What's the best live show you saw in 2018?
Image: Photo: Springsteen On BroadwayPhoto: Fever RayPhoto: Neko CaseGraphic: Libby McGuire Aux Features AVQ&A
As we wind down 2018, our best-of coverage continues with the following question:
What was the best live show you saw this year?
Erik Adams
When David Byrne billed the American Utopia tour as “the most ambitious show I’ve done since the shows that were filmed for Stop Making Sense,” it came off a little hyperbolic. Six months after catching the tour’s Chicago stop, I think he might’ve been underselling it. Barefoot and clad in matching gray suits, Byrne and band worked through a set that ran from Talking Heads’ Fear Of Music all the way up to his 2018 solo release, a sometimes turgid recording whose songs found new degrees of energy and movement when played by a band whose members were all strapped to their instruments. The performance struck that very David Byrne balance between de-emphasizing elements that might distract from the music (three long curtains of what appeared to be chain mail accounting for all the set dressing) and constantly saying “Hey, look at this cool thing we did!” (again, those curtains, which factored heavily into the choreography and provided the backdrop for some incredible, “What A Day That Was”-style giant silhouettes). I went into the night expecting to see one of my favorite musicians (and the driving force behind my favorite band) put on a show that would maybe, just maybe, live up to one of my favorite movies. I left having cried every last tear in my body, and with the conviction that I need to get a tattoo of the “This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)” lamp.
William Hughes
Oh, hey, it me: The guy who’s been to way more podcast tapings over the last 10 years than live music shows. (In my defense, the feeling of profound human connection produced by attending a concert with other people thoroughly creeps me out, while the blissful alienation of a room full of comedy nerds is exactly my anxious speed.) Even then, I only made it out to one show this year, but it was a good ’un: a taping of my favorite podcast, My Brother, My Brother And Me, at Portland’s Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Having been a fan of the increasingly ubiquitous McElroy brothers for years—I was even there for their very first live show, at a much smaller venue in Chicago once upon a time—I knew I was in for a good show. But it was still a delight to see Griffin, Justin, and Travis legitimately crack each other up in front of a packed house of advice seekers. We even got a Haunted Doll Watch, the best of the brothers’ recurring segments of internet nonsense—don’t at me, Munch Squad folks.
Clayton Purdom
The best show I saw this year was also the only show I saw this year, but fortunately, it was a good one: Radiohead’s tour opener at the United Center in Chicago. I’ve seen the band a few times before, and firmly believe that their best creative work is behind them, but it was a great reminder of the enduring power of their entire discography, as well as the band’s on-stage chops. But let’s not belabor the point: There’s something reassuring about being a part of a crowd of people howling “Bring down the government / They don’t speak for us” in 2018, even if it is in the context of a song about resignation and apathy. As always with Radiohead, it’s a reminder that you’re not quite as alone in your anxieties as you sometimes think. And, of course, the light show kicked fucking ass.
Kelsey J. Waite
I saw so many great shows this year: Janelle Monáe, Kelly Lee Owens, Princess Nokia, plus all-time favorites like Chaka Khan and Beach House. But none of them quite beat the experience of seeing Fever Ray bring the neon bacchanalia of her 2017 album, Plunge, to life. Karin Dreijer’s approach to touring eschews traditional band hierarchies, sharing creative decisions and staging equally with her collaborators. On this tour, the musicians joining her were an uncommon sight: all women, most around 40 with kids, from all around the world. Each cast with a distinct alter ego, they resembled a gang of superheroes more than a band, and I followed them religiously on social media for months before and after their spring show in Chicago, inspired by the distinct sense of community fueling their travels. Like Plunge, the show itself was a barrage of beats and kink, a space meant to center and celebrate transgression, and Dreijer embodied it in her bald sexy-baby getup, gently twirling the pink strings of her bloomers as she sang about queer sex. Dreijer is such a rarity, in both her talent and the frequency of her output and touring, that it just felt extremely special to get to see her. And everything sounded fantastic.
David Anthony
The obvious pick for me would be the Springsteen On Broadway show I saw with my mom, which was intimate, emotional, and nearly three hours in length. And in a normal year, that’s what I’d be picking. But this was the year I saw The Armed, the Detroit “band” that might be a collective or might be an art project or might be one big ruse, who’s to say? Packing 10 people onto a small stage, they didn’t look like any band I’d seen before. Sure, there were people holding instruments and microphones, but there was also a table in the middle of the stage, where vocalist Cara Drolshagen and some guy dressed in a ghillie suit fucked around on their phones for the bulk of the set. The Armed played with no lights on in the room, save for the intense strobes they brought along, and with the added distraction of fog machines, it was impossible to see anything that was happening. That allowed The Armed’s frontperson, known only as Randall, to spend the entirety of the set off the stage, using the band as a diversion so he could sneak up behind people and corral them with the cord of his microphone, that is, when he wasn’t just grabbing audience members by the face and pushing them into one another. There were no introductions, no banter, and no purpose other than for The Armed to spread their simple mission statement: Only Love. It felt like being indoctrinated into a cult, and nothing I’ve ever experienced, before or since, has ever felt that way.
Caitlin PenzeyMoog
Having escaped the cult induction David experienced, I’m free to write about Springsteen On Broadway. I’ve been to a lot of Springsteen concerts over the last 15 years, but this one was nothing like those legendary, bombastic extravaganzas. Instead of a dozen musicians and crowd sing-alongs 50,000 fans strong, Springsteen spends the intimate show mostly by himself, at the piano or holding a guitar or just standing at a lonely microphone, deconstructing the myth of the artist to a few hundred people. It’s a brilliant, vulnerable performance, mixing songs old and new with simple storytelling, and it packs a wallop because he masterfully exploits your preexisting relationship with him and his body of work. For me—and I imagine plenty of other people in the audience—songs like “Thunder Road” and “My Hometown” are deeply rooted in my youth. Most Springsteen fans have been fans for decades, whether you’re 29 years old or 60. So when Springsteen deconstructs writing his most well-known and beloved songs as a young man, examining where he was in his tumultuous early life, he brings a whole new context when he performs them. It made a bunch of songs I already loved take on a newer, deeper meaning.
Nick Wanserski
I wanted to do something special for my wife’s birthday this year, so instead of waiting for Neko Case to come play our town, I thought we could go out to Colorado and make a trip of it. I miscalculated a bit by choosing a show where she performed as the opening act, and having never gone to a show at Red Rocks before, I was unprepared for how much effort it is just to get to your seats. Even after driving up the hills and parking, there still remains a holy pilgrimage’s worth of stairs to climb before reaching your destination. So we could already hear the beginnings of her set as we huffed our way up to our seats. And maybe it was the lack of oxygen affecting my brain, or maybe it was the ambient cloud of marijuana smoke that now hangs over the entire state of Colorado like a London fog, but even arriving late to a truncated opening act, hearing Case perform live was a singular experience. Her voice is so elemental and so strong; it cracked out along the walls of the canyon as sharp and hard as daggers.
