Ticket Insider

Top Ten Concerts of 2008!

December 22nd, 2008 Posted by: Dust Devil

Hello everybody,

Now that Snow Patrol and the Bloc Party have come through town, there is not a whole heck of a lot coming up for shows. The Love Me Nots, a GREAT garage rock band here in town, will be playing at the Yucca Tap Room Friday, January 2. This is a great band; think of playing all those fabulous 60’s garage Nuggets compilations. Great guitar work, fabulous vocals and stunning organ play are at the forefront when you listen to them. I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing them yet, so I am really excited for this show.

Since there is not much else to report in ways of quality shows (no, Styx at the Fiesta Bowl Block Party does NOT count), let’s do our own little version of all those neat end-of-year lists from magazines like NME, Melody Maker, Rolling Stone. We will start with the best shows/concerts of 2008.

Most of the shows I list here will have individual posts about the experience. Check out our archives for a detailed review of the show you are interested in!

Ladies and gentleman, in order, courtesy of the Dust Devil:

1. Elbow at the Bluebird Theatre; Denver, CO; May 2. This is a no-brainer. Quite simply, to date this is the best concert I have EVER been to, and if you have not figured out by now I go to a lot of shows, then you have not been paying attention at all. I absolutely love this band and I am very happy others are beginning to see this as well. Elbow won this year’s Mercury Prize for Best Album with The Seldom Seen Kid. If you don’t have this amazing slab of vinyl yet, go get it. NOW. Guy Garvey’s vocals on Newborn that evening STILL bring tears to my eyes, it was that special.

2. Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings at Red Rocks Amphitheatre; Morrison, CO; September 14. Amazing, energetic show, the highlight of an unbelievable Monolith Festival weekend for me. Sharon Jones has a fabulous voice and is a terrific front-woman, while the Dap Kings play some inspired retro-soul. A must see if they are in your town.

3. Band of Horses at Red Rocks Amphitheatre; Morrison, CO; September 14. Band of Horses was the biggest sounding band at Monolith and the band that best utilized the magnificent acoustics at Red Rocks. Ben Bridwell has one of the best voices in rock and roll today and his bandmates played the best set in terms of professionalism during the weekend. The Funeral ranks a hair behind Newborn from Elbow for Best Moment of the Year During A Show.

4. Ghostland Observatory at the Fox Theatre; Boulder, CO; April 19. I had never been to a show where I think every living soul in the venue was on their feet dancing until I saw this duo on this evening. Holy cow; what power, what energy, what a show! There may only be two guys in this band, but there is nothing simple about the raw power Ghostland Observatory puts out live. They are good on disc, but this is a band you must see live to truly appreciate what they do.

5. Agent Orange at O’Malley’s; Tucson, AZ; November 28. I have lost count of how many times I have seen this band play since I was in junior high (and I’m 39 now), and this was easily the best show from this band I have seen in over TWENTY YEARS! In my humble (and correct) opinion, Agent Orange is the best punk rock band of all time and the fact they STILL shred is unbelievable. Sole remaining original member Mike Palm is one of my favorite guitarists and still has a great voice, and his latest line-up of Dusty Watson on drums/vocals and Perry Giordano on bass/vocals is the best since the glory days of the band with Scott and James cranking out the classic discs Living in Darkness, Bitchin’ Summer, When You Least Expect It and my personal fave, This is the Voice. Today the band plays their classic catalog even faster than before, which just amazes me considering they have been around for nearly thirty years. An amazing set, they even played the entire Darkness album with Bloodstains as always being the highlight of the set. Here’s to 30 more Mike!

6. Silversun Pickups at Red Rocks Amphitheatre; Morrison, CO; September 13. Third time I have seen this great Los Angeles band and another stellar set delivered. These guys have such a great stage presence and as good as they are on disc, their studio output does not come close to show-casing the power and beauty of this band. This was to be their last show before convening to the studio to finish up their long awaited follow-up to Carnavas. If the new material they played on this evening is any indication, the new disc is going to smoke!

7. Jukebox the Ghost at the Rhythm Room; Phoenix, AZ; October 15. What a fun, utterly impressive and professional set from this Washington, D.C band! Nice guys to top it off, this is a band that deserves your attention as they churn out pop melodies with an almost prog-rock type of underlying current, as several of the songs transition into one another, creating fascinating story-lines. They sound so good on stage, and Ben lays down some of the coolest sounding piano tinkerings I have heard in ages.

8. Mobius Band at the Larimer Lounge; Denver, CO; May 3. The only reason this show does not rank higher is the band only played six songs since they were the opener of a three band set. That’s crap, they deserve a full-length set to show their fans how good they are. Playing eclectic indie-pop music with an electronica influence, these guys really pour themselves into their live performances. They were outstanding on this evening, with every song sounding great and delivering a furious rendering of The Loving Sounds of Static. If you don’t already “own a little piece of Heaven“, buy the disc. You won’t be disappointed! By the way, drummer Noam Schatz has a solo project called 3rdness, check out his latest offering Red Chanterelles. Thanks again for getting me in the show Noam!

9. Ra Ra Riot at the Modified; Phoenix, AZ; April 6. I have seen these guys three times now and they simply get better with age. Ra Ra Riot, deservedly so, became critical darlings this year with the release of The Rhumb Line. This particular night they were so tight, so focused and played with such enthusiasm, I was upset they played on a Sunday when they were doomed to get a small crowd in attendance. This is a band that could, and should, become huge.

10. The Pomegranates at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on the WOXY.com Stage; Morrison, CO; September 13. These guys played early Sunday at Monolith, delivering a set with some serious Sonic Youth and shoegazer influences. However, they did a great job of keeping the pop sensibilities at the forefront. Talented guys, this band should make some serious noise in coming years.

Folks, that is the Dust Devil 2008 Year in Review for Shows. I would love to hear some comments about why you think I’m wrong, or better yet, post your picks!

Cheers,
The Dust Devil

Filed under: My Take, Top 10 Posts, Cheers and Jeers