your top 10 concerts of the year

1&2 – tie) Queens of the Stone Age and Social Distortion @ Ram's Head Live
3) Iggy & The Stooges @ Lollapalooza
4) Arcade Fire @ Constitution Hall
5) The Who @ Verizon Center
6) Dinosaur Jr. @ Abbey Pub (Chicago)
7) The Hives @ Black Cat
8) Badly Drawn Boy @ 9:30 Club
9) Air @ 9:30 Club
10) Social Distortion @ Oneida Casino (Green Bay, WI)
I can't even remember going to ten concerts this year, but I'll try…in no order

Jens Lekman, Black Cat
Nick Lowe, Birchmere
Old 97's, Artscape (daughter's first concert)
Hugh Masekela, World Music Fest in Arlington
Drive By Truckers, 9:30 Club
Robbie Fulks, Jammin Java
Slaid Cleaves, Iota
Hold Steady, 9:30 Club
Josh Rouse, Birchmere

Hmmm, that's about all that are listworthy and in my brain at present
1. The Dismemberment Plan @ Black Cat - 4/28
2. The Smashing Pumpkins @ The Orange Peel - 6/27
3. Junior Boys @ Black Cat - 4/13
4. LCD Soundsystem @ 9:30 Club - 5/13
5. Yeah Yeah Yeahs @ VFest - 8/5
6. Ben Gibbard @ 9:30 Club (2 shows) - 5/10
7. The Flaming Lips @ The NorVa - 4/19
8. Smashing Pumpkins @ 9:30 Club - 7/10
9. Stars @ 9:30 Club - 10/20
10. Manchester Orchestra/Colour Revolt @ Alley Katz - 8/12

Other Shows I'd Go See Again In An Instant:
Sparklehorse @ Cat's Cradle
Smashing Pumpkins/EITS @ Tower Theatre
Lily Allen @ 9:30 Club
Decemberists @ The NorVa
Dinosaur Jr @ The Orange Peel
The Hold Steady/Art Brut @ Toad's Place
Manchester Orchestra @ Relative Theory Records
Thievery Corporation @ Merriweather
Jesse Lacey/Kevin Devine @ Common Groundz Coffee
QOTSA @ The NorVa
Muse/CWK @ Patriot Center
Interpol @ VFest
Spoon @ VFest
I don't know if I could rank them, but here are a few that totally stand out:

Wilco @ Merriweather
Panda Bear @ the Ottobar
The Stooges @ 9:30
Marnie Stern @ the Rock N Roll Hotel
Jens Lekman @ the Black Cat
Yo La Tengo @ the Birchmere
Sonic Youth performing "Daydream Nation" @ the McCarren Pool Park
Ween @ Sonar

I'd have to look back through my stubs to remember anything else.
i only went to 14 this year and 4 (smashing pumpkins) i didn't particularly enjoy nearly as much as the other 10. i guess that makes those my top 10 by default.

edit:
#1, by a mile, though: slint @ cat's cradle.
I'd add those as well.

Originally posted by Julian, good manners AFICIONADO:
The Dismemberment Plan @ Black Cat
LCD Soundsystem @ 9:30 Club
I saw 10 bands at the Virgin fest,if that counts?

Other than that,there is no way I went to 10 shows this year…no interest…
oh wow. just off the top of my head…

jens lekman @ black cat.
lcd soundsystem @ 930.
band of horses @ 930.
tv on the radio @ 930.
interpol @ norva.
bloc party @ dar.
yeah yeah yeahs @ virgin.
feist @ rams head.
ben gibbard @ 930.
pretty girls make graves @ black cat.

uhh… i know i'm missing some… i'll come back to this later.
My favorite shows of 2007:

2007/01/20 The Dears/Annuals @ 9:30 Club
2007/04/19 TV on the Radio/Noisettes @ 9:30 Club
2007/05/04 The Arcade Fire @ D.A.R. Constitution Hall
2007/06/21 Wilco @ Merriweather
2007/07/10 Smashing Pumpkins @ 9:30 Club
2007/07/14 The Decemberists with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra @ Merriweather
2007/07/26 The Swell Season @ 9:30 Club
2007/07/28 The White Stripes @ Patriot Center
2007/09/06 The National/The Rosebuds @ 9:30 Club
2007/09/26 Rilo Kiley @ 9:30 Club
2007/10/13 Stellastarr*/Pela @ 6th and I Synagogue
2007/10/25 Jens Lekman @ Black Cat
2007/10/27 The New Pornographers/Emma Pollock @ 9:30 Club

