Mercury Ballroom

Louisville, KY

March 21, 2024

By Shrithik Karthik

Babytron came to the Mercury Ballroom on March 21st after previously being rescheduled to put on a show that led to fans wanting more.

The openers did their job to hype up the crowd but Certified Trapper not being there to perform at all and the entire show running substantially late was quite disappointing in its own regard. The DJ made sure to keep up the energy in the crowd but the loudest the crowd ever was the entire show was when he played “Fighting my demons” by Ken Carson one of the most hype songs in the underground rap scene. The Ken Carson effect if you will, but the energy was never the same.

Babytron was now finally up and after waiting for quite a while, the crowd was excited to see him. Slowly walking out he began to perform but the apparent lack of energy slowly affected the crowd as time went on. Barely smiling, barely moving around with substantial energy, it seemed as if he had zero interest in being there. I will say he did a good job of rapping a lot of the song, the backtrack was very minimal and it was nice to hear him rap his songs. Babytron with his rhythmic, but times-new-roman style of rapping was interesting to hear in person, but the lack of stage presence, production, and visuals made this not as intriguing of a performance as it should have been. The fans were disappointed by the short performance and the concert seemed to have ended much earlier than its stated time. Babytron has been on tour for a while already having performed more than 15 shows on the road and it has been affecting his performances. The concert while being short was by no means bad, it was just an experience that could have been executed differently. As Babytron continues to grow in the rap industry maybe he will come back to deliver a performance that will truly change the game, however, only time can tell.

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Mary Andrews

February 23-24, 2024

Spring training has ensued once again in Arizona. C 3 Presents has continued to offer music and baseball in the sixth annual Innings Music Festival with big name entertainers and baseball stars in Tempe. The weather was perfectly temperate and the musical acts were scorching.The attendence on Friday was packed, while Saturday left room to move around with ease. 

The festival happened to open at the same time as Arizona’s Cactus League Spring training. Fans were able to see MLB legends Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, and Luis Gonzalez practicing. Ultimately, it was a win-win for players and fans alike.

Here is some of the best of the best musical acts of the first weekend.

Red Hot Chili Peppers headlined opening day with a crowd pleasing finish to the first day. Drummer Chad Smith set the tone for the set as he banged a gong to get  started. The set was filled with hits as returning lead guitarist John Frusciante, bassist Flee, and lead singer Anthony Kiedis graced the stage. Frusciante fulfilled his reputation as on of the best guitarists in the business as he played electifying instrumental jams throughout the set. “Snow( Hey Oh)” was a fine example.

Flea leaped through the air in his purple shirt with musical chops that added to the intensity of the band’s performance.

Flea and Frusciante were head to head several times during the set seemingly challenging each other with each’s groove. Kiedis had his own swagger with his commanding vocals as the crowds joined in singing their familiar songs.

Set list: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/red-hot-chili-peppers/2024/tempe-beach-park-tempe-az-6badceb6.html

Even though Greta Van Fleet has matured as the years have past, they still have that young boy aesthetic, facial hair and all. Josh Kiszka’s vocals seem to favor Robert Plant’s voice. That said, his vocals are impressive. The band totally performs to impress their young crowd especially seen with brother Jake on lead guitar. 

311 had the fans singing their faces off as they danced in place when lead singer Nick Hexum hit the stage with “Beautiful Disaster.” The set was hot in more ways than one.

Setlsit: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/311/2024/tempe-beach-park-tempe-az-6badceae.html

The Beaches’ all girl alternative rock band was a pleasant surprise in the afternoon set. Bassist Jordan Miller had a perfect voice to expose their music to the crowd with harmonies presented by the rest of the band. Highlights included “What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Paranoid” and”Everything Is Boring.” They are presently on their ‘Blame My Ex’ tour. 

Set list: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-beaches/2024/tempe-beach-park-tempe-az-7bad228c.html

Phantogram gave fans a splendid set in the afternoon. The band is listed as a duo, but the show is definitely led by Sarah Barthel doing vocals, guitars, keyboards, and synthesizers. Barthel takes command of the stage from start to finish. Electronic rock never had so much energy. The red-haired singer dances, spins and throws her hair about as she sang the songs “Don’t Move,” “Mouthfull of Diamonds,” and “You Don’t Get Me High Anymore.” The set left the crowd wanting more. 

