Live Music Review 2014

December 27, 2014

Counting Crows 

Lorde

the Avett Brothers

Jenny Lewis

Haim

Live Music Review 2014

Live

Broken Bells

This has been a banner year for attending live music for us, we have been fortunate to have attended a wide variety of musical performances in a wide range of venues. From huge names and well-established artists to brand new up and coming acts and just about everything in between. Living in Key West makes it somewhat difficult and while we take advantage of the acts that do make it here to play, when we really want to see a decent show, it generally involves traveling.

Major Lazer

Sister Hazel

Sister Hazel

Thankfully we have been free to travel a lot and we always check to see who is playing if we are already planning a trip as well as many trips just to see live music. Whether it be quick trips to Miami, Orlando, or Tampa or flying to a music festival for a long weekend we have indulged in our love of music this year. Since I haven’t been too great at keeping up with this blog this year, I thought I might offer a short year in review and list the top ten musical performances that I saw this year.

Eminem

Grace Potter

Paulo Nutrini

It was a pretty busy year as I attended about thirty concerts and also hit a big trifecta of huge music festivals by attending Coachella, Lollapalooza and the ACL Festival where I saw all or part of close to 70 additional acts. I have seen huge mega-tours and small club shows and while it is hard to compare what are very different experiences, I have tried to keep in mind how each act played relative to what type and size of venue they played.

Ana Tijoux

The Kooks

Hall & Oates

Anyway here is my list for 2014:

10. Kiss- November 19^th, The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel, Las Vegas. The mega-band Kiss had a residency at the Joint during the fall and it just happened to coincide with a scuba diving convention that I was attending. Seeing the pyrotechnic extravaganza with full make-up that is Kiss in the small intimate 3200 seat venue was incredible. Our seats were so close that it seemed like we were immersed in the show, and what a show. Seeing Kiss is an experience, not just a concert and the band seemed energized by the setting, it was a fun and wild experience.

Kiss

9. Marc Scibilia- October 3^rd- ACL Festival. When I attend large festivals, I often visit the smaller stages where new, unfamiliar artists can be found. Playing the opening slot on the small BMI stage at ACL was singer/songwriter Marc Sibilia who I had never even heard of, much less heard. His set was fantastic. I was taken right away and stayed and watched his entire performance. Playing mostly acoustic witty and fun original music, Sibilia is someone I hope to see a lot more of in the future. I bought the CD, it is good but the live version is way better. Check him out if you get a chance.

Marc Scibilia

8.Bruce Springsteen-April 26^th-Aaron’s Amphitheatre, Atlanta. This wasn’t the best Springsteen show I have seen, less an anthem filled crowd-pleaser than a deep digging in to the catalog rarities show. But his two hour and forty-five minute set showed that at age 64, Springsteen is still a sure thing live and one of the best live performers that has graced a rock n roll stage. Playing many deep cuts from “The River” and a bunch of cover songs ranging from the Clash to AC/DC, it was a different type of Springsteen show, but an excellent one nonetheless.

Bruce Springsteen

7. Vic Mensa- August 2^nd-Lollapalooza. Local rising-star Chicago rapper snared a spot playing the smaller BMI stage at Lollapalooza this year, but if the size and enthusiasm of the packed-in overflow crowd was any indication, he will be moving up to a larger stage in the future. The energy packed set featured everything from a blow-up sex doll, a pack of super-soakers, being joined on stage by Chance the Rapper and a litany of feisty rapping. It delighted the frenzied crowd who gave their local hero a regal welcome. It was something to see and experience.

Vic Mensa

6. Cage the Elephant- April 11^th-Coachella. Matt Shultz, lead singer of the Grammy nominated alternative rockers, Cage the Elephant, is an amazing live performer. I had the good fortune of seeing the band three times during 2014 and each time they were spectacular. The best performance that I saw was at Coachella, but any of the three shows might have qualified for my top ten. Shultz is a contolled maniac as a performer, climbing up the risers, crowd surfing and darting around the stage like a dervish all while maintaining a driving beat and creating a frenzy in the crowd. 

