Jesse Rosenthal, art director of “Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri,” joined a public audience April 12, at Drexel University’s URBN Annex Screening Room to discuss his work on the Oscar-winning film.

A conversation with Rosenthal immediately followed after a screening of “Three Billboards,” where he took the opportunity to explain his role as art director — which is rather unfamiliar to many.

“I work for the production designer,” he said to the packed screening room.

“I’m responsible for things that are built and painted [on set]. I’m in charge of the graphic designer, and of the budget for the construction department.”

Rosenthal further elaborated that an art director’s objective is to help bring the director, cinematographer and production designer’s collective vision and “conceptual look” of a film to life — all within the realm of the film’s budget.

“You take an existing location and you make it work for your film and budget,” the New York University graduate said.

Rosenthal shared some of the tasks he achieved as art director for “Three Billboards,” which was filmed in North Carolina. He turned a conference room into a hospital room, transformed a furniture showroom into a police station and made a brand new swing set appear rusty and worn out.

He also arranged for the protagonist’s home to look like it had been neglected for a year according to Rosenthal.

“[The protagonist’s] house was too fancy for what we considered a ‘perfect’ Mildred house,” he said.

The transformation involved removing the house’s fancy porch and replacing it with a “funkier” one, adding wallpaper to the walls to convey a ’70s vibe and installing a wall oven in the kitchen.

As for the three billboards, the art department built the structures from the ground up. Then, they paid a miniscule amount of $60 to place their custom-made signs on the 12-by-24 billboards.

Rosenthal admitted that most of the challenges he faced on the set of “Three Billboards” were financially driven because of the film’s low budget of $12 million.

“For Mildred’s house, we had to pay for [the rights of] a Nirvana poster. We wanted to put up more posters but we just couldn’t get the rights to them,” he confessed.

Rosenthal also revealed another financial decision that interfered with his creative vision: he would have liked to install telephone poles near the three billboards in the film because it would have addressed how the power got to those signs (in the film, the billboards contained LED fixtures). However, it was too costly to build the power lines.

“When it comes to creative versus practical decisions, you make decisions based on budget,” he said.

Interestingly, Rosenthal recently art directed “Black Panther.” He was specifically involved in the visual design of the South Korea scenes — from the fish market scene to the famous car chase scene between Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis).

Rosenthal said the $200 million superhero movie was the highest-budgeted film he’s worked on, and addressed the difference between working on a big budget film and a small budget film. Marvel hired six art directors to work on the entire film, and his primary role involved only the South Korea scene.

“‘Three Billboards’ was an hour and 40 minutes as opposed to a seven-minute sequence I worked on in Black Panther,” he said.

“So much thought went into that little part. The detailing you can do [as an art director] is so much more layered and dense because you’re spending so much more time on a small sequence. It’s harder working alone and on a lower budget because you’re spread a little thinner responsibility-wise and budget-wise.”

Rosenthal — whose credits also include “Split,” “Silver Linings Playbook” and “American Hustle” — closed the Q&A session with words of wisdom to the aspiring film students in the audience.

“Be your biggest advocate… and persevere if film is your passion because it’s not the easiest career to pursue,” he asserted.

Westphal College of Media Arts & Design student Rohin Berma felt inspired by Rosenthal’s advice.

“There’s something about meeting professionals from the industry that adds a whole new level of confidence to it because there’s so much saturation in the film market,” the freshman said. “To hear about his experience and how he got from day one to where he is right now is inspiring.”

Rosenthal studied theater from high school through graduate school with the intention of one day becoming a theater designer. After finding it difficult to make a living in that role, he moved to the Philadelphia area with his wife and kids and worked as an art director for commercials and music videos.

He received his big break into the film and television industry after working on the 2002 CBS drama series “Hack.”

He is currently art directing the eighth installment of the Rocky film series, “Creed II.”

Walking into the theater to see Lynne Ramsay’s new film “You Were Never Really Here,” I did not know what to expect, and I certainly did not expect to be walking out of the theater with the knot in my stomach that the film left there.

I went in blind, knowing very little about the premise or story, and I would recommend that most people who are interested in this movie do so as well. To give the short sell, the story revolves around a man named Joe (Joaquin Phoenix) whose job it is to find missing girls outside of the purview of the law. This particular job takes a turn and leads him and his life down a dark and treacherous path.

I have not seen any of Lynne Ramsay’s other films but it seems that exploring childhood trauma is a common theme throughout her films, based on her other films like “We Need to Talk About Kevin,” which tells the story of the events surrounding a school shooting. This films explores some dark themes and topics that many movies would be hesitant to touch on and the impact of those depictions lingers with the audience.