Set list: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/phantogram/2024/tempe-beach-park-tempe-az-1badc94c.html

Macklemore was the highlight of Saturday’s fare. His present tour is dubbed the ‘Ben’ tour. That happens to be the title of his latest album. Five minutes late, the rapper ran on the stage singing “Chant” from his latest album with a cavacade of support performers including background singers, dancers and musicians. 

His energy was infectious and the crowd was thrilled to experience Macklemore. “Thrift Shop,” “No Bad Days” and “White Walls” followed. Fans were eager to sing along. Maclemore informed the crowd he and his family had been in the Phoenix area for the entire week and took in some of the local sights. He also discussed struggling with addition in the past and mentioning that the fans with addition problems were not alone. There seemed to be an intimacy Maclemore had with such a huge crowd.

Set list: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/macklemore/2024/tempe-beach-park-tempe-az-63ad3e77.html

This was the second appearance for Young the Giant at the Innings Festival and again they were a welcome sight. The first song of the set was “Wake Up” and was a crowd pleaser. Sameer Gadhia, the band’s lead singer. guided the band through songs from their latest album “American Bollywood.” Fan favorites like “Cough Syryp” were also performed.

Set list: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/young-the-giant/2024/tempe-beach-park-tempe-az-6bad3e76.html

Hozier was Saturday’s headlining act. He is on his ‘Unreal,Unearth’ World Tour promoting his new album of the same name. He stepped out on a blue darkened stage and started performing “DeSelby (Part 1) and (Part 2). Then he slid into the more familiar “Jackie and Wilson.” Hozier has a commanding stage presence. Other songs included tracks from his three studio albums. “Cherry Wine” and “Take Me to Church” were among the songs included in the set. Hozier is adorned with incredible vocals, stage presence, and musical talent. Well worth attending.

Setlist: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/hozier/2024/tempe-beach-park-tempe-az-7bad3e70.html 

It was a great weekend of great vibes and rock music during this two day weekend. New this year: Innings Festival will continue next weekend with an Extra Innings Festival with Chris Stableton and Dave Matthews Band headlining. We will report on this next week.

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Exclusive for unratedmag.com

COVID-19 had a massive impact on the music industry. One study from PLoS One found that the total monthly consumer spending on music decreased by more than 45% compared to pre-pandemic levels, with live music events and physical sales the most severely affected. Many thought that the damage would be permanent, especially for local live performers. However, now that the pandemic is largely behind us, the music industry has bounced back and is going from strength to strength. Here are five reasons why.

Global Ticket Sales Increasing

COVID-19 shut off nearly all live performances, which in turn has led to a huge demand for live music post-pandemic. The good news is that this demand is helping the industry bounce back, with the latest figures from PricewaterhouseCoopers showing that the value of ticket sales for live music events exceeded $25 billion for the first time in 2023. While most of these ticket sales were for the biggest names, with Ed Sheeran pulling in $432m, this has also had a positive effect on local music scenes. One survey found that 36% of US consumers asked if they planned on attending a concert. This demand for live music at every level has helped the industry bounce back.

YouTube Is Investing Heavily in the Industry

During the pandemic, many musicians turned to YouTube to continue to promote and perform their music. Post-COVID, YouTube is the top platform helping musicians find an audience and earn money, especially as it has become harder to earn from live performances. With over two billion music users, Music Business World reported that YouTube continues to be the biggest platform for the music industry. The company reported that it paid the industry $6 billion in 2022. YouTube’s Global Head of Music, Lyor Cohen, said, “We remain laser-focused on becoming the number one contributor of revenue for the industry while also building a connected music experience across all music formats for fans and artists that allows for discovery, consumption, and participation.”

