Elianne Halbersberg continues her behind-the-scenes look at the new musical gear showcased at this summer’s NAMM show in Nashville, Tenn.

Slower! Slower! Jen Cray is bowled over by the brutal trudge of an evening with Down , Weedeater and the mighty Melvins.

Jen Cray is delighted to report that Green Day has morphed into an unstoppable rock ‘n’ roll band, capable of holding entire arenas of fans in the palm of its collective sweaty hand. Whether you believe it or not is up to you.

Downsizing to fit a twisted economy, the Van’s Warped Tour still brought in massive crowds for their 15th annual summertime circus. Jen Cray slathered on sunblock for the St. Petersburg, Florida show.

Tori Amos has been setting fire to fans’ hearts and minds for 17 years, Jen Cray among them. Her recent Orlando show was, as usual, a rousing success.

The Avett Brothers don’t just appeal to hippies anymore. Their recent Orlando show showcased a genre-defying band with talent beyond their numbers. Jen Cray is a newly born fan.

The Rise Against/Rancid tour has been a hot ticket all summer, but only in Orlando was it scorching enough to not only require that a second date get added, but to result in a double night sell-out. Jen Cray squeezed into the pit for the opening evening.

Norman, OK natives Starlight Mints hit Orlando as part of their brief Southeast tour, and Bryan Tilford was there to goggle at the lights.

Jenny Lewis drenches Orlando with her sweet and soulful country tinged folk music. Jen Cray is amongst the adoring, sold-out crowd.

Animal Collective put the hip-pie in hip-ster, so why was the Orlando audience so ornery? S D Green ponders the lack of love at the concluding date of the band’s recent tour with Black Dice.

One of America’s best live bands, Wilco , try not to overextend themselves as they work out the kinks on the first date of their current U.S. tour. Sean Slone caught the beginning of the long, hot trek in Cincinnati.

Even with only two original members remaining, New York Dolls still dazzle, as Jen Cray discovered at a recent Orlando show.

The Sounds take a night off from their opening stint on No Doubt’s big tour to seduce an excited Orlando audience, Jen Cray among them.

Big Business delivered a ::beep:: of a rock show in Jacksonville, according to Scott Adams , even if the majority of the audience was too busy texting one another to have realized it.

Alkaline Trio can always be counted on to bring the same consistent formula of pop punk goodness to every show. Jen Cray , alongside a packed House of Blues audience in Orlando, contemplated whether or not their consistency is predictable, or comforting.

Gavin Rossdale may be a musical shapeshifter (Bush, Institute, solo), but he never fails to entertain a crowd. At his recent Orlando show, Jen Cray was bowled over by Mr. Gwen Stefani, and swept away completely by opening band Nico Vega.

Danish psychobilly trio Horrorpops bring the party, in exchange for free booze, to Orlando. Jen Cray was deep within the glorious madness.

In an era of $100 tickets for has-been arena shows, twenty bucks doesn’t buy much entertainment. Or does it? Steve Stav found that his thin wallet went a long way at Seattle’s Showbox, in a night capped by Glasgow sensation Camera Obscura.

Kings of Leon are well on their way to dominating the rock world here in their own country. Jen Cray caught their subtle, but satisfying, show in Orlando recently.

Jen Cray flings off a bit of friendly vomit at The Social – who cares? Enduring horrible bodily fluids is but a small price to pay when The Gaslight Anthem’s in town.