2023, by any perspective I approach it from, was a remarkable year for me in terms of photography. First off, I went to a ton of shows... 76 shows shot in total, and five I didn't (Sigur Ros w/ the LSO in Amsterdam, Rammstein in Lisbon, the Eric Arn/Glenn Jones show where I forgot to bring any memory cards (doh!), the 2nd night of GBV 40, and Dylan), in six different countries. I also covered six festivals - Desertfest London and NYC, Boston Calling, Newport Folk Festival, In Between Days, and Sky Blue Sky. The grand total of bands I photographed this year? 368. And I did a handful of shoots w/ bands for publicity photos, as well as with some artists at festivals. I hope to expand more in that area for next year.
I had the good luck of having my day job send me over to Amsterdam for over 60 days this year, and it was a great opportunity to really get to know a city much deeper than a regular tourist can. Safe to say that Amsterdam is one of my favorite cities and has a lot to offer. It was also really fun to re-connect with fellow photogs I'd met at Roadburn prior (Niels, Paul and Falk-Hagen), and to make some new friends like Kamil who graciously lent me a camera to use for a show in Germany where I also finally got to see Colour Haze and Kungens Man for the first time! I got to see some great shows in Amsterdam too; thanks to Tomoko and Meg for the hookup for the Pantera gig! The best one had to be seeing both Roy Montgomery and The Dead C, after so many years from the last time and I was super happy to chat with the guys before and after the show.
A big setback was having Dig Boston cease operations, and I want to thank Chris Faraone for entrusting me with so much leeway in covering the acts that interested me (and hopefully others!) the most. The flip side is that I'm now providing a lot more content for my old pal Jack Rabid and the venerable Big Takeover magazine and I appreciate the opportunity. I also have provided some show coverage for Culture Beat, Rob Duguay's PVD/BOS-centric blog on music so thanks Rob!
It goes without saying that none of this would be possible without the publicists and the bands who've given me a lot of trust that allows me to capture all these incredible moments so thank you! Also hats off to Sarika and her team at Desert Scene for having me as part of the teams in London and NYC to cover the event. 2024 looks even better and I am honored to be part of these great teams.
With so many shows it's extremely hard to come up with a top 10 for the year but I've definitely done dumber things so here goes; I am purposely avoiding for the most part bands I've seen a lot in the past; there is no doubt that bands like Wilco, Elder, Major Stars, Dinosaur Jr, Amenra, Converge, Guided By Voices, etc know how to put on a great show... These bands have never mailed it in and continue to be transcendent on stage. I didn't think that 2023 would be the year I saw Colour Haze not only once but twice! Truly magnificent, a band that operates in a fully organic mode, each of the four members a critical piece. This is a pretty long post so I'll also add Bill Callahan and Yo La Tengo sets a few weeks apart in Amsterdam's lovely Paradiso were both incredible shows. I caught Minibeast opening for Jon Spencer early but their show later in the year with Mike Watt's MSSV was a 1-2 hit to the back of my skull. Great to see the veterans doing new shit and not just coasting on stuff they wrote decades ago; rock is still vital!
At Desertfest London I got to see my buds Deathchant and Dommengang wring every last bit of energy out of their instruments and was also afforded the opportunity to finally see Weedpecker and Spaceslug. Polish stoner rock is on a high crest right now, do not sleep on these bands. I've seen QOTSA a few times but this summer's set (longer than their festival set at Boston Calling) was really special for me as I finally got to see them play "In The Fade," a song that means a ton to me and is even more emotionally charged in the wake of Mark Lanegan's untimely passing. Oh, and Yves Tumor? That is a proper rock star with there, attitude and presentation with songs and musicianship to back it. Wow!
I guess that's at least 10 but I also want to mention local buds GOZU and Blood Lightning, who both put out amazing records this year, and I also finally got to see Sam Black Church; yeah I was a little late on that one. Last pile of accolades must include REZN, Slowdive, Codeine, Yob, Coven, the triumphant return of Reg along w/ Mark to bring The Chameleons' songs to life, a vital part of my listening evolution. Lastly, the Twins of Evil tour was so good I had to see it twice, Boris and Melvins were a dream tour pairing and both bands exceeded what I thought was possible.
So, thanks for staying with me on this lengthy post and let's see some kickass stuff in 2024 together!