Party Bands Providing Additional Revenue

With many venues closing down during the pandemic and struggling to reopen, one avenue that many bands have turned to is performing at an event or party. Performing at a wedding continues to be a lucrative contributor to the music industry, with Brides outlining how wedding bands in Palm Beach, Florida, range from $15,000 to $30,000, bands in Chicago range between $8,000 and $10,000, and in California prices range from $10,000 to $20,000 for the most experienced bands. This is a trend that is being seen across the globe, with the UK party band industry also providing a lifeline to musicians. A four-piece party music band in the UK can cost anywhere between £1,652 ($2,057) to £1,832 ($2,282), while a five-piece band ranges in the region of £2,065 ($2,572) to £2,290 ($2,852). This extra income source allows many musicians to have a successful side gig that allows them to continue supporting themselves and the music industry. One reason that party bands continue to be lucrative is the wide range of choices. The party bands for hire on Function Central show how these bands can range from brass bands to rock and roll cover brands, catering to every preference. With the number of weddings and events up post-COVID, musicians are finding revenue streams to help them bounce back and put money back into the music industry.

Employment in the Music Industry is Growing

Despite massive setbacks due to the pandemic, employment in the music industry continues to grow. A report by IBIS World found that there are 71,655 people employed in the Musical Groups & Artists industry in the US as of 2022, and the average business in the industry now employs more workers than it did 5 years ago. As listed in our post on ‘5 Behind-the-Scenes Careers For Music Lovers’, the landscape of the music industry is rapidly changing due to the rise of new developments such as online streaming. This has opened many more avenues for employment, ranging from social media managers to public relations specialists.

Physical Music Sales Growing

A surprising trend that emerged from the pandemic was an increased desire for physical music. Pre-pandemic streaming services had effectively replaced physical music sales, outselling them in 2018 and continuing to grow since. The main driver of this growth has been the number of vinyl sales, which has overtaken CDs for the first time since the 80s. This shows an increased desire for music fans to have a more active engagement with their favorite bands and follows the post-pandemic trend towards retro media items. For the music industry, this has meant more money going to artists, especially indie artists, which is helping them bounce back stronger post-pandemic.

Concert Review of Belinda Carlisle

Review and all photos by Anita Maree

Belinda Carlisle proves she still has the beat as she shined performing her classic hits !

Belinda Carlisle’s concert was an extraordinary celebration of her remarkable career and musical legacy. From the moment she stepped on stage, it was evident that she still possesses the same magnetic charisma and vocal prowess that made her a ’80s icon.

Circling back to 1981, Belinda fronted the all female band The Go-Go’s. The band went on to become one of the most successful American bands of the 1980s, and becoming the first and only all-female band that wrote their own music and played their own instrumentsto ever achieve a No. 1 album, ‘Beauty and the Beat’. The Go-Go’s were inducted into the Rock-n-Roll hall of fame in 2021. Belinda also has had a very successful solo career with many world-wide hits under her belt. In May 2023, Belinda released a five track EP called ‘Kismet’ with songs penned by American songwriter Diane Warren.

When Belinda took stage with her four piece band at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts inA Skokie, IL she simply sparkled – just like her awesome skirt.  The venue was packed with a sea of her fans cheering her on song after song. From the balcony seats to front row, her fans danced the night away and sang along with all her hits.   

She opened the night with her song, ‘(We Want) The Same Thing,” and the crowd instantly erupted with excitement. The energy in the venue was electric as she effortlessly moved through her extensive catalogue of hits. Her voice, as strong and vibrant as ever, soared through the air, as she danced away and with a few songs played tambourine.

She performed crowd classics like “Head Over Heels”, “I Get Weak”, “Circle In the Sand”, “Leave a Light On”, and her new song “Big Big Love”. 

The joy and nostalgia in the air were palpable, as memories from the past mingled with the present especially when she performed her mega hits “Mad About You”, “We Got the Beat”, “Heaven is a Place On Earth”, “Vacation”, “Runaway Horses” and “Our Lips Are Sealed”.

Belinda’s stage presence was captivating. Her connection with the audience felt personal and genuine, as she shared stories and interacted with fans throughout the performance. It was evident that she genuinely appreciated the love and support she received. In the end, Belinda Carlisle’s concert was a journey through time, evoking cherished memories and inspiring new ones. Her passion, talent, and connection with the audience made for an unforgettable evening that left concertgoers with smiles on their faces and hearts full of gratitude for her timeless songs.

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2023 Bryan Adams with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts

July 2, 2023

Review:  Dan Brodersen

Photos:  Anita Maree

Rock & Roll Powerhouses Unleashed: Joan Jett and Bryan Adams Join Forces for an Epic Tour

What makes over 10,000 fans happy?  An incredible night of rock music.  The Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL welcomed the ‘So Happy It Hurts’ tour on July 2, 2023.

