They brought everything they ever had to make it the show of a lifetime. They same fresh energy of a young band on the rise, but with the incredible polished skill and power of decades of experience, decades of shared live with their audience, and a catalog of music no one else could ever write. I can't put into words what this experience meant to me.

Atlanta provided a very enthusiastic crowd to compliment the energy Duran Duran brought to their performance. They had a great selection of AOR cuts from the first two albums to appeal to super fans. The overall set was compromised of "the hits" so it was a "crowd pleasing" set for the casual fan. As a super fan, I wanted deeper cuts, but was not disappointed with the performance. The set rarely deviates between cities. The stage set and visuals were thankfully refreshed for the second leg of the tour and very effective in making it a visually appealing show. If you have never seen them perform, you should catch this tour.

Duran Duran never disappoints! Fabulous show & I screamed my head off like I said I would. I’m a petite person, so I wish people would be courteous of others and not video the entire performance. It was annoying to have phones blocking the view. Enjoy the moment people, it doesn’t have to be documented to be real. 😘

Wow. These guys really bring it. This was one the most uplifting shows I have ever attended. It really is good to see that bands like Paramore reach success at the level they have. So many bands today seem unappreciative of their fans and this is certainly not true with Paramore. I will support bands like this till the end if they keep doing what they are doing. Thank you guys for such a great evening and start to Memorial Day weekend.

Wowww!! Excellent!!! I had excellent seat!! But, the service at my table not good no one checked to see if I needed anything?? But, everyone upstairs that was working in the restaurant from the host, bartender, and servers were great but the show was 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 please keep booking artists like this I ❤️ your venue but a few things need to improve.. 🙏🏽TM

