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1. Neil Young & Promise of the Real - Jazz Fest 2. Tool - Pensacola Bay Center (or NOLA the next day) 3. Claypool/Lennon - Voodoo Fest 4. Bjork Virtual Reality Exhibit - Day For Night Festival 5. Primus - Smoothie King Center 6. Puscifer - Voodoo Fest 7. Deftones - The Orpheum NOLA 8. Pearl Jam - Jazz Fest 9. STS9 - Euphoria Festival 10. Kraftwerk 3-D - The Orpheum New Orleans
HM:
Pretty Lights Live Band - Buku Fest Juicy J - Euphoria Fest
Welcome to Houston - Day For Night Fest (particularly Slim Thug and Lil FlipFlipFlipFlipFlipFlipFlip) Explosions in the Sky - Joy Theater NOLA George Clinton & Parliament/Funkadelic - Bear Creek Bayou Festival Tycho - Euphoria Festival GRiZ - Euphoria Festival Arlo Guthrie's 50th Anniversary Alice's Restaurant - Jazz Fest My Morning Jacket - Jazz Fest Red Hot Chili Peppers - Jazz Fest GRiZ/Break Science/Lettuce/Mystikal - Buku Fest After Party Superjam Fly Boi Keno/Mystikal/Juvenile - Buku Fest 7 Lettuce Shows - Particularly Night 1 Euphoria Fest
Edit. Pretty Lights NYE easily could crack the list but I'm just going to leave it alone. For the great-great grandkids sleuthing in the future, last few years' #1 have been:
2010 - Tool UNO Lakefront Arena 2011 - Soundgarden Voodoo Fest 2012 - Pearl Jam Deluna Fest 2013 - Pearl Jam Voodoo Fest 2014 - Lotus Buku Fest 2015 - Lotus House of Blues New Orleans 2016 - Neil Young & Promise of the Real Jazz Fest
This year has been pretty amazing for me! The top 5 here are all some of my favorite artists/bands of all time.
1. LCD Soundsystem @ Bonnaroo: One of the top five concerts I've ever seen. We were right up in the front of the pit dancing like I have never danced before. Everyone around us was incredibly happy and it was definitely the best out of the four times I saw them this summer. 2. Sufjan Stevens @ Red Rocks: He pretty much took the best from his Adz tour, the best from his C&L tour and smashed them together into one amazing show, then did an acoustic encore of some old classics. And it happened to be at the greatest venue in the world. 3. Bon Iver @ Beach Goth: Really made his new album click with me. Had been trying to see him for like five years and it did not disappoint. There were tons of people and gear on stage (kinda similar to LCD) but it all flowed together seamlessly. 4. James Blake @ Beach Goth: Another guy I had been trying to see for forever. I danced my ass off and even got a little teary eyed during Choose Me which is probably my favorite song of the year. 5. Nicolas Jaar @ The Gothic Theater: He's on another level. He beautifully rode the line between ambient sounds that were hardly even music and danceable techno jams. He played instruments, sang and the lights were pretty awesome in a very simple way. 6. Rufus Du Sol @ Vertex Music Festival: I was dead center on the rail partying with my mom. The crowd wasn't huge but everyone was feeling the music. The singer dude waved at me and one point also so that was cool. 7. Aphex Twin @ Day For Night: Still processing this one but I was mostly just in awe of seeing RDJ up on those screens performing. He was a bucket list act that I thought I would never cross off. He played a lot of different types of music that were sometimes challenging as a listener. I didn't quite love it as much as some people but it was an amazing show regardless. 8. Tame Impala @ Red Rocks: I've seen them a few times and I think this was the best out of the bunch. Kevin seemed genuinely excited to headlining a show at Red Rocks and they played a little bit longer of a set than they normally play. The sound and visuals at Red Rocks were amazing for this. 9. DJ Koze @ Coachella: Me up with some inforoo people and we danced our asses off. 10. SebastiAn @ Beach Goth: He reminded me a bit of Gessafelstein, not musically but the vibe of the music was very "grimy european club". He gave the type of show that I wish Justice had given me. 11. DESPACIO @ Coachella: A different type of show so I added it here. One of the hidden gems of Coachella 2016. I spent hours in there dancing to Prince marathons and James Murphy + Soulwax going b2b2b. I made eye contact with James at one point and he did not smile, it was awesome.
