Reviews: Beyoncé/Jay-Z, Zac Brown Band, Yo-Yo Ma & More

This week, for your reading enjoyment, we have compiled critical reviews of live performances by Beyoncé / Jay-Z in East Rutherford, N.J.; Zac Brown Band in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio; Yo-Yo Ma in Morrison, Colo.; The Smashing Pumpkins in Duluth, Ga.; Dylan Scott in Albert Lea, Minn.; Steve Miller Band / Peter Frampton at Pinewood Bowl in Lincoln, Neb. 

Southern Reel – Zac Brown Band
Zac Brown Band gets down at Southern Ground Music & Food Festival.

Beyoncé / Jay-Z @ MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., Aug. 2 – “Fans were anxious when officials told the audience a thunderstorm was on its way and people had to head indoors. But Beyonce and Jay-Z made up for the lag, performing back-to-back hits on a large stage that included fire blasts and fireworks during their On the Run II Tour.” – Mesfin Fekadu / The Associated Press

Zac Brown Band @ Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, Aug. 2 – “Very rarely, you get the musicians who play for the fans AND other musicians, and it turns out to be a great thing. It makes for a remarkable concert. The technical name for those events is ‘A Zac Brown Band Concert.’” – Chuck Yarborough / The Cleveland Plain Dealer 

Yo-Yo Ma @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colo., Aug. 1 – “Ma played all six of Bach’s unaccompanied cello suites with barely time to breathe in between. It was a music marathon, certainly for the audience, who even at classical events is never asked to sit still for so long without an intermission.” – Ray Mark Rinaldi / The Know via The Denver Post

Nik Layman – Yo-Yo Ma
Alys Robinson Stephens Performing Arts Center, Birmingham, Ala.

The Smashing Pumpkins @ Infinite Energy Center in Duluth, Ga., July 22 – “The concert was transcendent. It’s an odd feeling seeing a band in person that you feel like you’ve known since your earliest memories—memories that helped through awkward teenage years. But it must be said that the concert was just shy of being perfect.” – Kenleigh Watkins / Georgia State Signal

Dylan Scott @ Freeborn County Fair in Albert Lea, Minn., Aug. 2 – “Scott took the stage with energy and immediately began interacting with the audience, pointing and singing to audience members, which carried on throughout the show.” – Sarah Kocher / Albert Lea Tribune

Steve Miller Band / Peter Frampton @ Pinewood Bowl in Lincoln, Neb., Aug. 2 – “Miller scattered his hits throughout his 90-minute set, pulling out ‘Take the Money and Run’ early and using ‘Fly Like an Eagle’ to set up the smash-packed run to the finish.”

“Frampton’s 85-minute opening set was highlighted by a couple of unexpected songs — a three-guitar instrumental version of Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun,” the only vocals a chorus sung through the talk box, and a rumbling take on Humble Pie’s “Four Day Creep,” with keyboardist Rob Arthur handling the vocals.” – L. Kent Wolgamott / Lincoln Journal Star