REVIEW BY KATE SLATER. PICS BY REAGAN AKERSTEN

Part 2 of the SF Outside Lands coverage, involves reviews and pics on The Coup, Primus, Galactic, and Ben Harper. CLICK HERE TO SEE PART 2’S IMAGE GALLERY

REVIEW BY KATE SLATER . PICS BY REAGAN AKERSTEN

This inaugural and historical music event in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco comes to us via two major outdoor event heavyweights: Superfly Productions, creators of Bonnaroo, Vegoose and Another Planet Entertainment, the largest independent concert promoter in the Bay Area. The layout was large, with 6 stages spread over half the park and named after famed locations of this beautiful city: Lands End, Twin Peaks, Sutro, The Avenues, Presidio and the Panhandle. Every detail of this event in some way pays tribute to the city of San Francisco and to the legend rock promoters that have given it a soul. And this festival packed one serious line up.

Welcome to the first year of many to follow. CLICK HERE TO SEE A GALLERY OF PICS OF DAY 1 ”

REVIEW BY MICAEH N. JOHNSON

COOL KIDS

Cool Kids (?Mikey Rocks? out of Chicago, IL and ?Chuck Inglish? from Detroit, MI) brought that heat to Day One of Lollapalooza. Bringing the pain, ?Mikey Rocks?, bounced from stage left to right during the entire performance. Cool Kids would keep up the surge even after an obnoxious mad rapper in the audience got silly and threw up the Wu-Tang Clan sign in response to the double C?s sign that rep Cool Kids. Noted as one of the promising groups new groups to emerge this year by the Los Angeles Times , Cool Kids performed songs from their previous released albums, When Fish Ride Bicycles and Totally Flossed and introduced music at the conclusion of their set from the soon to be released, The Bake Sale which simultaneously went down with a little crowd surfing and unsolicited female fans joining them on stage. Though on the group?s MySpace page, the two claim to sound like no one, virgin ears could immediately hear traces of The Pharcyde in their vocal pitches and sense of humor. With ridiculously banging beats, specifically on fan fav, ?Bassment Party,? the crowd was left with no choice but to do the symbolic hand in the air, song after song, to pay respect.

REVIEW BY BRENT WOODIE. PICS BY TOD EMKO

Halfway through the Rock The Bells concert, Mos Def emerged waving the Black nationalist, Red, Black and Green flag. After a slew of solo cuts, Mos teamed with partner-in-rhyme Talib Kweli to awaken the slightly faint crowd. Things peaked when Pharoahe Monch appeared to perform his smash ?Simon Says,? closing a solid set.  Watching Mos and Talib tear up the show with songs like ?Definition? and ?Respiration” you could sense increase fans appetite for another Black Star album .

REVIEW BY BRENT WOODIE

The sun was shining down on the annual Rock The Bells concert series on Sunday, August 1st. As the crowd packed in the Nikon at Jones Beach Theater they had no idea that they would be in for a treat throughout.  Featuring 2 stages and over 20 performances, the energy was high from noon to well into midnight.  Boasting a dream bill for “true Hip-Hop heads,” Rock The Bells did not disappoint; from rap legends A Tribe Called Quest and Nas to up and coming MC’s Wale and Cool Kids, the Hip-Hop spectrum was full. 

CLICK ON THE PHOTOS TO SEE PICS FROM THE SHOW

Let me begin by saying that I forgive the Beastie Boys. All the ill will I’ve harbored for the last eight years has been explicitly released in one violent show of nostalgic rage. I find myself in a bruised and battered peace. 

The Airborne Toxic Event is quite a phenomenon. This is an indie band that screams and dances away its angst, making everyone who listens unable to resist the urge to dance and cheer. In April 2008, they played on Last Call with Carson Daly , and they’ve already opened for bands like the Fratellis and the Silversun Pickups. Soon, they’ll be on tour with rising pop superstar, Katy Perry. Not bad for a band whose debut, self-titled album drops on August 5th. 

Arguably the most popular music fest in the Windy City, Lollapalooza 2008 kicked off its 2008 fest on Friday, August 1st, with more than 125 bands on the bill, and UGO was there to cover it all.