Honorable Mentions: Father John Misty @ Bonnaroo Dubfire @ Coachella Jamie xx @ Red Rocks 2manydjs @ Coachella Arca @ Day For Night patti smith @ Beach Goth squarepusher @ Day For Night all them witches @ Larimer Lounge
1. Apehx Twin - Day for Night I'm not sure I could write any more about how amazing this set was. Check my review in the DfN thread for the gory details. Quite possible this is my #1 show of all time at this point, but it's hard to judge since it's still so fresh. Beyond my expectations.
It's time for Aphex Twin. Easily my number one most anticipated set of the weekend, my expectations were sky high.
Aphex Twin did not disappoint. This must have been one of the happiest crowds I've ever been a part of. During the set change, you could just feel the energy in the air. I'd look randomly around the crowd at people, and we'd just smile to each other. We both realized we were about to see Aphex Twin.
The set was a demanding onslaught of sound. The first 30ish minutes were a little more dark and almost industrial in a way. I believe there were 4 Jlin tracks played in that time frame to give a sense of reference.
Then the wind came.
The set really is divided into two sections, before and after the arctic blast blew through. For the entirety of the day, Houston had been the muggy swamp I remembered it to be. That all changed about 30 minutes into Aphex Twin's set. A strong wind blew through and the temperature dropped 20 degrees in a matter of minutes. The rain was just a few minutes behind the wind.
If you watch the full video of the set that Phi linked, the first little gust of wind hits just after 36:00, by 36:45-50 you can see the major gusts start. They quickly lower the video screens and thankfully the show continues without interruption.
The change in energy in the crowd and music was drastic. Aphex Twin, being the master he is, played to the weather. Once the rain started, the green lasers were unleashed. As they fanned above the crowd, the rain drops danced between the beams of light.
The BPM picks up, and we start to drift into more acid techno. The crowd is going absolutely nuts at this point. A few light weights bailed when the rain hit, but the majority stayed where we were located. Everyone was dancing in the rain, letting everything go. The smiles were everywhere you looked.
People knew we were experiencing something truly special. Richard had complete control of us now.
He continued to absolutely pummel us with driving beats, matching the weather's intensity. It was almost as if he was testing us. Seeing how much we could take. The crowd surged together in the rain, taking everything he could throw at us.
I remember when there was the brief break of silence about 30 minutes after the front blew through. That's when I looked at my phone and realized we were only halfway through the show. I looked at Rummy, showed her my phone so we could see the time, and we smiled realizing we still had another hour of this insanity.
Aphex Twin continued to bounce between genres and mixing an absolutely incredible set for us. I'm so glad there's good quality video/audio of this set. I know I'm going to be reliving this one for years to come.
He eventually gave us a little respite when the rain let up, with a few slower sections to let us re-energize. It wasn't long before he picked it back up. There was some jungle and more more hardcore to get us moving again.
The visual show for Aphex Twin was amazing as well. It wasn't over done, other artists have more lights/lasers/screens. But it was just something about the way it was all put together with the music that made it so powerful. The massively bright strobes, and just the intense pulsating rhythm of the lights to match the music put it all over the top.
Something about the way the a lot of the lights would rotate reminded me of some sort of alien ship probing its surroundings. It fit, I'm not entirely convinced Aphex Twin is completely human.
We kept moving up as space opened up. By the end of the show, we were one person from the rail. As the show ended, Richard came out for the first time behind his screen to face the crowd. He smiled, and gave us a long, extended double thumbs up. I know he says he hates performing, but it looked like he had a good time that night.
After acknowledging the crowd for 15 or so seconds, he retreated back and was gone. Then a clip of him in the Windowlicker limo plays with the window rolling up. I hope it's not true, but I know that will likely be the first and only time I see him.
