Jared had an amazing chemistry with the crowd and interacted with them unlike any artist I have seen before.

I am not sure that I will actually go out and buy the bands new album “This Is War” simply due to the fact listening to an album really isn’t my style. But I will make sure to catch them in concert again when the opportunity arises. -Lorn

This show with the Pixies was truly amazing.  Doolittle is an incredible album, but really it was just the fact that I was totally unprepared for this show to even occur.  I have been a fan of the Pixies for a long time and I even saw them when they reunited at the ACL festival in Austin, TX, but this show just popped up on me.

I guess I have been so busy lately I just didn’t realize the show was coming up.  Boy was I pleased when I did realize and we were able to get tickets to the show literally last minute.  The performance was truly enjoyable and the stage production was visually stunning.

Photo by Scott Kampmeyer for the LAist

The crowd sang along to many of the songs and the feeling was of collective joy.  The Pixies aren’t necessarily the greatest musicians of all time, but their creativity and the song writing create a unique place in the mind.  I think the 3 shows at The Palladium in November 2009 demonstrate that without question.

Photo by Scott Kampmeyer for the LAist

Check out the the Pixies website for Upcoming Tour Dates

Willie Nelson Video Concert Reviews - Nashville, TN 11-5-09 from Chrystal Heidemann on Vimeo.

“Eeeeeveryboody Loooves Willie!” - I don’t know if that’s a common chant at Willie Nelson concerts, but it’s my favorite audience reaction of all time. It’s so true. If I had to use two older men to describe American style, I choose Hugh Hefner and Willie Nelson.

As I watched the wise and talented 76-year-old man sing, I could actually feel that he was guided through each song by the emotion and memory of life experience - not the teleprompter that ran in front of his feet. (Really, why was it even there?) I hung onto every word, and even shivered a couple of times because it was so touching. I love the Hawaiian tones in his sound. It reminded me of our beautiful trip to Maui, and the little town of Paia before the Road to Hana that Willie is fond of.

Photo Credit: Mark Boone

From the worn guitar he played to his long braids, Willie is a man who has stayed true to himself and his music. It was precious when he tried to reach a higher note, and it came in a smidgen late. At the next brief pause in the song he laughed and said, “I lost my voice.” <3 It took me at least 5 songs to notice that there wasn’t any percussion on stage. The band stayed to tempo and kept the sound clean using musical precision and following eachother. They made it look so easy!

The audience was loving the show. Willie reciprocated with sparkling eyes and a bright smile. He threw his hat into the audience, and then someone threw theirs up on stage, which he wore the rest of the show.

Photo Credit: Mark Boone

After his final song, he shook hands and signed a bunch of autographs at the front of the stage. I was one of those lucky ones. I’ll never forget looking into his eyes that have seen so much and shaking his hand. What a moment.

Check out upcoming Willie Nelson tour dates here!

Lorn Says:  First off Slip Knot is a can’t miss show!

Its been over 8 years since the last time I saw Slip Knot and what a mistake.  I have no clue how it took me so long to see them again.  There is a possibility I judged the band based on their appearance. ( You have to admit they do look kinda scary)

Photo by : Lorn Conner

Or it could have been the fact that all of there songs are more then intense and the crowd is 100% likely to go crazy.

But as the saying goes you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. This band is most likely one of the most energetic and persuasive groups on the planet.  Even if you are not a fan of their music you cant help but get sucked into the show.

End result :  You have to check out Slipknot the next time they are in your neck of the woods. No matter what time of music you are in to if you are down to rock out Slipknot is the show for you.

Photo by Timothy Norris for LA Weekly

The 2009 HARD Haunted Mansion was bursting at the seams with talent just like every other HARD event I’ve ever been to.  We attended Saturday night and the highlight for me was probably Basement Jaxx.

Photo by Timothy Norris for LA Weekly

The act I was most excited to see was MAJOR LAZER, and even though their set was a little underwhelming, they still brought the party.  They are most certainly my favorite new DJ of the year.  Diplo > Everyone.

Photo by Timothy Norris for LA Weekly

I think I take for granted how good of a showman Steve Aoki is because I live in LA, his hometown, but on this night I was in awe of this crazy mummy.  He was tearing the inside stage apart and his energy is infectious.

