U2 360° Tour Concert Review Salt Lake City, Utah

Review of the U2 360° tour stop in Salt Lake City, Utah on May 24, 2011.

U2's Bono In Salt Lake City, Utah
Bono Onstage In Salt Lake City, Utah - Photo by Lori Hansen Airmet

   It was my great pleasure to attend the U2 360° tour on May 24, 2011 in Salt Lake City, Utah. U2 has the reputation of being one of the greatest live bands of all time and I was stoked to finally get my chance to see them do a live show. I had actually bought tickets for the Salt Lake City show that was scheduled for June 3, 2010 and would have been the kickoff for U2’s North American tour. As fate would have it Bono had emergency back surgery so the Salt Lake City show was put on hold for a year. I held onto my tickets and vowed to attend when U2 finally rolled into town.   Continue reading “U2 360° Tour Concert Review Salt Lake City, Utah”

The Cars – Move Like This Album Review

The Cars "Move Like This" Album Cover
The Cars - Move Like This

   It’s been a while since we’ve heard from The Cars as a group. Sure we had The New Cars in 2006 with Todd Rundgren filling in for Ric Ocasek and playing The Cars greatest hits in a live show. That album also had some nice singles but it was missing both Ric Ocasek and drummer David Robinson. In fact the last time Ric Ocasek, David Robinson, Elliot Easton and Greg Hawkes played on a Cars album was on 1987’s Door to Door. At that time Benjamin Orr, one of The Cars primary songwriters, vocalist and bass player was alive and well. Sadly Benjamin Orr passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2000.   Continue reading “The Cars – Move Like This Album Review”

REO Speedwagon At Peppermill Concert Hall Review

Review of REO Speedwagon live show at Peppermill Concert Hall, Wendover, Nevada April 9, 2011.

REO Speedwagon
REO Speedwagon

   This past weekend I got to see one of my favorite live bands of all time, REO Speedwagon. They played at the Peppermill Concert Hall in Wendover, Nevada on April 9, 2011. It was a sold out show and for good reason. REO Speedwagonis still a very popular rock band with40 years worthof touring behind them and a whole string of hit albums with smash singles keeping their popularity fueled. It’s also the 30th anniversary of their record breaking Hi Infidelity album.    Continue reading “REO Speedwagon At Peppermill Concert Hall Review”

The Strokes – Angles Album Review

The Strokes 2011 album titled “Angles” is their best effort to date read the review here.

The Strokes - Angles Album Cover
The Strokes - Angles

I’ve been a huge fan of The Strokes ever since they came into the public eye with their 2001 release “Is This It” which featured the hit single “Last Night”. The band then had to endure being raked over the coals by the critics and the fashionistas. Their response was to break up and try to launch several ill-fated solo efforts. Julian Casablancas, Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr. all released solo albums to good critical response but underwhelming fan response. Finally in 2009 the members began writing new material for a brand new Strokes album.    Continue reading “The Strokes – Angles Album Review”

Amplify Your Mixer With The Behringer Europower EP4000 Stereo Power Amplifier

Power your P.A. System with the Behringer EP4000 Stereo Power Amplifier.

Behringer EP4000 Stereo Power Amplifier
Behringer EP4000 Stereo Power Amplifier

   Everyone that plays in a live band knows that you need a good mixer at the heart of your P.A. system. Many musicians who are building their first PA system spend a lot of time researching and choosing a mixer and completely forget that they will need a good power amplifier to power that mixer. Today I’m going to talk about an excellent, affordable power amplifier that will work with any mixer. I’d like to introduce you to the Behringer Europower EP4000 stereo power amplifier.   Continue reading “Amplify Your Mixer With The Behringer Europower EP4000 Stereo Power Amplifier”

Behringer Xenyx X2442USB Mixer Review

The Behringer Xenyx X2442USB Mixer is a 16-channel mixing console with built in compression, digital effects and a computer USB interface.

