As part of our best of 2019 coverage, this week we’re asking:
What’s the best live show you saw in 2019? This includes concerts, stand-up, musicals, plays, performance art, etc.
Gwen Ihnat
Not sure what I was expecting before seeing Six at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre this summer, but I immediately fell for the pop-rock musical devoted to the wives of Henry VIII. It’s like if the Spice Girls performed an English history version of Chicago’s “Cell Block Tango” alongside some P!nk-worthy pop anthems. All six of the wives brought truly impressive pipes and unbridled feminist enthusiasm to the surprising smash-the-patriarchy musical. Turns out I wasn’t the only one who loved it: Chicago’s production of Six won three Jeff awards, including Outstanding Production–Musical. But my fave critic was my tween daughter who accompanied me; she downloaded the soundtrack the next day and now wants Philippa Gregory’s six-volume Boleyn series for Christmas.
Laura Adamczyk
U.S. Girls crammed at least 10 people on the Empty Bottle’s tiny stage when they passed through frontwoman Meghan Remy’s hometown of Chicago in June. Drums, hand drums, keys, bass, guitars, percussion, saxophone, lead vocals, backup—the crowded yet dynamic collective played mostly in support of U.S. Girls’ sharply political and eminently danceable 2018 LP, In A Poem Unlimited. I appreciate a performer who maintains her persona by not engaging in any stage banter, and Remy only spoke twice in between songs: once, to serenely proclaim, “What a night of music,” and then to ask someone for a hair tie. The club was full, and everyone was hot from dancing.
Danette Chavez
I can usually count on Riot Fest to offer up an experience that feels custom-made for me, whether it’s splashing in the mud with the middle-aged children waiting to hear “Alex Chilton” at The Replacements reunion in 2015, or ending up in a group hug with strangers listening to Jawbreaker’s “Want” in 2017. This year, that bespoke moment was dancing under a full moon to Bloc Party’s full-album performance of Silent Alarm. Nostalgia is a huge part of the appeal of any Riot Fest lineup, but since this was my first time hearing Bloc Party live, there was also an element of novelty. The autumnal equinox was only days away, but the heat that Kele Okereke and co. generated among the crowd, who stomped along with “Helicopter” and swayed to “This Modern Love,” made it feel like summer would last forever.
William Hughes
Looking back over my notes from this year, it turns out that I was a complete and utter homebody; outside a few comedy shows (most notably a pretty great Nicole Byer set recently) and a podcast festival that I helped put on, I didn’t much leave the house for anything live. Still, there was one big and very fun outlier: Catching The Mountain Goats’ regular swing through Portland back in September. Seeing John Darnielle and his team tear through his vast catalogue always gets me hooked on at least one song I wasn’t previously crazy about; this year, a wonderfully raw version of “Cry For Judas” slipped irresistibly into my veins.
Alex McLevy
I’m deeply disappointed in myself to report that I failed in my new year’s resolution for 2019: I did not see a live band every month, even though I often saw multiple artists within a month. I will chalk it up to the vagaries of having a one-year-old; that little bastard has kept me from many an event. Nonetheless, despite some great shows, including the Bikini Kill reunion at Riot Fest that made teenage Alex the happiest he’s arguably ever been, the best show I saw this year has to go to The Beths at Lincoln Hall. The New Zealand band was so good, and so skilled at exhorting the crowd to embrace the good vibes, that everything else fell by the wayside while they absolutely transported me to the sunny world where everyone knew the singalong refrain to every one of their powerfully addictive pop songs. God, they rocked, and with any luck, they’ll be back to rock you (and me, you better believe I’ll be there) soon enough.
Shannon Miller
Out of the litany of live performances I’ve seen over the years, few experiences have resonated as deeply as the one I had watching K-pop livewires NCT 127 at the Rosemont Theatre in Chicago back in May. The Neo City: The Origin tour was their first world-trotting effort, and the energy even before funneling into the 4,400-seat venue was unspeakable. I had anticipated a particularly emotional night—Chicago is the home of member Johnny Suh—but the vivacity of the band merged with the unrelenting love and support of the audience to create an inimitable atmosphere. Scream-singing “Superhuman” until my voice buckles will always bring kind memories of wild visuals, sharp choreography, and a sea of neon green light sticks.
