It would be sort of difficult to figure out what happened this year if I didn't keep a weblog. So I suppose writing on this site for a year as at least served some purpose. The mind wanders, alcohol fuels forgetfulness, days blur, but somehow this blog captures enough that I feel like I've lived through a full year.
On that note, here is my belated list of the top 10 shows I actually went to this year. I know it isn't as cool as some other people's lists, but it took a LONG time to figure this out.
1. Interpol @ Bowery Ballroom. I know a lot of people said that this show was lacking in something, but for me that was not the case at all. Maybe I'm just too much of a die hard. Maybe Antics wrapped up my entire summer of freedom and unemployment, whatever. The entire thing was glorious to me from start to finish (even if they left off 'Stella' for an encore).
2. The Wrens @ Knitting Factory. I had never seen this band before and went to this CMJ show solely on recommendation and spent the entire time standing there in awe. This band is fantastic. 'She Sends Kisses' is almost without doubt one of my favorite songs of the year, which was their emotional and perfect encore.
3. Rilo Kiley (with Tilly and the Wall) @ Bowery Ballroom. First of all I think it's safe to say that I would be a lesbian in a millisecond for Jenny Lewis. But that's not really the reason that I loved this show so much. Something about Rilo Kiley's live show just transends for me, it's simplistic and beautiful and inspiring. That I was also attending the show with someone even more enamored with the band probably helped.. and since I was equally as enamored with my companion, this was certainly a night to remember.
4. Franz Ferdinand @ Maxwells. This show was so great that a large part of me never wants to see Franz Ferdinand live ever again, if only to preserve how amazing this experience was. The first time I heard "Take Me Out" I was wandering around a store in Camden - London and Nicole and I had to approach the salesclerk to find out what the song was. Getting a chance to see this band's electric performance in such a tiny setting was def. something I will never forget.
5. Stellastarr* @ Coachella in the sweatbox tent from hell + Motherfucker @ the Roxy (tie) : Every time I tell people this they really seem very surprised, but I have only seen Stellastarr live a a total of two times. And yet it's impossible for me to choose between these two shows to determine a favorite, except to say that seeing them in a cool NYC club surrounded by my awesome friends with a slight one up on seeing them in a veritable sauna that was the Mojave tent in the middle of the desert @ Coachella. Regardless, both of these shows were very special and nothing about this band fails to get me energized.
6. The Bravery @ Arlene's Grocery
7. The Rapture @ Coachella immed. followed by Radiohead
8. The Hives + The Fever @ Webster Hall
9. The Shins @ Bowery Ballroom
10. British Sea Power @ Bowery Ballroom / Phoenix + Benzos @ Bowery Ballroom (tie)
(stellastarr* @ coachella)
here also is a vaguely complete list of all the bands i saw live this year, including those listed above: !!!, aerovox, air, ambulance ltd, arbor day, asobi seksu, baby strange, the bahamas, basement jaxx, bastion, brendan benson, benzos, black rebel motorcycle club, bling kong, blonde redhead, bona roba, the bravery, bright eyes, british sea power, dennis cahlo, the capitol years, communique, controller.controller, cooper temple clause, the court and spark, the cure, daybreaker, dear leader, death cab for cutie, desert sessions, detachment kit, kevin devine, devotchka, dogs die in hot cars, the douglas fir, dutch kills, elefant, elkland, faunts, the flaming lips, the flesh, franz ferdinand, the fever, french kicks, funeral for a friend, the futureheads, the good north, the gostation, the harlem shakes, headquarters, hightower smith, HIM, the hives, the hong kong, hula, the icarus line, imarobot, the information, inouk, interpol, kill hannah, the killers, kraftwerk, ben kweller, lakota, sondre lerche, looker, low beam, madison strays, metric, the morning after, morning theft, morrison poe, the mosquitos, moving units, muse, the music, new amsterdams, octet, onelinedrawing, other passengers, phoenix, pilot to gunner, pitty sing, the pixies, pretty girls make graves, prosiacs, PS, radio 4, radiohead, the rapture, ratatat, rilo kiley, robbers on high street, saintface, scissor sisters, sex sells, the shins, the shout out louds, the sleepy jackson, snowden, soft explosions, the sons of sound, the sounds, stellastarr*, the stills, tommy stinson, ted leo/pharmacists, the thrills, tilly and the wall, turing point, tv on the radio, the twenty twos, the upwelling, vhs or beta, the von bondies, white light motorcade, the wrens
On that note, here is my belated list of the top 10 shows I actually went to this year. I know it isn't as cool as some other people's lists, but it took a LONG time to figure this out.
