Pick: Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Merry Rockmas: Rock the silent night away with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, a progressive rock band that takes holiday tunes to the next level. The group is celebrating 25 years since the release of its debut rock opera, Christmas Eve and Other Stories, with a live show featuring wailing strings, lasers, lights, and effects synchronized to […]

A KISS goodbye: A Q&A with Paul Stanley

They’ve shown us everything they’ve got, kept us dancing while the room got hot. They’ve driven us wild, we’ve driven them crazy. KISS has taken us for a spin, but now the party’s winding down, and for one last time, they’re letting us in: The legendary hard rockers play John Paul Jones Arena Friday, on […]

ARTS Pick: KISS

KISS off: There’s a longtime rock ‘n’ roll rumor that Eddie Van Halen tried to break up Van Halen so he could join KISS when Ace Frehley left the band in 1982, citing the friction with VH’s wild frontman David Lee Roth (fate had other plans, i.e. Van Hagar). Today, DLR is back in Van […]

ARTS Pick: Lindsey Stirling

Well played: Growing up, Lindsey Stirling could not decide between dancing and playing the violin, so she chose both and developed a unique act mixing hip-hop, pop, and classical music. At 23, she landed a slot on the fifth season of “America’s Got Talent,” competing as a hip-hop violinist. The competition was tough—Jackie Evancho and […]

ARTS Pick: Ariana Grande

We are next: Superstar Ariana Grande has been on an intense performing schedule for the last eight months, showcasing her recent albums Sweetener and Thank U, Next. Known for her commitment to fans, Grande’s giving them what they love—a setlist with tight choreography that highlights her introspective sentimentality and dance-pop smash hits. Her songs are […]

ARTS Pick: Twenty One Pilots

Firmly entrenched: After huge success with 2015’s thematically cryptic Blurryface, Twenty One Pilots entered into a period of “going dark” for a year, which singer Tyler Joseph says was needed to bring authenticity back to the music and battle some unspecified personal demons. When the duo released its follow-up, Trench, in 2018, its fanbase, better […]

ARTS Pick: Jeff Dunham

Hand to mouth: In a show built around bad behavior and puppets, Jeff Dunham dishes out political and cultural commentary through multiple characters. As a ventriloquist, Dunham has carved out a unique space in comedy, and his act is hugely popular—he’s the third-highest-paid comedian in the U.S., behind Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock. Peanut, Walter, […]

ARTS Pick: The Harlem Globetrotters

The Harlem Globetrotters’ combination of easy athleticism and circus-worthy moves elevates the team to a supernatural level on the basketball court. Since 2013, their sporty antics have led to entries in The Guinness Book of World Records, and in 2018 they added five new records, including: Most basketball under-the-leg tumbles in one minute (female), most […]

ARTS Pick: Mumford & Sons

British folk-rock quartet Mumford & Sons makes no secret of taking inspiration from American bands. Since the days of pub gigs in West London, the group has practiced a modern blend of old-timey music and bluegrass, pioneered by bands like Old Crow Medicine Show. Marcus Mumford credits the Harrisonburg group with shaping his sound: “I […]

ARTS Pick: Panic! at the Disco

From the old-time fan favorite “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” to the latest platinum single “High Hopes,” Panic! at the Disco serves up another album full of soaring vocals and punk-tinged brass orchestrations. Pray for the Wicked is the sixth record by the emo pop forefathers whose tumultuous membership finds frontman Brendon Urie as the […]