Browse HERE for way more photos from 2023:
PS - one thing I forgot I did last year was to catalog all of the reviews I wrote, so here goes for 2023:(in the spirit of completeness, I've added a couple stragglers from 2022 that didn't get published until early this year, 48 in all.):
Budos Band @ Brighton Music Hall
Dry Cleaning @ The Toulouse Theatre
Constant Smiles @ The Lily Pad
Jerry Harrison and Adrian Belew play Remain in Light at House of Blues
Boston Calling - Day 3 and Festival Wrap Up
Sisters of Mercy @ Big Night Live
The Backseat Lovers @ Roadrunner
Young The Giant - Leader Bank Pavilion
Panda Bear + Sonic Boom @ The Paradise
The Clientele @ Crystal Ballroom
Queens of the Stone Age @ Cross Insurance Arena
Tedeschi Trucks Band @ TD Garden
Explosions in the Sky @ Roadrunner
Nick Cave and Colin Greenwood @ The Wang
The Chats + Cosmic Psychos @ House of Blues
Mudhoney @ Brighton Music Hall
Squirrel Flower @ Brighton Music Hall
Ministry/Melvins/Corrosion of Conformity:
Khruangbin:
Converge and Chelsea Wolfe play Blood Moon:
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever:
Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets:
Suede + Manic Street Preachers:
Amon Amarth + Carcass + Obituary:
i shot a bunch more that i didn't review, maybe i will pull together a Best of 2022 photo gallery sometime as well.
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As any self-respecting metal fan knows, Matt Pike has had a shitty end of 2018... Two tours of High On Fire have been canceled due to complications that have involved foot problems, and hey - this is the US, not Europe.... dealing with that shit ain't free. So, the Riff Lord could use a little help, and that's where you come in. I am opening my fairly extensive archive of all things Pike (roughly 30 shows of Sleep and High On Fire) in order to raise some money to help defray these costs.
For $75 and about 8 dollars for shipping, you can be the proud owner of any 10" x 15" photo you fancy, and that photo will be autographed and personalized if you want, by Matt. If you would like a larger size, 12" x 18" prints are available for $100, with the same shipping fee. NOTE - my watermark that you see online WILL NOT BE on the print.
Due to international shipping rates and overall hassles, only residents of US and Canada are eligible ... all you overseas fans best lean on an American or Canuckistan friend to help out if you want to own one of these prints. That said, I am willing to estimate postage if you are OK with taking on that cost, and don't complain if the print gets delivered as if it's an accordion.
This offer will remain open until FEBRUARY 15th, 2019, and your signed print will be mailed out later that month.
If you wanna dig through the volumes to pick out your fave photo, you can do so via these search results on my website:
If time is of the essence, you can also take a scan through a self-selected gallery of my favorite Pike shots that I personally pulled together:
Thanks for your prompt attention to this matter. Worship the riff, follow the smoke, and help a brother out.
Details on ordering (see screenshots in the comments):
1 - select the photo you want, and click the BUY button in the upper right corner
2 - select the print size you want, from the drop-down menu on the right
3 - (THIS IS IMPORTANT) At checkout, use my shipping address (Tim Bugbee 223 Concord Turnpike #413 Cambridge MA 02140) so that I can collect all the prints, make sure they are all printed with no issues, and send them off to Matt. If you use your own shipping address, it gets delivered directly to you and Matt can't sign it.
4 - One detail I forgot to include is that I need your mailing address too so be sure to enter your email address in the above form so i can contact you later to get it.
If you've got any questions, don't hesitate to give a shout via [email protected]
People have asked how much of the sales proceeds are going to Matt. 100% of the gross. I am covering all of the printing costs, and will pay for all postage of the signed prints to Matt, and then back to the buyers. I am not skimming anything here, or even looking to break even. This is a benefit/fundraiser, to do anything else would be weird imo.
Thanks for your support!
]]>It's pretty embarrassing that my last blog post was about the best shows of 2012. Huh. It's not like I didn't do anything in the two following years. 2014 was a good but in some regards challenging year. I took a new full time job (no one shoots music as a regular job unless your last name is Halfin, Mazur or Kravitz) that made my daily commute soar from 18 minutes to routinely 70 min each, sometimes more. So, late night non-Friday/Saturday shows became a lot tougher to swing. I also tore up my knee pretty good in March during a skiing accident, and that put a dent in some action, though I was shooting the Drive-By Truckers show just eight days later, sporting very limited mobility and a full leg brace. I also had a few highlights, including finally getting a photo published in Rolling Stone. I didn't shoot many festivals this year (no Solid Sound, and no All Tomorrow's Parties) but Boston Calling turned out to be a pretty nice and local event to cover.
