10 Favorite Shows of the Aughties

[Mobius]

Tough to narrow down, but I think these were mine, in no order . . .

The Strokes  9:30 Club  Oct 2001
Radiohead  Tower Theater  June 2006
White Stripes  Hammerstein Ballroom  April 2003
Guided By Voices  9:30 Club  May 2001
Leonard Cohen  Radio City Music Hall  May 2009
Paul McCartney  Boardwalk Hall  Sept 2002
My Bloody Valentine  The National  July 2009
Pixies  DAR  Dec 2004
Stevie Wonder  Verizon  Oct 2007
The Stooges  9:30 Club  April 2007


Most regretted miss:  Daft Punk

[hutch]

hmm....that is very hard to remember and pick just 10 but I'll try a few.. these are the ones that mean a lot to me..they were great shows but in some cases they also just meant a lot..I'm sure I'm forgetting a few:

Joao Gilberto I want to say in 2003 in NYC at Carnegie:
To see/hear Joao was a dream come true...

Guided by Voices I want to say 2004 at Recher:
i thought they were a bit past their prime but then I saw this show and they tore the roof off the place

Ween earlier this summer at Bottle and Cork in Dewey:
One of my favorite live bands..

Lou Donaldson at Ramshead Annapolis I think it was 2007;
Blue Note legend still has it. caught him from a table a few feet away.. unlike say Sonny Rollins he was entertaining..

Toots and the Maytals at the 930 I think in 2006:
Only time I've been on the 930 stage (during Monkey man)...Toots was unbelievable..practically turned the 930 into a church..the next day he was on NPR on Kojo and I managed to talk with him a bit.

Los Autenticos Decadentes at State Theatre I think it was 2007:
Probably most fun show I've seen.. These guys are an unbelievable good time live..

AC DC at Verizon last year:
I travelled up for the tour opener never having seen them and them being my favorite band.. Anyways they didn't have it all quite together opening night but two weeks later at Verizon they did...

Rolling Stones Baltimore 2006:
After hearing all the bullshit about how they were too old it was great to see them kick total ass... This is generally recognized to be one of the better shows from Bigger Bang tour and was in the smallest arena.. The feeling was electric before they went on and the Baltimore crowd was into their first appearance there since 69 (get yer ya yas has one or two songs recorded at the same venue)

Luna in Buenos Aires 2002
This one meant so much.. nobody was coming down to Argentina and then one of my favorite bands comes in the middle of the depression...I walked in a few seconds late to the sound of 23 minutes in brussels...goosebumpage... talked to band afterwards.. just great

Jorge Ben at Birchmere 2003 or 2004
Another dream fulfilled... wonderful show once it got going and afterwards anyone that wanted to could be taken in turn backstage to meet him/take pictures/get autographs...

Charly Garcia in Buenos Aires at Roxy Club 2002
Charly as is his thing went on at about 2 am and played til 6!

Tony Bennett at Wolftrap 2008




I have to put in a good word also for Los Amigos INvisibles who I saw many times and I think is the best party band around... Also, the first time I saw the Pogues and the Stooges at the 930 was pretty special.. and many other shows I'm forgetting... Also a shout out to Mimi Maura at many shows in Buenos Aires in 2001/2002...Some great free shows in DC too such as WIllie Colon at Ronald Reagan Bldg... Ben andrews at madams organ many times (why did you leave?!?)

Biggest regrets: not seeing Joaquin Sabina or Andres Calamaro
Did not measure up to perhaps too lofty expectations: Manu Chao and Sonny Rollins

[Darth Ed]

OK, I'll play.... Here's my list in chronological order:

2003/08/20 Radiohead (Merriweather Post Pavilion, Washington, DC)
2004/05/13 TV on the Radio/The Birdland/The Apollo Heights/The Six Parts Seven/The Hush (Supreme Imperial, Baltimore, MD)
2005/01/21 Colin Meloy (Iota, Arlington, VA)
2005/01/30 The Arcade Fire/Final Fantasy (9:30 Club, Washington, DC)
2005/02/24 Wilco (9:30 Club, Washington, DC)
2006/04/09 Neko Case/Martha Wainwright (9:30 Club, Washington, DC)
2006/08/03 Sleater-Kinney (9:30 Club, Washington, DC) [Farewell Tour]
2006/10/15 Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins (9:30 Club, Washington, DC)
2007/05/04 The Arcade Fire/The National (D.A.R. Constitution Hall, Washington, DC)
2007/07/26 The Swell Season (9:30 Club, Washington, DC)
2007/07/28 The White Stripes (Patriot Center, George Mason University, VA)
2007/10/25 Jens Lekman (Black Cat, Washington, DC)
2008/06/11 R.E.M./Modest Mouse/The National (Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD)
2009/07/30 My Bloody Valentine (The National, Richmond, VA)

Those are the ones that stand out. They're each special, magical shows that I hope I never forget.



