The B-52’s Halloween Bash – The Fillmore – Philadelphia, PA – October 30, 2016 – Photo by Chris Sikich © 2016 The B-52’s Halloween Bash – The Fillmore – Philadelphia, PA – October 30, 2016 This past Sunday The Fillmore was as festive as you can get for Halloween as a large contingent of Philadelphians dressed up and danced along to one-of-a-kind The B-52’s. Kate Pierson, Cindy Wilson and Fred Schneider and their backing band rocked through the essential hits with their signat

Squeeze – The Keswick Theatre – Glenside, PA – October 14, 2016 – Photo by Deborah Wagner © 2016. Squeeze & The English Beat – The Keswick Theatre – Glenside, PA – October 14, 2016 The 70s and 80s were littered with bands that were given the honorary title “the next Beatles” by fans and the music industry. This was usually reserved for particularly melodic and smart rock-pop bands, ones who had sterling critical acclaim and all of the potential in the world. Unfortunately,

Petty Fest 2016 Petty Fest – The Fonda Theatre – Los Angeles, CA – September 13, 2016 As the fortieth anniversary of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers was upon us, people of The Best Fest decided it was only right to host a tribute show, hosted by The Cabin Down Below Band. Among several guests, the lineup included The Shelters, Brandon Boyd of Incubus, Norah Jones, and Matt Schultz and Matthan Minster of Cage the Elephant. A dedication to the 80s band, the show brought in peop

Glen Hansard – The Keswick Theatre – Glenside, Pennsylvania – September 12, 2016 – Photo by Jay S. Jacobs © 2016 Glen Hansard – The Keswick Theatre – Glenside, Pennsylvania – September 12, 2016 No one wanted the recent Glen Hansard concert in suburban Philadelphia to end, least of all the singer himself, who ended up performing a generous eight-song encore. In fact, it was nine songs if you count the extended snippet of Aretha Franklin’s soul classic “Respect” which he wove

Jeff Lynne’s ELO at The Hollywood Bowl - Photos by Craig T. Mathew/Mathew Imaging Jeff Lynne’s ELO – Hollywood Bowl – Hollywood, California – September 11, 2016 Back in 2001, Jeff Lynne was slated to tour with a new version of ELO (Electric Light Orchestra) in support of his then new album, Zoom. Unfortunately, despite a few warm-up shows, which included an episode of VH1 Storytellers , those dates never panned out. Flash forward 15 years and Lynne and a new company of talen

Rihanna Made In America Festival – Benjamin Franklin Parkway – Philadelphia, PA – September 3 & 4, 2016 Made In America headlined at the Benjamin Franklin Parkway for what may be the last time this past labor day weekend. 2016 marked the end of a five-year contract Budweiser had with the city of Philadelphia, leaving whether or not the event will return up for debate. Regardless, more people than ever showed up to attend – over 150,000, beating last year’s high of close to 12

Zac Brown Band – Atlantic City Boardwalk – Atlantic City, NJ – September 1, 2016 – Photo by Caroline Serling © 2016 Zac Brown Band – Atlantic City Beach – Atlantic City, NJ – September 1, 2016 Country Music With A Twist. Seven piece group, Zac Brown Band, certainly made a splash on the Atlantic City Beach early Monday evening with a killer set list that proved to be an eclectic mix of original songs and iconic covers. The band struck a perfect balance of their unique hits and

Shawn Mendes – The Mann Center – Philadelphia, PA – August 14, 2016 – Photo by Ruth Bekele © 2016 Shawn Mendes – The Mann Center – Philadelphia, PA – August 14, 2016 The Shawn Mendes World Tour stopped by in Philadelphia, as Shawn took the stage at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts playing to a crowd of 13,000+ people. This was one of the biggest shows on the tour. Opening act James TW started the show off right by performing some original songs and covers to get the cr

Slipknot – BB&T Pavilion – Camden, NJ – July 27, 2016 – Photo by Erik Gibbons © 2016. Slipknot, Marilyn Manson & Of Mice and Men – BB&T Pavilion – Camden, NJ – July 27, 2016 On July 27th, a monstrous tour featuring the likes of Of Mice and Men, Marilyn Manson, and Slipknot, stormed through the BB&T Pavilion in Camden, NJ . This show was an absolute spectacle and very well put together overall. I arrived at what seemed to be the middle of Of Mice and Men’s set, which to me wa

Demi Lovato – Hersheypark Stadium – Hershey, PA – July 16, 2016 – Photo by Ruth Bekele © 2016. Demi Lovato and Nick Jonas – Hersheypark Stadium – Hershey, PA – July 16, 2016 Nick Jonas and Demi Lovato took the stage on July 16th at the Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, PA. They were joined by Mike Posner on their Future Now Tour. This is Lovato’s fifth headlining tour and Jonas’ third solo concert tour. The road trip started on June 29th in Atlanta, Georgia, and will end on Sep

