Reviews: Dave Matthews Band, Cooder/Skaggs/White, James Taylor, Eagles, Morrissey & More

Dave Matthews Band, @ Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, July 20 – “Matthews’s septet is holding down another job these days, as its own opening act. The idea of an hour-long acoustic performance prefacing a two-hour electric set was a master stroke from a group whose customary generosity was at risk of being taken for granted two decades after its breakthrough. Now its marathons have regained the sense of event they deserve.” – Montreal Gazette/Jordan Zivitz

Ry Cooder, Ricky Skaggs, and Sharon White @ Pabst Theatre in Milwaukee July 17 – “There could have been longer, deeper solos, considering the decades of talent and experience applied to the decades of material. However, the brevity among Skaggs, Cooder and Buck White allowed for greater appreciation of each note, whether precise or sloppy.” – Journal Sentinal/Jon M. Gilbertson

James Taylor @ Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich., July 14 – “Now 67, Taylor proved that he still has the earnest enthusiasm to make his own performances memorable for his many fans, who responded with hushed appreciation or standing ovations, all of it sincere. The show may have been calculated, but it was never contrived.” – The Grand Rapids Press/MLive.com/John Serba

Eagles @ John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Va., July 13 – “However they choose to move toward their future, The Eagles’ Charlottesville stop offered a group still in full control of their gifts and working to ensure that a memorable Eagles experience was had by all.” – Richmond Times-Dispatch//Richmond.com/Hays Davis

Morrissey @ Benaroya Hall in Seattle July 21 – “Morrissey has always been unafraid to risk losing fans for his beliefs. Still, the slaughterhouse video probably shifted fewer in the audience than ‘The Queen is Dead.’ For that, he threw his shirt into the audience and showed off his toned, vegan-fed torso.” – Seattle Times/Charles R. Cross

5 Seconds Of Summer at Concord Pavilion in Concord, Calif., July 21 – “As a musical entity, 5SOS has far more to offer than One Direction. It has a better song book and performs better on stage. And while One Direction has probably already peaked as a concert act, 5SOS should only get better. This is, after all, the band’s first-ever headlining tour of amphitheaters.” – San Jose Mercury News/Jim Harrington

Dierks Bentley @ PNC Music Pavilion in Charlotte, N.C. – “With seven studio albums under his belt, Bentley had a lot of hits at his disposal. I can’t think of one song the crowd wasn’t passionately singing along to.” Shelby Star/Lauren Baheri