your top 10 concerts of the year

[Driveway]

Dropkick Murphys @ Ramshead
 Weird Al @ Lincoln Theatre
 +/- @ RNR Hotel
 V-Fest
 David Bazan @ Black Cat
 Nada Surf & Sea Wolf @ 8X10
 Ben Kweller @ Sonar
 Smashing Pumpkins @ 9:30 Club

[eddie]

Clutch - 9:30
 Paul Weller - Irving Plaza
 Stiff Little Fingers - Black Cat
 Woven Hand - Cafe Atlantik
 The Evens - Ft Reno
 Lucinda Williams - Wolftrap
 Neil Young - DAR
 Rodrigo Y Gabriela - 9:30
 Slayer - Merriweather
 Priestess - 9:30

[Tom Servo]

Like several others, I went to far fewer shows this year than last.  There were at least 10 shows I missed for being out of town.  Here's what I've got:
 
 1. Spoon, Ponys @ 9:30 club, 10/23
 2. Okkervil River, Damien Jurado @ RnR Hotel, 9/30
 3. Frames, Margot & Nuclear So and Sos @ 9:30, 4/26
 4. Brazilian Girls @ Ogden Theater (Denver), 4/21
 5. Son Volt, High Strung @ 9:30, 5/17
 6. Brother Kite @ Red and the Black, 6/18
 7. Silversun Pickups, Sea Wolf @ Recher, 5/13
 8. High Strung, XYZ Affair @ BC backstage, 2/18
 9. Nethers @ BC, 3/9
 10. Stellastarr, Soft Complex @ RnR Hotel, 2/13
 
 Spoon and Okkervil River are way out in front.

[bull930]

I can not rank but here are some:
 
 MIA @ Terminal 5/ 930
 Justice @ Terminal 5
 Macy Gray @ DAR
 Gwen Stefani @ Borgata
 Lily Allen @ 930
 Chrisette Michelle @ Black Cat
 Bird and the Bee @ RNR
 Nelly Furtado @ Patriot Center
 Unlimited Sunshine Festival @ DAR
 JLO/Marc Anthony @ Verizon

[helicon1]

Top 11:
 
 The Polyphonic Spree at 9:30 Club (6/30/07)
 
 Koop at 9:30 Club (11/3/07)
 
 Tool at Baltimore Arena (6/8/07)
 
 David Olney & Sergio Webb at Sangha (6/5/07)
 
 Porcupine Tree at House of Blues, Cleveland (5/18/07)
 
 Air at 9:30 Club (5/9/07)
 
 Grizzly Bear at Black Cat (3/4/07)
 
 The Australian Pink Floyd Show at Starthmore (11/6/07)
 
 Silverchair at Bowery Ballroom (2/12/07)
 
 Amiina at 9:30 Club (4/1/07)
 
 Blackfield at Ram's Head Tavern (3/15/07)

[Lamb007]

Well either tonight's Dresden Dolls show or tomorrow night's Patti Smith show could sneak in, at the moment, here's my top 10 (that goes to 11).
 
 1- Superdrag @ Irving Plaza
 2- Arcade Fire @ DAR
 3- Superdrag @ 930
 4- Fiona Apple and Nickel Creek @ Pier Six
 5- Mic Harrison/Scott Miller @ Iota
 6- Sasquatch Music Festival @ The Gorge -especially The Hold Steady - way better than the 9:30 show in Nov.
 7- True Colors @ Merriweather
 8- The High Score @ Hottfest (Knoxville)
 9- Public Enemy @ Rams Head Live
 10- Ben Kweller @ Sonar
 11- Ani Difranco @ 930

[TheREALHunter]

(In no order, except that The Stooges were the show of the year for me):
 Stooges-9:30 Club DC
 Slayer-9:30 Club DC
 Hank Williams III-Chameleon Club Lancaster PA
 Muse-Patriot Center
 Van Halen-Verizon Center
 Van Hunt-Black Cat
 Heaven and Hell-Merriweather
 Public Enemy-Rams Head Live
 The Police-MSG NYC
 Rage Against The Machine-Randalls Island NYC
 
 Honorable mention: Antiseen-Wonderland Richmond VA
 Henry Rollins (spoken word)-Birchmere

[earlx]

Paul Weller at Irving Plaza on "Jam night" - What was touted as "An evening of Paul Weller playing the songs of The Jam" ended up being Weller playing 8 Jam songs, torturing the audience with 15 songs that sounded like Steve Winwood covers, and then finishing up with another Jam number.  The audience, many of whom had paid top dollar for their tickets and/or flown in from far away to attend, seemed kinda pissed.  I'd give the show a B-minus.  It makes my Top 10 list because I got to skip two days of work and take a train up to NYC with three of my friends.  And Weller opened with "Shopping" which is such an asshole move that it still makes me laugh every time I think about it.
 
