Reviews: John Fogerty/ZZ Top; Top Dawg Entertainment; Harry Styles & More

Greg Allen / GregAllenPhotos.com – Harry Styles
Harry Styles has the fans in a frenzy during NBC’s “Today” Citi Concert Series at Rockefeller Center in NYC May 9.

This week, for your reading enjoyment, we have compiled critical reviews of live performances from John Fogerty/ZZ Top in Atlanta; Top Dawg Entertainment (Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q, Jay Rock and Ab-Soul) in Mansfeld, Mass.; Harry Styles in Dallas; Liz Phair in Los Angeles; Michael Franti in Morrison, Colo.; and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds in Dublin.

John Fogerty/ZZ Top @ State Bank Amphitheatre At Chastain Park in Atlanta, June 6 – “Fogerty ripped out a series of solos throughout the set, demonstrating that at a youthful 73, he not only looks and sounds great, but can still nimbly work a fretboard.

“Even though the Texas trio of guitarist Gibbons, bassist Dusty Hill and the forever ironically named drummer Frank Beard project an apathetic cool behind their shades and still-prodigious beards (for Gibbons and Hill), they also exuded a fun vibe.” – Melissa Ruggieri / AtlantaJournal-Constitution

TDE: The Championship Tour (Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q, Jay Rock and Ab-Soul) @ Xfinity Center in Mansfeld, Mass., June 5 – “Despite the absence of breakout R&B star SZA, Top Dawg Entertainment’s Championship Tour made a strong, energetic stop at the Xfinity Center Tuesday night, with magnetic performances by headliner Kendrick Lamar and lesser known artists as well.” – Alexandra Gomes / The Sun Chronicle

Harry Styles @ American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, June 5 – “There may be no better approximation of a rock star in 2018 than Styles, and the former One Direction teen idol landed in Dallas on Tuesday for the second time in nine months as part of his Live on Tour world tour. For 90 minutes at American Airlines Center, the 24-year-old Englishman was poised, carefree and every bit the swaggering leading man, whether the cool kids want to admit it or not.” – Jeff Gage / Dallas Observer

Liz Phair @ Masonic Hall at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, Calif., May 31 – “The lack of a drum kit on the nearly bare stage at the Masonic told the tale. This would be just Phair and one fellow electric guitarist (identified only as Connor), plowing through not just time-tested material from the ’93 freshman album, but an even greater number of songs from the ‘Girly-Sound’ demo tapes that were only officially released a few weeks ago in the boxed set, after decades of wanton bootlegging.” – Chris Willman /Variety

Michael Franti @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colo., June 1 – “Franti expresses his love for people in his music. The third song in the set had him jumping from the stage and into the audience, while still performing the song.” – C. Alan Crandall / Daily Camera

Nick Cave @ Royal Hospital Kilmainham in Dublin, Ireland, June 6 – “There is no sloppiness with Cave. Everything is pointed and aimed as an archer, targeting personal connections as he prowls.” – Una Mullally / Irish Times