2010 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 30 favorite concerts of 2010. Inevitably, there are probably ones I forgot about, didn’t attend, or straight up didn’t know about. That being said, the 30 shows listed below represent some of the best nights of my life this year. [Photo by CJ Foeckler]

1. Pavement – Pabst Theater, Milwaukee (Video: “Range Life” “Summer Babe” “Trigger Cut“)
2. Neil Young + Bert Jansch – The Ryman, Nashville (Nashville Scene Review)
3. Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – Preservation Hall, New Orleans (Muzzle of Bees Review/Photos)
4. Muzzle of Bees 5th Anniversary – Cactus Club, Milwaukee (A.V Club Milwaukee Review)
5. Megafaun + Sam Quinn + Conrad Plymouth – Club Garibaldi, Milwaukee (Video: “Bonnie’s Song” | A.V Club Milwaukee Review)
6. Jónsi – Pabst Theater, Milwaukee (Video: “Grown Till Tall” “Tornado” “Sinking Friendships“)
7. The Tallest Man On Earth – Pabst Theater, Milwaukee (Video: “I Won’t Be Found“)
8. Breathe Owl Breathe – Cactus Club, Milwaukee (Video: “House of Gold” “Swimming“)
9. The Rural Alberta Advantage – SXSW Backyard BBQ, Austin (Muzzle of Bees Review)
10. Sharon Van Etten – Cactus Club, Milwaukee (Video: “A Joke Or A Lie“)
11. The Rosebuds + Broken Social Scene – Hopscotch Music Festival, Raleigh (Review)
12. Strand of Oaks + Golden Coins + Wolfgang Schaefer – Cactus Club (Video: “Two Kids“)
13. GAYNGS – Turner Hall Ballroom, Milwaukee (A.V. Club Milwaukee Review)
14. Frontier Ruckus + David Wax Museum + Juniper Tar – Cactus Club
15. Roadside Graves + Jeremiah Nelson – Cactus Club, Milwaukee
16. Crooked Fingers + Conrad Plymouth – Club Garibaldi, Milwaukee (Video: “Revenge“)
17. A.A. Bondy – High Noon Saloon, Madison (Video: “Black Rain, Black Rain“)
18. Damien Jurado – Mad Planet, Milwaukee (Video: “Kansas City” “Harborview” “Abilene“)
19. The Flaming Lips – Riverside Theater, Milwaukee (Video: “Do You Realize?“)
20. The Avett Brothers + The Low Anthem – Riverside, Milwaukee (Video: “I & Love & You“)
21. The National + Owen Pallet – Riviera, Chicago (Video: “Terrible Love” “Squalor Victoria“)
22. Harlem – Slims, Hopscotch Music Festival, Raleigh (Video: “Gay Human Bones“)
23. St. Vincent – Turner Hall Ballroom, Milwaukee (Video: “These Days“)
24. My Morning Jacket – Charter One Pavillion, Chicago (Muzzle of Bee Review/Photos)
25. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros + Dawes – Pabst, Milwaukee (Video: “Home“)
26. Langhorne Slim – Turner Hall Ballroom, Milwaukee (Video: “Land of Dreams“)
27. Built To Spill – Turner Hall Ballroom, Milwaukee (Video: “Car” “Carry The Zero“)
28. Nathaniel Rateliff – Club Garibaldi, Milwaukee (Video: “Pounds & Pounds“)
29. Devo – Summerfest, Milwaukee (Video: “Beautiful World” “Jocko Homo“)
30. The National + The Antlers – Radio City Music Hall, New York (Video: “Conversation 16“)

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 2011?

We’re going to be bouncing around Milwaukee venues on Saturday night. In addition to the Kneel to Neil benefit at Linneman’s, we’re also looking forward to checking out the bands at Bay View Brewhaus. Headlining the bill is Conrad Plymouth whose self-titled ep was released on our vinyl label, Ten Atoms. Copies are running thin, so place your order today if you haven’t already. If you’re thinking about heading out on Saturday night, get there early to check out Clean Hands.

Elsewhere:

Daytrotter released a session with Futurebirds who play two shows tonight in Milwaukeee. First is a free Happy Hour Session at Burnhearts before their official gig at Cactus Club.

Daytrotter also drops an excellent session with Secretly Canadian’s Suuns. We’ve been enjoying their new record, Zeroes QC quite a bit these days. Here’s hoping they tour through the Midwest next year!
MP3: Suuns – “Arena”
MP3: Suuns – “Up Past the Nursery”

The Felice Brothers perform NPR’s Mountain Stage.

The Washinton Post reviews and offers some amazing photos of Grinderman’s stop at the 9:30 Club in DC. I really want/need to spend more time with Grinderman 2 before the end of the year.

One of the best shows I saw all year was Jónsi at the Pabst Theater. You can now listen to Jónsi In Concert From Washington, D.C.

Bonnaroo announced its 2011 dates: June 9th – 12th

A bunch of prominent indie labels (Domino, Merge and Beggars) leave eMusic today. Merge gives their reasons.

Portland’s Loch Lomond will release their new album Little Me Will Start a Storm on February 22nd, 2011. You can download the track “Elephants & Little Girls” below:
MP3: Loch Lomond – “Elephants & Little Girls”

Good friends have had great things to say about Raleigh’s Veelee. Go here to download an mp3 of “When You Gonna Come Home” from their forthcoming album, The Future Sight.

Watch Pavement’s entire set at Barcelona’s Primavera Sound Festival

Pavement played “Unfair” and “Stereo” last night on Jimmy Fallon. Check out Bob Nastanovich rocking the Real Chili shirt in a big way during “Unfair.” Milwaukee represent!