Starting the night off was rock-n-roll hall of famer Joan Jett with her band The Blackhearts. The Blackhearts just released their new digital EP called ‘Mindsets’ and it was great to hear fresh new songs sprinkled into her set list of superior classic rock hits. The Blackhearts opened with their new song, Shooting Into Space, and the fans immediately felt the energy. Joan Jett’s stage mastery and raw-punching vocals shine with unmatched intensity.  Fans stood up and sang along to Joan’s classic world-wide hits like Cherry Bomb, Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah), Fake Friends, Crimson & Clover, Bad Reputation, I Hate Myself for Loving You, and of course her biggest hit, I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll.  The band also performed a few other new songs including the catchy new single If You’re Blue, and (Make the Music Go) Boom which has the perfect blend of the timeless punk/rock sound fans are familiar with. The band concluded their set with the thoughtful new bar-clinking song Whiskey Goes Good. Unrated Magazine has covered Joan Jett and The Blackhearts for nearly 40 years. The entire band was on fire, leaving no doubt in the minds of fans that they still dominate the music scene with unparalleled energy and passion.

Sometimes with an arena filling beep of a car horn, rock-n-roll just forges on, and that is exactly what happened.  About 10 minutes before Bryan Adams and his band took the stage for their two hour set, from behind the giant video screen, out came a flying convertible that made its way around the arena with headlights on. It was a play off his video ‘So Happy It Hurts’ that features his mom and dog.  After the flying car returned behind the massive video screen, the band walked onto the stage to start the show under a mystic dull red stage lighting with their fun new song Kick Ass. The legendary rock icon brought his electrifying energy and performed his classic hits including Somebody, Please Forgive Me, One Night Love Affair, Heaven, (Everything I Do) I Do It For You, and huge crowd favorite Summer of ’69.  Audience participation was happening with every song as the fans were singing and dancing along to each song he performed.  Of course, the concert would not have been complete without a few more of his iconic hits. He performed Cuts Like A Knife, Run to You, Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman, Can’t Stop This Thing We Started, and Straight From the Heart.

The Canadian singer/songwriter  Bryan Adams’ is a testament to his enduring talent and unwavering connection with his fans. Through a seamless fusion of classic hits and new songs, he showcased his ability to evolve while staying true to his rock roots. With each electrifying moment, Adams proved once again why his songs remain timeless classics, leaving Chicago in awe and with memories that will last a lifetime.

As his song says, “ If you like kick ass rockin’ music, we’re a kick ass rockin’ band.”  Why yes you are!

Bryan Adams Website | Facebook |YouTube |Twitter | Instagram | TikTok |

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Fans had many moments to relish on the second weekend of the 2023 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. There were four days for fans to devour multi-genre music with the Dead and Company being the highlight. Although, many fans would argue with us on that point.

The weather ‘Gods’ caused challenges for festival goers due to strong thunderstorms on Saturday morning that caused a two hour delay in opening fest. Otherwise everything went as planned.

“Locals Thursday” had many people taking advantage of the “$50” ticket discount for Louisiana residents.  The highlights of the day had Santana headlining on the main stage.  Santana came on stage starting with “Soul Sacrifice,” “Black Magic Woman,” and “Evil Ways.”  He played long, clean runs with his eyes closed as he soared through fan favorites. As a note, Cindy Blackman, Santana’s wife, is the drummer for the band.
Chicago blues giant, Buddy Guy, was on the main stage after spending several years closing the blues tent. Guy is presently touring with his ‘Damn Right Farewell Tour.’ He festured his son, Greg, playing some great solo guitar. Guy always seems playful often making his guitar do the ‘talking.’ He picks guitar with his tongue and often plays with his guitarheld toward his back. His guitar styling is often imitated by many other instumentalists. Guy played snippits of songs that he loves from John Lee hooker, Hendrix, and Clapton.

Larkin Poe gave a very informative interview prior to their set closing the Blues tent on Thursday. The sister act rocked out to tunes like “Strike Gold,” “She’s a Self-Made Man,” and “Preachin’ Blues.”

