Reviews: James Bay, Kenny Rogers, Beck, Neil Young, Paul McCartney

James Bay @ Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee, Wis., Oct. 6 – “James Bay didn’t formally announce his pop-rock influences Thursday night at the Eagles Ballroom, but those influences were like codes within his performance.  The fedora-wearing English singer-songwriter often made the codes easy to crack, whether or not he meant to do so.” – Jon M. Gilbertson / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Kenny Rogers @ Verizon Theatre in North Little Rock, Ark., Oct. 6 – “The multi-award winner, who’s recorded 75 albums throughout his career, entertained the audience with music, banter, video clips, stories, and even a montage of photos he’d taken during his travels across the nation during his song, ‘’Merica.’” – Linda Haymes / Arkansas Democrat-Gazette / ArkansasOnline.com

Beck @ Peabody Opera House in St. Louis, Mo., Sept. 24 – “Beck and his crack band of industry pros effortlessly recreated songs from his deep catalog, with the frontman a dancing machine and whirling dervish of almost adolescent energy and kinetics.” Doug Tull / PlayBack:Stl

Neil Young with Promise Of The Real @ Usana Amphitheatre in Salt Lake City, Utah – “Young was in rare form all night – for a man who is 70 (he turns 71 on Nov. 12) – with powerful vocals, and a penchant for just shredding his guitar like he was a 20-year-old playing a garage show somewhere in Toronto. Refreshingly, the band played seven ‘new’ songs, a nod to a musician who simply is not done.” – Bradley Fullmer / Daily Herald

Paul McCartney @ Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif., Oct. 4 – “McCartney remained chatty and engaged throughout the set, as he sometimes danced in place between tunes and joked with fans who yelled out their devotion to Sir Paul.” – Chris Macias / Sacramento Bee