A new personal best: 58 shows in one year (counting each festival day as one). And this after the miserable showing in 2024. What a difference quitting full-time work makes!
This quarter was dominated by two very big, sold out events: Lorde and Billie Eilish. I enjoyed both, but Lorde at The Greek was special. It was very, very crowded, leaving me standing way back, just ahead of the lawn and peeking at the stage through a bunch of standing fans. Lorde's performance also started a bit shaky, with dancers that seemed kind of unrelated to what was going on. Nevertheless, she managed to get the whole crowd on her side, and when she finished, singing from mid-audience at the mixing board, it was pure magic. I've never heard a crowd sing along with such commitment.
The Emmylou Harris tribute was bittersweet, with several of my favorite performers clearly now fading from their prime (Lucinda Williams and Patty Griffin, particularly). As so many of my favorites enter their 70s, it's clear that age does not deal equally or fairly with any of us.
At the other end of the spectrum, a new generation of women are bringing the fire, with Little Simz and King Princess in the lead this quarter. And my favorite new discovery (although the band has been around for more than a decade), Public Service Broadcasting, delivered a great set at The Fillmore.
- Tribute to Emmylou Harris (Bonnie Raitt, Patty Griffin, Joan Baez, Lucinda Williams, Allison Russell, Albert Lee, Margo Price, Rodney Crowell, Rosanne Cash, Sam Bush, Shawn Colvin, Steve Earle, Buddy Miller)
- Nation of Language
- Lorde
- Rachael Yamagata
- Neko Case
- Little Simz
- King Princess
- GoGo Penguin
- Billie Eilish (Lucy Dacus opening)
- Jens Lekman (with David Levithan as narrator)
- Public Service Broadcasting
- Michael Mayo/Sasha Berliner
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