Photo by Timothy Norris for LA Weekly

Of course the biggest draw for this HARD event was most likely the official headliners, JUSTICE.  While I do enjoy their music quite a bit, I’m always a bit skeptical of their live performances.  They were good this Halloween, so maybe I’ll finally stop doubting them.

Photo by Rony’s Photobooth

Crookers also had a really amazing set on Halloween.  I was really diggin’ the remix they did of Major Lazer - Pon de Floor.  Diplo and Switch seemed to be pretty happy with it too, along with Meghan the scantily clad girl dancing up a storm.

Photo by Rony’s Photobooth

All in all HARD Haunted Mansion was a raging party.  There were lots of costumes to match all the incredible DJs that came from across the globe to perform.  If you like electronic music even slightly and you have never attended a HARD event, you should definitely check one out.  They rage.

Check out glenjamn.com for more videos
Check out ClubSoda.fm and Rony’s Photobooth for more pictures

The next HARD event… NYE w/ Boys Noize // A-TRAK // DJ Mehdi // Destructo

It wasn’t until after the show that I realized Kid Sister and Josh from Flosstradamus are actually brother and sister.  Looking at them now it makes complete sense and they were very comfortable performing together on stage.

Flosstradamus has never failed to impress me when I catch one of their sets and Kid Sister exceeded my expectations as an MC/rapper.  They really had the place bumpin’ even though you could tell Kid Sister was losing her voice.

Photo by thecaptainoftheship

I highly recommend seeing either of these artists in the future, because they are both really fun and certainly bring the party.  You won’t have to ask me twice to be there.

Check out these Upcoming Tour Dates from Kid Siser’s MySpace

Lots of thanks to TILT PROMOTIONS for organizing this show!

Lorn says:  I personally had a fun time at this show.  Not and amazing time by any means but this is show was a fantastic pre Halloween activity. It was very theatrical and for the most party consisted of old school rock and roll and Alice Cooper dieing over and over and over again. Very hokey and campy and a laugh riot to say the least. Alice’s voice is far from what it used to be, but I think the theatrics of the show made up for it.

End result: I will most likely not see Alice Cooper again.

Thanks to Golden Voice for hooking up the tix to this show!

Mika was a very fun show with a lot happening.  Before the day of the concert, I had honestly never even heard of Mika, but I have a feeling now I’ll be hearing about him so much more.  He’s definitely a rising star and this of course means there are certainly those out to get him.

Photo by Timothy Norris for LA Weekly

One of the funniest parts of this concert wasn’t even on stage!  It was spotting “respected” music industry commentator Bob Lefsetz hopping around the floor, up and down the VIP stairs, and pre-maturely out the door with a popped collar polo shirt in tow.  He bashed Mika over Twitter during the show and the continued to afterward with his mailing list (which I subscribe to.)

Bob Lefsetz on Twitter

After his initial email blast, the debate raged on for about a week.  Did Mika lip sync?  Was the whole show on hard drive?  Well, as I was in attendance I can tell you that he wasn’t lip syncing, but there was definitely audio playing off of a hard drive.

Honestly, this is irrelevant to me, because it wasn’t ALL on hard drive as Mr. Lefsetz would lead you to believe and I think it’s pretty obvious that Mika has talent.  Regardless, the show was incredibly fun and I think the mass of jumping and screaming fans is a testament to that.

Tour Dates from Mika’s MySpace

This show was over 2 weeks ago (Oct. 14th) and this review is long overdue, but that shouldn’t be any reflection on how it was. THIS SHOW WAS AMAZING!

Photo by LP33.tv

This is the third time I have seen Moby perform live and he absolutely blows me away with each performance.  The diversity in his songs and the talent that he brings on stage with him create an unforgettable performance that will never be forgotten.

One of the best aspects of seeing Moby is his modest and kind personality.  You can tell he truly loves what he is doing and is so happy to share his passion with other people.  He had a continued commentary throughout the show which made you feel like you were talking to him face to face.

I honestly think most people have a misconception of what Moby is all about and are likely ignorant to what his performance is like.  He is a truly great musician that can play many instruments very well and his range of songs from Dance to Soul is something I would recommend to anyone.

Upcoming Tour Dates from Moby’s MySpace