Thursday was also the day that the festival honored Walter “Wolfman” Washington, native New Orleans performer who passed away in December 2022. The members of his band, the Roadmasters, reminisced about him during an interview at the Allison Miner Music Heritage Stage. Later, they fired up a set of Wolfman favorites at the Blues Tent with some very special guests including Irma Thomas, Deacon John, John “Papa” Gross, Alex McMurray, and Mem Shannon.

S
John Batiste closed the large stage on Friday and many fans will testify that his was the best show of this year. His set included “Tell the Truth,” “I Need You,” and “Rain Dance.” Batiste was there to show his hometown folks how his talent has grown.

Country singer, Kane Brown, thrilled throngs of young women during his set on Friday. Brown seemed disappointed that he wasn’t able to utilze his typical concert laser beams and backdrop videos. That said, he danced across the stage singing everyone’s favorite Kane Brown songs with aplomb. It was a fun set from a probable future country superstar.

H.E.R. aka Having Everything Revealed aka Gabriella Wilson is an R’n B artist that mesmerized the crowd from the moment she took the stage. It helped that the rain that came down on festers all day had stopped. She bagan without any of her guitars and moved across the stage as if she owned it. Songs performed included “Cheat Code,” “Best Part,” and “Make It Rain.”She donned her guitar later in the set.

Bob Weir, Jay Lane, Oteil Burbridge, Jeff Chimenti, Mickey Hart, and John Mayer took the stage as Dead and Company. They easily had the largest crowd on the last Saturday after a day of constant rain had stopped. Fan favorites included “Truckin,’” Cumberland Blues,” and “Uncle John’s Band.” It was a set for the partying crowd that lasted for two hours.

The final day of fest had Mumford and Sons, Tom Jones, Melissa Etheridge, Trombone Shorty, and Ne-Yo among many others. Tom Jones is one of the few remaining survivors of the British Invasion of the 1960s. He has performed at Jazz Fest many times and always delivers the best. Jon Batiste made a surprise appearance during Trombone Shorty’s set. Fans left feeling that they could not wait until next year’s festival. Only 345 days to go! Maybe we will see Ringo Starr next year

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March 29, 2023

Radius, Chicago

By Keeton Robinson 

Memphis rapper Key Glock stops in the windy city on his Glockoma tour. The last time Key Glock was here was back in 2021, and he was at a small venue two years later. He’s performing at Radius and it’s a big improvement. The venue holds about 3,000 people and people were lined up before the doors opened. His music shows his consistency, and he always thanks his cousin Young Dolph for showing him how the industry operates. Young Dolph was murdered in 2021 in his hometown of Memphis, and it shook the hip-hop community. Since his passing, Key Glock took the hustlers mentality from Dolph, and the consistency was like no other. His album landed two on the Apple Music Hip Hop/Rap charts and now is headlining his tour produced by mega production company Livenation.

The other artists who are performing on his tour are Kenny Muney, Tia Cornine, and Chicago Dj 9-3.

The crowd was ready for Key Glock, but of course, the openers had hyped the crowd up, and no one in the venue wasn’t having a great time. Dj D9-3 was playing some Chicago-style music called “Juke,” and the crowd had a great time.

One of the opening artists was Kenny Muney who is on the same label as Key Glock and set the tone for the night. Most of the songs he performed were off his recent album “Time is Muney. His songs consist of hard-hitting beats with charismatic lyrics to match his flashy and outlandish persona. He briefly stopped his set, threw money into the crowd, and then went into his next song. While performing his song, he went into the crowd and started rapping, and it was a frenzy for the fans to get close shots of him and also had to make sure his safety was good as well. Next was North Carolina native Tia Corine; most people didn’t know who she was, but she slowly but surely got the crowd’s attention just a little bit. She performed a couple of songs then she got to the stage.

The Closer is up; Key Glock was really good from the start of the song to the end of his set. He mainly started performing songs off his new album Glockoma 2 then decided to go back to his older songs. The crowd enjoyed every song, and most knew his lyrics word for word. Overall, his performance was good, and it is worth checking out if you haven’t heard or listened to his music. Make sure to get your ticket at a city near you on Ticketmaster’s website.  

