your top 10 concerts of the year

Originally posted by SPARX:

Originally posted by Julian, good manners AFICIONADO:

Originally posted by 6949:
Incubus played the 930 club this year? Where the hell was I?

You cannot be serious.

I can see how they missed it.
There were only between 6 to a dozen threads on here about the show that week :eek: :eek: :eek:

I see that it was in January, I didn't read the board back then. I'm still not sure how I missed it considering I was on their site/myspace/ebay looking for tickets for their LA show 2 weeks later. I didn't find good seats so I passed on that show thinking they would come to the 9:30 club eventually. I think I need to borrow that LOLCAT FAIL picture.

Originally posted by mdh9857:
I happen to like Kathy Griffin. She's a lot funnier than any of the Jim Gaffigan/ Larry the Cable Guy crowd. All of them recycle the same jokes. And apparently I'm not alone in liking her in that in that she sold out Kennedy Center twice and DAR on 3 straight nights.

don't take it so personally, i just have a severe allergic reaction to even the thought of kathy griffin, she makes me want to poke icepicks in my eyes … if it matters, i hate the other two you mentioned as well

and, yes, a lot of people like her, i realized this before you posted … i love people who feel so insecure in their tastes that they feel the need to defend them with the strength in numbers theory ;)

Originally posted by 6949:

I see that it was in January, I didn't read the board back then. I'm still not sure how I missed it considering I was on their site/myspace/ebay looking for tickets for their LA show 2 weeks later. I didn't find good seats so I passed on that show thinking they would come to the 9:30 club eventually. I think I need to borrow that LOLCAT FAIL picture.

they were on the east coast for a while. two shows at the club, then philly, then ny.

Originally posted by Brian Wallace:
I don't do "Best of", "Favorite" or "Top 10" lists. I think they're trite and show someone who is insecure in their opinions.

Brian

Lenin despised Top 10 lists, although its worth noting that Marx was silent on the issue.

25 for you…sweetcell trying to compete w/ me..


LCD Soundsystem @930
Jens Lekman @BC
Andrew Bird @930
Arcade Fire @DAR
Josh Ritter @930
Patrick Wolf @BC
The Veils @DC9
Nick Lowe @Birchmere
Bjork @United Palace
Superdrag @930
Jonathan Richman @930
John Prine @Warner
Thermals @BC
Wolf Parade @BC
Dean & Britta @BC
TVOTR @ 930
Soulwax @ Coachella
The Rentals @930
Big Business @BC (opening for the Melvins)
Morrissey @Wolf Trap
Hives @BC
British Sea Power @BC
Iggy & the Stooges @Lolla
Blonde Redhead @Lolla
Kinski / Clockcleaner @VelvetLounge

Agreed. She's awful to look and and awful to listen to.

I'm not sure why people pay money to hear jokes told. Why not just tell your own? My wife is as funny as any comedienne I've ever seen on tv.

And saying comedian x is funnier than Larry the Cable Guy is like saying singer y is better than Toby Keith.

Originally posted by Hoya Paranoia:

Originally posted by mdh9857:
I happen to like Kathy Griffin. She's a lot funnier than any of the Jim Gaffigan/ Larry the Cable Guy crowd. All of them recycle the same jokes. And apparently I'm not alone in liking her in that in that she sold out Kennedy Center twice and DAR on 3 straight nights.

don't take it so personally, i just have a severe allergic reaction to even the thought of kathy griffin, she makes me want to poke icepicks in my eyes … if it matters, i hate the other two you mentioned as well

and, yes, a lot of people like her, i realized this before you posted … i love people who feel so insecure in their tastes that they feel the need to defend them with the strength in numbers theory ;)

Originally posted by Charlie Nakatestes,Japanese Golfer:
I'm not sure why people pay money to hear jokes told. Why not just tell your own? My wife is as funny as any comedienne I've ever seen on tv.

have you considered having people over and charging for her performances? i might be interested, if you throw in a bowl of home-made soup.

Something is definitely wrong with your good/bad filters if you can easily list 25 of the best shows you saw this year.

Originally posted by wanderlust j. marshmallow:
25 for you…sweetcell trying to compete w/ me..

They all KILLED IT, Mr. ManBearPig.

Originally posted by nkotb:
Something is definitely wrong with your good/bad filters if you can easily list 25 of the best shows you saw this year.

