University Chorus, Chamber Singers and Concert Band perform

The University Chorus will perform Leonard Bernstein’s “Chichester Psalms” for chorus, keyboard, harp and percussion, along with a selection of motets, spirituals and music of the Renaissance period. Concert selections include “Chichester Psalms” and “O Magnum Mysterium.” The Drexel Concert Band will perform American classics that will celebrate the rich history of our country, the United States of America. In the wake of several recent national tragedies, we are to be reminded of the freedoms we all enjoy each day as well those who work each day to protect this great nation.

Main Auditorium (chorus) and Mandell Theater (band)

Dec. 8, 3 p.m. (chorus), 7 p.m. (band)

Cost: free

Call 215-895-ARTS

South Street Headhouse District’s Winter Wonderland

Come out Sunday, Dec. 8, from 4 to 7 p.m. to the Headhouse Shambles on 2nd Street between Pine and South streets for a hub of holiday shopping and activities. There will be handcrafted jewelry from Moon & Arrow as well as local artisans selling their wares. The night ends with an official holiday tree lighting!

Headhouse Square Shambles, 2nd Street between Pine and South streets

Sunday, Dec. 8, 4-7 p.m.

Cost: free

www.southstreet.com

Handmade in Philadelphia art sale

The Handmade in Philadelphia art sale returns this year with even more items created by Philadelphia-area artisans. The mobile art gallery is stopping at the Ethical Society of Philadelphia in Rittenhouse Square. Gather up your friends and family to participate in this one-of-a-kind holiday season art sale this weekend!

Ethical Society Building, 1906 S. Rittenhouse Square

Friday, Dec. 6, 5-7 p.m. (reception); Saturday, Dec. 7, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (exhibition and sale)

Cost: pay as you go

www.handmadeinphiladelphia.com

Elfreth’s Alley Deck the Alley Holiday Open House

The residents of America’s oldest continuously residential street, Elfreth’s Alley, will once again open their doors for the annual Deck the Alley open house Saturday, Dec. 7. The architectural details of the alley date back to the 18th century and have been painstakingly preserved over the years. The price of admission includes seasonal refreshments, colonial carolers and an appearance by Ben Franklin! Come on out!

Elfreth’s Alley Museum, 126 Elfreth’s Alley

Saturday, Dec. 7, 3-7 p.m.

Cost: $25 adult, $10 student, $55 family

www.elfrethsalley.org

Philadanco performs for the holidays

Contemporary dance troupe Philadanco celebrates famed African-American choreographer Christopher Huggins in its annual winter performance series at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts this weekend. The dance troupe is in its 44th season, and the performance will feature excerpts from six compilations of Huggins’ work. Don’t miss this opportunity to see Philadanco!

Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts’ Perelman Theater, Broad and Spruce streets

Dec. 6-8

Cost: $29-$46

www.kimmelcenter.org

The post What’s Happening In Philly appeared first on The Triangle.

Many bands have a few hit songs, tour for a few years and then ride off into the sunset to cash royalty checks for the rest of their days. Third Eye Blind is not one of those bands. They rode the wave of hits like “Semi-Charmed Life” and “Jumper” from their self-titled debut album into a 16-year career filled with ups and downs and over 12 million records sold worldwide. The band definitely left on a high note Nov. 2 at the Tower Theater.

After Boston-based Gentlemen Hall, the six-piece band, (including one flutist,) finished up its opening pop-rock set, the Tower really started to fill up with dedicated Third Eye Blind fans. A landmark location for live music in Philadelphia, the Tower has been running since the 1970s, and by 9 p.m. the venue looked very close to reaching its capacity of 3,100. The age of the crowd favored the 25-40 age range, but there were plenty of teenagers scattered throughout the crowd. Third Eye Blind is one of the more wide-reaching bands of the last 20 years; usually you don’t see such an age range at a concert that isn’t a classic rock band like The Who. No matter their age, everyone in the building lost their minds when the lights dropped at 9:15 and the band came out.

Lead singer and original member, Stephen Jenkins, came out barefoot with the hood of his sweatshirt pulled up as the group launched right into its first songs, including “Losing a Whole Year” and “Crystal Baller.” Playing in near darkness, Jenkins gallivanted around the stage with strobes lights flashing behind him as he enticed the crowd to sing along with the band. After tearing through “Faster/Danger” off the 2003 album “Out of the Vein,” the band played the extremely catchy “Never Let You Go,” which the crowd sang along with Jenkins. Speaking of which, at 49 years old, Jenkins was looking pretty spritely onstage. He was belting out the lyrics while spinning the microphone stand around, getting the crowd involved — it was almost like he never left the ‘90s. This was especially true when they played early hits “Graduate” and “Wounded” with much gusto, bringing the show to a whole new level.