There were quite a few people with Richard masks. In the front, near the rail, there was this short little Richard that absolutely was loving everything about the show. They were going mental throughout the show. When the show finally ended, they took the mask off to reveal this cute little woman with a smile plastered across her face.
2. LCD Soundsystem - Bonnaroo Basically what everyone else said in this thread, such a great show. The pit was the place to be!
3. Nicolas Jaar - Austin - Emo's He truly is on another level. I'd love to get a peak inside the brain of someone like Nico or Aphex.
4. Animal Collective - Austin - Emo's (Levitation cancellation show) AnCo are one of my all time favorite bands, and they've never disappointed me live. I think the new album translates very well in the live setting.
5. Radiohead - ACL Wk 2 Hearing Everything in its Right Place > Idioteque was something amazing, definitely the highlight of the show for me.
6. Tool - San Antonio - AT&T Center Tool's another one of my all time favs. Not the best show I've ever seen from them (they didn't play Lateralus), but they're always solid as well.
7. Dungen - Bonnaroo I've never seen someone play a tambourine with such gusto! I had to get /usr/bin/simp off the ground to witness it!
8. Liars - Day for Night Finally got to see my makeup set from when I slept through them at Leviation '14. They're the perfect combo of LCD, Health, and !!!.
9. Lane 8 - Bonnaroo Danced the night away at this set. Was a perfect way to cap off the night that began with LCD. Bummed I missed him when he came through and played a 5 hour set in Austin, was still in Idaho at that point.
10. Oneohtrix Point Never - Day for Night Seriously one of the most fucked up/disturbing shows I've ever seen. Being in a meth house on a heavy dose of acid really captures the essence of this show. Dave Maynar, have you seen OPN since he released Garden of Delete? The show is super intense, with the vocals having a shrieked/demonic garble, a massive wall of sound that threatens to suffocate you, and just grinding industrial noise. The sounds drift into the almost beautiful category at points, but still dripping in decay. Totally unique and a must see for those into weird/disturbing/powerful music.
Lots of honorable mentions, and sure I'm forgetting a few from early in the year. I honestly thought that Tool show was last year!
HM:
Kamasi Washington - Bonnaroo Tycho - DfN King Gizzard - Levitation cancellation club show Ty Segall - Austin - Mohawk Grandma Sparrow - Bonnaroo Arca - DfN
i am too indecisive to actually rank the shows i've seen this year, but these were my favorites in chronological order.
beyonce (heinz field, pittsburgh) - i surprised my sister by selling our nosebleeds for sixth row floor tickets, and i'll never forget her reaction when we got to our seats. the show was incredible, and sharing that with my sister was really special.
lizzo (bonnaroo) - so. much. fun.
lcd soundsystem (bonnaroo) - everything that has already been said. being in the pit dancing forever with so many wonderful friends (Dave Maynar dances, i swear).
brand new (stage ae, pittsburgh/wolstein center, cleveland) - brand new has been my favorite band since i was 14 years old. i'm transported back to high school and college every time i see them, and it's beautiful.
guns n' roses (heinz field, pittsburgh) - my mom has loved this band since i was a baby (appetite for destruction came out one week after i was born) and never got to see them. i watched her as much as i watched the band. she danced and screamed her head off for almost three hours, and it was one of the best nights of my life.
todd terje (osheaga) - i loved this festival, and this show was one of the things that made it so wonderful. the visuals were great, and it was easily the best electronic show i've seen.
radiohead (osheaga) - my second time seeing them, and it was beautiful.
adele (verizon center, washington dc) - she was everything you'd expect her to be. funny and smart and a voice unlike anything i've ever heard live. bonus points for crying with Jaz from the actual last row in the arena.
Post by theeimportance on Dec 28, 2016 20:03:28 GMT -5
Tons of good shows this year, but no clear standout for me.
1/29: All-volunteer orchestra tribute to Bowie (MIT, Cambridge). They played Phillip Glass's interpretations of songs from Low and Heroes and it was just marvelous.
