top 10 Concerts of 2004

[snailhook]

i saw so many amazing shows this year, it's extremely difficult to choose the best ten. i'll do my best. these are the shows that made me glad to be alive, as a booker/promoter, music fanatic, and human being.
 
 1) ghost @ the andy warhol museum, pittsburgh, 9/24 (my favorite current band playing in a small theatre as warhol's films featuring edie sedgwick were projected behind them...nothing short of pure beauty)
 
 2) trad gras och stenar @ talking head, 7/1 (swedish psych legends on their second US tour...a roomful of baltimore freaks losing their shit in the middle of one of the most ecstatic 20 minute psych jams i've ever heard)
 
 3) the free folk phantasmagory featuring excepter/sabir mateen/sharron kraus/from quagmire/the big huge/madagascar/niagara falls/eric carbonara/dj panic/daniel martin-mccormack @ 611 florida, 10/2 (the culmination of why i book shows...ten experimental acts ranging from free jazz to noise to english folk ballads all playing incredible sets in a modest DC row house)
 
 4) wolf eyes/rubber o cement @ warehouse next door on halloween (perhaps the most frightening, evil set i can recall)
 
 5) neil young & crazy horse @ tweeter center, camden, 3/14 (my all-time favorite musician playing for three hours...i got lucky and got great seats and he played "cowgirl in the sand" and "danger bird" back-to-back)
 
 6) morrissey @ DAR, 9/29 (great seats again, and "there is a light that never goes out")
 
 7) milford graves trio @ visions festival, NYC, 5/29 (heavier than slayer, graves is the best drummer no one's heard of)
 
  gladtree festival featuring sun city girls/dredd foole/pg six/no neck blues band/tono-bungay/magik markers/mv-ee medicine show @ amherst college, 4/10 (another laidback fest  featuring some of the best current psych, folk, and noise)
 
 9) six organs of admittance/jack rose @ 611 florida, 4/22 (two unbelievable fingerpickers performing in a living room surrounded by 50 people)
 
 10) place of skulls/earthride/unorthodox @ warehouse next door, 7/31 (bobby liebling jumping on stage with place of skulls to sing two pentagram songs as 50 metalheads banged away in  gleeful unison)
 
 honorable mention:
 
 11) acid mothers temple @ ottobar, 6/17
 12) nik turner/cereberus shoal/cat time @ warehouse next door, 9/30 (with ridiculous space rock light show)
 13) mission of burma/the fiery furnaces @ 9:30 club, 5/15
 14) sonic youth/white magic @ 9:30 club, 8/11
 15) revolutionary ensemble/dave burrell @ visions festival, NYC, 5/30
 16) neurosis with jarboe @ TLA, philly, 11/28
 17) monster magnet @ jaxx, 12/16
 18) DCM trio/DCIC @ 611 florida, 12/5
 19) YOB/unorthodox @ warehouse next door, 5/28
 20) the ex @ ottobar, 9/11
 21) richard thompson @ starr hill, charlottesville, 3/16
 22) einsteurzende neubauten @ 9:30 club, 4/23
 23) curiosa festival @ merriweather, 8/5 (seeing the cure, mogwai, and the rapture in one day was special)
 24) sunno)))/warhorse/chrome hoof/pearls & brass @ the khyber, philly, 1/4
 25) isis @ black cat, 12/6

[eilo97]

Originally posted by kosmo vinyl:
  Some Gems not already mentioned
 
 Bigger Lover / The Frauds Bigyawn night at DC9
 Myracle Brah / e.joseph @ Galaxy Hut
 Pearl Jam in Reading
 Cliff Hillis & The Forward Thinkers @ The Mojo
 
 These were very worthy as well
 
 Supergrass - Loved the Acoustic Set
 Secret Machines - BC
 Love/Zombies - State Theatre
 Pixies
 Sloan

that's great that you enjoyed cliff hilis!!  do you like his other band, ike, at all?

[helicon1]

1. Elbow/Alfie at Brixton Academy
 2. The Polyphonic Spree at the Kennedy Centre
 3. Morrisey at Constitution Hall
 4. The Faint w/ TV on the Radio at 9:30 Club
 5. Curiosa Festival at Merriweather Post
 6. The Secret Machines w/ The Helio Sequence at Black Cat
 7. Air/Joy Zipper at Brixton Academy
 8. Zero 7 at 9:30 Club
 9. Velvet Revolver at 9:30 Club
 10. Super Furry Animals/Papa M at 9:30 Club

[kosmo vinyl]

The Ike record is good, although I like the John Faye Power Trip record better.  Cliff's work with Starbelly is where I first heard him.

[Jaguär]

Originally posted by K8teebug:
  5.  Wrens @ Black Cat
 

This show was in 2003, early November if I remember correctly.
 
 However, their show in Baltimore last night was very good and lots of fun. Had to rub that one in for those on this forum who couldn't have the forum party last night because they were off to Baltimore to see The Wrens but never showed up. Yes, I'm talking about you GGW and Bags, amongst others.    :roll:   You missed a another fine Wrens night and the very last show ever for them in The Meadowlands format! (Couldn't believe that Charles remembered me from the Black Cat show.) And don't try to pull that 'it's such a long drive up to Baltimore' crap either because I had to haul it up to Baltimore from the DC area myself for the show. (I swear I'm becoming more of a Washingtonian everyday.) That was after working my 2nd job and working my full-time one all week during an extremely busy and rough week. Just don't even try it!    :roll:
 _________________________________________
 
 Haven't thought much about my best 2004 shows, let alone the definitive 10 but here are a few that come to mind (in no order).
 