Later, after the rest of the band stepped offstage, Jenkins prefaced the next part of the show by saying, “We’re trying to keep it free-flowing on this tour.” He then began to take crowd suggestions for what song he should perform by himself. He settled nicely into a rendition of “Slow Motion,” and then the band returned for a song from the unreleased album, which Jenkins said is tentatively titled “Dream Sequence.” The song featured a screechy guitar solo from touring guitarist Kryz Reid. After apologizing to the fans for taking so long to come out with new albums, Jenkins took some time to pay homage to Lou Reed. He said how much of an inspiration the recently deceased singer-songwriter was to him and how Reed allowed him to write about things that were important to him. It was appropriate that he dedicated “Motorcycle Drive By” to Reed, as it is one of the most emotional songs in the band’s repertoire.

By now, things were in full swing. The concertgoers were energized and completely ready to sing the next song by themselves, arguably the most well-known Third Eye Blind song, “Jumper.” As soon as Jenkins strummed the opening chords on his 1946 Gibson acoustic guitar, the crowd took over a share of lead singing duties for a cathartic version of the song that was a culmination of the entire evening. After the song, original member and drummer Brad Hargreaves was left alone on stage to deliver a blistering drum solo in which he incorporated a double bass pedal and an electronic drum machine.

The encore was icing on the cake, and the crowd went into a frenzy during all three songs: “Narcolepsy,” “God of Wine” and especially “Semi-Charmed Life.” Before going into the last song, Jenkins told the crowd, “Thank you for keeping our music alive. Thank you for loving us.” Considering the concert they performed, it’s easy to see why their legions of fans stick around.

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Rapper Childish Gambino, the stage name of comedian and actor Donald Glover, performed Nov. 1 at Midnight Madness to kick off the 2013-14 Drexel men’s and women’s basketball seasons.

Midnight Madness was produced by the DAC Pack and held in the Daskalakis Athletic Center with supporting acts OverDoz and Twin Syndrome.

Doors opened at 8 p.m., and the event got underway at 9 p.m. with the introduction of the men’s and women’s basketball teams and a few words from head coaches James “Bruiser” Flint and Denise Dillon.

“Midnight Madness is pretty good, gets me excited for the season. I can’t wait to see Gambino live,” senior forward Dartaye Ruffin said,

Following the team introductions, disc jockey pair Twin Syndrome played remixes of hit songs like Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive” and Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines.” They were followed by rapper group OverDoz, which performed with Mario the Magnificent onstage.

The crowd was packed tight to the barrier in front of the stage as they waited eagerly for the headliner’s arrival.

When asked about the concert so far, sophomore business student Gayle Tadler said, “This is better than last year as far as the acts go, but it is still pretty hot in here and a little hard to hear what they are staying onstage.”

Just before 11 p.m. Gambino took the stage to a roar from the crowd. He then dedicated the show to Drexel before launching into a track from his new album followed by two of his earlier hits, “Firefly” and “Freaks and Geeks.” Gambino invited the crowd to sing parts of the verses.

The rapper fed off the audience as he danced all over the stage, repeatedly saying, “I [want to] see everyone in the f—ing place jump,” as the bass line boomed through the DAC. The jam-packed crowd responded in kind.

About an hour into his performance, Gambino invited his brother and fellow rapper Steve G. Lover III onstage to sing in the last few songs, including “Make ‘Em Mad.” They also went into a freestyle section where both performers played to the Philadelphia crowd with the creative rhyming of “Drexel” and “pretzel” as well as some Philly cheesesteak references.

Before his final song, Gambino told the crowd, “This has been a rough year for me. … This [concert] is definitely a highlight.” He then proceeded to rip his shirt off as the bass dropped and confetti and fog cannons fired. The show ended just before midnight.

After the show, Gambino met with several members of the DAC Pack, including DAC Pack President David Morrison. Morrison told Gambino, “We were really happy to be able to get you to come here. Money looked to be a problem, but we knew students would pay to see you perform.”

Gambino replied, “It was really fun; I had a really good time.” When asked about playing his new songs at the concert, Gambino jokingly said, “I would get the album out tomorrow if I could, but I think the label would sue me.”

Gambino gave fans a special treat by playing his new album “Because the Internet” on Lancaster Walk and signing autographs around 7 p.m. after he announced it on his Twitter account. His new album drops Dec. 10.

After all was said and done, sophomore finance major Jeff Herr tried to sum up the night, saying, “I don’t listen to much modern rap, but such a high-energy performance by both Gambino and the crowd was well worth the ticket price. The hype was palpable. This was my second Midnight Madness at Drexel, and while both were very well executed, this year’s definitely had the edge.”

