photos by Ryan Barkan

"His band is the same it's been for most of the last decade, with the guitarists Rusty Anderson and Brian Ray, the keyboardist Paul Wickens, and the drummer Abe Laboriel Jr.; in a way their canned grimaces and corny gestures seem perfect, because they illustrate how much of the audience might dream of playing if given the chance to get on stage with Mr. McCartney, showing off but hitting all the marks. It's a machine that doesn't change arrangements from year to year, mostly replicating the original versions, down to the string parts on "Eleanor Rigby" as recreated by Mr. Wickens' synthesizer. It's also a loud, clear, efficacious, and sometimes bashing band, aiming to the back rows." [NY Times]

Paul McCartney played the legendary Apollo last night, 12/13, to a house filled with Sirius XM subscribers and celebrties. If you are a satellite radio subscriber but didn't have a ticket, maybe you listened at home. Some pictures from the show and the full setlist below...

Continue reading "Paul McCartney played the Apollo Theater (pics & setlist)"

"Been waiting outside the Varvatos Bowery store for six hours now. This party better be fun :(" - Nat Thomson

photos by Nate "Igor" Smith

Alberta Cross did in fact play the fashion week party at the Varvatos Store on Thursday night, but it ended up that they were only the opener for a much larger band. That band was Axl Rose and friends aka "Guns n Roses". Packed when it started, people waited for hours for the headliner to appear in the store that used to be CBGB. Over 90 minutes later, after Axl and band had finished a set of seventeen songs to the lucky (and fashionable) people in attendance (like Sebastian Bach and Kevin Bacon), the room was less than half full. People apparently couldn't stay awake - not because of the performance, but because of the (type of crowd it was and the) long wait time followed by the late ending. The show ended around 2:45am.

More pictures, a video and the full setlist below....

Continue reading "Guns n Roses played the Varvatos store (pics, video, setlist)"