Foo Fighters at the Joint, Hard Rock Vegas ~ I haven't seen the Foo in such a small venue in years!! it was a fucking treat to get to be in a smaller place with die-hard fans that absolutely love the band, the energy was incredible! it was a different set including "Gimme Stitches" which they've never played live. Even if Vinnie Paul stole my only chance to hear "Aurora" live, it was still a terrific show :)
My Morning Jacket at McMenamin's Edgefield in Portland ~ we were a little late getting to the show so as we walked down to the natural ampitheatre, you could hear the music playing. i love that feeling of hearing something wonderful in the distance and getting closer and closer. as we made our way into the ampitheatre area, jim is on stage...just him and the acoustic singing "watching the crowd roll in"....it was perfect and "Golden" is one of my all-time favorites. it was heavenly and i felt like he was welcoming us into the show. the weather was perfect, the crowd was really into the whole show and the set was a little over 3 hours! it was a super night with a highlight of getting to hear "Touch Me, I'm Going to Scream" Part 1 & 2 together as one piece....you can guess how long that went on :) great night, great company :)
My Morning Jacket at Marquee Theatre, Tempe ~ the first time I got to see the band perform any new songs from "Evil Urges" live so it was exciting to say the very least! they did not disappoint and played nearly 3 hours including tons of new songs and every 'classic' i needed and wanted to hear. i feel complete when i hear the beginning riff of "One Big Holiday" knowing that the band is wrapping up the magic show. again, great night with good friends enjoying a wonderful night of music. have i ever mentioned how much i dig guys who wear capes? and moonboots of course.... :)
Foo Fighters with Against Me! at Glendale Arena, Phoenix ~ this marks my billionth Foo Fighters show! :) all i gotta say is that it fucking rocked, amazing stage set up and i cannot believe how a band makes a room full of 50,000 people feel so intimate....go see an FF show, you'll see what I mean. Taylor remembered me this time....that about says it all :) Against Me! was really strong and I was really ahppy to see them since I hadn't heard them do anything live yet from "New Wave". set was perfect and was a definite highlight of the year for me.
The Whigs & What Made Milwaukee Famous at Modified, Phoenix ~ i was amped up to finally get to the Whigs and it was icing on the cake to see them at Modified. one of the absolute best musical treat for me this year was discovering What Made Milwaukee Famous thanks to this show. they were completely enticing with an immense amount of passion that really shined through. The Whigs were as great as I expected but by the end of the night, I wanted to just hear the "mission control' album in my car and see WMWF live again.... :)
MGMT at the Rhythm Room in Phoenix and the Casbah in San Diego ~ 2 shows back to back, first one in Phoenix was full of energy but the sound needed to improve. the casbah show was much better just thanks to the crowd who already had all of the words down to every song. you can be at the shittiest concert in the world but if the crowd is into it, it can always become entertaining :)
The Night Marchers at Hollywood Alley, Tempe ~ another amazing evening....John Reis is one of the purest, coolest, nicest rock guys in the world. i really loved the new album and it was great to get to see them live so soon after falling in love with the album. it's always fun to see Susan melt at the sight of Reis too.... :)
MGMT with Beck at Dodge, Phoenix ~ it was interesting to see them in a bigger venue and opening for someone like Beck. phoenix was the first date and you could definitely hear the nerves coming out of the casios but all in all, it was good for a first time out. the dodge has shit sound in the first place so who knows. Beck was actually much better than I expected. I hadn't seen him perform live with a full band a bunch of energy since 1996 on the Odelay tour. it was really good to see how great he his as a performer after so many years of perfecting what he does best....funky white boy.
The Dirtbombs at the Rhythm Room, Phoenix ~ this was a perfect surprise for me. i had already heard some Dirtbombs in my life and was familiar with KO & the Knockouts from the Underground Garage channel so I knew it would be a good time but i felt like shit and didn't think i was gonna go...long story, we go, it rocks and I now officially have a crush on Mick Collins! holy hotness, that man is amazing!
George Michael at US Airways Arena, Phoenix ~ this was actually one of those "hey, i told myself i was gonna see george michael one day back when i was 11, now i'm doing it" moments! i took my mom with me to this one so that made the show better seeing her reaction :) george has some serious pipes and he played over 2 hours. he also sweats a lot, that was weird.
Rogue Wave at the Rhythm Room, Phoenix ~ i feel really lucky to have seen this band at a smaller venue and i can't imagine it any other way. when i listen to the record, it's really relaxing and cerebral. band was really talking up the crowd and the set was perfect, the beer helped that evening.
Melvins at Martini Ranch, Scottsdale ~ i love Buzzo. this evening had everything...venue change, beer, guitars, art and feedback. very well rounded set of new and old songs. just plain noisy and good. 'star spangled banner' was a personal favorite.
Matthew Sweet at the Belly Up, San Diego ~ i had never seen Matthew Sweet live before so I was pretty happy to finally get the chance. matthew is an amazing guitar player who writes perfect melodies.
Boris at the Clubhouse ~ favorite parts include feedback, more feedback, noise, fog and lights. aahhhhh, boris...you keep giving :)
Ooh Matthew Sweet made your list! Right on!
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