Best live shows this year 2009

Dan Deacon Ensemble @ Bowery Ballroom (i've seen him a ton of times in baltimore, but this show was great)
My Bloody Valentine @ The National
Jesus Lizard @ Sonar
Beach House / Celebration @ outside of the Metro Gallery

Swell Season at 930. The Frames just sounded soooo good. The one show in awhile I didn't want to miss a note.
Bloc Party at 930. Maybe not perfectly polished but damn close. Way fun, an excited crowd and I appreciated this booking, a gift from Seth/twangirl.
Distant third tie: Nada Surf - the appreciative crowd added to the energy and good time. (this was this year right? Agh so long ago)  or Paolo Nutini - just to toss him in the mix b/c he's just a good guy, growing in his craft.

Not best show b/c the sound was off-putting, but I appreciate 930 for the attempt and for bringing the Ben/Jay show.

15) Social Distortion @ House of Blues, Atlantic City, NJ (10/17)
14) The Prodigy @ 9:30 Club, DC (5/18)
13) Bruce Springsteen @ Verizon Center, DC (11/2)
12) The Feelies @ 9:30 Club, DC (3/14)
11) Jane's Addiction @ Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden, NJ (6/5)
10) The Damned w/the Bellrays @ Black Cat, DC (5/12)
9) Phoenix @ Rock'n'Roll Hotel, DC (6/21)
8 ) Peaches @ 9:30 Club, DC (6/17)
7) Bob Mould Band @ 9:30 Club, DC (10/10)
6) Fischerspooner @ 9:30 Club, DC (5/10)
5) Black Francis @ Hotel Utah Saloon, SF (8/8)
4) Face to Face w/Pegboy @ Sonar, Baltimore, MD (9/19)
3) Pixies @ DAR Constitution Hall, DC (11/30)
Tie: 1&2) Death Cab For Cutie @ Belly Up, Solana Beach and @ Hollywood Bowl (7/3, 7/5)

my bloody valentine @ national
ghost/magic markers @ music hall of williamsburg
9boadrums/jesus lizard/laming lips/onedia/ @ atp09
pixies @ dar
glenn kotche @ claire smith
sonic youth  @ 930
dinosaur jr @ ottobar
mono w/ wordless music @ society for ethical culture concert hall
crimson grail for 200 guitars @ lincoln center
faust @ blackcat


haven't really gone outside my house this year. i blame mbv for having satisfied all my needs.

azaghal1981 wrote:
"keinji heino & tony conrad @ international house, philly"

Damn really? How'd I miss that one?

Tony Conrad's quickly getting up there and I've yet to see him.

i bought my ticket way in advance and faked out on the day of the show :(

no The Juan MacLean at Black Cat? I'm sure you can toss out Jandek…just think about the super extended version (25 minutes?) of Happy House…that was pretty hypnotic, eh? 

and ~~~~~~~~~~~~~launch me into spaceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee~~~~~~~~

azaghal1981 wrote:
Mine isn't set in stone but here's what I got at the moment:

Top three are interchangeable:
Antony and the Johnsons at Town Hall NYC 2/19
Ghost/Magik Markers Velvet Lounge DC 5/10
My Bloody Valentine National Richmond 7/30
4. Them Crooked Vultures 930 Club 10/14
5. Devo 930 club 11/15
6. Sonic Youth 930 Club 7/7
7. The Tallest Man on Earth Black Cat 6/16
8. Dinosaur Jr. 930 Club 10/8
9. Jandek Load of Fun Theater Baltimore 11/14
10. Primal Scream 930 Club 3/27

Jandek stays. TJM was good but nowhere near top 10 material for me.

Kind of a shocker seeing this on your list. Isn't Ed pretty much the only original band member left?
The show of theirs I caught five-ish years ago was pretty damn good, though.

yeah, he's the only original member.  his wife brandy is now playing bass, and she's really good.  i used to love the ozrics in the '90s, and have always considered them more of a space-rock band in the vein of hawkwind or gong than a noodly jam band.  the rhythm sectionhas always been rock-solid and motoric.  they played for over two hours at jb's, and there were hardly any dull moments.  waaaay better than the 2004 tour.

the haino/conrad set was intense, but everything haino does is gripping and urgent.  if he did a duet with a fucking pigeon, it'd be in my top ten shows of the year.

