Darlene Love is one of the most talented voices of the past several decades. Sadly, she was not always credited as being the voice on some classic songs (case in point, "He's a Rebel" is credited to The Crystals, but it's Love manning the lead singer slot). A gem in the Phil Spector stable of acts where she sang on a myriad of his sessions and lead vocalist with the Spector-created trio, The Blossoms. In addition to all the artists and songs she sang with (too lengthy to list), she was a standout on the iconic holiday disc, "A Christmas Gift from Phil Spector".
Not to mention that she also played Danny Glover's charming wife in the four "Lethal Weapon" films.
Love performed a phenomenal show at The Cabot (the premier concert venue on the North Shore) in Beverly, Massachusetts on December 16, 2024.
The concert was a Christmas-themed show labeled as "Love for The Holidays 2024", and began with "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" and a bouncy interpretation of "A Marshmallow World".
Love spoke of her friendship with Elvis Presley and their shared love of Gospel music. She reminded all that The Blossoms had performed with Presley on his massively successful television program, the "'68 Comeback Special" and Love then recreated the Gospel medley from the special with, "Where Could I Go But To The Lord"/"Up Above My Head"/"Saved".
After a sharp cover of Brenda Lee's "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree", Love moved away from the Christmas theme for a spell. She then did a quintet of 60's-Spector related classics including: "He's a Rebel"; "Wait 'Til My Bobby Gets Home"; "He's Sure The Boy I Love" (which was brilliantly used in the 1990 film, "Goodfellas"; "(Today I Met) The Boy I'm Gonna Marry"; and "Da Doo Ron Ron (When He Walked Me Home)".
Tales of Spector filled the night. At one point, Love said that while he chose her stage name, she eventually changed her name to Darlene Love.
"Grown-Up Christmas List", a David Foster composition, and "All Alone on Christmas" (penned for Love by Steven Van Zandt and used in the film "Home Alone 2: Lost In New York" in 1992) ended the first set.
Returning for a second run, Love focused mostly on Christmas-related tunes.
Serious standouts were Irving Berlin's "White Christmas", an epic "Winter Wonderland" and a cover of Bobby Helms' "Jingle Bell Rock" (which was used as the opening song in the original "Lethal Weapon" film in 1987).
A great moment during the night was when a precocious eight-year-old girl in the front row, whose infectious dancing and energy caught Love's attention, and caused her to lightheartedly sing a snippet of Carl Carlton's, "She's a Bad Mama Jama," to the thrilled young lady.
Another epic moment came when Love revealed the range of her pipes on a powerful Gospel cut, "Marvelous", bringing the packed Cabot crowd to their feet in appreciation.
Love ended the night with the iconic "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)". While this has been covered by such diverse acts as U2 and Mariah Carey (and penned by Spector and Brill Building greats, Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry), Love did the original and has not lost a step in her voice all these many Decembers later.
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“I received plenty of comments saying it was far too soon to ‘go solo’,” Geese frontman Cameron Winter told NME last year while reflecting on how people initially reacted to his decision to branch out on his own. “Most likely because a lot of folks assume that ‘solo albums’ only happen once a band has passed its peak and that they usually feel like uninspired cash grabs.”
Honestly, everyone is trying to earn a living however they can these days, yet no one expected a Geese side project to generate any real financial payoff in 2024. “Just so you know,” he went on, “my solo album is different: because barely anyone knows my band, I am young and comfortable living with my parents and I have the freedom to follow any ideas that interest me.”
Brooklyn indie followers and former NME cover stars Geese were gaining real momentum when their second album ‘3D Country’ mixed cowboy psychedelia with a jazzy, art-punk energy that had already captured the attention of many UK 6 Music dads back in 2023, but who could have predicted what came next? Geese have become one of the most talked-about bands of 2025 and are expected to dominate multiple end-of-year lists with the ambitious and full-range rock of ‘Getting Killed’. Yet the moment that set the stage for this rise was Winter’s Lou Reed-inspired debut solo record ‘Heavy Metal’.
A handful of late-night US television appearances and a spot on Jools Holland acted as a welcoming doorway for the world to see what this 23-year-old can do far beyond what many twice or three times his age are capable of. Now the sold-out Roundhouse audience made up of indie teens, art school regulars, fans who traveled across Europe and seasoned listeners reacts with a collective breath as a slight opening in the stage curtain reveals the silhouette of Winter seated at a piano. First comes a spark of excitement, then a sudden hush.
There is no flashy social media moment, no chatter overriding the music and almost no sea of raised phones. There is a sincerity to how the night unfolds. The Geese singer barely turns toward the audience. “Turn around!” someone calls out from the balcony at one stage. “Is this not enough for you all?” Winter teases back. For some, maybe it was more than enough. At least four people appear to faint around the warm and crowded Roundhouse while the room stands in absolute focus as Winter moves through the dreamlike storytelling of ‘Try As I May’, the emotional swirl of ‘The Rolling Stones’, the bright lift of ‘Love Takes Miles’ and the sermon-like stomp of ‘Nausicaä (Love Will Be Revealed)’. When he reaches the intense and spiritually charged ‘$0’, even the most skeptical hipster might be convinced that “I’m not kidding, God is actually real”. In that moment, it feels as though we all understand.
The entire performance can be summed up in how ‘Drinking Age’ unfolds. It starts softly with a gentle touch on the keys before erupting into a thunderous attack on the Steinway that could echo into next year, followed by a long, open cry aimed toward the sky. Winter somehow manages to blend something minimal with something enormous, something grounded with something cosmic, a delicate approach that hits with staggering force as he reaches toward ideas of existence, heaven, hell and everything surrounding them.
Winter could recite the phone book and still leave a crowd stunned. He carries the spirit of a post-punk Rufus Wainwright you can play alongside The Strokes and Arctic Monkeys, a Gen Z Tom Waits for listeners exhausted by TikTok overload, a new Nick Cave who arrives at exactly the moment he is needed. His voice feels older than his years yet perfectly suited to express the concerns and emotions of his own generation.
We will continue praising Geese endlessly because they deserve it. They are an extraordinary burst of musical creativity that goes far beyond what their lineup would ever imply, and along with Fontaines D.C., they are poised to become one of the decade’s essential bands. Still, tonight offers something quieter and more intimate. Cameron Winter stands completely on his own power, talent and magnetism, proving himself a rising force who can hold an entire room with only his voice, a piano and an entire future waiting for him.
‘Try as I May’
‘Emperor XIII in Shades’
‘The Rolling Stones’
‘Love Takes Miles’
‘Drinking Age’
‘Serious World’
‘Nausicaä (Love Will Be Revealed)’
‘If You Turn Back Now’
‘Vines’
‘Nina + Field of Cops’
‘$0’
‘Take It With You’
‘Cancer of the Skull’
