Best of 2010: Concerts

Sometimes it seems as if the best concerts are the ones which, after all is said and done, seem like ephemeral dreams. During such shows, I have been allowed to float off into my own dreams, imagining the world most perfect to me in that moment, amid the swirling notes and melodies I know so well.

1. Garth Brooks, Encore Las Vegas, 28 March
I am not sure why I didn't do a whole blog post about this show at the time, because it, and my whole Vegas experience, was truly unforgettable. It can only have been kismet that Garth Brooks, one of my top artists needing to be seen, was playing at Wynn Las Vegas, one of top my places needing to be visited. I have a slight obsession with Steve Wynn after doing several research projects on him and modern Las Vegas during my Masters program. For those of you who don't know, Steve Wynn is pretty much singly responsible for turning Vegas into the family-friendly fantasy land that it is today (for more, I highly recommend Winner Takes All, reviewed in February). After drooling over the mega luxuriousness of the Wynn for nearly four years, and wanting to go to Vegas for years before that (I always thought of casinos as giant Bar Mitzvahs because of the over-the-top themes), seeing Garth in concert there was the perfect excuse to plan a trip and jet out west. Plus, I had roll-over vacation days that needed using.

I was so in awe of the Wynn lobby that I completely got lost and missed the check-in desk the first time around.  Then, when I finally found it, the very nice and handsome young man that checked me in decided to upgrade me to a tower suite on the top floor of the hotel for absolutely no reason at all. The suite (and its view of the strip) was beyond fabulous, and at least two times larger than my apartment. The only sad thing was that I was on this trip by myself and had no one to share it with. @boogdogdc couldn't even make it up from Scottsdale that weekend. Tucked into the lap of luxury, I was already on cloud nine. The following evening, it was time to see Garth!  I got all dolled up in a swank DVF dress and my favorite Stuart Weitzman heels and headed down the exclusive Tower Suite elevators to the Encore Theatre and my third row center seat. It turns out I was way overdressed. This is country music after all, and the family sitting next to me seemed quite happy in their jeans and sweatshirts, which, incidentally, is what Garth was wearing.

The show was as amazing as the venue and the city. It was just Garth, his guitar, a stool, and a bottle of water up on stage. He talked about his life and his musical influences, playing snippets of songs that had shaped his own approach to music and song writing, everything from Haggard and Jones to Simon & Garfunkel, Don McLean, Elton John, and Bob Seger, and later George Strait, Billy Joel, and Bob Dylan.  He also did snippets and complete versions of his own songs, inducing chills with "Thunder Rolls," "The Dance," "That Summer," and "Make You Feel My Love." At one point, he was joined on stage by his wife, Trisha Yearwood, for a duet on "Through Another's Eyes." After she got a massive standing ovation for that, she also sang "In Love with the Boy."  And then towards the end of the show there was the inevitable audience sing-a-long to "Friends In Low Places," which was so much fun. I feel incredibly privileged to have been able to see Garth in this unique setting, and I couldn't have asked for a better or more memorable first trip to Vegas.

2. Groove Armada, Webster Hall, 24 March
This was a festival-level show in a small venue - totally mental, massive, and fantastic. I had been familiar with Groove Armada for a while, but hadn't really gotten into them until this year. This show sealed the deal; I am now a fan for life. Everyone on stage seemed to be having as much fun as those in the audience, with Andy grinning from ear-to-ear nearly the whole time and Tom doing his own intense thing. I am so impressed by both of their multi-instrumental talents. Saint Saviour took all the female vocal parts and totally nailed every song. I had seen La Roux at Webster the month before, and was quite impressed, but Saint Saviour makes Elly Jackson look like an amateur, easily holding her own against Groove Armada's wall of sound, drawing the crowd in and holding their attention. On top of it all, the lighting and laser action created a great party atmosphere.

3. LCD Soundsystem, Music Hall of Williamsburg/Webster Hall/Terminal 5, 8 & 12 April and 20 & 21 May
I discovered LCD Soundsystem upon my return from England in 2007. This was at the tail end of their Sound of Silver promo and tour, and thus I did not have a chance to see them live, a major bummer since I was seriously in love with every piece of music they had created. It was a long wait for the new album, but well worth it, and I was so excited that I would finally get to see them live. I went to both of their warm-up gigs in April, which were all I had been hoping for. The MHOW gig was the more entertaining of the two since James was drunk and produced some fabulous quips throughout the show. Webster was a tad more sober and serious, but the music was still fantastic. And then, Terminal 5: my most hated venue in New York. However, LCD really works there for some reason. They are just the right kind of loud to fill the space and I am so taken by their music that I can easily get caught up and ignore all the obnoxious jerks surrounding me. The balloons at the end of the show during the "New York State of Mind" cover were so magical. I will never forget those two shows; they were perfect in every way.