Anita Baker: 2/14/23 “The DAve Show took off to the road heading to Hotlanta for some Valentine’s Day shenanigans including Anita Baker LIVE in concert at State Farm Arena. It was the first of a 2023 Pop/R&B break from my typical classic rock and country concert escapades (the others shows being Janet Jackson and Madonna). I was super-excited as I had settled in on the possibility of never seeing the Quiet Storm 80’s, soul—jazz—R&B, 3 octave voice artist in concert after missing her farewell tour in 2018. The 65 year old Detroit native and former waitress and receptionist skyrocketed in the mid-80’s with her eight million selling ‘Rapture’ album. Her 21 year studio career (’83-’04) with a mere 6 studio albums charted 25 singles on the US R&B position. Tuesday evening was the 2nd date of her 15 city US ‘The Songstress Tour’ (her first true nationwide tour in nearly thirty years) which commenced on the 11th in Florida. It was a no surprise sell out from the very beginning. My seats were upper bowl mid-arena —what I could get via a StubHub gift credit. Her band consisted of five persons in the background (L to R: keys-guitar-drums-bass-more keys) separated by a person height divider limiting a full view of the action. In the forefront L to R: grand piano-saxophone-Anita’s microphone-back up singers (two female, one male). A stage length video screen backdrop showcased all the front stage going’s on for us in the thinner air regions of the arena. The on-stage band divider often mimicked the video screen’s border images. Prior to Baker’s appearance on stage there were curtains surrounding and concealing the stage set up that were inward and outwardly illuminated in blue and red. At 9:15 the front curtains drew up and the side curtains drew horizontally backward and Anita took the stage for a 1 hr 40 min / 12 song set (with 4 from the Rapture album). There were no medleys or run on songs, Baker simply communicated verbally with the audience between each selection extending the time length of the dozen song set. I guess that’s what a Songstress does?! With the band playing, the soulful singer made her way onto the stage traveling from side to side waving, spinning, conducting, and playing air instruments all the while muscling through a noticeable limp. The scaled down and skillfully arranged stage gave the solo artist about 80% of it’s available space to utilize. Early on she jumped into ’Sweet Love’ (the second song) after a brief introduction, ‘I love you… Thank y’all, we appreciate you so much, and I want you to understand this is your night and I apologize for being so late, I truly do.’ Before she could utter another word the audience was singing every word of the first verse a cappella. Anita interrupted with a kind of restart revealing a slightly different arrangement, her vocals purposefully sung a step slightly off beat. There was another similar false start sing-along to ‘Sweet Love’ and ‘Been So Long’. She clearly loved being in Atlanta, a night scene of the city appeared on the big screen complete with the ferris wheel outside (so it had to have been recent footage). ‘Atlanta, Atlanta, every musician in the world that I know loves Atlanta!’ As she began singing ‘Same Ole Love’ R&B singer Usher came on dressed in a bright red blazer in what appeared to be cameo surprise bending down on one knee and handing her a huge bouquet of roses! After a kiss she immediately put him on the spot telling him, ‘Usher, I love you’ and handed him the microphone. He willingly complied by singing, ‘Same Ole Love especially on Valentine’s Day’! Next up Jermaine Dupri came out and gave Anita a hug, it was truly a star studded event! Turns out that in addition, Tamia, Killer Mike, 2 ChainZ, Grant Hill, Chris Webber and John Gray were all seen back stage. A beautiful rendition of ’No One In The World’ came next, Baker modulating up perfectly mid-song. Other songs of note included ‘Operator’ and ‘Angel’, Anita pointing around ‘You’re my angel, you’re my angel….’ ‘Everyone up here all night long from start to finish, everyone that has a microphone was actually singing into that microphone tonight. Everyone here this evening that has an instrument in their hands, they’re actually playing that instrument’ Truly it was a kind of assurance concert attenders can appreciate now-a-days. Rounding down the evening was the classic ‘Rapture’. ‘I want to acknowledge three generations of fans’, ‘As long as you keep coming, we’ll keep coming to see you!’ The encore was ‘Giving You The Best That I Got’, with a change of wardrobe Anita came out dressed all in red. Sparklers and a shower of confetti ended the regular set and the encore respectively. Not without note to mention this evening was Anita’s support artist for the special event, the legendary Babyface. Kenneth Brian Edmonds, 63, singer/songwriter/producer who was tagged ‘Babyface’ by Bootsy Collins has 9 solo albums with 32 charted singles and a 36 yr solo career, surprisingly more than Anita herself. Babyface proved to be the perfect opener coming on 30 minutes late likely due to a sparsely full arena. Taking the stage precisely at 7:31 he performed a 55 minute / 6 song set, one of which was actually a jam packed 26 song medley of songs. ’I thought this would be a fun time to go through a medley of songs that I wrote or I produced.’ At the opening line of each song a Billboard styled rendering showing weeks on the chart, year, title, and artist was broadcast on the video screen. There were multiple by Bobby Brown and even a couple that I knew: ‘Rock Steady’ by The Whispers, and ‘Slow Jam’ by Midnight Star. His five person band also featured two additional back-up vocalists while thousands throughout the audience sang along to nearly every word! In addition to Usher and Jermaine, Babyface also joined Baker briefly on stage during her set. A word about the sound. In all my years of concert attending going back to the 70’s, the evening’s sound quality where I was sitting was the worst I EVER experienced! I feel that much of it had to do with where I was sitting but I can’t pinpoint if it was actually due to the arena itself or the mix, or a combination of the two. After viewing a few video posts on social media from different angles that sounded great I can only assume it was majorily just my section. I’ve been to State Farm on a number of occasions, all in the upper bowl with no sound issues. Not to be a downer but it did put a damper on the entire evening, luckily the show itself made up for it somewhat. Despite that being said, I’m so glad I made the trek Southwest to see the 80’s superstar!” Review and photo by DAve (Concert #745)

