BEST SHOWS OF 2010.
December 19, 2010 1 Comment
I went to about 100 shows this year. A lot of them were fantastic, but here are 20-some that were especially memorable (in no particular order, after the first one…and I’m probably forgetting plenty that were just as great):
- Arcade Fire at Madison Square Garden, Aug. 4. Not only was this the best show I went to this year, but it’s the best I have ever been to in my life. I managed to buy a general-admission floor ticket for this, and thanks to getting there a couple hours early, I was front and center, one or two people away from the barricade. Owen Pallett was on double duty, opening the show and then playing violin with Arcade Fire; Spoon was great; and Arcade Fire was exhilarating. This night was nonstop on my mind for weeks after the show, and I had the treat of seeing them again at Lollapalooza just a few days later — that was a different experience, but no less exciting. Hearing the crowd still singing the tune of “Wake Up” while leaving the park was perfect.
- LCD Soundsystem at Music Hall of Williamsburg (April 8), Webster Hall (April 12), and Terminal 5 (May 19). It was by some Ticketmaster miracle that I was able to go to those first two shows, but they were SO much fun — so much dancing, sweating, screaming the words. I think the Willyburg show was the best, Webster was the most fun, and T5 I went to because I had bought tickets before the smaller shows were announced, and my best friend was in town, so it was still a blast and I remember almost tearing up while screaming the words to “All My Friends” in the company of three of my best ones.
- Owen Pallett at Webster Hall, April 23. Writeup and some great photos.
- Screaming Females at various venues. One of the best concert moments this year was when Screaming Females’ Marissa Paternoster joined Ted Leo on stage at Siren Fest to sing “Woke Up In Chelsea.” The Screamales’ newest album, Castle Talk, while fantastic, isn’t my favorite record of theirs (that’d be Power Move), but they quickly became one of my favorite live bands.
- Janelle Monáe at Terminal 5. Monáe blows my mind. Despite the horrible crowd at this show, she was unfreakingbelievable.
- Sufjan Stevens at the Beacon Theater, Nov. 14. Click for lots of words about that show.
- Samantha Crain at the Bell House and in the eMusic kitchen, June 15 and 16; Frontier Ruckus at Southpaw and in the eMusic kitchen, June 17. Can’t say enough about either of these artists. Click that link for a little on both.
- Lost in the Trees at various venues. I saw this band three times this year, every time was pretty magical. I also interviewed frontman Ari Picker. Writeups and photos from their shows at Bowery Ballroom and The Bell House.
- Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes at Webster Hall and Lollapalooza.
- Anaïs Mitchell at Joe’s Pub, April 23. I’ve been following Anaïs Mitchell for a few years now and she’s so lovely live. She and her band played her entire folk opera, Hadestown, from start to finish.
- The Low Anthem at Bowery Ballroom, April 14. Hands down, the most magical crowd-participation moment I’ve been a part of at a concert.
- Superchunk at Music Hall of Williamsburg, Sept. 19. I’ll save my Superchunk spiel for when I write about their record Majesty Shredding on my best albums list, but this show ruled. It should also be noted that I ran to this show from the Williamsburg Waterfont after seeing Pavement.
- Carole King & James Taylor at Madison Square Garden, June 30. When my editor jokingly handed me a CD of Carole King and James Taylor’s Troubadour Reunion Tour, I’m pretty sure he wasn’t expecting me to respond with, “Oh, thanks, I bought tickets to see them in June!” Laugh all you want but I am a shameless Carole King fan. She is amazing, and even if you don’t like the music she performs herself (you know, “So Far Away,” “It’s Too Late,” the theme song from Gilmore Girls), just remember that she also wrote a bazillion hit songs for the likes of the Shirelles, Dusty Springfield, etc. etc. I’m not as well versed in James Taylor’s catalog, and I enjoyed his parts of the show, but King really owned it. I hope I have that much energy when I’m 68.
- Kanye West at Brooklyn Bowl. 2:30 in the morning after way too many hours at Brooklyn Bowl. This was the turning point that officially made me a Kanye fan.
- Against Me! and Green Day at Lollapalooza. SO GOOD.
- Sharon Van Etten, a million times at various venues, but especially at Mercury Lounge in November. I’ve seen Sharon Van Etten perform about six times since moving to New York, and she’s always beautiful and breathtaking but never has she been better than when she headlined Mercury Lounge. It was the first time I’d seen her with a band, and first time I heard her perform most of her incredible new record epic.
- Titus Andronicus at Brooklyn Bowl. It took me a while to get into Titus Andronicus’s album The Monitor, but it was worth the effort to keep listening. This set, while only 45 minutes long, sealed the deal. They were exhilarating and energizing, and I can’t wait to see them again.
- Yo La Tengo and Bonnie Prince Billy at Maxwell’s, Dec. 7. My first Yo La Tengo Hanukkah show will definitely not be my last (unless they stop doing them…). I haven’t listened to much of Bonnie Prince Billy’s music and had never seen him live before this, but his set blew me away. He and the band were a little kooky but so beautiful and captivating. Yo La Tengo was fantastic, too, and it was cool to see them in such a small space. Also, Kristen Schaal and Kurt Braunohler did standup in between the bands and they were great.
- The New Pornographers at the Bell House, June 20. The full lineup of one of my all-time favorite bands, who put out a really great record this year, playing at one of my favorite (small) venues in Brooklyn.
- Belle & Sebastian at the Williamsburg Waterfront, Sept. 20. Another one of my all-time favorites, who put out a somewhat-disappointing-but-not-terrible record this year. Hadn’t seen them since 2006 (with the New Pornographers, in Toronto); this show was outside and it was supposed to storm, and by some miracle, the rain held off.
- My Brightest Diamond at Bowery Ballroom, Jan. 22. Shara Worden is something else.
- Bob Dylan at Terminal 5, Nov. 22. I had low expectations for this, as I’d never seen Bob Dylan before, but he and his band were phenomenal.
- Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings at the Apollo. First time at the Apollo, with great seats and a phenomenal band. Sharon Jones is so much fun.
