Friday, 11 Dec 2009
2009 provided plenty of memorable nights of live music in Madison, Milwaukee, Chicago, and at various festivals and cities across the US. Below you’ll find my 25 favorite concerts of 2009. Inevitably, there are probably ones I forgot about, didn’t attend, or straight up didn’t know about. That being said, the 25 shows listed below represent some of the best nights of my life this year.
1. Bon Iver – Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Los Angeles (Muzzle of Bees Review)
2. Bruce Springsteen – Bradley Center, Milwaukee (Muzzle of Bees Review)
3. David Rawlings Machine – High Noon Saloon, Madison (Muzzle of Bees Review)
4. A.A. Bondy + Flight – Club Garibaldi (A.V. Club Milwaukee Review | Muzzle of Bees videos)
5. Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – Turner Hall Ballroom, Milwaukee (OnMilwaukee.com Review)
6. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Club Garibaldi, Milwaukee (Muzzle of Bees Photos)
7. The Rural Alberta Advantage + Common Loon – Cactus Club, Milwaukee
8. The Rosebuds + Megafaun – Club Garibaldi, Milwaukee (Muzzle of Bees Review)
9. The Avett Brothers – Barrymore Theatre, Madison (Muzzle of Bees Review)
10. Leonard Cohen – Chicago Theatre, Chicago (Muzzle of Bees Review)
11. St. Vincent – The Pabst Theater, Milwaukee (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Review)
12. Roadside Graves + Chris DeMay Band – Club Garibaldi, Milwaukee
13. Bon Iver + Eau Claire Memorial Jazz Ensemble – Eau Claire (Muzzle of Bees Review)
14. Los Campesinos! + Titus Andronicus – Der Rathskeller (Muzzle of Bees Review)
15. School of Seven Bells – High Noon Saloon, Madison (Muzzle of Bees Review)
16. Wilco – UIC Pavillion, Chicago (Muzzle of Bees Review)
17. The National – Pabst Theater, Milwaukee (A.V. Club Milwaukee Review)
18. M. Ward – Pabst Theater, Milwaukee
19. Heartless Bastards – Outside Lands Music Festival, San Francisco
20. Grizzly Bear + Here We Go Magic – Pabst Theater, Milwaukee (Blue Ribbon Vision Video)
21. These United States – The Mohawk, Austin
22. Bat For Lashes – Outside Lands Music Festival, San Francisco
23. A.A. Bondy + Holly Miranda + Juniper Tar – Club Garibaldi, Milwaukee (Photos | Video)
24. U2 – Soldier Field, Chicago (Chicago Tribune Review)
25. Crosby, Stills & Nash – Riverside Theater, Milwaukee (A.V. Club Milwaukee Review)
Discuss: What were the best concerts you saw this year? What shows did you miss that you really wanted to see? Who tops your list of who you’d like to see live in 2010?
December 11th, 2009 at 11:39 am
Great list, but two of my favorites this year were missing.
Matt & Kim at the Majestic in Madison was a crazy, dangerous, truly rockin’ show. Possibly the show I feel I was closest to being swallowed by the crowd and never returning. Harrowing and chaotic, but easily one of the best shows I have ever been to. (I attended the Minneapolis show the night before, and Wisconsin represented with twice the crowd and ten-fold the energy)
The second one might make my list for personal reasons, but Bon Iver and The Daredevil Christopher Wright at the Riverside Theatre in Milwaukee (my first Bon Iver show) was magical. It was an absolutely perfect homecoming for Bon Iver and an astounding oppurtunity for DCW. It was a night for Eau Claire (and Wisconsin as a whole) to revel in the talent that is simply exploding.
December 11th, 2009 at 11:43 am
That Bonnie show was unbelievable! For me, the Books at Turner was top 5 and Call Me Lightning at Club Garibaldi for Radio Summer Camp is up there, too.
December 11th, 2009 at 11:55 am
I saw Portugal. The Man 6 or 7 times this past year and their live show gets better every time.
RX Bandits, Pretty Lights, and Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground were also all fantastic.
Good Old War at the Knitting Factory last week was also quite amazing.