If Chicago is known as a blues town, then the Black Keys are tailor-made for the city’s premiere music event, Lollapalooza. The fuzz-heavy blues-rock duo took to the sweltering crowds of sweaty festival goers Friday, August 1st to kick off the three day event in Chicago’s Grant Park.

They were over 40 bands performing at the Warped Tour stop in Long Island, New York; way too many acts for us to photograph. But for the bands we did capture, so you may have heard, some you may not.

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Yesterday you saw galleries of Katy Perry, Gym Class Heroes and Shwayze in concert at the 2008 Vans Warped Tour show in Long Island, New York. 

I’m in love. You might know her, Katy Perry (she’s popular in a Billboard Top 100 sort of way). Geez, I haven’t felt this songstress-struck since I first heard Portishead. But what can a boy to do when his dream lady’s hit song is all about kissin’ girls?

Weep. And weep I shall, while I enjoy these UGO exclusive pics . If only I had been the UGO photographer at the Warped Tour’s Long Island show. Then I would have, well, been shy, and probably lost my freelance contract, gone into a depression, bouncing one check after the other, until I found myself drinking Diet Spriet outside of a McDonalds in Iowa. But would that have been so bad for a moment with… Katy.

If you don’t have eyes for one woman, we’ve got a Shwayze and Gym Class Heroes after the jump, so check’em out!

REVIEW BY MICAEH N. JOHNSON

Music fans and hippy wannabes packed Chicago?s Union Park this past weekend for the annual summer Pitchfork Festival with a sold out crowd on Saturday, July 19th. Pitchfork, which coins itself as the affordable, 3-day music fest option to Lollapalooza that kicks off in just a few weeks, is traditionally heavy on both big-name talent, coupled with local and regional phenomenons. However, this year’s fest steered off course a bit, as there happened to be more focus on the talent, and less on superstar headliners.

If there’s an indie band out there that puts more into their live show than Apes & Androids, we’ve yet to see them perform. During an hour-long set on Saturday night at Music Hall of Williamsburg, the Brooklyn-based electro-glam rockers paraded a troupe of spear-wielding, glow-in-the-dark hipster pixies through the venue and onto the stage.

On Saturday, July 12, 2008, the place to be was the Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park in Brooklyn, NY for the 4th Annual Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival. The weather was great, the Manhattan skyline in the background of the concert - picture-esqe, and the sounds emanating from the stage - unforgettable.

Motely Crue was yesterday, now check out these awesome photos of ‘the Fest’s’ other touring bands: Papa Roach, Sixx A.M., Buckcherry and Trapt.

What is there to say about Motley Crue that has not already been said? They have been rightly called legends, forerunners, glam gods, etc., for their contributions over the 25 years to the world of metal. And on July 8, 2008 at the Nikkon Theatre on Jones Beach, Long Island, New York - the Crue, as apart of their nationwide “Crue Fest Tour, played their hearts out to add to that legacy.

Click here to see concert gallery pics of Motley Crue

Make sure you check Summer Concert Guide tomorrow for pics of Crue Fest tour mates, Sixx A.M., Trapt, Buckcherry and Papa Roach.

Fleet Foxes are destined to go down as one of the break-out bands of ‘08. They were the toast of Texas at SXSW this year, Pitchfork gave their self-titled debut full-length a startling 9.0 in early June, and they’re signed to Sub Pop, perhaps the most respected independent label on the planet.

REVIEW BY PETER FOREST

In my second day covering this festival, I had the opportunity to check out some of my favorite artists in concert for the first time.  On the main stage, Musiq Souchild got things started off by performing cuts from his first album ( Aijuswanaseing along with hits from his current disc - Luvanmusiq . This was the beginning of star-studded night of performances.

REVIEW BY PETER FOREST

Day one of the 2008 Annual Essence Music Festival is officially over as Kayne West performed his last song of the night.

Considering that it is this my first time at the Essence Music Festival (which was compounded by the fact that I am a South Louisiana native), it truly has been an experience beyond words. From what I have witnessed, this is something that the casual first-time observer would have to go to several times in order to truly be able to experience the whole effect of the Essence Music Festival - both inside and outside of the Louisiana Superdome.

The though the release of last year’s Wu-Tang Clan album, 8 Diagrams garnered mixed reactions from fans, critics, and even some members of the Wu - that has not stopped the creativity from the de facto leader of the Clan and production scientist, the RZA.