Bryan Antonik, DAC Pack Game Day Activities Coordinator, said, “I’m pretty impressed with the turnout we got tonight. It was a lot of effort to get everything ready, and I’m glad that it paid off.”

This was the first Midnight Madness with an admission fee. Tickets were $10 for Drexel students and $20 for guests.

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Two years ago, people were saying, “Who the f— is Arcade Fire?” after the Canadian band’s album “The Suburbs” won the Grammy for Album of the Year. Now the band enjoys widespread praise for being one of the greatest indie bands of the 2000s. After three critically acclaimed albums, Arcade Fire’s fourth album, “Reflektor,” is a radical departure from the band’s previous endeavors. In this case, different doesn’t necessarily mean worse, but if you are like me, it’ll take a few runs through the album to see.

Where “The Suburbs” was a more conventional and straightforward record, the two-disc “Reflektor” combines a wide array of influences to create a diverse, grandiose-sounding album. Frontman Win Butler and wife and bandmate Regine Chassagne cite Haitian music as having a major impact on the band and it is clearly evident on most tracks, no more than on “Here Comes the Night Time.” The song uses thumping bass lines to create a mid-tempo dance number infused with a Caribbean feel that takes a wild turn by the song’s end. The enriched role of the rhythm section is also front and center on the relentless “Billie Jean” style bass line in the standout track “We Exist.”

Another major influence on “Reflektor” is James Murphy, the man behind electro dance-rock band LCD Soundsystem. Murphy produced most of the album, and his trademark dance grooves are evident, especially in forming the backbone of the title track. The song features a groove guaranteed to stick in your head, and it also features some vocals from none other than David Bowie. Another song rife with Murphy’s impact is the spectacularly catchy “Afterlife.” The track anchors the album’s second side with synthesizer beats like those of New Order and forceful drumming by Jeremy Gara. However, don’t be wary of Murphy’s influence on the record; at its core, “Reflektor” is an Arcade Fire album through and through.

One of the issues I have with this album is the break into two discs. The more I listen to “Reflektor,” the more disjointed discs 1 and 2 feel to me. Disc 1 is full of propulsive songs that make the first half fly by in a flurry of pulsating sound, whereas disc 2 is a much more introspective experience. “Here Comes the Night Time II” provides a surprisingly satisfying segue into the second disc, but the rest of the songs feel disjointed. Even the two-song arc to embody the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice seems out of place in context with the rest of the album, and it raises the question of why the album cover reflects that myth as well. In the end, it feels like the band broke “Reflektor” into a double album to recall the nostalgic feeling of the experimental albums of the ‘60s and ‘70s.

Another gripe I have is with the song lengths. I suppose the production budget didn’t cover a janitor for the editing room, because it feels like nothing was left on its floor. Poor jokes aside, several songs build and build to that trademark Arcade Fire crescendo before being allowed to exit with a whimper, like a dog with its tail between its legs. The main culprits are songs like “Porno,” “Joan of Arc” and “Supersymmetry,” which seem to overstay their welcome with prolonged outros. “Reflektor” and “Afterlife” appear to suffer the same overly long syndrome upon first listen, but over time I’ve come to appreciate their fullness, depth and completeness.

At this point it is hard to stack “Reflektor” up against the Montreal-based band’s other albums. On one hand, it has surely come up with the indie rock anthems like “Wake Up” and “Intervention” that Arcade Fire has become known for, with tracks like “Normal Person” and “Reflektor.” On the other hand, it has its share of miscues, like sophomore album “Neon Bible” had (I’m talking to you, “Flashbulb Eyes” and “Porno”). For me, “The Suburbs” was so complete and focused that it is off to the side, exempt from comparison. So that puts “Reflektor” in the same stratosphere that the band’s other albums inhabit, high above most other indie bands of today.

While diverging from the beaten path, Arcade Fire has managed to overcome the pressure of topping their album of the year, “The Suburbs,” by creating something so entirely different. The band’s new sound might catch fans of the band off guard at first, but after a few listens you should come to appreciate the greatness in the bold, new direction of “Reflektor.”

The post Arcade Fire’s ‘Reflektor’ achieves distinct sound appeared first on The Triangle.

I usually frown upon reviews done in the first person, but I am forced to make an exception here to help you fully appreciate the Sept. 28 Local Natives concert at the Electric Factory. So here goes nothing!

Photo Courtesy Rachel Wisniewski. Local Natives performed at the Electric Factory for the first time Sept. 28. They were touring to promote their sophomore album ‘Hummingbird’ which features the hit singles “Breakers” and “Heavy Feet.”