1. Interpol @ Bowery Ballroom. I know a lot of people said that this show was lacking in something, but for me that was not the case at all. Maybe I'm just too much of a die hard. Maybe Antics wrapped up my entire summer of freedom and unemployment, whatever. The entire thing was glorious to me from start to finish (even if they left off 'Stella' for an encore).
2. The Wrens @ Knitting Factory. I had never seen this band before and went to this CMJ show solely on recommendation and spent the entire time standing there in awe. This band is fantastic. 'She Sends Kisses' is almost without doubt one of my favorite songs of the year, which was their emotional and perfect encore.
3. Rilo Kiley (with Tilly and the Wall) @ Bowery Ballroom. First of all I think it's safe to say that I would be a lesbian in a millisecond for Jenny Lewis. But that's not really the reason that I loved this show so much. Something about Rilo Kiley's live show just transends for me, it's simplistic and beautiful and inspiring. That I was also attending the show with someone even more enamored with the band probably helped.. and since I was equally as enamored with my companion, this was certainly a night to remember.
4. Franz Ferdinand @ Maxwells. This show was so great that a large part of me never wants to see Franz Ferdinand live ever again, if only to preserve how amazing this experience was. The first time I heard "Take Me Out" I was wandering around a store in Camden - London and Nicole and I had to approach the salesclerk to find out what the song was. Getting a chance to see this band's electric performance in such a tiny setting was def. something I will never forget.
5. Stellastarr* @ Coachella in the sweatbox tent from hell + Motherfucker @ the Roxy (tie) : Every time I tell people this they really seem very surprised, but I have only seen Stellastarr live a a total of two times. And yet it's impossible for me to choose between these two shows to determine a favorite, except to say that seeing them in a cool NYC club surrounded by my awesome friends with a slight one up on seeing them in a veritable sauna that was the Mojave tent in the middle of the desert @ Coachella. Regardless, both of these shows were very special and nothing about this band fails to get me energized.
6. The Bravery @ Arlene's Grocery
7. The Rapture @ Coachella immed. followed by Radiohead
8. The Hives + The Fever @ Webster Hall
9. The Shins @ Bowery Ballroom
10. British Sea Power @ Bowery Ballroom / Phoenix + Benzos @ Bowery Ballroom (tie)
(stellastarr* @ coachella)
here also is a vaguely complete list of all the bands i saw live this year, including those listed above: !!!, aerovox, air, ambulance ltd, arbor day, asobi seksu, baby strange, the bahamas, basement jaxx, bastion, brendan benson, benzos, black rebel motorcycle club, bling kong, blonde redhead, bona roba, the bravery, bright eyes, british sea power, dennis cahlo, the capitol years, communique, controller.controller, cooper temple clause, the court and spark, the cure, daybreaker, dear leader, death cab for cutie, desert sessions, detachment kit, kevin devine, devotchka, dogs die in hot cars, the douglas fir, dutch kills, elefant, elkland, faunts, the flaming lips, the flesh, franz ferdinand, the fever, french kicks, funeral for a friend, the futureheads, the good north, the gostation, the harlem shakes, headquarters, hightower smith, HIM, the hives, the hong kong, hula, the icarus line, imarobot, the information, inouk, interpol, kill hannah, the killers, kraftwerk, ben kweller, lakota, sondre lerche, looker, low beam, madison strays, metric, the morning after, morning theft, morrison poe, the mosquitos, moving units, muse, the music, new amsterdams, octet, onelinedrawing, other passengers, phoenix, pilot to gunner, pitty sing, the pixies, pretty girls make graves, prosiacs, PS, radio 4, radiohead, the rapture, ratatat, rilo kiley, robbers on high street, saintface, scissor sisters, sex sells, the shins, the shout out louds, the sleepy jackson, snowden, soft explosions, the sons of sound, the sounds, stellastarr*, the stills, tommy stinson, ted leo/pharmacists, the thrills, tilly and the wall, turing point, tv on the radio, the twenty twos, the upwelling, vhs or beta, the von bondies, white light motorcade, the wrens