After a full week of the extreme chaos that descends on Austin, Tx., every March, locals and visitors alike welcomed a feel-good trip down rock’n’roll memory lane yesterday (March 16) as part of a special afternoon SPIN concert with Sunny Day Real Estate, the Get Up Kids and Die Spitz at Stubb’s BBQ.

For Sunny Day Real Estate, the show was their third on a just-launched North American tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of their post-hardcore classic Diary, which went on to inadvertently achieve legendary status amid the nascent genre known as “emo.” That wave had already crested and risen again when the Get Up Kids released their beloved 1999 sophomore LP, Something To Write Home About, which helped establish Vagrant Records as the haven for emo up-and-comers such as Dashboard Confessional and Saves the Day.

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These disparate milestones came together on a day when Get Up Kids frontman Matt Pryor was celebrating his 46th birthday, making it all the more celebratory for the band to be performing Something To Write Home About in its entirety for just the second time ever. The presence on the bill of young Austin rock quarter Die Spitz reinforced the multi-generational vibes, as grizzled punks could be seen banging heads and pumping their fists right alongside headphone-wearing toddlers hoisted high on their parents’ shoulders.

Despite several members battling the types of illnesses one can barely hope to avoid after playing eight local shows in five days, Die Spitz still brought the thunder with a sound steeped in delightfully grungy sludge. Acknowledging the honor of playing with “two kings of emo,” primary vocalist Ava Schrobilgen seemed particularly worse for the wear health-wise, but that didn’t stop her from climbing an on-stage speaker rig to sing the set-closing “Evangeline” from Die Spitz’s 2023 debut, Teeth. The group also played some as-yet-unreleased new material, which should serve them well on an upcoming spring tour with Teen Mortgage. Be there before all your cool friends talk your ear off about Die Spitz six months from now.

From the opening drum fusillade and fretboard slides of “Holiday,” the Get Up Kids provided instant emo euphoria during a complete run-through of Something To Write Home About. “It has been a while since we played some of these songs,” Prior admitted, but that certainly didn’t deter the audience from singing along with every word. The Kansas City-reared combo threw in a winking nod to Austin with a snippet of “Deep in the Heart of Texas” before “I’m a Loner Dottie, A Rebel” and, after a loud squeal of amplifier feedback, deemed said sound to be “the best wave of emo.”

Albums such as Write Home marked an important shift in emo from the more brooding fare of the genre’s forerunners to a style informed by bright melodies and urgent tempos — a combination that felt just right yesterday as the sun occasionally peered through dense gray clouds. Whether Get Up Kids will continue to revisit this landmark project on stage remains to be seen, but as part of this Austin one-off, the experience undoubtedly put big smiles on a whole lot of faces.

“It’s amazing to think this all started 30 years ago in Seattle and now we’re here,” Sunny Day Real Estate frontman Jeremy Enigk told the crowd early in the band’s headlining set, which comprised a complete performance of the genre-defining Diary. SDRE’s trials and tribulations have been well documented, but the band has stabilized since returning to the road in 2022 after a 12-year break and was visibly moved by the response. “It’s so awesome to look out at all your smiling faces out there,” Enigk said. “Thank you for sharing your joy with us.”

Three decades on, anthems such as “Seven,” “In Circles” and “Song About an Angel” still induce the chills, their power only magnified with the passage of time. Original members Enigk, guitarist Dan Hoerner and drummer William Goldsmith, augmented by multi-instrumentalist Greg Suran and bassist Chris Jordan, imbued the often inscrutable material with new levels of emotional resonance and depth of feeling — qualities which made Diary so unique in the first place.

What’s more, fans were treated to live performances of several Diary tracks rarely played in the ’90s or subsequent reunion tours. Everyone but Enigk and Jordan left the stage for “Pheurton Skeurto,” a beguiling piano number with an almost nursery rhyme cadence, while the earworm guitar riff on the hard-charging “Round” belied its near-total absence from the band’s setlists for 30 years. In another neat twist, the set opened with Hoerner and Suran alone and strumming the chiming opening portion of the song “8.” Written during the Diary era but not released until 1995’s LP2 (after which SDRE broke up for the first of several times), it was a reminder of how music can often be a great unifier, whether rooted in its original circumstance or recast in a totally different context.

