Brand New and Thrice play the first of a pair of sold-out Orlando dates.

Strike Anywhere turns a room full of strangers into a family with their well-measured mix of melodic punk and angry politics.

Blackheart Revolution (G-Force/MVD Entertainment). Review by Jen Cray.

Keeping it simple but not stupid, Teenage Bottlerocket and a host of others helped make Jen Cray’s evening enjoyable and yes, quite punk.

Strung Out gives standard Orlando fare a run for its money, abusing, shredding, and grinding the hell out of every inch of The Social’s stage to fans’ delight.

Eddy Current Suppression Ring (Goner Records). Review by Jen Cray.

U2 packs the biggest rock show in history into The Spaceship and takes it on the road to touch the hearts of 75,000 fans in Tampa and outer space. Jen Cray laughs, she cries.

The Sounds bring an ear-pleasing mix of alt-pop gems and a hefty dose of star power to Orlando’s House of Blues.

Juliette Lewis jettisons the Licks for a new bid at solo stardom. Jen Cray sees how she handles the spotlight all to herself.

Poetry of the Dead (Epitaph). Review by Jen Cray.

Danger Is EP (Take Root). Review by Jen Cray.

Beggars (Vagrant). Review by Jen Cray.

Slower! Slower! Jen Cray is bowled over by the brutal trudge of an evening with Down , Weedeater and the mighty Melvins.

Good Views, Bad News (SideOneDummy). Review by Jen Cray.

American Rubicon (Red Scare). Review by Jen Cray.

Jen Cray is delighted to report that Green Day has morphed into an unstoppable rock ‘n’ roll band, capable of holding entire arenas of fans in the palm of its collective sweaty hand. Whether you believe it or not is up to you.

Downsizing to fit a twisted economy, the Van’s Warped Tour still brought in massive crowds for their 15th annual summertime circus. Jen Cray slathered on sunblock for the St. Petersburg, Florida show.

Tori Amos has been setting fire to fans’ hearts and minds for 17 years, Jen Cray among them. Her recent Orlando show was, as usual, a rousing success.

The Avett Brothers don’t just appeal to hippies anymore. Their recent Orlando show showcased a genre-defying band with talent beyond their numbers. Jen Cray is a newly born fan.

The Rise Against/Rancid tour has been a hot ticket all summer, but only in Orlando was it scorching enough to not only require that a second date get added, but to result in a double night sell-out. Jen Cray squeezed into the pit for the opening evening.