Author: Mark Paniagua

It has been over a month since the term ‘social distancing’ has become more commonplace than the terms ‘live music’ or ‘rock opera.’ Sadly, that trend shows no signs of changing anytime soon, that is unless we start to change the discussion. With that in mind, let’s flashback to a time where the San Francisco live music scene was thriving, and a small musical theater company that partnered Buzz Productions, Skycastle Music, and Lunar Eclipse Records was lighting up San Francisco stages with stellar performances of a series of rock operas that defined the era’s fertile musical underground from 1998…

William DuVall The Cornerstone, Berkeley February 26, 2020 Photos by Phil Kampel It’s a rare opportunity to see someone who has performed as a major tour headliner do their thing in an intimate setting about the size of a school gymnasium. William DuVall provided that opportunity at The Cornerstone in Berkeley, stripping it all down to just his voice and his acoustic guitar to the delight of those in attendance. DuVall, who is most widely known as the singer/guitar player counterpart to Jerry Cantrell in the dark and heavy-handed Alice In Chains, is taking a respite from rock stardom to…

Tool SAP Center, San Jose January 14, 2020 Photos by Elizabeth Gohr SAP Center in San Jose continued a brilliant start to their 2020 live music series as it hosted the genre blurring legends Tool for a tour de force performance that floored the sold-out arena. Throughout its career, Tool has defied musical labels in an industry that will gladly pigeonhole artists for the sake of being able to market them better. Metal? Prog? Math Rock? Alternative? Rock? Punk? Industrial?  Technically, Tool can check each of the boxes. When considering the band, they are equal parts grotesque awkwardness and rare,…

Dead & Company Chase Center December 30, 2019 Photos by Elizabeth Gohr Dead & Company (Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, and Bill Kreutzmann – joined by John Mayer, bassist Oteil Burbridge, and keyboardist Jeff Chimenti) sent 2019 out in fine fashion by hosting perhaps the most festive parties in San Francisco this holiday season. Performing at Chase Center, the city’s shiny new gem of a venue, the now four-year-old offshoot of the Grateful Dead turned their Fall Fun Run into a musical séance for their New Year’s Run. Coaxing the ghosts of Grateful Dead past to come together…

Thievery Corporation Fox Theater, Oakland December 11, 2019 Photos by Raymond Ahner Thievery Corporation (TC) blew through The Fox Theater in Oakland bringing with them their inimitable mash up of Latin inspired trip-hop, highlighted with a gang of electro-gypsy grooves that left the packed crowd spellbound. It was a superior performance that felt more like an old school house party which bounced the Fox and heated the crowd on this cold, wet evening.  There was a feeling of excitement in the room which was hazed by a mix of drunken dancing, marijuana smoke, and laid back, sultry beats twisted up…

Slayer Oakland Arena November 26, 2019 Photos by Raymond Ahner from a performance in August 2018 at SAP As the howling wind and heavy rain raged outside Oakland Area, metal fans inside were treated to a spectacular spectacle of heavy metal from Slayer, along with openers Primus, Ministry, and Phil Anselmo & the Illegals. For many of the fans in attendance, this would be the final time they would see Slayer, as the final leg of their farewell tour was winding down, and while other bands in the past have reneged on their retirement, one got the sense that this…

King Diamond The Warfield Nov 29, 2019 Photos by Raymond Ahner  King Diamond resuscitated the long-distance bond to his Bay Area fans by being wheeled onstage via gurney to a set that resembled a decrepit and broken-down insane asylum basement above which hung a flickering neon-pink upside down cross. This was the first appearance for King Diamond (ex-frontman of black metal pioneers Mercyful Fate) and his monstrously talented band (Andy LaRoque – guitars, Mike Wead – guitars,  Matt Thompson – drums, Pontus Egberg – bass) since storming the stage at the Warfield in 2015, and it was one that the…

Morrissey Bill Graham Civic Auditorium October 3, 2019 If I were to ask you who would prompt fans to stand in line over night in anticipation of seeing a performance the next evening, artists such as Taylor Swift, or the Rolling Stones, or Justin Timberlake would immediately come to mind. The odds are that you would not answer Morrissey, but that was exactly the scene at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. While Greta Van Fleet was playing inside, about twenty Morrissey fans were lined up across the street in Civic Center Plaza, smoking cigarettes, and some playing cards as they…

The Who Chase Center Oct 9, 2019 Photos by Raymond Ahner Amidst some serious uncertainty as to whether or not front man Roger Daltrey would be able to perform, The Who invaded the state-of-the-art Chase Center, becoming the latest in a parade of top shelf superstars to help indoctrinate the pristine new bayside venue. Playing for the first time since September 25 in Houston when the band had to stop mid-set as Daltrey had experienced voice issues, the 75-year old singer and his band mates were not deterred. After a two-show hiatus (skipping Denver and Dallas) The Who super-charged fans…

Greta van Fleet Bill Graham Civic Auditorium October 2, 2019 Photos by Raymond Ahner Rock wunderkinds Greta Van Fleet (GVF) returned to San Francisco’s Bill Graham Civic just a bit more than a year after initially playing the City with the mantle of ‘rock and roll saviors’ squarely thrust upon their slight shoulders. However, this time around, hipper to the world of rock stardom and with a year’s worth of maturity under their collective belt, they seemed a lot more comfortable in their own skin, not so much feeling the weight of having to prove themselves as the next Led…