Gwen Ihnat
My 2018 best show was going to be the same as my 2015 best show: the Foo Fighters at Wrigley Field. Then last week, I was lucky enough to catch Rufus Wainwright at The Vic. He had more costume changes than Liza Minnelli but more closely channelled her mother: It was like seeing Judy Garland at the peak of her considerable audience-winning powers. The set consisted primarily of his first two albums, with a talented backup band knowing perfectly well when to drop out behind him and let Wainwright take over on piano, pouring out a flood of emotions over the keys. But he stood up for his cover of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now,” a song I don’t even remember liking before, as I usually found the ice cream castles and circus crowds pretty cloying. But I was soon surprised to find that my cheeks were wet, flummoxed by my salty discharge like in that Seinfeld episode, and looking around, I wasn’t alone. Post-song, we leapt to our feet en masse to give Wainwright a mid-show standing ovation, a first: I don’t ever remember seeing one before and I’m sure it will be a long time before I see one again. Possibly at my next Rufus Wainwright show.
Katie Rife
After seeing John Carpenter in concert twice, I had to admit to myself that I am the type of person who will spend a not-insignificant amount of money to watch an old guy with a ponytail playing the keyboard with one hand, as long as said old guy is iconic enough. I expected something similar when I bought tickets to see Giorgio Moroder perform live, and that’s basically what I got: Moroder, now 78 years old and still sporting a luxurious mustache, spun live remixes of his most influential disco (and, to a lesser extent, soundtrack) hits from behind a set of turntables. No live band, no singers, just Giorgio. Here’s the thing, though: Giorgio Moroder’s signature hits are all bangers. And experience does count when it comes to working up a crowd, which Moroder, who barely spoke a word during his set, was able to do by simply raising one finger in the air. And when he lifted both arms and dropped the melody for a moment? The whole room went apeshit. It’s the most fun I’ve had at a show in ages, with a crowd that included people of many different ages, races, and gender expressions, all looking to get sweaty and get loose on the dance floor. It was so much fun, in fact, that I slept through my alarm and missed a flight the next morning.
Alex McLevy
I’m a huge proponent of big, ambitious, weird, live theatrical and/or musical experiences—attending Sleep No More a few years back was a life-altering artistic experience—but ultimately, the thing I treasure most is still the everyday experience of seeing a little band in a little venue, giving it their all for 30-40 minutes in hopes of achieving something extraordinary. And the best experience I had in that department this year was watching Ratboys perform at Schubas here in Chicago. It was a frigid winter night in January, the bill was absurdly oversized (my kingdom to never again endure a five-band lineup outside of an all-day event), and Julia Steiner, Dave Sagan, and the rest of the group were the first ones up, factors that stacked the deck against a memorable show. Instead, from the opening count-off to the first song, the band delivered an engaging, endearing, and ultimately moving set, leaning hard on the more energetic and hard-charging tracks that have become Ratboys’ forte, which has the perverse effect of making the more infrequent slow-build anthems and quiet ballads that much more powerful. It was an emotionally rich show, one I treasured the entire subsequent 11 months of 2018.
182 Comments
Indigo Girls at the Beacon. They were great.
David Byrne, hands down. That show belongs in a museum.
I had been on the fence because of the price. But I eventually shelled out and ended up loving the performance.
Such a terrific show. I’ve never raved about a concert so much afterwards before.
Absolutely the best show I went to this year (also the only one I went to this year). I was so glad they played ‘Toe Jam.’
You are absolutely correct! What a great message and the music was great! I only went to two shows this year (I’m an old man at 50). Saw Tribal Seeds with Iya Terra as well. Pretty good but David Byrne rocked my face off!
It was the best concert I’ve seen in my life.
I came here to say David Byrne as well. I haven’t smiled so long in a really long time. Just fucking great.
Possibly the best show I’ve seen ever, which is saying a lot given how not great the American Utopia material, which made up quite a bit of the set, was. That’s the thing, though — even if the song didn’t do it for you, the choreography and the lights were great art on their own. If there’s going to be a tour video release, it’d be worth having.
Yeah, this is the right answer. Best show of all time for me.
It’s so rare I can walk out of a show thinking, “Wow, I’ve never seen anything like that.” This was one of those times. Brilliant stuff.
I’m so sad to have missed this show. He was supposed to play New Orleans twice this year; I couldn’t make the first show, and he canceled the second.Heard nothing but raves from friends who caught the Jazz Fest set, though.
I saw the Byrne show at Austin City Limits– even in the broad daylight, it was a fantastic show. Probably the best thing I saw at ACL.
St. Vincent’s Fear the Future tour at the Electric Factory in Philly was as close as I’ve seen a performance come to a religious experience. The entire crowd was borderline silent, just totally enraptured by Annie pretty much alone on stage with just her giant screen and her litany of guitars. Out of this world, in almost every conceivable way.On a somewhat different note, if you get the chance to see Mac Sabbath (the McDonalds Black Sabbath cover band) play, even if you don’t like Black Sabbath, it’s one of the most genuinely delightful musical performances one can ever witness. The Ronald McDonald-esque character pulled a 3 foot long telescoping straw out of his pants at one point and used it as a beer bong. What more could you need.And finally on a very different note, finally got to see Latrice Royale and Naomi Smalls do a show a few weeks back, and my god can they both dance the fucking house down (in very different directions, ofc).
St. Vincent kicks so much ass.
It was so weird seeing her at a performance hall that’s usually reserved for symphonies, as opposed to a rock music venue, where I saw her crowd surf a few years ago. The later show was a transformative rock experience, this latest one was just as powerful, but it was far more of a performance piece, marrying art with scorching guitars.
She has that chameleon ability to adapt to any venue, tbh. I also saw her play at the Denver Botanical Garden some years back, and it was awesome. She opened up the show by saying that the rich folks owning homes near the gardens requested that she lower the volume on her amps and not play any of her louder tracks. She responded by doing the exact opposite and tearing into extended guitar solos. It was cool.
Definitely more of a “show” than a “concert”
Missing St. Vincent when she came around to my area last year was one of my biggest regrets. I had a vacation planned already, and it began just a week or so before her show. It was brutal.EDIT: I missed your last paragraph at first, but I also just saw them recently, and Latrice Royale blew my mind. Serious talent, there.
Sorry you missed her this time around, but considering how much she seems to adore touring, I’m sure you’ll have plenty more opportunities to snag her during whatever the hell her next iteration turns into!
Also, brief edit, the 88Rising show was AMAZING for someone who loves pretty much all of their acts – the Philly show, at least, ran for a full 4.5 hours, and let everyone on their label go through their hits before performing the entire collaborative album as the encore. Best bang for my buck ticket-wise, I’d say.
I’ve seen St. Vincent either 4 or 5 times since “Actor,” and my god is she some performer. I would say it was the best show I saw this year. That said, I think for her current leg, she’s touring with a band again, and I enjoy her much more with other people to play off of.
I’ve only seen the Digital Witness tour otherwise (which was also one of the best concert experiences I’ve ever had, hands-down), but yeah, she’s one of the two artists absolutely in my insta-lock ticket purchase category (alongside AJJ). And yeah… how I wish the Just Like You tour would hit Philly. 🙁
I got to see St. Vincent as well this year and it was amazing. The show had an arc to it that I can’t really describe. She grabbed the audience on the first song and never let go of that command through the whole set.And my god can she fucking rip on the guitar. I did not expect some of the solos as they weren’t on the studio tracks (or were much shorter) but she was able to shred with a precision and energy I really hadn’t seen before (Jack White comes close to matching the energy, but he’s much sloppier).
St. Vincent is a legit heiress to Prince.
I’ve always described her as the magnificent fusion of Prince and Bowie. I can’t wait to see where her future takes her, to say the least.
