After two decades of hits and more than 30 million records sold, country duo Brooks & Dunn have decided to go out on top. Their Last Rodeo Tour, which dropped in on the Tacoma Dome last night, has been billed as their last. But is it, really?
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The lovely, talented Charlotte Gainsbourg dropped by Seattle’s Crocodile Café Wednesday night, only a few shows into her first U.S. tour. Who knew? The French singer-actress has two solid albums under her belt – three if you count the record papa, Serge, wrote for her when she was a pre-teen. But until now, American fans have only been able to witness her talent on the big screen, in movies like “Jane Eyre,” “The Science of Sleep” and, more recently, “Anti-Christ.”
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Black Eyed Peas brought the year’s biggest, slickest hip-hop tour to the Tacoma Dome Saturday night, a high-tech extravaganza that also featured rap hit-maker Ludacris and LMFAO. Here’s some of what you may have missed on the E.N.D. Tour’s second to last night (photos by Ernest Jasmin.)
LMFAO’s Redfoo with robohomie. The rap duo also had help from dancing Legos and adapted one of it’s popular set staples for the locals with “I’m in Tacoma.”
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I’m a slacker when it comes to Texas alt-rock band Spoon, having jumped on the veteran outfit’s bandwagon only a decade late. And to be honest, I was only on the edge of that bandwagon until just a few weeks ago. Sure, I enjoyed the band’s fifth and sixth albums “Gimme Fiction” and “GaGaGaGaGa,” but I wasn’t truly hooked until I got my hands on the new “Transference” disc, which hit stores in January.
It showcases a grittier turn in band leader Britt Daniel’s songwriting that gradually drew me in until I became totally obsessed. Lately, I’ve related most to “Before Destruction,” the world-weary track the quartet – also bassist Rob Pope, keyboard player Eric Harvey and drummer Jim Eno – kicked off with Friday night at Seattle’s Moore Theatre, followed by another album standout, the jammy “I Saw the Light.”
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Three skyscraper-shaped pillars loomed over Silversun Pickups during the L.A. quartet’s opening set Friday night at KeyArena. And shortly after recalling the time his band kicked it at the Fremont Troll and an early gig at Fremont Oktoberfest, singer-guitarist Brian Aubert delivered a warning about those foreboding props and tour mates, Muse.
“Your brains are gonna melt a little bit. If you care about your brain, you should leave.”
Joke or no joke, I wasn’t about to take off. Strangely, last night was my first time seeing the heavily hyped Muse live show. From traffic jams to conflicting assignments, something has always gotten in the way. But now I know to take the Pickups‘ P.S.A. more seriously. I think I did feel my grey matter liquefying – just a little – during an epic two-hour set that left me breathless many times.
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George Strait has sold something like 70 million records. So plenty of people will passionately disagree with me, especially the guy sitting two rows behind me at the Tacoma Dome Saturday night, screaming “I LOVE YOU, GEORGE STRAIT!” loud enough to rupture a sober man’s vocal chords after every single song. (OK, we get it, dude. Enjoy your laryngitis.) But I really don’t think Strait should go on after Reba McEntire.
The King of Country’s Twang tour showcased three of country’s brightest stars – also opener Lee Ann Womack – with 4 ½ hours of smash hits delivered in the …
Behold, the monsters of Northwest rock! First Seattle rock kings Pearl Jam took over KeyArena for two epic nights, Monday and Tuesday. Tonight, Alice in Chains will unleash material from comeback album “Black Gives Way to Blue” to a full house at Seattle’s Moore Theatre.
But last night it was all about Heart, the underrated queenpins of Seattle rock. (So why didn’t guitar goddess Nancy Wilson make Rolling Stone’s controversial greatest guitarists list again? That chica has served up some mighty tasty riffs over the years. But at least Guitar Hero is finally giving her props. But I digress.)
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Spoon’s Britt Daniel, during an early set that included “Before Destruction,” “I Saw the Light” and “The Underdog.” (All photos by Ernest Jasmin).