Pylon Reenactment Society – Athfest –Morton Theater – Athens, GA – June 23, 2016 – Photo by Chris Sikich © 2016 Athfest – Athens, GA – June 23-26, 2016 Athens, Georgia is a musical hotbed. Its annual Athfest (celebrating its 20th anniversary this year) is a great proving ground for the immense talent here, past and present. This year’s fest, which occurred during the weekend of June 24-26, featured old favorites and some great new faces from Athens and surrounding areas. Begi

Dolly Parton – The Mann Center for the Performing Arts – Philadelphia, PA – June 15, 2016 – Photo by Chris Sikich © 2016 Dolly Parton – The Mann Center for the Performing Arts – Philadelphia, PA – June 15, 2016 Last Wednesday, one of the greatest musicians of all time graced the stage of The Mann — Dolly Parton. Playing a career-spanning set, Parton dazzled with her showmanship, on full display in every aspect of the brilliant performance. Dolly Parton – The Mann Center for t

Birdy – Theater of the Living Arts – Philadelphia, PA – June 10, 2016 – Photo by Sami Speiss © 2016 Birdy & Bahari – Theater of the Living Arts – Philadelphia, PA – June 10, 2016 Bahari – individually known as Ruby Carr, Sidney Sartini, and Natalia Panzarella – is a new band coming out of Southern California with a sound described on their website as “radiant, harmony-rich, brightly melodic.” They opened for Birdy on June 10th at the Theatre of Living Arts. Bahari – Theater o

The Mowgli’s – The Troubadour – Los Angeles, CA – June 8, 2016 – Photo by Camille Jessie © 2016 The Mowgli’s – The Troubadour – Los Angeles, CA – June 8, 2016 For their spring tour, The Mowgli’s brought out a sold out crowd to the legendary Troubadour in West Hollywood, located in the band’s home town of Los Angeles. Their alternative pop rock style drew in people of all ages, along with the opening acts The Greeting Committee and Pom Poms, who both played in effortless harmo

She Shreds Release Party with Lady Lamb – Market Hotel – Brooklyn, NY – May 21, 2016 She Shreds Release Party with Lady Lamb, Allison Crutchfield, Field Mouse & Holly Miranda – Market Hotel – Brooklyn, NY – May 21, 2016 This past Saturday the awesome magazine She Shreds celebrated the release of its tenth issue of female-centric guitar and bass content with a solid show in Brooklyn at the Market Hotel. Headlined by one of our finest songwriters today, Lady Lamb, the four-per

Kiefer Sutherland – World Cafe Live at the Queen – Wilmington, DE – May 11, 2016 – Photo by Jim Rinaldi © 2016. Kiefer Sutherland – World Café Live at The Queen – Wilmington, Delaware – May 11, 2016 Onstage, actor Kiefer Sutherland – best known for the TV series 24, but who has also done many movies over the years including Stand By Me, The Lost Boys, A Few Good Men and Mirrors – good-naturedly acknowledged that he had taken on a different business model for his first cross

Bullet For My Valentine – Starland Ballroom – Sayreville, NJ – May 10, 2016 – Photo by Erik Gibbons © 2016 Bullet For My Valentine, Asking Alexandria & Cane Hill – Starland Ballroom – Sayreville, NJ – May 10, 2016 The spring is the time of the year where you can expect some pretty epic tours. The British Invasion Tour , consisting of Cane Hill, Asking Alexandria, and Bullet For My Valentine is one of those tours. This show took place at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ

Ivan Julian Heart On Fire: The Ivan Julian Benefit – City Winery – New York, NY – May 4, 2016 On Wednesday, May 4, a sold out crowd of punk rock fans celebrated the life thus far of the great Ivan Julian. Struggling with bills for cancer treatment, artists and fans alike have been (and can continue to) contribute to a fund to help ease the financial burden. This night and its Saturday, May 7, counterpart also fulfilled this concept brilliantly. Debbie Harry It was an all-star

Larkin Poe – MilkBoy – Philadelphia, PA – April 20, 2016 – Photo by Caroline Serling © 2016 Larkin Poe – MilkBoy – Philadelphia, PA – April 20, 2016 Pure Girl Power. Larkin Poe made their presence heard loud and clear Wednesday night at the very intimate venue, MilkBoy, in downtown Philadelphia. The two sisters, Rebecca and Megan Lovell, emerged on stage wearing all black, in true rock star fashion. They rocked harder than I have ever seen before. The sisters immediately do

Mount Moriah – Boot & Saddle – Philadelphia, PA – March 12, 2016 – Photo by Chris Sikich © 2016 Mount Moriah – Boot & Saddle – Philadelphia, PA – March 12, 2016 The gorgeous alt-country of Mount Moriah cast a spell over an enthused Boot & Saddle crowd this past Saturday. Led by the powerful vocals and brilliant songwriting of Heather McEntire, Mount Moriah showcased their stellar 2016 LP How to Dance . Toe-tapping, introspective and instantly timeless, songs like “Cardinal C