I guess the time has come for some year-in-review posts, so I’ll start with best shows of 2008.
After much consideration, I decided that the best show I saw this year was the Black Keys at McCarren Park Pool in Brooklyn. On a warm August night, this blues/rock duo from Akron,
OH, tore through a phenomenal set of both old and new songs, including several from their 2008 record Attack and Release. I’m seeing them again in February at Terminal 5 with Lucero, and I expect to be blown away once more.
Other favorites from 2008 include:
The Raconteurs (with Black Lips) – This was an incredible show, right after Consolers of the Lonely was released. Jack White is a genius and is capable of single-handedly dominating the crowd (as he does at every White Stripes show), and the rest of the band is equally rockin’. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better rock band out right now. The Black Lips were an added bonus, since their an Atlanta band that I’d never gotten to see before.
Drive-by Truckers and The Hold Steady Night one – I enjoyed both nights of this musical extravaganza, but I’m partial to the first show because the Truckers closed, and I still believe they do the best encores of any band I’ve seen.
The Glitch Mob - This probably wins out as the most fun show I attended. These guys are a can’t-miss if you like an awesome DJ show, or if you like loud dancing music.
Drive-by Truckers (with The Whigs) – An excellent early spring show right after both of their new albums were released. Athens, GA ROCKS New York!
The award for the best opening act* I saw this year goes to Tally Hall. I’ve written about these guys a couple times already, but they’re worth mentioning again. No openers that I saw this whole year can compare with the show that these guys put on.
Looking ahead to 2009, I’m already scheduled to see Tea Leaf Green and Kings of Leon (with The Whigs), along with the Black Keys, so it’s shaping up to be another solid year of live music.
*I didn’t consider The Whigs in this category because I was there to see them just as much as I was to see Drive-by Truckers, and I’ve seen The Whigs headline more times than I’ve seen them open over the last few years.
Tags: Black Keys, Black Lips, Drive-by Truckers, Glitch Mob, Kings of Leon, Lucero, McCarren Park Pool, Raconteurs, Tally Hall, Tea Leaf Green, The Hold Steady, The Whigs
