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The Big Takeover Issue #95
Concerts
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The Saints + Alien Nosejob - The Northcote Theatre (Melbourne, Australia) - November 17, 2024

25 November 2024

The Saints, one of the lynch pins of the early punk movement, roar back to life on stage, abetted by some friends.

Zebra – Arcada Theatre (St. Charles, IL) – November 15, 2024

16 November 2024

Zebra gave Chicago-area hard rock and progressive rock fans something to obsess over besides the boxing match between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul on Friday night.

David Gilmour at Madison Square Garden

David Gilmour - Madison Square Garden (New York) - November 6, 2024

7 November 2024

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.

King Diamond + Overkill - Roadrunner (Boston) - October 31, 2024

5 November 2024

Nothing can top King Diamond playing on Halloween

Boris + Starcrawler - The Paradise (Boston) - Oct 21, 2024

30 October 2024

Boris bring their sludge masterpiece to the live setting via an Amplifier Worship Service.

Hania Rani - Union Transfer (Philadelphia) - October 20th, 2024

29 October 2024

Hania Rani becomes a one-person orchestra, stopping by Philadelphia on her global tour.

La Sécurité - Lincoln Hall (Chicago) - October 28th, 2024

28 October 2024

So catchy, it spreads like wild fire. So fun and unpredictable, you don’t quite know what rhythms you’ll hear next or how to move to it. And this same music is so exciting that it can literally feel like it has the power to speed up time so that 45 minutes feels like the blink of an eye.

AIR - MGM Music Hall (Boston) - Oct 15th, 2024

22 October 2024

AIR blow the lunar dust off of their debut record Moon Safari, which has aged well.

Fontaines D.C. + Been Stellar - Roadrunner (Boston) - Oct 13, 2024

20 October 2024

Fontaines D.C. have always had a warm welcome in Boston, and that trend continues on the shoulders of touring their newest record, Romance.

The The at Beacon Theatre

The The - Beacon Theatre (New York) October 17, 2024

18 October 2024

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.

Sting 3.0 Trio at Brooklyn Paramount

Sting + ELew - Brooklyn Paramount (Brooklyn) - October 10, 2024

11 October 2024

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.

Johnny Marr @ Brooklyn Paramount

Johnny Marr + James - Brooklyn Paramount (Brooklyn) - October 8, 2024

9 October 2024

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!).

The Hives + Bad Nerves - Roadrunner (Boston) - Sept 25, 2024

6 October 2024

Tick Tick BOOM! The Hives light the fuse and blow up Roadrunner.

Marika Hackman- Sleeping Village (Chicago) - October 5th, 2024

6 October 2024
The complexity of the lyrics with the layers of instrumentation really draw the listener in both haunting and melodic ways. However, it was even more apparent live how talented Hackman truly is.
Jesus & Mary Chain + Psychedelic Furs at Beacon Theatre

The Jesus & Mary Chain + The Psychedelic Furs - Beacon Theatre (New York) - October 4, 2024

5 October 2024

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.

PJ Harvey - The Salt Shed (Chicago) - September 30th, 2024

1 October 2024

To behold her, you have to reassure yourself that this stunning creature is not a mirage.

Keane at Radio City Music Hall

Keane - Radio City Music Hall (New York) - September 24, 2024

25 September 2024

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.

Idles - Aragon Ballroom (Chicago) - September 18th, 2024

19 September 2024

It is truly a revelation to experience both this level of intensity and gentleness of a human in the very same night. Talbot’s capacity for a such a depth of emotion is what makes each song feel genuine and exceptional both live and on album. This is no ordinary band or live show and you will be changed by listening.

The Scimitars

The Surf Guitar 101 Festival (Golden Sails Hotel, Long Beach, California) – July 26-28, 2024

18 August 2024

The 16th annual Surf Guitar 101 Festival, held this year at the Golden Sails Hotel in Long Beach, California, featured 27 surf bands from around the planet, running the gamut from original 60’s surf from the likes of the Surfaris” and the *Atlantics” to long-time practitioners of next-wave surf, like the *Insect Surfers, Boss Martians, and the Ghastly Ones, to contemporary surf bands with a global twist, like the *Whys (Japan), Surfer Joe (Italy), Dirty Fuse (Greece), and the Scimitars.

Metallica - Soldier Field (Chicago) - August 9th, 2024

12 August 2024

The San Francisco-based metal quartet recently released their 11th studio album 72 Seasons and hit the road to promote the new material.

The Glasgow Weekender Day Two - SWG - (Glasgow, Scotland) August 3rd, 2024

5 August 2024

Murdoch commented on all the wonderful bands later on while headlining and his sincerity as always came through. “If you can’t run into a member of Belle and Sebastian at Bowlie, what’s the point?!”

The Glasgow Weekender Day One - SWG - (Glasgow, Scotland) August 2cnd, 2024

2 August 2024

Belle and Sebastian have been a band for over 25 years and they have yet to disappoint with any of their albums or shows. Like a fine wine, they just keep getting better and one can’t help feeling more nostalgic the longer you’ve lived with their music as a daily comfort.

Lollapalooza 2024 (Pre-Coverage)

31 July 2024

The Big Takeover’s pre-coverage of Lollapalooza 2024 in Chicago, IL.

The Prisoners live at The Roundhouse. Photo by Retro Man Blog

The Prisoners + the Inspiral Carpets – The Roundhouse (London, England) – May 24, 2024

23 July 2024

The Prisoners May 24, 2024, gig at the famed Roundhouse in London put a capstone on their legendary (at least to this scribe) career. Playing before their biggest audience ever, the band treated the crowd gathered from all over the world to a set of vintage organ-fueled garage, psyche, and soul, while playing gems covering their whole career, from 1982 debut, A Taste of Pink to their stellar 2024 comeback album, Morning Sun.

Wilco's Solid Sound Festival - Mass MoCA (North Adams) - June 28-30

5 July 2024

Wilco hosts their eighth curated festival nestled in the Berkshire Mountains with a wide ranging display of sounds.

Ladytron - Thalia Hall (Chicago) - May 29th, 2024

30 May 2024
This wasn’t a mere concert! It was a cinematic experience!

Boston Calling - Harvard Athletic Complex (Cambridge, MA) - 24-26May 2024

29 May 2024

Boston Calling enjoys superb weather on a bill stacked with pop performers and some C&W and others mixed in.