That’s why the seven-minute show closer “Novum Vetus” hit extra hard. Only SDRE’s second new song since the early 2000s, it’s based around a previously unfinished piece of music from a brief period in 1997 when original bassist Nate Mendel was considering rejoining the band. “Every open door is a world turned on its side / all these things we’ve said before linger on,” Enigk sang, his words straddling the chasm between uncertainty and hope at a time when such a distinction is more meaningful than ever.

The Diary tour resumes May 1 in Raleigh, N.C., and two days later, the group will release a new song-by-song version of the album recorded live last year at Seattle’s London Bridge studio.

To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.

Hometown six-string hero Gary Clark Jr. delighted local fans last night (3/13) at Emo’s in Austin, Tx., by performing his upcoming album JPEG RAW in its entirety at a special hometown concert that SPIN produced and sponsored by Stand Together Music, 1 Million Strong, KiTbetter and Click. Several of the tracks were played for the first time from the project, which is out on March 22 from Warner Records.

Backed by an eight-piece band featuring his three sisters as three backing vocalists, Clark clearly appreciated being back on stage in familiar territory. Acknowledging the unusual set list, he said it meant a lot to him for the crowd to be patient through so much new material they’d never heard before. He also saluted the musicians who helped bring JPEG RAW to life in the studio and at the show, proudly calling them “my family, y’all.”

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JPEG RAW is a search for new sounds and ideas, incorporating influences and textures from West Africa to the Mississippi Delta, classic ‘70s soul to the forward-leaning beats Clark has been creating since 1999. Last night, highlights included the upbeat, groovy “Alone Together,” the deep, heavy jams of “Hearts in Retrograde,” the synth-dappled slow-burn “Hyperwave” and the epic closer “Habits,” a nine-minute-plus dose of emotional guitar theatrics.

Clark and company also dusted off a few oldies, such as “The Healing” from 2015’s The Story of Sonny Boy Slim and the Marvin Gaye-inspired “Feed the Babies” from his most recent album, 2019’s This Land. The artist will return to the road on May 8 in Fort Worth, Tx., in support of JPEG RAW.

And while many early fans saw Clark mainly as a next-generation champion of traditional blues, his impulse is undoubtedly to push his music further. “I’m a musician, and I’m an observer who takes and interprets, and if I’m only feeding myself the same thing I was feeding myself 15 years ago, then I don’t feel like I’m really living my life to its full potential,” he told SPIN in our February cover story. “I’m not just hanging around the blues clubs anymore. I’m thankful for that time in my life and all those influences. They’re always here, and they’ll pop up every now and then—like in [JPEG RAW song] ‘Don’t Start.’ You want some blues? That’s Blues 2.0.”

Clark was preceded on stage by surprise guest Marcus King, who played for the first time in a trio incarnation with only drummer Jack Ryan and keyboardist Mike Runyon. The artist’s upcoming Rick Rubin-produced album Mood Swings embraces a soulful style at times previously overshadowed by his jaw-dropping guitar virtuosity, but both styles co-existed beautifully during the set. The measured new tunes “F*ck My Life Up Again” and “Hero” best exemplified King’s newfound forthrightness, an outgrowth of Rubin urging him to utilize his mental health struggles as a sort of writing partner. Elsewhere, an arrangement of Soulive’s “Tuesday’s Night Squad” and a spin through Robert Johnson’s blues classic “Crossroads” demonstrated King’s remarkable interpretative gifts. Look for the artist on tour throughout the year around the world, including a host of support dates with country star Chris Stapleton.

The evening began with a set from 17-year-old guitar goddess Grace Bowers, who more than held her own on a lineup featuring two masters of the craft. Leading a drum-less band with a vocalist, keyboardist and bassist, the Bay Area native showcased the kind of fancy fretwork that has won her accolades from Margo Price, Tyler Childers, the Gaslight Anthem and Susan Tedeschi. Her debut EP of original music, recorded with John Osborne of the Brothers Osborne, is due this spring.

To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.

Ahead of the March 22 release of his new album, JPEG Raw, Gary Clark Jr. will play a special intimate show in his hometown of Austin, presented by SPIN.

The March 13 performance at Emo’s will be Clark’s only public show before the arrival of JPEG Raw. In our February cover story, Clark detailed creating a “sonically unique, vast soundscape” melding such elements as West African and Mississippi Delta textures, classic ‘70s soul and forward-leaning beats.

