The band removes their audience from reality into a conceptual concert The Dear Hunter performing at The Masquerade (Hell) (Photo by Joe Chiarella) It's rare to see an artist apologizing for making their recent albums, but Casey Crescenzo did just that on Friday night at The Masquerade. “You get into the band for symphonic rock, but then the band gives you two albums of space funk,” said The Dear Hunter's frontman and creative world builder, expressing concern that the band's

Today's queen of alt-pop turns ATL's legendary theatre into "A Summer in the Forest" Not For Radio performing live at The Fox Theatre (Photo by Mikey Smith) Last year, I was able to catch The Marías’ evening set at Shaky Knees as they closed the festival’s Piedmont stage on opening night. Sitting on a hillside eating a basket of tenders and fries, I found myself entranced with the group’s sound, stage design, and near-perfect recreation of their records in a live environment.

The harpist brings her top-tier band to The EARL for a cosmic country concert Mikaela Davis with her 6-foot-tall Camac Blue harp at The EARL (Photo by Joe Chiarella) Before she ever took the stage, Mikaela Davis established a commanding presence at The EARL on Friday night. As fans trickled through the back door, curious onlookers approached the stage to see the 6-foot-tall Camac Blue harp in person. The looming, alien instrument held the crowd's focus while fans studied its

Kevin Parker and co. put on the best "arena rock" show in years (and it's not even really "arena rock") Tame Impala performing at State Farm Arena (Photo by Mikey Smith) “Arena rock” is a dying art form. While I believe that rock music as a whole is far from over, the spaces it thrives in today tend to be more intimate room focused on fan interaction or high-energy chaos. Even when a “rock” group does reach arena status, it can often feel artificial (unless it exists in the “

A troupe of rising artists bring the energy to ATL for this summer tour's latest lineup South Arcade performing at Summer School Tour's ATL show (Photo by Jules Morris) At the end of June, idobi Radio Summer School Tour made its way to Atlanta. Going into the show, South Arcade was the only band I knew, but the other five acts quickly won me over. Each band remarkably kept the audience engaged while dropping their anthems across the stage. While idobi Radio Summer School Tour

The modern-rock legend's music is intensified through the incredible Atlanta Symphony Orchestra St. Vincent performing with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (Photo by Mikey Smith) St. Vincent has been a fixture and force in modern rock for almost two decades now. The musician, whose real name is Annie Clark, was raised primarily in Dallas, Texas and later attended Berklee College of Music before dropping out to pursue music full-time, like many before her. Clark played with The

"Everyone's a Star" at the band's fantastic Atlanta tour stop 5 Seconds of Summer in Atlanta at State Farm Arena (Photo by Noah De Los Rios) 5 Seconds of Summer performed at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on the night of June 16 with an incredible concert experience for fans from all walks of life. With support from The Band CAMINO, the evening was a fun-filled night of energy, nostalgia and everything else that makes live music so great. Fans were seen at the venue wearing diff

The larger-than-life star brings her memorable debut tour to The Masquerade Hemlocke Springs performing at The Masquerade (Hell) in ATL (Photo by Fisher Latham) Hemlocke Springs put on an impressive show at the sold-out room at The Masquerade's Hell on her first solo tour. Her larger-than-life personality was captured early on in the show when she opened for herself as The Girl! During this set, she told a modern love story, filling the room with laughter, gasps, and cheers.

The singer/songwriter serenades an Atlanta audience with his acclaimed Little Wide Open Kevin Morby performing at Variety Playhouse (Photo by Malachi Weaver) Atlanta's Variety Playhouse was adorned with sunflowers as Kevin Morby stopped through Georgia while touring for his recently-released album, Little Wide Open. Opener Liam Kazar started the show off by moving the crowd with his unique sound and then proceeded to play guitar for Kevin Morby throughout the night. Kevin M

The young rockstar gives his dedicated fanbase a sold-out show to remember for the ages Yungblud performing a sold-out ATL show (Photo by Javier Bastidas) This past weekend, Yungblud took over Synovus Bank Amphitheater on a warm summer night in Atlanta as part of his world tour celebrating the release of the second part of his Idols album, released on February 20th, 2026. Upon arriving, one could not help but notice the age range of fans packed into the seats of the venue. Yu

