House of Blues Boston, 18 February
This is one of the top five shows I've ever seen, right up there with Calvin Harris in Trafalgar Square, the Concert for Diana, Sting at The Public Theatre, and Garth Brooks at Yankee Stadium. This House of Blues show was the last night of Rick's first full-scale US tour since 1989, and Rick and his band were in a very celebratory mood. Rick took the stage at 8:30 and didn't get off until 11; those two and a half hours were some of the best in my life. The end-of-tour energy and joy were off the charts, and were simply infectious. Rick's banter was top notch, with plenty of entertaining asides and his signature self-deprecation, buoyed by an even more carefree, f**k-it attitude than usual. While the core set list was quite similar to the shows I saw last year, the magic of this show was driven by a dazzling array of cover songs. Things began to kick into high gear when a couple managed to tell Rick that they had just gotten engaged at the show, so Rick started singing "Celebration" and I knew then that all bets were off. As soon as you get into Bar Mitzvah party playlist territory, basically anything can happen – and I wanted all the fun cover songs I could get, as well as the random and hilarious commentary from Rick that came along with them. Of course the final song of the evening was "Never Gonna Give You Up", which was made even more magical than usual by the fact that an audience member passed a trench coat up to the stage for Rick to wear. Rick even did a bit of the dance from the music video, and the whole thing couldn't have been more perfect. While I hope to see Rick Astley in concert many more times, I don't expect any other show of his to top this one.
iHeart Radio Theatre, 26 January
Train has been a part of my life since "Meet Virginia" hit the airwaves in 1999, and I feel incredibly lucky to have won tickets to see them in a 150-200 capacity venue, even if the set was only an hour long. However, my excellent vantage point of the stage / Pat, along with a very well chosen set list made the show seem extra-intense and like it lasted much more than one measly hour. That set list included three songs from their new A Girl, A Bottle, A Boat album ("Play That Song", "Drink Up", and "Working Girl"), a great selection of hits ("Meet Virginia", "Drops of Jupiter", "Hey, Soul Sister", "50 Ways to Say Goodbye", "Drive By", "If It's Love", and "Calling All Angels"), and a skillfully rendered, well-sung cover of "Under Pressure". While I certainly hope to see Train perform a full-length headlining show one of these days, this iHeart Radio show is a concert experience that I'll treasure for quite some time.
The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, 17 March
Since I ordered the tickets for this show nearly seven months in advance, we had excellent (eighth row) seats, which allowed us to truly appreciate Rod's many metallic, color-coordinated outfits. Rod is 72 (!!!), but sounds as good as ever. Plus, he is an extremely dynamic performer. Rod has so many hits and the show is only 90 minutes long, but the set list was extremely well curated. I felt like I got to hear most of my favorite songs, and I even enjoyed hearing the ones that didn't mean as much to me because it was clear they were important to Rod. He poured his heart and soul into each and every song. Still, I would have liked the show to be a little bit longer; as it was, the whole thing went by in a bit of a blur. On the other hand, I have the perfect excuse to plan another Vegas trip around seeing Rod. I don't think I could ever get tired of seeing him perform, plus his band was totally awesome – especially the percussionist/harpist, the two female fiddle players, the saxophonist, and the fabulous back-up singers.
Madison Square Garden, 5 April
Seeing John Mayer live provided a lovely snapshot of the entirety of my adult life. Mayer's songs have been near and dear to me since Room for Squares came out the fall of my senior year of high school, and while some albums (Continuum, Paradise Valley) have had a greater impact on me than others over the years, I found myself drawn to Mayer's entire oeuvre over the 2016 winter holidays, and then I connected deeply with both Waves One and Two of The Search for Everything. Mayer's concert at MSG featured two full band sets bookending a solo acoustic set and a John Mayer Trio set, meaning that the evening was a fairly comprehensive retrospective of Mayer's career, even if it was a bit heavy on Continuum – not that I'm complaining about that. Highlights of the evening include: a transcendent Trio version of "Vultures"; "Waiting on the World to Change", which was a mainstay on our playlist at the Bunch Of Grapes during the summer of 2006 (my last summer working there); a gratifyingly sultry performance of "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room"; and an awe-inspiring version of "Gravity" featuring an incredible guitar solo that I failed to record because I was far too busy getting lost in the music. Now that I've seen John Mayer live for the first time (I honestly don't know why it took this long!), I can't wait to do it again.
