Despite a flurry of conflicting press reports -- spawned by conflicting statements from SFPD -- police have confirmed that Grammy-nominated rapper 2 Chainz himself was robbed at gunpoint in SOMA yesterday, only hours before taking the stage at KMEL's Summer Jam.
KMEL Summer Jam
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Oracle Arena
Better than: Listening to the radio.
Kendrick Lamar's closing set at KMEL's Summer Jam was fascinating to watch. Artists had whipped the crowd up to deafening levels of cheering all night, and the L.A. rapper, clad in a Frankenstein T-shirt, was pushing it to 11 with party-fueling offerings like "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe." But there were also moments where he held the room in a quiet thrall that others didn't, punctuating the spare beats on "Poetic Justice" and "Money Trees" with sharp hand movements and easy smiles. With the growth of this artist has come markedly more charisma, and he was a smart choice of a headliner.
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By RAYMOND ROBLES
Parquet Courts
Cocktails
Pang
Friday, June 7, 2013
Rickshaw Stop
Better than: Birthing pangs.
What's it like to witness the death of a band? Its swan song seppuku Silvia Plath shotgun bow-out?
Rad, actually, and the audience was inclined to agree. All four girls of Pang methodically marched their equipment off the stage after a rousing set on Friday, and the announcement that this was their last show. Most wouldn't have it.
"More! More!" demanded drunkard no. 1 (who had previously asked them to "Turn it up," to which rhythm guitarist/vocalist Danielle asked, "Turn what up?" with genuine puzzlement.)
What's the loudest thing you've ever heard?
If your response isn't "a My Bloody Valentine concert," prepare to have it updated. On the heels of releasing their long-awaited third album, mbv, this spring, the Irish blare-merchants are planning a tour that will stop in San Francisco later this summer. If the last S.F. show in 2008 was any indication -- their climactic noise-detonation was heard for blocks around SOMA -- this performance should make jet engines sound mellow.
Rufus Wainwright
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Davies Symphony Hall
Better than: Dwelling on the crumbling notion of privacy in American life.
Rufus Wainwright is wearing a really awful suit. Standing, greeting the audience, the first concert-related thought into my head was that this thing was capital-b Bad. It looked like some thoughtless hipster had tried to make an ironic statement by wearing his Sunday best to a job painting houses. The front half of it (and the front half only) was speckled with different blobs of color. Who lets someone leave the house like that?
I open on this wardrobe malfunction for two reasons, none of which involve trying to be a snob fashionista. The few seconds I spent adjusting to Mr. Wainwright's choice of outfit was the only thing approaching a negative thought I had for the close to two hours he played.
But also, this choice of clothes is kind of what makes Rufus Wainwright awesome right?