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Fox Tucson Theatre

Tucson, Arizona

March 24, 2023

As soon as Rosanne Cash and John Leventhal graced the stage at the Fox Theatre, the love in the sold-out crowd permeated the entire hall. This was Rosanne Cash’s third appearance at the theatre in recent years. Cash was in wonderful voice, and she had a lot of stories to tell. Leventhal’s acoustic guitar playing was magical and he retrieved more sounds from his instrument than seemed possible. 

Cash and Leventhal have been spouses and musical collaborators for nearly 28 years. It has obviously worked for them and this show is evidence of their successful union. Cash spoke about how time is the most precious thing. “I feel it more now. John and I wrote the song, “Crossing to Jordan” about being in our long-term relationship. and Leventhal have been spouses and musical collaborators for nearly 28 years. It has obviously worked for them, and this show is evidence of their successful union. Cash spoke about how time is the most precious thing. “I feel it more now. John and I wrote the song, “Crossing to Jordan” about being in our long-term relationship.” 

They had a warm and playful demenor throughout the evening. Cash’s bracelet periodically hit her guitar during the show. She quipped, “I forgot to take my bracelet off so it’s working as percussion.” Leventhal looked on in his stride.

Cash has a long history with T Bone Burnette and it has been very productive. She introduced the song “The Only Thing Worth Fighting For” with “Burnette was the musical supervisor for the HBO series, True Detective. The second season was about to start and Burnette asked me, ‘Will you write some lyrics about destruction?’ I said, ‘Yeah that’s in my wheel house.’ I wrote the lyrics and it ended up opening the second season. They sang it beautifully. I still haven’t seen the show. Way too violent for me.” The song was performed early in the set along with several songs from her Gammy winning album, The River and the Tread.

“The River and the Thread” is a song about a hero’s journey to the South.The song won us a couple of Grammys. The last time I won a Grammy before this was when Reagan was president. My Grammys seem to be on a 30 year cycle.”

“Sunken Lands” was a compelling song performed that was dedicated to her grandmother, Carrie Cash’s hard life in rural Arkansas. Cash writes about her Southern roots and it’s shameful history of lynching and segregation in the not too distant past. Cash and John journeyed as far down South through to Mississippi in preapartion for the album, The River and the Thread. “ The Tallahachee bridge is an haunting place. We threw a guitar pick off the bridge.”She sang Bobbie Gentry’s “Ode to Billie Joe.”

Cash stated that her days of touring are coming to a close unless it is on special occasions. She spoke of one of her future endeavors, “John and I have been working on a musical for six years now. It looks like it will be staged. It’s very exciting. It’s the story of Norma Rae filmed in the 70s. It’s regarding a woman who works in a textile mill in North Carolina in the 1970s. It’s about union organizing. It’s really about a woman’s transformation.The song we wrote for the play is about a moment when she realizes that her life is not working and something has got to change. The song is called “Where is the Hurricane.” I am not playing Norma Rae. I have no interest in acting. Music is hard enough.”

“In 2010, I released an album called The List. The songs on the album are from an actual list my dad made for me when I was 18 years old on the back of a tour bus one day. He got out a legal pad and a sharpie and he wrote this list of songs off of the top of his head. Across the top of the page he wrote ‘100 essential country songs.’ He gave it to me and said ‘This is your education.’ I saved that list. In 2010, we took songs from that list and I made an album called The List. This song should be at the top of anyone’s list, “The Long Black Veil” was performed.

This was a very special evening with the fans giving the performers a standing ovation at the end. They returned to the stage for an encore of Dylan’s “I Shall be Released.” It really doesn’t get better than this

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HOBs Cleveland 

September 18, 2022

by Andrew Latshaw

This past Sunday, Apocalyptica made the trek from Finland to make a stop at the House of Blues in Cleveland. They had Wheel who are also from Finland, and Leprous who came from Norway to put on a hell of a show! 

I want to start of by saying that seeing Apocalyptica for the 1^st time after having listened to them for over 20yrs, it was just jaw dropping to see these guys in person after more than two decades CD’s, YouTube, and magazines, it was just phenomenal! 

Wheel took the stage first and started the evening. They were definitely a different sound to me. It was not bad, just not a sound I had heard before and I was having a hard time putting my finger on why I was not into them. I was absolutely in the minority there that night, the crowd was digging them, and it was obvious! 