Honorable Mentions:
2002/04/30 Garbage/Abandoned Pools (9:30 Club, Washington, DC)
2003/10/08 R.E.M./Pete Yorn (Patriot Center, George Mason University, VA)
2004/04/01 The Crystal Method/DJ Hyper (9:30 Club, Washington, DC)
2004/04/22 Sleater-Kinney/The Thermals (9:30 Club, Washington, DC)
2004/06/01 Beulah/Dios (Black Cat, Washington, DC)
2004/06/09 Wilco (9:30 Club, Washington, DC)
2004/10/14 Mission of Burma/Channels (Black Cat, Washington, DC)
2004/12/08 Pixies/TV on the Radio/The Bennies (D.A.R. Constitution Hall, Washington, DC)
2005/03/23 Robyn Hitchcock/Meredith Bragg (Black Cat, Washington, DC)
2006/01/28 Colin Meloy/Laura Viers (Birchmere, Arlington, VA)
2006/03/29 Stellastarr*/Editors (9:30 Club, Washington, DC)
2006/10/15 TV on the Radio (9:30 Club, Washington, DC)
2007/07/14 The Decemberists with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD)
2008/03/18 God Is An Astronaut (The Ottobar, Baltimore, MD)
2008/04/13 Colin Meloy/Laura Gibson (9:30 Club, Washington, DC)
2006/07/15 Mission of Burma (Black Cat, Washington, DC)
2009/01/18 Moby (DJ) (9:30 Club, Washington, DC) [Inauguration Night]
2009/06/08 The Decemberists/Andrew Bird/Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3 (Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD)
2009/08/28 The Flaming Lips/Explosions in the Sky (Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD)
2009/11/30 Pixies/Jay Reatard (D.A.R. Constitution Hall, Washington, DC)

[runwhiteyrun06]

I didn't start going to concerts till about a few years ago so I will just do my top five (not in order):

Lou Reed (April 2008, 930)
I'm biased because Lou is one of my all time favorites, but I loved the show.

Leonard Cohen (Merriweather, May 2008)
A legend that performed for 3 hours.

Decemberists w/the BSO (Merriweather Summer, 2006)
Still one of my most listened to bootlegs.

Paul McCartney (August 2009, Fedex Field)
A was completely surprised by how good this show was.

Andrew Bird w/ St. Vincent (November 2009, 930)
Great Double Bill

Biggest Misses:
Got into David Bowie and John Cale about a year too late to seem them play U.S. shows.

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

[Sir HC]

This is going to be hard:

2003 Sex Pistols - 930 club, original lineup did the first album and a couple extras.  Then done.  Perfect.
2008 Spiritualized - 930 club, the one on NPR.  I have seen them many times, sometimes over orchestrated, this one was just right.  Guitarist was on fire, Jason smashed his guitar!
2001 or 2 Chemical Brothers 930 club, they were on.
2004-5? (have to look at the t-shirt) Helios Creed - Fletchers.  It was the volume working in their favor.  Viceral, intense, and just killer.
2004 (?) Sigur Ros - 930 club, think it was for the second album, Album Leaf (or something like that) opened.  Showed me that the drummer is their secret weapon.
2003 (?) Comets on Fire - Ottobar.  When they hit the first note, 1/2 the audience took a big step backwards, 1/2 a big step forward.  They were not phoning it in.
2009 Jesus Lizard - 930/Sonar. 
2002 Fugazi - Ft. Reno. Last show on US soil, the time limit meant that they did a killer set that didn't drag. 
2007 (?) The Hives and The Donnas - 930 club, somewhere I have the Donnas setlist.  I have never seen so much extra writing on a setlist.  And the Hives, finally caught them live, another 100% show.
2006 (?) The Polyphonic Spree - 930 club.  It was just such a happy uplifting show.  I was in a bad mood that time and it popped me out.

