Name: The Roots
Start: 2023-12-28T20:00:00
Location: Fox Theater

The Roots

Fox Theater Oakland

Don’t say The Midnight didn’t warn you. After teasing fans on social media with ominous imagery, snippets of lush keyboard washes, and cryptic references to classic science fiction stories, the band that emerged over a decade ago out of Los Angeles returns with Syndicate, their fifth studio album (not even counting the three EPs released between) and their most ambitious and outward-looking work yet. Syndicate evolves The Midnight’s simultaneously retro and forward-looking sound while cementing the band’s status as perhaps the most musically and lyrically ambitious act to come out of the burgeoning synthwave scene.

The Midnight

Having appeared in a wide range of projects over the course of his career, Ben Schwartz has continued to deliver impressive, compelling performances in both film and television and has secured himself a distinctive place in Hollywood. But his career began and continues to be driven by live comedy performances. He has three long form improv specials on Netflix- Middleditch and Schwartz and currently tours his latest improv show Ben Schwartz and Friends around the world, most recently selling out the Sydney Opera House, Radio City Music Hall and Royal Albert Hall.

Ben Schwartz & Friends

Julien Doré is now a key figure on the French music scene, with a flawless career spanning nearly 15 years. A five-time winner at the Victoires de la Musique awards, this singer-songwriter never fails to get us dancing with hits such as “Paris-Seychelles,” “Coco Câline,” “Les limites,” and “Le lac,” as well as unstoppable multigenerational anthems such as ‘Nous’ and “La fièvre.” Julien Doré has also played three sold-out concert tours, attracting millions of spectators and performing hundreds of dates in France, as well as in Canada, Japan, and Germany.

Julien Doré

Although it has only been a year since our debut album, Prelude to Ecstasy, was released, we had been playing many of those songs since our very ﬁrst rehearsals in the stagnant summer of 2020. Nothing Matters, our ﬁrst single, has been a feature of every setlist since our ﬁrst ever gig at the George Tavern in 2021. We have held, nurtured and fed these songs for a long time, and in return they have ﬂown us to heights and guided us on journeys once totally incomprehensible. While it may seem to an outsider that we have moved quickly on to a second album, this timing felt like a natural progression to us. We’re not closing the book or beginning a new ‘era’, but transforming and shapeshifting, vibrating with the experience and inspiration that these last few years have given us.

The Last Dinner Party

Over nearly three decades, the multi platinum record-breaking New Orleans icon served up a string of classic albums, influenced two generations of stars, and pioneered a sound rooted in Louisiana bounce, yet carried by worldwide rap appeal and ambition. Like all timeless stories though, his stretches back to humble beginnings in the neighborhood his music put on the map: the Magnolia Projects. As if predisposed by destiny to pick up a microphone, he heard Melle Mel’s verse on “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, commenced spitting, and never stopped since…

Juvenile

Playing is the joy and satisfaction of touring, but it comes with the hard part — travel, the endless miles on a bus.  There’s no dodging the wear and tear, and Little Feat has been playing for quite a while.