Rufus Wainwright

Sun, 13 May 2012 11:50:48 +0000

Music Reviews: Rufus Wainwright's 15-year recording career has, at times, been brilliant and utterly unique.

Lady Antebellum

Sun, 06 May 2012 17:14:23 +0000

Music Reviews: The band turned up the energy and the volume with aplomb, hitting just about all of the right notes in a genial, not-too-glossy 90-minute set.

Carlos Santana

Thu, 03 May 2012 11:44:14 +0000

Music Reviews||Live Events: After performing at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino's The Joint for a few years, Carlos Santana has moved his residency onto the Strip to his new home, Mandalay Bay's more intimate House of Blues.

Coldplay

Wed, 02 May 2012 14:53:25 +0000

Music Reviews||Live Events: Since late 2000, Coldplay has remained one of the most consistently successful acts in rock music. In an industry that has struggled mightily to adjust to modern consumption habits, these four decidedly awkward Brits comprise a near bulletproof commercial conglomerate. The band's most recent album, 2011's "Mylo Xyloto," has continued this trend, selling 4.5 million albums globally. Now six dates into its North American tour, Coldplay has set up shop for three sold-out nights at the Hollywood Bowl.

Esperanza Spalding

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:25:43 +0000

Music Reviews||Live Events: Esperanza Spalding is one extravagantly gifted young woman. She has stage presence, sings well, plays electric and acoustic double bass like a demon, writes and arranges most of her own material, has a social conscience, and isn't afraid to constantly push her talents outward in different directions.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 07:53:51 +0000

Music Reviews: With a 15-member supersized E Street Band at his disposal, Bruce Springsteen delivered an emotional wallop to go along with his 40-year repertoire of songs.

Elvis Costello and the Imposters

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 17:28:19 +0000

Music Reviews: On Tuesday night Elvis Costello returned to Los Angeles, a little less than a year after his successful run of "Spinning Songbook" shows at the Wiltern Theater.

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival: Day Three

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:14:58 +0000

Music Reviews: Three-day fest was as admirably organized and as well structured as a multi-course meal, but on Sunday night, the lineup that threw all nutritional balance out the window, serving up one dessert course after another.

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival: Day Two

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 11:31:48 +0000

Music Reviews: An unusually low-key main stage succession helped point the way to greater excitement on the satellite stages.

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival: Day One

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 12:32:31 +0000

Music Reviews: Review of first day of the 2012 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival .

Philip Glass: Symphony No. 9

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 10:57:30 +0000

Music Reviews: Philip Glass's Ninth Symphony was played on the West Coast for the first time Thursday night with a celebrated fellow graduate from the minimalist school, John Adams, leading the co-commissioning Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Norah Jones

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 17:40:32 +0000

Music Reviews: Norah Jones previewed her forthcoming album in its entirety at an intimate performance on the final night of Austin's SXSW Music Festival.

Jack White

Sun, 18 Mar 2012 12:02:40 +0000

Music Reviews: Imagine the ruckus Jack White can create when accompanied by two full bands.

Fiona Apple

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 13:53:56 +0000

Music Reviews||Live Events: One of the most highly anticipated events of the first full day of Austin's SXSW Music Festival was Fiona Apple's return to the stage to preview her forthcoming album -- her first since 2005's critically acclaimed "Extraordinary Machine." The new album is slated for a June release on Epic Records, and its title is a whopping 23 words long: "The Idler Wheel is wiser than the Driver of the Screw, and Whipping Cords will serve you more than Ropes will ever do" (unusual capitalization intended). Judging from her performance tonight, she still has plenty to say.

The Black Keys

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 17:43:43 +0000

Music Reviews||Live Events: If there was any lingering doubt that the Black Keys have what it takes to headline arenas, it was erased during the rock duo's sold-out Madison Square Garden set Monday night.

Van Halen

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 13:48:51 +0000

Music Reviews: Time heals most wounds, and those that remain can often be assuaged by cold cash. That's the lesson served up by the latest reboot of Van Halen.

Albert Herring

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 18:51:16 +0000

Music Reviews: lA Opera doesn't mess around when it comes to celebrating the upcoming centennial of Benjamin Britten's birth next year. Rather than another "Peter Grimes" or "Billy Budd," they've gone with "The Turn of the Screw" and now the even more seldomly performed "Albert Herring."

Ryan Adams

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 08:31:13 +0000

Music Reviews: Ryan Adams engaged the crowd with a career-spanning set that was loose, conversational and downright beautifully performed.

Simon Boccanegra

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:40:38 +0000

Music Reviews: People who don't like opera just don't understand. Opera is not so much an art as a sport. As evidenced by Saturday's perf at LA Opera, Domingo is the world's greatest opera athlete.

Tuneyards

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 14:28:07 +0000

Music Reviews: Thinking outside the box has long been a touchstone of the bookings for the Allen Room's New American Songbook Series, but seldom has "outside" been taken more literally than at this perf – which actually ended across the street in Central Park, via a Mardi Gras styled parade led by Tuneyards' leader Merrill Garbus.