 Next up was Leprous, and I would describe them as more of a goth-rock genre if I were made to pigeonhole them. They were a fluid and melancholy sound. It was so melodic and soothing, which is not what you want to hear about a band at a concert, but the truth is they were fun! It is meant in the highest of compliments when I say that they were also quite soothing to hear in person, please know they were very entertaining as well! Another nod I must give to Leprous was when all their members were taking turns and changing places on their instruments throughout their set.

Their cellist was playing the keyboards at one point. Their vocalist was playing keyboards, then the drums, and the drummer came up on the keyboards at one point, then he picked up a guitar at one point. At any given moment, they were all playing a different instrument than they were 5min prior.  

Next up, the one and only APOCALYPTICA! You could see the staff getting Mikko Sirén into his drum kit and then Perttu Kivilaakso was the first of the cellists out on stage, then came Eicca Toppinen, and Paavo Lötjönen! After a few moments of the crowd screaming and cheering them on, they got to work with a passion! 

I have no idea what their bows are made of, but to watch these guys play in person, I cannot fathom how they did not spontaneously combust! The ferocity in which they play their cellos is unlike anything I have ever seen. As they started off their set with “Ashes of the Modern World” I saw these guys playing and I was blown away at the fluidity of their movements with one another, and as they played their cellos. 

Their second song was “Path”. It was one of those times where you thought you saw it all and realized how wrong you were to think that! When they started trading places on the stage, all the while not missing a beat of the songs! 

In all my years of listening to Apocalyptica, I have had mixed emotions about their adding vocals to their work. I have loved their collaborations in the past, with bands that had vocalists knowing that was part of the collaboration. 

On the third song of their set is when Franky Perez came out to add vocals to the evening! He reminds me a lot of George Michael in the 80’s! His voice to me with the leather jacket and old school bad boy persona he was branding onstage was an absolute throwback. 

In addition to all the rest of the pleasantries of the evening, I was the only photographer in the pit that night, and to be able to capture the evening as I did without clamoring over other photographers was an absolute rare treat.

After my 3 songs in the pit, I ran my gear to my car as agreed upon with the House of Blues. I was only missing about 2 songs for the evening when I got back to enjoy the rest of the show. After all these years of listening to and following Apocalyptica, to be able to not only see them in person and photograph the show was on another level! For the first three songs, I was in work mode! For the rest of the night, I was an absolute fan boy!  

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Read on to discover everything you need to know about how to choose a studio monitor. Plus, where to buy the best studio monitors, with options to suit every budget.

How much power do you need?

One of the most important decisions you need to make when choosing a studio monitor is how much power it needs to have. While you may think that the power only affects the volume, it impacts the overall sound as well.

High-wattage Studio Monitors allow you to hear more transient detail. It can also allow you to make better adjustments to compressors and limiters.

That being said, bigger is not always better, and depending on what you want to achieve, you may not need the highest wattage that you can find.

Do you need an active or passive monitor?

If you know a bit about studio monitors, then you may have already heard the terms “active” and “passive” monitors.

Passive monitors are modular, which means that you need to match your speakers with the right amplifier and crossover. Active monitors, on the other hand, have all this already built in. While there is no right or wrong type of studio monitor, active monitors do present several favorable aspects, such as you do not need to accommodate extra rack gear.

Do you want a ported or closed cabinet?

Depending on the size of the studio monitor that you choose, you need to pick between a ported or closed cabinet.

If you have limited space and you need to put your studio monitor in the corner of the room or close to a wall, then a closed cabinet is the superior choice. However, a ported cabinet offers several benefits, such as extended frequency response, which allows for more bass.

Do you need a subwoofer?

If you plan to use your new studio monitor to mix sound for television or motion pictures, then you need to select one with a subwoofer. You also need to consider the size of the room you are planning to record in, as smaller spaces do not allow for sufficient bass frequencies to develop, so a subwoofer will not work.

What makes a good studio monitor?

If you are still not sure what studio monitor to choose, then there are three aspects that you should look out for: minimal distortion, good stereo imaging, and a wide frequency response. You could always ask an expert for some advice on the matter – they know best, after all!

You don’t have to spend a fortune to get a good quality studio monitor, especially if you take the time to research and shop around to find the best deals.