Your monthly dump (of area concerts for July 2023)

Plus, Audra Macdonald, telling stories, singing songs at the Warnors Theater.

Jul 02, 2023

Happy July, the month of America’s birth.

Here’s hoping for the shortest possible run of neighborhood firework shows and triple digit heat waves. In the meantime, there are these Fresno-area concert happenings, which I’ve collected into a semi curated, and somewhat, but not entirely comprehensive list (grouped by week for sake of ease).

Week 1 (July 1-8)

Goapele, 9 p.m. Friday, July 7, Fulton 55. $50.
559 Heat, all local Bass and House Djs, 9 p.m. Friday, July 7, Strummer’s. $10.
Edicion Especial, 8 p.m. Friday, July 7, Saroyan Theatre. $49-$129.
Bone Crown, album release show, 5:30 p.m. Friday, July 7, Full Circle Brewery. $12-$15, all ages.
Aaron Skiles band, with The Great Dying, 8 p.m. Friday, July 7, The Fulton. No price listed.
A-Trak, 9 p.m., Saturday, July 8, Fulton 55. $20-$40.
Jeanette Harris's inaugural “Saxy Summer Night,” 8 p.m. Saturday, July 8, Tower Theater. $35-$65.
Boha, 8:30 p.m. Saturday, July 8, Barrelhouse Fresno. Free.

Week 2 (July 9-15)

Enterprise Earth and Fallujah, 5:30 p.m. Monday, July 10, Full Circle Brewery. $20-$25, all ages.
Drac and the Swamp Rats, 6 p.m. Thursday, July 13, The Fulton. $10, all ages.
Alastair Greene, 8 p.m. Thursday, July 13, Fulton 55. $30-$35.
Augie, On My Own release party, 7 p.m. Thursday, July 13. Strummer’s Grill. Free.
Mr. Crowley, Ozzy tribute, 7 p.m. Friday, July 14, Fulton 55. $20.
Always Adele, 8 p.m. Friday, July 14, Tower Theatre. $18-$30.
Tower Rats, single release show, with The Sunnydales, Blazed, Go In Grace, and Mindless Society, 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 14, Strummer’s. $10, all ages.
Pepe Marquez, with Ray Carrion and Thee Latin Allstars, 7 p.m. Saturday, July 15, Fulton 55. $30.

Week 3 (July 16-22)

Fresno’s Buffalo Club is hosting a benefit concert for Angel Babies, which is run through Hinds Hospice and offers support to families who has experienced a terminal diagnosis and/or the death of a baby.

The concert happens 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 20 at Fulton 55 and pulls a lineup that includes singer Kenny Cruz, electronic jazz fusion musician Max Hemb, Tony Montanez’ psych soul band Fats LaBell and blues rockers Style Like Revelators.

Tickets are $15-$20 with all proceeds directly benefiting Angel Babies.

Great Northern, playing Tacos, Brews and Jams, 5 p.m. Thursday, July 20, Tioga Sequoia. Free, all ages.
Definitely Dead, a Greatful Dead tribute, 8 p..m. Friday, July 21, Tower Theatre. $20-$25.
Brit Floyd, Pink Floyd tribute, 6:30 p.m. Friday July 21, Warnors Theater. $31-$95.
Back to Black, Amy Winehouse tribute, with Belmont Sound System, 8 p.m. Saturday July 22, Fulton 55. $15-$20.
Pepe Aguilar, 8 p.m. Saturday, July 22, Save Mart Center. $39-50-$250.
Rayford Bros., 8 p.m. Saturday, July 22, Goldstein’s. Free.

Extended week 4 (July 23-31)

Here’s a throwback, nostalgia show for the ’80s-’90s kids.

English reggae pop band UB40 stops in Fresno on its 2023 American tour. The band’s biggest hits were covers (“Red, Red Wine,” “(I Can't Help) Falling in Love With You,” “I Got You Babe”) but don’t hold that against them.

The show happens 8 p.m. Sunday, July 23 at the Saroyan Theater. Tickets are $24-$98 +.

Sweet Revenge, My Chemical Romance tribute, 7 p.m. Sunday July 23, Fulton 55. $17-$20.
Aquabats, The Aggrolites, Left Alone, 7 p.m. Monday, July 24, Strummer’s. $31, all ages.

Galactic Empire is a band of the times; a cosplay-heavy take on novelty metal. Think, a nerdier, more technical metal version of something like a Mac Sabbath, where the parody is replaced by fan service.

The band reinterprets selections from John Williams’ as classical guitar metal, which doesn’t seem that odd, really. That they do it in character in full costuming makes it a must-see for those in the fandom.

One wonders if its officially licensed.

Dark Vader, Boba Sett and crew play 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 26 at Full Circle Brewing Company. Tickets are $25.

Josh Meloy, 8 p.m., Thursday. July 27, Fulton 55. $15-$48.
Red Hot Tribute, Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute, 8 p.m. Friday, July 28, Strumme’s. $10-$12, all ages.
Sanguisugabogg, 6 p.m. Saturday, July 28, Full Circle Brewery. $20-$28, all ages.
X-Raided, a Prayer in Hell tour, 8 p.m. Saturday, July 29, Fulton 55. $23-$40.
Shaggy 2 Dope, DJ Clay, 8 p.m. Saturday, July 29, Strummer’s. $33, all ages.

Mom Jeans was slated to play at Strummer’s.

And then the show sold-out.

The promoters decided to move the show to Tioga Sequoia and reopen tickets sales in order to accommodate the interest. The show is 7 p.m. Sunday July 30. Tickets are $29.50 and on sale now.

For those unfamiliar, Mom Jeans is a Berkeley-based pop-punk emo band (depending on where you are in its catalog of music) with strong ties to the Fresno scene.

This is one of several shows Numbskull production has booked at Tioga Sequoia. See also: Flogging Molly and the Bronx (Sept. 3); Amyl and the Sniffers (Oct. 13) and Iration (Oct. 15).

Los Yesterdays, 6 p.m. Sunday, July 30, Fulton 55. $25-$28.
Gel., Truth Cult, 8 p.m. Monday, July 31, Strummer’s $20, all ages.

Share Bandgeeeek!

Review: Audra McDonald, Warnors Theater, 6/25/23

Last Sunday, Good Company Players brought in Audra McDonald for an intimate concert performance celebrating the theatre’s company’s 50th anniversary (intimate, in this case being 2,000 people packed inside the Warnors Theater).

It was a rare hometown show for the Broadway star (the first in five years) and only happened because of McDonald’s connection with Good Company and its managing director Dan Pessano. This wasn’t the theater company shelling out big bucks to hire a random celebrity.

This was the group welcoming back, and showing off, one of its own.

McDonald was a commanding presence from the start, working through a dozen plus songs (the stuff fans will know and have seen her do before) while sharing stories and memories. Some of it she’s shared on stage and in interviews before (like how she won a jazz competition singing “Cornet Man” at age 13. The judges only critic: she couldn’t have any idea what the song was about.”)

But only those who have truly followed her career (or deep dive as prep for a review) would notice and even then likely not care.

The Warnors Theater was the ideal spot for a concert of this ilk and hosting a sold-out crowd is certainly a good look for the venue (and something one hopes will happen more often). That said, it took longer than it should to get people into the theater and the massive line (it snaked down and around the block) and a delayed start time did not sit well with some in the crowd.

You can read my full review with complete setlist and other thoughts over at The Fresno Bee. Another, from Doug Hoagland, is posted at the Munro Review.