PlayStation Theatre, 20 May
This was my third time seeing Billy Currington live, and every time I see him I am reminded anew how many great songs he has and how much I love his music. Before the show, I told a friend that Billy was good, but wasn't one of my top artists, but a few songs into the show I was regretting that description. Sure, Billy may not be flashy, but he has a wonderful stage presence and really knows how to connect with his audience. While this wasn't a life-changing concert experience, it was still a quality performance that left me feeling happy and lucky to be living the life I am – and sometimes that's all you need from a show.
Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island, 1 October
This was my second time seeing Chicago at Coney Island, though this time I was right up front and it was a real venue rather than a stage in a parking lot. Still, Chicago puts on a high quality show no matter where they are, and they certainly did not disappoint this time around. The newest member of the band is Jeff Coffey, taking over tenor and bass duties previously covered by Peter Cetera and Jason Scheff. Coffey fills these shoes ably, and I loved his renditions of "Street Player", "You're the Inspiration", "Hard to Say I'm Sorry", and "If You Leave Me Now". Chicago has been around for 50 years now (!!!), and they have the hits to show for it. The show was one big party and all nine band members seemed to be having a ball, especially the horn players (James Pankow on trombone, Lee Loughnane on trumpet, and Ray Hermann on sax). Even though the show was two and a half hours long (with a twenty minute intermission), it felt like it was over much too soon.
Bowery Ballroom, 25 May
I'll admit that I went to this show for the novelty of seeing Kiefer Sutherland do Country music. I had only listened to a couple of his songs and did not feel confident enough to buy his album based on those listening experiences, but I figured that seeing him live might be interesting. It turns out that Kiefer is a very talented singer and songwriter, and of course he has fantastic stage presence (acting experience will do that for you, I suppose). I was especially impressed by Kiefer's thoughtful and powerful lyrics, as well as by the conviction he puts into his performance (even if many of his stages moves and the way he handles his guitar seemed to have been lifted directly from Dwight Yoakam). His songs are a pleasing fusion of Country and Rock, and he often wears his influences (Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Tom Petty, Gordon Lightfoot, Bob Dylan, etc.) on his sleeve. My favorite song of the evening was the Eagles-esque "Calling Out Your Name", whose harmonies are pleasingly smooth. Overall, Kiefer's performance was solid, stripped-down, and highly enjoyable. Needless to say, I ordered his album as soon as I got home.
Mercury Lounge, 31 August
I went to this show on the recommendation of an acquaintance who's a Country music radio DJ, and also because I knew The Last Bandoleros were a big part of Sting's most recent album. These boys live up to those extremely solid endorsements. I was especially impressed by the fact that lead vocal duties are shared by all four guys in the band, though Diego Navaira and Derek James (pictured at right) do most of the heavy lifting, with wonderfully expressive voices and plenty of charisma as well. I also enjoyed the band's unique sound, which is a mash-up of Mexican/Tejano, classic Texas Country, zydeco, and rock. Their polished presentation and long setlist suggest a band who has at least one album under their belt, but I was surprised to find they've only released an EP and a handful of singles. I have a feeling that one day I'll look back and be very glad a got to see these guys at such an intimate venue.
Beacon Theatre, 17 August
I've seen The Beach Boys a number of times, in various iterations, and this particular line-up featured Mike Love and Bruce Johnston (who still sounds amazing, especially on "Disney Girls") from the original band along with a talented collection of musicians, many of whom have performed with Love for years. However, the reason this Beach Boys show is worthy of a position on this list is that Mark McGrath (of Sugar Ray) came out two different times and did a total of four songs with the band. I've loved Sugar Ray since the days of "Fly", and haven't had a chance to see them live since 2009, so I was SUPER excited when Mark came out for "Do It Again", stayed on stage for "Surfin' Safari", and then came back for "Barbara Ann" and "Fun Fun Fun" during the encore. Mark has such high energy and was clearly thrilled to be performing with The Beach Boys. He was also wearing a very fun shirt. While I was disappointed that John Stamos wasn't part of the band this time (as he was when I saw The Beach Boys in 2012), Mark McGrath was a very exciting surprise, making this a truly special and memorable show.
Madison Square Garden, 24 October
This is one of those shows that was so good I was able to lose myself in the music and forget about all the stress in my life for two blissful hours. I got so lost in the music, that I don't have a super clear recollection of the concert; I just know that Joshua and the boys played a tight, solid set and commanded the MSG stage like any massive rock band should. The sound and lighting were excellent, and the set was jam packed with all of my favorites from Villains and ...Like Clockwork, along with other gems like "Make It Wit Chu". This show had an amazing vibe that provided the perfect sense of escape and release.
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