First things first -- the band’s lovable drummer Bun E. Carlos was missing from the lineup but guitarist Rick Neilsen’s son Daxx Neilsen did a reasonably solid job in his place. The other original members were all in top form; Rick himself was especially energetic, cantering around the stage in usual fashion, switching guitars often, and tossing out guitar picks into the audience regularly. The set-list featured a host of songs off The Latest including “Miracle,” “Miss Tomorrow,” “Closer,” and “When The Lights Are Out” (a Slade cover). There was room for another cover, “In The Street,” a Big Star original previously recorded by Cheap Trick for That ‘70s Show, and a timely tribute to Alex Chilton who passed away due to a heart attack the previous day. Besides the homage to Chilton, the loudest cheers of the show were understandably reserved for Cheap Trick classics like “If You Want My Love,” “I Want You To Want Me,” “Heaven Tonight,” “Surrender,” and “Voices.” The band closed out the riveting performance with two songs off 1979’s Dream Police -- the anthemic title track and “Gonna Raise Hell.” Sure there were a handful of missing favorites but one look at the smiling, content faces all around assured us that the powerpop legends had satisfied those in attendance. more ›

Once again, Beerland is delivering the goods this week with a four bands worth of impressive up and comers. For hyperactive guitar-led jams that feature whip smart drums and a keyboard backbone, look no further than Shapes Have Fangs. Also harnessing the kinetic energy of garage jams are Diagonals, whose frontman Steve Garcia also rocks in Peek-A-Boo records signees Black Lipstick. more ›

Emo’s Free Week has come and gone, but the venue and the city march on with a buffet of mouth-watering shows available for consumption tonight. Eclectic beats from Dan Deacon pace Emo’s inside stage (as a part of the Ultimate Reality Tour) while Steamroller, She Craves, Killer Crocs of Uganda, and The Banner Year rock Emo’s Lounge. more ›

You wouldn’t necessarily think the squeaky-clean world of power-pop and dirty, dirty metal have a great deal in common, but they do share a few similarities other than loud guitars. Writers and fans of metal often rate metal in terms of its “heaviness,” as if how sludgy, powerful, hard, or just “metal” an artist is works as a sure-fire way to judge their output. Even when picking and choosing between different types of metal, the... more ›

The woman who encouraged us to shove dimes into jukeboxes long after they had switched to quarters, triggering a nationwide coin shortage in the early 80s, is coming to Austin. Joan Jett, the hottest 46 year old since Tina Turner in 1985 (or Madonna in 2004, for that matter), is still lovin' rock and roll, touring like a madwoman and turning her nose up at the prospect of ever investing in a pair of... more ›