Grammy winning rapper Lil Wayne headlined America’s Most Wanted Tour Sunday night, August 9, 2009, at the nearly full Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood. Also performing were Young Jeezy, Soulja Boy, Pleasure P and Jeremih. The hot steamy weather didn’t restrict the crowd’s energy as thousands of hip hop fans stood on their feet, dancing and singing along with each of the acts, culminating in Lil Wayne’s 90-plus minute sizzling set. One highlight from the concert was a surprise appearance by Akon during Young Jeezy’s set, as the two performed “Soul Survivor.” Akon and his brother watched Lil Wayne’s performance from the soundboard, signing autographs and posing for photos. The next big hip hop show takes place this coming Friday night as Mos Def and Jay Electronica play the Tabernacle. I’m told there are still a few tickets remaining for this show. WHO STOLE THE SHOW TONIGHT? WHAT WERE SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS? HOW DID THIS LIL WAYNE SHOW COMPARE TO NEW YEAR’S EVE AT PHILIPS …

Continue reading LIL WAYNE & YOUNG JEEZY ROCK LAKEWOOD SUNDAY NIGHT »

Stage

How desperately does Atlanta need a 300-person capacity music venue with amazing acoustics located in a neighborhood that embraces its mission? It almost happened and still could if a buyer steps up to the plate. Local artist and musician Evan Levy has spent the last year converting The Temple, an AME church on Wylie Street in Reynoldstown, into an amazing event space. Renovation of the two-story granite building with original heart of pine floors and 20 stunning stained glass windows is nearly complete, and it’s already been re-zoned commercial. Several big-name touring artists have already inquired about recording in the space — the acoustics have to be heard to be believed. Now it just needs a loving owner to make it happen. For details, see 889wylie.com.

From the stage

Continue reading The best music venue you’ll never go to »

FRIDAY

The Duke & the King

The Duke & the King. Photo: Dave Herron

Drummers Simone Felice (of the Felice Brothers) and Robert “Chicken” Burke (who has worked with Toshi Reagon and George Clinton) team up for an album that piles wistful melodies on top of a slightly off-kilter twist on rootsy Americana. “Nothing Gold Can Stay” is a dark gem, full of regret and longing, its simple, pretty surface underpinned by unexpected instrumental textures.

8 p.m. Aug. 7. $12-$15. Eddie’s Attic, 515-B N. McDonough St., Decatur. 404-377-4976, www.eddiesattic.com.

FRIDAY

De La Soul

When De La Soul emerged with debut album “3 Feet High and Rising” in 1989, the trio carved out new possibilities for hip-hop. The Grammy category Best Urban/Alternative Performance is unimaginable without these pioneers.

7 p.m. Aug. 7. $25. The Masquerade, 695 North Ave. 404-577-8178, www.masq.com.

FRIDAY

The Glenn Miller Orchestra

The quickest way to musically evoke World War II? Play something by the Glenn Miller …

Continue reading Live Music Picks Aug. 7-13 »

Beatles circa 1965

Anyone familiar with live music performances knows that an integral part of the sound system are the monitors — speakers directed toward the musicians that allow them to hear themselves as the audience does.

But did you know they were not commonly used until the Beatles played the Atlanta Stadium in 1965?

Faced with having to project the sound over the din of screaming fans, according to a story by Bo Emerson in Living & Arts on Sunday, sound man Duke Mewborn of Baker Audio on Peachtree Street hit upon the idea of using monitors. And according to a note sent by Beatles manager Brian Epstein, the Atlanta system was “excellent. Without question proved the most effective of all during our U.S. tour 1965.”

Read all about it:

By Bo Emerson

As Sir Paul McCartney readies his young band for a trip to Piedmont Park Aug. 15, it might be a good time to consider sound.
Until the Beatles invented the stadium concert in August 1965, rock ’n’ roll bands had not performed …

Continue reading Beatles Atlanta show made history in more ways than one »

Regina Spektor will play at the Tabernacle on Oct. 6-7. Tickets go on sale Aug. 7. Credit: Big Hassle

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. 5
Lydia with Play Radio Play. 8 p.m. Sept. 29. Vinyl. $10. TA.

ON SALE AUG. 6
Senses Fail. 7 p.m. Oct. 17. Masquerade. $15 advance. TM.