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In addition to Clark, a special surprise guest will offer a captivating set of their own at Emo’s. The event is presented by SPIN and 1 Million Strong. Doors open at 9:30 p.m. CST.

Tickets go on sale Monday, Feb. 26 at 9 a.m. CST here.

The show augments SPIN’s previously announced March 16 day party at Austin’s Stubb’s BBQ featuring Sunny Day Real Estate (performing their 1994 debut album Diary), the Get Up Kids and local group Die Spitz. A series of exceptional activations in Austin that same week are also in the works.

To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.

Sunny Day Real Estate will celebrate the 30th anniversary of their influential debut album Diary by performing it in its entirety throughout 2024, including at a special SPIN Dayparty event on the afternoon of March 16 in Austin, Tx. Pre-sale tickets for that show, which will also feature the Get Up Kids and special guests, will be available tomorrow (Jan. 23). Additional SPIN events in Austin will be announced in the coming weeks.

As tipped here last week, the Seattle-reared Sunny Day Real Estate is not only releasing their first new song in a decade, “Novum Vetus,” on Friday, but have also recorded a live-in-the-studio, song-for-song rendition of Diary at Seattle’s famed London Bridge Studios. That project, which also includes a live take on “Novum Vetus,” will be released digitally and in a limited vinyl run on May 3, although the latter will also be sold at the upcoming shows. For pre-order information, click here.

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While they created hugely influential, genre-defining and emotionally resonant music such as Diary and 1995’s colloquially titled The Pink Album, Sunny Day Real Estate’s members have often incongruously been their own worst enemies, with a variety of interpersonal dramas resulting in three breakups and reunions and at least one aborted album throughout their on-and-off, three-decade existence. The group, which remains led by original members Jeremy Enigk, Dan Hoerner and William Goldsmith, reunited to tour in 2022 after a 12-year break.

Hoerner teased the seven-minute “Novum Vetus” and the idea of a Diary re-record during an interview with SPIN that fall, revealing that the former was an unfinished piece of music from a brief period in 1997 when original bassist Nate Mendel was considering rejoining the band during work on what became the following year’s How It Feels To Be Something On.

“We’ve been working on it for a while,” he said. “It’s beautiful. It’s huge. I’ve been writing lyrics for it, and I think they’re timely. They speak to where Sunny Day is at right now and the path we’ve gone down together. We’ll see how it translates.”

The original concept for the Diary re-record was to track it at the Hoerner-owned Spokane, Wash., venue the Big Dipper when it was empty and afterwards finish it in a proper studio. Instead, it appears the group completed the project entirely at Seattle’s London Bridge Studio, where beloved grunge-era albums from fellow Seattle bands such as Pearl Jam’s Ten and Temple of the Dog’s self-titled debut were put to tape. It’s technically SDRE’s first album since 2000’s The Rising Tide, after which the band broke up for another eight years.

Although Diary tracks such as “In Circles,” “Seven,” “Song About an Angel” and “48” have been staples of SDRE shows for 30 years, many have rarely been performed in concert, including “9” (only four times) and “Round” (three). “We found ways to open up every song and add expansive elements to them,” Hoerner said of the modern-day take on the project. “It’s going to be a whole new album.”

Here are Sunny Day Real Estate’s Diary 30th Anniversary tour dates:

March 13: Lawrence, Ks. (Liberty Hall)
March 14: Oklahoma City (Beer City Music Hall)
March 16: Austin, Tx. (Stubb’s / SPIN event)
May 1: Raleigh, N.C. (Lincoln Theatre)
May 3: Gainesville, Fl. (High Dive)
May 7: Washington, D.C. (Howard Theatre)
May 9: Philadelphia (Theatre of Living Arts)
May 12: Boston (Big Night Live)
May 15: New York (Irving Plaza)
Aug. 14: Dallas (Echo Lounge)
Aug. 17: Denver (Summit)
Aug. 20: Seattle (Showbox)
Aug. 21: Portland, Or. (Pioneer Square / PDX Live Series)
Aug. 23: Seattle (Showbox)
Sept. 25: Chicago (House of Blues)
Sept. 28: Minneapolis (Fillmore)
Oct. 15: San Francisco (August Hall)
Oct. 18: Los Angeles (Belasco)

To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.