First off, Rachel, one of The Triangle’s own photographers, only confirmed us receiving press passes for the show about six hours before showtime. That gave me little time to go thrift shopping for an appropriate indie-rock vintage sweater to don for the show.

As I frantically bulked up on both the Los Angeles-based band’s first album, “Gorilla Manor,” and the recent release, “Hummingbird,” I had to Google how to get to the venue via subway without ending up in Kensington. Not to fear, I got there safe and sound just in time to catch the end of the opening set of Wild Nothing.

From what I heard, it was a pleasant mix of guitars and synthesizers, definitely enough to get my foot tapping and debating whether or not to buy one of their $20 vinyls from the merchandise table. Thankfully, my frugality and the realization that I don’t even have a record player overcame the possible impulse buy. Good thing YouTube is free, right?

Now I had to kill about 45 minutes before Local Natives came out at 9:50. A concert is a great place to kill time. You can either watch the roadies move everything to and fro or people watch to your heart’s desire.

The crowd was from all walks of life. I saw a lady in tie-dye overalls, a gentleman with a Duck Dynasty-length beard, and a nice couple with dreadlocks and cardigans — quite a lot of variety to be seen.

After spending a couple minutes trying to figure out why there were light bulbs hanging behind the stage, the house lights dropped and the crowd roared in approval. Right away, the band launched into a hit from “Hummingbird” titled “Breakers.” After hearing 30 seconds of the band’s four frontmen singing harmony, I remembered how good their show was at Union Transfer last April.

The way guitarist Taylor Rice attacked the microphone with such vigor and set the tone for the evening. With the lights silhouetting the band, they were in complete control as they smoothly segued into “World News” off “Gorilla Manor,” a song that got the patrons down in front bouncing with excitement. Right off the bat, Local Natives created a raucous environment and was in total control of the near-capacity Electric Factory crowd.

As the concert went on, I just could not get past how much better this show was compared to the one last April, and according to my review back then, it was pretty awesome. First and foremost was how much more liberty they took with each song. A personal favorite of mine, “Shape  Shifter,” turned into something completely different by the end, with guitarists Ryan Hahn and Rice playing back to back to finish off the song. I was so taken with the performance, with the lighting, with everything, that I even screamed, “That was so dope!” at least six times, a phrase I don’t think I’ve used since grade school.

“Black Spot” from “Hummingbird” was another song that stood out. Keyboardist and singer Kelcey Ayer started out with the piano intro and first verse before it burst out into a beautiful harmony and then a powerful guitar solo to end the song. After perennial favorite “Airplanes,” the band closed out the set with an acoustic version of “Who Knows Who Cares.” Although I was dismayed to hear one of my favorite songs so differently than the album version, it was pretty stellar nonetheless, even turning into a giant sing-along by the end. The song was lit by those hanging lights I saw earlier, giving the whole song an “MTV Unplugged” sort of vibe.

I cheered for an encore while simultaneously giving people who were leaving the stink eye. I was wondering if they were going to play two of their best songs, “Heavy Feet” and “Sun Hands.” The former was a fantastic showcase for the rhythmic powerhouse of drummer Matt Frazier.

Once Rice played the opening riff of “Sun Hands,” the crowd went berserk. There was jumping, dancing, singing, clapping and even crying as the concert hit its climax at the perfect time. Bathed in red light through the first half of the song, the rest of the crowd and I were just waiting for the big breakdown in the middle. Finally it came as the lights blared behind the stage, and everyone screamed out the refrain in tribal fashion. Then everything cut to black, “Sopranos” style, before those aforementioned hanging lights came out swinging side to side with strobes going off and the band giving us one last jam before leaving the stage for good. It was awesome, spectacular and (sorry in advance) dope.

Luckily, my night did not end there, as Rachel from photography came through in the clutch with some backstage passes. We got to hang out in the Local Natives green room with the band, drink coconut water and speculate as to what “tofurkey” really is. I even got to talk to Ayer about a truly universal topic, “Breaking Bad.” What a fantastic end to a fantastic night.

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The Campus Activities Board’s annual Spring Jam concert took place May 18 with headliner OK Go rocking the rain-soaked crowd in Parking Lot F behind the Main Building as the day’s festivities came to a close.

Spring Jam kicked off at 3 p.m. with free food from Chestnut Street Caterers for all attendees and activities sponsored by various student organizations. Henna tattoos, balloon art and face painting were offered to concertgoers, and CAB representatives gave away free T-shirts and sunglasses sporting the 2013 event logo. Attendance was hampered by the cold, rainy weather, but those who did show up enjoyed themselves.

