Live From the Artists Den

Country superstar Tim McGraw performed for an intimate audience at The Corinthian in downtown Houston for his episode of Live from the Artists Den, tearing through a dozen songs, including hits “Southern Girl,” “One of Those Nights,” and “Lookin’ For That Girl.” Set among the neo-classical columns of the century-old former bank building, McGraw also performed a number of songs from his album Sundown Heaven Town for the first time. Over the course of his career, McGraw has garnered 35 Number One songs, over 40 million album sales as well as multiple GRAMMY, CMA and ACM awards.

On the eve of the release of their album, 9 Dead Alive, the incomparable Mexican guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela performed at Upper Manhattan’s Hispanic Society of America for their episode of Live from the Artists Den. The virtuoso musicians played a dazzling set in the century-old museum’s Bancaja Gallery, surrounded by the fourteen paintings that make up Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida’s masterwork “Vision of Spain.” It was a breathtaking setting for Rodrigo y Gabriela’s unique fusion of genres, a mix of melodic beauty and percussive fury which drove the crowd into clapping, stomping glee.

On a stormy New York City night, the always-cheeky, always-entertaining Lily Allen thrilled the crowd at the Manhattan Center’s stunning Grand Ballroom with a typically irresistible spectacle featuring multiple costume changes and a battery of back-up dancers. The set focused on Sheezus — her return to recording after a five-year hiatus—and included the singles, “Hard Out Here” and “Air Balloon,” which were simultaneous Top Ten hits in the UK. She closed the night with two of her signature smashes, “The Fear” and “Not Fair.”

Historic Los Angeles theater Royce Hall, located on the UCLA campus, provided a spectacular backdrop for Jason Mraz’s taping of Live from the Artists Den. Accompanied by the four members of Raining Jane, Mraz breathed new life into old favorites like “I Won’t Give Up” and performed material from his collaborations with the LA folk-rock group, from the album Yes!. The set was punctuated by classic Mraz hit, “I’m Yours,” which earned a full-throated singalong from the rapt crowd.