 The Lodger at The Velvet Lounge - This was probably the best show I saw all year -- a skinny twee kid playing a really tight set of incredibly hooky guitar pop.  The Public Record opened and played cool soundtracky stuff.  In grand DC tradition, there were about 20 people in attendance, most of whom were over 35.
 
 The Pipettes at The Black Cat - Their outfits are crummy and they sound more like Toni Basil than The Ronettes but they were mighty entertaining.  The rest of the packed house seemed to agree.
 
 The Hodoo Gurus at The Black Cat - Balding Aussies bring the rock to a depressingly empty house.  Fake Accents do a nice job opening up.
 
 Apples In Stereo at the 9:30 - Balding Americans bring the pop to a depressingly empty house.  Aqueduct does a nice job opening up.
 
 Georgie James at Fort Reno - Georgie James are my favorite local band right now.  They're always tight and they remind me of the Zombies.  Best of all, it was free.
 
 LCD Soundsystem at the 9:30 Club - They played every song I wanted to hear in a really tight fashion.  Since I don't get out much, this easily qualifies them for my top 10.
 
 The Lemonheads at The Black Cat - Recruiting Bill Stevenson and Karl Alvarez paid big dividends for Dando.  They kept him reined in whenever the wheels were threatening to come off and didn't let him do his shambolic solo set until the encore.  I've seen The Lemonheads five times over the last 20 years and this was the first time they were actually good.
 
 The Oranges Band at The Red and the Black - The Oranges Band are my fourth favorite band.  Since they're from Baltimore, I get to see them play regularly for under $10.  As always, they were good.
 
 Georgie James at The Black Cat - (See above.  Ignore the "Best of all, it was free" part.)

[Firebutt McGee]

1)  PJ Harvey @ Beacon Theater
 2)  Daft Punk @ Red Rocks
 3)  Arcade Fire @ Red Rocks
 4)  Polyphonic Spree @ 9:30
 5)  Bjork @ Fox Theater
 6)  Queens of the Stone Age @ Electric Factory
 7)  The Go! Team @ 9:30
   Fujiya & Miyagi and Escort @ Barnard College
 9)  Lucinda Williams @ Wolftrap
 10) Spoon @ Monolith Festival
 
 --
 
 I don't know where she'd fit in there, but Tori Amos in Anaheim was probably one of the best shows I've seen in my life.
 
 Honorable Mention:
 
 Snoop Dogg's showcase back in December at LA Live.

[kosmo vinyl]

Originally posted by earlx:
  Paul Weller at Irving Plaza on "Jam night" - What was touted as "An evening of Paul Weller playing the songs of The Jam" ended up being Weller playing 8 Jam songs, torturing the audience with 15 songs that sounded like Steve Winwood covers, and then finishing up with another Jam number.  The audience, many of whom had paid top dollar for their tickets and/or flown in from far away to attend, seemed kinda pissed.  I'd give the show a B-minus.  It makes my Top 10 list because I got to skip two days of work and take a train up to NYC with three of my friends.  And Weller opened with "Shopping" which is such an asshole move that it still makes me laugh every time I think about it.
 
 

I was at all three of those shows and the  second night spotlighting the Style Council songs was the best.  The band and audience was really into the entire show.  They even uncorked a incredibly tight version of a "A Town Called Malice", which they basically slept through the first night.  
 
 I'm guessin' that Weller is more than a bit miffed that even after years of recording as a solo artist with IMHO a solid body of work, that even the slightest mention of the Jam and people lose their minds... Not sure which night it was, but his performance of "Butterfly Collector" really hearkened back to his angry young man days.

