Shows of the Year
As the years pass, my show attendance continues to ebb. 2012 was probably my lightest year of concert-going since 1990, when I'm pretty sure I only saw four shows (Def Leppard (2x), Genesis and Neil Young. How about that for a mix of terrible and awesome?) . Of the few tangible pursuits of 2013, attending more shows makes the short list. That said, I did see a few memorable shows this past year, and here are the ones that stuck out:
Runners Up:
Wilco / Berkeley Theater, Berkeley, CA / September 21
Following a lackluster show in Brooklyn earlier in the year, for the first time in nearly two decades, I worried that my interest in Wilco's live show was beginning to wane. Before a surprisingly thin crowd (probably 80% full, but light by Wilco standards), the band put on a fantastic show. Much to my delight, they played a blistering version of "Laminated Cat," a song I'd been waiting to hear for a decade. Add in a run of "Handshake Drugs," "Wishful Thinking," "Shouldn't Be Ashamed," "Whole Love," "Box Full of Letters" and "I'm Always In Love," and as I said to my friend, "This feels like late-90s Wilco." Despite a largely subdued crowd, I couldn't help but move.
Joe Pernice / Hotel Utah, San Francisco, CA / May 31
Strangely enough, my first exposure to Pernice was witnessing his first band, The Scud Mountain Boys, open for Wilco at Tramps in NYC in 1995. Seeing him nearly 20 years later in a tiny SF pub was just as memorable. Walking in as the opener was wrapping up a terrible set, I found myself standing beside Joe. Within minutes we were talking The Minus 5, Yankees vs. Red Sox, and why I considered "Chappaquiddick Skyline" to be among the greatest songs ever. His set was moving, messy, funny, and just what I hoped I'd see in one of the premier songwriters of the past 20 years.
Jeff Mangum / Fox Theater, Oakland, CA / April 9
One more dream come true. I never saw Neutral Milk Hotel, and Mangum's ten-year hiatus from music offered little hope that this opportunity would ever come. His voice sounded absolutely perfect and the songs were stunning.
Tops:
Scud Mountain Boys / The Bowery Ballroom, NYC / January 13
I never thought I'd see this band again. If not for a drunken audience, this would have been the perfect show. With a new record on the horizon, I can only dream of seeing them again. And again.
From that night:
Runners Up:
Wilco / Berkeley Theater, Berkeley, CA / September 21
Following a lackluster show in Brooklyn earlier in the year, for the first time in nearly two decades, I worried that my interest in Wilco's live show was beginning to wane. Before a surprisingly thin crowd (probably 80% full, but light by Wilco standards), the band put on a fantastic show. Much to my delight, they played a blistering version of "Laminated Cat," a song I'd been waiting to hear for a decade. Add in a run of "Handshake Drugs," "Wishful Thinking," "Shouldn't Be Ashamed," "Whole Love," "Box Full of Letters" and "I'm Always In Love," and as I said to my friend, "This feels like late-90s Wilco." Despite a largely subdued crowd, I couldn't help but move.
Joe Pernice / Hotel Utah, San Francisco, CA / May 31
Strangely enough, my first exposure to Pernice was witnessing his first band, The Scud Mountain Boys, open for Wilco at Tramps in NYC in 1995. Seeing him nearly 20 years later in a tiny SF pub was just as memorable. Walking in as the opener was wrapping up a terrible set, I found myself standing beside Joe. Within minutes we were talking The Minus 5, Yankees vs. Red Sox, and why I considered "Chappaquiddick Skyline" to be among the greatest songs ever. His set was moving, messy, funny, and just what I hoped I'd see in one of the premier songwriters of the past 20 years.
Jeff Mangum / Fox Theater, Oakland, CA / April 9
One more dream come true. I never saw Neutral Milk Hotel, and Mangum's ten-year hiatus from music offered little hope that this opportunity would ever come. His voice sounded absolutely perfect and the songs were stunning.
Tops:
Scud Mountain Boys / The Bowery Ballroom, NYC / January 13
I never thought I'd see this band again. If not for a drunken audience, this would have been the perfect show. With a new record on the horizon, I can only dream of seeing them again. And again.
From that night:
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