Anita Baker: 2/14/23 “The DAve Show took off to the road heading to Hotlanta for some Valentine’s Day shenanigans including Anita Baker LIVE in concert at State Farm Arena. It was the first of a 2023 Pop/R&B break from my typical classic rock and country concert escapades (the others shows being Janet Jackson and Madonna). I was super-excited as I had settled in on the possibility of never seeing the Quiet Storm 80’s, soul—jazz—R&B, 3 octave voice artist in concert after missing her farewell tour in 2018. The 65 year old Detroit native and former waitress and receptionist skyrocketed in the mid-80’s with her eight million selling ‘Rapture’ album. Her 21 year studio career (’83-’04) with a mere 6 studio albums charted 25 singles on the US R&B position. Tuesday evening was the 2nd date of her 15 city US ‘The Songstress Tour’ (her first true nationwide tour in nearly thirty years) which commenced on the 11th in Florida. It was a no surprise sell out from the very beginning. My seats were upper bowl mid-arena —what I could get via a StubHub gift credit. Her band consisted of five persons in the background (L to R: keys-guitar-drums-bass-more keys) separated by a person height divider limiting a full view of the action. In the forefront L to R: grand piano-saxophone-Anita’s microphone-back up singers (two female, one male). A stage length video screen backdrop showcased all the front stage going’s on for us in the thinner air regions of the arena. The on-stage band divider often mimicked the video screen’s border images. Prior to Baker’s appearance on stage there were curtains surrounding and concealing the stage set up that were inward and outwardly illuminated in blue and red. At 9:15 the front curtains drew up and the side curtains drew horizontally backward and Anita took the stage for a 1 hr 40 min / 12 song set (with 4 from the Rapture album). There were no medleys or run on songs, Baker simply communicated verbally with the audience between each selection extending the time length of the dozen song set. I guess that’s what a Songstress does?! With the band playing, the soulful singer made her way onto the stage traveling from side to side waving, spinning, conducting, and playing air instruments all the while muscling through a noticeable limp. The scaled down and skillfully arranged stage gave the solo artist about 80% of it’s available space to utilize. Early on she jumped into ’Sweet Love’ (the second song) after a brief introduction, ‘I love you… Thank y’all, we appreciate you so much, and I want you to understand this is your night and I apologize for being so late, I truly do.’ Before she could utter another word the audience was singing every word of the first verse a cappella. Anita interrupted with a kind of restart revealing a slightly different arrangement, her vocals purposefully sung a step slightly off beat. There was another similar false start sing-along to ‘Sweet Love’ and ‘Been So Long’. She clearly loved being in Atlanta, a night scene of the city appeared on the big screen complete with the ferris wheel outside (so it had to have been recent footage). ‘Atlanta, Atlanta, every musician in the world that I know loves Atlanta!’ As she began singing ‘Same Ole Love’ R&B singer Usher came on dressed in a bright red blazer in what appeared to be cameo surprise bending down on one knee and handing her a huge bouquet of roses! After a kiss she immediately put him on the spot telling him, ‘Usher, I love you’ and handed him the microphone. He willingly complied by singing, ‘Same Ole Love especially on Valentine’s Day’! Next up Jermaine Dupri came out and gave Anita a hug, it was truly a star studded event! Turns out that in addition, Tamia, Killer Mike, 2 ChainZ, Grant Hill, Chris Webber and John Gray were all seen back stage. A beautiful rendition of ’No One In The World’ came next, Baker modulating up perfectly mid-song. Other songs of note included ‘Operator’ and ‘Angel’, Anita pointing around ‘You’re my angel, you’re my angel….’ ‘Everyone up here all night long from start to finish, everyone that has a microphone was actually singing into that microphone tonight. Everyone here this evening that has an instrument in their hands, they’re actually playing that instrument’ Truly it was a kind of assurance concert attenders can appreciate now-a-days. Rounding down the evening was the classic ‘Rapture’. ‘I want to acknowledge three generations of fans’, ‘As long as you keep coming, we’ll keep coming to see you!’ The encore was ‘Giving You The Best That I Got’, with a change of wardrobe Anita came out dressed all in red. Sparklers and a shower of confetti ended the regular set and the encore respectively. Not without note to mention this evening was Anita’s support artist for the special event, the legendary Babyface. Kenneth Brian Edmonds, 63, singer/songwriter/producer who was tagged ‘Babyface’ by Bootsy Collins has 9 solo albums with 32 charted singles and a 36 yr solo career, surprisingly more than Anita herself. Babyface proved to be the perfect opener coming on 30 minutes late likely due to a sparsely full arena. Taking the stage precisely at 7:31 he performed a 55 minute / 6 song set, one of which was actually a jam packed 26 song medley of songs. ’I thought this would be a fun time to go through a medley of songs that I wrote or I produced.’ At the opening line of each song a Billboard styled rendering showing weeks on the chart, year, title, and artist was broadcast on the video screen. There were multiple by Bobby Brown and even a couple that I knew: ‘Rock Steady’ by The Whispers, and ‘Slow Jam’ by Midnight Star. His five person band also featured two additional back-up vocalists while thousands throughout the audience sang along to nearly every word! In addition to Usher and Jermaine, Babyface also joined Baker briefly on stage during her set. A word about the sound. In all my years of concert attending going back to the 70’s, the evening’s sound quality where I was sitting was the worst I EVER experienced! I feel that much of it had to do with where I was sitting but I can’t pinpoint if it was actually due to the arena itself or the mix, or a combination of the two. After viewing a few video posts on social media from different angles that sounded great I can only assume it was majorily just my section. I’ve been to State Farm on a number of occasions, all in the upper bowl with no sound issues. Not to be a downer but it did put a damper on the entire evening, luckily the show itself made up for it somewhat. Despite that being said, I’m so glad I made the trek Southwest to see the 80’s superstar!” Review and photo by DAve (Concert #745)

Anita Baker and Babyface were NOTHING short of SPECTACULAR! My Husband and I enjoyed the show. We saw Babyface before and he gets better and better every time we see him. It’s been on our bucket list to see Anita Baker live and she is truly amazing. Nothing but LOVE and it was worth it.

