Hall Oates

Although the mix of uncomfortable tension and the holiday season is as familiar a yuletide cocktail to some as eggnog, it is not an ideal blend for tidings of comfort and joy in concert. Saturday night at the Orpheum Theatre Daryl Hall's escalating anger at ongoing technical problems and the sold out crowd's restlessness in the face of a lengthy set of Christmas music resulted in one bumpy sleigh ride for Hall & Oates. The tour was billed as "Home for Christmas" but some in the audience were clearly - and loudly - unprepared for the entire first hour of the two hour-and-15-minute...

Daryl Hall is clearly enjoying his impressive second act. The Philly soul singer-songwriter - and blond half of the classic pop-soul duo Hall & Oates - has experienced a resurgence, thanks to his charming show "Live From Daryl's House," started as a webcast in 2007 and now in TV syndication (and seen locally on WBIN), on which Hall has welcomed scores of veteran and up-and-coming musicians to his New York home to play jam sessions in his barn and enjoy meals in the kitchen. Thursday night he took his show on the road, transforming the House of Blues into "Daryl's House,"...

Daryl Hall is clearly enjoying his impressive second act. The Philly soul singer-songwriter - and blond half of the classic pop-soul duo Hall & Oates - has experienced a resurgence, thanks to his charming show "Live From Daryl's House," started as a webcast in 2007 and now in TV syndication (and seen locally on WBIN), on which Hall has welcomed scores of veteran and up-and-coming musicians to his New York home to play jam sessions in his barn and enjoy meals in the kitchen. Thursday night he took his show on the road, transforming the House of Blues into "Daryl's House,"...

A strong Finnish BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA The Finnish conductor and composer Esa-Pekka Salonen leads a set of keenly anticipated performances, featuring Ravel's "Tombeau de Couperin," Stravinsky's complete "Firebird," and his own Violin Concerto, with Leila Josefowicz as soloist. April 12-14. Symphony Hall. 617-266-1200, www.bso.org POP & ROCK DARYL HALL & SHARON JONES It's the head-scratcher of the spring concert season: Blue-eyed soul from the 1980s meets its smokin' contemporary cousin.

We usually reserve a few words at the end of concert reviews for the opening act, but circumstances dictate a break from tradition. The Hives, Swedish garage rockers who are on tour with American chart toppers Maroon 5, gave a brief master class at the Garden last night. The subject was rocking, and the band's wild circus barker of a frontman, Howlin' Pelle Almqvist, ministered like a madman to swarms of fresh-scrubbed skeptics counting the minutes until the pop stars came on. With a barrage of good humor, stiff riffs, clean hooks, and frantic energy, the Hives turned the impatient concertgoers...

A strong Finnish BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA The Finnish conductor and composer Esa-Pekka Salonen leads a set of keenly anticipated performances, featuring Ravel's "Tombeau de Couperin," Stravinsky's complete "Firebird," and his own Violin Concerto, with Leila Josefowicz as soloist. April 12-14. Symphony Hall. 617-266-1200, www.bso.org POP & ROCK DARYL HALL & SHARON JONES It's the head-scratcher of the spring concert season: Blue-eyed soul from the 1980s meets its smokin' contemporary cousin.

PICK OF THE DAY In full swing The sound of a swinging big band can really make our day (and make us want to dance). Get your smile on and your toes tapping when the 15 world-class musicians of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra play the Celebrity Series of Boston for the 10th tenth time. Trumpeter Trumpter Wynton Marsalis (pictured) leads the ensemble. Repertoire includes classics and commissioned works by Ellington, Basie, Monk, Strayhorn, Gillespie, Goodman, Mingus, Shorter, Lovano, and others.

It's hard to dislike someone who's determined to please you. So for all you Coldplay haters - and your numbers are strong - here's a bit of advice: See the band live before you judge. No one wants you to love Coldplay more than lead singer Chris Martin. With a perpetual bounce in his step, he worked hard at TD Banknorth Garden Wednesday night, bounding like a clumsy toddler down the two side stages that led into the audience. On the swooping chorus of "In My Place," he swept his arms out to the crowd, midriff exposed, as if he had just hit a home run. And when...

It's hard to dislike someone who's determined to please you. So for all you Coldplay haters - and your numbers are strong - here's a bit of advice: See the band live before you judge. No one wants you to love Coldplay more than lead singer Chris Martin. With a perpetual bounce in his step, he worked hard at TD Banknorth Garden last night, bounding like a clumsy toddler down the two side stages that led into the audience. On the swooping chorus of "In My Place," he swept his arms out to the crowd, midriff exposed, as if he had just hit a home run. ...