Some of best and brightest in Black music and entertainment have converged in New Orleans, Louisiana for the 2008 Essence Music festival, and you know UGO had to be there. Our N’awlins correspondent, Peter Forest is on hand to provide daily updates from the Fest - its sights and sounds - so we hope you enjoy.

If you are like me, you’ve spent hour after unproductive hour watching youtube clips of Tom Waits performing his songs live, or appearing on talk shows, or even singing in his official music video. Hell, you might’ve even watched a few fan performances. Like me, you may wonder: Who is this guy? Is he the trabadour or the dirge? The drunk or the poet? No one has more carefully cultivated his public persona than Tom Waits. His songs and gravelly vocals impress the image of a roving bard, but watching him on Letterman you see a slightly nervous but engaging man, full of wit and charm. His sings songs of loners and losers, sailors and dreamers, but he’s a family man with three children that rarely makes public appearances. All the grainy videos of Tom performing in London or for Dutch television, his talk show appearances and rare videos of a song on an unknown show on an unknown date, all of it left me in wonder at the man’s abundant talent and with an intense desire to see the man for myself.

Every once in a while the rock world gets bands hailing from the most unexpected places.

Dethklok is the unholy American/Scandinavian cartoon band from Adult Swim’s Metalocalypse . 

Immortal Technique is one of the “hardest working hip-hop revolutionaries” in the business. Continuing in the tradition of social/political activist rappers such as Public Enemy and dead prez, Tech, and Afro-Peruvian and resident of Harlem, is not about notoriety, but trying to change the world around him. 

If listening to a Coldplay album is like sticking your face in a bowl of lavender-scented potpourri, seeing them perform live is like doing a cannonball into the deep end of a swimming pool filled with rose petals. It’s not exactly the most exciting thing you could do with yourself, but it ain’t half bad. We dove in headfirst this past Monday as Coldplay played a free gig at Madison Square Garden on the heels of scoring their first ever No. 1 single in the United States for “Viva La Vida.”

Vocalist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, and drummer Will Champion a.k.a. Coldplay came through to peform at “The World’s Most Famous Arena” last night and did not disappoint. Our photographer, Tod Emko, was on hand to catch the band’s free performance. Click here to see the gallery

The Sigur Ros concert at New York’s Grand Ballroom on June 16th was my first live experience with the Icelandic band, but I had read and heard plenty prior to taking my seat (A seat? At a non-arena rock show? I am getting old) for the night. Some people recounted tales of audience members so overcome with emotion that they wept. Others told me that the extreme slowcore nature of some of Sigur Ros’s songs had put them to sleep. I came into the band mostly through their last full-length album, Takk , and had become a fan in the process of catching up with rest of their material, but even I had to wonder if some of the more atmospheric stuff on records like ( ) would hold a crowd’s attention live.

Silly, silly me. There are a few ways you can tell a band is totally in control of its audience. When I saw the Polyphonic Spree last August, the audience sang the coda of “The Championship” all the way through the break between the first set and the encore. With Sigur Ros, it was all about the silences. In the middle of “Vioorar Vel Til Loftarasa” (Meaning “We don’t know what it means, either” in Icelandic), the band stopped playing for what felt like about a minute, freezing in position on stage and letting the music fade out entirely. You’d expect people to cheer, or yell out something stupid like “Freebird,” or one of the other obnoxious things people do at a concert when given the chance to call attention to themselves....but nobody made a sound. Nobody moved. It felt like the entire crowd was holding its breath, and it was one of those intense moments that tell you that you’re witnessing something special.

More, including video, after the jump…

Welsh indie rock band, People In Planes, is an outfit with a sound and songwritting you can’t deny. Similarities to bands like Coldplay and Radiohead may come to mind for some, but overall, PIP has groove (and edge) that’s all their own. 

The time is 2:00 am and an energized crowd had just been electrocuted by a ?crazy? performance from Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West was due to perform at the Main Stage in an hour, but every true hip-hop head was waiting, with adrenaline at its max for their lyrical master, Talib Kweli.

