2008 wasn’t much of a rocker when it came to music. There were still some shining moments, performances and a couple solid (and sometimes experimental) albums. I’m highlighting concerts since most of my music listening this year consisted of albums pre-2000s – obviously a sign of my old age. Here I count down some of my favorite moments.
#6: Metallica at Key Arena
I’m a fan of Metallica, a casual fan. Conor invited me to meet him and a couple Irish pals from out of town on the day of the show. We scalped some tickets at close to door and sat in the 3rd or 4th row. Who said rough economic times were all bad? It was an unexpected good time, since I didn’t know what to expect. They put on a great show, even though I still think Lars is weird. Conor even got a Metallica guitar pick. Black Album songs are always good for fist pumps.
#5: Paul Westerberg 49:00… Of Your Time/Life
Westerberg self-produced this single track album and sold it through online venues for 49 cents. At times it feels like it’s a DIY mashup, other times you can’t believe how good the songs are. It feels rough and exciting at the same time. You can lose yourself in the lack of tracks and it’s amazing.
#4: Radiohead in Auburn
Never seen radiohead, didn’t know what I was missing. Brian and I managed to take back routes in and out of this horrid venue, avoiding any sort of delays. This was part of the excitement of the show, but the rest was left to Radiohead. They’ve got deceivingly complex light shows that make the stage look like a basement jazz club one moment, and the set of a Kubrick movie the next. The length and breadth of their catalog was strewn out in front of us with exciting change ups and new instrumentations. Radiohead makes their albums better live, I’ve got a bootleg of the show to prove it.
#3: Yelle at Neumo’s
I generally despise shows at Neumos. They love to pack it in and the sound quality ain’t the best. We packed up near the front and danced our asses off. Who doesn’t love good beats and a french girl with attitude that speaks nominal english? I don’t don’t like it. I loved it. Props to the dance crew.
#2: David Byrne and Brian Eno Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
It feels like classic Byrne and Eno. There’s lots of layering of beats and melodies, but they manage to do it without sounding busy. It’s a solid offering that I keep coming back to. There’s even non-obvious metalyrics that cue changes in songs. I imagine this to be the kind of music anyone’s super-genius ADHD kids might benefit quite a bit from with its complexity and reference to points of singularity in space and time.
#1: Jeremy Enigk at Chop Suey’s
He pops his head out every now and then to perform around. This night it was mostly acoustic guitar and piano with Mr. Enigk’s voice on the main stage. This show was an honor and privilege to see. Everyone went wild for the SDRE songs. Jeremy Enigk’s voice is one of the most unique in contemporary music and seeing him perform live is nothing short of breath taking. Jeremy can sing about anything he wants.
Disappointment of the Year: Crystal Castle’s live at Neumo’s the day after Yelle. Stick to the studio guys.
Hopefully I didn’t miss anything.
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