1/30: Circuits Des Yeux supporting Julia Holter (Great Scott, Boston). Like a banshee summoning Satan - a low pitch wail against a blown out acoustic guitar and pummeling drum machine. Julia was wonderful after as well.
4/3: Autolux (Middle East Downstairs, Cambridge) Its always a treat to see Carla Azar drum. It helps that they released one of the best albums of the year.
5/13: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard (Sinclair, Cambridge) One of the most entertaining rock bands to watch. Dudes always give a million percent.
5/15: Floating Points (Sinclair, Cambridge) Just all around super talented musicians
5/21: Wolf Parade (Bowery Ballroom, New York) Couldn't have asked for a better setlist. Ending with Modern World and Kissing the Beehive was perfect.
6/12: Tame Impala (Bell Centre, Montreal) 11th time seeing them and probably the best time during the Currents tour.
6/17-18: Brian Wilson performs Pet Sounds with the Boston Symphony Orchestra (Symphony Hall, Boston) Couldn't help but go twice
7/21: Broken Social Scene (Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn) Main set opened with KC Accidental and closed with Ibi Dreams of Pavement. Almost as good as the time I saw them in 2010 (an all-time fav)
8/09: Boris (Paradise, Boston) Loudest show of the year
9/02: Tame Impala (Greek Theatre, Berkeley) 12th time and a worthy send off for the forseeable future
10/27: Weyes Blood (First Baptist Church, Jamaica Plains) Eerily set in a church's sunday school room. I feel like I'll be thinking about this one for a long time.
10/28: Pond (Great Scott, Boston) Might have topped both of the times I've seen Tame Impala this year. Nice sweaty show of gonzo rock
11/06: PJ Harvey (Iceland Airwaves) Iceland is lovely and weird and PJ took control of the crowd for two hours
11/30: Suzanne Ciani Buchla demonstration (Berklee School, Boston) Not so much of a show, but Ciani improvising on the Buchla after giving a lecture on how she got into the music business and her history with the instrument. Great and unexpected last show of the year
Favorite festival sets:
Janelle Monae (Boston Calling) Sufjan Stevens (Boston Calling and Panorama) Unknown Mortal Orchestra (Boston Calling) Charles Bradley (Boston Calling) The Strokes (Gov Ball) Arcade Fire (Panorama) Kendrick Lamar (Panorama) Blood Orange (Panorama) Savages (The Meadows) Chance the Rapper (The Meadows) Jessy Lanza (III Points) Little Simz (III Points) DESPACIO (Panorama) I miss it almost every day.
Neil Young and Promise of the Real at Jazz Fest in the rain and slop makes Top 1 for me. I've been listening to Neil Young since the late 70s initially as a CSN&Y and then Neil fan of his later works and movies. I have seen him with 3 or 4 various projects over the years. This was just different. And random. And spooky. And at edge with the world.
Post by actually @fortyfive33 now on Jan 4, 2017 21:02:23 GMT -5
1. LCD Soundsystem at Lollapalooza (7/31/16)
This set killed Lolla for me. I don't think I'll ever go back. This can't be topped. Being in the front row for my favorite band and hearing (essentially) all the hits was bittersweet, to me. I moved to Columbia, Missouri full time only five days later, and Lolla 2016 was the really the last thing I would do as a Chicagoan. Sure, I would come back multiple times throughout the semester and I will continue to do so (my parents would kill me if I didn't), but the city no longer really feels like home.
A long goodbye indeed.
2. Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls at Lollapalooza (7/29/16)
This set was pure fun. Frank is a great performer, and I'd see him again in a heartbeat.
3. Ben Folds at Columbia Roots N Blues N BBQ (10/2/16)
Somehow, Ben Folds kills it with a piano. He really surprised me with this set. I had near-zero expectations coming into the set, but here we are.
4. FIDLAR at Lollapalooza (7/31/16)
This set made a FIDLAR fan. I had seen them at Rose Music Hall earlier, but this set...man. This was good. I'm not usually one for mosh pits (see my thoughts on Metallica and Radiohead) but this crowd was a ton of fun to be in. The music (and lack of things to carry) made me not care about it, either. And I got a signed copy of their first album afterwards, which was cool.