 

I'll just say it, and deal with the consequences.

P!nk at Patriot Center
Kylie Minogue at Hammerstein Ballroom

P!nk puts on one hell of a show.

Sugartastic wrote:
Distant third tie: Nada Surf - the appreciative crowd added to the energy and good time. (this was this year right? Agh so long ago) 

Nope - both Nada Surf shows were in 2008 and they were both amongst my top shows from last year.

Hello wrote:
top 30 faves  ::)

no Beirut?

Nope. They didn't make it to the top 30  ;D

Sugartastic wrote:

Hello wrote:
top 30 faves  ::)

no Beirut?

They were probably in the top 10 overpriced shows of the last 10 years, though.

It has been an unusually slow year for shows for me.  Less than 30 shows so far..  :(  Here are some that I recall as being on the listing of kick ass events.

05/18 The Prodigy (930)
06/13 Jane's Addiction (Porstmouth Amphitheater)
08/22 Chuck Brown (930)
10/20 Little Richard (Ram's Head Annapolis)
11/11 Joe Perry Project (Starland Ballroom)

1.  Leonard Cohen-Red Rocks 6/4
2.  MBV/Brightblack-Fillmore (Denver) 4/24
3.  Ghost/Lichens-Hi-Dive 5/18
4.  Primal Scream-Music Hall Of Williamsburg 3/29
5.  Sonic Youth-Ogden Theater 7/31
6.  Hope Sandoval-Bluebird Theater 10/1
7.  Phoenix-Monolith Festival Red Rocks
8.  Thievery Corporation-Fillmore 4/18
9.  Wilco-Red Rocks 7/3
10. Om/Six Organs-ICA (Boston) 10/12
11. Shpongle-Mishawaka 6/5 (at least from what I remember)
12. A Place To Bury Strangers-Larimer Lounge 10/23  

my take

T O O L @ Patriot Center
NIN/JA @ Merriweather
Van Der Graaf Generator @ State Theatre
Pixies @ DAR
The Breeders @ Black Cat
David Byrne/Devotchka @ Wolf Trap
U2/MUSE @ FedEx Field
Kayhan Kalhor & Brooklyn Rider @ Library of Congress
Antony & The Johnsons @ Sixth & I
Yeah Yeah Yeahs @ 930
Them Crooked Vultures @ 930
Moby @ 930
Animal Collective @ 930

1. Leonard Cohen @ Radio City Music Hall (*)
2. Grace Jones @ Hammerstein Ballroom (*)
3. Fever Ray @ Webster Hall (*)
4. David Byrne / Devotchka @ Wolf Trap (*)
5. The Long Count @ Brooklyn Academy of Music (*)
6. Nine Inch Nails @ Bowery Ballroom (*)
7. Grizzly Bear / Final Fantasy @ Brooklyn Academy of Music (*)
8. Jay-Z with guests Beyonce, Young Jeezy and Mary J. Blige @ Warner Theater (*)
9. The Cure @ Coachella Music Festival (*)
10. The Jesus Lizard @ Fun Fun Fun Fest (*)
11. Spoon @ Chameleon Club (*)
12. Antony and the Johnsons @ Sixth and I Synagogue (*)
13. The Decemberists with the Heartless Bastards @ The Metro / Smart Bar (*)
14. Kylie Minogue @ Hammerstein Ballroom (*)
15. ESG with DJs Sal Principato and Matt Cash @ Le Poisson Rouge (*)

Top 15 of 2009

It's SUPER hard for me to do a top 10 of 00's…

My favs of 09:

The Orb (live) @ Coachella
My Bloody Valentine @ The National
The Prodigy @ 9:30
A Place To Bury Strangers @ RNR Hotel
Throbbing Gristle @ Coachella
Plump DJs @ Coachella
Leonard Cohen @ Coachella
Primal Scream @ 9:30
NIN/JA @ Merriweather
The Flaming Lips @ Merriweather