Smashing Pumpkins Shoreline Amphitheater, Mt. View August 31, 2019 Photos by Raymond Ahner Purveyors of the 90s, and especially fans of the music and movement that ultimately became labeled as ‘grunge,’ got an early trick or treat as the Smashing Pumpkins closed out a busy August at the Shoreline Amphitheater by dialing back the clock for a spectacular night of glittery rock. Sporting three original members (Billy Corgan – guitars / vox, James Iha – guitars, and Jimmy Chamberlin – drums) in the lineup for a ‘reunion tour’ aimed at re-building the Pumpkins’ iconic brand image, the Chicago band took…

Wu-Tang Clan Shoreline Amphitheater, Mountain View June 22, 2019 Photos by Paige Parsons “Wu-Tang Clan ain’t nuthin to fuck wit!!” they said it, and they proved it….tigah style. If you were at the Shoreline to see the Wu re-enter the 36 Chambers you know exactly what I am talking about. If not, you are probably wondering WTF am I talking about?  Well then, let me ‘splain. Wu-Tang Clan, the forefathers of hardcore underground East Coast hip-hop rolled through the south bay and delivered a fiery set focusing on their now 25-year old masterpiece Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). If that…

Prince 4U Masonic Theater May 14, 2019 Photos by Raymond Ahner 4U: A Symphonic Celebration of Prince swept through the Masonic Theater in San Francisco and lived up to every bit of its name. Toting with it plenty of purple anticipation, there was definitely a feeling of celebration in the air, propped up by the intriguing prospect of the musical genius of Prince (RIP) being reimagined through the lens of a symphonic musical presentation. The fact that the show was billed as the only Prince show that is officially endorsed by the Estate of Prince Rogers Nelson, that the set list…

Journey Through Time Fox Theater, Oakland February 23, 2019  Seminal Journey members Neal Schon and Gregg Rollie, and their new project Journey Through Time (JTT) turned the Fox Theater in Oakland into a time warp, with an impeccable two hour and forty-five minute odyssey of predominantly pre-‘Escape’ era Journey that left a capacity crowd spellbound and yelling for more. The only complaint of the evening was that they were so good and played for so long that there was no good time to make a needed bathroom break. The diehard fans crammed into the Fox eagerly anticipating a set of…

Lettuce SF Jazz March 23, 2019 Photos by Paul Piazza Lettuce, the six-piece chameleon of a band that can on a dime morph from funk to jazz to rock (sometimes all in the same song), stormed through San Francisco for a four-night run at the SFJAZZ Miner Auditorium. For those who have not had the good fortune to see a show at SFJAZZ, it is a jewel of a venue just off Fell at Franklin, boasting perhaps the best sound of any live music hall in the Bay. Playing in such an auspicious setting, Lettuce took the opportunity to share…

Peter Murphy The Chapel March 22, 2019 @ Photos by Pollen Heath Peter Murphy, the vampire baritone who catapulted to cult stardom during his tenure as the fiery front man of legendary underground death rockers Bauhaus finally made it to the stage at The Chapel in San Francisco. After re-scheduling his dates at the Valencia St. music hall three times over the past 18 months due to a series of health and visa issues, Murphy actually touched down in the bay area poised for a monthlong residency. The plan was a series of shows to celebrate his 40-year career spanning…

Graveyard, Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats, Twin Temple Warfield Theater March 16, 2019 Photos by Raymond Ahner Ominous clouds settled over the Warfield on a Saturday night, bringing an eerie foreboding of things to come. The sense of a dark happening was not due to the weather, but rather the ritual of rock that was about to take place. Using the Warfield stage as a cauldron, Graveyard, Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats, and Twin Temple swirled their unique flavors of occult streaked rock into a sweet tincture to be savored and imbibed by the congregation. Headlining what has been dubbed…

Justin Timberlake Oracle Arena, Oakland March 15, 2019 Photos by Pollen Heath Many are familiar with the tale of Little Red Riding Hood and her trials of making it through the woods. Justin Timberlake (JT) decided to put a twist on that fairy tale by luring throngs of screaming girls into the woods during his recent performance at Oracle Arena. Reprising the big bad wolf role of dangerous tempter with his mischievous and playful innocence, JT mesmerized the captive audience that trekked to Oakland to finally see him get down with his Man of the Woods (MotW) tour. Shaking off…

Dead Meadow The Chapel March 1, 2019  Photos by Elizabeth Gohr Dead Meadow (DM) played The Chapel in San Francisco this past week, and though it seems like they were just here yesterday to assault the grey matter of those sharing physical space with them, it had actually been nearly a year. Therefore, the opportunity to experience them again was embraced as being long overdue. A fascinating psychedelic stoner rock monster from Washington D.C., Dead Meadow (Jason Simon – vocals and guitar, Steve Kille – bass, and Juan Londono – drums) came in the same sparkly wrapping that they usually do, complete…

ZZ Top City National Civic, San Jose January 13, 2019 Photos by Raymond Ahner. Rock and Roll Hall of Famers ZZ Top blew through the City National Civic to perform for a sold out house in what amounted to a “wham, bam, thank you ma’am” quickie of a 75 minute appearance. Celebrating the advent of 50 years of rock, the band kicked off their 2019 slate of live performances by playing a truncated set of hits from their stalwart career.  While their performance was full of energy, and kept the majority of folks standing (despite the fact it was a…