Throughout the movie the viewer is berated with trauma surrounding PTSD, sex-trafficking, rape and murder that is presented in a gut-wrenchingly realistic way. Something about the lack of drama interjected in the events and the brutality in its depictions of violence and insinuations at sexual violence make for a film that is so intense it stuck with me for quite some time after I walked out of the theater.

While none of these feelings were particularly pleasant to experience, I feel like this impact is a sign that the film accomplished what it set out to do. Some of the cinematography and shot composition was beautifully and thoughtfully done and the narrative unfolds in a creative and confusing way that kept me on the edge of my seat.

There are many shots where Joe is seen walking down the street but the camera is kept at a distance, on the other side of the cars driving by or a train flying by, and the noise and velocity of the movement on screen creates this sense of urgency and anxiety that builds up to these long, drawn-out scenes of brutal violence. Joe also has these moments of PTSD flashbacks where the viewer is hit with a series of disturbing scenes in rapid succession. Joe also frequently tries to take his own life, often by asphyxiating himself, and these scenes are insanely uncomfortable and hard to watch.

Joaquin Phoenix carries this film on his shoulders and gives an impressively chilling and convincing performance as this tortured man just trying to do what is right. Ekaterina Samsonov (“Wonderstruck”) also gives a performance that left me with chills and feeling sick as I left the theater. That sounds bad, but again, that’s what Lynne Ramsay was trying to achieve with this film and she achieved it. If you are a fan of thrillers, I would recommend this movie highly, though be prepared that what you’re getting into is not necessarily the easiest watch.

Twenty-six sold out shows on his U.S. leg of the tour and I found myself at EDEN’s Philadelphia show at Union Transfer. I’ve got to give Jonathon Ng credit — his audience was diverse. The indie pop artist attracted a crowd from adolescents with their adult parents, to adults themselves, pining to hear an up-and-coming artist. I’m not sure I’ve ever been to such a small show with such an age gap among fans. Perhaps it’s Ng’s deep, meaningful lyricism, or perhaps it’s his artistry, but he sold out 26 shows in the U.S. on his own with just a single debut record to his name. Sounds impressive.

Verite was the opener, and was a tough act for EDEN to follow. She was quirky on stage, interacted with fans and had some great onstage effects to support her catchy set list — including a fantastic cover of The 1975’s “Somebody Else.” Verite just seems like a wonderfully intelligent person; I’d recommend reading her article on Forbes about Spotify. EDEN could take a page out of her book; she was fantastic.

Ng is a “multi instrumentalist.” I’m sure that his talents go far beyond vocals, piano, guitar, drums and violin, but you would never know from watching his show. Ng owns his own record label, MCMXCV, plays all of the instruments listed above and is a fantastic producer. His debut album, “Vertigo,” includes singles that were released via a 13-city scavenger hunt. EDEN’s song “falling in reverse” includes a sample from Disney’s 2000 animated hit film “The Emperor’s New Groove.” Despite all of this incredible talent and creativity, Ng did not bring the same passion to his live show.

It was EDEN’s first world tour. Expecting fantastic onstage lighting effects, live production and Ng showing off his vast skills and artistry, I left his April 6 show very disappointed. His setlist was great — capturing his entire track listing of his debut album “Vertigo.” My problem was that if I wanted to hear EDEN play the entire album, I would have stayed home and listened comfortably and not in a sold out venue.

EDEN was accompanied by a live band, but a guitarist and a drummer played over pre-recorded melodies I’m sure Ng recorded in his studio. Given that Ng can play both live instruments and created his own live soundscapes, it was so frustrating to see him only occasionally play from an electronic drum kit or guitar.  The entire show felt like a tease of what Ng could accomplish in a full studio and a sorry excuse to see him live. No covers, no surprises, nothing unique. Aside from a new song, it felt so stale. It was like I was watching EDEN do passionless karaoke to his own music.

I feel guilty writing this poor review. I adore EDEN’s music, and I think “Vertigo” is a masterfully crafted album. EDEN certainly has a long career as a performer and producer ahead of him as he is so talented. I’m just hopeful that he learns to put on a show for his fans young and old, not just playing songs off his record.

Philadelphia-based indie rock group The War on Drugs just released their fourth full-length album, “A Deeper Understanding,” Aug. 25 through Atlantic Records.

The highly anticipated follow-up to 2014’s critically acclaimed “Lost in the Dream” does not disappoint, giving fans a fresh batch of TWOD tunes to blast on long road trips and late nights. They announced the album and released its first single April 27, with “Thinking of a Place.” This single didn’t impress me much to be honest but with each subsequent single they released (“Holding On,” “Strangest Thing,” “Pain” and “Up All Night”), my excitement grew more and more.

