NYC Show Obsessive

  Bill: Barrington Levy/Brandon Rootz Venue: Sony Hall , 235 W 46 St ., New York, NY Date: 8/15/25 Ticket: $40 (had a free +1) 9:15 Barrington Levy Active: 1976 (Clarendon, Jamaica) Latest Release: " Money Is The Drug " (Black Roses, 2023) " Virus " (Barrington Levy, 2018), Acousticalevy (Doctor Dread Presents/Heartbeat, 2015) Bandcamp Facebook Instagram Discogs Setlist AllMusic Wiki YouTube 8:15 Brandon Rootz Active: 2017 (Kingston, Jamaica via California) Latest Release: " Cruising Girl " (King Jammy, 2025) Facebook Instagram   AllMusic Wiki YouTube Barrington Levy is one of those great Reggae names I've somehow didn't know much of over all these years.  I remember hearing of him in the 80's and thought his name was pronounced Lev-ee.  Then I heard a Jamaican DJ pronounced it Lee-vee with sound convincing authority that from that day forward I never mispronounced Barrington's last name. So all these years later my friend had an...

  Bill: Gary Lucas and Gods and Monsters with special guest Luis Accorsi Venue: Joe's Pub , New York, NY Date: 8/7/25 Door: $36 7pm Gary Lucas and Gods and Monsters Active: 1970 (Lucas) (New York, NY via Syracuse, NY), 1989 (Gods and Monsters) (New York, NY) Affiliated: Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band , Jeff Buckley Latest Release: (Gary Lucas with The Niro) " No One Must Find You Here " (Esordisco, 2019) (with Gods and Monsters) The Ordeal of Civility (Snakefork, 2011) Bandcamp Facebook Instagram Discogs Setlist AllMusic Wiki YouTube Sometimes lightning strikes twice.  It's stuck many more times with Gary Lucas.  He's had the talent since the early 70's when he caught Leonard Bernstein's ear playing lead guitar in the Yale Symphony Orchestra for the 1973 premiere in Vienna MASS  which featured an all-student cast.  He joined Captain Beefheart's Magic Band circa 1980 until Beefheart retired from music.  Gods & Monsters were founded ...

 Bill: Willie Nelson & Family/Bob Dylan/Wilco/Lucinda Williams/Waylon Payne Venue: Northwell at Jones Beach Theater , Wantagh, NY Date: 8/1/25 Ticket: $225 (Tickpick day of show Orch C, Row M single AKA 13th Row Center, face was going $243.50 in the section) 9:50 Willie Nelson & Family Active: 1956 (Abbott, TX) Latest Release: Oh What A Beautiful World (Legacy, 2025) Bandcamp Facebook Instagram Discogs Setlist AllMusic Wiki YouTube 8:05 Bob Dylan Active: 1959 (Duluth, MN) Latest Release: Rough and Rowdy Ways (Columbia, 2020), (with the Band) The 1974 Live Recordings (Columbia/Legacy, 2024) Facebook Instagram Discogs Setlist AllMusic Wiki   YouTube 6:20pm Wilco Active: 1994 (Chicago, IL) Latest Release: Cousin (dBPM Records, 2023) Bandcamp Facebook Instagram Discogs Setlist AllMusic Wiki YouTube 4:55pm Lucinda Williams Active: 1978 (Lake Charles, LA) Latest Release: Sings The Beatles From Abbey Road (Highway 20, 2024) Bandcamp Facebook Instagr...

  Bill: Acid Bath/Pentagram/King Parrot Venue: Brooklyn Paramount , Brooklyn, NY Date: 7/25/25 Ticket: $77  10:15 Acid Bath Active: 1991 (Hourna, LA) Latest Release:  Paegan Terrorism Tactics  (Rotten Records, 1996) Facebook   Instagram   Discogs   Setlist     AllMusic   Wiki   YouTube 9pm Pentagram Active: 1971 (Alexandria, VA) Latest Release: I'll Certainly See You In Hell: Rehearsal Sessions 1972-1975 (Pentagram, 2025), Lightening In A Bottle (Heavy Psych Records, 2024) Bandcamp Facebook Instagram Discogs Setlist AllMusic Wiki YouTube   Encyclopaedia Metallum Missed: King Parrot The 2nd Acid Bath reunion show in Brooklyn came 2 weeks after the first, hastily added when the first one sold out in advance.  This time the opener was Pentagram, Bobby Liebling's long running heavy hard rock band.  This current lineup joined Bobby just last year.  Henry Vasquez has been touring drummer for Saint Vitus, Sp...

  Bill: Ladysmith Black Mambazo Venue: Blue Note , New York, NY Date: 7/22/25 Door: $65 (won pair from DoNYC) 10:30pm Ladysmith Black Mambazo Active: 1960 ( Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal , South Africa) ( Latest Release: Soothe My Soul (Songs From Our South African Church)  (Mambazo, 2023) Bandcamp Facebook Instagram Discogs Setlist AllMusic Wiki YouTube It's a little difficult for me to keep the lineup straight of Ladysmith Black Mambazo since the retirement in 2008 and passing in 2020 of clear leader Joseph Shabala.  I haven't seen the group since 1990 when Nelson Mandela did a US visit and spoke on the Boston Common.  There was a free concert outside prior to the speech which I believe Ladysmith Black Mambazo were part of.  I also saw the Graceland tour where they backed Paul Simon on the Graceland tour in 1987.   It looks like there are two members remaining from that time: Albert Mazibuko who is the longest running member from the 70's and Abedne...

  Bill: Ghost Venue: Madison Square Garden , New York, NY Date: 7/22/25 Tickets $102.50 + 28.45 fee bought resale gifted 8:15 pm Ghost Active: 2006 ( Linköping ,   Östergötland , Sweden) Latest Release:  Skeletá (Loma Vista, 2025) Bandcamp Facebook Instagram Discogs Setlist AllMusic Wiki YouTube The last time I saw Ghost they were opening for Iron Maiden in 2016.  Singer Tobias Forge noted the bands' NYC debut was 2011 in the short lived (at least for Rock bands) Basement at Webster Hall (actually The Studio).  They've come a long way to headlining.  I had a friend in town and picked this show to see and got some good seats in section 108.  Unfortunately, there are no photos or clips from this vantage point because they band was doing the sporadic Yondr bags.  In the past decade I've only had the Yondr experience twice for the Misfits in Jersey and Bob Dylan at the Beacon. As for the show, there was no opener, so Ghost went on pretty fast ...