Carrie Underwood is the best... I smiled the entire show. She has a way of making you feel good. She engages with the audience by looking at us, talking to us and waving to us. Almost two days later and I am humming her songs. Note: not a single f-bomb or curse word from the stage (which is unusual for State Farm Arena and Atlanta performances in general). Go see Carrie Underwood!

The show was excellent. It didn't start on time but what show does. It also was longer than most concerts that I've been to in the past. Overall I still appreciated the show. Faith City was really good. I had heard their music but didn't know them by name. I'm now rocking their music in my playlist. I also didn't know all of Maverick City Music's music but now I'm listening more as I thoroughly enjoyed them and the whole presentation. Kirk is Kirk. I've seen him before in Augusta, GA and know he's going to put on a show, get all into the crowd and just do his thing. None of these artists disappointed. My wife and I had good seats and we just enjoyed the night.

The show was good. Things were not as tight and organized this time as the last two shows I've seen. They started late and there was a big gap between the host introducing them and the video actually starting and them coming out. Tim Bowen and Faith City did an excellence job of opening up. I was disappointed we did not have any surprise guest artist to appear. Missed some of the members from the first tour.

Last night was a straight turn up party!!!! They delivered on every aspect, the stage was perfect, the setting was amazing, they brought the biggest name performer you could ever imagine seeing. Who you ask, they brought the presence of the Lord in the building. I sang, laughed, cried, sang some more and danced all night long. I'm so grateful I was able to experience this amazing concert

This was by far the best concert of my life. I attended with my husband and my aunt, who was visiting from Colombia, and even though she could only understand half of what was said (she speaks Spanish and a little bit of English) she could not stop thanking me for inviting her because she had the most amazing time! We laughed, we cried, we worshipped, we danced, we did it all! It was absolutely incredible, Maverick City Music and Kirk Franklin came with the best energy and you could truly feel the joy in the room! Thank God for this incredible experience, and thank you Maverick and Kirk for an unforgettable night!! ❤️

When purchasing tickets in the Atlanta State farm arena please be weary of PIT seating. You WILL NOT HAVE AN ACTUAL SEAT. There were sooooo many concert goers who had not idea they were to stand the Entire time...including me. I was able to secure a seat elsewhere but it was very nerve racking. This ticket company along with the others did a Poor job of conveying this pertinent information. The concert was good.