Behringer Xenyx X2442USB Mixer
Behringer Xenyx X2442USB Mixer

   If you’re looking for an extremely versatile mixer and you have a limited budget then look no further than the Behringer Xenyx X2442USB Mixing Console. This mixer is ideal for use with your live band or even in your home studio. If you have a band with four or five members then this is the ideal mixing solution for you simply because of the excellent selection of input and routing options.

   The Xenyx X2442USB is the upgrade to the Behringer Eurorack UB2442FX Pro mixer. The mixers are very similar in capability and channel availability and I suggest you read the Behringer Euorack UB2442FX Pro Review to get more of an idea of these mixer’s capabilities. The Xenyx X2442USB has two very important upgrades. First, it has built in compression! This is a major advantage for mixing live vocals as well as live drums. It saves you from having to hook up an outboard compression unit to the mixer. The downside is, it’s only available on channel’s 1-8. Still, that’s generally enough channels for your vocal mics and basic drum mics.     Continue reading “Behringer Xenyx X2442USB Mixer Review”

Planet Waves Auto-Trim Locking Tuners For Gibson Les Paul

Planet Waves locking tuning machines replace the stock tuners on a Gibson Les Paul with no modifications necessary.

Planet Waves Locking Tuning Machines With Auto Trimming
Planet Waves Locking Tuners For Gibson Les Paul

One of my favorite guitars is my Gibson Les Paul BFG and I use it in my live band regularly. It sounds great and has very unique tones for a Gibson. It’s also got fairly cheap parts on it thanks to Gibson building it as more of a budget Les Paul. Recently I was stringing it up and as I was putting on the low E-String the string windings lifted the post right out of the tuning machine! I couldn’t believe it because I had never had a problem with Grover Tuners before. Let’s  just say I’m less than impressed with the Grover Tuners build quality.   Continue reading “Planet Waves Auto-Trim Locking Tuners For Gibson Les Paul”

83rd Annual Academy Awards Musical Performance Review

A review of the musical performances at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards performed by Randy Newman, Florence Welch, A.R. Rahman, Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Florence Welch Red Carpet 83rd Annual Academy Awards
Florence Welch Arrives At The 83rd Annual Academy Awards

Ah yes, the Oscars are an annual tradition for all movie lovers. As for we musician’s the show represents another important avenue for using our craft. That’s why at Live Musician Central we will be reviewing the show’s live performances of the songs nominated for Best Original Song.

The four songs nominated for Best Original Song are:

Continue reading “83rd Annual Academy Awards Musical Performance Review”

53rd Annual Grammy Awards Show Review

A musician’s review of the 53rd annual Grammy Awards television broadcast held on Febuary 13, 2011. Including a select list of winners.

Lady Gaga Dancing At The Grammy's 2011
Lady Gaga Dancing At The Grammy's 2011

   I said I wasn’t going to watch the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards this year but I just couldn’t help myself. One of my favorite live musicians of all time, Mr. Jeff Beck, was up for a couple of awards so I tuned in to see if he won. It was held on Febuary 13, 2011 and  I do have to say I DVR’d the whole show because I just couldn’t fathom sitting on my couch for three and a half hours watching lame acceptance speeches directed at people I neither know nor care about. As usual, I’m looking primarily at the live performances that were featured on the 2011 Grammy Awards show.     Continue reading “53rd Annual Grammy Awards Show Review”

Black Eyed Peas Super Bowl XLV Halftime Review

A musician’s review of the Black Eyed Peas Superbowl XLV 2011 live halftime show performance.

Black Eyed Peas Super Bowl Press Conference
Black Eyed Peas Super Bowl Press Conference

   I know that everyone and their dog is reviewing the Black Eyed Peas Super Bowl performance but let’s face it, Live Musician Central is the place to get the definitive “musician’s” review. As you know, here at Live Musician Central we don’t just review how the perfomers looked or how well they danced. We review whether or not the performers actually were able to play their music effectively in a live performance.   Continue reading “Black Eyed Peas Super Bowl XLV Halftime Review”

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