I like to describe The War on Drugs’ music as dad rock for people who like shoegaze. The songs at their core sound like Springsteen or Don Henley, but they’re soaked in reverb, shimmering guitar effects and rich textures. During the breakdown in the middle of album opener “Up All Night,” you could easily forget you’re not listening to Slowdive amidst all the delay and distortion.

One of the reasons I love The War on Drugs is that with these guys, it’s never style over substance. Each song is well crafted with thoughtful lyrics and catchy melodies. Musically, they’re not doing anything particularly crazy or groundbreaking, but they know what their sound is and they do it really well. Whenever I pop on “Lost in the Dream” or even “Slave Ambient,” I always enjoy listening to it.

“A Deeper Understanding” is no exception.

This record might as well have been titled, “Lost in the Dream, Part 2.” Now let me explain, because I mean that in the best possible way. Sometimes, it’s a good thing for a band or artist to change musically, if it’s a natural progression. In TWOD’s case, “Lost in the Dream” was (in my opinion) a pretty perfect album. On “A Deeper Understanding,” they meet every expectation and continue to expand on the musical ideas laid forth on “Lost in the Dream.”

The fact that the record is self-produced by frontman Adam Granduciel is a true testament to how talented he is as a musician. You can tell that The War On Drugs is totally his vision and it’s really cool that he was able to fully realize that vision. People go through their whole lives wondering what their purpose is on this planet, but Granduciel clearly knows that this is what he was meant to do.

My only gripe so far with “A Deeper Understanding” is that it isn’t quite as cohesive as “Lost in the Dream.” Maybe it will come as I listen more, but my impression is that “Lost in the Dream” worked really well as a whole work of art, while “A Deeper Understanding” is more of a collection of really solid songs. Even as I’m writing this I am starting to second guess myself, so perhaps time will prove that I am incorrect in this assessment.

The front side of the record is just hit after hit. “Up All Night,” “Pain,” “Holding On” and “Strangest Thing” is such a nice succession of songs, before they bring down the energy a bit with “Knocked Down.” “Pain” and “Strangest Thing” are probably my favorites on the record.

They pick it right up again with the most War On Drugs song I’ve ever heard, “Nothing to Find.” This song has got it all: mechanical sounding drums, shimmering synth lines, dreamy guitar sounds and of course the reverbed-out harmonica. It’s something straight from your dad’s collection of ’80s classic rock records. Granduciel’s vocals are really the icing on the cake.

On “A Deeper Understanding,” the average song length is about six or seven minutes, and I’m totally okay with it. Again, The War On Drugs play dad rock, and what do dads love more than a good jam band? Maybe a nice craft beer but other than that, nothing.

Check it out, if you like one of their songs chances are you will like them all.

Chicago’s Grant Park was the place to be Aug. 3-6.

Lollapalooza, Chicago’s most well-known annual music festival, is known worldwide as somewhat of a tastemaker and a start for up-and-coming rock, pop and hip-hop artists, as well as featuring a host of great headliners for their many stages.

This year, Lollapalooza’s headliners included Chance the Rapper, Muse, Arcade Fire, Justice, Rae Sremmurd, Zeds Dead, The xx, Mac DeMarco, Kaskade, The Killers, Blink-182, Crystal Castles, DJ Snake, Lil Uzi Vert and Lorde. I can’t emphasize enough how huge this festival is, to be able to accommodate so many great headliners.

The festival runs each day from noon to 10 p.m., with various bands and artists performing throughout the day on the eight stages. There are tons of local vendors and charities that have booths set up all around the park, as well as refreshing stations and bar tents.

The first day of the festival included some great sets from Temples, Migos, Cage the Elephant and Kaytranada. There was also an incident on Day 1 during Liam Gallagher’s set where he was allegedly having issue with the vocals, and he walked off about 20 minutes into his set. Some speculate (maybe jokingly) that he got angry and stormed off because one concertgoer was holding a banner that said “I love you, Noel” (Gallagher’s brother, with whom he is famously on bad terms).

Unfortunately, the city was also plagued with rain on this particular day, which proved to pose a problem for the festival-goers later on. No more than a few songs into Lorde’s set, the festival was called off due to the impending danger of the storm. Muse, Lil Uzi Vert and Porter Robinson were also cut off early due to the rain. Despite the setback on Thursday, things shaped up more nicely for the rest of the weekend.