Originally posted by wanderlust j. marshmallow:
25 for you…sweetcell trying to compete w/ me..

i couldnt figure out just 10 so heres my top 16:

Daft Punk @ Lollapalooza
Beirut @ Society for Ethical Culture
Cut Off Your Hands @ Delancey (CMJ)
LCD Soundsystem @ Webster Hall
Interpol @MSG
Mum @ Society for Ethical Culture
Spiritualized @ Apollo
Maps @ Mercury & Luna Lounge (both were amazing)
editors @ Webster Hall
Morrissey @ Hammerstein (last night in NYC)
Faithless @ Webster Hall
The Veils @ Mercury Lounge
Midlake @ Bowery Ballroom
Lisa Gerrard @ Society for Ethical Culture
The Cinematics @ Knitting Factory
Shout Out Louds @ Luna Lounge

-we are scientists with the upright citizens brigade and the setting suns might also have to be added and theres a lot more coming up.

Dropkick Murphys @ Ramshead
Weird Al @ Lincoln Theatre
+/- @ RNR Hotel
V-Fest
David Bazan @ Black Cat
Nada Surf & Sea Wolf @ 8X10
Ben Kweller @ Sonar
Smashing Pumpkins @ 9:30 Club

Clutch - 9:30
Paul Weller - Irving Plaza
Stiff Little Fingers - Black Cat
Woven Hand - Cafe Atlantik
The Evens - Ft Reno
Lucinda Williams - Wolftrap
Neil Young - DAR
Rodrigo Y Gabriela - 9:30
Slayer - Merriweather
Priestess - 9:30

Like several others, I went to far fewer shows this year than last. There were at least 10 shows I missed for being out of town. Here's what I've got:

1. Spoon, Ponys @ 9:30 club, 10/23
2. Okkervil River, Damien Jurado @ RnR Hotel, 9/30
3. Frames, Margot & Nuclear So and Sos @ 9:30, 4/26
4. Brazilian Girls @ Ogden Theater (Denver), 4/21
5. Son Volt, High Strung @ 9:30, 5/17
6. Brother Kite @ Red and the Black, 6/18
7. Silversun Pickups, Sea Wolf @ Recher, 5/13
8. High Strung, XYZ Affair @ BC backstage, 2/18
9. Nethers @ BC, 3/9
10. Stellastarr, Soft Complex @ RnR Hotel, 2/13

Spoon and Okkervil River are way out in front.

I can not rank but here are some:

MIA @ Terminal 5/ 930
Justice @ Terminal 5
Macy Gray @ DAR
Gwen Stefani @ Borgata
Lily Allen @ 930
Chrisette Michelle @ Black Cat
Bird and the Bee @ RNR
Nelly Furtado @ Patriot Center
Unlimited Sunshine Festival @ DAR
JLO/Marc Anthony @ Verizon

Top 11:

The Polyphonic Spree at 9:30 Club (6/30/07)

Koop at 9:30 Club (11/3/07)

Tool at Baltimore Arena (6/8/07)

David Olney & Sergio Webb at Sangha (6/5/07)

Porcupine Tree at House of Blues, Cleveland (5/18/07)

Air at 9:30 Club (5/9/07)

Grizzly Bear at Black Cat (3/4/07)

The Australian Pink Floyd Show at Starthmore (11/6/07)

Silverchair at Bowery Ballroom (2/12/07)

Amiina at 9:30 Club (4/1/07)

Blackfield at Ram's Head Tavern (3/15/07)

Well either tonight's Dresden Dolls show or tomorrow night's Patti Smith show could sneak in, at the moment, here's my top 10 (that goes to 11).

1- Superdrag @ Irving Plaza
2- Arcade Fire @ DAR
3- Superdrag @ 930
4- Fiona Apple and Nickel Creek @ Pier Six
5- Mic Harrison/Scott Miller @ Iota
6- Sasquatch Music Festival @ The Gorge -especially The Hold Steady - way better than the 9:30 show in Nov.
7- True Colors @ Merriweather
8- The High Score @ Hottfest (Knoxville)
9- Public Enemy @ Rams Head Live
10- Ben Kweller @ Sonar
11- Ani Difranco @ 930

