Yes, Outside Lands hasn’t been over for more than 24 hours and we’re already firing you up for more live music. That’s what junkies do.
Tuesday: Rise Against at The Masonic
Sure, Rise Against's evolution from righteous punk outfit to alt-rock purveyors turned off some hardcore fans, but the socially aware spirit has endured throughout their decade-spanning career. The Chicago-based four-piece proved their voice still resonates as loud as ever with their 2014 release — their seventh LP to date — The Black Market, which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart. Audiences across America have responded at shows, earning the band a year-plus tour in support of the album, and currently in the midst of a follow-up 19-date North American tour. Still. Got. It.
Friday & Saturday: Taylor Swift at Levi's Stadium
FANBOYS AND GIRLS. Enough is enough. Please do not attempt to grab Ms. Swift when she’s onstage like this fool. Let the nice pop star do her thing, please and thanks.
Friday: Nicki Minaj at Concord Pavilion
World booty champion Nicki Minaj managed to drag herself into the Drake-Meek Mill insanity last week with a calculated Instagram post of her boyfriend, Meek Mill, grabbing her in the rump, supposedly as some sort of bizarre show of solidarity or jealousy grab. You mad Drake? Oh, you can get any girl you want, anytime? Oh, alright then. What else ya got, Minaj?
Saturday: Jackson Browne at Greek Theatre
Singer-songwriter Jackson Browne is now 14 albums deep into his legendary career, and he could easily hit the "Rest on Your Laurels" button and call it a day. Yet somehow his work still evolves at the age of 66, pushing envelopes and his voice in unexpected ways. His latest, Standing in the Breach, hits personal and political notes in one fell swoop. Rolling Stone acknowledged his working philosophy on the album, and beyond: “Like John Lennon, he's enough of an artist to understand that imagining the world as it should be is the first step in bringing that world about. However, the next step – doing something – is even more important.” You be you, Jackson.
Saturday: Con Brio at SFJAZZ Center
Is it too soon to call Con Brio a San Francisco institution? Perhaps that’s overdoing it for a band that only formed in 2013, but the group's relentless gigging makes it seem like they’ve been around forever. The band manages to channel SF funk forefathers Sly Stone and soul icon James Brown in the course of a single song. Good thing SFJazz Center is clearing the seats for this one to allow for a proper dancehall setting and max local motioning.
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