I saw St. Vincent open for Andrew Bird in Cincinnati not long after Actor came out. After the show, she hung out by the merch table greeting the crowd and taking photos. For some stupid reason that I can’t remember, my dumb ass decided not to approach her. It is one of my life’s greatest regrets.
I was going to say “Interesting that nobody in the AV Club writing staff saw St. Vincent or NIN in 2018.” But you beat me to one of ‘em.
Saw here in Boston last November and the experience was the same….
St. V is a goddess. I love her.
Babymetal in Kansas City, in May 2018. They were even better than in Chicago in 2015, which had been the best concert I’d ever seen. Unbelievable …
Courtney Barnett was great. Parquet Courts was a bunch of fun. Superchunk were awesome. But probably the best was Pearl Jam, playing ‘The Home Shows’ here in Seattle. Lots of fun covers, guest appearances, 3 1/2 hours long, and they raised about $12 million for homelessness.
Radiohead in Pittsburgh was sublime, as ever. Sure, their best stuff may be in the past, but when a band consistently puts out great work, who gives a shit. I also saw St. Vincent as part of her Fear the Future tour in Denver, CO. I love this woman. She has such a presence, and puts on a great fucking show. Everyone should see her at least once.
I WANTED to see Radiohead but tickets sold out instantaneously. Bah.
Yeah, I also got cockblocked by the scalpers on that show. Thanks, ticketmaster!
This year, Deafheaven. Hands down. And yeah I saw Radiohead too. Missed St. Vincent sadly.
The Hot Snakes. They’ve always been great but this year they were at their best.
Fleetwood Mac was definitely a dream come true for me. The acoustics in the Tacoma Dome were a little weird for the first 2-3 songs but the performers were universally great and the audio guys got whatever the issue was straightened out pretty quickly. Mick Fleetwood losing his mind on the drums for like 15 minutes in the middle of World Turning was really something to behold.
I don’t listen to his music much, but my husband’s friend backed out last minute on seeing Rhye so I tagged along and it turned out to be pretty great.
I’m seeing them in Atlanta in a few months, can’t wait!
Tdome!
Tacoma Dome has fantastic acoustics – all that wood flexing and vibrating like an instrument soundboard. I’ve seen both the Dixie Chicks and Black Sabbath there and both sounded amazing.
(compare to the old Kingdome, which was a concrete hemisphere and sounded like a concrete hemisphere)
Huh, interesting. It’s the only time I’ve been there as I just happened to be in from out of town when they were playing there.The issue they had was that the percussion was echoing so all the cymbals were coming in delayed from all the other instruments and it just threw the whole beat off. At first I thought it was just me but my husband turned to me halfway through Dreams and mentioned the same thing. Shortly into the next song the phantom off-tempo cymbals disappeared for the rest of the show haha
I came here just to say David Byrne, and am so glad to see that I’m not the only one! What an incredible show—I was absolutely blown away by it. Byrne and every other musician on that stage were brilliant.
I didn’t go to that many shows this year, sadly. But the one that sticks out was Beck. I’ve seen him a few times, and while I wasn’t too jazzed about his last album, he continually shows what a consummate performer and musician he is. Just a stellar show all around.
Beck is a can’t miss. He’s so fucking great.
Tame Impala at Pitchfork was very excellent. So was Janelle Monae’s Dirty Computer tour.
I saw Janelle Monae perform at Outside Lands in SF. I was with a group of people who didn’t really know that much about her and they were blown away. She apparently had a stomach virus and was throwing up minutes before she came out, but you wouldn’t of been able to tell by the performance she gave.
Unless my memory escapes me, I only saw one live show this year.. I saw the Headstones in April. I was also supposed to see the Mountain Goats in Toronto but stupid ice storm would have made travelling the 2 hours certain death. Talk about heartbroken.
I have not listened to any album they have released in over 15 years. And I only went because it was a cheap ticket and the Pixies were opening up. But somehow, Weezer was by far the best concert experience I had. They played at least 6 songs from the Blue album. The stage show was great. They had great banter between songs. Rivers interacted and goofed around with the crowd. They looked like they were having fun on stage. They had the crowd on their feet for 90 minutes straight.They completely blew the Pixies off the stage, who seemed liked that they would rather be anywhere else except on stage.
Saw X at One Eyed Jacks in New Orleans. Kind of amazing to still be able to see the original line-up in a smaller venue, probably not dis-similar to how it was in their early days. And they were great. For someone not old enough to have appreciated ‘80s West Coast punk at the time, it was something I’ll always remember.And while this may be less cool to some, teenage me from 1985 would have been blown away to know that 33 years later I finally got to see Simple Minds live. And they were also great.
A Paranormal Evening With Alice Cooper. I was expecting a ton of theatrics, which I got (Alice in a straitjacket! Alice getting his head chopped off! Alice the sinister ringmaster!). What I wasn’t (quite) expecting but was obviously hoping for was a band that played a tightly scripted show with primal urgency, anchored by one of the great modern metal guitarists, Nita Strauss. Alice’s trademark sinister growl that sometimes morphs into something beautiful is still in top form, as well. As the friend I dragged along put it, ‘I’ve been to a hundred concerts, but that may have been my first show.’
That is so awesome! I didn’t know Alice was still making music, let alone touring– let alone bringing you all the splatter theatrics you expect and deserve! That is wonderful.
He even put out a pretty terrific album in 2017, Paranormal. It’s a double with 2 songs recorded with the original Alice Cooper band. (And it’s awesome!)
It’s mostly his legendary Grand Guignol stage-show that I’d be going for! Rock’n’roll just cannot be splashy enough for me, really. I’ve never seen him; it might be something to put on the bucket-list for while Alice is still alive. 🙂 Thank you for tipping me off that he is still moving.
It’s completely worth it. If you have a general knowledge of the hits, that’s all you really need. And it truly is a brilliant show.
Bucket List +1
Brandi Carlile tour opener at Mount Baker Theatre in Bellingham, WA. Darlingside opened and the entire evening was mesmerizing.
Jawbreaker at Brooklyn Steel. I waited 25 years to see them. And they were phenomenal. They sounded incredible. They sounded better that night than most of their albums. And the band seemed thrilled to see Dear You songs get the proper reception.The other great concert was by the band that released the best album of the year, The Hot Snakes.
I’ve seen a lot of good shows this year. Franz Ferdinand, Phoenix, Florence + the Machine, Lorde, HAIM, the Killers (3 times!)… I actually flew to Vegas in February to see the Killers play their hometown and that was so much fun. I lived there when I was a kid, but I haven’t been back since we moved away in 2001, so it was interesting to see how much the city has changed in the intervening years.
David Byrne for the showElvis Costello for the Musicthe Fratellis for the band/crowd/feels (s0 many feels)
I just saw Ghost on their theater tour, before they go on their Arena tour opening up for Metallica. Holy shit, what a fantastic show. There’s costume changes, epic music, an intermission. I saw them in a 1400 person theater here in San Diego. Blew me away. Definitely the best show I’ve seen in 2018.
Lots of fantastic shows this year – Jen Cloher, Brandi Carlile, St Vincent, Janelle Monae, Run the Jewels – but the best was probably First Aid Kit (so good I saw them both times they were in town). The music was amazing, the production was top notch, and they really engaged with the audience.
My one concert regret – I had to miss the Descendents when they came through town due to a family emergency.
I can’t pick just one. Public Service Broadcasting at Electric Fields in Scotland.