Cage the Elephant

Cage the Elephant

5. Mac Demarco- October 4^th, Historic Scoot Inn, Austin, TX. While I consider myself up to date musically, I had somehow missed out on Mac DeMarco and went to this ACL aftershow based on the suggestion of friends in Austin and I am so glad I went. Close to two hours of magnificent mayhem and excellent music including a cover of “Smoke on the Water” and a twenty-minute cover of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” to close the show. In between, Demarco played plenty of his own music and wowed the crowd with both his playing and his stage diving, crowd surfing antics. It was wild and fun and he is another one that I cannot wait to see again.

Mac Demarco

4. Counting Crows/ Twin Forks- December 14^th-Old National Centre, Indianapolis, IN. My favorite band in my favorite hometown venue the old Murat Theatre in Indianapolis. I saw two Counting Crows shows this year, once in Ft. Lauderdale with Toad the Wet Sprocket and this Indy show. Both were amazing. A fantastic live band that I have seen fifty plus times is at the top of their game these days with a fantastic new CD and this great tour. Constantly reinvigorating and changing things up, the band is just a joy to see. With an ever-changing set-list and alternative lyrics and takes on their classic songs the band is constantly fresh. Can’t wait to get back and see them this summer.

Twin Forks

3. Phosphorescent/ Papa- August 1^st- Double Door Saloon, Chicago, IL.  Unlike some of the surprising newcomers I discovered this year, I had this Lollapalooza aftershow marked on my must-see calendar as soon as it was announced. I love the most recent CD by the singer/songwriter Matthew Houck who records under the name of Phosphorescent. The haunting music including the beautiful “Song for Zulu” were all delivered during the intimate, beautiful set at the tiny club. The show was everything that I had hoped for and more. 

Phosphorescent

2.Katy Perry/ Capital Cities-July 2^nd- BB&T Center, Sunrise, FL. This is going to surprise a few people, no one more so than myself. I certainly never expected to enjoy this one as much as I did, let alone have it be a close second to the best concert I saw all year. I know many of my friends may be laughing aloud at the moment, but this was a spectacular experience. I could not have identified a single Katy Perry song before attending though I did know who she was, but the show was nothing short of amazing. Capital Cities was a fantastic opening act and Katy Perry had everything including incredible pyrotechnics, amazing showmanship and costuming and a remarkable performer in Miss Perry. She sounded great, performed well and interacted with the large stadium crowd with a natural and sincere persona, even ordering pizza and delivering it to a young fan. 

Katy Perry

Katy Perry

1. James Bay-October 3^rd-ACL Festival, Austin, TX. Every once in a great while you see someone who is so fantastic and transformative that you can see stardom coming their way. This happened to me on the opening day of this year’s ACL festival where I caught a set on a sparse unadorned stage by a British singer/ songwriter who I had never heard of and am now so happy that I was able to see. It is always fun to look back and say you saw so and so before they became the huge sensation and I got the distinct feeling that is what I was witnessing. The guy was mesmerizing and sounded fantastic and polished considering he has only released three eps. His first full-length CD will not be released until early next year, but expect to hear much, much more from Mr. Bay.

James Bay

James Bay

James Bay

Ingrid Michaelson

So that’s it, my favorites of 2014. There are a number of honorable mention shows that we saw that just missed out on making the list, including Fleetwood Mac, the Avett Brothers ( especially their rain-soaked set at Lollapalooza), Ana Tijoux, Jimmy Cliff, Haim, Chromeo, Bryan Ferry, Vance Joy, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Ingrid Michaelson, Jenny Lewis, Hall & Oates, Broken Bells and Fitz & the Tantrums. Hopefully the year ahead will be just as exciting, see you at the show!

Bryan Ferry

Avett Brothers

Tom Petty

 

Eagles

Fleetwood Mac

The Last IV

Pam Tillis & Lorrie Morgan