Friday, Day 2, hit the ground running with Chicago-native punk band The Frights. Their energetic performance got everyone at the Tito’s stage amped and ready to start another day of Lolla. Towards the end of their set, they played a punked-out rendition of Tom Petty’s “American Girl,” which incited madness among the moshing fans.

At 12:45 p.m., Philadelphia’s own indie rock group The Districts performed on the main stage at Grant Park, the very same place where The Killers would play just hours later. Their newest album, “Popular Manipulations,” has just been released Aug. 11. While I’m admittedly not a fan of their newer work, it was a real treat to see them play some of their older songs live. They have good stage presence and typically get good energy out of crowds.

Another standout act from Friday was The Lemon Twigs, who played the Lake Shore stage at 3:45 p.m. Comprised of two brothers Michael and Brian D’Addario (neither of whom are even old enough to drink) and two backing musicians, they released their debut album “Do Hollywood” in 2016 to much acclaim. They put on one of the best shows I saw all weekend, switching instruments, jumping and kicking the air on almost every beat and playing tighter than a band that young should be able.

At 7:45 p.m., Chicago indie rock band Whitney graced the Pepsi stage. They played most of their debut album “Light Upon The Lake” as well as a couple covers, including “Magnet” by NRBQ. During their instrumental track “Red Moon,” they brought out fellow Chicagoan rapper Joey Purp to freestyle over the beat. It was awesome. They also brought out a small string section to embellish for the last few songs of the set.

At this point, the sun was down and the people were clamoring to see some headliners. Luckily, they had some options. Blink-182, The Killers, DJ Snake and Crystal Castles were all performing at the same time. I started out with Blink-182, which I figured would be a fun time. I wasn’t wrong; Blink’s set was essentially a huge singalong with thousands of people who also went through a “Blink phase” in high school. While Blink-182 isn’t as tight as they used to be, being a part of the crowd was a fun experience.

The Killers’ set was everything Blink’s wasn’t. It was refined, structured, well-mixed and well-performed. It had a much softer edge and made for a more relaxing experience while Blink-182’s set was a more energetic experience. It was great to hear banger after banger (The Killers just have so many of them).

The next day was probably the biggest day out of all four in terms of crowd size. The sun was finally out, the day was hot and the acts were hotter. Kicking us off in the early afternoon, Philly rocker Ron Gallo played at the BMI stage. He played some great straight-up rock ‘n’ roll songs off his debut record “Heavy Meta,” including “Kill the Medicine Man,” “Young Lady, You’re Scaring Me” and “All the Punks Are Domesticated.”

Canadian dream pop band Alvvays played a great set at the Bud Light stage at 3 p.m. They performed most of their 2014 debut self-titled album as well as a few new ones off their new album “Antisocialites,” to be released Sept. 8.

At 4:15 p.m., psych pop band Glass Animals played a wild set at Grant Park. Their tropical visuals and psychedelic music made for a very enjoyable middle-of-the-day performance. At 7:00 p.m., The Head and the Heart played a beautiful set at the Bud Light stage. They do the indie folk sound really well, especially on their 2013 album “Let’s Be Still.” Their third album, “Signs of Light,” veers closer to a mainstream rock sound, but it still has some good songs. Their harmonies and lush acoustic song arrangements were fantastic live, especially the more textured songs like “Another Story,” “Shake” and “Rivers and Roads.”

Chance the Rapper’s headlining set was easily the most packed performance of the entire weekend. It was nuts. He played a solid set, playing many hits from his recent mixtape, “Coloring Book.” Although it was a good set, I heard some complaints that he didn’t deliver in his promise to make this hometown performance special; apparently he mostly stuck to old tricks.

Also headlining on Saturday was Mac DeMarco, who played a stellar set at the Pepsi stage. His trademark reverb-soaked stoner rock sound had never fully pulled me in until I saw his live show. Hits such as “Ode to Viceroy” and “Chamber of Reflection” really came to life in a live setting.

To kick us off on the very last day of the festival, Chicago’s own indie rockers The Walters played a rambunctious set at 12:50 p.m. These hunks have been releasing music independently for a couple years now, and have garnered a decent amount of attention (and rightfully so). These guys really know how to rock. You only need to see them perform “Hunk Beach” once to see what I mean.

Next up, Machine Gun Kelly took the stage at Lake Shore. I was drawn in when he played his recent hit with Camila Cabello, “Bad Things,” which was a lot of fun to see live. I don’t know any of his other songs, but I ended up watching his entire set. It was a lot more entertaining than I had expected; it was trashy fun. Who knew MGK had those guitar chops?