Superchunk stopped by Jimmy Fallon performing “Digging For Something” and “Precision Auto.” Their fantastic new album, Majesty Shredding gets an 8.0 on P4K today.

Pavement performed “Gold Soundz” last night on the Colbert Report. (Via Captains Dead)

Sharon Van Etten’s new and fantastic album, Epic is out today. Please buy it.

Listen to Mumford & Sons on World Cafe.

We highly recommend the Daytrotter sessions with Caribou and Dinosaur Feathers.

NPR offers the first listen of Neil Young’s upcoming album, Le Noise.

Roger Waters brings “The Wall” to the United Center in Chicago. Greg Kot reviews the first of four nights.

We are pleased to be presenting some amazing upcoming concerts below:

10/4 – Strand Of Oaks + Golden Coins + Wolfgang Schaefer – Cactus Club (MILWAUKEE)
10/8 – Hurray For The Riff Raff + Sam Doores – Cactus Club (MILWAUKEE)
10/9 – Peter Wolf Crier + Conrad Plymouth – High Saloon (MADISON)
10/12 – Jukebox The Ghost/Elizabeth & the Catapult/Ruby Coast – Cactus Club (MILWAUKEE)
11/5 – Black Swans + Judson Claiborne – Linnemans (MILWAUKEE)
11/10 – Frontier Ruckus + Breathe Owl Breathe – High Noon Saloon (MADISON)
11/11 – David Vandervelde + Brass Bed – Cactus Club (MILWAUKEE)
11/12 – Frontier Ruckus + David Wax Museum – Cactus Club (MILWAUKEE)
11/13 – The Chapin Sisters – Cactus Club (MILWAUKEE)

Even though I’m seeing the band tonight at the Pabst in Milwaukee, I couldn’t resist making a trip to Chicago to see Pavement last night, my second time seeing them in the windy city this year. It was my first time seeing a show at The Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, which I was super impressed by. A great sprawling outdoor amphitheater that strays about as far as you can get from the traditional “shells” of yesteryear.

My train from Milwaukee dropped me just a shot cab ride from the venue. I was running late, very late into the set list. I arrived as the band was tearing into “Stereo.” In the ten songs that I did end up hearing, many of which came over the course of two encores, I couldn’t help but notice how talkative and chatty the band was. Something much different from seeing them at Pitchfork. The band seemed right at home in Chicago and it reflected in their playing – loose, driving and heavy on the rock and roll. The ended with “Range Life,” which coincidentally was the song I asked my friends if I’d missed upon arriving so tardily. It was worth the trip and I got to hear the one song I was really looking forward too. No complaints. I cannot wait to do it all again tonight. Since we all know about Pavement and the Milwaukee connection, what’s the over/under on the band coming out and playing only Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks material? Not likely at all, but it would sure be funny.

Check out photos by Daniel Brielmaier below and do hit up Greg Kot’s review of the show in the Chicago Tribune.

Yesterday’s Pitchfork Music Festival provided a great opportunity to see a bunch of bands that had eluded me. In total, I saw eleven bands during the course of one day, including eight of those for the first time.

I wasn’t going to miss a chance to check out Best Coast, whose album, Crazy For You, arrives next week behind a wave of great press. Her song “Boyfriend” would be permanently in my head for the remainder of the day.

Up next my group headed over to catch Girls. Had I been flying solo at the festival this is a band I would have certainly passed up. The combination of my fellow festival goers being fans and hearing from multiple co-workers that their Milwaukee show was something special, I decided it was worth giving the band a shot live. While it wasn’t the worst thing I heard all day, I didn’t leave feeling any more impressed with the band than I had been previously.

I took in Beach House from afar. Their set sounded absolutely amazing. These guys provide the perfect soundtrack to any time of day, and sounded especially at home under the blistering Chicago sun. Having seen the band only a few months earlier, I ducked out a bit early as I didn’t want to miss a chance to see Local Natives again. These guys were one of the highlights of the festival for me. If you don’t own a copy of Gorilla Manor, make sure to seek it out the next time you’re in a buying mood.

Despite the fact I’ve probably seen St. Vincent ten times in the past two years, I couldn’t resist seeing Annie Clark’s set. Backed by horns and violin, Clark demonstrated her guitar prowess, providing slightly altered/updated versions of the songs than I’d heard previously. Our group walked over and checked out Surfer Blood next and who could miss the insanity that is seeing Major Lazer live. The crowd went absolutely bonkers during Major Lazer, whose set included dancing girls, Chinese Dragons, and one very impressive leap into the audience via ladder. I literally cringed when I saw the dude jump off. That had to hurt.

We packed ourselves in like sardines in order to take in Sleigh Bells set. Unfortunately it was marred in technical difficulties which provided a good enough reason to depart early in order to secure a spot for Pavement and take it the remainder of Big Boi’s set along the way.

Even though we’re holding tickets for two upcoming Pavement shows, my friends and I couldn’t resist the chance at seeing the newly reformed band close out the festival. For many in the audience it was a time to be reunited with one the 90′s best bands. For myself it was an opportunity to see a band I was just a bit too young to catch them live before they called it quits. It was worth the wait. I think many in the crowd were a little surprised the band didn’t return for an encore with some time remaining before the clock struck 10pm, but it would be hard to find any other complaints with their set or the festival overall.

The music was obviously amazing, but I couldn’t wrap up this post without thanking Dan for the photos, our contributor Jon for hanging out and catching shows with us. It was great to say hello to our own Jodi and blog friends You Ain’t No Picasso, Chromewaves, J. Neas with Aquarium Drunkard, and the Ice Cream Man. We’ll be back next year.