[Vas Deferens]

The Magnetic Fields, 6/2000 at Great American Music Hall (69 Love Songs in its entirety over two nights)

godspeed! you black emperor, 10/2000 at Great American Music Hall

Sigur Ros, 5/2001 at The Fillmore

Luna, 2/2005 at the Fillmore

The Go-Betweens (2000 and 2005) both shows at Slim's

Underworld at the Warfield, 10/2002

Sleater-Kinney at Starlight Ballroom, 7/2006 (farewell tour, sweatiest show ever)

Belle & Sebastian @ 930 Club, 3/2006 (two nights)

The Beta Band at the Fillmore (2001, 2002)

Broken Social Scene @ 930 Club, 11/2006

[Jaguar]

Sir HC got me thinking of a few. Now, if only the memory would kick in.

(No particular order)

Spiritualized - Toss up between 2 shows, both at the 9:30 Club. One was sometime around April 23rd, 2002 (BRMC opened, if that helps to date). The other was the 2008 show. Both shows totally blew me away! Both somewhat different but in ways that make it impossible for me to pick one over the other. My only problem with the 2008 show was I thought the back up singers should have been pushed further back (musically speaking, not physically). A little of them was an enhancement but I felt that they also got in the way when they had a larger role. Just my opinion and tastes but I did read that complaint elsewhere at some point. In the end, it was just a very minor complaint because the show was incredible.

SIANspheric - Guessing somewhere around 2005 at DC9. Also played with Bryce Woodale and Northern Chorus who also both added to a great night. Though I expected a good show, I had no idea that I would be treated to one of my all time favorite performances. Once SIANSpheric hit the stage, it was like I was hit with some sort of contact laudanum high. (No drugs at all involved, mind you.) If I'm not mistaken, I think maybe Snail put this show on but could be wrong. He was there but not too many others. A nice little group of people for the show but not enough to get in my way which made it all the more comfortable. Was very, very lucky to get to see the band because they fell apart shortly afterwards.

Sigur Ros - The 2nd night when they played the 9:30 Club a number of years ago. With a little research, we could pin it down because I remember that they were performing their encore just as the first shot was fired in the Iraqi war. Maybe March 22, or something like that. (That was a whole other mind blower of a different type.) Sir HC was dead on about their drummer. Before I saw them, like everyone else, I had assumed that Jonsi was the main thrust of the band. No way!!! That drummer, (Ori, Yuri, or something like that) was like a one man band with the others being just extra instruments he has at hand. This man is much, much more than a drummer and an incredible drummer, at that while he's actually playing drums. He makes your average drummer look like a little kid in kindergarten banging on toy bongos. Btw, the opener was The Album Leaf with help from a couple of the Sigur Ros members.

Massive Attack - 9:30 Club in the last couple years. 2nd night. A beautiful coalition of great musicians joining together to put on one very enjoyable show.

Kraftwerk - 9:30 Club in the last couple of years. 2nd night... (I think they played 2 nights). What can I say? Kraftwerk were Kraftwerk.

The Hives - The MTV show at the Recher Theatre in Baltimore. 2004 or so. Really about the same as when I saw them about 2 weeks later at the Black Cat but the first show had the power of it completely surprising me with what a blast they are. Funny thing is, I never listen to their music by itself as it's just not all that interesting to me but their shows are total controlled fun. It's like they tried to take the magic of Beatlemania and incorporate it into their own Hivemania... and it works.

A Place To Bury Strangers - A few years ago in October at The Warehouse Next Door. They were a last minute replacement for Alcian Blue who broke up only days or weeks before. They opened for Secret Shine. Secret Shine were good but, quite frankly, they didn't have a chance performing after APTBS. As many times as I've seen them, this was by far, their best. Small and intimate setting and the band experimented with a few different dynamics picked up from The Vandelles, which greatly worked in their favor. (Ollie admitted that to me afterwards when I mentioned something about a little bit of similiar sounds as they.) A quick set but my ass left thoroughly rocked off its bones.