Kelsey J. Waite
I am an avid concertgoer, and I saw more great shows than I can count in 2019. But last spring my years-long quest to catch Maria Bamford live finally came to fruition, and her intimate set at Chicago’s Den Theatre will go down as one of my favorites of all time. She was as riveting as in her comedy specials—sharp and self-deprecating, hilariously physical and musical; her stories littered with outrageously good impressions—but the vulnerable tension in her performances is even more powerful live. I’ve already got my tickets for her return in 2020.
Randall Colburn
It’s hard to explain to people why I love seeing ambient music live, expect to say that it’s more of a meditative experience than an active one. From Stars Of The Lid and Loscil to Grouper and Gas, live ambient’s always been a transportive experience for me, one that abolishes time and encourages reflection. My favorite ambient orchestration, however, is one I never thought I’d get the chance to see live: William Basinski’s The Disintegration Loops. The artist’s haunting chronicle of deteriorating tape loops has previously been transposed to live instrumentation, but performances are exceedingly rare. I was overjoyed, then, to hear that the Chicago Philharmonic was bringing it to life at Pitchfork’s Midwinter festival this past February. Head here for my full thoughts on the performance, but, in short, it was everything I’d hoped it’d be—soothing, mournful, cathartic, and unforgettable.
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We went to see Wild Child at Meow Wolf in Sante Fe a few months ago and it was just fantastic. Never mind 2019, that was the best live show I’ve seen since Cosi fan tutte at the LA Opera, which was a few years back now.
I saw Maria Bamford for the first time last year after having wanted to for a ridiculously long time, and she lived up to my ridiculously high expectations and then some.
This year I’d say Stewart Lee’s Tornado/Snowflake gig was the best thing I saw, it was a close run thing with a production of How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying which was a lovely old thing, but Lee just edges it for me.
After seeing The Beths this year in a tiny venue, I wholeheartedly agree with Alex. This is an amazing band to keep an eye on and I’ll be sure to have a ticket the next time they come around.However, the best shows I saw this year were Vince Staples on the Smile, You’re on Camera Tour and Carley Rae Jepsen’s Dedicated Tour. I missed Carley the last time she came to DC, so getting to see her in a smallish club was a perfect birthday present from my partner. She sounded excellent, had warm interactions with the crowd, and really used the club’s intimacy to her advantage. The only complaint I had was that she somehow (?!) didn’t perform “The Sound,” but otherwise, I’ll remember that show for years.This was the second time I’d seen Vince and, much like Carley, it was in a small venue (930 Club). He brought so much energy and personality from the show, performing nearly all of FM, but also plenty from Big Fish Theory, Summertime ‘06, and his EPs. Had he left it at that, the show still would have been one for the books, but after closing with “Yeah Right,” he leaves the stage to seemingly prepare for his encore. Instead, the lights stay out, and a projection starts to play a video of what I recognize to be the NPR Tiny Desk Studio. For the next fifteen minutes, the entire crowd watches the late Mac Miller perform stripped down, vulnerable renditions of songs from his last album, Swimming. At that time, I’d maybe heard Mac a handful of times, was disappointed to hear about his passing, knew he and Vince had been friends, but largely unfamiliar with his music as a whole. What I heard and saw that night was such an emotional punch that I’m getting worked up about it as I type this. It was a bold, unexpected way to close the night, but such a powerful way to show the love Vince has for his friend.
Seeing Jawbox twice (once in Boston, once in San Francisco) brought out my inner 19-year-old like nothing else. Runner-up would be Jose Gonzalez & String Theory at the Boston Symphony Hall.
Really wanted to see the Beths this year, but they didn’t pass through my city. Debated flying out somewhere to see them. Their debut album is fantastic and would be an absolute joy to see performed live.Of the shows that I did see this year, the two clear standouts would be Charly Bliss, Better Oblivion Community Center, and Vampire Weekend. Charly Bliss was just sweaty, glittery, cathartic joy. BOCC was a group of amazingly talented and likable musicians basically just screwing around (Conor Oberst’s punk rock cover of Phoebe Bridgers’s Funeral was simultaneously the funniest and most badass concert moment for me this year). Vampire Weekend was just a tight, professional set that played dozens of songs I’ve been obsessed with since high school. Other highlights were The National (their set as a whole was kind of uneven and had some rocky audio issues to start, but a few of their songs came out very, very well) and Hop Along (my third time seeing them on the same tour, but damn if they aren’t the best rock band working today). I also saw Aziz Ansari’s new standup special live, which was great.
