a collection of 15 music videos from the rock band Garbage. Fronted by Shirley Manson, whose smooth and distinctive voice is equally adept at purring as it is growling, the group also includes drummer Butch Vig, guitarist Steve Marker, and bassist Duke Erikson. But make no mistake about it: The visuals are all about the photogenic Manson.
Minnie Driver knew that when she released her debut album, “Everything I’ve Got in My Pocket,” some would be quick to dismiss her as just another actor-turned-wannabe-singer.
There were moments in Jessica Simpson’s concert that seemed to come straight out of a teen pop version of “This Is Spinal Tap.” Some, like the opening vignette where she pretended to lose her way from the dressing room to the stage, were intentional. But there were other moments, probably heartfelt ones, that instead came across as parody.
The No Doubt and Blink-182 rock show had it all: great music, good cartwheels and a pair of shirtless and mohawked drummers. Playing to a near-capacity crowd on Sunday at the Tweeter Center, neither band seemed bothered by the heat and humidity as the musicians ripped through sets that have been played before, but still managed to come across as fresh, brash and vibrant.
The Kelly Clarkson/Clay Aiken concert Monday night at the United Center was exactly what you would expect from a pair of winners — well, one winner and a runner-up — from “American Idol.” It was sweet, earnest and well rehearsed, but not particularly memorable. While it’s clear that each performer has a strong set of pipes, neither has toured enough to put on a truly exhilarating live show. You can sit home and listen to their CDs and pretty much get the same experience.
Let’s face it. We’re not a society that recognizes No. 2 — except when it comes to Clay Aiken. The runner up in last year’s “American Idol” contest has proved to be the little Southern boy who could. His debut album, “Measure of a Man,” easily outsold first-place winner Ruben Studdard’s effort. And Aiken’s the one headlining a tour with Kelly Clarkson, the first “American Idol” winner.
New Year’s Eve concerts traditionally end some time after the clock strikes midnight. But when you’re the Queen of Soul, 2004 begins when you tell it to.
Bye, bye, bye ‘N Sync. Hello Justin Timberlake. With his debut solo album “Justified,” Timberlake has set the ball in motion for a promising career sans J.C., Joey, Lance and Chris. With his current tour, which also features fellow former Mouseketeer Christina Aguilera, Timberlake is showing a more grownup side.
If there was anything lacking at the Blue Man Group’s “Complex Rock Tour” Saturday night at the Rosemont Theatre, I didn’t notice. PVC pipes, Judy Jetson dresses and an odd little trio of bald, blue men. …What more could you ask for in a rock ‘n’ roll concert?
There are few artists who’re better fitted for a lazy summer evening than Sheryl Crow. Her clear, distinctive voice rings effortlessly through a crowd and–just as important–her songs are devoid of any hidden agenda. She writes and sings in such an honest, straightforward manner that you don’t feel duped.
Craig Nicholls, the diminutive frontman of the Vines, set the stage for Q101’s annual Twisted 9 megaconcert Sunday at the Allstate Arena when he lost his footing and fell into the photo pit early in the Vines’ half-hour set. Crawling back onstage, Nicholls threw his guitar around enough to show that while he was p.o.’d and embarrassed, he wasn’t hurt.
Unlike most radio stations’ holiday extravaganzas, WTMX-FM (101.9) takes a less-is-more approach. Instead of glomming eight or 10 bands to play a marathon show in an enormodome, the station known as the Mix selects a couple mainstream acts to headline each year. The result rarely is cutting edge, but almost always a pleasant experience.
Tori Amos has one of those ethereal voices that can make even the mundane sound compelling. Whether she’s performing her breakthrough hit, “Silent All These Years,” or tackling Eminem’s misogynist ” ’97 Bonnie & Clyde” from the woman’s point of view, Amos conveys emotions that reach the listener’s soul.
The Goo Goo Dolls did the best they could Friday night at the Chicago Theatre. But they were playing to an audience that probably didn’t attend a lot of rock concerts. How else could you explain a bunch of grown men [and women-but let’s face it, most of them were guys] who would hurl fluorescent glow sticks at the stage and think the band would enjoy it.
To watch No Doubt on stage, you’d never guess the musicians have ever had anything but happiness in their careers. Some bands are good at faking a good show, but few exude the kind of carefree, childlike joy that makes a show so much fun. Friday night at the Allstate Arena, the California band, fronted by Gwen Stefani, performed just shy of two hours, kicking off the show with “Hella Good.”