Immediately after on the main stage was Maggie Rogers. Rogers, who very recently blew up when a video of Pharrell Williams listening to her song “Alaska” went viral. She is very young, and so full of talent. Her modern pop style and folk songwriting tendencies create a unique and interesting sound. She is also just such a beautiful person — I couldn’t bring myself to look away as she hypnotized me with her music and charm.

When she left the stage and the spell was broken, I made my way over to the Bud Light stage to see Car Seat Headrest. Will Toledo, the creative force behind Car Seat Headrest, makes sad white boy music, but it’s sad white boy music that rocks pretty hard. “Drunk Drivers / Killer Whales” may have been the best singalong I was a part of all weekend. He shredded away on the guitar, extending most songs with additional solos and breakdowns.

At 6:30 p.m., R&B singer Sampha played an incredible set at the Pepsi stage. Him at the piano and his backup musicians at their respective percussive instruments, they all sported white jumpsuits. He played many songs off his 2016 album “Process,” as well as a few older songs and his recent song with Drake, “4422.”

Closing out the night at the Perry’s stage was Zeds Dead. It’s a wonder the Perry’s crowd, most of whom rave all day each day, were still standing to see Zeds Dead perform. That’s the power of lots of uppers, I guess! Zeds Dead played a very energetic set, giving a satisfying end to this year’s Lollapalooza festival.

Jarran Muse portrayed legendary Motown recording artist Marvin Gaye in “Motown: The Musical,” playing May 30-June 11 in Philly. (Photograph courtesy of Joan Marcus)

Nothing has the power to unite people quite like the power of music.

This is one of the central themes of “Motown: The Musical,” a jukebox musical about the famous pop record label Motown. It follows the life of Berry Gordy, founder of Motown, as well as the lives of those around him during the record label’s peak years.

“Motown: The Musical” will be returning to Philadelphia for a two-week engagement May 30 through June 11 at the Academy of Music. It’s an insanely fun show featuring over 50 classic Motown songs, spanning from its origins in the late ’50s to the mid-’80s. The musical broke box office records in Philadelphia in 2015, selling the most tickets in Kimmel Center history for a two-week production of any show.

You’ll find yourself singing along to a shocking amount of familiar songs, all released by the Motown label. Just a few of these hits include “Stop! In the Name of Love” by The Supremes, “My Girl” by The Temptations, “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye, “I Want You Back” by The Jackson 5 and “I Wish” by Stevie Wonder.

The actors who portrayed Stevie Wonder (Elijah Ahmad Lewis), young Michael Jackson (Raymond Davis Jr.), Diana Ross (Allison Semmes) and Marvin Gaye (Jarran Muse) were delightfully on point with their impressions. Chester Gregory, who played Berry Gordy, excelled in the lead role. His singing and acting was impeccable, pulling everyone in and making the character relatable and sympathetic.

The musical delved into the professional and romantic relationship between Berry and Diana, which started when he signed The Supremes early on in Motown’s history. The two characters had great chemistry together onstage, making their scenes together very enjoyable.

The pacing of the show was perfect; it never got boring with each scene leaping forward in time, sometimes years ahead. Each scene was packed with action and different songs, which even turned into a sing-along at times. There were even some great audience interactions; during one scene, Diana came out into the audience and sang her hit “Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand)” with a few different people in the crowd.

Another moment that was particularly special also happened during “Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand).” Led by the actors onstage, everyone in the audience began joining hands and waving them in the air together. It was a powerful moment proving just how uniting music can be, even for people who have never met.

“Motown: The Musical” addressed a huge obstacle for the label at that point in history, which was race relations in America in light of the Civil Rights Movement in the ’60s. Gordy had a very difficult time getting many radio stations to play Motown singles, most wrote them  off as “race music.” Also, when some of the Motown groups started touring, they ran into trouble with racist people in the South. One of the most powerful and emotional scenes was the moment they heard about the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

All in all, the show is filled with drama, comedy and lots of great music! Even if you don’t recognize all the song titles, you’ll surely recognize the tunes once they start singing them. So many great classics were born out of Motown, and “Motown: The Musical” cements its place in history as one of the most influential labels of all time.

Photograph by Shane O’Connor for The Triangle

There’s nothing better than a great concert to get rid of the Monday blues.

On Monday, May 22, Union Transfer was the place to be. That evening marked the second time indie soul-country group Whitney came through Philadelphia since the release of their debut album, “Light Upon The Lake.” Opening for Whitney was the wonderfully gifted singer-songwriter Natalie Prass. It was a lineup that guaranteed a great time.