Just how many times did someone shout out "I love you" during the Daryl Hall and John Oates performance at the Orpheum Theatre? It seemed as if every time there was a quiet passage in a song, there it was. True, it was the female contingent that verbalized adoration for the veteran hitmakers. But what of the pair of young men, one sporting a blond wig and the other a rather large Afro one, whose attempts to reach the stage were repeatedly thwarted by security? After three decades Hall and Oates are still going strong, touring now behind their 2004 set of classic soul covers,...

PICK OF THE DAY In full swing The sound of a swinging big band can really make our day (and make us want to dance). Get your smile on and your toes tapping when the 15 world-class musicians of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra play the Celebrity Series of Boston for the 10th tenth time. Trumpeter Trumpter Wynton Marsalis (pictured) leads the ensemble. Repertoire includes classics and commissioned works by Ellington, Basie, Monk, Strayhorn, Gillespie, Goodman, Mingus, Shorter, Lovano, and others.

It's hard to dislike someone who's determined to please you. So for all you Coldplay haters - and your numbers are strong - here's a bit of advice: See the band live before you judge. No one wants you to love Coldplay more than lead singer Chris Martin. With a perpetual bounce in his step, he worked hard at TD Banknorth Garden Wednesday night, bounding like a clumsy toddler down the two side stages that led into the audience. On the swooping chorus of "In My Place," he swept his arms out to the crowd, midriff exposed, as if he had just hit a home run. And when...

It's hard to dislike someone who's determined to please you. So for all you Coldplay haters - and your numbers are strong - here's a bit of advice: See the band live before you judge. No one wants you to love Coldplay more than lead singer Chris Martin. With a perpetual bounce in his step, he worked hard at TD Banknorth Garden last night, bounding like a clumsy toddler down the two side stages that led into the audience. On the swooping chorus of "In My Place," he swept his arms out to the crowd, midriff exposed, as if he had just hit a home run. ...

Although the mix of uncomfortable tension and the holiday season is as familiar a yuletide cocktail to some as eggnog, it is not an ideal blend for tidings of comfort and joy in concert. Saturday night at the Orpheum Theatre Daryl Hall's escalating anger at ongoing technical problems and the sold out crowd's restlessness in the face of a lengthy set of Christmas music resulted in one bumpy sleigh ride for Hall & Oates. The tour was billed as "Home for Christmas" but some in the audience were clearly - and loudly - unprepared for the entire first hour of the two...

We usually reserve a few words at the end of concert reviews for the opening act, but circumstances dictate a break from tradition. The Hives, Swedish garage rockers who are on tour with American chart toppers Maroon 5, gave a brief master class at the Garden last night. The subject was rocking, and the band's wild circus barker of a frontman, Howlin' Pelle Almqvist, ministered like a madman to swarms of fresh-scrubbed skeptics counting the minutes until the pop stars came on. With a barrage of good humor, stiff riffs, clean hooks, and frantic energy, the Hives turned the...

Just how many times did someone shout out "I love you" during the Daryl Hall and John Oates performance at the Orpheum Theatre? It seemed as if every time there was a quiet passage in a song, there it was. True, it was the female contingent that verbalized adoration for the veteran hitmakers. But what of the pair of young men, one sporting a blond wig and the other a rather large Afro one, whose attempts to reach the stage were repeatedly thwarted by security? After three decades Hall and Oates are still going strong, touring now behind their 2004 set of classic soul...

SOMERVILLE - At the end of St. Vincent's five-week tour, said Annie Clark, things are bound to get touchy as the musicians begin feeling the effects of the road: Hall & Oates songs will be sung, bandmates will start getting a tad gamy. But that's still to come. Kicking off the tour Tuesday at the Somerville Theatre, the former Berklee student who records as St. Vincent was brimming with ideas and surging with electricity. "The Strangers" opened the show on a seemingly low-key note, with light drum tapping and cascading drops of flute and violin.

With the retirement of Jay-Z andwashouts such as Memphis Bleek, it seemed like the Roc-A-Fella empire might be in trouble. But Kayne West has been the breakout act of the year and with the ascendancy of Young Gunz, things are looking mighty bright for the Fellas. The Philly duo of Chris and Neef don't do anything revelatory on their debut but they offer jams with deft interplay that can't be denied. They hit with blunt authority and get plenty of help from an array of guests. Most of the disc is preoccupied with the bling and roll that you hear on many hip-hop records these days, but...