Smashing Pumpkins/Jane’s Addiction: 10/11/22 “It was just another road trip to Atlanta or was it Planet Pumpkin, Alternative Nation U.S.A. for the 7th date of the 32 city Smashing Pumpkins/Jane’s Addiction ‘Spirits On Fire Tour’. Tonight began a 4 in 5 day concert run for me (part of 10 shows spanning 3 states during the month of October). It was about time for some ’90’s alt rock which admittedly is one of my weakest genres much to my chagrin— in fact other than country music, the entire decade was a musical blur and a virtual concert bust. I was super-excited for a shot at redemption and attending the show with my friend Derrick, a 90’s rock wealth of knowledge and top fan of SP was a plus! Smashing featured a classic core lineup: Billy Corgan 55 vocals, James Iha (guitar), Jimmy Chamberlain (drums) all since 1988, with Jeff Shoroeder on guitar as well since the 2007 reunion in lieu of D’arcy Wretzky who left the band or was fired in 1999 (take your pick). Of the band’s 11 studio albums, the only three I had remote familiarity with were Gish, Siamese Dream, and Melon Collie so I wasn’t sure quite what to expect. It had to be good, right? After all Corgan has stated that the bands sounds were inspired by groups such as Cheap Trick and Queen, two of my top all-time faves. My seats were upper bowl left credit LIVE NATION’s $20 ‘all-in’, can’t go wrong with that. The stage was set: Stage L to R: background vocals, guitar, drum kit (in center with Corgan in front), bass, guitar. There was a center light ring in the shape of a star above the stage and 5 up and down movable suspended light rigs, two single tight towers with beacon’s a top stationed L and R, a single stage-length light bar a front of the stage floor, plus a stage length LED backdrop behind. Smashing took the stage at 9 pm for a 1 hr and 50 minute/20 song set opening with ‘Empires’ one of three songs performed from the forthcoming ATUM 3 disc set. (The show however was set heavy on the ‘95 Mellon Collie album with six songs total and Siamese taking second with three.) With uninterrupted playing, songs 2,3,4 were Bullet With Butterfly Wings, Today, and We Only Come Out at Night. James introduced the band, ‘Hotlanta how are you? Thank you so much. We’re The Smashing Pumpkins thank you so much for coming out tonight.’ An unconventional and almost indiscernible cover of Talking Heads ‘Once In A Lifetime’ was a highlight complete with shredding guitar, screeching vocals, and a methodically pounding drumbeat. Corgan even changed up the lyrics to the delight of the audience… And you may find yourself in a part of the world called Atlanta Georgia! In ‘98’s ‘Ava Adore’ Billy showed off some dancing moves, which considering his black full length button down coat was quite impressive. ‘Tonight Tonight’ was performed acoustic with Billy playing his custom painted Yamaha star. The song was preceded with a dialogue between Billy and James, ‘James are you feeling the love tonight? Yeah yeah I’m feeling it pretty good. James thirty years ago just up the road in Marietta —we recorded our second record Siamese —that’s right, classic in Georgia.’ Another highlight was a Cherub Rock, Zero, 1979 trifecta, Jimmy transitioning from Cherub to Zero with a guitar part sounding somewhat similar to the Star Spangled Banner. During the band introductions James addressed Jeff, ‘What do you want to play us, Skid Row? Skid Row is playing here tonight or was it last night?’ Jeff responded with a riff from ’18 and Life‘ The evening winded down, or rather was it winded-up, with an ‘X.Y.U.’ that pushed decibel level limits. There was no encore. Given the band’s psychedelic tone styles I half expected a mellower performance and was pleasantly surprised with the loud and energetic output. Until this show I never took note of what a prolific songwriter Corgan is, I’ve typically just grooved along not paying attention. His lyrics are deep, haunting, and remarkable in composition. Needless to say I was impressed with the show! Jane’s Addiction preceding SP was yet another case of a band sporting a classic line-up this time from 1986: Perry Farrell 63 on vocals, Eric Avery (bass coming in after a 12 year absence), and Stephen Perkins (drums). Of note, Dave Navarro due to Long COVID recovery was replaced on the tour by guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen (Queens Of The Stoneage and Iggy Pop) JA took the stage at 7:40. The 1 hr / 10 song set featured 5 cuts from their debut album ‘Nothing’s Shocking’. Perry who took his final bow with a bottle of wine in hand was clearly in high spirits from the very get go. ‘I always look forward to coming to Atlanta, cause I don’t know, something about it makes me want to be bad!’ ‘I wish y’all could be in my mind right now there’s a party going on…it’s cool, there ain’t nobody in there to bother us.’ Jane’s performance, an 88-90 extravaganza, was far more theatrical than Pumpkins. Dancing girls accompanied the band on stage for visual entertainment. There were a set of monkey bars for the girls to hang on. When not on the bars you could find them performing aerial acrobatics, sitting a top spinning stools, and even on top of a rocking horse. At one point the three ladies molded themselves together on one chair in Cirque Du Soleil fashion. However there was no doubt that the essential’s ‘Jane Says’ and ‘Been Caught Stealing’ performed in tandem were the highlights of their set. Arriving late for a 6:30 showtime I missed the opener Poppy (Industrial Metal). I kind of wish I’d a been there to answer the question for myself, ‘Is she real or is she android?!’” Review and photo by DAve. (Concert # 710, 711)

This was my first time seeing The Smashing Pumpkins, and I have to say that this was probably my favorite concert of all time. I have been to many concerts throughout the years and was happy with the shows, but nothing compared to getting to see The Smashing Pumpkins now. I have been a fan since the 90s and Billy, James, Jimmy, and the band did Not disappoint. They are true entertainers and seemed to really enjoy the show themselves. This was a dream come true and I was not let down. Beguiled, thier new song, was performed flawlessly.

The first time I saw Cudi was in 2009 at The Tabernacle in ATL and to now see him 13 years later at State Farm Arena was amazing. The opening acts were great and Cudi kept the energy up all night. If you are on the fence about seeing him live, don’t be. Go see him before the ‘To The Moon’ Tour is over. It will be well worth your money.

Music was great stage show performance phenomenal and for all the people that complain about his politics you do realize that Pink Floyd music has always been antiestablishment. He never once brought up any particular party and basically dropped a bunch of truth bombs. I guess the people who bitch about that just can’t handle the truth.

I purchased tickets for me & my sister for an early birthday present for my sister. We had so much fun. The concert was awesome. I got to have my picture made with Donnie as he was leaving stage B and heading toward the back. I loved it so much I cant wait till they come back to Atlanta next year. I hope that I can get m&g next time.

I enjoyed the concert from beginning to end. Joe and Anthony were a class act. Maxwell shined like a diamond and kept me mesmerized with his entire performance. Latina has an angelic voice and the band is the best ever. I’m already anticipating the next Maxwell concert. It will be my fourth time seeing them.❤️