Season 4 2012

Just days after the release of her record-breaking sophomore album, 21, British sensation Adele performed for a small group of lucky fans at the Santa Monica Bay Woman’s Club in Santa Monica, CA. Her powerful voice filled the elegant ballroom with hits like “Rolling in the Deep” and “Someone Like You” from 21 and “Chasing Pavements” from her Grammy-winning debut album, 19, as well as a cover of the soul classic “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.”

The Fray at the Angel Orensanz Foundation on New York's Lower East Side

Death Cab for Cutie at the Brooklyn Museum in Brooklyn, NY

The Kid met The King on a snowy night in Memphis, when Kid Rock delivered an epic performance at Graceland. Following a historic, acoustic jam session with his band, Twisted Brown Trucker, in the Jungle Room at Elvis Presley’s mansion, Rock performed in the Elvis Presley Automobile Museum. From breakthrough hits like “Cowboy” and “Bawitdaba” to his anthems “Born Free” and “Care” (tossing in a bit of Elvis’s “Burning Love” for good measure), the Detroit rocker gave the audience a definitive look at a remarkable career – from inside the walls of rock and roll’s greatest landmark.

Amos Lee made a triumphant return to Tucson on a sweltering night in the desert with an epic performance at the historic Fox Theatre. The acclaimed singer-songwriter came back to the city where he recorded his Mission Bell album and invited a number of his friends to join the show, including local heroes Calexico. The set ranged from solo showcases to arrangements for a dozen musicians, and featured some of the finest songs from his catalogue.

On a chilly fall night, Atlanta’s historic Buckhead Theatre hosted an unforgettable, marathon performance by Iron & Wine. The show was a sort of homecoming for frontman Sam Beam, who grew up a few hours from Atlanta, and he delivered a two-hour, 24-song set for the crowd. The eleven-piece band played virtually all of Iron & Wine’s fourth album, Kiss Each Other Clean, plus favorites like “Naked as We Came” and “Boy with a Coin,” before Beam closed the remarkable night with a luminous solo version of “Flightless Bird, American Mouth,” from the Twilight: Breaking Dawn soundtrack.