And a great time it was. From the moment Natalie Prass took the stage, the packed crowd was clamoring to hear some great music. The last time I saw Natalie Prass, it was at World Cafe Live and she had a full jazzy backing band supporting her. This time, it was just her and two gentlemen on keyboards beside her. It was clear that this performance would be more stripped-down and mellow than her previous.

Prass played a bunch of new songs, as well as a couple of old ones (“Bird of Prey” and “My Baby Don’t Understand Me”). It was nice to hear the stellar tracks off her self-titled 2015 album in a more mellow arrangement. Her new songs were also pretty enjoyable, her melodies and jazzy chord progressions showcasing her soulful tendencies. She even pulled out a Carpenters cover, which went over very well with the audience.

When the lights went down for Whitney, the two principal songwriters, lead singer and drummer Julien Ehrlich and guitarist Max Kakacek, walked onto the stage alone. They opened with a beautiful stripped-down cover of “Gonna Hurry (As Slow As I Can)” by Dolly Parton. With only Kakacek’s arpeggiated guitar chords backing him, Ehrlich’s vocals really shone.

After finishing the cover the rest of the band entered, Ehrlich took his place behind the drums at the front of the stage and together they started off with “Dave’s Song.” It’s a lovely song, and a strong contender for my favorite Whitney song. Hearing it live is always a treat, as they add little flares each time and different textures tend to stick out.

I could go on and on about how each individual song in the setlist was absolutely perfect, but for the sake of brevity, I will try to pick highlights. They played through the entirety of “Light Upon The Lake,” which doesn’t have a single bad song on it (feel free to @ me). On the album, I’ll admit that sometimes I skip the instrumental track “Red Moon,” but live it’s a whole other animal. Will Miller takes the opportunity to show off his trumpet prowess, while Ehrlich beats away at the drums. Whitney’s music is pretty low-key, so you never really notice how great of a drummer he is until he whips it out on “Red Moon.”

“Polly” is also a notable track, because as is Whitney tradition, Ehrlich and the bass player had a special moment together. They sat on the floor, held hands and had a passionate kiss during the trumpet solo at the end of the song. This moment gave the song and the performance more of an intimate feel.

I love Whitney with all my heart, but I’ll admit that Ehrlich isn’t the most consistent singer in the world; his trademark, humble falsetto works a lot of the time but every now and then falls flat live. However, I’ve been lucky to catch him on some of his best days, this show being one of them. His singing, along with the rest of the band’s playing, was so on point that they even sounded better than the recorded versions.

They performed their cover of Lion’s “You’ve Got A Woman,” which the crowd seemed to really enjoy. This was one of the few songs that they added to the setlist since the last time I saw them, so it was cool to hear them do some new songs live.

When they came out for their encore, they started off with a brand new Whitney song called “Rolling Blackout.” It’s a slow burner, but it’s a real good song once it gets cooking. It starts off quiet and builds up, not so dissimilar to “No Woman” in structure. I can’t wait to hear a studio version for this song, for now I’m resigned to listening to live recordings on YouTube.

Maybe it was planned or maybe it was in response to The Triangle Arts and Entertainment Assistant Editor Natasha “Tooney Tash” Hajo and I screaming “MAGNET!” at the top of our lungs, but they gave us what we wanted. Whitney have been including NRBQ’s 1972 song “Magnet” as a staple of their live set since they started touring, and it’s a real fun, energetic cover. You know Tooney Tash was dancing her tail off the whole time! I especially love when they play “Magnet” because there’s a keyboard solo, a trumpet solo and a guitar solo. The ultimate trifecta of solos!

Before closing out with “No Woman,” they did something unexpected — they played a cover of “The Golden Girls” theme song. It was actually pretty good and everyone in the room got a real kick out of it.

I still think their show at the First Unitarian Church last year might be my favorite concert of all time, but the Union Transfer show was definitely close. It was awesome seeing them on a proper stage, with all the colored lights and smoke. They are such a great band because they found a style that’s fresh and interesting and they make the most of it. Their melodies are infectious and the lyrics are filled with emotion.

“I’m searching for those golden days,” Ehrlich sings.

Well as far as I’m concerned, these are the golden days. Seeing a band as great as Whitney in small venues before they inevitably blow up — these are memories that I, surely along with everyone else who was there, will cherish forever.

Photograph by Shane O’Connor for The Triangle

Who’s the biggest metal band in the world?

It’s a pretty straightforward question, succinct and to-the-point. You could make a bunch of different cases for plenty of bands, specifically in different genres or time periods, but I think if you ask anyone off the street, most people will reach the same conclusion: Metallica.