(In no order, except that The Stooges were the show of the year for me):
Stooges-9:30 Club DC
Slayer-9:30 Club DC
Hank Williams III-Chameleon Club Lancaster PA
Muse-Patriot Center
Van Halen-Verizon Center
Van Hunt-Black Cat
Heaven and Hell-Merriweather
Public Enemy-Rams Head Live
The Police-MSG NYC
Rage Against The Machine-Randalls Island NYC

Honorable mention: Antiseen-Wonderland Richmond VA
Henry Rollins (spoken word)-Birchmere

Paul Weller at Irving Plaza on "Jam night" - What was touted as "An evening of Paul Weller playing the songs of The Jam" ended up being Weller playing 8 Jam songs, torturing the audience with 15 songs that sounded like Steve Winwood covers, and then finishing up with another Jam number. The audience, many of whom had paid top dollar for their tickets and/or flown in from far away to attend, seemed kinda pissed. I'd give the show a B-minus. It makes my Top 10 list because I got to skip two days of work and take a train up to NYC with three of my friends. And Weller opened with "Shopping" which is such an asshole move that it still makes me laugh every time I think about it.

The Lodger at The Velvet Lounge - This was probably the best show I saw all year – a skinny twee kid playing a really tight set of incredibly hooky guitar pop. The Public Record opened and played cool soundtracky stuff. In grand DC tradition, there were about 20 people in attendance, most of whom were over 35.

The Pipettes at The Black Cat - Their outfits are crummy and they sound more like Toni Basil than The Ronettes but they were mighty entertaining. The rest of the packed house seemed to agree.

The Hodoo Gurus at The Black Cat - Balding Aussies bring the rock to a depressingly empty house. Fake Accents do a nice job opening up.

Apples In Stereo at the 9:30 - Balding Americans bring the pop to a depressingly empty house. Aqueduct does a nice job opening up.

Georgie James at Fort Reno - Georgie James are my favorite local band right now. They're always tight and they remind me of the Zombies. Best of all, it was free.

LCD Soundsystem at the 9:30 Club - They played every song I wanted to hear in a really tight fashion. Since I don't get out much, this easily qualifies them for my top 10.

The Lemonheads at The Black Cat - Recruiting Bill Stevenson and Karl Alvarez paid big dividends for Dando. They kept him reined in whenever the wheels were threatening to come off and didn't let him do his shambolic solo set until the encore. I've seen The Lemonheads five times over the last 20 years and this was the first time they were actually good.

The Oranges Band at The Red and the Black - The Oranges Band are my fourth favorite band. Since they're from Baltimore, I get to see them play regularly for under $10. As always, they were good.

Georgie James at The Black Cat - (See above. Ignore the "Best of all, it was free" part.)

1) PJ Harvey @ Beacon Theater
2) Daft Punk @ Red Rocks
3) Arcade Fire @ Red Rocks
4) Polyphonic Spree @ 9:30
5) Bjork @ Fox Theater
6) Queens of the Stone Age @ Electric Factory
7) The Go! Team @ 9:30
8) Fujiya & Miyagi and Escort @ Barnard College
9) Lucinda Williams @ Wolftrap
10) Spoon @ Monolith Festival

–

I don't know where she'd fit in there, but Tori Amos in Anaheim was probably one of the best shows I've seen in my life.

Honorable Mention:

Snoop Dogg's showcase back in December at LA Live.

Originally posted by earlx:
Paul Weller at Irving Plaza on "Jam night" - What was touted as "An evening of Paul Weller playing the songs of The Jam" ended up being Weller playing 8 Jam songs, torturing the audience with 15 songs that sounded like Steve Winwood covers, and then finishing up with another Jam number. The audience, many of whom had paid top dollar for their tickets and/or flown in from far away to attend, seemed kinda pissed. I'd give the show a B-minus. It makes my Top 10 list because I got to skip two days of work and take a train up to NYC with three of my friends. And Weller opened with "Shopping" which is such an asshole move that it still makes me laugh every time I think about it.

I was at all three of those shows and the second night spotlighting the Style Council songs was the best. The band and audience was really into the entire show. They even uncorked a incredibly tight version of a "A Town Called Malice", which they basically slept through the first night.

I'm guessin' that Weller is more than a bit miffed that even after years of recording as a solo artist with IMHO a solid body of work, that even the slightest mention of the Jam and people lose their minds… Not sure which night it was, but his performance of "Butterfly Collector" really hearkened back to his angry young man days.