I’m also really glad I caught BOCC this year, having seen both of their individual projects before. Phoebe going ham on a raging version of Bright Eyes’ “Easy/Lucky/Free” was a highlight. Vampire Weekend’s show here was on a poorly timed night for me, so I hope their 2020 tour eventually swings back through here. I haven’t seen those guys since the “Contra” tour.
Yeah VW played 29 songs at the show I went to, it was great. The kind of band I’ll probably see anytime they’re in town even if I don’t follow them as much as I used to.
God The Beths are so fucking good live*. I normally prefer my indie-pop shambolic and falling apart a little at the edges, but they’re all music studies graduates/teachers and they can damn well bring it. They’re absolutely charming too.*they are also so fucking good on record. If you’re not onto Future Me Hates Me yet, you only have a few months to get across that shit so you can say you were there since the first album.
The only publicized live shows that come through my part of the country are moldy old rock groups playing casinos. You really have to search every square inch of the weekly alt-press papers to find anything else, which requires time and patience I generally don’t have.Soooo… I guess that busker at the farmers market was pretty good.
I was going to say my kids dance recital was pretty good as well
Oh hello fellow Iowan
Alan Menken who wrote the Disney songbook did a concert w an orchestra
I saw Mystery Science Theater 3000 Live: The Great Cheesy Movie Circus Tour which was Joel’s farewell tour. I can’t ever remember laughing that hard or that many times at one show. Get the VIP ticket it’s worth it!
I saw exactly one this year, and it was New Power Generation knocking out some Prince jams. Great show, but if it hadn’t been the winner by default something else would have beaten it. Not their fault, just a very straightforward show with an underwhelming crowd. (the crowd also skewed strangely elderly, which made songs like Cream feel slightly awkward when you look to the side and see the spitting image of Sophia from Golden Girls bopping along, haha)
Four way tie for me, almost all for contextual reasons:1) During the opener for The Beths (who, as everyone correctly identifed, are the best), Michelle Zauner from Japanese Breakfast just casually walked onto the stage to do a couple of suuuper stripped down songs bc she was in the area that night.2) FINALLY getting to see Vampire Weekend live, alongside an old friend who’d never been to a concert before and he LOVED it.3) Seeing real-life alien Julio Torres do his stand-up(?) special live. One of the most deeply unique comedians on the face of the planet, and my personal fave of 2019. 4) Kishi Bashi performed in Philly on his birthday, and his whole crew went ALL out to celebrate. He wore a birthday cone-hat on one of the spikes of his pseudo-mohawk, which was magical. Overall, just a frighteningly wholesome 3 hours that just slaps a huuuge smile on my face every time I think about it.
Its depressing to say this, but I didn’t see one live show this year. I can’t remember when that last happened. Does it count that I saw the Empire Strikes Back with a live orchestra? That was amazing.
Yes! That would be amazing.
I saw that in Milwaukee. Fan-tas-tic!
Tough to choose, but ones that stick out:Bittersweet, but great: Turnspit’s final showSlayer at Riot Fest. Was my sixth time seeing them and maybe the best. Really nice way to see them go out.Dirty Nil: just caught them a couple weeks ago. I finally get it. Insanely good band.Sacred Reich: getting a new album from these guys 23 years after they broke up was such a treat, and they’re so tight and great live.
Was Sacred Reich with Gwar? Gwar always had the best openers.
Yep, and Toxic Holocaust as well. The openers were the best part of that show.
When they first came out I used to see them in Dallas. One of the best shows was with this band called Skatenigs, probably 92 or 93.
I think the first time I saw them was 91, but it may have been 92. It was the “New Titans On The Block” tour (same summer as, and tongue in cheek response to the Slayer, anthrax, Megadeth Clash of the Titans tour).That tour was Sick of it All, Napalm Death, Sacred Reich, and Sepultura. Obviously SR made an impression. Loved that band from the start.
See I went to Clash of Titans in Dallas, it was 91. That show sounds awesome though.
