Live from the Artists Den

The Imagine Dragons perform at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles.

British singer and guitarist Ed Sheeran performs at the meeting house of the New York Society for Ethical Culture in Manhattan, N.Y.

On a warm February night in Los Angeles, the legendary Seattle rock band Soundgarden concluded a sold-out winter tour in support of King Animal, their first studio album in over 16 years. The Artists Den was there to document this unforgettable night within the historic art deco setting of The Wiltern. In front of a rapturous crowd, Soundgarden interwove brand new songs with classics, radio hits with rarities never before performed for a live audience. Over a varied 28-song set, they showcased their history, dazzled with their musicianship and captured the imaginations of everyone in the room.

The Wallflowers perform. Included: "Three Marlenas"; "Devil's Waltz"; "Hospital for Sinners"; "6th Avenue Heartache"; "Reboot the Mission"; "Sleepwalker"; "Misfits and Lovers"; "Closer to You"; "Love Is a Country"; "Witness"; "One Headlight"; and "The Difference."

Iron and Wine at the Buckhead Theatre in Atlanta, GA

Kid Rock at Graceland in Memphis, TN

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

A special compilation episode featuring three standout emerging artists in different settings, kicking off at Sothebys auction house in New York with R&B singersongwriter Daniel Merriweather, followed by alternative pop songstress A Fine Frenzy and folk singer-songwriter Lisa Hannigan (best known for her work with Damien Rice).

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Robert Plant and the Band of Joy at the War Memorial Auditorium in Nashville

Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs perform at the Don Strange Ranch in Boerne, Texas. Included: "For the Summer"; "New York City's Killing Me"; "Beg Steal or Borrow"; "Repo Man"; "Henry Nearly Killed Me (It's a Shame)"; "Like Rock & Roll and Radio"; "You Are the Best Thing"; "Trouble"; "Hey Me, Hey Mama."

The 19th-century Patrick F. Taylor Library at The Ogden Museum of Southern Art, University of New Orleans, is currently closed to the public while being restored to its original grandeur. But its doors were opened to a select few on a warm April night for a concert as unique as the setting: Booker T. and the Drive-by Truckers with special guest Bettye LaVette. Under the sculpted oak beams of the library's vaulted ceiling, rich soul music kept the crowd on its feet late into the night.

The Black Crowes -- a rock band Billboard coined an "Allmans-to-Zappa synthesis of influences" -- broke onto the scene with their multiplatinum 1990 debut, Shake Your Moneymaker. The Georgia band has since released seven studio albums, which have racked up worldwide sales exceeding 19 million. The Crowes's 2008 LP Warpaint includes, according to Rolling Stone, "some of the best range and craft of the band's career" -- not a small feat for a group that's been on the scene for two full decades. After an extensive renovation, The Lyric Oxford re-opened its doors in the summer of 2008 on "The Sqare" in Oxford, Mississippi. The Lyric originally opened as a silent movie theatre in 1913 and played home to a variety of films and events over the years -- including the world premiere of native Oxfordian William Faulker's "Intruder in the Dust" in 1949.

David Gray brought his signature mix of acoustic instrumentation and electronic samples to Wall Street for an intimate performance at the Broad Street Ballroom, housed in a 1920s building renowned for its austere Classical Revival style. The breathtaking hall of the former Lee-Higginson Bank (now part of the first-ever private elementary school below Canal Street) provided a colorful setting for the multi-platinum singer-songwriter as he played songs from the eagerly anticipated Draw the Line and his hits.

Fifty thousand fans dancing in the sunshine of Manchester, Tennessee cheered on funk/folk superstar Ben Harper during his main-stage performance at the 2007 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. The largest featured in Season One of “Live from the Artists Den,” the concert took place on the 700-acre farm that for four days each year becomes the home of what is widely considered to be the premier American music festival.

Under the sculpted, neo-Renaissance ceiling of the Prince George Ballroom in Manhattan, KT Tunstall performed before an intimate Artists Den audience, revisiting her hits and giving a sneak peek of her upcoming sophomore album, Drastic Fantastic (Virgin/EMI), a follow-up to the massively successful Eye to the Telescope. Tunstall's dynamic sound found full expression with a five-piece band, filling the ornate, colorful ballroom with equally lavish music.

In the heart of the revitalized Downtown Los Angeles district, fans packed into the breathtaking former Archdiocese cathedral Vibiana for a rare intimate set by Aimee Mann in a stripped-down, trio line-up. Built in 1876, the historic building’s Baroque white hall provided a stately setting for this special benefit concert, as Aimee treated Artists Den guests to favorites such as “Save Me” and “Goodbye Caroline” – and a first look at her forthcoming album, Smilers.

On the bitterly cold winter night of Patty Griffin’s new record release – the acclaimed Children Running Through (ATO Records) – devoted fans huddled together outside the Angel Orensanz Center for a chance to see Griffin perform songs from the album for the first time. The historic converted synagogue’s neo-gothic arches were lit with the warm glow of candlelight as Griffin’s singular voice filled the room, accompanied by new band members and longtime players alike. A special treat on some songs was the addition of legendary keyboardist Ian McLagan (Small Faces, The Rolling Stones) – who appeared for this night only – and a 5-piece string section.

The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia – the first art museum in America – displayed the work of a different kind of artist on a warm spring night when Ani DiFranco played the Artists Den stage. Before a packed gallery in the Academy’s Historic Landmark Building, which opened in 1876 for the nation’s Centennial Exposition and World’s Fair, the prolific, fiercely independent folk singer-songwriter gave a special performance of both fan favorites and new songs from her upcoming album, Red Letter Year.

In through the 19th-century archway, across the ivy-covered courtyard, and up worn stone steps sits the Refectory of the Desmond Tutu Center, located on the campus of the oldest operating seminary in America, in the heart of New York’s vibrant Chelsea neighborhood. The wooden Gothic architecture of the hall provided the backdrop for a special performance by Jakob Dylan and his band, the Gold Mountain Rebels, in celebration of his first solo release, Seeing Things.

Judson Memorial Church was built in 1890 with the vision of aiding Lower Manhattan’s growing immigrant population through social services in addition to religious ones, but it was in the mid-1960s that Judson earned its national reputation as a progressive church – both by organizing politically around social justice issues and opening the church to experimental, avant-garde artists from many genres (dance, painting, theatre). The Artists Den hosted an intimate performance in the famous Lombardo-Romanesque building by multi-platinum songstress Alanis Morissette, who gave a taste of her new album, Flavors of Entanglement, on the eve of its release.