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I was tempted to reserve this week’s blue ribbon for Daryl Hall & John Oates, who will be treating L.A. to something special and playing the little old Troubadour on May 22-23 (get your tickets Friday if you can). What can I say? I have a soft spot for their bastardized blend of Philly soul and not-quite-New Wave pop.
I even entertained the idea of giving the top slot to Crowded House, who will be playing their own two-night stand at the Orpheum on May 16-17 (get your tickets Sunday). The Antipodean combo put out a really excellent record last year, “Time on Earth” — a sweet tribute to the group’s original drummer, who committed suicide in 2005 — that hasn’t really gotten the press it deserves.
But how could I not give it to Radiohead, who announced they’d be playing the biggest two-night stand of all at the Hollywood Bowl on Aug. 24-25? Eleven years after the Oxford boys threw rock music the giant lifesaver that was “OK Computer,” they’re still the best, most innovative, most confounding, most consistently engaging band on the planet, and they are amazing live, particularly at the Bowl. Run, do not walk, to get your tickets Saturday.
That’s not all going on at Will Call, though. ’60s icons the Zombies will be at the Canyon Club on July 19 (tickets available now). Prog-rock forefathers Yes will be at the Honda Center on Aug. 20 (tickets Sunday) and the Gibson Amphitheatre on Aug. 22 (tickets Saturday). Hair-metal hooligans Poison, Dokken and Sebastian Bach will be at Gibson Amphitheatre on Aug. 23 (tickets Saturday). AOR icons Steve Miller Band and Joe Cocker will be playing the Nokia Theatre on Aug. 6 (tickets available now).
And hoarse-throated soul-popper Macy Gray gets a gold star for teaming up with two very different headliners for two separate shows: Earth, Wind & Fire at the Greek Theatre on June 22 and Seal at the Pacific Amphitheatre on July 27 (tickets to both on Saturday).
In smaller, indie-r news, it was a decent week: Calvin Harris will be re-creating disco again at the Music Box @ Fonda on April 23; whistling Swedes Peter, Bjorn and John will be at the Troubadour on May 3; and multi-instrumental nutter Dosh will play Spaceland with opener Anathallo on June 15. Tickets to these shows, which just skim the surface of what’s coming in the column Thursday, are available right now. So what are you waiting for?
– Liam Gowing
I am drooling, yes drooling, at that lineup. I saw Crowded House in Perth Australia last year. I wasn’t expecting more than campfire songs, and was actually thrilled by their energy and expressiveness on stage. Enjoy that one with your main squeeze.
DK