10 Favorite Shows of the Aughties

[Mr.Whippy]

Here are my top 10 of the decade in chronological order:

1.  Radiohead, Atlanta, GA, 2001 - Amnesiac/Kid A tour, sick.

2.  Tool, Raleigh, NC, 2001 - Lateralus tour from a 5th row seat, double sick.

3.  Bob Dylan, Winston-Salem, NC, 2002 - The peak of late-period Dylan

4.  Spiritualized/Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Carrboro, NC, 2002 - The '08 Spiritualized show from 9:30 also ranks very high

5.  Richard Thompson Band, Durham, NC, 2003 - Guitar bliss

6.  Wilco/Flaming Lips/Sleater-Kinney, NYC, 2004/2005 - Best triple bill ever

7.  Death from Above 1979/Queens of the Stone Age/Nine Inch Nails, DC, 2005 - Sick triple bill, all three bands killed it, another great triple bill was TV on the Radio/Bauhaus/NIN in 2006

8.  Iggy and the Stooges, 9:30 club, DC, 2007 - Best club show I've ever seen, Iggy is insane

9.  My Morning Jacket, NYC 2008/2009 - Epic New Years MMJ show

10. Pearl Jam, Closing of the Philadelphia Spectrum, 2009 - Played for over 3.5 hours, pulled out ALL the stops

[bearman🐻]

For me these aren't necessarily the best, but they really stand out as the most memorable.

The Pixies & Kraftwerk @ Coachella (2004)
Death Cab For Cutie @ the Hollywood Bowl (7/5/2009)
Queens of the Stone Age @ the Warfield (10/11/2003)
Sonic Youth @ Valle Giulia, Rome (IT) (7/2/2004)
Elliott Smith w/Grandaddy @ 9:30 Club (10/26/2000)
Iggy & the Stooges @ Electric Factory (April 2007)
Belle & Sebastian @ the Hollywood Bowl (July 2006)
Social Distortion @ 9:30 Club (Nov. 2001)
PJ Harvey @ Black Cat (Dec. 2000)
Fischerspooner @ 9:30 Club (5/10/2009)
Air @ 9:30 Club (4/8/2004)

[PigIron]

How the f do you guys remember the actual dates?

No order:

Jesus Lizard (Sonar, 2009)
Radiohead at Lollapalooza (2008)
The Roots, TV on the Radio and Public Enemy (Philadelphia (2008)
Reverend Horton Heat/Nashville Pussy (Montreal, maybe 2004)
PJ Harvey (that early show she did at 9:30 maybe five years ago)
All Good Festival (the one with Ween and Les Claypool, maybe three years ago)
Pixies (that first DAR show they did when they reunited)
Clutch (they tour constantly - my favorites were the early-decade 9:30 shows)
Rollins/X (Cleveland, a few years back)
Iggy Pop and the Stooges (Boston during the reunion tour)

[Julian, Alleged Computer F**kface]

How the f do you guys remember the actual dates?

For the most people, ticket stubs. For the uber-nerdy, an excel spreadsheet.

[Jaguar]

How the f do you guys remember the actual dates?

For the most people, ticket stubs. For the uber-nerdy, an excel spreadsheet.

And then there are the freaks of nature, like myself, who can pull a date out for a few things. Too lazy to bother with researching tickets, nor do I bother with calendars for such things.

Though my brain is rotting away and I can't seem to remember simple things anymore, there are those odd things that stick. Regarding my concerts, it's usually because I can match it up to other circumstances around that time. Some you might guess but mostly convuluted circumstances that would often mean something only to me.

[hutch]

Here are my top 10 of the decade in chronological order:

1.  Radiohead, Atlanta, GA, 2001 - Amnesiac/Kid A tour, sick.

2.  Tool, Raleigh, NC, 2001 - Lateralus tour from a 5th row seat, double sick.

3.  Bob Dylan, Winston-Salem, NC, 2002 - The peak of late-period Dylan

4.  Spiritualized/Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Carrboro, NC, 2002 - The '08 Spiritualized show from 9:30 also ranks very high

5.  Richard Thompson Band, Durham, NC, 2003 - Guitar bliss

6.  Wilco/Flaming Lips/Sleater-Kinney, NYC, 2004/2005 - Best triple bill ever

7.  Death from Above 1979/Queens of the Stone Age/Nine Inch Nails, DC, 2005 - Sick triple bill, all three bands killed it, another great triple bill was TV on the Radio/Bauhaus/NIN in 2006

