Vampire Weekend Kick Off Tour in Vancouver

After a three-week hiatus, the quartet return with true vigor and without a trace of rust.
Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend / Photo by Rebecca Blissett

Halfway through Vampire Weekend's Friday night set at Vancouver's Malkin Bowl, singer-guitarist Ezra Koenig made a surprising confession: The group had a mild case of the jitters.

Radiohead's Philip Selway Launches Tour in Tokyo

The drummer turns frontman for an intimate night of graceful, musically-complex tunes.
Philip Selway / Photo by Wataru Umeda

"Good evening," said Philip Selway. "And welcome to our quiet night in."

Hitmaker Bruno Mars Wows the Ladies in NY Debut

He's behind some of the year's hottest singles—and now he's stepping out as a bandleader.
Bruno Mars / Photo by Kyle Dean Reinford

Scissor Sisters Kick Off Fairy Tale Tour

The theatrical New York group treats fans to a lively set of new songs and greatest hits.

Saturday night, the Scissor Sisters kicked off their world tour in front of a sold out Atlanta, GA, crowd. Their third album, Night Work, has been called "gayer" than their previous two albums. And though the show catered to a homosexual crowd, everyone, gay or straight, had an amazing time.

Ke$ha Throws a Party at Solo NYC Show

The provocative pop princess gets rowdy while performing her hits for a packed house of fans.
Ke$ha / Photo by Kelsey Paine

Love her or hate her, Ke$ha knows how to throw a party.

Brandon Flowers Plays First Solo Show

The Killers frontman unveils tracks off Flamingo at an intimate hometown gig in Las Vegas.
Brandon Flowers / Photo By: Torey Mundkowsky

He often sang with a hand over his heart, in a "Pledge of Allegiance" pose, looking as earnest and hopeful as a man asking for his sweetheart's hand in marriage.

Brandon Flowers is not one to camouflage his emotions—when the Killers frontman hits the stage, he holds little back, smiling wide, pistoning himself up and down, gesticulating as he sings.

Queens of the Stone Age Return at L.A. Benefit

Mark Lanegan, Last Shadow Puppets, more raise funds for cancer-stricken Eagles of Death Metal bassist.
QOTSA's Josh Homme / Photo by Chapman Baehler

Metal heads, stoners, and hard rock aficionados turned out in droves for the intimate show at Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday night, a benefit for cancer-stricken Eagles of Death Metal bassist Brian O'Connor, which boasted the first Queens of the Stone Age gig in the U.S. since 2008.

Fun Lovin' Free Energy Rock SPIN's NYC Office

Rain can't temper the summertime vibes at the latest installment of the SPINhouse Live series.
Free Energy / Photo by Ben Rowland

The most striking thing about Free Energy -- besides their pitch-perfect power pop -- is that they do it all without a hint of irony. It might be tempting to rough up all those Day-Glo riffs, harmonized guitar solos and sing-along choruses with a wink and a nod -- just to let the hipsters know that there's a Pavement record under all those hooks.

MGMT Get an Assist from the Kids at Chicago Benefit

Children's choir lends a hand at Lollapalooza afterparty that raised funds for the People's Music School.
MGMT's Andrew VanWyngarden / Photo by Laura Gray

MGMT's biggest hit took on an added dimension on Friday at Chicago's House of Blues. Before the psych-pop quintet's piquant headlining set at the Dare 2 Dream benefit concert -- co-sponsored by SPIN -- eight children from the night's beneficiary, the People's Music School, came onstage for a quick acoustic appearance.

Arcade Fire Make Themselves at Home in the Garden

At massive NYC headline show, it turns out they've been arena rockers all along.
Arcade Fire's Win Butler / Photo by Kyle Dean Reinford

For a moment there, it looked like Win Butler was just reciting from the Cheesy Arena Stage Banter Handbook (foreword by Paul Stanley). "This is my favorite part of the Garden, right here," he said, grinning devilishly as he towered over and genuflected towards the fans clamoring at his feet. Why's that, Win?

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