Reviews: Ozzy Osbourne, Shakira, BTS, Jason Isbell & More

This week, for your reading enjoyment, we have compiled critical reviews of live performances from Ozzy Osbourne in Toronto; Shakira in San Diego; Jason Isbell in Salt Lake City; Lynyrd Skynyrd in Jacksonville, Fla.; A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie in Syracuse, N.Y.; Fall Out Boy in Pittsburgh; and Brothers Osborne in Bethlehem, Pa.

Jason Moore – Ozzy Osbourne
1st Mariners Arena, Baltimore, Md.

Ozzy Osbourne @ Budweiser Stage in Toronto, Ontario, Sept. 4 – “Whatever his future, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer – who often shuffled around the stage head first and even used a fire hose on himself and the crowd during the song Suicide Solution – showed great stamina alongside his younger musicians and longtime collaborators Zakk Wylde on guitar, Rob ‘Blasko’ Nicholson on bass, Tommy Clufetos on drums, and Adam Wakeman (son of Rick) on keyboards. … Not everything worked vocally for Osbourne, like when he slowed things down for ‘Road to Nowhere,’ but nobody seemed to mind.’” – Jane Stevenson / Toronto Sun

Shakira @ Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, Calif., Sept. 15 – “She plays the keyboard. She plays the electric guitar to the rhythm of heavy rock. She plays the drums. And she dances — wow, how she dances. She moves her hips, and those hips definitely don’t lie.” – Lilia O’Hara / San Diego Union-Tribune

BTS @ Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif., Sept. 5 –”though they performed plenty of luscious ballads — “Singularity,” a showcase for the pink-haired V, was almost impossibly breathy — the concert had moments that could recall the Chainsmokers’ bro-friendly EDM or the crunching rap-rock of Linkin Park. The effect was a welcome disruption of what we expect a male heartthrob to look and sound like — a radical cultural act made only more encouraging by how enthusiastically it was received by the diverse crowd inside Staples Center.” – Mikael Wood / Los Angeles Times

Jason Isbell @ Eccles Theater in Salt Lake City, Utah, Sept. 4 – “The sound is something else. It’s a contemporary southern rock, more than country or the catch-all ‘Americana.’ And it’s good. It’s really, really good—even during the extended jam sessions that often bore me at live shows.” – Christie Marcy / Salt Lake Magazine

Lynyrd Skynyrd @

James P. Hendershot – Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd plays the M3 Rock Festival at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Md., April 30.

A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie @ New York State Fair in Syracuse, N.Y., Sept. 2 – “A Boogie flashed all the reasons he’s had four songs go platinum, but still showed that he’s an artist finding his voice. He drew 40,610 people to Chevy Court on Sunday night, an all-time record.” – Chris Libonati / Syracuse.com

Fall Out Boy@ PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pa., Sept. 5 – “The show itself was long, but thoroughly enjoyable. I was pleasantly surprised that the focus, despite the tour being called Mania, was not really on the new album’s music. … They played such a healthy variety of old and new, I would be thoroughly surprised if there was a fan in attendance that did not get to hear what they wanted.” – Maya Puskaric / PGH City Paper

Brothers Osborne @ Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks in Bethlehem, Pa., Sept. 5 – “The show closed with a perfunctory cover of John Denver’s ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads.’ But the best song of the night was an underappreciated gem from the debut disc, ‘Heart Shaped Locket.’ It was a burning, heart-breaking, searing slice of Americana-country that the duo absolutely tore up. It showed what all the fuss is about.” – John Moser / The Morning Call