Hard rocking “supergroup” Chickenfoot made their Atlanta debut Sunday night, August 30, at the sold out Tabernacle. Chickenfoot is comprised of former Van Halen members Sammy Hagar (vocals) and Michael Anthony (bass), solo artist Joe Satriani (guitar) and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith. The band released their self-titled debut album, Chickenfoot, on June 5, 2009.  The band was filming the concert, so the photographers shot from the soundboard. Young guitar phenom Davy Knowles & Back Door Slam opened the show. WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE SHOW? FOR VAN HALEN FANS, DO YOU PREFER SAMMY OR DAVID LEE?

(Photo Credit:Robb D. Cohen/ www.robbsphotos.com)

For other concert photography linked to Access Atlanta, please visit www.RobbsPhotos.com for Atlanta Concert Photography Galleries.  by Atlanta Photographer Robb Cohen

Continue reading “Supergroup” Chickenfoot Rocks Sold Out Tabernacle »

SEE THE FULL PHOTO GALLERY: 90’s R&B hitmakers at Chastain

The Delta Classic Chastain Concert Series hosted a packed crowd Saturday night, August 29, as 90’s R&B hitmakers En Vogue, Tony!Toni!Tone! and Silk entertained under beautiful skies. Assembled in Oakland, California in July 1989, the original members of Grammy-nominated En Vogue are Cindy Herron, Maxine Jones, Dawn Robinson and Terry Ellis. The inspiration behind the group came when the production duo of Foster and Mc Elroy sought to put together a modern-day girl group in the tradition of past girl groups of the 1950s and 1960s. The group’s original name was “For You.” They shifted to “Vogue”, but ultimately settled on En Vogue, upon learning that another group had already claimed that name.

To date, En Vogue has sold over twenty million albums and singles worldwide. They have won more MTV Video Music Awards than any other female group in MTV history, a total of seven, along with three Soul Train Awards, two American …

Continue reading En Vogue, Tony!Toni!Tone! & Silk at Chastain »

The Flaming Lips formed in Oklahoma City in 1983, with Wayne Coyne’s brother Mark singing lead vocals. After Mark’s departure, Wayne took over the frontman role and the three-time Grammy winners were on their way. They are known for their elaborate live shows, which feature costumes, balloons, puppets, video projections, complex stage light configurations, giant hands, large amounts of confetti, and singer Wayne Coyne’s signature man-sized plastic bubble, in which he traverses the audience. Fans at Chastain last night were treated to a great show. In 2002, Q magazine named The Flaming Lips one of the “50 Bands to See Before You Die”. WHAT BAND PUTS ON A BETTER LIVE SHOW? (Photo Credit:Matt Alexandre/ www.robbsphotos.com)

For other concert photography linked to Access Atlanta, please visit www.RobbsPhotos.com for Atlanta Concert Photography Galleries.  by Atlanta Photographer Robb Cohen

Continue reading The Flaming Lips Take Over Chastain Wednesday Night »

Randy Houser

Randy Houser

“Boots On” has made Houser the first new male country artist to reach the Top 10 country singles chart this year, but it wasn’t his first Top 10 success. He was one of the writers of “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk,” the Trace Adkins-recorded tribute to the tush that hit No. 2 on the country chart in 2006.

10:30 p.m. Aug. 28. $15-$30. Cowboys, 1750 N. Roberts Road, Kennesaw. 770-426-5006, www.cowboysatl.com.

SATURDAY

“Crüe Fest 2: The White Trash Circus”

Secure your daughters, Atlanta, because the kings of excessive ’80s metal, Mötley Crüe, are back. The band’s stupid-but-fun head-banging pop-metal often takes a back seat to the sex and decadence that surrounds them.

5 p.m. Aug. 29. $29.50-$95. Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood, 2002 Lakewood Way. 404-443-5000, www.livenation.com.

SUNDAY

Chickenfoot

Or the Van Hagar Peppers featuring Joe Satriani. This supergroup – former Van Halen members vocalist Sammy Hagar and bassist Michael …

Continue reading Live music picks Aug. 28-Sept. 3 »

AC/DC returns to Philips Arena on Oct. 23. Credit: Columbia/Sony

LN = Live Nation, 1-877-598-8698, www.livenation.com
TM = Ticketmaster, 404-249-6400, www.ticketmaster.com
TA = Ticketalternative, 1-877-725-8849, www.ticketalternative.com

ON SALE AUG. 28
2009 ProgPower USA Mid-Week Mayhem featuring Pagan Maximus and Mindcrime. 7 p.m. Sept. 9. The Loft. $20. TM.
2009 ProgPower USA Showcase featuring Primal Fear, Enchant, Suspyre and Future’s End. 6:30 p.m. Sept. 10. Center Stage. $38. TM.
Bangkok Fight Night III. 8 p.m. Sept. 25. Center Stage. $28-$59. TM.
Hope Sandoval and The Warm Inventions. 8:30 p.m. Oct. 16. The Loft. $20. TA.
Tinsley Ellis. 8:30 p.m. Oct. 23. Variety Playhouse. $20; $17.50 advance. TM.
Unknown Hinson. 9 p.m. Oct. 24. Variety Playhouse. $25; $22.50 advance. TM.
Steve Morse Band. 8:30 p.m. Oct. 31. Variety Playhouse. $25; $22.50 advance. TM.
Peaches. 8:30 p.m. Nov. 9. Center Stage. $20. TM.
Jean-Luc Ponty. 7:30 p.m. Nov. 15. Variety Playhouse. $30; $27.50 …