8.  Iggy and the Stooges, 9:30 club, DC, 2007 - Best club show I've ever seen, Iggy is insane

9.  My Morning Jacket, NYC 2008/2009 - Epic New Years MMJ show

10. Pearl Jam, Closing of the Philadelphia Spectrum, 2009 - Played for over 3.5 hours, pulled out ALL the stops

Well it all depends on your taste but i saw Dylan end of 2002 and to me the peak of late period Dylan is late 1996/1997...agree about 8

[chancegardener]

How the f do you guys remember the actual dates?



I write them all down in a book. I've kept it since 1976.

[snailhook]

Apparently John Cale played at the 930 in 2004 or 2005, did anyone see this?

i did, with about 90 others.  sadly underattended.  started a bit slow but ended on fire.  not the best cale show i've seen -- that would've been with red house painters in 1996 in boston -- but it was solid.

top ten shows of 2000-2009?  hard to answer.  i'll count the two MBV shows last year as one.  in no particular order:

1) flaherty/corsano duo @ 611 florida (my house), 2/28/03...changed my life, most specifically, being the first show i ever booked.

2) six organs of admittance/jack rose @ 611 florida, 4/22/04...RIP jack 

3) MBV @ roseland, 9/22/08 and 9/23/08 (i think)...waited roughly 15 years for this, and did not disappoint

4) negativland @ warehouse theatre, 8/5/07

5) trad gras och stenar/miighty flashlight/the big huge @ talking head, 7/1/04

6) kinski/ostinato @ warehouse next door, 8/26/05

7) whitehouse/pig destroyer/wolf eyes @ dc9, 3/2/06

8 ) merzbow/keiji haino/religious knives/demons @ no fun fest (the hook), 5/19/07

9) ghost/six organs of admittance @ andy warhol museum, 9/24/04

10) the stooges @ 9:30 club, 4/5/07

honorable mention: roky erickson & the explosives @ southpaw, 4/13/07

[sweetcell]

i guess my top 11 (don't have time to filter anymore), in no particular order except the last:

- Stooges @ 930, 2007

- sigur ros @ grand ballroom, NYC, 2008
angels were in the room that night.  i arguably had one of the worse seats in the house - upper back corner, ended up standing against the back wall behind the sound tech for most of the show - and i couldn't have been happier.

- prince @ verizon center, 2004
blew.  my.  mind.

- hallucinogen @ sola luna festival, samothraki, greece
granddady of psytrance proved that he still had it.  amazing location, too.

- Radiohead @ hollywood bowl 2, 2008 (although superpages center in dallas was pretty damn special too)

- foo fighters acoustic @ DAR, 2006

- ac/dc @ wachovia, 2008

- spiritualized @ apollo theater, 2007

- franz ferdinand w/DCFC, DAR, 2006

- radiohead @ tower theater, 2006
the definition of a mind-blowing show

... aaaaaaaaaand arguably best show ever:
- daft punk @ lollapalooza
followed closely by their show @ vegoose... waddaya expect, it's live daft)

honorable mentions:
- thievery @ 930, 2005 (their first holiday multi-night stand... pretty sure it was 2005)
- ratm @ coachella (arguably only because it reminded me of their pre-breakup hayday)
- beck in the backroom, 2006
- coldplay @ nissan pavilion, 2005 (no, i don't care what you think, it was a great show)
- bob dylan w/the raconteurs, patriot center, 2006 (apparently we got bobby on a good night)
- kids in the hall, nokia theater, 2008 (do comedy shows count?  'cause this one was EPIC)
- calvin harris @ mercury lounge, NYC, 2007 ((very very close to being in the top 10)
- chemical brothers w/ladytron, mccarren pool, 2007
- Thievery Corp w/ TVotR, ladytron & frederico aubele, MPP, 2008 (just when i though TC were over the hill, they put together a great show.  great support too.)
- arcade fire w/lcd soundsystem & blonde redhead, randall's island, 2007
- explosions in the sky, 930, 2007
- gogol bordello, 930 club, 2006 (i'm a little bored of them now, but that was an amazing first-time experience)
- ben gibbard acoustic @ 930, 2007 (both shows - liked the first one so much i ran outside, found a ticket and saw it again)
- NIN @ T5, 2009 (second night)

[James Ford]

Sweetcell is a CARL.