December 11th, 2009 at 11:56 am
Portugal. The Man – how could I leave them off – saw them three times this summer – might have to make this a list of 26
December 11th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
Great list – wish I could have made some of those shows. I few not on the list that would end up on my favorites for the year:
Band of Horses – House of Blues, Chicago
Monsters of Folk – Auditorium Theatre, Chicago
Bon Iver – Riverside, Milwaukee
Bon Iver – Lollapalooza
Spoon – Summerfest, Milwaukee
Strand of Oaks – Shank Hall, Milwaukee
If I had to choose an absolute favorite concert of the year, it’s tough, but I would go with The Avett Brothers at Barrymore in Madison. Amazing show and as a longtime fan, my first time seeing them live will always be special.
December 11th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
I agree the Bon Iver show at the Riverside was unforgettable, however I didn’t get to attend the two Bon Iver shows that made it on the list and both of them sounded at least as epic as the last show. As long as Bon Iver (joined by Megafaun I believe?) is topping the list you won’t hear any complaints from me.
December 11th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
I definitely LOVED the Riverside show. In fact, I think the Daredevil Christopher Wright shined just as bright that night. I also didn’t want to overload my list with Bon Iver shows – so that’s why it didn’t make my cut.
@jmfry – Strand of Oaks is the second one that I’d like to add to this list. His show in Madison, though only for 20 people (including staff) was brilliant.
December 11th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
The Hold Steady at the Majestic was probably my favorite show of the year. Close runners-up would include the Boss at the Bradley Center, Lucero at Turner Hall, the Felice Brothers at the Terrace, Dylan at the Metro Centre in Rockford, & the Gaslight Anthem at Turner Hall.
I have many deep regrets this year – mainly missing the Thermals, the Bouncing Souls and an apparently amazing show at Kiki’s with Micah and Shane of Two Cow Garage.
December 11th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
My personal list is:
01. Bon Iver – The Riverside Theater – It was my first time seeing Bon Iver and after hearing much about how good they were live, I can say the show lived up to the hype and then some. I rank the show #1 because I got to relive the live broadcast over and over, thus reminding me how special the evening was. I’m also placing it first because the Daredevil Christopher Wright were incredible not just as openers, but live in general.
02. Grizzly Bear – The Pabst – One of my favorite bands supporting one, if not the of the best albums I heard all year. I missed Here We Go Magic, who are also responsible for one of my favorite albums of the year, so I give Bon Iver the edge. Grizzly Bear also get major points for being such incredibly warm, awesome dudes.
03. The National – The Pabst – I wasn’t really a National fan until Ryan convinced me to see them live before making further judgement. On top of new songs like “Blood Buzz,” the band blew me away (pardon the cliche, but it’s worth it here). Hearing songs like “Abel” and “Mr. November,” to which Matt came out into the crowd for, have made me a National fan. Thanks to that show, I will forever support those guys.
04. Bonnie “Prince” Billy – Turner Hall – I swear he played for almost three hours. Either way, every bit was incredible.
05. M. Ward – The Pabst Theater – Starting off with “Chinese Translation,” I knew it was going to be a special night. It was my first M. Ward live experience and though I didn’t need any winning over, he delivered beyond my expectations. I also loved the four one-song encores.
06. Morrissey – The Eagles Ballroom – As I am a huge Smiths fan, finally seeing Morrissey was kind of like a personal Mecca pilgrimage. Though the set was relatively light on the hits and a bit slow throughout the middle, Morrissey brought it live. I am still impressed by how great his voice is live.
07. Sufjan Stevens – The Majestic Theater – Having never seen Sufjan live, this was a special show for me. I loved the intimacy the Majestic offered and though his set was a lot of new stuff, it was still very memorable for me in a great way.
December 11th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
I had exactly that same experience with the National this year, Pete. It’s weird to say, but sometimes low expectations really make a show.
Also, I don’t know that it was the best performance, per say, but seeing Pete Seeger this summer at the Newport Folk fest was a privilege. Imagine a crowd as diverse as your grandma and your toddler with everyone in between singing You Are My Sunshine with Seeger, backed by the Robin Pecknold, J. Tillman, Dave Rawlings, Gillian Welch, Colin Meloy, Shara Worden, Ben Kweller, and (wait for it) Tom Morello. Talk about rally round your family. It was amazing.
December 11th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
I completely forgot to post about seeing J. Tillman at Turner Hall. That show would probably rank in between the National and Bonnie “Prince” Billy. What I loved about the show was Tillman and his band, who were INSANELY tight, beef up a lot of his folk jams and turn them into these huge, thunderous rock songs. There were several head-banging-type songs and the last song of the normal set was an incredible Doors-sounding jam. One could just feel the anticipation building throughout the set. And his solo, acoustic encore was incredible. I think the audience spent a better portion of the night hardly moving or making a sound.
