Reviews: Paul McCartney, Hatsune Miku, Paul Simon, Rihanna, Boz Scaggs

Paul McCartney @ Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn., May 4 – “He mentioned that he’d seen Prince in concert several times in London and had experienced Prince onstage in a small club on the most recent New Year’s Eve. ‘Minneapolis, Prince,’ Sir Paul declared and paused. ‘Prince, Minneapolis. It goes together.’” – Jon  Bream / Star Tribune

Hatsune Miku @ Warfield Theatre in San Francisco, Calif., April 30 – “The coolest moments of the night were when Miku was doing things not actually possible with a human voice, such as singing and articulating way faster than would be possible with such ratty things as physical vocal chords. Think Dragonforce’s ‘Through The Fire and Flames,’ but as a vocal exercise. Nice.” – Willie Clark / SF Weekly

Paul Simon @ Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Ga., May 3 – “Clad in a purple satin blazer, dark jeans and a black T-shirt, Simon also shared some snappy dance moves over a blast of accordion and washboard strumming during ‘That Was Your Mother’ and shook his acoustic guitar at the crowd in a Chuck Berry move at the close of a polished rendition of ‘Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard.’” – Melissa Ruggieri / Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Rihanna @ Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nev., April 29 – “If anything, the most ‘anti’ aspect of her performance was its understated production. The show was light on special effects, and her backup dancers were adept but never over the top. Their most impressive interludes provided chances for Rihanna to switch into the next slick outfit that looked straight out of a Vogue photoshoot.” – J.D. Morris / Las Vegas Weekly

Boz Scaggs @ Berglund Center in Roanoke, Va., May 1 – “He opened with a number from his 1971 album, Boz Scaggs & Band, the gritty-but-jazzy ‘Runnin’ Blue,’ and by the end, it was obvious that his voice is essentially unchanged – flexible, strong and resonant.” Tad Dickens / The Roanoke Times