[vansmack]

I'll have to think a little while on this, but off the top of my head:

December 2004 - Arcade Fire (Bottom of the Hill)
September 2007 - Nouvelle Vague (The Fillmore)
February 2003 - Great White (The Station)
Spring 2003 - Interpol (9:30 club)
May 2005 - Pixies (Warfield)

[chancegardener]

tough assignment, but here's the top 10 (in chronological order):

Jimmy Page and the Black Crowes 7/8/00 E-Centre Camden NJ
The Who / Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros 11/13/00 London Arena, Canary Wharf, London UK
Roxy Music 7/23/01 Theater at MSG, NYC
Peter Gabriel 10/24/02 MCI Center WDC
David Bowie 5/16/04 Pat Ctr Fairfax VA
Roger Waters 9/23/06 Nissan Pav Bristow VA
Radiohead 5/11/08 Nissan Pav Bristow VA
David Byrne 6/6/09 Wolf Trap Vienna VA
U2 / Muse  9/29/09 FedEx Field MD
Bruce Springsteen 11/2/09 VCtr WDC

[Sir HC]

Sir HC got me thinking of a few. Now, if only the memory would kick in.

(No particular order)

Spiritualized - Toss up between 2 shows, both at the 9:30 Club. One was sometime around April 23rd, 2002 (BRMC opened, if that helps to date). The other was the 2008 show. Both shows totally blew me away! Both somewhat different but in ways that make it impossible for me to pick one over the other. My only problem with the 2008 show was I thought the back up singers should have been pushed further back (musically speaking, not physically). A little of them was an enhancement but I felt that they also got in the way when they had a larger role. Just my opinion and tastes but I did read that complaint elsewhere at some point. In the end, it was just a very minor complaint because the show was incredible.

SIANspheric - Guessing somewhere around 2005 at DC9. Also played with Bryce Woodale and Northern Chorus who also both added to a great night. Though I expected a good show, I had no idea that I would be treated to one of my all time favorite performances. Once SIANSpheric hit the stage, it was like I was hit with some sort of contact laudanum high. (No drugs at all involved, mind you.) If I'm not mistaken, I think maybe Snail put this show on but could be wrong. He was there but not too many others. A nice little group of people for the show but not enough to get in my way which made it all the more comfortable. Was very, very lucky to get to see the band because they fell apart shortly afterwards.

Sigur Ros - The 2nd night when they played the 9:30 Club a number of years ago. With a little research, we could pin it down because I remember that they were performing their encore just as the first shot was fired in the Iraqi war. Maybe March 22, or something like that. (That was a whole other mind blower of a different type.) Sir HC was dead on about their drummer. Before I saw them, like everyone else, I had assumed that Jonsi was the main thrust of the band. No way!!! That drummer, (Ori, Yuri, or something like that) was like a one man band with the others being just extra instruments he has at hand. This man is much, much more than a drummer and an incredible drummer, at that while he's actually playing drums. He makes your average drummer look like a little kid in kindergarten banging on toy bongos. Btw, the opener was The Album Leaf with help from a couple of the Sigur Ros members.

Massive Attack - 9:30 Club in the last couple years. 2nd night. A beautiful coalition of great musicians joining together to put on one very enjoyable show.

Kraftwerk - 9:30 Club in the last couple of years. 2nd night... (I think they played 2 nights). What can I say? Kraftwerk were Kraftwerk.

The Hives - The MTV show at the Recher Theatre in Baltimore. 2004 or so. Really about the same as when I saw them about 2 weeks later at the Black Cat but the first show had the power of it completely surprising me with what a blast they are. Funny thing is, I never listen to their music by itself as it's just not all that interesting to me but their shows are total controlled fun. It's like they tried to take the magic of Beatlemania and incorporate it into their own Hivemania... and it works.

A Place To Bury Strangers - A few years ago in October at The Warehouse Next Door. They were a last minute replacement for Alcian Blue who broke up only days or weeks before. They opened for Secret Shine. Secret Shine were good but, quite frankly, they didn't have a chance performing after APTBS. As many times as I've seen them, this was by far, their best. Small and intimate setting and the band experimented with a few different dynamics picked up from The Vandelles, which greatly worked in their favor. (Ollie admitted that to me afterwards when I mentioned something about a little bit of similiar sounds as they.) A quick set but my ass left thoroughly rocked off its bones.

For spiritualized I was out of the main throw of the PA, so the singers were kept in the  background.  That was the same Kraftwork, Sigur Ros and Massive Attack shows I was at.  I thought they were amazing.  I forgot about them...

[Relaxer]

the ones I can recall:

Comets on Fire/Sounds of Kaleidoscope -- Black Cat, somewhere around 2006, after 'Avatar' came out. In my top 3 all-time shows.

Stellastarr/Ambulance/Killers -- Black Cat. Killers were fun and clearly a band on the rise, skipped Ambulance, and then Stellastarr killed. Thought for sure they were going to be huge.