4. Pete Tong, Calvin Harris, Kaskade, & Deadmau5, Roseland Ballroom, 30 October
My very favorite music-related person ever! Plus other DJs I also like and had wanted to see! All on one bill! And it's Halloween, so I can go crazy with eye make-up! Pete Tong, Calvin, and Kaskade all delivered top-notch sets, and I even managed to find a 6'6" member of the Yale crew team with whom to dance, so I could fully immerse myself in the music and fully enjoy it. It was a pretty terrific evening all around, with the exception of all of my glow bracelets being taken away upon entry - major bummer. The visual system was incredible, as were the lights and visuals themselves. I have to say that I still find it very difficult to get into Deadmau5 live. I love listening to his music at home, but I am confounded by how to dance to it at a club, especially when it is a whole set of just his stuff. Since he was the last one on for the night, I only stayed for the first half of his set and then headed home for one of the most satisfying showers and sinking-into-sleeps of the year.

5. Alex Cornish, Bush Hall London, 25 November
Like the Monpelier Basement dinner, I am so glad this show happened to fall when I was already planning to be in London. Buying tickets was a no brainer, especially since Alex is completely self-managed, so he sells his own tickets and there is no middleman to loathe. Bush Hall is a lovely small venue, somewhere between Union Hall and The Bell House in size and atmosphere, but with a much better, totally kickass soundsystem. As covered in my November Recap, I am now a huge fan of the opener, Paul Gilbody. I had originally heard about Alex last year through There Goes the Fear, and was so taken by their review of his first album and the picture that went along with it (I'm a sucker for phone boxes!), that I order his album right away and immediately fell in love with the music. This year saw the release of Call Back, which is just a gorgeous and beautifully textured as its predecessor. I couldn't wait to get the chance to see Alex live, and he didn't disappoint. For this special Christmas show (remember, in England, Christmas starts in August or October), Alex had done arrangements of his songs for a four piece string section, which made his sweeping, orchestral songs that much more rich and lovely. This show fell on Thanksgiving, and I am indeed thankful that I got to see two such talented artists and experience something new in London.

6. Klaxons, Bowery Ballroom, 20 September
After a somewhat dismal summer of shows, this rockin' ravey tour de force reminded me that shows can actually be a joy, not a hassle, to attend. So much energy, so many bangin' tunes.  My only regret is that I didn't get one of their great space cat tote bags when I had the chance. Confession: prior to this show, I was only familiar with "Golden Skans," but now I am totally hooked on both of their albums, which hold together so well as whole entities. Also, they are as fun to watch as they are to listen to.  This is what live music should be.

7. Eli "Paperboy" Reed & The True Loves, Mercury Lounge, 3 June
Another tour warm-up show that I had the pleasure of attending (I love living in New York!). This show was great because they played material from their new album, much of which I hadn't heard before, plus a killer cover of "Twistin' The Night Away." It helped that I was totally in the mood to dance and didn't stop moving for the entire show. Eli and the band were in top form that night. JB Flatt, from the Sweet Divines, is now one of the True Loves and his stellar band leader instincts (as well as his awesome keyboard skills) have had a noticeable effect on the the tightness of the band's sound this year.

8. James Taylor & Carole King, MSG, 30 June
This show was a last minute addition to my schedule because my boss needed someone to find tickets and go to the show with her. Being the concert maven that I am, I was the girl for the job. As much as I love Carly Simon, Sally Taylor, and Ben Taylor, James always got pushed to the side, even though I like his music too. James and Carole pretty much played every James and Carole song that one would want to hear at their show. It was pretty awesome to see and to hear. Also, I had no idea that Carole King was behind so may classic songs! Another thing this show made me realize is that not only does Ben share singing voice qualities with his dad, but he also shares his speaking voice/tone and many mannerisms with him. Having seen Ben live so many times, it was kind of freaky to watch someone else who is so similar to him that it's eerie. Now if I can just see Livingston in concert, I will have seen the whole Taylor family doing live performance (having already seen Kate and Isaac live, of course).

9. Mark Ronson & The Business Intl, Music Hall of Williamsburg/Webster Hall, 11 & 12 October
Another casualty of 2007 scheduling, Mark Ronson has been another must-see on my list. I bought tickets for the MHOW show and then won tickets to the Webster show, so I got to see him and fantastic opener Francis & The Lights two nights in a row. I was a bit disappointed that Q-Tip didn't show up on the first night, the whole Pill thing was kind of a mess, the female vocals were all over the place, and the vocalist for the "Valerie" encore was terrible, but the shows were decent considering that Ronson's new album is so high concept and stuffed with guests that it is very difficult to do it justice in a live show. Mark Ronson himself is enjoyable to watch with good stage presence, and it was fun to see him do vocals on a couple of songs.  However, there is no question that the major take-away from these shows was the discovery of Francis & The Lights. These guys have stage presence and killer dance moves galore, a great sound, and are just so much fun! I hope they become huge.

10. David Gray, Broad Street Ballroom, 5 January
This show was a lovely way to start the year. I am not a huge David Gray fan, but this was a taping for PBS and the tickets were free, so I went to the show. Gray is better live than he is recorded. There seems to be an extra dimension to his music in a live setting and his lyrics are given a chance to really shine. Also, the lighting was amazing for this show. One of the best uses of a disco ball ever. It was like dreaming and floating under water; totally mesmerizing. I was even inspired to write a poem. A good, chill night. Just thinking about it gives me a sense of calm beauty.