The best Fourth of July songs, from Ray Charles to Bruce Springsteen to Team America

It’s time for aging rockers like the Who, the Rolling Stones and Aerosmith to pack it in

Album reviews: Rhianna, Keith Urban, the Floacist, Bruce Springsteen

The Gaslight Anthem were road-hardened and ready to rock at the Gothic Theatre on Friday. Photos by Joe McCabe. In late-2007, the Gaslight Anthem’s debut full length, “Sink or Swim,” was released on XOXO Records — and it might as well have included a memo to music journalists reading: If you are going to write a review of any kind about this band you must include two things:

“Hello, Denver! Are you with me?!” Springsteen rocks the crowd at the Pepsi Center on Friday. Photos by John Leyba. Bruce Springsteen is known and celebrated for his stamina. The New Jersey singer-songwriter’s legendary three- or four-hour concerts are the thing of live music lore, especially in an age when audiences are lucky to get half that from his peers. But what fuels Springsteen’s endurance? If Friday night’s marathon at the Pepsi Center was any indication, Springsteen thrives on intense, animal-like water breaks.

At age 59, Bruce Springsteen is one of the rare rock performers whose credibility has risen with the passing of time. His politics are well known, but more importantly, people connect with his music. (Nils Meilvang, AFP/Getty Images) Bruce Springsteen turns 60 this September, and his Columbia Records debut, “Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.,” came out more than 35 years ago. And yet many claim that the Boss, who plays the Pepsi Center tonight, is now more relevant than ever. When Springsteen and his E [...]

[photopress:07_MarcCohn_AimeeMann_PJeye.jpg,full,pp_image] Aimee Mann at Chautaqua Auditorium on Wednesday. Photo by Mark T. Osler. Marc Cohn decided to address the issue of his shooting in Denver — which happened three years ago during attempted carjacking, and after a show at Denver Botanic Gardens — several times during his show at the Botanic Gardens Friday night, starting with saying how safe he felt to be back in Denver, then giving an explanation with a reference to “The World According to Garp.” Cohn talked about how in the [...]

[photopress:ladyhawk.jpg,full,pp_image] Ladyhawk’s ’70s rock-indebted sound flattened a half-full Hi-Dive last night. Photo from MySpace. If I had known Vampire Hands were opening for Ladyhawk at the Hi-Dive last night — and I probably should have, considering I was reviewing the show (think, McFly, think!) — I would have arrived earlier. The Minneapolis band’s recordings do little to communicate their energy in a live setting, a kidney-punch of click-happy, tumbling percussion and slicing guitars that inspires comparisons to Les Savy Fav and Liars. But I didn’t, [...]