They keep writin’ ’em, so we keep sharin’ ’em. This week, we have compiled concert reviews for performances from U2 in Santa Clara, Calif.; The Weekend in Charlotte, N.C.; Alice Cooper in Columbus, Ohio; Aimee Mann in Los Angeles; and Zac Brown Band in Alpharetta, Ga.
AP Photo / Thibault Camus – Bono of U2
AccorHotels Arena, Paris, France
U2 @ Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., May 17 – “There was a personal element to this concert that has been missing from U2 for years, as the band spent its time blowing our minds with giant claw-shaped stage designs and other eye candy. This time around, the group simply let the music do the talking — and it said volumes.” – Jim Harrington / Bay Area News Group
The Weeknd @ Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C., May 17 – “Tesfaye [The Weeknd] doesn’t have the moves of an Usher Raymond or a Chris Brown, but he more than makes up for it with a voice that evokes the tenor of Michael Jackson and the falsetto of DeBarge.” – Theoden Janes / Charlotte Observer
Alice Cooper @ Express Live! in Columbus, Ohio, May 16 – “If his setlist is a bit predictable and his arrangement largely lacking in spontaneity, he has a killer band that is able to rock even the [casual] listener with a long list of priors.” – Curtis Schieber / The Columbus Dispatch
Aimee Mann @ The Theatre at Ace Hotel in Los Angeles, Calif., May 13 – “There was nary a non-acoustic guitar in sight, and the drummer ramped up to an actual backbeat only on a handful of oldies toward the end. Dan Fogelberg, if not John Denver, would have been proud … and, given the dark tone of the material, maybe he’d have been getting a drink at the bar with Nick Drake.” – Chris Willman / Variety
Zac Brown Band @ Verizon Amphitheatre in Alpharetta, Ga., May 12 – “At once polished and personable, the band has perfected its live presentation with a gorgeous stage featuring multiple video screen panels that buzzed brightly, a set list evenly stacked with hits, new tunes and their always-notable covers and rich musical presentations.’” – Melissa Ruggieri / The Atlanta Journal Constitution