“Even with the crappy weather, I’m always down for some free food and live music,” sophomore music industry major Matt Olenik said.

Other students shared his enthusiasm as they stuck it out through the rain to see DreX Factor winner Marcus & Rome and Battle of the Bands winner Anna Greenwald perform before the opening acts. The winning team from Drexel’s Best Dance Crew was slated to appear but did not come.

Singer-songwriter Noah Guthrie was the first professional opening act to take the stage. Guthrie gained notoriety after his cover of LMFAO’s “Sexy and I Know It” earned 17 million views on YouTube and landed him an interview with Matt Lauer and Ann Curry on “Today.”. After his short acoustic set, hip-hop group King’s Dead came on. Formerly known as Dean’s List, the Boston-based group, who toured with artists such as KiD CuDi and Calvin Harris, got the crowd going with its single “Your Professor” and a song from an upcoming album that will be released next month.

The final opening act was 5 & A Dime, an electro-house disk jockey from the Philadelphia area who opened for Time Flies, Steve Aokie and Kendrick Lamar. With his unique brand of electronic house music and song mashups, 5 & A Dime got people dancing around Lot F to remixes of songs like Calvin Harris’ “Sweet Nothing.”

Finally, OK Go took the stage a little after 8 p.m. in the midst of a rainstorm that did not let up. The band drew the biggest crowd of the day, even with the weather. OK Go had a lot happening onstage, with cameras mounted on microphone stands and confetti cannons firing during every other song. Lead singer Damian Kulash opened up for a question-and-answer segment while the band set up for a song played solely with hand bells.

When asked if they would play their hit song “Here It Goes Again,” Kulash jokingly replied, “We’ll play it when the rain stops.” But they did play it about halfway through their set as many concertgoers sang along. After the band closed with its early hit “Get Over It,” there was some controversy before the encore.

Students reported that Drexel Public Safety officers began to force them away from the stage, reportedly saying, “I promise you, no one is coming back out [for an encore.]” OK Go did return in less than five minutes to perform a couple more songs.

“There was no effort to clear the students out of the lot prior to OK Go coming back onstage and performing two encore songs,” Edward Spangler, director of police operations, said. “Viewing video from the event, it appears that as the last song ended, students began to leave on their own but returned when the band came back onstage.”

Regardless, students had enough time to return in front of the stage before the band started into the first song of the encore. The encore featured a sing-along to the song “This Too Shall Pass” with Kulash taunting the crowd to sing louder than rival schools the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Delaware. Near the end of the song, Kulash jumped down to the barrier and launched himself into the crowd as everyone sang, “Let it go, this too shall pass.”

CAB hosts Spring Jam annually. For information on future CAB events, visit drexelcab.com.

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Michael Bay’s “Pain & Gain” is a true crime movie on steroids, which is just the kind of film you would expect to get from the man behind the “Transformers” franchise. Starring Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Tony Shalhoub, among others, “Pain and Gain” is a ludicrous comedy at times and a gruesome drama at others, but in any case it’s an enjoyable film as long as your expectations aren’t too high.

Michael Bay’s new film “Pain and Gain” was released April 26 and tells the odd yet true story of a body builder who decides to extort one of his gym’s customers. The movie stars Mark Whalberg and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

“Pain & Gain” tells the story of Daniel Lugo (portrayed by Wahlberg), a bodybuilder and gym employee living in Miami who takes the idea of pursuing the American Dream to a whole new level. After hearing a motivational speaker, Lugo adopts the motto “I am a doer” to rationalize his plot to kidnap and extort one of his gym’s customers (played by Shalhoub). With the help of his gym rat friend, Adrian Doorbal (Anthony Mackie of “Gangster Squad”), and the humongous born-again Christian and ex-con Paul Doyle (The Rock), Lugo mounts a hare-brained scheme that eventually spirals out of control.

The story is so far out of right field that practically every action of Wahlberg’s gang of muscle-bound wannabe criminals will elicit a guffaw or even cause you to burst out laughing. With every crazy stunt these guys pull, you will have to keep reminding yourself that somehow this is all based on a true story. At one point, Bay even goes out of his way to stop everything and plaster “This is a true story” across the screen. The story is all over the map, and by the end of the movie’s overly long runtime of 129 minutes, you are left with a feeling that what you just saw had even less substance than one of Wahlberg’s many tank tops.

Leading up to the movie’s release, Michael Bay revealed that “Pain & Gain” was meant to be a side project for him, a low-budget movie to distract him from the “Transformers” films for a time. However, Bay brings in a lot of the same filming techniques that you would see in one of the “Transformers” movies. Slow motion and first-person shots are commonplace throughout the movie, as well as a lot of quick cuts to try to accent the action on screen. All of these techniques together make the movie feel a bit contrived, but you won’t mind them when you get to see The Rock knock out a guy in slow motion while wearing one of his many “Jesus loves me” T-shirts.

