Best Live Shows of 2008

[Vas Deferens]

I thought their show at the 930 was alright. I think the theatrics was a distraction to the live show. And the theatrics was not entertaining..it was rather awkward and pointless, I thought.

And the new album sucks, in general.

well i thought i was done with my list - but id have to add of montreal at the music hall of williamsburg.

solid performance - about 2 hours long. some of the theatrics were still there, but in a much smaller venue it also meant no horse. kevin was as entertaining as always and sounded awesome. had a brilliant set list and topped it off with tom petty's american girl. the crowd was really into it - even tho it consisted of mostly cooler than thou hipsters who tried to tell me that it was ok for them to shove me out of the way since they clearly go to more shows than me and really young kids. ah how i love the holidays. i could only take so much of hearing about brooklyn vegan and how they listened to kevin way back when. aside from that - the show rocked.

[xneverwherex]

good! that means one less indie hipster snob at the show.

I thought their show at the 930 was alright. I think the theatrics was a distraction to the live show. And the theatrics was not entertaining..it was rather awkward and pointless, I thought.

And the new album sucks, in general.

well i thought i was done with my list - but id have to add of montreal at the music hall of williamsburg.

solid performance - about 2 hours long. some of the theatrics were still there, but in a much smaller venue it also meant no horse. kevin was as entertaining as always and sounded awesome. had a brilliant set list and topped it off with tom petty's american girl. the crowd was really into it - even tho it consisted of mostly cooler than thou hipsters who tried to tell me that it was ok for them to shove me out of the way since they clearly go to more shows than me and really young kids. ah how i love the holidays. i could only take so much of hearing about brooklyn vegan and how they listened to kevin way back when. aside from that - the show rocked.

[Vas Deferens]

I'm hardly an indie snob...::sigh::  Can you be an indie snob if you like Vampire Weekend, Clap Your Hands, etc??
Really, I don't mind that they are influenced one way or another by other bands...I like them

YOU are a SNOB to the indie kids like me, however. 

good! that means one less indie hipster snob at the show.

[Vas Deferens]

I'd like to add Hercules and Love Affair & the 930 Forumers at the 930 Club. Ixkpd's butt, MyraEllen and even azaghal dancing in front during the show...it's classic!

[azaghal1981]

shhhhhhhhhh

[Vas Deferens]

These Arms Are Snakes
RnR Hotel
March 11

yay!

[azaghal1981]

Wrong thread.

[Vas Deferens]

haha, i bring the LOLz...

Wrong thread.

[Tom Servo]

Mine:

1.  Austin City Limits festival (favorite sets: Spiritualized, Foo Fighters, Alejandro Escovedo, Okkervil River, Hot Chip, Fleet Foxes)
2. Helio Sequence @ black cat backstage
3. Raveonettes @ black cat
4. Wedding Present @ black cat
5. Racontours @ 930
6. Thievery, Ladytron, TV on the Radio @ Merriweather
7. Apparitions @ iota
8. DMBQ @ Velvet Lounge
9. Super Furry Animals, Holy Fuck @ 930
10. Cloud Cult @ black cat

I actually saw more shows this year than last but it didn't feel like it.  Hopefully 2009 will get closer to 2006's record number...

[Unsanity]

Some of my fav's

Sole & The Skyrider Band @ Black Cat (backstage)
Weedeater w/ Wooly Mammmoth & Blacktusk @ Talking Head Club
Saul Williams w/ Dragons of Zynth @ 9:30 Club
Black Moth Super Rainbow w/ Dose One's Subtle & Efterklang @ RnR Hotel
Harvey Milk w/ A Strom of Light & Dianogah @ Ottobar
The Sword w/ Stinking Lizaveta & Torche @ RnR Hotel
Boris w/ Torche & Clouds @ Black Cat
Valient Thorr w/ Early Man & Monotonix @ Black Cat (backstage)
Does it Offend You, Yeah? @ DC9
The Residents @ 9:30 Club
DMBQ w/ Monotonix @ Ottobar

Those were some good ones, hopefully I can tack on that Clutch show to cap the year off!

[azaghal1981]

How'd I leave out Cornelius, Stars of the Lid and Six Organs of Admittance?


Cornelius and Six Organs are both definitely top 10 material.



Sucks not having a stub collection to work from.