5. Twin Peaks at Cafe Berlin (10/6/16)
I'm putting this above their March show purely because they played more of the new material. Cafe Berlin is a really small venue (like 200 people) but TP seems to love playing the place. They're a great band and the crowd was fun to be in. Surprisingly, Twin Peaks also completely reworked Stand in the Sand into something that doesn't sound like it was recorded in a toilet paper tube.
6. Modern Baseball at Lollapalooza (7/29/16)
I did not think I would enjoy this set as much as I did. I'd never heard of MoBo before they were announced on the lineup and originally only saw them because they were the least of the evils. The fact that it was supposed to rain did not help. The rains stayed away, and the set was great.
7. Psychic Heat at Cafe Berlin (3/11/16)
These guys are a psych-rock band from Lawrence, Kansas and they're pretty good live. I also got to meet them afterwards on a whim. They're cool guys.
8. Kurt Vile and the Violators at The Blue Note(4/11/16)
This was the 100th set I've attended.
9. Local Natives at Lollapalooza (7/31/16)
They're coming to Columbia! Yay. I really loved the show (even the new stuff, which I didn't care for on the album).
This set killed Lolla for me. I don't think I'll ever go back. This can't be topped. Being in the front row for my favorite band and hearing (essentially) all the hits was bittersweet, to me. I moved to Columbia, Missouri full time only five days later, and Lolla 2016 was the really the last thing I would do as a Chicagoan. Sure, I would come back multiple times throughout the semester and I will continue to do so (my parents would kill me if I didn't), but the city no longer really feels like home.
A long goodbye indeed.
2. Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls at Lollapalooza (7/29/16)
This set was pure fun. Frank is a great performer, and I'd see him again in a heartbeat.
3. Ben Folds at Columbia Roots N Blues N BBQ (10/2/16)
Somehow, Ben Folds kills it with a piano. He really surprised me with this set. I had near-zero expectations coming into the set, but here we are.
4. FIDLAR at Lollapalooza (7/31/16)
This set made a FIDLAR fan. I had seen them at Rose Music Hall earlier, but this set...man. This was good. I'm not usually one for mosh pits (see my thoughts on Metallica and Radiohead) but this crowd was a ton of fun to be in. The music (and lack of things to carry) made me not care about it, either. And I got a signed copy of their first album afterwards, which was cool.
5. Twin Peaks at Cafe Berlin (10/6/16)
I'm putting this above their March show purely because they played more of the new material. Cafe Berlin is a really small venue (like 200 people) but TP seems to love playing the place. They're a great band and the crowd was fun to be in. Surprisingly, Twin Peaks also completely reworked Stand in the Sand into something that doesn't sound like it was recorded in a toilet paper tube.
6. Modern Baseball at Lollapalooza (7/29/16)
I did not think I would enjoy this set as much as I did. I'd never heard of MoBo before they were announced on the lineup and originally only saw them because they were the least of the evils. The fact that it was supposed to rain did not help. The rains stayed away, and the set was great.
7. Psychic Heat at Cafe Berlin (3/11/16)
These guys are a psych-rock band from Lawrence, Kansas and they're pretty good live. I also got to meet them afterwards on a whim. They're cool guys.
8. Kurt Vile and the Violators at The Blue Note(4/11/16)
This was the 100th set I've attended.
9. Local Natives at Lollapalooza (7/31/16)
They're coming to Columbia! Yay. I really loved the show (even the new stuff, which I didn't care for on the album).
10. Beach House at The Blue Note (8/19/16)
God this night was weird.
That fidlar set at Lolla gave me a headache. That's how good it was.
1. LCD Soundsystem @ Lolla - Had a really nice spot, and it was the perfect dance party to end the festival with my friends.