The acting is something else that this movie could have bulked up on. Wahlberg and Johnson took pay cuts in order to keep “Pain & Gain” under its $25 million budget, and their acting abilities seem to have been cut along with their paychecks. Wahlberg’s Lugo never really seems to advance past the one-dimensional character of a guy who feels entitled to more money just because he is an American and super buff, and that’s a shame. If Wahlberg could have brought some of the same acting chops that he brought to a movie like “The Fighter” or even just “The Other Guys,” he might have been able to bring the movie to a whole new level. Instead, he flounders halfway through the movie as Lugo gets in way over his disillusioned head.

Johnson’s portrayal of Paul Doyle also feels like an opportunity missed. Here you have the perfect actor for the role of a gargantuan bodybuilder, and instead you get The Rock crying in the corner when Lugo’s promise of “nobody getting hurt” is broken. Come on, man. In a way, the movie might work out better with the subpar acting. Bay gives no inclination of trying to get moviegoers to stop and think about what is happening on screen. He just wants the absurd facts to carry his film to success; he chooses to sacrifice questions of moral ambiguity, common sense and motivation in favor of some close-up shots of over-the-top violence.

In the end, “Pain & Gain” is a passable action movie that will surprise you at almost every turn with its outlandish but true storyline. There’s only one explosion that is very unlike Bay, but he counters with enough low-brow humor to keep you entertained. The action can get pretty visceral at times, but it is definitely manageable. If you do go to see the movie, be ready to experience some pain but not much gain.

The post Michael Bay film devoid of strength appeared first on The Triangle.

Los Angeles-based indie rock band Local Natives stopped by the heralded Union Transfer rock club April 4 to perform in front of a sold-out crowd of nearly 1,000 fans. The line from the entrance wrapped around the block as people eagerly waited in the brisk spring evening to get inside the venue. When the doors finally opened at 8 p.m., patrons streamed in to fill both the upper balconies and the valuable real estate right in front of the stage. By the end of the night, hundreds of ecstatic concert-goers headed off into the night thinking of the incredible and memorable headlining performance they had just witnessed.

Local Natives took fans across the full spectrum of emotions with upbeat hits from album “Gorilla Mirror” and the more melancholy, introspective tunes of “Hummingbird.” They closed the show with their renowned closer, “Sun Hands.”

The night got underway a little after 9 p.m. with another group from the Los Angeles area, the dream-pop group Superhumanoids. The four-piece band is anchored by Cameron Perkins, Max St. John and lead vocalist Sarah Chernoff. Over the course of a roughly 30-minute set, Superhumanoids played a brand of music reminiscent of the ‘80s new wave style, the type of music that wouldn’t be out of place on the soundtrack of a John Hughes movie. The crowd even got a taste of the band’s upcoming album “Exhibitionists” with “Geri,” which featured a catchy synth beat. At the end of their set, Perkins thanked both the crowd and Local Natives for bringing them on tour. With the opening act over, fans would have to wait almost an hour for the main event, Local Natives.

Finally, at almost half past 10, the band came onstage to a roar of applause and David Bowie’s “Young Americans” playing through the speakers. They took to their instruments in a quick fashion and launched right into “You & I,” the first track of their new album “Hummingbird.” The song showcased the group’s rich vocal harmonies, which are used in a way similar to Fleet Foxes. After “Breakers,” the lead single from “Hummingbird,” the band stopped to thank the crowd. Singer and keyboardist Kelcey Ayer commented, “We always love coming to Philly.” Then guitarist Taylor Rice started to pluck away the opening riff to “Wide Eyes,” a hit song from the band’s 2009 debut album, “Gorilla Manor.”

From there, Local Natives played some more mellow tracks such as “Ceilings” before playing “Shapeshifter” from “Gorilla Manor.” Ayer prefaced the song by saying that the band first played it live in Philadelphia at the First Unitarian Church. When the chorus came around, guitarist Ryan Hahn joined in along with what seemed like most of the crowd. After that was “Heavy Feet,” another hit from “Hummingbird.” It really showcased the drumming of Matt Frazier, who creates some great rhythms with his energetic style. Most of the songs on “Hummingbird” are more introspective and come across as somber. Two of the best examples of this are “Mt. Washington” and “Colombia.” “Colombia,” in particular, was the most emotionally charged song of the night. Ayer picked up a guitar to sing the song he wrote about his mother passing away. When he sang his mother’s name  near the end of the song, audience members could see the emotions contort his face and couldn’t help but relate to similar experiences they may have had themselves.