Want to don a deer mask and shake your hips as DJs spin electronic dance records in the backyard of a South Beach mansion? Yes, do that. Want to fill up on delicious chicken and tabouli from Sufrat Mediterranean Grill and wash it all down with rum cocktails from Santa Teresa 1796? Absolutely, why not?

This year, SPIN did all that and more at our Art Basel celebration, hosted on Friday evening in partnership with Creativo. 

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We gathered around the luxurious pool with a few hundred of our best friends, favorite models, fine artists and all-around beautiful people, soaking up the over-the-top vibes of a house that felt like a piece of art in itself. DJ Marcela Franko, DJ Tess LA and DJ Davo kept the night alive with energetic EDM jams, heavy house cuts and beloved hip-hop favorites, providing the perfect soundtrack to a delightfully debaucherous night.

The theme was “Anything Goes,” and we certainly took that to heart. When in Rome, you do as the Romans do, and when in Miami for Art Week, you come to private parties with open bars dressed in a handpainted tunic that costs $3,000. Well, one man named Michael did exactly that, and the rest of the high-profile crowd came dressed to impress, albeit with decidedly less one-of-a-kind art hanging from their shoulders.

Tucker Halpern, known to SPIN readers as one-half of the Grammy-nominated electronic duo Sofi Tukker, was at the party celebrating the release of the group’s latest disco-sex single “One On One.” It’s a funky collaboration with their longtime friends The Knocks, and it hadn’t even been out for 24 hours when we sat with Halpern on a creamy white couch in one of the mansion’s chill-out rooms.

“Those guys are really good friends, Ben and Jay from The Knocks. I met them right around the same time I met Sophie. I was DJing and opening for them in college, and we had a fun party night, stayed out all night, kept in touch. When we first started making music, [they encouraged us] to pursue this, so I always try to give them the most credit for us even existing. To do songs with them throughout our career is something we’ll always come back to.”

This was not a work night for Halpern. After a series of sets at the Hard Rock nightclub Daer, LIV at the Fontainebleau and the South Beach Faena Hotel, the music man was finally ready to kick back and enjoy the fruits of his labor with the SPIN crew.

“We’re lucky,” Halpern says of his life. “It feels like a lot of nights are celebrations just because we play so many shows, but this is definitely an especially fun one.”

As we milled about the party, we found ourselves discussing the finer points of mixed media portraiture while eyeing the women at the Lagoon Bay bar dressed in bright blue stewardess uniforms. We couldn’t help but feel they were serving serious Britney Spears in “Toxic” vibes, and really, why don’t we see that more?

Speaking of art, it was strewn about the rooms for all to enjoy, because it’s not an Art Basel-adjacent party without a giant portrait of Andy Warhol sitting next to a giant Dalmatian and a TV set.

Miami-based Andrea Cardenal was one of the artists on display, alongside Karen Bystedt, Marko Brandon and Ysabel LeMay. Cardenal’s pieces included four mixed-media portraits of women, each depicting an archetype of the modern woman, all of which can be such double-edged swords. 

Cool confidence is celebrated in men, but when a woman is standoffish, she’s an “ice queen.” Fiery and passionate women are too angry or emotional, and successful women who break through the glass ceiling are too mean or seen as controlling divas. Cardenal painted these figures and emboldened them with recycled materials, such as a crown of nails, or an earring from her grandmother’s old collection of costume jewelry. 

“These portraits are meant to be very powerful,” she says. “They’re staring directly at you, challenging you. It’s always a representation of something I’m going through or something we’re all collectively experiencing. It’s great when people have their own experience with your art, but I feel like the creative process is important to me because it expresses what I’m trying to say.”

There was no shortage of powerful women, especially when Pitbull protege Vikina stormed the hangout circle in the middle of the pool to perform her song “Wow.”

“In English, a dog says ‘woof,’ but in Spanish, a dog says ‘wow,’ and bad bitches say wow,” she told us after working the entire backyard like it was the set of her latest music video. She performed a string of originals, including her newest single, “Sexy Sonic,” “Bambole” with Deorro and “Take A Shot” with her mentor Pitbull. 

“I’m really excited about Art Basel and collaborations like this that bring so many people to Miami, and I love representing that,” Vikina says. “I feel very responsible for the culture that we’re building here, and this has a huge effect on it.”