2. Kanye West @ Bankers Life Fieldhouse - First show of the tour from down in the pit, no one had any idea of what to expect going in. It was a giant party, and Kanye seemed generally happy and the performance reflected that. There were some miscues and long breaks, only thing keeping this from being number one.
3. Radiohead @ Lolla - I haven't been a Radiohead fan for that long, but their performance was jaw dropping. I waited for a good spot from the beginning of M83 before them and couldn't be happier with my decision. The visuals were amazing, and as a new fan I left thinking that I wished I had listened to them a lot sooner in my life.
4. Sufjan Stevens @ Pitchfork - I also am a relatively new fan to Sufjan, but I did a lot of listening before the festival and was pumped to see him. Even though I arrived late due to staying for all of Anderson Paak beforehand, I still got to hear mostly everything I had wanted to hear.
5. Dead & Co. @ Klipsch Music Center - I attended this show alone, but I still had a great time. I don't consider myself an active member of the jam scene, but I understand why people enjoy it and still have had a fun time at most of those types of shows I've attended. I enjoyed it enough to consider seeing them again next summer when they come near me.
6. Chris Stapleton @ Lolla - I never imagined I'd spend my time enjoying a country artist when I bought my tickets for Lollapalooza, but Chris proved me wrong big time. I had a front row spot, and it was one of the few shows that I left being unsatisfied with the length and wanting to hear much more. I can't wait to be able to see him again.
7. Rufus Du Sol @ Lolla - It was raining quite a bit before the set started, and after it had rained much of the first day at Lolla I was worried it might ruin my first time seeing Radiohead later that evening. However, all of that changed when they came out and played Brighter (my favorite track by them) and everyone started dancing. At that point I stopped caring about the rain and more about having fun, and my attitude improved tremendously.
8. Sia @ United Center - Even though I sort of knew what to expect after watching the Coachella livestream and being blown away by that, I was still happy I was able to have the same reaction seeing it in person.
9. Jason Isbell @ Murat Theater - I love his voice and thought every song sounded excellent live. It made me dig deeper into his 400 Unit songs and Drive By Truckers as well. I also won the tickets through a radio station contest, which was nice.
10. Modeselektor DJ set @ Smart Bar - This show, along with Gesaffelstein and Jamie xx the year prior, drastically changed my electronic music tastes. If it weren't for the latter two, I never would have wanted to poke around and start discovering artists that weren't Skrillex/Zedd/Kaskade/Jack U/etc. Don't get me wrong, I still really like those artists and other cheesey EDM too from time to time, but I definitely wouldn't consider them my favorite anymore. I didn't even know it'd just be a DJ set before I went, I looked up live videos of them playing their songs live at a festival in Germany and thinking "How is this going to translate to a 500 capacity club?" The whole scene and music blew me away, and really set the scene for a dramatic shift in my listening tastes.
HM: Black Madonna @ Smart Bar x2 Lane 8 @ Concord Music Hall MMJ @ White River State Park Bonobo b2b Leon Vynehall @ Smart Bar Porter Robinson & Madeon @ Aragon Ballroom Anderson .Paak @ Pitchfork KiNK @ Smart Bar King Gizzard @ The Hi-Fi
1. LCD Soundsystem @ Lolla - Had a really nice spot, and it was the perfect dance party to end the festival with my friends.
2. Kanye West @ Bankers Life Fieldhouse - First show of the tour from down in the pit, no one had any idea of what to expect going in. It was a giant party, and Kanye seemed generally happy and the performance reflected that. There were some miscues and long breaks, only thing keeping this from being number one.
3. Radiohead @ Lolla - I haven't been a Radiohead fan for that long, but their performance was jaw dropping. I waited for a good spot from the beginning of M83 before them and couldn't be happier with my decision. The visuals were amazing, and as a new fan I left thinking that I wished I had listened to them a lot sooner in my life.
4. Sufjan Stevens @ Pitchfork - I also am a relatively new fan to Sufjan, but I did a lot of listening before the festival and was pumped to see him. Even though I arrived late due to staying for all of Anderson Paak beforehand, I still got to hear mostly everything I had wanted to hear.
