Steven Page reimagines Barenaked Ladies hits at ‘flawless’ Taste of Syracuse concert (June 8, 2025)

Steven Page is one of my musical heroes. I grew up on the Barenaked Ladies. Their 2003 album, Everything to Everyone, was one of the first CDs I bought with my own money. I think his solo career contains some of his best songwriting. His music, his lyrics, and that voice, have left an indelible mark on my life. 

Which is to say, it’s impossible for me to experience Saturday evening’s performance at the Taste of Syracuse as a casual fan. 

Thankfully, Steven Page, with his bandmates Kevin Fox on cello and Craig Northey on guitar, offered a setlist that included enough 90’s pop rock favorites for the casual fans, the occasional deep cuts for the die-hards like myself, and an impeccable musicality that attracted the passers-by, enjoying the plethora of food trucks available.

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Luke Bryan brings huge summer party to sold-out Syracuse Amp (June 6, 2025)

Rain is a good thing, but warm, hazy sunsets over Onondaga Lake are better.

Although they had to dodge raindrops on their way in, the sold-out crowd was ready to get high on summertime as they filtered into the Empower FCU Amphitheater at Lakeview for Thursday night’s concert featuring country superstar, Luke Bryan. The spirit, and the spirits, were overflowing in a night that featured warm temperatures, cold drinks, and great country songs.

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Give me fire: Coheed and Cambria delivers cathartic night of music (May 31, 2025)

Full disclosure: Coheed and Cambria, co-headlining last night’s show with Mastodon at the Empower FCU Amphitheater at Lakeview, is a band that completely slipped past me.

It’s rare to approach a band, touring their acclaimed 11th studio album, as a brand new listener. But on this drizzly, but otherwise beautiful late spring night, I was excited to hear new-to-me music for the first time.

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Still got the fire: The Doobie Brothers keep the flame burning in Syracuse (Sept 28, 2024)

Towards the beginning of their set on Friday, September 27 at the Upstate Medical Arena at the Oncenter War Memorial, singer/guitarist, Patrick Simmons, founder, and the only consistent member of The Doobie Brothers, sang “There’s a wind that’s blowin’, such a lonely prayer/ Gotta keep goin’, now I’m halfway there,” from their 2021 song, “Cannonball.”

Continuing a tour that sees the group celebrating over 50 years together, The Doobie Brothers are surely more than halfway there, but as Simmons continued to sing, “I’ll follow this road where my heart’s still yearnin’, still got the fire, and the flame keeps burnin’.”

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Technical issues aside, Ying Yang Twins and Chevelle highlight ideal evening of music (Aug 25, 2024)

Saturday at the New York State Fair was one of those beautiful late summer nights where you start your day in a T-shirt and shorts, and end your night in an oversized hoodie.

Fair attendance spiked on Saturday, buoyed by two national touring acts playing at the fairgrounds: the Ying Yang Twins at Chevy Court and Chevelle and Suburban Park. Though sound issues plagued both performances, thousands of fans didn’t seem to mind one bit.

The Ying Yang Twins set opened with DJ Scientist performing a 15-minute mixtape of classic hip hop and R&B from the 1980s, 90s, and 00s. DJ Scientist alternated between his laptop, and the vinyl turntables, blending different eras of hip hop together. The mix ranged from DJ Snake and Lil Jon’s Turn Down for What to Nelly’s Hot in Herre to Ginuwine’s Pony and more contemporary songs like Bruno Mars’s 24K.

While the crowd was enjoying the mix, singing along to their favorite hooks, the DJ set went on for a noticeably long time and it felt like we went from getting hyped up for the Ying Yang Twins to simply waiting for them to come out on stage.

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Dierks Bentley shows are what summer nights are made for (Aug 17, 2024)

For as long as there has been country music, there has been controversy over the legacy, and future of country music. One need look no further than the writings of Amanda Marie Martinez or Grady Smith’s YouTube channel to engage with the conversation about what country music is, and what it isn’t.

You can almost trace the last 20 years of country radio in the sounds of Dierks Bentley’s radio singles, from What Was I Thinkin’, his first number one from 2003, a bluegrass-infused country song to his 2021 collaboration with Breland and Hardy, Beers on Me.

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