Sunday 8 February 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?
July 22nd, 2009 at 4:28 pm
was someone not at yyys?
July 24th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
I’m really bummed I missed that Los Campesinos! + Titus Andronicus show as well as the Bon Iver one – but that being said, I think The National at the Pabst deserves to be on there.
November 5th, 2009 at 1:12 am
I think the Bon Iver/Daredevil Show at Riverside deserves to be added to this. It seemed like every major act from the state was there supporting them.
November 11th, 2009 at 10:56 pm
Glad the Roadside Graves made the list with one of their shows. I saw them with the RAA at the Union Terrace in August–killer! I also caught that Avett Brothers/ Samantha Crain show at the House of Blues, just before the Avetts got all blowed up with the release of I and Love and You. Great list of shows.
November 20th, 2009 at 10:24 am
Grizzly Bear at Pabst???? That Edward Sharpe show at club g was amazing, nice work bro. Can’t go next weekend, sad face
cheers
December 15th, 2009 at 11:44 pm
I was at a YYY! I was able to get mine down to around 10 or so. . . but wasn’t able to nail down the exact chronilogical order. http://unpolishedbutsomepeoplereallylikethat.blogspot.com/2009/12/top-shows-of-09.html