5. Dead & Co. @ Klipsch Music Center - I attended this show alone, but I still had a great time. I don't consider myself an active member of the jam scene, but I understand why people enjoy it and still have had a fun time at most of those types of shows I've attended. I enjoyed it enough to consider seeing them again next summer when they come near me.
6. Chris Stapleton @ Lolla - I never imagined I'd spend my time enjoying a country artist when I bought my tickets for Lollapalooza, but Chris proved me wrong big time. I had a front row spot, and it was one of the few shows that I left being unsatisfied with the length and wanting to hear much more. I can't wait to be able to see him again.
7. Rufus Du Sol @ Lolla - It was raining quite a bit before the set started, and after it had rained much of the first day at Lolla I was worried it might ruin my first time seeing Radiohead later that evening. However, all of that changed when they came out and played Brighter (my favorite track by them) and everyone started dancing. At that point I stopped caring about the rain and more about having fun, and my attitude improved tremendously.
8. Sia @ United Center - Even though I sort of knew what to expect after watching the Coachella livestream and being blown away by that, I was still happy I was able to have the same reaction seeing it in person.
9. Jason Isbell @ Murat Theater - I love his voice and thought every song sounded excellent live. It made me dig deeper into his 400 Unit songs and Drive By Truckers as well. I also won the tickets through a radio station contest, which was nice.
10. Modeselektor DJ set @ Smart Bar - This show, along with Gesaffelstein and Jamie xx the year prior, drastically changed my electronic music tastes. If it weren't for the latter two, I never would have wanted to poke around and start discovering artists that weren't Skrillex/Zedd/Kaskade/Jack U/etc. Don't get me wrong, I still really like those artists and other cheesey EDM too from time to time, but I definitely wouldn't consider them my favorite anymore. I didn't even know it'd just be a DJ set before I went, I looked up live videos of them playing their songs live at a festival in Germany and thinking "How is this going to translate to a 500 capacity club?" The whole scene and music blew me away, and really set the scene for a dramatic shift in my listening tastes.
HM: Black Madonna @ Smart Bar x2 Lane 8 @ Concord Music Hall MMJ @ White River State Park Bonobo b2b Leon Vynehall @ Smart Bar Porter Robinson & Madeon @ Aragon Ballroom Anderson .Paak @ Pitchfork KiNK @ Smart Bar King Gizzard @ The Hi-Fi
We have the 4 of the same top 5! (though the order is flipped a bit and I only saw LCD at Roo). I also was working at Klipsch this summer so I was at Dead & Co. too! Crazy how much overlap with a total stranger
Edit: I was also working that MMJ set at White River. My boss kept getting on me for jamming instead of focusing on the job hahaha
1. LCD Soundsystem @ Lolla - Had a really nice spot, and it was the perfect dance party to end the festival with my friends.
2. Kanye West @ Bankers Life Fieldhouse - First show of the tour from down in the pit, no one had any idea of what to expect going in. It was a giant party, and Kanye seemed generally happy and the performance reflected that. There were some miscues and long breaks, only thing keeping this from being number one.
3. Radiohead @ Lolla - I haven't been a Radiohead fan for that long, but their performance was jaw dropping. I waited for a good spot from the beginning of M83 before them and couldn't be happier with my decision. The visuals were amazing, and as a new fan I left thinking that I wished I had listened to them a lot sooner in my life.
4. Sufjan Stevens @ Pitchfork - I also am a relatively new fan to Sufjan, but I did a lot of listening before the festival and was pumped to see him. Even though I arrived late due to staying for all of Anderson Paak beforehand, I still got to hear mostly everything I had wanted to hear.
5. Dead & Co. @ Klipsch Music Center - I attended this show alone, but I still had a great time. I don't consider myself an active member of the jam scene, but I understand why people enjoy it and still have had a fun time at most of those types of shows I've attended. I enjoyed it enough to consider seeing them again next summer when they come near me.