I was lucky enough to see Metallica May 12 at Lincoln Financial Field, currently on tour in support of their 2016 album, “Hardwired … to Self-Destruct.” But how exactly did they get to where they are today? How did they become the biggest metal band in the world?

Metallica’s humble beginning was in the early ’80s, originally just a few dudes jamming in a garage. With their debut album “Kill ’Em All” in 1983, they received instant acclaim for their uniquely heavy and energetic performances. Some might even consider them pioneers of the thrash metal genre.

Since then, they’ve put out a lot of killer albums, sometimes even shifting sounds. In the early ’90s, they got some mainstream attention for their album “The Black Album” (especially the radio-friendly single “Enter Sandman”). This solidified them not just as an incredible niche band for the metal community, but as a face for heavy metal music who brought the genre to the public eye.

Ten albums and 36 years after their formation, Metallica are still on top. The fact that a metal band from the ’80s is playing stadiums like the Linc in 2017 is nothing short of amazing. After seeing their performance May 12, there was no doubt in my mind as to why they still sell so many seats.

It can be tough to watch rock bands get old. Some fade with time and lose their edge with their youth. However, Metallica refuses to fall under this category. Sure, they’re pretty old, but they still know how to rock and put on an energetic show.

Lars Ulrich pounded away like a maniac behind the kit, hardly ever missing a beat (he may not be the best technical drummer but to his credit, he never lets up). Meanwhile, Kirk Hammett shredded through solo after solo, opposite Rob Trujillo who was busy wrangling his bass into submission while moving around the stage feverishly. Frontman James Hetfield effortlessly sang and played guitar on each song, which is no easy task, especially for a genre like thrash metal.

It was clear that on “Hardwired,” Metallica’s mission was to return to their roots. Many of the songs are fast, punchy and heavy, striving to go back to their raw sound on “Kill ’Em All.” “Hardwired” wasn’t an amazing album (it wasn’t even very good at all, to be honest), but at least the songs were energetic and made for a fun live set.

They played a handful of new songs, sprinkled throughout their career-spanning setlist. They played a few killer tracks off “Kill ’Em All,” including “Motorbreath,” “Seek & Destroy” and “Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth)” (the last as a touching tribute to late bassist Cliff Burton, who originally played on the track). Other than that, they didn’t really dig too deep into their discography. They mostly played their most popular songs, such as “Master of Puppets,” “One,” “Nothing Else Matters” and “For Whom the Bell Tolls.”

The best moment of the night was probably when they played “Creeping Death,” off their 1984 album, “Ride the Lightning.” Since the song was released, it’s been a live staple for the band, and for good reason. Aside from being a straight-up killer track, the crowd always participates in a “die!” chant during the bridge (sounds corny, but it’s awesome, believe you me).

As a former die-hard Metallica fan, I was itching for a lot more deep cuts, but it was still cool to see what they did with the new songs (however I can’t help but think if they cut down on just a few of the ridiculously drawn-out endings, they could’ve had some time to slip a “Blackened” or a “Cyanide” in there). At one point during a new song, they brought out huge bass drums and each member pounded away, like one big drum line. It was bizarre, but pretty entertaining to see.

And it wouldn’t be a Metallica concert without some of Hetfield’s corny but lovable motivational speeches in between songs. “We don’t care what you’ve done with your life. We don’t care what you’re wearing, or what religion you believe in. We are here together as the Metallica family,” Hetfield stated towards the beginning of the show.

My only complaint about the show was in regard to the mix. There was so much noise coming from the speakers, it was almost impossible to hear what Hetfield was singing or what notes Hammett was playing in his solos. Nevertheless, it was an extremely fun show to watch. There were huge display screens and pyrotechnics (not setting any band members aflame this time) accentuating their performances. I’m sure many fans were disappointed at the lack of Avenged Sevenfold, who were supposed to open; they dropped out at the last minute because Synyster Gates’ child was born earlier than expected.

If you ever find yourself in a situation where you can see Metallica, do it. Who knows how long they’ll be around, but for now, they still rock.

Photo courtesy of Captured Tracks

I can’t quite put my finger on how Mac DeMarco became such a beloved staple of indie rock. He never quite grabbed me with his music (not yet, at least), but I can’t deny he’s got a certain charm. He’s probably the only artist who I’ve watched more interviews of than actual videos of his performances. He’s likely the goofiest dude in the whole world.

DeMarco’s latest album, “This Old Dog,” was released May 5. Although I’m admittedly not the biggest fan of his music, I was intrigued to hear what he was up to these days.