Rankings off the top of my head:
1. Jens Lekman
2. Arcade Fire
3. The Swell Season
4. The New Pornographers
5. The Dears
6. The White Stripes
7. Smashing Pumpkins
8. Stellastarr*/Pela
9. The Decemberists with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
10. TV on the Radio
1) Jens Lekman @ Black Cat

the rest:

Camera Obscura / Essex Green @ 930
Wilco @ Merriweather
Lucero @ Black Cat (April show)
Dismemberment Plan @ Black Cat
Against Me! @ 930
The Hold Steady @ 930

quite a few shows that i would have liked to have included on here but were disappointing for one reason or another … i'm sure the rest of these posts will help jog my memory for the final 3
My list surprised me a bit. I didn't go to as many shows this year.

1. Daft Punk - Vegoose

*It should be noted that this show is immediately in the discussion for the top three shows I've ever seen.

2. Rage Against the Machine - Vegoose
3. Smashing Pumpkins - The Orange Peel - June 23
4. Smashing Pumpkins - The Orange Peel - June 24
5. Pray for Peace - National Cathedral
6. Smashing Pumpkins - 9:30 Club - July 10
7. Arcade Fire/The National - Constitution Hall
8. Air - 9:30 Club
9. Devendra Banhart - Sixth & I
10. LCD Soundsystem - Keyspan Park

Very honorable mention:
Dismemberment Plan - Black Cat
Jay-Z - Rams Head Live
Morrissey - Constitution Hall
Thievery Corporation - Vegoose
Muse - Patriot Center

I'm sure I'm forgetting some.
1. The Hives, Black Cat
2. Muse, Patriot Center
3. Gallows, 9:30 Club
4. Jay Reatard, Black Cat
5. Arcade Fire, DAR
6. Battles, Fun Fest
7. DMBQ, Hosiery
8. Sounds of Kaleidoscope, Black Cat
9. Explosions in the Sky, Fun Fest
10. The Red Romance, RnR Hotel
1. Polyphonic Spree - 930 Club
2. Low - 930 Club
3. Cold War Kids with Tokyo Police Club- 930 Club
4. Interpol - V Fest
5. Fujiya & Miyagi - Ottobar
6. Klaxons - 930 Club
7. Voxtrot - Black Cat (first show, not the second)
8. the Shins - Merriweather
9. Sebadoh - 930
10. Nick Swardson - Lisner
1. wilco - merriweather
2. chuck brown & the roots - constitution hall
3. thievery & manu chao - merriweather
4. queens of the stone age - rams head live
5. bruce springsteen - verizon
6. neil young - constitution hall
7. tool - bonnaroo
8. mc lyte, big daddy kane, the roots - 9:30
9. ray price, merle haggard, willie nelson - merriweather
10. justin timberlake - verizon

edit: shoot, i forgot about spoon/the shins at merriweather! that'll be #5, and i'll drop JT from the list.
1. Queens of the Stone Age @ Rams Head
2. M.I.A. @ Sonar
3. White Stripes @ Patriot Center
4. Muse @ Patriot Center
5. The Hives @ Black Cat
6. Yeah Yeah Yeahs @ VFest

and I can't remember any other shows at the moment.
i went to more shows than i thought so this was kind of hard:

01. D Plan at BC second night
02. Yo La Tengo @ Maxwell's 5th night of hannukah
03. Yo La Tengo @ Birchmere
04. Battles @ Ottobar
05. Squeeze @ Wolf Trap
06. Sondre Lerche @ Birchmere
07. The Good, The Bad, the Queen @ 9:30
08. Mum @ Synagogue
09. Feist/Grizzly Bear @ 9:30
10. Imperial China @ Galaxy Hut

honorable mention: Peter Bjorn and John, Air, Fiery Furnaces, Besnard Lakes.
I'm going to go with:
1. Arcade Fire/The National @ DAR
2. Stars/Magnet @ Cat's Cradle
3. Metric/Crystal Castles @ 9:30
4. Ani DiFranco/Buddy Wakefield @ Meyerhoff
5. Tegan & Sara/Northern State @ Lisner