St. Vincent and Iggy Pop at Way Out West in Sweden.
Dream Wife and Shame at Standon Calling in England.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs at OFF Festival in Poland.
I just saw it last night, Thursday, December 6th in Newport, KY which is right across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. Richard Thompson came as an electric trio in support of his new album “13 Rivers”. It was possibly one of the best shows I have ever seen, and one of the best performances I have seen of his. I have probably seen him 5 times and last night was absolutely stunning. If you are a fan of singer/songwriters and you also really love tasteful guitar fills and solos, there is no one better. He is The Man.
The Melvins and Jon Spencer, although partially because that’s the only concert I remember going to this year.
While my favorite show this year was probably St. Vincent, I have to say that the current Nine Inch Nails tour is probably their best tour that I’ve ever seen them do. Just two hours of complete career-spanning work, with no extraneous visuals, and virtually no fat to trim.
oh how did I forget about this? I went to Vegas to see them. It was a killer show, but I hated the absolute shit out of Vegas.
Vegas is hell
I have to say that the current Nine Inch Nails tour is probably their best tour that I’ve ever seen them do. Saw them last week at Reznor’s now infamous “Ted Cruz” story show. It was an amazing performance. But I was completely blown away by just how energetic the band was…especially guitarist Robin Finck! Usually he just hovers menacingly over one spot. But this time, he was bopping and rocking all over the stage!
Caught NIN in LA on their final stop, the Tuesday night date. I’d never had the chance to see them live, and I was blown away. Amazing show.
Man, I saw over 70 shows this year, and I’m still kicking myself over missing the David Byrne show. And he played like three shows in the area.That and St. Vincent. Still have never seen her. And it kills me.Shows I did see that I loved:Janelle Monae
Florence + The Machine
boygenius
SlavesAnd Taylor Swift was really interesting, just for the spectacleAnd Joan Baez on her farewell tour, for the history.And secretly, probably had the best time at Mighty Mighty Bosstones.
Everyone spoke so highly of Taylor Swift’s concert and I saw her by chance (Was vising a friend whose friend happened to have two extra tickets) and it had NOTHING on Jay Z and Beyonce who i saw the week before (and i like her a godo amount).
Oh, yeah, I would imagine the Jay Z-Beyonce show would be amazing. Didn’t have a chance to see it. But i rarely go to stadium shows so the spectacle of the Taylor Swift was just fascinating.
Rival SonsGreat rock n roll band that plays with the same energy whether it’s in a small club or a big arena.
Mitskiboygenius
Came here to say Mitski – saw here twice this year – once in Santa Monica still touring Puberty 2 and then in DC touring Be the Cowboy. Both were great, but the DC show was magical.Also, Phoebe Bridgers in Denver. Her encoring Sheryl Crow’s “If it makes you happy” was well chosen.
yesss boygenius!!! I also saw Lucy Dacus on her own in August. Seeing boygenius was the perfect happy-sad-comforting combination of badass and beautiful ladies. I love them.
Bob Moses was the best show I have seen this year.
I saw Maggie Rogers at The Riviera in Chicago a few months back (the same week she did SNL!). She’s already an amazing live performer but at one point, she asked the entire audience (2500 people) to be quiet and she just sang Color Song without a microphone or band. Such a beautiful voice that filled the venue. And after the encore and the stage was empty, there was a dance party to Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” as the audience left.
So many. Kamasi Washington was absolutely amazing and funnier than I was expecting. GWAR still puts on an attention-grabber, even without Oderus and a schtick that’s 3 decades old. Andrew WK had us all sweaty and spent. Toad the Wet Sprocket put on a lovely, intimate performance that brought back the few fond memories of college I have. I saw Landing perform a blistering, gorgeously swirling set to about 7 people (criminal!). I kicked off the year with Take Me To The River featuring Don Bryant, William Bell, and Bobby Rush, the latter of whom stole the show (at a spry 84) with his scorching harmonica solos and stories of performing in segregated venues behind curtains so the white audience members wouldn’t have to see the band.But for pure joy, the winner would have to be taking my 13 year old to see MST3K Live, and splurging on the VIP passes so she could meet Joel and Jonah and watch the show from some really great seats. I was just as giddy as she was.
Jawbreaker at Brooklyn Steel, only a day after seeing Frightened Rabbit on their Midnight Organ Fight 10th Anniversary Tour at Music Hall of Williamsburg.
Vince Staples & Tyler the Creator
It’s a tie for me: Janelle Monae and Brandi Carlile both gave gorgeous, life-affirming shows this year supporting their newest albums. At other concerts I really enjoyed, Jesus Lizard destroyed the place, Weird Al did two completely different sets of deep cuts and originals, and Smashing Pumpkins played just about every song I ever wanted to hear.
I called this a mediocre music year, but it was an excellent LIVE music year, with a lot of 2017’s best artists still touring. I attended The National’s Homecoming festival, which was one of the most well-run festivals I’ve experienced, especially as big name festivals are more homogeneous and corporate than ever. Both National performances there (including a run of “Boxer” in full) were even better than they usually are, and they’re usually phenomenal. Speaking of “album in full” performances, seeing Arcade Fire perform “Funeral” in full with no prior announcement may have been my happiest moment at a show in years. When “album in full” shows are announced prior, there’s no surprise factor going in, so it’s a little less special when the artist plays that one song you’ve been dying to hear for years.
Also saw some great shows by Broken Social Scene, St. Vincent, Gorillaz, Florence + the Machine, Stars, and Julie Byrne.(Worst show I attended was Liam Gallagher, though I don’t know why I expected differently. Richard Ashcroft opened and was divine. Then Liam went on, went through the motions, and fucked off after only 50 minutes.)
I want to go to shows with you.
I was going to mention Arcade Fire but that was last year, however their show was incredible – center, revolving stage, played for ~2 hours, and the band members switched off through all the instruments, I’d never seen something like that before. It shocked me because A) everyone was good and the band sounded great and B) it made me realize how talented they all are to be able to switch off from synth to drums to whatever else, damn talk about musicianship.
Ah yes, their 2017 tour was great too. U2’s 360 tour several years ago was such a stunning production that it kinda ruined all other 360 stage productions for me, but Arcade Fire pulled it off well enough. This year’s run of dates was a very bare-bones production in comparison (just a curtain backdrop at the show I attended), but these people make beautiful music that sounds beautiful both with and without a fancy light show. They’ve changed up their touring members quite a bit over the years, but they’re always a talented bunch.