Corporate Arena Rock Lover

[sweetcell]

we are both CARLs? (inside joke )

but yes, i don't limit myself to the BC's backroom.  have nothing against raw, i just happen to prefer polished and over-the-top.  when you're in the the first few rows it's easy to forget there are 20,000 people behind you.

so, under the right conditions, i like 'em big <insert innuendo here>.

(small aside: depending how you count it around half of my list were arena shows, and only about half could be considered arena rock)

[Jesse]

A Tribe called quest @ Merriweather 2008
Thievery Corporation @ 930 club 2006
Beastie Boys @ Virgin Festival 2007
Massive Attack @ 930 club 2006 (both nights)
Deftones @ 930 club 2004
The Roots @ cole field house 2004
Dillinger Escape Plan @ the ottobar. February 6 2009 (one of the best birthdays i ever had)
Jay-z @ Warner Theater. (Inauguration eve show. Beyonce, Mary J Blige, Mayor Adrian Fenty was there)
My Bloody Valentine @ the National 2009
Kanye West @ Virgin Festival 2008

Honorable Mentions:

All Points West 2009 (Jay-z, My bloody Valentine, Silversun Pickups)
Thievery Corporation/TVOTR/Ladytron/... @ MPP
TV on the radio @ 930 club 2007 (2nd night)
LCD sound system @ 930 club 2007
Air @ 930 club 2007
Brand New @ rams head live 2007
DJ Shadow/Cut Chemist/Kid Koala @ 930 club 2008
Animal Collective @ 930 club 2009
Any time i got to see The Roots live the past 6 years



Biggest Misses:

Arcade fire @ 930 club
Daft Punk
Sigur Ros @ 930 club 2001
Prince @ verizon center

[lagas]

Patti Smith @ 930 ('07)
James @ 930 ('08)
Chemical Brothers @ SCL ('04)
PJ Harvey/Morrissey @ SCL ('04)
Depeche Mode @ Patriot Center ('06)
Aguaturbia @ SCL ('04)
Black Mountain @ R&R Hotel ('08)
Nine Inch Nails @ MCI Center ('05)
KOOP @ 930 ('07)
Lisa Gerrard @ Birchmere ('07)
The Good, The Bad & The Queen @ 930 ('07)
Massive Attack @ SCL ('04)
T O O L @ Verizon Center ('06)
NIN/JA @ Merriweather ('09)

[andyrichter]

Rage Against the Machine/Stone Temple Pilots/Deftones @ Fedex Field-May 00
Black Flag WM3 Benefit w/ Henry Rollins and Keith Morris-June 03
Beastie Boys @ Patriot Center-October 04
Social Distortion @ House of Blues Sunset Strip-Dec 05
Sleater-Kinney @ 930-August 06 
The Evens @ St Stephens Church-December 06
The Stooges @ 930-April 07 
Aggrolites @ Black Cat Backstage-August 07 
Mission of Burma @ Black Cat-June 08
PJ Harvey and John Parish @ WArner Theatre-Jun 09

Honorable Mentions:
The Jesus Lizard @ 930-November 09
Bob Mould @ 930-October 09
Naked Raygun @ Ottobar-Septmber 09
Gray Matter @ Black Cat-September 08
X @ House of blues Sunset Strip-December 05
Rilo Kiley @ 930-September 07
Garbage @ 930-April 05
Bad Religion @ 930-October 04
The Cramps @ 930-October 04
Sonic Youth @ 930-August 04

Worst Miss:
Fugazi's last show @ Fort Reno-June 02

[helicon1]

I am very blessed to have the opportunity to see shows and each of my "Top 11 of the '00s" have a story... So these are in chronological order:

1. Tool - Hammerstein Ballroom, NYC - May 20, 2001

After a loooong break due to lawsuits with labels etc, they played their first show at Hammerstein and debuted new material from Lateralus. I took the train up to New York and have never been so anxious before a show. I could feel my heart racing.... The last time I had seen them was 1996 at the Capitol Ballroom which was a heavenly experience and I had been waiting a long time for them to return.

