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San Francisco Chronicle
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
He helped create Live Aid 40 years ago. Now he's coming to San Francisco
Midge Ure, the veteran British musician and co-architect of the historic Live Aid concerts, is coming to San Francisco as part of his 'Band in a Box' tour. This stripped-down yet sonically rich performance showcases his decades-long influence on electronic and pop music. The tour kicks off at the Cruel World Festival in Pasadena on May 17, before heading to the Chapel on May 18. Ure promises an intimate yet technologically dynamic show, joined by longtime collaborator Charlie Round Turner. The performance will blend guitars, synthesizers, loops and samples, merging past and present in a way only Ure can. 'I've been on Top of the Pops more times in different guises than anyone,' Ure said, reflecting on his colorful career. He's been a member of the 1970s boy band Slik, the punk act Rich Kids, as well as Visage, and even briefly played with Thin Lizzy. He also auditioned for the Sex Pistols before finding his true musical home with Ultravox. 'As they say, you have to kiss many frogs before you find your prince or princess,' said Ure, 71. 'Most people don't just jump into the first band and become successful. As I was growing up, the bands I was part of were either famous or infamous. I was searching for my musical home, and I found it the day I joined Ultravox.' True to his restless spirit, Ure walked away from Ultravox at the peak of its success. 'If we weren't human, things would go on forever,' he said. 'But we all grow at different rates and pull in different directions. When a band reaches that point, you either walk away and start anew, or you stick with it and pretend you're having a great time.' In addition to his musical legacy, Ure is revisiting his pivotal role in Live Aid. Co-organized with Bob Geldof in 1985, the twin concerts in London and Philadelphia raised millions for Ethiopian famine relief and helped launch the legendary Band Aid single, 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' — sung by an all-star group featuring Bono, George Michael, Duran Duran and numerous others. The initiative inspired the stage musical 'Just for One Day', which will soon head to London's West End. 'Naivety is a wonderful thing,' Ure said, reflecting on the groundbreaking event that marks its 40th anniversary this year. 'It emboldens you. 'Nothing's impossible when you're in your 20s. It enables you to think beyond the realms of possibility. I think if we tried to do it today, it would fall flat on its face.' Despite his rich past, Ure remains focused on the present and future. He's been working on a new album for nearly a decade, but takes his time with it. 'It takes as long as it takes,' he said. 'I don't want to go back 40 years and just rehash what the young Midge did.' 'You follow your path,' he said. 'Sometimes it takes you into something you'd never imagined.'
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
MeowMeowz Brings Rockin' Retail to Pasadena
For the past 15 years, Pasadena has been home to one of the coolest alternative spaces in town– a retail and live music hub called MeowMeowz that harkens back to the indie spirit of Melrose Avenue in its heyday. Owned by punk /goth music lover Veronika Sorrow, the colorful shop was inspired by stores of the past that outfitted L.A.'s rocker set long before the internet made edgy fashion easily accessible with just a click. From band t-shirts to jewelry, sunglasses to patches and buttons, Sorrow, who's originally from Alhambra and went to Pasadena City College, has accumulated a vintage oasis that in many ways is a dying breed. 'It's a homage to Retail Slut,' says Sorrow, referencing the famed punk shop where L.A. got its spiked belts and crazy color hair dye in the 80's and 90's. 'We're new and vintage clothing focusing on retro 80s fashion… I'm trying to recreate that experience of shopping in the past.'Not a square inch in the store is wasted in that pursuit. Posters –many from Sorrow's childhood– swathe the walls and ceiling, stickers cover counters and racks are packed with curated clothing and an ample stock of t-shirts designed by Sorrow, many of which mesh old with new. A recent design featured a cat meme juxtaposed with the logo of UK legends Siouxsie and The Banshees. Sorrow is in a Siouxsie tribute band herself. And speaking of cats, they are everywhere– a winking green cat head is the store mascot and logo. They've been hosting band performances in the store since it opened, and it's become a true 'scene' especially for young music fans and acts who can't go to clubs. While punk rock makes sense aesthetically, Sorrow says the store environment necessitates less aggressive genres like emo, indie and alt-rock. 'As much as we love heavier music, we don't have the space, and the kids want to come and mosh,' she says of her weekly Friday and Saturday night shows, which are alcohol-free and cost $8, with bands getting paid for their draws. 'We do rock n' roll but not anything harcore.'They also host other types of events like book signings. With the 80's resurgence alive and well in Pasadena via the Cruel World Festival at the Rose Bowl and over at The Mixx nightclub, Meowz is another Pasadena destination for those who love alternative culture. They've even hosted new wave icon book signings recently including Dale Bozzio, lead singer of Missing Persons signing her biography, Life is So Strange, and Lol Tolhurst of The Cure signing his tome about gothic culture. Those who know about MeowMeowz come back again and again, but Sorrow says her store is still sort of a best kept secret, too, which she'd like to change. 'Every day someone comes in and asks me how long I've been here and says they never heard of it or they've been driving by for years and just noticed us,' she says, somewhat flabbergasted. 'Every day!' But she adds that those same people also tell her they are glad she's still around and keeping the original flashback culture alive, too, via both the merchandise she carries and the live music she books. 'Most people who come in and say that end up being customers for life.' MeowMeowz, 2423 E Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. Saturday, March 22, local singer/songwriter Solvei Schou and Modern Time Machines perform live starting at 8 p.m. More info here. This story originally appeared in sister publication, .
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
DEVO's farewell tour has an uncontrollable urge to come to Minnesota
DEVO began a farewell tour in 2023, but they're not done with the long goodbye quite yet. "DEVO: 50 Years of De-Evolution... Continued!" will carry on, the band announced this week, starting with a show on May 1 in Philadelphia. The group founded by Gerald Casale, Bob Lewis, and Mark Mothersbaugh will head out for 16 dates, including a night at the Palace Theatre in St. Paul on June 18 The iconic and innovative group will celebrate its lengthy career, which started with a record that belongs in the conversation of the greatest debuts in rock music, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! Prior to the start of the tour, DEVO will play the "SNL: The Homecoming Concert" event at Radio City Music Hall in New York with an eclectic lineup that includes Lady Gaga, David Byrne, Eddie Vedder, Jack White, Bad Bunny, and others. While most of the tour will have a Live Nation presale on Wednesday, Feb. 5, the Palace Theatre show will have a First Avenue presale on Thursday, Feb. 6, with tickets on sale to the general public on Friday, Feb. 7. Here's the full list of tour dates for the next leg of DEVO's farewell tour. 05/01: Philadelphia, PA - The Met Philadelphia 05/03: Washington, DC - The Anthem 05/06: Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Paramount 05/09: Boston, MA - MGM Music Hall at Fenway 05/11: Cleveland, OH - TempleLive Cleveland Masonic 05/15: Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Block Party 05/17: Pasadena, CA - Cruel World Festival 2025 06/18: Saint Paul, MN - Palace Theatre 06/20: Columbus, OH - KEMBA Live 06/22: St. Louis, MO - The Factory 06/24: Cincinnati, OH - The Andrew J Brady Music Center 06/28: Detroit, MI - The Fillmore Detroit 06/30: Toronto, ON - History 07/19-20: Oakland, CA - Mosswood Meltdown 2025 07/21: Denver, CO - The Mission Ballroom 08/29: Chicago, IL - Soldier Field w/ My Chemical Romance