[sweetcell]

Originally posted by ixkpd-bk:
  1)  PJ Harvey @ Beacon Theater
 2)  Daft Punk @ Red Rocks
 3)  Arcade Fire @ Red Rocks
 4)  Polyphonic Spree @ 9:30
 5)  Bjork @ Fox Theater
 6)  Queens of the Stone Age @ Electric Factory
 7)  The Go! Team @ 9:30
   Fujiya & Miyagi and Escort @ Barnard College
 9)  Lucinda Williams @ Wolftrap
 10) Spoon @ Monolith Festival
 

1) -bk, you're alive!  glad you're back/resurfaced.  two months and no word of you... glad you survived the road trip.
 2) given the fact that you have seen more shows than just about anyone here, it's an impressive feat that you stuck to a top 10, and not a top 50.  well done.
 3) PJ = #1?  really?  damn good show, but interesting choice nonetheless. .
 4) you still owe me for that one, bitch  

[Firebutt McGee]

Originally posted by sweetcell:
   

Originally posted by ixkpd-bk:
  1)  PJ Harvey @ Beacon Theater
 2)  Daft Punk @ Red Rocks
 3)  Arcade Fire @ Red Rocks
 4)  Polyphonic Spree @ 9:30
 5)  Bjork @ Fox Theater
 6)  Queens of the Stone Age @ Electric Factory
 7)  The Go! Team @ 9:30
   Fujiya & Miyagi and Escort @ Barnard College
 9)  Lucinda Williams @ Wolftrap
 10) Spoon @ Monolith Festival
 

1) -bk, you're alive!  glad you're back/resurfaced.  two months and no word of you... glad you survived the road trip.
 2) given the fact that you have seen more shows than just about anyone here, it's an impressive feat that you stuck to a top 10, and not a top 50.  well done.
 3) PJ = #1?  really?  damn good show, but interesting choice nonetheless. .
 4) you still owe me for that one, bitch    [/b]

1) Two months following that tour has KILLED me. I *just* got back to DC recently and I need to get back in my groove! Patti Smith was my "homecoming" show of sorts.
 
 2) Yeah, I'm shocked myself.
 
 3) Yes. That show STILL haunts me. Her performance of "The Piano", "Down By the Water", and "Man Size" were stellar.
 
 4) I do!!! Next time you're here we'll fuck it up on my tab!

[earlx]

Originally posted by kosmo:
   

Originally posted by earlx:
  Paul Weller at Irving Plaza on "Jam night" - What was touted as "An evening of Paul Weller playing the songs of The Jam" ended up being Weller playing 8 Jam songs, torturing the audience with 15 songs that sounded like Steve Winwood covers, and then finishing up with another Jam number.  The audience, many of whom had paid top dollar for their tickets and/or flown in from far away to attend, seemed kinda pissed.  I'd give the show a B-minus.  It makes my Top 10 list because I got to skip two days of work and take a train up to NYC with three of my friends.  And Weller opened with "Shopping" which is such an asshole move that it still makes me laugh every time I think about it.
 
 

I was at all three of those shows and the  second night spotlighting the Style Council songs was the best.  The band and audience was really into the entire show.  They even uncorked a incredibly tight version of a "A Town Called Malice", which they basically slept through the first night.  
 
 I'm guessin' that Weller is more than a bit miffed that even after years of recording as a solo artist with IMHO a solid body of work, that even the slightest mention of the Jam and people lose their minds... Not sure which night it was, but his performance of "Butterfly Collector" really hearkened back to his angry young man days. [/b]

I've heard that from a number of people.  I really wanted to attend that second night as well but I  didn't relish the idea of telling my wife that I was going to leave her with the kids for three days to attend a couple of concerts.  
 
 Are you going to check out From the Jam?  I have tickets to the DC and NY shows.  I bought the NY ticket before they announced the DC show so I might try to unload it.

[kosmo vinyl]

dunno... i feel a bit dirty about attending that show, hugh cromwell is an interesting choice as a substitute singer... would really like to know what kinda condition his voice is in and how well the band is playing together before committing...

[earlx]

Originally posted by kosmo:
  dunno... i feel a bit dirty about attending that show, hugh cromwell is an interesting choice as a substitute singer... would really like to know what kinda condition his voice is in and how well the band is playing together before committing...

Hugh is actually the opening act rather than the substitute singer.  The guy fronting FTJ is named Russell and, purportedly, does a pretty good job.  I've got pretty low expectations so I don't imagine I'll be disappointed.  And, at a minimum, "Smithers-Jones," "News of the World" and "Carnaby Street" will sound just like the records.