CARRIE UNDERWOOD
Carrie Underwood conquered “American Idol” and then went on to an even bigger stage - the Billboard charts. That turned out to be another slam dunk for the vocalist, who now arguably ranks as the current queen of country music. 7:30 p.m., Oracle Arena, 7000 Coliseum Way, Oakland, $35-$55, 925-685-TIXS, 415-421-TIXS, 510-625-TIXS, www.ticketmaster.com. Read the rest of this entry »
Ray LaMontagne is an incredibly convincing soul singer in concert.
Convincing, that is, if you close your eyes.
Although it’s dangerous to judge a book by its cover, it’s certainly tempting to do just that when it comes to this vocalist/acoustic guitarist. LaMontagne (pronounced: la-mon-tain) is a skinny white guy with a shaggy ‘do and a hippie’s beard. He’s 35, but looks 10 years younger, and he wouldn’t appear out of place selling veggie burritos in the parking lot of a Phish show. The kind of music that he makes, however, is nothing like what one might expect from his appearance.
It’s much better.
On Monday night at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, LaMontagne treated a capacity crowd to a mesmerizing 17-song set that contained many different musical elements. Taken collectively, though, nothing described the offering better than soul music. Read the rest of this entry »
Monday, Nov. 3, 2008
Paramount Theatre, Oakland, CA
1, “You are the Best Thing”
2, “Hold You in My Arms’
3, “Let It Be Me”
4, “I Still Care for Yoou”
5, “Empty”
6, “Henry Nearly Killed Me (It’s a Shame)”
7, “Narrow Escape”
8, “Meg White” Read the rest of this entry »
Madonna:
The “Material Girl” is set to make even more money _ check out the top ticket prices,” 8 p.m., Nov. 1-2, Oracle Arena, Oakland, $57.75-$367.50, 925-685-TIXS, 415-421-TIXS, 510-625-TIXS, www.coliseum.com. Read the rest of this entry »
The Kooks
The Kooks are huge in their native U.K. Now, the alt-rock buzz band is looking for similiar success on this side of the pond. 8 p.m., Oct. 25, the Warfield, 982 Market St., San Francisco, $22.50, 925-685-TIXS, 415-421-TIXS, 510-625-TIXS, www.ticketmaster.com. Read the rest of this entry »