I go to a show every month or so, so very hard to pick. Probably Levitation Fest here in Austin. Night one was Aussie band Stonefield, then Japanese band Kikagaku Moyo and then Canadian psych rock legends Black Mountain. Night two was much doomier with Swedish doomsters Monolord, Miami metal band Torche, Richmond, VA doom band Windhand (my favorite set) and finally Portland metal band Red Fang.2 days prior to their set, Windhand had all of their gear stolen and still played their set somehow.Other great shows were Swedish retro rock band Graveyard with British psych metal band Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats. Austin doom band The Well with other Austin metal bands Duel and Destroyer of Light and metal band Mountain of Smoke.
Not a big concert year for me despite moving to a bigger city. But I saw Cursive with Cloud Nothings and The Appleseed cast a few weeks ago and that was a lot of fun. All three were really good live and Cursive has a cello player again, which made their songs sound a lot different and better than last time I saw them play.
Chicago bitches! Go see FEE LION the next time she plays original material. Girl is lightning in a bottle. She DJs frequently, but oh man! FEE, if you’re reading this, keep your head screwed on strait. Wisconsin is here waiting for you to vacation and do woodsy shit. Get away twice a year and go inner-tubing. You’ve got the black vinyl apprentice-cenobite-thing going on, be sure you can escape and just be a hippy now and then. You rule.
MST3K Live. Jonah > Mike. There, I said it.
Bold statement there! But hey, opinions. Been a fan of Jonah since hearing him on Nerdist like 7 or 8 years ago.
I actually really like Mike, I’m not one of the Joel fanatics. I like them all. But Jonah is probably the best possible replacement for the reboot.
Luckily there is Rifftrax. I actually love em all. Mike is the one that gave me my favorite MST3K episode (The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies).
That’s such a good one! Mike is great.
Las Vegas Majestic Repertory Theatre’s performance of John Moran’s “The Manson Family Opera.” Man oh man. Spooky stuff.
IDLES, and it’s not even close.
I’ve been lucky to see a bunch of good acts this year (Aimee Mann, Tom Paxton, comedian Paul Mercurio, The Raconteurs, etc), but Glen Hansard was the highlight. One of my favorite current musicians, and his shows never disappoint.
It’s pretty obvious none of you people saw Weird Al Yankovic at Ravinia with a full orchestra backing.-d
Zamfir and William Hung.
I saw the touring version of Hello Dolly back in May and it was beyond impressive. It even came with an actual Broadway star, the great Betty Buckley in the title role. Had a blast and a half, great lady as well.
IDLES in Boston. Only live show I’ve seen this year / last ~4 years (2 kids, alas) but it was absolute fucking perfection.Hear them. See them. Love them.
Between my social anxiety and my crushing medical debt, I’m not big on live shows, so the best live show I saw in 2019 was also the only one I saw in 2019, the comedy/true crime podcast True Crime Obsessed, when they came to New Orleans for Crime Con. Worth it!
I’m fully expecting it to be A John Waters Christmas: Filthier and Merrier, which I am going to see tonight.
If I have to pick one that already happened, maybe it was PPL MVR opening for The Aquabats, which was just something totally unexpected and crazy and wonderful.
Sun Kil Moon Sept. 21, Sellersville, PA. The Koz was his charming/cranky self. Great small venue to see him. Also going to see Strand of Oaks Holiday Show this Thursday and then Mount Eerie next Sunday. Looking forward to both.
Jesus Lizard.Still kicking ass in 2019.That’s right.
I saw several outstanding shows this past year, but these three stood out:3. Del McCoury at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga, CA. I’ve never seen a band that was tighter than these guys. Old school bluegrass at its best. Them covering a Richard Thompson song was one of the highlights of the year.2. Nellie McKay at Feinstein’s at the Nikko (SF). Most people have never heard of her, but she’s one of the most talented people working today. She can do anything she wants and have few peers: Broadway, indie rock, folk, protest songs. She has complete command of any and all genres she wishes to embrace. She’s hilariously funny to boot.3. The Decemberists at the Fox Theater in Oakland. Another display of complete mastery of their chosen fields. This time around, they added in the rock. Their performance of “Severed” was the loudest thing these ancient ears have ever heard. And I mean that in the best possible way.
I know that saying The Cure were the best show I saw in 2019 makes me sound like a 30-year-old who’s hit early “boomer-hood”, but Robert Smith’s voice has not aged in 40 years, and the rest of the band sounds as good as ever. They were in full festival mode this year with less variation than usual between shows, but they weren’t phoned in one bit. I’m convinced they will continue playing until they drop dead.