But those melancholy feelings wouldn’t last for long, as the next two songs were fan favorites, “World News” and “Airplanes.” These two upbeat sing-alongs really brought the crowd’s energy level to a whole new tier, as the whole building seemed to try to join in with the harmonies of the choruses. The band then exited the stage to thunderous applause. Within minutes they were back and playing “Wooly Mammoth,” another song that features Frazier’s wild-sounding beats. Local Natives knew that they had the audience right where they wanted them as they then played “Who Knows Who Cares,” another high-energy hit from “Gorilla Manor.” But any true fan knew that the band always saves its best for last in the form of its perennial closer, “Sun Hands.”

The crowd began to work into a frenzy as the song began to build and build into an almost tribal fury. However, moments before the climax of the song, Hahn brought the band to a halt when he noticed that a young lady in the front row had fainted. Rice immediately brought her some water bottles and asked how she was before getting back up to the microphone to say she was all right and was going to stick it out “like a true rocker.” Then both the band and the crowd didn’t miss a beat as they ratcheted up the intensity before the best 10 seconds of the song, when everyone stops playing and screams out, “And when I can feel with my sun hands, I promise not to lose her again,” twice before just plain jamming out. It was an awesome end to a spectacular show. Local Natives gave everyone in Union Transfer a concert experience that was well worth the price of admission.

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The long run of awards shows and ceremonies culminated Feb. 24 with the 85th annual Academy Awards, which took place in the customary location, the glamorous Dolby Theater in downtown Los Angeles. This year’s Oscars were hosted by Seth MacFarlane, the creator of the television show “Family Guy” and the hit comedy “Ted.” The “Music in Film” themed night was filled with speeches, songs and even tears. By the end of the film industry’s most prestigious evening, it was Ben Affleck’s blockbuster hit “Argo” that came out on top.

Photo Courtesy – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: The 85th annual Academy Awards were held Feb. 24 in Los Angeles’ Dolby Theater and hosted by “Family Guy” creator Seth Macfarlane. Among the awards given, Ben Affleck’s political thriller “Argo” took home the Oscar for Best Picture.

After a healthy amount of red-carpet coverage, MacFarlane got the show underway. There was a lot of talk leading up to the big show as to whether or not MacFarlane would bring the raunchy and crude humor that made him famous to the Oscars. But surprisingly enough, MacFarlane was pretty tame. In his opening monologue he took shots at celebrities such as Chris Brown and Mel Gibson, and he had a bit where William Shatner reprised his role as Captain James T. Kirk from the future to warn MacFarlane that the press will not be pleased with his performance as host. That sketch seemed to drag on for a while, but it allowed MacFarlane to deliver one of the funnier moments of the night, when he sang the song “We Saw Your Boobs.” After a few more one-liners and some more showcasing of MacFarlane’s strong singing voice, the show finally started giving out some of the famous golden statuettes.

The Best Supporting Actor category was the first of the major categories to be revealed and was arguably the closest Oscar race coming into the night. Dark horse Christoph Waltz of “Django Unchained” pulled out the win over the likes of legends Tommy Lee Jones and Robert De Niro. It was Waltz’s second Oscar in the category in as many nominations; he also won for his role in 2009’s “Inglourious Basterds.”

A highlight of the evening was when Oscar winner and former Bond girl Halle Berry came out to introduce a tribute to “50 Years of James Bond.” This was followed by a standout performance by 76-year-old Shirley Bassey, who sang the theme from the famous Bond film “Goldfinger.” In a night filled with an almost Grammy-level amount of live performances, Bassey’s was one of the best, second only to Adele’s rendition of her Oscar-winning song “Skyfall.”

After performances by Jennifer Hudson, part of the cast of Best Picture winner “Chicago,” and the cast of the Oscar-winning film “Les Miserables,” Anne Hathaway was unsurprisingly named Best Supporting Actress for her role as Fantine in “Les Mis.” She gave an acceptance speech that many felt was rehearsed and somewhat contrived.

It was about two and a half hours into the show that things really got into gear. Quentin Tarantino pulled off the upset win for Best Original Screenplay over the mildly favored Mark Boal for his screenplay for “Zero Dark Thirty.” There was another mild upset when “Life of Pi” director Ang Lee won the Oscar for Best Director over famous “Lincoln” director Steven Spielberg. But the category had already been cast into question when both Affleck and previous Best Director winner Kathryn Bigelow (“Zero Dark Thirty”) weren’t nominated in the category.

[media-credit name=”Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences” align=”alignright” width=”300″] Oscar host Seth MacFarlane entertained the audience with a slew of musical numbers that showcased his singing talents. The night was also filled with a number of upsets in the categories for Best Director and Original Screenplay.