[snailhook]

i saw a show almost every day in 2008, and these were the ones that stood out (top ten are bolded):

six organs of admittance @ iota (1/24)
chinese stars/the amopeba men/the wayward @ velvet lounge (2/22)
roky erickson & the explosives @ webster hall (3/1)
sunburned hand of the man/chris grier/lexie mountain @ lighthouse (3/7)
the hounds of hasselvander (w/ bobby liebling)/revelation/ol' scratch @ velvet lounge (3/14)
spontaneous infinity fest @ velvet lounge (3/28, 29)
van der graaf generator @ wulfrun hall, wolverhampton (4/2)
van der graaf generator @ queen elizabeth hall, london (4/3)
carla bozulich's evangelista/garland of hours/vampire hands @ velvet lounge (4/16)
gary higgins/brandon butler/stella schindler @ velvet lounge (4/19)
vincent black shadow/nudity/crazy dreams band @ velvet lounge (4/23)
polvo @ black cat (5/9)
astro/seventh gate/keitzer @ velvet lounge (5/19)
jack rose/fern knight/glenn jones @ velvet lounge (5/30)
suishou no fune/alasehir/dark sea dream @ 611 florida (5/31)
teenage jesus & the jerks/information @ knitting factory (6/13)
major stars/thalia zedek/giraffes? giraffes! @ velvet lounge (6/15)
terrastock 7 @ mellwood arts center, louisville (6/19-22)
silver apples/loto ball show/the moderate/plums @ velvet lounge (6/28)
little howlin' wolf/psychedelic horseshit/fabulous diamonds @ 611 florida (7/1)
sonic youth/the feelies @ battery park (7/4)
spiritualized/the ditrtbombs @ 9:30 (7/25)
jack rose/mv & ee/chris grier/zaika/50 foot women & axolotl @ velvet lounge (8/7)
judas priest/heaven & hell @ pnc arts bank center (8/9)
gospel gossip @ velvet lounge (8/12)
the ex w/ getachew mekuria @ black cat (8/13)
the sufimonkey trio (w/ richard lloyd)/circles/hulk smash/dcic @ velvet lounge (8/14)
witch hats/pink monkey birds/the electricutions/six gun lullaby @ velvet lounge (8/16)
mike tamburo/hunted creatures @ lighthouse (8/24)
judas priest/heaven & hell/motorhead @ cricket wireless pavilion, phoenix (8/28)
free folk phantasmagory V @ 611 florida (9/13)
my bloody valentine/wounded knees @ roseland (9/22)
my bloody valentine/the lilys @ roseland (9/23)
paul flaherty & randall colbourne/fight the big bull/kbd @ velvet lounge as part of sonic circuits (10/1)
baby dee/burbuja @ national museum of women in the arts as part of sonic circuits (10/5)
nick cave & the bad seeds/kid congo powers @ 9:30 (10/6)
cian nugent/ben reynolds/george stavis @ velvet lounge (10/7)
the residents @ trocadero (10/8)
wire @ johnny brenda's, philly (10/10)
dead c/blues control/pink reason @ johnny brenda's (10/12)
jack rose & marc orleans/bridget st. john/michael chapman @ hint house, nyc (10/14)
michael chapman/jack rose @ brickbat books, philly (10/15)
woven hand/silver summit @ johnny brenda's (10/16)
dmbq/pit er pat/awesome color @ velvet lounge (10/21)
dungen/headdress @ johnny brenda's (10/28)
20 buck spin festival @ velvet lounge (10/31-11/1)
endless boogie @ vox populi, philly (11/8)
magnet city kids/the homosexuals/when dinosaurs ruled the earth @ danger danger gallery, philly (11/14)
cluster @ st. mary's church, philly (11/15)
dan higgs/zomes/tom carter @ the compound, philly (11/21)
fern knight/p.g. six/samara lubelski/noa babayof @ the rotunda, philly (11/22)
king khan & bbq show/the vivian girls @ johnny brenda's (11/28)
deceased/hatred/hull house @ velvet lounge (12/5)
nachtmystium/woe @ kung fu necktie, philly (12/8)
keelhaul/backwoods payback/jail @ johnny brenda's (12/10)
neil young @ the spectrum, philly (12/12)
serpent throne/wizard eye @ disgraceland, philly (12/13)
kieran hebden & steve reid @ international house, philly (12/14)
neil young/wilco @ msg (12/15)
the nightmarchers/obits @ the khyber, philly (12/16)
hawkwind tribute night w/ ultrabunny/plums/caves caverns @ velvet lounge (12/20)

those that don't think there are many great live bands around right now aren't looking hard enough...

ps: azaghal, keep a log of that shit on your computer!

[azaghal1981]

I'm surprised you didn't include any of those United Bible Studies/Sharron Kraus shows you saw/played (with the exception of Terrastock)


I had no excuse to skip Terrastock; passing on that is easily my biggest live music regret this year.

[snailhook]

I'm surprised you didn't include any of those United Bible Studies/Sharron Kraus shows you saw/played (with the exception of Terrastock)

that's because i played with UBS for almost all of those gigs. i'm not arrogant enough to include my own performances!

[azaghal1981]

Hah...makes sense.



That Major Stars set was exactly what I needed after the horribly boring and absurdly overpriced Jose Gonzalez set I caught at the club earlier that night.

It was fucking incredible.

Just wish I caught more of Thalia.