Season 8

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” and “One of Those Nights” as well as his single, “Lookin’ For That Girl.” Set among the neo-classical columns of the century-old former bank building, McGraw also previewed a number of songs from his forthcoming album, Sundown Heaven Town, due later that year. 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 an episode of public television’s Live From the Artists Den. The two virtuoso musicians played a dazzling 12-song 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,” a celebration of the country’s diverse customs. It was a breathtaking setting for Rodrigo y Gabriela’s unique fusion of musical genres, a mix of melodic beauty and percussive fury which drove the 300 invited guests 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 her brand-new release, Sheezus — her return to recording after a five-year hiatus—including the two singles, “Hard Out Here” and “Air Balloon,” which were simultaneous Top Ten hits in the UK and closed 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 LA folk-rock band Raining Jane, Mraz revisited old favorites like “I Won’t Give Up” and previewed new material – such as “Hello, You Beautiful Thing” – from his album, YES!. The focus was on the collaborations with Raining Jane, who wrote and recorded YES! with Mraz. The set was punctuated by classic Mraz hit, “I’m Yours,” which earned a full-throated singalong from the rapt 1700-person crowd.