I saw a lot of damn good shows this year. Rufus Wainwright’s stop at the Aladdin in Portland was fucking transcendent, so that’s up there on the list. Nightwish put on a killer set at the Roseland. Lily Tomlin was hysterical. A drunk John Cameron Mitchell slurring The Origin of Love after a showing of Hedwig where he gave some wonderful commentary…that was something else. The entirety of Podcon in January was epic on stilts – hanging out with my favorite people from Night Vale and The McElroys and Aaron Mankhe from Lore and fucking Roman Mars and that guy from Neutral Milk Hotel and that just gorgeous performance of Alice Isn’t Dead…hell yeah. Can’t wait to hit it again next year and meet the guys from Hello from the Magic Tavern – and Ross & Carrie! I keep coming back to this tiny concert I went to at the Paris Theater earlier in the year. The headliner was a synthwave DJ named Timecop 1983, and he was pretty great, although I sort of wondered what I was getting out of seeing him live because he sort of stood on stage and fiddled with a few dials while pre-recorded tracks played. Ok, maybe I wasn’t seeing everything he was up to, but…it wasn’t much of a “live” performance. Don’t get me wrong, the dude is talented and his music is on point, but I like a little more “live” in my live performances.But it was the openers to that show that really fucking blew me away. Korine, a Philadelphia duo that really rocked the place. And then Aeon Rings came on and blew my face off. They were like…Depeche Mode, but somehow not like Depeche Mode. Like someone took 1980s Depeche Mode and said “what if this music was made 30 years later, but made to sound like it was made now?” No, not like Depeche Mode now. Like Depeche mode then, but now. I’m just confusing myself now. They were kind of “dark synthwave” is what I’m saying, and it all just worked. It wasn’t all about the music, either – I don’t know, it was a small venue, these were acts that hadn’t broken through except to a dedicated base of synthwave nerds, and it just all felt kind of honest and good.Ok, having just remembered Podcon and added it to the first paragraph of my post…yeah, it was Podcon.
Bah, I forgot about flying to Vegas to see Nine Inch Nails. They put on a killer show. Definitely a top contender. But I hated every fucking inch of Vegas. That city is literal hell.
I also forgot to mention the thrash fest that was the Slayer farewell tour – Napalm Death, Testament, Anthrax, Lamb of God, and Slayer. It was…all very loud. I’m actually not that much of a fan of thrash metal, but I like a lot of other metal, and I knew I needed to see Slayer because they’re legends that originated a lot of what I do listen to. And true to form, they blew me away. Killer performance. Great pyrotechnics. But shit that was a loud evening.
Courtney Barnett kicked off her US tour here in Denver. Was not prepared for how ferocious she was as a guitarist. As someone next to me said, Cobain-esque.
Springsteen on Broadway. Rollercoaster of emotion. Was not expecting to choke up at the first tuning-check strum of a guitar…
I actully only went to one show this year, but it was a pretty good one: The Afghan Whigs and Built to Spill, with Ed Harcourt opening. I wasn’t familiar with Harcourt, but he’s a strong talent with a good bantering stage presence; sitting down at the piano for one song, he found that it was on a buzzing synthesizer mode, and he launching into a few bars of “The Way It Is”. The Whigs played a solid set, with their own tongue-in-cheek 80’s cover: a startlingly sultry take on “The Boys of Summer. And Built to Spill was dependably great.
I saw that show in Seattle. Ed Harcourt was fantastic, and completely unexpected. I’m glad I caught his set. As much as I love Built to Spill’s records, I can’t fucking stand them live. I’m bored to tears. The Whigs are always a splendid show though.
I love Built to Spill and they were one of my favorite live bands that I would go see every time they were in town, but now as a trio they are depressingly boring. The shows are not the same without Brett and Jim.
Weezer/Pixies/Sleigh Bells.Weezer absolutely killed it with set/costume changes around their songs, and Rivers coming into the crowd in a boat halfway through the show.
It wins by default because it was the only two shows I made it out to, but Pearl Jam’s Home shows were a great experience. was on field level close to the stage. I had never been to a stadium show like that before, and it was cool to see the band in Seattle.
Tune-Yards came to the free outdoor concert my city does monthly, and she was awesome. A lot of the crowd had already disbursed due to earlier rain but she came out and still put on a hell of a show even though she had a show with David Byrne the next damn day. long story short if Tune-Yards comes to your town you should go see ‘em.
Waking the Cadaver at Saint Vitus in Brooklyn by FAR. Shit was fucking intense..
Saw a lot of stuff this year, but the top three performances I saw were likely the following (in no particular order of importance or awesomeness, but they were all top 3):The Residents @ Gundlach Bundschu Winery (Sonoma): Went to the show with no expectations and left feeling like it was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen in my 30 years of concert attendance. Really a mindbender.Tank and the Bangas @ BottleRock (Napa): I knew they were going to be great, but I didn’t expect the energy, the overall enthusiasm, and the ability to turn a simple 45 minute set at the smallest stage into one of the best sets I’ve ever seen at this festival (and I’ve been going every year). Utterly incredible.Thee Oh Sees @ Great American Music Hall (SF night #2): Better than the first night…perhaps because it was John’s birthday…but they seemed to really gel with Tom (new on keyboards). Utterly fantastic, high-energy set with plenty of driving “chugga-chugga-chugga” from the two drum configuration (which is always the best answer to the question “How many drummers will we need for this band?” Two. The answer is usually two.) Bonus points for the dozens of toilet paper rolls being thrown from the balcony at the end of the show during “Beat Quest”.
Idles and The Joy Formidable. Not together mind you. Because I think the world would get knocked off its axis if this ever happened.
Purely by accident, I happened on one of the few Voodoo Dead shows play in NOLA (Republic New Orleans, April 28), thinking, thanks to an erroneous listing in LiveWire, that I was in for an Anders Osborne/Meters jam. I am far from a Deadhead, and had no intention of attending that show, but I’d bought the ticket from someone selling an extra,and couldn’t get a refund. I might have packed it in and taken a loss, but the sympathetic manager at Republic New Orleans offered me free drinks.I’d enjoyed seeing the Grateful Dead many times back before Pigpen passed, but then, I just moved on, missing the whole lifestyle/commitment/adoration aspect that was being a Grateful Dead fan shortly after I lost interest.
So, I’m at the balcony bar, with my back to the stage, when Voodoo Dead hits, and the hair on the back of my neck stands up and I’m sonically transported back to 1968. It sounds that much like the classic Dead in the beginning… But better. Because the technology is better, the music has been deconstructed and reconstructed, and all the players are at the top of their gain. It is the perfect Dead gig, as if everybody onstage was at their performing best, all at the same time. No lack of talent, either, and – the big difference – there’s a classic New Orleans funk glossing every note played. Oh, and George Porter, Jr. just obviously having a great time, in the Phil Lesh chair.
This was an electrifying concert, and not at all a Dead re-tread, but a recreation of the Dead sound and style, played, for the most part, in my long-ago experience, better than the Dead ever had themselves. The best Grateful Dead on the concert, and not a GD member in the band (although one of the players plays in Dead & Co., and another in Phil Lesh and friends). A few months later I saw Dead & Co. – they weren’t nearly as good.
Lacuna Coil’s 119 show in London
Saw Fever Ray twice this year, once in Paris on a lark and then again in Brooklyn. As soon as “A Part of Us” began, the first thing that sprang to mind was “omg it’s the Psycho Supremes.” Hoping for a live release here!
Being old, cheap, and having children I don’t get to see many if any shows anymore. I never did a whole lot in my life either so all the above are just my excuse to just listen to music on my headphones. BUTNew Order came to Cleveland over the Summer. Their fist time in nearly 30 years. Being one of, if not my favorite artists I just had to see them. It was better than I had expected, despite the sad absence of Peter Hook.
Saw them last year at Riot Fest and then this year in Toronto. Did not disappoint either time.But I do kinda wish they played their own songs as the encore, instead of Joy Division songs. I don’t know about you, but when I go to a New Order show, I go to see New Order.It would kinda be like Queens of the Stone Age only playing Kyuss encores.
New Order are a seriously hit-or-miss live act, but their good nights are REALLY good, and they honestly seem happier on stage without Hooky. I love that they’ve recently brought “Vanishing Point” back into their sets, which is one of their most underrated gems.
