Reviews: KISS, Drake, Sara Bareilles, Michael Bublé & More

This week, for your reading enjoyment, we have compiled critical reviews of live performances from KISS in Toronto; Drake in Dublin; Sara Bareilles in San Francisco; Michael Bublé in St. Paul, Minn.; Hozier in St. Petersburg, Fla.; and Kodak Black in Dallas.

Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic.com – KISS
rock and rolls all night at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., Feb. 16, as one of the first major tours picking up steam in 2019.

KISS @ Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, March 20 – “Hard-rocking veterans KISS brought their End of the Road tour to the Scotiabank Arena Wednesday night for the first of two stops – it returns Aug. 17 – and brought some heavy artillery with them in the form of explosions, firebursts, fireworks, laser lights, confetti, balloons, a steam-breathing dragon, and stunts galore.” – Jane Stevenson / Edson Leader 

Drake @ 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland, March 20 – “Drake hadn’t even hit the floor when the crowd-surfing started and stage security was already handing out pints of water. In seconds, Drake goes from zero to wreck-the-gaff. The first slice of the show is not so much concert as montage, Drake flicking through hits like an addled guest at a house party grabbing the aux cable.” – Una Mullally / The Irish Times

Sara Bareilles @ Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, Calif., March 17 – “Sunday, [Bareilles] kicked off a short run of intimate club shows where she introduced fans to her new songs, and told lots and lots of stories about what she’s been up to and what finally drove her back to the studio.” – Roman Gokhman / Riff Magazine

Michael Bublé @ Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., March 18 – “Then, like a marketer for Minnesota tourism, he gave shout-outs to such important Minnesota things as Prince, Bob Dylan, Jesse Ventura, the inventor of the supercomputer and the biggest ball of twine, all things anyone could read on Wikipedia. But the sentiment seemed sincere. His singing certainly was. With his wife and three kids in the arena (and his conductor’s parents), Bublé seemed totally invested in the words of all those romantic classics he sings — and even his handful of original pop tunes, including two from last year’s comeback album, simply entitled Love.” – Jon Bream / Star Tribune

Courtesy of Abraham Chavez Theatre – Hozier
Abraham Chavez Theatre, El Paso, TX

Hozier @ Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg, Fla., March 20 – “Hozier’s name may sit near the top of a lot of big festival posters, but the way his band ground out the sinful, swinging blues of “Moment’s Silence (Common Tongue),” he could headline any blues festival in America tomorrow.” – Jay Cridlin / Tampa Bay Times

Kodak Black @ The Bomb Factory in Dallas, Texas, March 15 – “Kodak’s infectiousness and influence has won him reverence in the trap scene. Throughout his set, Kodak seemed buoyant, and both he and the audience appeared unfazed by his legal troubles. He’s undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with, but he has also been accused of something too heinous to omit from mention or to deem ‘controversial.’” – Garrett Gravley / Dallas Observer