| 07/24/2008 12:00 AM
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Various Artists / July 13-19, 2008 / Montego Bay, Jamaica (Reggae Sumfest)
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A multi-platinum-selling rapper's appearance generated the most hype and Jamaican DJs' girls and gun exploits, as echoed throughout several performances on Dancehall Night, pulled the largest crowd. But it was a 53-year-old bespectacled crooner that stole the spotlight at Jamaica's 16th annual Reggae Sumfest, the island's largest music event.
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| 07/24/2008 12:00 AM
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Martha Wainwright / July 23, 2008 / New York (Highline Ballroom)
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Martha Wainwright's voice and an unexpected Wainwright family singalong drove this NYC performance.
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| 07/23/2008 12:00 AM
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Ween / July 17, 2008 / Denver (Fillmore Auditorium)
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Rather than a set list thick on songs from their classic middle period, Ween concentrated on songs that were either very old or relatively new.
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| 07/23/2008 12:00 AM
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Yaz / July 17, 2008 / New York (Terminal 5)
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The oomph behind Yaz's music was always Alison Moyet's voice. Her bluesy alto and torch-singer flair is what distinguished the band from the pack back in the day. It's also the reason why the room was filled at this show.
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| 07/22/2008 12:00 AM
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Spiritualized / July 21, 2008 / Indianapolis (The Vogue)
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The music world needs a Spiritualized. Jason "J. Spaceman" Pierce's nearly 20-year old group is simply the best band in the world at doing what it does, which in this case is an often dreamy, sometimes dissonant sort of gospel punk rock.
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| 07/18/2008 12:00 AM
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Nas / July 15, 2008 / New York (Blender Theatre)
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After rocking the music world with his new album's original title, "N*gger," Nas celebrated the disc's release with a sweaty performance punctuated by live skits.
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| 07/17/2008 12:00 AM
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The Blue Nile / July 13, 2008 / London (Somerset House)
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The stately surrounds of a Neoclassical palace courtyard on a warm summer's evening might be totally at odds with the Blue Nile's typically desolate -- and often rainy -- inner city soundscapes, but the fabulous location only added to the melodrama and romance inherent in the act's music.
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| 07/14/2008 12:00 AM
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Bon Jovi / July 12, 2008 / New York (Central Park)
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Bon Jovi madness��took over New York's Central Park on July 12. Tens of thousands of people converged upon the park's Great��Lawn for the Jersey boys�� big show, held in coordination with the Major League All-Star Game.
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| 07/11/2008 12:00 AM
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The Feelies / July 2, 2008 / Hoboken, N.J. (Maxwell's)
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For Haledon, N.J., new wave heroes the Feelies, the rock club Maxwell's in Hoboken is as vital to their fabric as the Stone Pony is their sonic brother on the South Shore, Bruce Springsteen.
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| 07/07/2008 12:00 AM
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Sonic Youth and Feelies / July 4, 2008 / New York (Battery Park)
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Sonic Youth may have been the headliner, but it was the newly reformed Feelies that brought the day��s biggest fireworks. And Sonic Youth's group��s distinctive, distortion-heavy sound proved to be the perfect compliment to the Feelies lighter brand of alt-rock.
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