ON SALE AUG. 7
The Disco Biscuits with Injected Mushroom and Two Fresh. 7:30 p.m. Sept. 25. The Tabernacle. $30; $25 advance. LN.
Regina Spektor (pictured). 7:30 p.m. Oct. 6-7. The Tabernacle. $60-$68, two days; $30-$34, one day. LN.
The Gourds. 8:30 p.m. Oct. 9. Variety Playhouse. $17.50; $15 advance. TM.
Lucero. 7 p.m. Oct. 10. Masquerade. $15 advance. TM.
Colbie Caillat with Howie Day. 7:30 p.m. Oct. 19. Variety Playhouse. $33; $30 advance. TM.
Thursday. 6:30 p.m. Oct. 23. Masquerade. $15 advance. TM.
Buju Banton. 9 p.m. Oct. 24. Center Stage. $29; $27 …

Continue reading Hot tickets 8/4 »

Paul McCartney and Youth

The AJC spoke to Paul McCartney this weekend for a story that appears in Living & Arts next Sunday to preview his “Green Concert” benefiting the Piedmont Park Conservancy on Aug. 15.

The playlist is sure to contain lots of nostalgic favorites, but his upcoming show inspired me to break out one of McCartney’s newer, more experimental CDs. If you haven’t heard The Fireman, the pseudonym for McCartney’s electronica work with Youth, a London DJ and producer, you don’t know what you’re missing. The first two releases were wholly instrumental and McCartney was uncredited. In 2008’s terrific “Electric Arguments,” vocals were introduced and the secret was out. If there’s any doubt that a 67-year-old musician can still innovate, this is proof.

About The Fireman, McCartney told the AJC:

“It was going in and just completely making it up as we went along, just playing any instrument I wanted, putting in anything I wanted, and we would just make something of it. …

Continue reading Paul McCartney: Never too old to learn new tricks »

This from AJC staffer April Hunt:

When you become an Important Band – writing social protest songs, being analyzed in the New York Times, orchestrating concept albums –  ”serious” becomes the expectation.

Thank God no one told Green Day that.

The band roared into Atlanta Saturday with a nearly three-hour show at Gwinnett Arena that opened with a drunken bunny, featured front man Billie Joe Armstrong alternately humping the stage and mocking self-important southern televangelists and ended  27 songs later with proof that rock ‘n’ roll is about the party.

“It’s time to get drunk and have some fun,” Armstrong shouted to the crowd already bouncing around from the crashing guitars and pyrotechnics of the first four songs.

Then he pointed to one woman seated on stage left. “I want to see Mom get drunk and throw up on the daughter. When you were a little baby, you did that to her, and now it’s payback time.”

“King of inappropriate here,” he laughed before launching into “Before the …

Continue reading Green Day party bridges generations »

Check out these Green Day photos from Voodoo Music Festival, October 16, 2004, City Park, New Orleans, LA. 

WHO  WAS  AT  THIS  CONCERT?

Continue reading GREEN DAY @ VOODOO MUSIC FEST, OCTOBER 16, 2004 »

I just got in from shooting Green Day and Kaiser Chiefs, both cool bands that put on great shows. I got killer shots and am posting some quick edits for you. Its pretty late, so I’m going to crash and knock out my photo gallery and blog review in the morning. Enjoy these shots as a teaser and please check back Sunday noon. (UPDATE: Here’s the finished gallery.)

What did you think of the show? Where would you rank Billie Joe Armstrong as a frontman? For other concert photography linked to Access Atlanta, please visit RobbsPhotos.com for Atlanta Concert Photography Galleries.  by Atlanta Photographer Robb Cohen

Continue reading GREEN DAY ROCKS GWINNETT »

The Top Ten are shown performing

Season 8 winner Kris Allen

Crowd favorite and runner-up Adam Lambert

The American Idols Live! Tour 2009 (see the full photo gallery here) entertained a sold out Gwinnett Arena on Friday night, July 31, 2009. The eighth season produced a very strong Top 10, featuring Season 8 winner Kris Allen, Adam Lambert, Allison Iraheta, Anoop Desai, Danny Gokey, Lil Rounds, Matt Giraud, Megan Joy, Michael Sarver and Scott MacIntyre. The group is shown performing “Don’t Stop Believing” as their closing song. The extremely diverse crowd, from babies to seniors, overwhelmingly screamed loudest all night for runner-up Adam Lambert, who appears to be the next superstar to emerge from the reality show. Adam performed “Mad World” and hit some phenominal high notes. Other stand-outs included the inspirational, blind Scott MacIntyre, Kris Allen and Matt Giraud. The closing number, “Don’t Stop Believing,” featured all of the Top Ten finalists. Who did you think were …

Continue reading American Idols Live! Tour 2009 Invades Atlanta Friday »