Rock
These new mixes and remixes of the source material, outtakes, and scintillating live cuts show how The Replacements were one of the greatest bands to ever not care much about being one.
Will Hermes reveres Lou Reed’s music, and he expounds on his love in this voluminous, well-researched biography.
The show was proof that Queen + Adam Lambert are quite capable of mixing things up, even as they give everybody exactly what they’ve come to hear.
Guitarist Steve Hackett honored the 50th anniversary of Genesis’ “Foxtrot,” yet this concert didn’t come across as just another night with a tribute band that sports a sole member of the original group.
Love and lightness (if often at intersections with death and faith) filtered through many of the songs in Nick Cave’s sonically naked “solo” concert.
The bottom line: the Tedeschi Trucks Band proved that the group, and its hybrid of classic rock, soul, blues, and jazz, could rule on arena stages.
Susan Tedeschi has developed a way to assert her powerhouse presence without upending the overall balance of the big band.
Janelle Monáe’s an impressive singer and capable rapper but she is indeed phenomenal as a performer, showing keen attention to the craft.
Refusing to bow to conventional expectations of aging is just one more outlaw accomplishment that is part of Willie Nelson’s incredible legacy.
Joe Strummer is clearly having a ball that night, in fine form: cracking jokes and proudly announcing his bandmates.
Arts Commentary: In Memoriam, Michael Tilson Thomas (1944-2026)