Then it was finally time for the awards everybody had waited almost three hours for: Best Actress, Best Actor and Best Picture. The wonderful and level-headed Jennifer Lawrence won Best Actress for her role as the moody, recovering nymphomaniac widow in “Silver Linings Playbook.” Although she tripped on her dress as she walked up the stairs to accept her award, the out-of-breath 22-year-old gave an excited, modest speech in which she even wished fellow Best Actress nominee Emmanuelle Riva a happy birthday.

Next, the great Daniel Day-Lewis won his third Oscar for Best Actor for his remarkable portrayal of President Abraham Lincoln. At almost midnight, Jack Nicholson came out to name the Best Picture winner. Nine films were nominated in this category, and the thriller “Argo” came into the night with a lot of momentum. In a surprising turn of events, First Lady Michelle Obama came on the video screen to reveal the Best Picture winner herself. With much aplomb, Obama named “Argo” the Best Picture. Affleck, executive producers Grant Heslov and George Clooney, as well as most of the cast, came onstage to accept the award. It had been 15 years since Affleck had won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay with Matt Damon for “Good Will Hunting.” The deserving actor-director gave an inspirational and tear-inducing speech, preaching that perseverance is the key to success.

“Side Effects” is the most recent and allegedly last film from director Steven Soderbergh (“Traffic” and “Ocean’s Eleven”). The highly talented and Oscar-winning director said that he would call it quits in the film industry after his 50th birthday (which was Jan. 14), and if he holds true to that promise, it will be a hard pill to swallow for film lovers everywhere. But the fact that this ranks as one of the better Soderbergh endeavors is something that can make his “retirement” easier to cope with.

Photo Courtesy: Endgame Entertainment”  – Jude Law stars as Dr. Jonathan Banks in the psychological thriller “Side Effects,” released Feb. 8. The film was directed by Steven Soderbergh.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the movie, “Side Effects” starts out with Emily Taylor (Rooney Mara of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”) visiting her husband Martin (Channing Tatum of “Magic Mike”), who is about to be released from prison after serving time for insider trading. But before she picks up Martin as a free man, Emily goes through some turbulent emotional times that land her in the hospital under the care of resident psychiatrist Jonathan Banks (Jude Law of “Sherlock Holmes”). Banks agrees to schedule therapy sessions with Emily and also to start some prescription antidepressants. After consulting with Emily’s previous psychiatrist, Victoria Seibert (Catherine Zeta-Jones of “Chicago”), Banks prescribes the drug Ablixa, and after that point the movie really takes off.

The script and storyline by themselves wouldn’t really make a great thriller, but factor in the eerie score by Thomas Newman along with the fantastic directing of Soderbergh, and “Side Effects” turns out to be a solid movie. Without the deft hand of Soderbergh behind the camera, the transitions the film takes, from character study to courtroom drama and then back to psychological thriller, would have turned off most viewers. But Soderbergh manages to pull it off expertly with smooth, tasteful camera work and by framing each shot very creatively. That being said, there are some minor pacing issues around the middle of the movie. It is especially disappointing to see those problems crop up right after one the story’s biggest twists; a twist that made almost the entire theater, including myself, let out an audible gasp. But after navigating through that slow patch, the story picks up again. There is a lot of misdirection and a couple of clever twists at the end, but they come off as good, not great. However, Newman’s score almost always seems to be going on in the background, sometimes at a volume can barely be heard while still recognizing its presence. The music gives every scene an ominous sense that there is something lurking just out of sight, and it helps keep viewers on the edge of their seats as a good thriller should.

Besides Soderbergh’s innovative filmmaking, the strong lead performances by Mara and Law are what make “Side Effects” really stand out. Mara has carried her momentum from “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” into this movie, and her acting is simply excellent. She nails being a total bummer of a character, and she only impresses more as the movie goes on. But it is Law that really steals the show. Actors play doctors all the time, but somehow Law feels almost perfect for the role. And when events suddenly change, Law accepts his character’s newfound motivation and harnesses it to become the main protagonist of the story.

“Side Effects” is a special kind of thriller. It keeps changing your expectations to create suspense and uncertainty, often transforming from one type of film to the next. For some, that may hurt their enjoyment of the movie, especially when the film seems ready to become an expose on the evils of pharmacological consulting and big pharmaceutical companies in general, but then it takes a whole new direction, leaving those questions unanswered. But don’t let me talk you out of seeing this film. It’s a special and creative type of thriller, creating a template that more movies should work off in the future. So go and try to catch “Side Effects” in theaters near you — doctor’s orders.