We considered all this as we tasted Su Casa Mezcal provided by the alcohol venture fund, Top Shelf Ventures, sampled strawberry-flavored tequila from Mis Amigos, sipped fine wines from Stewarthill, and dutifully chugged bottles of Icelandic water between shots of Helix 7 vodka and Askur Gin. We weren’t trying to completely black out before midnight, after all. 

Thankfully, Relief Now was on hand to provide guests with handy hangover relief bags to keep headaches and dehydration at bay. The Rally Bags included electrolyte powder, makeup remover towels and other goodies. Truly the best Basel party goody bag we could imagine. 

Then we had a nice chat with Sasha Bernier, the head of Creativo, who helped SPIN put this whole magical evening together.

“We’ve been doing this for five years, and we realized that we all have differences, but we’re all the same,” Bernier says. “We all want to have fun. We love music, we love dancing, we love drinking. You realize we’re all more the same than we are different, and that’s what Creativo is doing; bringing cool people together from different backgrounds to have a good time.”

Whether you wanted to get tipsy on Bespoken Spirits or brighten your mind with nootropic drinks from Odyssey Elixir, there was something for everyone at every speed at this “Anything Goes” soiree. 

Shout out to our special guests at Griffitts LLP, and congratulations to everyone at the party on a night well done. No one fell in the pool (although it felt like someone might!), the drinks were delicious and the music was bangin’ was start to finish. A perfect house party, indeed.

To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.

On Oct. 6 and 7, SPIN hosted two parties at The Mayfair in Austin. The parties saw attendees dance and enjoy beverages into the early morning. The performers, which included Konstantina Gianni and KROMI brought heat to the dance floor on night one, while Sam Blacky and MOSKA tore down the house on night two.

Blacky, who spent time in Australia, moved back to Los Angeles and has since risen quickly in the electronic music ranks. Known for her blend of house and techno, Blacky has performed all over the world, from Mexico to Ibiza to Bali and at our show, Austin. A Colombia native, MOSKA was first discovered as a 16-year-old when none other than Tiesto got his hands on one of his remixes. Since then, he impressed crowds all over the world with his Latin bent on house music. With a background in classical music and formerly a pop singer, KROMI has a different approach to dance music. The Chinese native infuses vocals into her pulsating tracks, to create a unique sound befitting of the rising DJ. Last, but certainly not least, Konstantina Gianni wowed the audience with her diverse blend of trap, house music, hardstyle and electro-house.

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• Sunny Day Real Estate, Get Up Kids Rock SPIN’s Austin Dayparty at Stubb’s
• ‘Family, Y’all’: Gary Clark Jr., Marcus King Rock SPIN Show at Emo’s
• SPIN And Stand Together Music Present Gary Clark Jr. Live In Austin

Thousands of people packed The Mayfair, which is located in Austin’s legendary 6th St. The venue’s main area saw attendees wave their arms and move their bodies as the lights flashed. The outdoor area saw revelers enjoy numerous spirits and custom cocktails with Austin’s majestic skyline in the background while the artists soundtracked their evening.

Check out more scenes from our Mayfair party below and we hope to see you next year! (All photos by Dave Creaney)

To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.

Run the Jewels’ Killer Mike and his trusty DJ Trackstar kept the party going Saturday night (Sept. 23) backstage at the Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Ky., entertaining hundreds of revelers at an event sponsored by 1 Million Strong, FIRE, Stand Together Music, and SPIN.

Killer Mike has long been known as one of the most socially conscious voices in hip-hop, and has never been shy about engaging voices with whom he disagrees. “The inspiration for the night’s set is freedom of speech, so say what the fuck you want!,” he told the crowd before launching into Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz’ “I Don’t Give A…” As guests grooved to favorites such as Trillville’s “Neva Eva” and the Three 6 Mafia two-fer “Poppin’ My Collar,” and “Sippin on Some Syrup,” Mike felt the spirit and declared, “I said I wasn’t gonna rap tonight, but I’m gonna have to rap tonight!”

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“I feel like I’m at an HBCU right now,” he said. “We gonna do this shit like we’re on the Tuskegee University campus.” From there, he took the crowd on a hip-hop journey spanning all of its regional variations, from Southern rap staples such as Bone Crusher’s “Never Scared” and Juvenile’s “Back That Azz Up,” to the Miami bass of Trina’s “Look At Me,” and Snoop Dogg’s West Coast anthem “Ain’t No Fun.”