Are there any bad performances at this thing? As the second Saturday show had come and gone, I was beginning to think not. When the next act rolled around, the ?What Stage? became more and more packed, for the people who had stayed out all night and slept all day (and were up and ready for round two or three depending on what day they arrived). If you’re nor familiar with Jack Johnson, you?d better ask someone. 

If I am not mistaken, I could have sworn that Lupe Fiasco was mentioning an early retirement. Maybe that was to help push album sales for his sophomore project, The Cool . Or was it to give us a taste of his premature ego. Well as it turns out, you would have not noticed signs of either from Fiasco?s performance on The Other Stage (a smaller stage that entertains a crowd of hundreds) at Bonnaroo. A continuously smiling Lupe appeared to be enjoying himself at his much anticipated 45-minute set in front of a jam-packed crowd. 

Long awaited, heavy metal band Metallica had fans missing the added values of Bonnaroo Friday night while they camped out in lines that put them five feet away from the stage.

First of all I would like to say that I like and respect Kanye West as an artist and a human being. He is a genius in the art of creating the most unique sounds and sample combinations on wax. On top of that, he possesses a unique presence, style and says exactly what he wants to say and is heard when he says it - something that many in the music biz dream about.  With that being said, going back to the question of whether or not there would be any bad performances at Bonnaroo this year the answer is; yes, we have a winner.

As the opening act for Scotish indie rock outfit, The Fratellis, The Airborne Toxic was an expected surprise for the crowd at Webster Hall. 

Whoever said Scotland doesn’t know how to rock, never saw The Fratellis perform.

While several artists wooed crowds on, many of Bonnaroo’s masses gravitated towards the main stage Friday evening to see what I thought was for Chris Rock. However the political funny man just so happened to be the opening act for Heavy Metal band, Metallica.

The torrential rains that plagued the Friday night and early Saturday morning, no doubt interfering with My Morning Jackets wee hours in the morn set, let up just in time for the first act of the third day of Bonnaroo 2008.

The Marley legacy continues on through Stephen…

In the continuation of our summer festival/live event coverage, UGO hired writer Jasmine Lewis traveled to Manchester, Tennessee and braved the heat to bring us the sights and review the performances of some of your favorite bands at the 2008 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival.

What do you get when you have two of the hottest rappers on the scene collaborating on stage together? Watch the video.

Though you may not hear it on the radio much, or be in heavy rotation on your favorite video channels, but for the people crammed in at the Nokia Theatre on June 4th, Independent and underground hip-hop is not just alive...its thriving.

Check out the review and photo galleries of The Kooks and The Morning Benders at Terminal 5 in NYC, courtesy of contributing editor of Faith-Ann Young.

Did you miss the off the hook concert given by New York radio station, HOT 97 FM last week at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ? The word on street was that Kanye West/Lil Wayne collabo performance was crazy!!

If you weren’t lucky to see Alicia Keys, Method Man, Akon, Public Enemy and a whole of others doing it big onstage, don’t worry, just click here .

Gnarls Barkley was near the top of my list of must-see bands that I’d never had the pleasure of seeing onstage. I’d been a fan of Cee-Lo since his now fulfilled ghetto superstar potential was hinted at on Goodie Mob’s Still Standing in 1998. Danger Mouse had produced no less than four(!) of my favorite albums of the double-oh’s ( The Grey Album , Dangerdoom’s The Mouse and the Mask , Gorillaz’ Demon Days , and The Rapture’s Pieces of the People We Love ). And in tandem, the duo has created what I think might be one of the top-10 pop songs of all-time.

If you’d seen the White Stripes perform before, and you had tickets to one of The Raconteurs’ 3 sold-out shows at NYC’s Terminal 5 this past weekend, then you knew you’d at least get your $40 worth from Jack White and his side-project “supergroup.” Blessed with an improbable combo of talent, musical ingenuity and, yeah, glamour, White proves he’s a bona fide virtuoso of rock - maybe even the world’s only one - every time he takes the stage. Saturday night’s performance was no exception.

The Black Parade may be winding down as My Chemical Romance gears up to work on their next album, but that doesn’t mean the emo act of the moment has lost the ability to rock the holy living hell out of a crowd. Evidence of this was on prime display as the band descended on New York City’s premiere concert venue for a blowout affair. Fortunately for you, we were there with a camera in tow to get the full scope of the performance.

Click here to see the gallery!