I had a feeling “This Old Dog” would be different by the cover art alone; for the first time in his five-album discography, the artwork did not feature a photo of himself. The opening number, “My Old Man,” boasted a stark difference from everything else I’ve heard from his discography. It would appear he finally retired the chorus pedal — ol’ reliable — for more acoustic instruments. The song featured acoustic guitar over some 808s, which struck me as an odd combination of sounds.

While “My Old Man” doesn’t quite capture, DeMarco nails this new mood on other songs such as “This Old Dog” and “Baby You’re Out.” In a lot of ways, these songs reminded me of early Pink Floyd, like some of the deeper cuts off “Atom Heart Mother” and “Meddle.” It’s a really interesting direction that I would’ve never expected from Mac DeMarco, who had such a defined sound.

On the fourth track, “For the First Time,” DeMarco throws in another twist: electric piano, synths and groovy bass lines. The song is a lazy, dreamy, almost sappy love song. If nothing else, this album certainly proves that Mac DeMarco is capable of writing other styles of music.

The song that sounds the closest to his older material is “One Another” — the verses make use of acoustic instruments but in the chorus, the old electric guitar comes back in. I guess he couldn’t resist adding in a little taste of classic Mac.

“Still Beating” is a lovely tune — which should mean a lot coming from someone who isn’t necessarily a Mac DeMarco fan. “Honey, I cry too,/ You better believe it,” he sings matter-of-factly in the chorus, giving the laid-back, summery song some edge and emotional content.

Some songs were a little more lackluster than others; “Dreams from Yesterday” and “One More Love Song” are tracks I will probably not be returning to. The 808 drums and slow-moving synth pads in “Dreams from Yesterday” push the song past “chill” and more towards straight-up boring.

However, the dull moments are outweighed by the stronger songs. “A Wolf Who Wears Sheeps Clothes” introduces some harmonica action and folk tendencies, reminiscent of some later Tom Petty (see: “Wildflowers”), despite DeMarco’s use of electronic drums.

The album is pretty humble in terms of songwriting, but around the 5-minute mark of the 12th track, “Moonlight On The River,” things get pretty wild. Strange samples and delay pedals come into play and the folk rock takes a turn for the psychadelic. It’s an amazing outro that sounds like it was lifted straight from Tame Impala’s “Lonerism.”

One thing is for sure about “This Old Dog:” it’s vibey as hell. “On the Level” is dripping with vibes, reminding me of some sappy, synthy love ballads from the late ’70s and ’80s. Mac DeMarco gives us something new on “This Old Dog,” and he pulls it off pretty well. The album has some really solid songwriting and even better production.

There are a lot of things you might look forward to during the weekends: going out, treating yourself to a nice dinner or even just staying in and binge watching the newest episode of “Quantico” (Priyanka Chopra, anyone?). But who would’ve thought that something like First Friday could be fun, educational and something of an adventure?

Now, what’s First Friday you may ask? Well, lemme tell you: First Friday is an event the first Friday of every month where local art galleries showcase their art and allow fellow art lovers to observe their works, free of cost. It’s held in Old City near Penn’s Landing, so not only do you get to experience the beauty of resident artists, you can also grab a delicious bite just two streets down.

But First Friday isn’t limited to just amazing art and fun food — it’s rich history. Each individual gallery is filled with art that’s representative of something different: there’s a glass gallery, filled with intricate creations of fused glass with swirled patterns as complex as the galaxy. Another one captures the extraordinary works of Mother Nature, shown off in large frames with glossy finishes.

There’s even a gallery dedicated to art in just black and white (no gray, no mess), filled with crisp lines and simple works. And just when you thought the art was too good to be true, local vendors hit you with traditional Philly foods and unique jewelry made of spoons and beautiful crystals.

The galleries also teach you something about the Philadelphians themselves; if you ever get the chance to go to a First Friday, you’ll see that the residents are friendly, outgoing, and extremely willing to answer any questions you could possibly have about the art or even the artists.

Not to mention, they are 100 percent supportive of your “I’m-artsy-and-need-this-for-Instagram” attitude (don’t even try that you’re not one of those lame people trying to get a cool hipster museum picture).

Personally, the best part of First Friday for me is getting to explore more than just the art. If you look closely, there’s dusty old antique shops hiding between the galleries, holding precious art of their own and stories of the city’s past. Towards the end of the street, you’ll find Elfreth’s Alley, filled with historical residences from the 18th century. Keep walking a couple streets down and you can enjoy a nice American meal at Continental with a nice glass of wine.

Trust me, I know most students wouldn’t think to spend their Friday nights weaving their way from gallery to gallery, but don’t just take my word for it when I tell you it’s truly awesome. Get out there and look at some art, maybe even create some of your own, and get some poppin’ pics for your Insta.