Continue reading Hot tickets 8/25 »

Rob Thomas played an intimate acoustic set for select listeners of Star94 at the W Hotel in Buckhead on Friday, August 21, 2009. Here are some photos from the performance by the Matchbox 20 singer-songwriter, who will be playing at the Fox Theatre on September 30. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF ROB THOMAS’ MUSIC? (Photo Credit:Matt Alexandre/ www.robbsphotos.com)

For other concert photography linked to Access Atlanta, please visit www.RobbsPhotos.com for Atlanta Concert Photography Galleries.  by Atlanta Photographer Robb Cohen

Continue reading ROB THOMAS PLAYS INTIMATE SHOW IN BUCKHEAD »

The Southwest Arts Center has been a popular venue over the last several weeks, hosting sold-out performances of True Color’s “For Colored Girls…” Now the center will be home to a live jazz series that begins on Saturday night with two performances by Pieces of Dream and violinist Ken Ford.

The shows start at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. Tickets $38 at ticketalternative.com or by calling 877-725-8849. Southwest Arts Center is at 915 Hope Road SW, Atlanta.

The “Mind, Body & Soul,” concert series continues through November. The lineup includes:

Nick Colionne & Jackiem Joyner on Sept. 26

Marcus Johnson on Oct. 17.

The Nov. 14 act has not been announced yet.

Continue reading Pieces of a Dream, Ken Ford kick off jazz series »

Los Lobos

Los Lobos with Delta Moon
8 p.m. Aug. 28. $35. Atlanta Botanical Garden, 1345 Piedmont Ave. N.E., Atlanta, 404-876-5859. www.ticketmaster.com or charge by phone at 404-249-6400.

By Bob Townsend

For the AJC

Los Lobos can be counted as one of the most original, musical and long-lived American bands of recent times. Emerging from East Los Angeles in the late ’70s, Cesar Rosas, David Hidalgo, Louie Perez and Conrad Lozano played in cover bands and explored Mexican folk music. They went on to become part of the L.A. punk and roots rock scene of the early ’80s, along with the likes of the Blasters and X.
Saxophonist Steve Berlin joined Los Lobos during that time, helping produce the band’s early albums. While the 1987 soundtrack to the Richie Valens biopic, “La Bamba,” marked its greatest commercial success with a hit single, Los Lobos went on to make a long string of recordings with eclectic influences from rock, country, folk, R&B, blues, traditional Mexican …

Continue reading Los Lobos in the Garden »

Judas Priest and Pop Evil played to a nearly full crowd Thursday night, August 20 at Verizon Amphitheatre at Encore Park in Alpharetta. Whitesnake was scheduled as the support act but dropped off the tour due to an injury to singer David Coverdale’s vocal chords.

Heavy metal icons Judas Priest formed in Birmingham, England, in 1969. Judas Priest’s core line-up consists of bassist Ian Hill, vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and K. K. Downing, and drummer Scott Travis. Their popularity and status as one of the definitive heavy metal bands has earned them the nickname “Metal Gods” from their song of the same name. They have sold over 35 million albums worldwide. Judas Priest have influenced all metal music since the late-mid 70s either directly or indirectly, and their influence was so important that MTV named them the second most important band in heavy metal, just behind Black Sabbath. Along with Kiss, Queen, and Def Leppard, Judas Priest were the inaugural …

Continue reading JUDAS PRIEST INVADES ALPHARETTA »

TODAY

O.A.R. Photo: Danny Clinch

O.A.R.

This rock quintet, formed at Ohio State University, had already built a major following through word-of-mouth buzz about its well-attended live shows, but they remained a well-kept secret to most of the world. Then came last year’s “All Sides,” which included “Shattered (Turn the Car Around),” the band’s first Top 40 entry and a No. 1 hit on Billboard’s Album Adult Alternative chart.

8 p.m. Aug. 21. $35. Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, 2200 Encore Parkway, Alpharetta. 404-733-5010.

Blue October, Switchfoot

Blue October emerged just as the prospects for another post-grunge rock band seemed dim (circa 2000). Against the odds, they’re around nearly a decade later, exploring a more interesting way forward for a sub-genre that seems stuck in a Nickelbackian, though lucrative, dead end. San Diego rock band Switchfoot is one of the most successful mainstream graduates from the Christian rock market.

8 p.m. Aug. 21. Masquerade …

Continue reading Live Music Picks Aug. 21-26 »