2. United We Stand - RFK Stadium, DC - October 21, 2001

I worked for Clear Channel at the time and ended up working in the photographer's pit for the entire show. The organization of the day was absolutely terrible and was hosted by John Stamos?? huh. But, I got to see a laundry list of artists from a few feet away. Aerosmith, Backstreet Boys, James Brown, Train, Mariah Carey, Pink... the list goes on. Michael Jackson closed the show and he was the only one where photographers weren't allowed in the pit. I watched his crappy two songs from the RFK press box. I got home at 5am but it was totally worth it.

3. Sigur Ros - Lincoln Theater, DC - November 4, 2002

The first time I saw Sigur Ros. I went alone and was just fascinated at the beauty of the theater, the sound quality and how on-fire the band was. Their other shows have been amazing but there was something magical that night at the Lincoln.

4. Elbow - Brixton Academy, UK - February 19, 2004

I had seen Elbow open for Doves at the 9:30 Club in 2002. They absolutely outperformed Doves and quickly became one of my favorite bands. I was desperate to see them play again but sadly, it took them years to come back to the states. So.... I decided to go see them! I was planning a trip to the UK anyway and worked it around their show.... They played much of their material from "Asleep in the Back" and "Cast of Thousands" -- They did a huge balloon drop during Grace Under Pressure which was so awesome. Finally, another UK band called Alfie opened up who were great. They have broken up since.

5. The Polyphonic Spree - Kennedy Center, DC - August 25, 2004

Polyphonic played a free show on the millenium stage which was held outdoors. The weather was perfect, the crowd was lively and the price was right. An awesome fun time overall!

6. Daniel Lanois - Carnegie Hall, NYC - February 3, 2006

Of course, producer of U2's most famous albums (Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby) but Lanois has an amazing solo discography and is one of the most proficent guitar players I've ever seen live. Lanois on slide guitar is a beautiful thing.... His drummer, Brian Blade, is a fantastic jazz drummer. Emmylou Harris was a surprise guest and sang three songs with Daniel.

7. David Gilmour - Rosemont Theater, IL - April 12, 2006

My all-time musical idol and probably the best show I've ever seen. My only other time seeing Pink Floyd was in 1994. My father and I made a pact in 1994 that no matter where they play, we would travel. After a long 12 year wait, it was time to travel to Chicago. My best friend and step-mother came as well. My first time in Chi-town; Greg and I went to a Cubs game and all of us toured downtown. We had 15th row seats in the theater. The first was set was Gilmours solo album with the second the "Greatest Hits" -- Echoes tore the roof off that night; really the whole show did... I also got to see Richard Wright who sadly passed away two years ago. The show and the trip overall will be one of the most memorables events of my life.

8. Radiohead - Tower Theater, PA - June 1, 2006

Front row. Enough said! A Radiohead show is something special but to be able to converse with Ed O'Brien during the set is something totally different. The opening song was "You and Whose Army" and when Thom creeped his head from behind the piano, chills ran up and down my spine from beginning to end.

9. Elbow - 6th & I Synagogue, DC - April 27, 2008

Elbow is the only band to appear twice on my list. This was my first time seeing them since Brixton in 2004. Since seats are first come-first serve at the synagogue, I scoped out the venue at the Eels show a couple months earlier. I learned that under no circumstance should you sit on the sides or behind the pillars towards the bac. I arrived two hours before doors and got to hear soundcheck. After the doors opened, my friends and I got front row plastered right in front of Guy Garvey. The sound quality was spot-on and Elbow has a grace, smoothness and style that few others band have these days.

10. Coldplay - Verizon Center, DC - October 31, 2008

I was able to get 5th row floor tickets. Say what you want about Coldplay, but they put on an absolutely amazing show. I cooled on them after Parachutes but I really do like Viva la Vida; even if it's a Joe Satriani rip-off. haha. Chris Martin gets most of the attention but it was interesting to watch the other guys. A good arena spectacle is always fun.

11. Josh Tillman - 9:30 Club, DC - November 18, 2009

The drummer of Fleet Foxes played to a 100 people at an empty early show at the 9:30 Club but he and the band filled the room with a harder-edge sound than what I'm used to with him. The evening became spiritual for me and I was in a zone for the entire performance. Under-attended shows at 9:30 are like hidden gems. If the artist can just go with the vibe and capture the room, there is nothing better. That's what Josh did.