in chronological order:
1) Roky Erickson/Love City @ Maxwell's, 1/2/10
2) Pentagram/Gates of Slumber/Solace/Serpent Throne @ Club Polaris, 1/16/10
3) Stellar Om Source/Dan Higgs @ Brickbat Books, 1/29/10
4) The Residents @ World Cafe Live, 2/8/10
5) Luck in the Valley: A Tribute to Jack Rose (w/ exceptional performances from Pelt, Glenn Jones, Michael Chapman and others) @ Latvian Cultural Center, Philly 2/13/10
6) Art Ensemble of Chicago @ International House, 3/6/10
7) ST-37/Rusted Shut @ SXSW, 3/19/10
8 ) Avant-Fairfax III (w/ Little Howlin' Wolf, Eric Carbonara & Jesse Sparhawk, Chris Forsyth, Lac La Belle, Nick Schillace and others) @ Fairfax Town Hall, 4/24/10
9) Spectrum/Screen Vinyl Image/Kuschty Rye Ergot/The Vacant Lots @ Velvet Lounge, 5/13/10
10) Neil Young @ Hanover Theatre, Worcester, 5/21/10
11) Simon Joyner/Pablonius Bill @ Paper Sun, 5/23/10
12) Elder/Cough @ Velvet Lounge, 6/6/10
13) Dead Meadow/Serpent Throne/Gondola/Kohoutek @ M Room, 6/12/10
14) Isis/Melvins/Totimoshi @ TLA, 6/17/10
15) Unrest/The Ropers @ Maxwell's, 7/7/10
16) Unrest/Versus @ Black Cat, 7/10/10
17) George Kinney/D. Charles Cheer/Pablonius Bill @ Velvet Lounge, 7/15/10
18) Hallogallo 2010: Michael Rother and Friends @ International House, 8/8/10
19) Rangda/Major Stars/Kohoutek @ Velvet Lounge, 9/4/10
20) Sleep/A Storm of Light/Iron Man @ Starlite Ballroom, 9/7/10
21) Dave Burrell/Sabir Mateen/William Parker Trio @ Philadelphia Art Alliance, 9/10/10
22) Magma @ Highline Ballroom, 9/20/10
23) Swans/Baby Dee @ Trocadero, 9/28/10
24) Scout Niblett/Holy Sons @ M Room, 10/7/10
25) Human Eye/Moon Women/SGNLS/Moral Crayfish @ Danger Danger Gallery, 10/19/10
26) Richard Thompson Band @ Grand Opera House, 10/21/10
27) Fursaxa/Kiila @ Highwire Gallery, 10/30/10
28) The Zeros/The Shirks/Beasts of No Nation/Maybe Baby @ Velvet Lounge, 10/31/10
29) Barn Owl/High Aura'd/Steve Gunn/Loren Mazzacane Connors @ The rotunda, 11/19/10
30) Bardo Pond/James Plotkin & Dan Matz @ Kung Fu Necktie, 11/24/10
31) Bert Jansch/Meg Baird @ Johnny Brenda's, 12/8/10
32) Uncle Woody Sullender & Seamus Cater/Kuschty Rye Ergot/Layne Garrett @ The Cherch, 12/9/10
33) Bert Jansch/Pegi Young (w/ Neil Young backing her) @ Bell House, 12/15/10
It seems like a lot of shows to list, but these were the exceptional ones out of the 260+ shows I saw, worked, or played this year. Absolute best performances were Swans, Rangda, Bert Jansch in NYC, Hallagallo, Richard Thompson, The Ropers, The Residents, and Pelt's set at the Jack Rose tribute show.