I'm surprised Feist, Neko Case, and The New Pornographers aren't on there, but what can I do. I'm tempted to add The Decemberists @ the Norva on the strength of My Brightest Diamond alone.
2007 has been an amazing concert-going year for me. below are my highlights in approximate order. can't pare down to just ten as these were all superb:

</font>
  • &lt;font size="2" face="Arial, Veranda"&gt;daft punk @ lollapalooza (arguably the best show i've seen, ever)&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  • &lt;font size="2" face="Arial, Veranda"&gt;RATM @ coachella (no one can do to a crowd what rage can - not then, not now)&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  • &lt;font size="2" face="Arial, Veranda"&gt;iggy and the stooges @ 930 club (energy was incredible, better performance than lolla IMO)&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  • &lt;font size="2" face="Arial, Veranda"&gt;spiritualized @ the apollo ("songcraft"… beautiful songs, beautiful venue)&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  • &lt;font size="2" face="Arial, Veranda"&gt;air @ 9:30 club (classy, professional, beautiful)&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  • &lt;font size="2" face="Arial, Veranda"&gt;the nightwatchman @ coachella (his biggest previous audience? 70 people in a coffee house. he killed it)&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  • &lt;font size="2" face="Arial, Veranda"&gt;polyphonic spree, 930 Club (for one night, i joined the cult)&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  • &lt;font size="2" face="Arial, Veranda"&gt;LCD soundsystem @ 9:30 Club (despite the sore throat, james &amp; band kicked it. didn't enjoy them as much at lolla)&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  • &lt;font size="2" face="Arial, Veranda"&gt;ben gibbard @ 9:30 Club (immediately after first show, i ran outside and grabbed ticket for the second)&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  • &lt;font size="2" face="Arial, Veranda"&gt;QOTSA (i think MSG was a tad more intense than philly, but hard to chose)&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  • &lt;font size="2" face="Arial, Veranda"&gt;smashing pumpkins @ 9:30 Club (i enjoyed the campy theme, seeing them up close and finally hearing "1979" live)&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  • &lt;font size="2" face="Arial, Veranda"&gt;arcade fire @ randalls island&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  • &lt;font size="2" face="Arial, Veranda"&gt;chemical brothers @ mccarren pool (amazing visuals. heavyweight bout of the 21st century: chem bros vs. daft punk)&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  • &lt;font size="2" face="Arial, Veranda"&gt;muse @ lolla (even better than the patriot show, IMO)&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
<font size="2" face="Arial, Veranda">
Originally posted by nkotb:
I'd have to look back through my stubs to remember anything else.
me too, although i doubt i'd add more than one or two shows.
Originally posted by callat703:
1. Daft Punk - Vegoose

*It should be noted that this show is immediately in the discussion for the top three shows I've ever seen.
just bears repeating.

*EDIT: crap - i left off calvin harris @ mercury lounge, which was just massive. i'm good at editing other people's stuff, but can't cut my own…
I probably forgot something from the first half of the year, but here is what I can think of for my top ten:

1. Willie Nelson/Merle Haggard/Ray Price @ Merriweather (by far the best show of the year for me)
2. The Shins @ DAR
3. Against Me!/Cursive @ Electric Factory (didn't stay for Mastadon)
4. Arcade Fire/The National @ DAR
5. Old Crow Medicine Show @ Bonnaroo
6. The Weakerthans @ 930
7. The Shins @ The Norva
8. Drag the River @ Rock n Roll Hotel
9. Rilo Kiley @ 930
10. The Police @ Bonnaroo
I only went to 10 this year so Ill go by top five performances…

1.Priestess at 930
2.Gwar at 930
3.All that remains at recher
4.Killswitch Engage(Warped tour) at merriwether
5.Mastodon at 930

honorable mention: Hellyeah at Rams head(Vinnie Paul of pantera 1st concert show since Dimebags death)