December 11th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears @ Union Terrace
December 11th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
The National – The Pabst
Elvis Perkins – Der Rathskeller
The Thermals – High Noon Saloon
Flight of the Conchords – Riverside Theater
WHY? – Der Rathskeller
Black Lips – Turner Hall Ballroom
BANDS I WANT TO SEE NEXT YEAR
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds/Grinderman
The White Stripes/The Dead Weather
The Libertines (if they go through with current reunion plans)
The Avett Brothers
Okkervil River
Gogol Bordello
The Hold Steady
Lightning Bolt
Dinosaur Jr
Shearwater
Jay Reatard
Thomas Function
Guitar Wolf
Band of Horses
Low
December 11th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
this was definitely my most prolific year of experiencing live music… some of my favorite concerts of the year… in no particular order
Black Lips @ pitchfork festival. I was sore for atleast a solid week after this show.
Black Lips @ turner hall. i woke up naked in my bathroom the following
morning.
Edward Sharpe @ club garibaldi – amazing energy and vibe that night. such a fun show.
Wilco @ The Pabst Theater
yeah yeah yeahs w/ Grand Ole Party @ The Rave – gotta love Karen O, coupled with my favorite little San Diego band that could. Grand Ole Party > new album coming in 2010!
Peaches w/ Amanda Blank @ The Metro Chicago – holy shit! entertainment at its raunchiest. I love peaches when she goes glam rock, this show was almost too much fun.
Jesus Lizard @ Turner Hall – this was my first experience with the lizard and I gotta say I was pretty impressed. another madman. very entertaining.
Grizzly Bear w/ Here We Go Magic @ The Pabst – I am a huge fan of both, unfortunately I completely missed here we go magic’s set, but man what a line up for the night.
Jail, The Trusty Knife, Juiceboxxx @ Cactus Club – thats right, im going local on this one. A lot of people clown on the juiceboxxx, but high energy hip hop, dance, and a little punk has all the makings of a good time. I went to the show to see juiceboxxx live for the first time. I left that concert being blown away by Jail and Trusty Knife as well. I had never heard either prior to that night, but it was $10 well spent.
Fiery Furnaces @ Turner Hall – dude eleanor rocks my world. matt is creepy cool.
Matt and Kim @ Pitchfork – this was my first Matt & Kim experience. I was instantly hooked. Such a fun upbeat sound, whats not to like? the crowd loved it. great show.
other notables: gaslight anthem w/ heartless bastards @ turner, Mondo Lucha @ Turner, Louis CK @ the pabst, Lykke Li @ turner, PBR Fest in bayview, Adlers Appetite @ Turner (seriously)… so much good stuff this year. im sure im leaving someone off.
December 11th, 2009 at 7:29 pm
I really need to see Matt and Kim live.
December 11th, 2009 at 8:33 pm
@erik – You should be happy to know that a pick in your local selection might not be so local anymore.
Milwaukee’s “Jail” is now (due to legal obligations “Jaill”
And, oh yeah, they just signed to Sub Pop.
December 11th, 2009 at 9:50 pm
In no particular order: Night #2 of Wilco at the Pabst; Avett Brothers at Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham; Lucero at Turner Hall; Cougar at the Forward Music Fest; Sufjan at the Majestic
Worst move of the year: Skipping Dave Rawlings
December 11th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
I’m too lazy to write up a full list, but my favorite concert was Dawes opening up for Langhorne Slim at the High Noon Saloon. I loved Langhorne Slim of course, but I had no idea who Dawes was and they floored me with their energy. I am so excited to see them again now that I know their music so well.
December 11th, 2009 at 10:50 pm
It’s nice to see Springsteen so high up on the list. That show was unbelievable. Wilco at the Pabst would probably be pretty high up on my list, too.
December 12th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
Seeing Avett Brothers and Phoenix back to back at Austin City Limits Festival was the apex of my concert going experience for this year and many years to come
December 13th, 2009 at 10:23 am
Wilco #2 at UIC
Band of Horses HOB
Wilco at Jazzfest
Jeff Tweedy at Vic
December 14th, 2009 at 9:26 am
THE DUTCHESS AND THE DUKE @ Club Garibaldi… can’t believe no one’s mentioned this band!
December 15th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
Even if I could remember even one little tiny iota of the show at Alpine, I still don’t know if Phish at Alpine would make the list.