Remembering the Encores

Who: Outsidelands When: August 10-12, 2018 Where: Golden Gate Park/ San Francisco, CA With: A large number of children who now love their drunk Auntie Jen Of Note: Oh Outsidelands, I'm so glad I can't quit you. Day 1: Lauv, Perfume Genius, Caleborate, Carly Rae Jepsen, Lucy Dacus, Chelsea Peretti, The Weeknd Day 2: Jessie Reyez, Freya Ridings, Jonathan Van Ness, CHVRCHES, Tycho, Bon Iver, Florence + The Machine Day 3: Janelle Monae, Portugal. The Man, Salt & Peppa, Janet Jackson I could give you my usual, "Oh look, I'm probably too old to be doing this but am going to cling to my youth until I am so old and decrepit that the arthritis in my knuckles won't let me cling anymore," but I won't. Instead, I want to talk about how Outsidelands 2018 was all about the ladies. I spent a weekend in the park and was completely uplifted by messages of love, compassion, inclusion, and change - (almost) all of which came from amazing female artists. ...

Today, someone on the internet posted a clickbait article, ' What You Were Supposed To Learn Between 2016 And 2018, Based On Your Zodiac Sign '. Here's what mine said: And, that probably makes sense?  Someday, when I'm old and trying to stave off senility, I'll probably recall 2017 as "the year I started at Revel" or maybe "the year I started/tried doing stand-up comedy" or "the year Melissa and Beth finally came to visit me in California".  In the nearer range future, I hope to think of 2017 as "the year I started becoming at least somewhat less of a shitshow" and (in the tiniest, non-jinx-y voice imaginable) "the year Buffalo broke the drought".  And, maybe all that rolls up to 'find(ing) (my) passion again'.  Creating a new type of content has been fun.  Professional life in 2017 has been very rewarding after a 2016 period of stagnation/frustration. But, regardless of the year and what I did/ didn...

Who: Outsidelands When: August 11-13, 2017 Where: Golden Gate Park/ San Francisco, CA With: All the San Franciscans. All of them. Of Note: This is going to get a little schmaltzy. Day 1: Tove Lo, Sleigh Bells, Belle + Sebastian, Future Islands, RAC Day 2: John Moreland, San Fermin, Joseph, Lemon Twigs, Vance Joy, Claude VonStroke, Empire of the Sun Day 3: Jacob Banks, K.Flay, Bleachers, Young the Giant, Lorde, Shots Fired, The Who Okay, so, Outsidelands was this week-end. And, as it's in my neighborhood, my choices are either to attend it or to leave the state. There is no in between. But, I love music and love festivals and bought a super duper early bird ticket (before the line up was announced early) and off to the park I went. The first set I saw on Friday was one of the smartest pop acts of today, Tove Lo. I've seen her before and loved her and was excited to see what she'd do with a festival set. I got to the park, filled up my water bottle, grabb...

Who: John Mayer with LANY When: April 22, 2017 Where: T-Mobile Arena/ Las Vegas, NV With: Alex Of Note: #24hoursinVegas [Insert standard jokes about dusting the cobwebs off of this place.] So, in April, I flew to Vegas to see John Mayer because this was the first leg of his first solo tour in four years and I was not going to miss it, dammit. (Even if subsequent legs of the tour are coming to SF.) My feelings for John Mayer have been well documented here at RTE . I adore him - and looking back at what I've written about the times I've seen him in the past still hold up. The sentiment that, "I feel a little like I've grown up with him," seems more applicable than ever. His most recent album -'The Search for Everything' - brings us a John that has learned a few lessons, seen a few things, and is a bit more honest. I feel you, dude. When the first single, 'Love on the Weekend', dropped, I listed to it on repeat for a full weeken...

Standard disclaimer on how this is less fun on the west coast; I am social media unspoiled though so let's see what goes down.  Though, since Justin Bieber has publicly declared that the Grammys aren't relevant anymore, is there any point? Kicking off with a heavy hitter, Adele right out of the gate.  Her hair and make-up look phenomenal and that dress is so much better than what she's worn in the past.  New styling team?  Her pipes remain as impressive as ever though, this song was not one that really did it for me.  Or maybe that spring where I did nothing but listen to '21' and cry on airplanes ruined Adele for me. Is James Corden actually stuck in the stairs or is this a bit.  Oh, it's a bit.  Got it.  Was the point of that, "James Corden is good at physical comedy?"  Because this sequence is not doing a whole lot for me.  I have a lot of of love for James Corden because of a lot of his gimmicks, his appearance in 'Begin Again',...

New Year, new music, right? Theo Katzman / Hard Work I've written about how charmed I was by Theo Katzman when I first saw him .  His new album, Heartbreak Hits, is outstanding from beginning to end - a full profile of what a broken heart feels like.  'Hard Work' is a stand-out for its spot on sentiment (I put in the work, why can't I reap the benefits?) and it's rocking chorus. Ben Phipps / I Don't Think So This is pure pop magic with a side of knowing when to call it quits. Adam Levine / No One Else Like You I have no idea how I'd never seen the movie 'Begin Again' but once I did, I listened to the soundtrack non-stop.  Though I didn't 100% believe Keira Knightley as a powerhouse of vocal talent, her acting was lovely and Mark Ruffalo was outstanding.  Adam Levine as as the recently douche-ified star boyfriend, James Corden as the dedicated friend, and Hailee Steinfeld as the sullen daughter round out an outstanding cast. ...