The group elevates their arena-level energy at their intimate Atlanta show Kelsy Karter and The Heroines performing live in ATL (Photo by Joe Chiarella) Kelsy Karter and The Heroines brought the Pleasure Tour to Atlanta on Tuesday, June 9, packing an arena-sized performance into Vinyl's intimate space. Her previous two headlining visits to the city faced significant challenges. In 2022, she was hospitalized the day of the show for severe physical exhaustion, yet refused to ca

The experimental rock group begins their latest tour at one of ATL's favorite venues Racing Mount Pleasant performing at Terminal West in ATL (Photo by Magali Rivera) Racing Mount Pleasant brought the first stop of their 2026 tour to Terminal West in Atlanta on May 27. The band, formerly known as Kingfisher, formed in 2019 having met each other at the University of Michigan. They released their debut record, Grip Your Fist, I'm Heaven Bound, in late 2022 and later changed the

Fans take priority at the singer's latest show in Atlanta Em Beihold performing at Terminal West in ATL (Photo by Noah De Los Rios) Em Beihold's Atlanta stop showcased the qualities that have made her one of pop's most relatable rising artists. Performing fan favorites such as "Numb Little Bug" and "Until I Found You," alongside newer material, Beihold delivered a set that balanced catchy melodies with emotional depth. Without relying on flashy effects, she shared the spotlig

The comedic singer/songwriter continues to take his performances to the next level in Alpharetta "Weird Al" Yankovic performing at Ameris Bank Amphitheatre in Alpharetta (Photo by Mikey Smith) It’s been over a decade since I first saw “Weird Al” Yankovic in concert. Sitting down in Jacksonville’s Florida Theatre for the opening leg of The Mandatory World Tour, I was stunned by Yankovic’s high-energy, constantly-entertaining, absurdist masterpiece of a live show. It was unlike

The Grammy-winning group takes ATL on a musical expedition at The Eastern Punch Brothers performing live at The Eastern (Photo by Joe Chiarella) "We're so glad you're here because it's a special night! It's the last stop on our US expedition. It could also be our last show ever," Chris Thile tells the crowd, addressing the packed house at The Eastern on Saturday night. He explains that after tonight's show, Punch Brothers is taking their music to Hydropolis, a fictional city

The free festival celebrates its 49th year in between the raindrops at Piedmont Park Black Thought of The Roots (left), Esperanza Spalding (center), and Kamasi Washington (right) at the 49th Atlanta Jazz Festival (Photo by Mikey Smith) As we inch closer towards the second half of the year, Atlanta begins its extremely active festival season. Piedmont Park has recently become the home for our rock-oriented fest Shaky Knees, the rap, R&B, and soul-based OneMusicFest, and the no

The California artist invites fans at Terminal West into a reflective experience zzzahara's perfomance at Terminal West in ATL (Photo by Javier Bastidas) This past Monday night, I had the privilege of attending zzzahara’s show at Terminal West in Atlanta. All the way from Highland Park, California, zzzahara made a stop in our city and brought along a taste of their upcoming album Distant Lands, releasing June 5th. When I entered the venue, I wasn’t sure what to expect, as I h

The influential indie artist captivated ATL fans from start to finish Mac DeMarco performing at The Eastern in ATL (Photo by Mikey Smith) Fans from all over Atlanta packed into The Eastern last week for a sold-out show with one of music’s most beloved voices and creatives: Mac DeMarco. What they got was a stripped down but wildly entertaining set complete with his signature instrumentals, charmingly strange personality, and a dash of energy in just the right places. Mac DeMar

The experimental hip-hop duo continues to innovate in this new era By Storm performing at The Masquerade (Purgatory) in ATL (Photo by Fisher Latham) The By Storm show at the Masquerade was more than a concert. It was a visceral, intense milestone in Atlanta’s art scene. This tour marked the debut of By Storm (formerly known as Injury Reserve), and the weight of this transition was felt in every inch of the room. By focusing on high-contrast visuals, I wanted these images refl

The one-of-a-kind artists bring their surreal worlds to ATL for a jaw-dropping night of music Gelli Haha performing at The Masquerade (Altar) in ATL (Photo by Joe Chiarella) Navigating the Masquerade on a night when all four venues have shows is a fascinating experience. As I watched people file down the stairs into Kenny's Alley and pass through the metal detector, it was easy to guess where each person was heading. The metalheads with their black t-shirts were there to see