I impulsively went to go see Parquet Courts in Lawrence earlier this year and fell in love with the band. A lot of bands are good live (and a lot of them are downright awful), but I haven’t been to many shows where the band seemed to be having so much fun. It was the only time I have seen them, so I’m not sure if they were just having a great night and fucking around with the audience, but outside of a comedy show, I’ve never laughed as much. Would see again 10/10.
Wholeheartedly agree/had the same experience as you in Philly
1) Saint Etienne – Good Humor 20th Anniversary Tour at Park West
A live re-creation of the entire album, a half-hour break, and then a full greatest hits set that contained the most amazing version of “Like A Motorway” (think shoegazer-y Kraftwerk fronted by Claudine Longet).This was a concert that brought things full-circle for me. In 2012, I traveled from Dallas to Chicago to see Saint Etienne on their Words & Music tour since the Chicago show was the closest to Dallas. On that trip, I met the man who would eventually become my husband. When I say that was a life-changing gig, I mean it literally.We missed Saint Etienne’s 2017 Chicago tour stop because my mother-in-law passed away the day of the show. So getting to see them again after all that was a cathartic experience. Two songs from me and my husband’s wedding dance (“Nothing Can Stop Us” and “Tonight”) made this an especially wonderful evening.
2) Crystal Waters, Kimberley Locke, Ultra Nate, and Martha Wash – Market DaysIt was almost too much for me. Four incredible performances all in a row. It was like Gay Lollapalooza (Snatched Wig Fest? Burning Queen?). Crystal Waters’ “100% Pure Love” with dancers from the crowd, Kimberley Locke’s stunning rendition of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow,” Ultra Nate’s “Free,” and Martha Wash’s “It’s Raining Men” (the latter two encouraged by the artists into a massive group sing-along). It was like gay church.3) The Horrors – V tour at Bottom Lounge (surprisingly not a gay bar)Their 2014 Luminous tour was canceled, so this was the first time I was able to see one of my favorite bands. The highlight for me was “Still Life,” a song that got me through a really rough period before everything turned around (talk about lyrics made manifest!). Not many people are in tears at a Horrors’ show, but as they performed “Still Life” and the realization hit me that I was at a Horrors’ show in Chicago…which is now my home…holding my husband’s hand…in public…without fear, we looked at each other knowing the song’s significance to our lives and it brought tears to my eyes.
Best live show I saw this year was Cyrano, a musical adaption of Cyrano de Bergerac, starring Peter Dinklage, directed by Erica Schmidt with music by The National. It was fucking dope.
SHIT!
Mary Timony playing Helium songs at the Troubadour was magic.
Probably Nikki Lane at the Crocodile here in Seattle. I’d seen her twice before and have always been kind of let down, but her and her band were just completely on point, and the show that I’ve wanted to see her play. Everything was fantastic.
Runners up: Shellac at Tractor Tavern, Neko Case at the Paramount, King Khan and His Shrines at Clock Out Lounge. In that order
Oh man I miss the crocAnd neumos And the chop
Crocodile or Tractor win my arbitrary favorite places to see music in Rainattle award.
Nectar was always a good spot too. Oddly enough, my first show there was Bon Iver in 2007, on the for Emma tour. Super weird seeing him essentially at a reggae club lol
ooh, I love Nikki. I need to see her live so I can propose to her…
For me it’s Dawes. I have loved their music for years but never seen them live. It turns out they are phenomenal musicians! Taylor Goldsmith has a wonderful stage presence that somehow lines up exactly with the goofy, thoughtful, and slightly sad man you expect based on his songs. Dawes had a really cool way of playing the song, jamming for a bit, pausing to introduce the next song, and jamming out a little more before seamlessly transitioning into the next song. I’ve never seen anything like it and it was amazing.
Jeez. I think the only “proper” show I saw this year was Barry Manilow at the Forum…so I guess that’s it.
Saw a LOT of stuff in clubs and dive bars, but nothing really stands out in my memory.
The ‘Fabulous Forum’ in Inglewood? Man, that takes me back…Last time I was there, I saw the Who’s ‘Who’s Next’ tour. Two weeks earlier, I caught a Laker game. The seats were within ten feet of each other, but the audiences were miles apart.Caught many a concert (they weren’t ‘shows’ then) there in the ‘70s.
Must have been nice. It’s kind of weird how many ‘70’s bands are playing the forum these days.
Nostalgia for both?
#1- King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard (Milwaukee and Chicago)#2- RZA: Live from the 36th Chamber (Milwaukee)
Killing Joke!
For the…. six millionth time since puberty? Seven millionth? Lost track.
The answer to this question is ALWAYS Killing Joke.
You may not believe this, but…Leo Kottke. The most consistent performer I have ever seen (originally seen at Cal-State Long Beach in the early 70s)
David Byrne. No question.
WOLF PARADE at the Mohawk in Austin were fantastic. One of my favorite bands touring behind their first new album in years and playing TIGHT.
I saw them this year too and they were so great
Not just 2018 but ever: David Byrne at the Chicago Theater
Without a single doubt in my mind – Florence and the Machine. Caught them at Houston and I have never been dazzled by a concert like that in my life, every single person in there just completely mesmerized. I’m talking all in all out ROCK concert. Goosebumps. If you ever have the opportunity to go to a FATM concert, GO. Get a babysitter, get a dog sitter, GO.
steely dan and the doobie bros at the forum in LA. ive never seen either, and none of us are getting any younger. no michael mcdonald, but that would have been a really cool “what if”. im 50, so i went to see the show non-ironically.
Parquet Courts at Union Transfer in Philly was the most fun I’ve had at a show in a while.
Frontline Assembly and Die Krupps in Budapest.
Does anything more need to be said?
Saw the Decemberist in October and they put on an AMAZING show. Super high energy, tons of crowd participation, charming banter out the wazoo and a giant inflatable whale that attacks the crowd. One of the best concerts I’ve ever been to.
Also saw Neko Case this summer (disappointingly also as an opening act) and was amazing. Just this afternoon bought tickets to see her at a proper show (i.e. with her headlining) in April. Can’t wait!
Always a good time! Saw them in March and then went to their festival in August and saw them twice again. Speaking of great live shows this year — Mavis Staples also played at their festival this year and she really showed everyone how it’s done. She’s such a badass.
We saw Springsteen on Broadway and it was incredible – the intimacy of the setting and the framing of the songs … but Nick Cave at the Forum in L.A. was my favorite show this year by a mile. There’s still a sense that he’s working through grief issues on stage but there’s nobody currently touring who can command and interact with an audience like he can.
One of my all time favorite albums is Midnight Organ Fight by Frightened Rabbit, so getting to see them live for the first time and they played the entire album was incredible. The memory of that show is now a bittersweet one given the passing of Scott Hutchinson. Outside of that, Glen Hansard was incredible, along with H.E.R. who rocked a packed show at the Riv. Also, I will echo everyone else about David Byrne.
For non-music, I got to see Macbeth by Chicago Shakespeare and it was unreal. Teller, of Penn and Teller, co-directed it and it featured actual stage magic with characters appearing out of nowhere. If you’re in Chicago and under 35, they put aside $20 tickets for most shows. The ones I picked up for Macbeth ended up being front row seats.Also MST3K live was epic and hilarious and I highly recommend catching them any time they’re in town.
Either Ghost at Bass Hall in Austin or Deftones at ACL.