After Trackstar spun Sexxy Red’s “Pound Town,” Mike admitted he was introduced to the song by his 25-year-old daughter. In turn, he recommended she listen to 2 Live Crew, whose crusade for free speech in the wake of censorship was a profound influence on him as a budding artist. The set wound down with Too Short’s “Blow the Whistle,” Dillon Francis and DJ Snake’s “Get Low,” Meek Mill’s “Dreams and Nightmares,” Jay-Z’s “Public Service Announcement,” and, appropriate for the hard rock festival setting, a finale of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”

Produced by Danny Wimmer Presents, Louder Than Life featured performances by Foo Fighters, Tool, Avenged Sevenfold, Pantera, and Green Day across four days on the Highland Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Exposition Center.

To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.

Cypress Hill‘s landmark Black Sunday album celebrates its 30th birthday on July 20. Ahead of that anniversary, the group teamed with SPIN and Bose to perform a small show to honor its history at the Bourbon Room in Hollywood.

A little after 10 p.m., B-Real, Sen Dog, DJ Lord, and Eric Bobo took the stage in front of 400 rabid fans for one of the group’s more intimate shows in years. Armed with their mics, and in B-Real’s case, a blunt, the hip-hop legends tore through an hour-long set, performing most of Black Sunday, their second — and best selling — album. Songs from the triple-platinum 1993 behemoth, including “Hits From the Bong,” “When the Shit Goes Down,” “I Ain’t Goin’ Out Like That,” and “Insane in the Brain” had the crowd bopping up and down (with mobile phones waving from side-to-side), singing, and rapping right along.

More from Spin:

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In addition to the Black Sunday portion of the show, Cypress Hill sprinkled in hits from across its decades-long catalog. As always, tunes like “Rock Superstar,” 1995’s “Throw Your Set in the Air,” “Tequila Sunrise,” and “Hand on the Pump” packed a heavy punch.

Throughout the night, Cypress Hill marveled at the crowd’s intensity. By the end of the set, the audience broke into a swirling mosh that ended up with arms and bodies flying all over the place — much to the group’s approval. Closing with a spirited version of House of Pain’s “Jump Around,” Cypress Hill gave the crowd exactly what it wanted: a memorable show full of classics.

Ahead of Cypress Hill’s set, the packed room was treated to the sounds of a number of L.A.-based up-and-comers. Radio Ah’lee, Sticky Bizness, Kaexandra, Doll Machine, Peace the Keeper, Body Bagg Jonez all showcased their talents and gave the audience a glimpse of their incredibly bright futures.

To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.

On late Saturday afternoon during Coachella’s first weekend, SPIN hosted its annual Desert Oasis Pool Party. Taking place at a private estate in Palm Desert, the event was one of the weekend’s most highly anticipated off-site events and did not disappoint. Attendees were treated to an array of world-class culinary delights prepared on-site by a private chef, and enjoyed a variety of custom-made cocktails and Mezcal provided by Victorioso.

More from Spin:

• Sunny Day Real Estate, Get Up Kids Rock SPIN’s Austin Dayparty at Stubb’s
• ‘Family, Y’all’: Gary Clark Jr., Marcus King Rock SPIN Show at Emo’s
• SPIN And Stand Together Music Present Gary Clark Jr. Live In Austin

And there were special guest performances. Fresh off her appearance at Coachella on Friday night with Jamie Jones, Anabel Englund dazzled the packed house with a DJ set inspired by the party’s majestic views and high-energy vibes. She was joined by SOHMI, who swung by after her Coachella set, to spin a set of minimalist pop-tech combined with bangers. DJ Ry Toast spun her mix of tunes on vinyl to set the mood early on.

Hundreds of people, including a number of VIPs like actors Grant Mellon and Paris Berlec, and artists who performed at Coachella including DRAMA, WHIPPED CREAM, and Mareux, packed the estate and flooded the dance floor. They enjoyed photos at our photo booth, relaxed by and jumped in the pool before heading to the Empire Polo Fields to take in Saturday night’s action.

Check out more scenes from our Desert Oasis party and we hope to see you next year!

To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.

