Reviews: Willie Nelson, Joey Bada$$, Morrissey & More

This week, for your reading enjoyment, we have compiled critical reviews of live performances by Willie Nelson in Sugar Land, Texas; Joey Bada$$ in Copenhagen, Denmark; Morrissey in Tempe, Ariz.; Grizzly Bear in Miami Beach, Fla.; St. Paul & The Broken Bones in Lexington, Ky.; St. Vincent in Detroit; Ministry / Death Grips in Phoenix.

Willie Nelson
John Davisson – Willie Nelson
SXSW, Austin, TX

Willie Nelson @ Smart Financial Centre At Sugar Land in Sugar Land, Texas, Nov. 14 – “He spent just over an hour onstage, tossing bandanas into the crowd in between every few songs and smiling broadly. In between dedications to deceased pals Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard, Nelson sang lightheartedly about rumors of his own demise on ‘Still Not Dead.’” – MatthewKeever / Houston Press

Joey Bada$$ @ Store Vega in Copenhagen, Denmark, Nov. 14 – “This could have been the loudest concert of the year. At times though, the beats seemed to drown out Joey’s vocals and he did acknowledge these technical difficulties. … This master of ceremony had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand, going shirtless midway through the show for maximum effect.” – Eric Maganga / CPH Post

Morrissey @ The Marquee in Tempe, Ariz., Nov. 16 – “I’m not one of those concertgoers who looks forward to seeing Springsteen play for four hours. But Morrissey’s show was so captivating that it could have gone on for another hour or two, and I would have been happy. That’s how good Morrissey was tonight.” – Ashley Naftule / Phoenix New Times

Grizzly Bear @ Fillmore Miami Beach At Jackie Gleason Theatre in Miami Beach, Fla., Nov. 16 – “That’s the thing about this show: The lows were low, but the highs were soaring. … All things considered, last night’s Grizzly Bear show improved upon the 2013 appearance thanks to strong openers and the continued resonance of the back catalogue.” – Douglas Markowitz / Miami New Times 

St. Vincent
John Davisson – St. Vincent
Sasquatch! Music Festival, Gorge Amphitheatre, Quincy, Wash.

St. Vincent @  The Fillmore Detroit in Detroit, Mich., Nov. 14 – “Each song was accompanied with it’s own neon-colored, dark-themed imagery, all of which starred a visually stunning Clark. That made us wonder: Is Clark mocking the self-obsessed absurdity of this generation or participating in it? Or both? Either way, it was nothing short of genius — not to mention, wildly entertaining.” – Sara Barron / Detroit Metro Times

St. Paul And The Broken Bones @ Lexington Opera House in Lexington, Ky., Nov. 15 – “Even with the Broken Bones’ history in Lexington, it is understandable to be wary of an all-white soul band from the South. But Janeway and company were no imitators of an often co-opted musical tradition.” – Walter Tunis / Lexington Herald-Leader

Ministry / Death Grips @ The Van Buren in Phoenix, Ariz., Nov. 7 – “[Ministry frontman Al] Jourgensen’s vocals were faint. His voice sounded small and frail, smothered by all the guitar shredding and drumming. … I’ve never been to a show where the frontman gets so completely steamrolled in the mix by his own band.”

“When [Death Grips frontman] Ride was performing, he was twisting and contorting himself like the music was some sort of demon possessing him.” – Ashley Naftule / Phoenix New Times

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