6. Chris Stapleton @ Lolla - I never imagined I'd spend my time enjoying a country artist when I bought my tickets for Lollapalooza, but Chris proved me wrong big time. I had a front row spot, and it was one of the few shows that I left being unsatisfied with the length and wanting to hear much more. I can't wait to be able to see him again.
7. Rufus Du Sol @ Lolla - It was raining quite a bit before the set started, and after it had rained much of the first day at Lolla I was worried it might ruin my first time seeing Radiohead later that evening. However, all of that changed when they came out and played Brighter (my favorite track by them) and everyone started dancing. At that point I stopped caring about the rain and more about having fun, and my attitude improved tremendously.
8. Sia @ United Center - Even though I sort of knew what to expect after watching the Coachella livestream and being blown away by that, I was still happy I was able to have the same reaction seeing it in person.
9. Jason Isbell @ Murat Theater - I love his voice and thought every song sounded excellent live. It made me dig deeper into his 400 Unit songs and Drive By Truckers as well. I also won the tickets through a radio station contest, which was nice.
10. Modeselektor DJ set @ Smart Bar - This show, along with Gesaffelstein and Jamie xx the year prior, drastically changed my electronic music tastes. If it weren't for the latter two, I never would have wanted to poke around and start discovering artists that weren't Skrillex/Zedd/Kaskade/Jack U/etc. Don't get me wrong, I still really like those artists and other cheesey EDM too from time to time, but I definitely wouldn't consider them my favorite anymore. I didn't even know it'd just be a DJ set before I went, I looked up live videos of them playing their songs live at a festival in Germany and thinking "How is this going to translate to a 500 capacity club?" The whole scene and music blew me away, and really set the scene for a dramatic shift in my listening tastes.
HM: Black Madonna @ Smart Bar x2 Lane 8 @ Concord Music Hall MMJ @ White River State Park Bonobo b2b Leon Vynehall @ Smart Bar Porter Robinson & Madeon @ Aragon Ballroom Anderson .Paak @ Pitchfork KiNK @ Smart Bar King Gizzard @ The Hi-Fi
We have the 4 of the same top 5! (though the order is flipped a bit and I only saw LCD at Roo). I also was working at Klipsch this summer so I was at Dead & Co. too! Crazy how much overlap with a total stranger
Edit: I was also working that MMJ set at White River. My boss kept getting on me for jamming instead of focusing on the job hahaha
I was also at Kamasi during Pitchfork on your list. You're right, that is pretty crazy. There probably won't be any Indy shows on my list this year though =/
Post by notdarkyet on Feb 22, 2017 10:07:35 GMT -5
Better late than never. By date, not ranked:
Bruce Springsteen, Louisville 2-21-16: On my birthday, always a great performer this tour even more epic with 3 hour plus sets.
The Who, Louisville 3-12-16: This show was supposed to happen almost a year earlier but was postponed twice. Still was worth the wait though.
Smashing Pumpkins, Louisville 4-15-16: Billy's unique singing is powerful. Especially moving in a beautiful venue like the Louisville Palace.
Neil Young, BSMF 4-29-16: 35 minute 'Down By the River' on the bank of the Mississippi...enough said.
Guns N Roses, Nashville 7-9-16: I saw GNR before this full reunion in 2006 and that was really good so shouldn't have been so skeptical of the potential of this show to deliver but holy crap did it ever!
Brian Wilson, Elizabeth IN 7-15-16: Pet Sounds in its entirety in a rather small venue. Definitely enchanting.
Kanye West, Nashville 9-24-16: Like many have already said crazy good energy. This tour destroyed!
Honorable Mentions: Pearl Jam in Lexington, Violent Femmes at BSMF, Beck at BSMF, Paul McCartney in Cincinnati, Morrissey in Louisville
edit: just realized Courtney Barnett, Perfume Genius & The National were only acts from last 10 years I saw last year out of 32 sets. that's very odd. also my regret for the year is I didn't go see Prophets of Rage. why didn't I give it more consideration? another that I did give thought to but didn't end up pulling the trigger on was Beyonce, who I'm surprised hasn't been listed by more people on their lists.