 The Wrens - The Talking Head
 The High Dials - Black Cat (Backstage)
 BRMC - The Recher
 The Pixies - DAR (2nd night) (solely for the stuff at the end that sounded like electric-fried Boxcar Willie)
 Curiosa - Merriweather (an incredible experience all the way around!)
 Phaser - Iota

[eilo97]

Originally posted by kosmo vinyl:
  The Ike record is good, although I like the John Faye Power Trip record better.  Cliff's work with Starbelly is where I first heard him.

the john faye power trip record is excellent!  i lost my copy, though, so i think i'll have to re-buy it.  i haven't heard starbelly before, but will check it out.  
 
 it's great that you know of cliff, ike, jfpt, etc.  they're all so talented, and generally really good people.  my family has had two ike "living room shows," so we've had the opportnuity to spend a fair amount of time with them.

[kosmo vinyl]

Cliff played on the first Starbelly released on Not Lame records which appears to be out of print.  The second CD has a different guitar player and is equally fab, it's a bit more lush than the first.
 
 www.starbelly.tv

[brennser]

joe heim from the wapo - to each his own I guess
 
 A Dozen Great Shows (in chronological order):
 
 1. Toby Keith, Baltimore, Md., Feb. 15 at 1st Marine Arena, Baltimore. His uber-patriotism can be off-putting, but Keith is a top-notch country singer and the energy never waned from start to finish.
 
 2. Nellie McKay, Vienna, Va., Feb. 25 at Wolf Trap. McKayâ??s frenetic, funny wordplay and oddball assertions mark her as a significant young talent. Keep an eye on her.
 
 3. Jimmy Scott, Washington, D.C., March 10 at the Library of Congress. The 79- year-old jazz singerâ??s voice is still a marvel to behold.
 
 4. Bob Dylan, Washington, D.C., April 2 at 9:30 club. Even when heâ??s not at his best, (and this was not his best night) Dylan is such an interesting performer that youâ??re riveted to every move he makes.
 
 5. Mary McBride, Arlington, Va., April 29 at Iota. With her great big bluesy barroom voice, McBride reminds you of such gritty singers as Janis Joplin and Bonnie Raitt.
 
 6. Washington Social Club, Washington, D.C., May 21 at the Black Cat. Does this band ever put on a bad show?
 
 7. Dizzee Rascal, Washington, D.C., July 1 at 9:30 club. The aptly named British rapper opened for (and outshone) the Streets, another British rapper.
 
 8. John Prine/Kris Kristofferson, Vienna, Va., Aug. 27 at Wolf Trap. A fabulous singer-songwriter bill on a perfect summer night.
 
 9. Solomon Burke, Alexandria, Va., at Birchmere, Sept. 9. Still the most commanding figure in the royalty of soul. Well, except for Queen Aretha, that is.
 
 10, 11. Brian Wilson, Washington, D.C., Oct. 10 at Warner Theatre/Rilo Kiley, Washington, D.C., Oct. 10 at Black Cat. Different venues, same night. Managed to catch them both. A magical evening of rock harmonies, past and present.
 
 12. Alan Jackson, Washington, D.C., Nov. 19 at MCI Center. Jackson didnâ??t play long enough, but heâ??s still blessed with modern countryâ??s best voice and he broke out all of the hits.

[allmy$to930]

Ahh...its been a while.
 
 1.) Iron and Wine: St. Bons-Bristol, UK
 2.) Tim Easton: The Totem Inn: Healy, Alaska
 3.) Pernice Bros/Long Winters: Black Cat
 4.) The Shins: Black Cat
 5.) Gravenhurst: The Polish Club, Bristol
 6.) Delgados: Black Cat
 7.) Decemberists: St. Bons-Bristol
 8.) Broken Social Scene/Stars: Black Cat
 9.) Grant Lee Phillips: Iota
 10.) Dylan: 9:30

[SalParadise]

1. pixies @ coachella
 2. broken social scene/stars @ black cat
 3. los amigos invisibles @ black cat
 4. pixies @ hammerstein ballroom, nyc
 5. the hives @ 930 club
 6. kid koala @ iceland airwaves
 7. joanna newsom @ IOTA
 8. fiery furnaces @ black cat
 9. air @ 930 club
 10. pixies @ DAR (2nd night)

[brennser]

in no particular order
 
 The Hives @ 9.30
 The Undertones @ Black Cat
 PJ Harvey @ 9.30
 Mclusky @ Black Cat
 Delgados @ Black Cat
 Sleater Kinney @ Recher
 Old 97s @ 9.30
 The Shins @ Black Cat
 Ted Leo @ Ft Reno
 Magnetic Fields @ Birchmere

[npetting]

In no order...
 
 Pixies w/ Mike Watt and the Secondmen @ Hammerstein Ballroom
 Pixies (1st night) @ Constitution Hall
 Dylan @ 930
 Wilco @ 930
 Sonic Youth @ 930
 The Shins @ Black Cat
 PJ Harvey @ 930
 Interpol w/ the Secret Machines @ 930
 Polyphonic Spree @ 930 and Kennedy Center
 BRMC @ Recher

[SalParadise]

Originally posted by streetspirit:
   Pixies w/ Mike Watt and the Secondmen @ Hammerstein Ballroom
 

wasn't this show phenomenal?! "planet of sound" was unreal.
 
 i can't imagine what the late night show was like.