Arctic Monkeys w/ The Orwells
The Fillmore
Feb. 3, 2014

• Photo by Jeff Hahne
• Arctic Monkeys

It might be the English band's first headlining gig in Charlotte, but the members aren't worried about flashy set dressings, lighting or any of the big-time bullshit that so often follows bands to big venues. Play your songs, play them well and get the people behind you 100 percent seemed to be the band's motto on this Monday evening at the Fillmore.

Aside from the occasional Charlotte mention, there wasn't much banter between songs. The rock quartet was too busy rifling through roughly 20 songs during a 90-minute set that heavily showcased its fifth studio album, 2013's AM.

Jucifer
The Milestone
Feb. 2, 2014

• Photo by Jeff Hahne
• Jucifer

Sunday night's show was no different. As Valentine began to unleash a flurry of riffs, Livengood sat down at the drum kit and began hammering away. While the two took turns "singing," it was difficult to hear much of anything vocally above the drums and guitar fury.

Nikki Hill
Snug Harbor
Jan. 31, 2014

• Photo by Jeff Hahne
• Nikki Hill and guitarist Matt Hill.

With that, Nikki and her crack crew, led by husband-and-blistering-blues guitarist Matt Hill, ripped into a jump-and-jive, stompin'-soul-shouting take on the Billie Holiday chestnut "My Man." As Ed Strohsahl burned through the fretboard of his upright bass and guitar man Matt peeled off hyperactive Eddie Cochran licks, the audience complied with Nikki's sassy invitation, swing dancing, swaying and shouting with joy.

Earlier, the band had opened, sans Nikki, with a strutting, swampy "Green River"-meets-Booker T. instrumental groove. An enthusiastic intro from Matt brought Nikki out, steppin', shimmying and (wo)man-handling the mic stand. Riding Joe Meyer's machine-gun kick drum and Matt's Chet Atkins overdrive on guitar, the combo segued into a floorboard rattling cover of Tarheel Slim's "Number 9 Train." Nikki cooed, testified and wild-cat growled, as smooth as pop R&B chanteuse Ruth Brown, as triumphant as Tina Turner.

Bettye LaVette
Neighborhood Theatre
Jan. 17, 2014

• Bettye LaVette

Thankfully, the title of LaVette's latest LP is "Thankful and Thoughtful," not "Thankful and Snotful," and she delivered blistering, heart-wrenching and soul-shaking takes of choice cuts from that disc and the the rest of her superb back catalog. It was clear from her energetic, focused performance that it would take more than a mere cold to slow Lavette down or to dampen her incredible voice.

Less than one year after their last performance at the Fillmore, Stone Sour returned to Charlotte for a sold-out show on Jan. 15, 2014. Playing many of the same songs as last time around didn't matter much to the packed N.C. Music Factory venue, who even got to hear singer Corey Taylor laugh his way through a brief cover of Rick Springfield's "Jessie's Girl."

Here are photos from the band's near sell-out concert, along with pictures of opening acts Stolen Babies and Pop Evil. (Setlists at the bottom of this post.)

Slideshow Stone Sour at Fillmore, 1.15.14

19 slides

Stone Sour at Fillmore, 1.15.14

Click to View 19 slides

Hot Tuna, Leon Russell
Neighborhood Theatre
Jan. 14, 2014

"How y'all doin'?" Leon Russell's honking rasp cut through the cheers and applause, after his crack combo tore through a revved-up, Southern-fried take on the Little Richard chestnut "Rip It Up." Seated at a white baby grand piano, with his Gandalf gray long hair and beard, Russell looked every bit the Old Testament prophet, albeit a patriarch in shades and white cowboy hat.

Russell spun a few tales of his youth from the piano bench, talking about playing underage at Hoochie Coochie clubs, picking up R&B and Pentecostal music on a crystal radio set, and springing revival music on his starchy Methodist Church.

• Hot Tuna

Jay Z
Time Warner Cable Arena
Jan. 4, 2014

• Photo by Jeff Hahne
• Jay Z

Whew. That would have been embarrassing. After all, this was Jay Z's first time back to Charlotte since performing here in 1999 (with DMX, Redman and Method Man) - we needed to make a good impression.

With a sweet hint of weed in the air, a little after 9 p.m., Jay Z came on stage - no hype man, no opening act - and promised the audience a legendary night. And for longtime fans, he delivered.

While the show wasn't spectacular in any regard - no flashy backup dancers, no elaborate stage setup, no theatrics (and definitely no flying over the audience like Beyonce did last summer) - it felt genuine. Just Jay Z, wearing all black and a few gold chains, a four-piece band elevated above him (including the talented beats maker Timbaland) and two large, narrow video screens bordering each side of the stage.

(As a person who spends a lot of time checking her email on her phone, I saw the screens as two large iPhones - ironic, considering that shameful practice you see nowadays at concerts where people watch entire performances through the screens of their smartphones. Was Jay Z trying to reach through the fourth wall here?)

Despite the tour promoting his twelfth studio album, the rapper only showcased about half of Magna Carter and filled the rest of the almost two hours he was on stage with hits the audience kept up with: "Big Pimpin'," "Jigga What, Jigga Who," "Dirt Off Your Shoulders," "Izzo" and more.

Avett Brothers w/ Shovels & Rope
Time Warner Cable Arena
Dec. 31, 2013

• Photo by Jeff Hahne
• The Avett Brothers

The last time the band played a New Year's Eve show in Charlotte, it was for 2,000 people in 2008. The last time the band played in Charlotte, in 2011, it was at the smaller Bojangles Coliseum. Even they were a long road away from the band's humble beginnings.

As the first notes of "Open Ended Life" were struck and the arena erupted, the Avetts began to sing, dance and stomp their way through a handful of songs with energy I hadn't seen from the band in years. With time, they had toned down much of the stomping, screaming and jumping around that they used to do.

While Scott Avett stomped on his kick drum, cellist Joe Kwon shredded through his bow. Seth was all smiles as bassist Bob Crawford remained his usually more-reserved self. Tania Elizabeth, a founding member of the Duhks who is featured on the Avetts' latest album, Magpie and the Dandelion, was also adding a bit more country/bluegrass vibe to the songs. The energy coming from the stage told the crowd, "this is a celebration" and "this isn't the same band you heard the last time."

If only it had lasted that way through the midnight hour.

Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas
Evening Muse
Dec. 13, 2013

• Photo by Jeff Hahne
• Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas

Given Hernandez's demure-yet-flirty stage presence, which was more playful conversation than polished patter, it was easy to believe that the petite and pretty Hernandez was indeed Miss Goody Two Shoes - until the Detroit dynamo and her tightly coiled Delta's ripped into their percolating and scorching take on retro-noir rock 'n' soul.

In song, Hernandez unleashed cooing, growling rock chick sass, ripping into her electric guitar as her band surged into hip-shaking grooves that drew on '60s Rolling Stones riffs, greasy fatback funk, deliriously ominous psychedelia, fluidly swinging jazz and the Motor City heartbeat of gritty, sweat-soaked soul.