Comments on: Oh, And Since We Never Flat-Out Asked: What Were Your Most Kickin’ Musical Experiences Of 2008?

By: MrStarhead

MrStarhead — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 11:33:04 +0000

R.E.M. in Chicago. Saw ‘em in Atlanta on the same tour, but the Chicago show was miles better.

By: TimGunn

TimGunn — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 12:21:25 +0000

I was gonna say Hot Chip at Terminal 5 was the best, but then that other guy hated their album. Whatevs, I danced so hard I thought I was gonna have a heartattack.

Best album for me was probably Shearwater Rook

By: Dan Gibson

Dan Gibson — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 04:11:36 +0000

@TimGunn: For what it's worth, I saw Hot Chip in September and had a wonderful time.

By: iantenna

iantenna — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 06:31:57 +0000

finding a vinyl copy of ernie graham’s 1971 album.

By: tigerpop

tigerpop — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 05:44:47 +0000

MBV at Roseland, both nights. Anyone dumb enough not to wear earplugs is probably in surgery right now.

And the near polar opposite of that: The Swell Season at Radio City. Glen Hansard opened the show by singing "Say It To Me Now" sans amplification and made 6000 New Yorkers shut the fuck up. Brilliant.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 05:19:13 +0000

The only 3 shows I saw this year easily stand as some of the best show’s I’ve ever seen:

May 2008 – Clutch. First time seeing one of the best rock bands working today…

September 2008 – Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds @ the Warfield in SF. Amazing – Cave rocks harder than just about everyone his age…

November 2008 – Neil Young. Really can’t say much other than only Neil could pull off closing his show with a blistering cover of “A Day in the Life” which he concluded by literally shredding the strings off his guitar…

By: the rich girls are weeping

the rich girls are weeping — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 05:15:42 +0000

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds at Madison Square Garden and The Secret Machines in the basement of The Charleston in Williamsburg. Oh! And! Shearwater and Baby Dee, seperate shows — but both at Le Poisson Rouge. And pretty much any/all times I saw Preacher and the Knife.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 05:13:01 +0000

@slowburn: Agreed - saw them on night #2 in SF, and they were on fire. Probably the closest thing to a spiritual experience I'll ever have...

By: KinetiQ

KinetiQ — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 04:44:00 +0000

Toss up between Matmos and the Elephant 6 Collective.

By: dog door

dog door — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 02:51:21 +0000

in no particular order:

Vivian Girls/Meneguar at Dead Herring
Daniel Johnston at Warsaw
Hallelujah the Hills at Soundfix
Mission of Burma at Bowery Ballroom

missed the Hold Steady and Nick Cave, dammit.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 07:53:29 +0000

Back in March.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 07:52:32 +0000

Being the only white person over the age of 30 at Lil Wayne’s amazing debut European show, at Amsterdam’s nearly sold-out 5,000 capacity Heineken Music Hall.

By: bcapirigi

bcapirigi — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 12:54:24 +0000

Lack of money and lack of venues where I live prevented me from seeing much this year, but my top four were probably (in what I think is chronological order) Calvin Johnson, Burt Jansch, HEALTH, and the new Homosexuals.

I reeeeeeeeally need to start going to Boston/Northhampton for more shows...

By: sicksteanein

sicksteanein — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 12:36:26 +0000

Radiohead at Molson Ampitheatre. The light show itself was spectacular enough but it also happened to be the first night of the Canadian National Expo so we had a huge litup midway as a backdrop and fireworks near the end of the set.

Also Okkervil River at the Phoenix in Toronto.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 12:28:52 +0000

Black Mountain in Philly made me want give in and completely outfit my apartment in lava lamps.

By: brianblank

brianblank — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 12:11:55 +0000

2008 was an amazing year for concerts, I've never been to so many in one year and they have never been of such high caliber. The best of the year is a toss up between NIN at Red Rocks (9th row), NIN at the Planet Hollywood (4th row) and David Byrne at the Buell in Denver (4th row).

The staging for the NIN tour was unfreaking believable, I've never seen anything like it and probably will never again. So much so that the day after the Red Rocks show, we started making plans to see them again in Vegas.

However, seeing the legend Mr. Byrne from the 4th row was my musical highlight of the year. The man is a legend, he still has "it" after all these years. While it didn't have the staging of NIN, the show had it's own personality, everyone in white from head to toe, the 3 dancers, the backup singers, etc.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 12:04:58 +0000

@Mike P.: Funny, mine is Nick Cave & the Seeds in San Francisco. They were on fire, and I've never been part of a happier audience.

By: octobersky is electric barbarella

octobersky is electric barbarella — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 10:58:58 +0000

@NeverEnough: NOO!!! You met Le Bon and Rhodes?!?!? I would have DIED. My inner 11 year old is green with envy.

I did see a Duran Duran concert this year after waiting about as long as you did. Joy! I'm pleased to see how well they have all aged. One of my top five concerts due to all the associations, very meaningful and enjoyable.

By: seeohhellbeewhy

seeohhellbeewhy — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 10:18:41 +0000

catching one of the last the ergs! shows at a tiny hall in towson, md. despite having an impacted tooth, no pain medication, and the anxiety of having a root canal looming on the horizon, it managed to be my favorite show in ’08.

By: NeverEnough

NeverEnough — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 10:08:13 +0000

Seeing Wilco at The Lyric Opera House in Baltimore, MD. It was the best show I've ever seen by anyone.

And after 24 years of waiting, finally meeting Simon Le Bon and Nick Rhodes. Astonishing.