Friday, 22 Dec 2006
Here are a few of the concerts that will remain with me for some time, one possibly forever. Seeing Broken Social Scene at Lollapalooza and being able to stand on stage, literally a few feet away from the band and take in the thousands of people who didn’t give a shit about the Red Hot Chili Peppers who were about to close down the festivities about 500 yards away is hands down the best concert I took part of this year, if not ever. The Radiohead concert at the Chicago Auditorium Theatre ranks second and would have easily been number one had I not attended Lollapalooza.
1. Broken Social Scene – Lollapalooza, Chicago (Muzzle of Bees Post)
2. Radiohead – Chicago Auditorium Theatre, Chicago (Muzzle of Bees Review)
3. Pearl Jam/My Morning Jacket – Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON (Muzzle of Bees Review)
Say what you will about Eddie Vedder and company, but these guys were huge for me growing up, and It had been years since I was really a fan of theirs. This show made me feel like I was in my teens again and made me fall in love and appreciate the band all over again. It was the first of three times I saw this year and this one still resonates strongly.
4. Cat Power – 9:30 Club, Washington, DC
I never wrote about this show. I was in DC for work. I needed this show, it was my frist time seeing Chan, all by myself in a city far from home, yet I felt completely comfortable. I saw her again last month in LA and while the shows were nearly identical, the DC show was much more powerful.
5. Wilco – The Barrymore Theatre, Madison (Muzzle of Bees Review)
6. Hot Chip – Lollapalooza, Chicago (Muzzle of Bees Review)
7. Lucero – Mad Planet, Milwaukee (Muzzle of Bees Review)
8. The Go! Team – Lollapalooza, Chicago (Muzzle of Bees Review)
9. The New Pornographers – High Noon Saloon, Madison (Muzzle of Bees Review)
10. TV On The Radio/Grizzly Bear – The Metro, Chicago (Muzzle of Bees Review)
11. M. Ward – Pabst Theater, Milwaukee (Muzzle of Bees Review)
12. Jeff Tweedy – Pabst Theater, Milwaukee (Muzzle of Bees Review)
13. Neko Case – The Pabst Theater, Milwaukee (Muzzle of Bees Review)
14. Bloc Party – Intonation Music Festival, Chicago (Muzzle of Bees Review)
15. Frank Black – High Noon Saloon, Madison (Muzzle of Bees Review)
16. Sufjan Stevens – Pabst Theater, Milwaukee (Muzzle of Bees Review)
17. Jolie Holland/Sean Hayes – High Noon Saloon, Madison
18. Catfish Haven/Pink Mountaintops – The Khyber, Philadelphia (Muzzle of Bees Review)
19. Lewis & Clarke/Mi & L’au – World Cafe Live, Philadelphia (Muzzle of Bees Review)
20. The Hold Steady – Lollapalooza, Chicago
21. William Elliott Whitmore – Mad Planet, Milwaukee
December 27th, 2006 at 7:21 pm
Nice roundup. I’m jealous of the amount of concerts you took in in 2006! The one thing that jumped out at me though is that you ranked TNP as #9 over Tweedy and Sufjan (both of which I saw). While I didn’t see TNP in Madison, I did see them at The Riverside in Milwaukee w/ Belle & Sebastian. I’m curious if you saw that show too? I thought TNP were fun to watch but the concert was just ok (and I *love* TNP). B&S seemed much more comfortable on the stage and really created a different sound outside of their studio tracks. Basically, I’m wondering if I saw a dud of a TNP show @ The Riverside. Cheers and Happy New Year MoB!
December 27th, 2006 at 8:36 pm
TNP were a bit out of their element opening for B+S. The High Noon Saloon show was a totally different story. They were relaxed and played a full set, unlike at the Riverside. Overall, it was an outstanding show.
December 28th, 2006 at 7:23 am
Seeing The New Pornographers in a small place like the High Noon Saloon is certainly an experience. With Sufjan his show and music in general is always so similar that I get bored with it very quickly.
As much as I love Tweedy solo shows, they never compare with a full band Wilco performance for me.
Not only that, but the New Pornographers have a couple of absolutely stellar albums that roar to life in a live setting.
I saw about 60-70 shows this year, so it was really hard to narrow down a list, and then rank them because each of the 21 had some very special moments.