Last month, the ninth annual Mondo NYC music business conference was held October 15-18 at the Arlo Williamsburg Hotel and brought together attendees from all corners of the music business, including artists, major & indie label executives, managers & lawyers, music publishers, technology entrepreneurs, and educators, to discuss the current state of the music industry and meet fellow enthusiasts who are navigating the difficult to predict pathways to sustainable success in music now that the pandemic is over. Whether you have been part of the music industry for decades or are looking to break in, I recommend attending Mondo NYC for a comprehensive snapshot of the key drivers of the modern music industry and a chance to build relationships with the people who factor in fans getting to hear the music they crave

Last night at a sold-out Madison Square Garden, Cambridge, England’s guitar wizard David Gilmour, famed for joining pioneering psychedelic blues group Pink Floyd in 1967 when co-founder and childhood friend Syd Barrett was breaking down, celebrated his legacy and the recent release of his sophisticated and beautifully-crafted UK-chart-topping Luck and Strange LP on Night Three of a five-show-stand with a 23-song set drawing from ’70s Floyd blockbuster Dark Side of The Moon and his leadership of the now dormant band since the late ’80s, which all fit in a thematic whole with the new material.

Last night at The Beacon Theatre, London, England’s The The returned to New York City for only the second time in 24 years with a full performance of characteristically moody & thoughtful comeback LP Ensoulment in a two-plus hour show that The The founder and sole constant Matt Johnson called “two sets for the price of one,” to the delight of the reverent audience, many of whom had never seen The The.

At 73, the wiry Sting is remarkably ageless in voice and body, and his affecting baritone-to-tenor rage and energetic melodic bass figures had the somewhat-less-gracefully-aged crowd standing and singing along almost the whole time, but true to his early pre-Police years playing jazz, he brought an improvisational flair to nearly every one of his very familiar songs, deftly sprinkling in subtle rhythmic shifts, interpolations, and call-and-response breaks with sharp synchronicity from Dominic Miller and Chris Maas, offering pleasant surprises to even the most devoted fans on classic rock radio staples “Roxanne,” “Message in a Bottle,” “Every Breath You Take,” and more.

Last night at a BrooklynParamount full of Gen X, millennials, & Gen Z fans, Manchester, England’s guitar genius Johnny Marr played his first NYC show since opening for The Killers at Madison Square Garden in 2022… and first headlining appearance since 2018, and Marr… was on fire in a 17-song set with his very tight backing band since 2013. Opening for Marr, 42 years after forming in Manchester, England (and touring with The Smiths in the mid-‘80s), James is still making impassioned music that integrates rock/pop/folk/opera/jazz elements. They were in top form celebrating their first non-compilation UK #1 LP with 2024’s Yummy (their 18th studio LP!).

Last night at The Beacon Theatre in a co-headlining show with The Psychedelic Furs, East Kilbride, Scotland-originated influential post-punk/noise pop/shoegaze-precursor group The Jesus & Mary Chain returned to NYC for the first time since 2018, intact with shadowy lyrics wrapped in bright melodies sung in offhand baritone by Jim Reid bristled by blistering fuzz riffs from William Reid.

Last night at a sold-out Radio City Music Hall, it was great to see Battle, England’s Keane for the first time since 2012, in the same venue where, in 2005, I first interviewed lead singer TomChaplin (who also played keyboards on some songs), songwriter/keyboardist/singer Tim Rice-Oxley, and drummer/singer Richard Hughes (since joined by J.J. Quin on bass/keyboards/vocals) for The BigTakeover after being wowed by their powerful live show and dazzling 2004 debut LP Hopes and Fears.

At the recently renovated Warsaw, legendary guitarist Johnny Marr of The Smiths and one-time member of The Pretenders, The The, Modest Mouse, and The Cribs spent over two hours discussing his new Harper Collins photo/memoir book Marr’s Guitars with Variety music editor Jem Aswad in an amazing conversation that brought forth memories of writing some of his greatest songs on some of the 130+ guitars he has amassed over a spectacular and restless musical journey from a scrappy working-class Manchester upbringing to winning an Oscar for his collaboration with Hans Zimmer, Billie Eilish, and Finneas on the theme song for the 2021 James Bond film No Time To Die.

Last night at Madison Square Garden, English ’70s art rock pioneer and world music champion Peter Gabriel brought his i/o tour celebrating his first album of original music since 2002’s Up

I had last seen Pixies in November 2009 during the Doolittle 20th Anniversary week of shows at Hammerstein Ballroom, so it was great to see the current lineup last night at The Rooftop at Pier 17 close out the first of two sold-out NYC co-headlining shows with Modest Mouse with an engaging 25+ song set heavy with tracks from 2022 LP Doggerel and seminal alt-rock classics from their original ’80/‘90s 4AD incarnation.