In terms of younger artists, saw some great shows by Better Oblivion Community Center, Thom Yorke, Angel Olsen, Florence + the Machine (in a fucking BLIZZARD), and finally checked Robyn off my bucket list after all these years.
Best show I saw this year by far was a standup set from the legendary…. leeeeeegendary Neil Hamburger. Believe it or not he’s still coming up with new material about the Red Hot Chili Peppers doing heroin.
This is obscure as hell, but one of my favorite musical trends was the hard rock signing rush of the late ‘80s. I found out that three of my favorites from that time-Bang Tango, Dangerous Toys and Faster Pussycat-were coming to this place close to my house for fairly low prices (it was really more of a cover charge). However because of familial drama I kind of spaced it out and when I went to recheck when the concert was it had happened a couple days earlier. I really felt sorry for myself. … Now that I write that out I realize it’s not a very good story.
Not in order: Thom Yorke, Rasputina, and Electric Six.
Thom Yorke at the Greek on the day before Halloween The mix of ambient sounds, Yorke’s disjointed movements, and the insane graphics projected behind him perfectly timed to the music created one of my favorite and most cathartic moments of the year.
I only went to two live shows this year: the first was Rachel Bloom – Live at the London PalladiumAnd the second was, um, the second night of Rachel Bloom live at the London Palladium …
I went to a lot of shows this year (for a 43yo father of 3), but my favorite was a spontaneous, night-of-show decision. I’d been listening to Stella Donnelly’s album “Beware of the dogs” and saw she’d be at ONCE Ballroom in Somerville, MA. I figured she wouldn’t be swinging through MA all that frequently from Australia, and going to her show turned out to be one of the best musical decisions I made this year. Donnelly struck the perfect blend of music, banter, and audience engagement. I’ve been to shows that made me laugh and I’ve been to shows that made me cry, but I’m not sure I’ve been to any that really made me do both. I suspect the next time she comes through town, she’ll be at a much bigger venue. I’m glad I caught her at this intimate venue before the rest of the world catches on.
Perhaps most surprising to me was Two Door Cinema Club, a band that I like enough to pre-order their latest album on vinyl, but had no idea that were that popular (still). Just an incredible tight live band pumping out hit after hit interspersed with just as engaging new material to a packed, dancing theatre. It reminded me of early 2000s gigs when I was a much younger, enthusiastic concert goer.And in other bands that are somehow doing their best work and shows 30 years into their career: The Chemical Brothers. Their live-shows have always been great, but their No Geography show might have finally outdone Daft Punk’s pyramid in pure spectacle.In comedy I am happy to report that age, quitting smoking and drinking, has not slowed down Dylan Moran. Where other aging comics have gone to boomer seed (damn millennials and their PC ways!), DM has a fresh and funny outlook befitting his persona.
Sadly, I had to miss Gogol Bordello due to work travel, because I suspect they would be at the top. That said, seeing Kishi Bashi in SF was wonderful. Just a wonderfully bubbly, fun stage show.
Carly Rae Jepsen at the Chicago Theater. Just a very joyful, earnest, fun experience.Massive Attack at the Chicago Theater. Had never seen them before. Was very cool. Some interesting (if not exactly subtle) visual elements.Manchester Orchestra at Riot Fest. Just a good old fashioned rock set.Death Cab at Metro.
This was a good year for live shows for me. I would say the best were The 1975, Wallows and Carly Rae Jepsen. Carly Rae Jepsen because of a combination of the amazing pop energy, a smaller theater venue and the crowd being so happy and into it. The 1975 because I’d been wanting to see them for years and we popped for a VIP booth so there was plenty of room to dance. The show was so well produced and just a riot of fun. Wallows because of the small venue, and they were a complete surprise. My friend and I went because we loved the first season of 13 Reasons Why and the tickets were cheap and we thought it’d be fun to see the actor. But then we started listening to their stuff a few months before the show and realized they were pretty good. The show was fun, the music was surprisingly good and we had a great time.
I have to say- live post rock show in Australia of we lost the sea (with awesome support by meniscus and solkyi) was my highlight (this included seeing nick cave at the opera house and a whole lot of great bands) WLTS was my def highlight though. 2020 starts with tool, mono, Nick Kroll and Ben folds and the Sydney symphony orchestra and the national. Roll on 2020