Guided by Voices -- 9:30, 2001 or 2002, right after Universal Truths came out. Incredible show, even better IMO than the farewell show in 2004.

Arcade Fire & National -- DAR, great show, still listen to the recording a fair amount

Raveonettes -- Still have never seen the Black Cat go as crazy as they did as this show. Total surprise how good this was.

Hives -- Black Cat show a year or so ago

DMBQ -- DC9, a few days before the car crash that killed their drummer. The mountain of drums the singer built, and then smote, was a thing of beauty

[hemisphire]

10. Paul Simon and friends at the Warner Theatre for the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song on May 23rd, 2007
An incredible roster of artists, but most meaningful to me was getting to see Paul play ?Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes? with Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

9. Sarah McLachlan/Barenaked Ladies on NCL Jewel in Stardust Theater for Ships and Dip V on February 5th, 2009
They really gave it their all ? at the time we thought it was because it was the last night of the cruise, but it turned out to be Steven?s last show with them, a tart but sweet memory.

8. Billy Idol/Coldplay/Foo Fighters at M & T Bank Stadium for the HFStival on May 14th, 2005
7. R.E.M./Pearl Jam/James Taylor/Dixie Chicks/Dave Matthews Band/Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band at MCI Center for Vote For Change on October 11th, 2004
6. Dave Matthews Band/Kelly Clarkson/Bon Jovi/Smashing Pumpkins/Roger Waters/The Police at Giants Stadium for Live Earth on July 7th, 2007
I love festivals, and it?s the chance to see artist after amazing artist that really make it memorable.

5. Aerosmith at Foxboro Stadium for the WBCN River Rave on May 26th, 2001
This was also at a festival, but a single moment. When they play ?Sweet Emotion?, Tom Hamilton plays a long bass intro, and just as they broke into the main part of the song, lightning split the sky directly behind them. Best light show ever.

4. Rush at AmSouth Amphitheatre on August 14th, 2002
I vowed to see these guys from the front row, and it was cheaper to buy airfare to Nashville, rent a room and a car and buy a front row ticket there then just buy one front row ticket in DC. Oh well, still an incredible night, plus I made it out of the venue so fast I saw Neil?s van leaving.

3. Paul McCartney with Ringo Starr at Radio City Music Hall for Change Begins Within on April 4th, 2009
Never got a chance to see George, wasn?t passing up a chance to see the last two Beatles together. Totally worth it.

2. David Gilmour with Richard Wright at Massey Hall, April 9th, 2006
I did see the Waters-less Pink Floyd twice, but ?Shine On You Crazy Diamond? and ?Echoes? in a small theater blew the top of my head off.

1. Queen + Paul Rodgers at Continental Airlines Arena on October 16th, 2005
I was hoping for a show like this for years. I saw U2 for the second time a week later. They might as well been a tribute band, this show set the bar so high I wonder if it will ever be hit again.

[Bombay Chutney]

February 2003 - Great White (The Station)

Oh my.

[Darth Ed]

Stellastarr/Ambulance/Killers -- Black Cat. Killers were fun and clearly a band on the rise, skipped Ambulance, and then Stellastarr killed. Thought for sure they were going to be huge.

That was the same night TV on the Radio played the Backstage. I bought a ticket for both, hoping to see the Killers first, followed by TV on the Radio, and then back upstairs for Stellastarr*, but it didn't work out quite as well as I would have liked. The Backstage was packed from the get-go, so I didn't think I could skip out and then come back and still get a decent spot, so I skipped the Killers and regretted it for a long time afterward. Then, TV on the Radio went on later than expected, so by the time they finished and I ran upstairs, I only heard the last two songs by Stellastarr*. That night could have been epic, but the timing just didn't quite work. Seeing TV on the Radio for the first time though was a game-changer in any case.

Raveonettes -- Still have never seen the Black Cat go as crazy as they did as this show. Total surprise how good this was.

Which show? They've played there a few times. I saw them there in March 2008 and January 2009 (both excellent), and I'm fairly sure there have been others.

[Relaxer]

Interesting (re: the Stellastarr/TV on the Radio thing). I now have a very vague memory of my buddy saying there was a cool band playing downstairs and me saying something like "TV Radio what now? Dude, that sounds retarded."

As for the Raveonettes show, I can't remember the date. I think it was the show right after Pretty in Black came out. What I remember is that there were times when there were 4 guitars going on stage.