Nine Inch Nails. My 6th time seeing them and this was probably the 2nd best I’ve seen them (1st was during their goodbye tour). Hot Snakes was a ton of fun, John Reis might be the coolest motherfucker on the planet. Seeing Ween next week so that will likely be up there as well.
Wait a second. Ween is on tour? That was definitely one of the best shows I ever saw.
Oh hell yes they are. My wife and I saw them in Columbus, Ohio, in July, and it was the best show I’ve seen…in years! They are having fun,getting along, and playing great shows!!
And here’s NIN! My top 3 were Pearl Jam at Safeco, NIN at Mad Cool, and St. Vincent anywhere. David Byrne was great, though.
This year I moved to San Francisco and have made up for a lot of lost time when it comes to seeing live acts. For me, it was a toss-up between Fever Ray and Flight Facilities.I LOVED seeing Fever Ray. As a fan of The Knife, I kinda sorta know her work as Fever Ray but thought “eh, tickets aren’t prohibitively expensive so why not?” It blew my mind. It was weirdly psychosexual, playing and subverting gender norms, entrancing, and best of all it sounded great. I got off Twitter so I hadn’t followed the band’s persona’s that Waite mentioned above but it didn’t matter. The show kicked ass.Flight Facilites as simply awesome. Their music is great, they have live singers, and they surprised me not once but twice during their set segueing into Daft Punk’s “Da Funk” at one point and breaking into Jamiroquai’s (someone else I saw in 2018) “Little L”. Also, what I can say, I like their airline pilot schtick.I wanted to see Byrne but thought tickets were too expensive. I won’t make that same mistake again the next time he rolls through town.
My favorite live show this year was John Paul White (formerly of The Civil Wars) at a modest little listening room down the road from my house. I’ve never been to a show with a better crowd….everyone sat/stood and just listened to the music, which was fantastic. I got to see that David Byrne show, as well….even though it was at the Austin City Limits music festival, it was still transcendent (and those poor folks dancing their hearts out in those suits in the Texas heat had my undying admiration). Honarable mentions: Father John Misty twice, always worth the price of a ticket. MGMT was great. Pond was pretty excellent live, as well.
Slowdive really blew me away. They were really tight and the mood was just magical. The light and video show was pretty excellent too, but the music was just perfectly in the moment. They were totally in sync with each other. I was totally transported to another world.
Riotfest: Reignwolf and Jesus Lizard were the highlights for me. So many good shows this year.
No other votes for Weird Al’s stripped down tour? I saw him twice and was blown away both times.
That ice cream bit in MBMBAM nearly made me crash my Vespa when I listened to it originally. Love the animation.
I feel really really REALLY lucky to have caught Psychic TV live. They don’t really tour anymore but they did this one show for Moogfest. There were a lot of incredible artists there but Psychic TV made me damn cry.
Aly & AJ on the Promises Tour. Still amazing after 10 years off!
Not gonna lie, didn’t see that many live acts this year. Schedule didn’t let me see that many acts like I did in 2017. I did get to catch Minus the Bear in NYC on their farewell tour when they came to Irving Plaza, plus Closure in Moscow earlier in March at the Knitting Factory (I was waiting for them to come back stateside for a while). But I mention those for the nostalgia factor (they still rock, but they admittedly sound better in the studio than on the stage).I did see this gem of a band live this year though while in California- Dead Poet Society. I originally found out about these guys when they played the Middle East in Boston a few years back. I know rock is mostly dead in the United States, but damn do these guys give me hope that the genre can still survive here.
Julien Baker + Lucy Dacus in Indianapolis. It was my first time seeing Baker as a headliner (and first time seeing her since I was really able to discover her music), and my first time hearing of Dacus. This was possibly the most locked-in crowd I’ve ever been a part of, and the sheer amount of emotion in the room was overwhelming. I cried (as did most of the crowd, I think). The crowd sang complex backing vocal parts completely unprompted. Baker seemed as fueled by the crowd as we were by her. It was incredible.
Helloween – Pumpkins United tour, Worcester, MA, 9/14/18. They played non stop for 2.5 hours and it was one of the best anthemic, fun, loud, awesome metal concerts I’ve ever seen in my life. I love what they’re doing with this reunion+ lineup and they couldn’t have sounded or looked better.
Gonna go with Weird Al’s ridiculously vain tour or whatever the hell he called it. That was really fun. And it’s good to get a reminder that he and that band don’t need the costume changes or flashy videos to be entertaining, all they have to do is be good musicians.
I saw a lot of shows this year but top five in no particular order…..1. Danzig2. Perry Farrell and the Kind Heaven Orchestra with Dhani Harrison3. Corrosion of Conformity at the Teregram ballroom!4. Slightly Stoopid5. Legendary Shack Shakers! (Seriously do yourself a favor and check them out!Sorry! 6. SLAYER!!!!!
Oh, MBMBaM was my fave too, and I literally have the Ice Cream Lyrics video bookmarked in case of sads. Big ups always to champion Louie Zong.I was at the Phoenix live show, the one lost to time (thanks to godawful audio quality). The best moments were absolutely:1.) Haunted Doll Watch for a doll with an illustrious history, all of which culminated in the condition listed for the doll on eBay. Usually, this would be something like “good” or “new” or “used” etc., but on this doll, the condition was listed asPerfect. Spirited.Justin URGED everyone to use this condition as a response for “How are you doing?” and you better believe I have and do.2.) A listener question asking whether the juice or the pitcher of the Kool-Aid Man are the alive part, which essentially turned into a debate about the human soul versus the human body.
Trying to remember my shows this year:Riot FestBeach SlangOff With their headsSincere engineerMonster magnetMenzingersThe mushuganasIron ChicDirect hit!I think of these shows menzingers were my favorite, mostly because I’m an idiot. They played Chicago a few weeks back, I had a ticket, and put the show on my calendar for the day after the actual show. Discovered it too late (obviously), but then they announced a surprise show at a much smaller venue (cobra lounge) for the wrong day on my calendar.Huge score for me. Got drunk by myself and had a great time screaming some tunes. I know this is tl/dr, sorry. thanks
Which Monster Magnet show did you go to?
@F.Y. Jones – oh, wait, Chicago, 4-band bill October 2? Would love to hear about it. MM last played somewhere I could get to when Dave was still drinking….
Nick, you missed a great Neko Case show at the Gothic the next night. Solid set, lively crowd, good sports bra story.Also, the clouds of pot smoke over Red Rocks is not a recent phenomenon. That has been a thing since at least 1996.
Man does no one listen to Jam music anymore? This is what live music is all about!
Saw Gary Numan earlier this year promoting Savage (Songs from a Broken World) in a small club in Dallas. It was…incredible! I fully expected a bored, phoned-in, stiff performance. What we got was the complete opposite! He rocked his soul out with new songs and classics.And he even fucking smiled! A lot! But hands down, the best show we saw this year was Childish Gambino. We didn’t know a lot of his songs, and the opening rap act sucked. But DAMN Donald Glover’s got skills! And he commanded the stage, hanging out there all by himself, shirtless and barefoot. Shame he broke his foot at that show.