When lightning storms threatened to wash out SPIN’s South by Southwest showcase last night (March 16) in Austin, Tx., headliner Killer Mike turned a potentially disastrous situation into something truly memorable and special. The Atlanta rapper moved his set from Stubb’s’ large outdoor stage to the venue’s 200-capacity indoor room and delivered a powerful, hour-long performance featuring several new songs.

Earlier in the evening, before Austin was deluged with rain and lightning shortly after 9 p.m., SPIN’s showcase featured performances from Voxtrot, Sunflower Bean, Brittany Davis Quartet, McKinley Dixon, and As You Were. renforshort was on stage for one song when show organizers evacuated the venue due to lightning and could not continue her performance. Some fans chose to stay behind in the 200-capacity smaller inside space while the schedule was reconfigured, and Killer Mike was able to take the stage there to a packed, frenzied room just after 11 p.m.

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In his first major solo set since the start of his now decade-long partnership with El-P in Run the Jewels, Killer Mike was joined by a five-piece backing choir for a performance that drew heavily from his life experiences growing up in Atlanta and finding salvation in music.

New tracks included “Shed Tears,” which made good use of the gospel backing vocals atop a deep bass-and-drum groove, while the aptly named “High + Holy” was Mike’s tribute to his wife, who he says encourages him to always search for a higher purpose. The set also featured favorites from Mike’s pre-Run the Jewels catalog such as “Kryptonite” from the final Purple Ribbon All-Stars album (2005) and the top-30 crossover hit “Never Scared” with Bone Crusher and T.I. (2003), and he closed with the OutKast song that launched the rapper far beyond his Atlanta roots, the veritable 2001 singalong “The Whole World.”

“My life truly is a testimony for what happens when you show up and keep believing something is calling you to do better for yourself,” Mike told the packed audience in an uplifting monologue. “I don’t know what’s after this life, but I will treasure this night for the rest of my life.”

Chicago rapper Dixon kicked off the festivities with rousing, live band hip-hop from 2021’s For My Mama and Anyone Who Look Like Her and his upcoming June 2 City Slang release, Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? Two songs were featured from the latter, “Tyler, Forever” and “Sun, I Rise.”

Indie rock outfit Sunflower Bean offered up seven attitude-oozing new songs during its performance, including “Serial Killer,” “Teach Me To Be Bad,” “Lucky Number,” “Evil Dreamers,” and “Champagne Taste,” the latter a nod to the same-named alter ego version of the group that occasionally plays live.

A hometown indie rock band who’d only played a handful of times since splitting in 2010 and reuniting last year, Voxtrot turned back the clock with snappy, upbeat songs such as “Kid Gloves” and the Smiths-y shuffle “The Start of Something” from its original mid-2000s output. The hometown crowd sang and danced along to the band’s greatest hits, upping the night’s vibe.

Made up of four active-duty sergeants from the U.S. Army, As You Were was the last group to play indoors before the storm, its loud rock sound conjuring alt-rock titans such as Linkin Park and Incubus.

With lightning flashes visible in the upper windows of the room as they jammed, the Brittany Davis Quartet served up irresistible rock and soul with an effortless virtuosity (“we’re about to bring lightning from these fingertips!” Davis told the crowd). Highlights included the new single “So Fly,” the measured ballad “Momma’s Gotta Go” and its guitar solo from Jason Cameron, and a slowed-down, swampy cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition.”

Following Killer Mike’s set, Sunny War dazzled with solo guitar performances of material from her album Anarchist Gospel, including “Whole” and “No Reason,” which she just played on her late-night TV debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live! South Korean electronic artist sogumm closed out the evening with plenty of energy despite the very late hour and even took a group photo with fans and friends in front of the stage as the house lights finally came on.

Painted Shield, the Seattle band featuring Pearl Jam’s Stone Gossard, Brittany Davis, Mason Jennings, Matt Chamberlain, and Jeff Fielder, was scheduled to perform at the event but had to cancel at the last minute due to a case of COVID. Having released two pandemic-era albums in 2020 and 2022, the group just played its first three live shows in recent days at Seattle’s Clock Out Lounge.

The event was presented by Larceny Bourbon: an award-winning Wheated Bourbon that will unlock access for one lucky music fan at next year’s festival. Visit larcenybourbon.com/live to enter the Larceny Live Sweepstakes for your chance to win two passes to the show in March 2024, and get your hands on some showstopping cocktail recipes.

To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.