Mine this year was Jack White. I hadn’t seen him before (live in Australia in a city that he never plays) and I was visiting a friend in LA, who suggested we spend a couple of days in Vegas.We saw Jack White was doing a couple of Vegas shows when we were there- and he’s always been on my list of artists to see. Neither of us particularly liked his new album- but seeing his show live definetly made me appreciate what he was trying to go for with the album. He had a great loose energy- that translated much better live. And I appreciated his no phone policy much more being at the concert, because it was a great experience being a part of the audience where everyone was just engaged with what was going on onstage.He didn’t play two of the songs I really wanted to hear- Ball & the Biscuit and We’re Going to Be Friends- but I still thought the concert was incredible afterward, which to me is always the sign of a great concert.
Without question; it was Greta Van Fleet. They blew me away!
Nine Inch Nails/The Jesus & Mary Chain-Fox Theatre on September 27, 2018. What a show.
I saw Grapetooth in Chicago for their record release party and it was amazing. Raw energy and amazing music and it was in the round so it was like everyone was in the band –
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2JcgT3bbIW7SctN6eQI2eh?si=JiGcumUcS3qjm3YCHVgkdg
I saw St Vincent in Delaware at The Queen earlier this fall. It was an exciting and beautiful performance. Visually and musically it was great. She was in good voice as well.
I was VERY fortunate to score a couple of free seats when Roger Waters came through town and – holy shit – it overwhelmed every sense, grabbed you right by your feelings and barely let go for 2 hours. I loved every minute.
I saw The Smashing Pumpkins at the United Center earlier this year and THEY FUCKING ROCKED. I’ve been a fan for almost 20 years and saw them at the second-to-last show in 2000 before they broke up, this year’s show was so much better. I’ve been a fan predominantly since they’ve been gone (and the post-2000 albums are hit or miss) so it was extremely satisfying to hear, see, and sing along to all the classics. I’m mad they didn’t play Geek U.S.A., Silverfuck, and maybe a few others, but they absolutely destroyed their set and sounded so, so good, I could sustain myself on a desert island with just Jimmy’s drumming. I also am not complaining, at 3 hours long I can’t fault the show or their performances.
Weirdest thing? It seemed like most people stayed sitting the whole time, like, what the fuck? How can you possibly sit in a seat for that kind of concert? I stood up a few times but sat down since I didn’t want to block anyone’s view (200-level), but after a few more I said fuck it and just wigged out the rest of the show. What’s next, a sudoku session during Metallica?
Does a dude playing a violin in front of my work for spare change count. Who has money for concerts when they keep raising my rent every year.
My wife and I, who’ve always been live music fans, are attending every possible concert we can before we have a kid. Here are the Top 5 from this year:1. Radiohead at MSG, Night 3 – We saw Radiohead four times (3 at MSG, 1 in Philadelphia), and honestly, this list could just be those shows, because they were all fucking incredible. In the interest of variety, though, I’ll pick this one, which I thought was the best of the run. This band is amazing to see live, and I discovered new things about songs I’ve known for decades by attending these shows.2. Jack White at the Warsaw – We saw Jack White three times (this, Kings Theatre, and headlining Governors Ball), but I’ll pick this one, since it was a *tiny* venue for him. He’s so good, his band is unbelievable (Carla Azar is a drumming kaiju), and the new material from Boarding House Reach, which I wasn’t in love with on record, kicked ass live.3. Paul Simon, Corona Park – Supposedly his last show. We got there early and ended up about 10, 15 feet from the rail. The weather was perfect. The music was amazing. A fucking plane flew by low to land at LaGuardia right when he sang, “Sail on, silver girl” in “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” It was one of those perfect NYC moments I’ll remember when rising sea levels force us all to flee the city.4. Nine Inch Nails, Radio City Music Hall -Say what you will about this band being a legacy act, but they still rip. Trent Reznor just gets better. And I stood in line for four hours in the rain starting at 6 AM on a Saturday morning to get these tickets, but it was totally worth it, so that says something.5. David Byrne, Panorama Music Festival – I’ve never seen anything like this show. The whole thing felt like a joyous celebration of life and music…and then, he finished with a cover of Janelle Monae’s “Hell You Talmbout,” with names updated for even more people of color unjustly killed by police…and it made for such a powerful statement.
My best concert of the year was also my only big show of the year. After about ten years of failed attempts and missed opportunities to see them live, finally caught Queens of the Stone Age at the Saenger Theater in New Orleans. It was fucking great.
Largely thanks to the Live Nation Festival Passport, I went to 13 festivals this year.Tough competition, but to my surprise the best was probably the one I went to most on a whim: Ohana Fest in Dana Point, CA. It was the best sized & best curated festival I went to all year. There were only two stages, so if you put your mind to it (like did), you could see everyone. Basically, every single act I saw was very-good-to-great (more below, tho)
Headliners were Eddie Vedder (who I like well enuff as PJ’s frontman, but I ‘m not a devotee), Eric Church (who I like but am not hugely familiar with on a “omg he played a deep cut” basis) and Mumford & Sons (who I don’t like much at all).
For me, this bill was all about everyone below the headliners. I saw every single act that played and was not disappointed in any of them (aside from Mumford & Sons who I watched about 20 mins of and left ‘cos I was just not feeling them but again not a fan in the first place so no big loss.) I had a fun time, discovered some great acts I was not too familiar with before (Lauren Ruth Ward, Allan Rayman, The Wild Feathers, Amber Lucid, Hiss Golden Messanger, and others) and saw Eddie Vedder perform just a few feet away from me four times without even trying. Also knocked some off the bucket list (Johnny Marr, Liz Phair, Yeah Yeah Yeahs). Also saw Switchoot, which are words I never really expected to express in my life time. They were good, no complaints.
And I know y’all are wildly curious. Here’s the definitive rankings of the festival I went to this year:Ohana Fest (Dana Point, CA)Lollapalooza Chicago (Chicago, IL)Outside Lands (San Francisco, CA)Bottle Rock (Napa, CA)Austin City Limits Weekend 2 (Austin, TX)Voodoo Fest (New Orleans, LA)Blurry Vision (Oakland, CA)Sloss Festival (Birmingham, AL)Lollapalooza Paris (Paris, FR)HieroDay (Oakland, CA)Hardly Strictly Bluegrass (San Francisco, CA)ClusterFest (San Francisco, CA)EDC Las Vegas (Las Vegas, NV)
Therapy?!!!
Yes, June 20, San Jose, City National CivicRocked my face off for 3+ hours. Plus it was the 50th anniversary of them being a group. They did an amazing dedication to Steve Squire and brought out one of the original members of the band on the keyboards.People around me didn’t quite understand why a black dude under 40 and not under the influence of psychedelics was singing along to every damn word and rocking out to some awesome prog music. I wept a little when they opened the concert with my favorite long form track of theirs, “Close to the Edge”.
I saw Neko Case at the Egg in Albany, NY on January 6 (We sat 4 rows back, it was very intimate.), and (one of) my heroes, Steve Earle at Higher Ground In Burlington, VT on April, 11 . I’ve seen Steve before, but this was the Copperhead Road 30th anniversary tour in which Steve and the Dukes played the album in its entirety each night followed by a second set of songs from all over his catalog. I made my way to the front of the stage for the last 6 songs, right in front of Steve himself.
Nine Inch Nails, two nights in a row. Completely different set lists. excellent light show. Fucking incredible emotion. Trent with a saxophone. Trent with a tambourine. Rage and Pain and love.
Nine Inch Nails, two nights in a row. Completely different set lists. excellent light show. Fucking incredible emotion. Trent with a saxaphone. Trent with a tambourine. Rage and Pain and love.
Courtney Barnett.. ogden theater Denver CO