Onto the action that unfolded. I saw about 235 sets this year (some bands more than once), so paring it down to an arbitrary 30 seems pretty unfair for a lot of the shows that were really excellent...just take a look at who missed the list: St Vincent, Om, Steve Gunn, Pentagram, Sharon Van Etten, Elder, Thurston Moore, Truckfighters, Down, Deafheaven, Kurt Vile, Kvelertak, Mastodon, High on Fire, Courtney Barnett, Jack White, Houndmouth, Charles Bradley, Mavis Staples, etc... not to mention the shows where I didn't have a ticket and only saw ~10-15 min of the show, like Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Wonder and Nine Inch Nails.
If you are more of a looker than a reader, here's a slideshow of my best shots of 2014. There is not too much overlap between either bands or specific photos shown below so feel free to check out both:
I've divided the shows into two categories... the top 10 which are in order, and then the next twenty which are not.
1 - John Zorn's Masada Marathon @ Newport Jazz Festival
John Zorn and Friends
The guy who was awarded the 'genius' grant (a MacArthur Foundation grant, worth 500K to do whatever they want with it) certainly deserves it, and in recognition of his 60th birthday, the Newport Jazz Festival honored John by reserving the 2nd stage on the opening day just for him and his prodigious Masada songbook. Ten different ensembles played, each one a carefully cut piece of the puzzle, all held together with a common sense of passion for playing music, and playing it extraordinarily well. Sometimes Zorn played sax along with them, sometime he acted as conductor, other times he just stood offstage proudly beaming at the craft on display. This was a true tour de force, and ranks among the best shows I've seen, anywhere. Ribot, Batista, Baron, Wolleson, Feldman, Cohen, Douglas, Mori, Dunn, Friedlander, Saft, Courvoisier, etc. This is what music is all about.
2 - Ty Segall @ Great Scott
Ty Segall @ Great Scott
Not counting last year's Fuzz show, it had been quite some time since last played Boston - about four years ago at a DIY show in Jamaica Plain with a different lineup. Which seems really unfair when you consider he'd constantly played NYC in the interim. The bonus of this wait is that he'd be touring on his high water mark to date, the amazingly strong Manipulator. It seemed a bit insane that he played Great Scott which fits about 75 people near the stage if you've got a big enough shoehorn, especially in light of the fact that before hit Boston, he played the 9:30 club in DC and two shows at Webster Hall in NYC, the first date of which saw the crowd surge so intense that it broke the security barrier in front of the stage. So I got there early, found a place of relative safety at the far stage left in front of Ty, and hung on for the ride. And what a ride it was.
3 - Slowdive @ Royale
Rachel Goswell of Slowdive, at Royale
Shoegaze reunions probably started in earnest with My Bloody Valentine's return in 2008, but Slowdive was the show that really blew me away. Which is sort of funny in retrospect, since I didn't follow them after the first trilogy of EPs and Catch The Breeze, until much after the fact and found used copies of Souvlaki and Pygmalion long after they ceased to exist. I was especially happy to see Rachel Goswell return to stage, since the final Mojave 3 tour had her sitting it out in England, unable to even travel due to a severe ear condition. I'd heard glowing reports about the show at Pitchfork, and a live broadcast of a Holland show demonstrated that they were not remotely interested in half-assing their return.
4 - King Crimson @ The Colonial
Apologies for the iPhone photo, but there was a strict no-camera policy due to Robert Fripp's utter disdain for photography in effect, so I took this after the show was over
King Crimson at the Colonial
Prog rock has a small niche in my collection, but I can't say that I am even close to approaching the Comic Book guy level of serious prog rock nerds. I've seen Yes a couple of times, Van der Graaf Generator once, and that might be it as far concerts go as well. Well, maybe Tool counts too. Anyway, the reason I got tickets the instant they went on sale is that 1) Belew was not in the lineup and 2) the material they were focusing on was the Red-era, a collection of fucking stompers if there ever was one. "Starless" was at or near the pinnacle of live show moments this year. Equally impressive was the trio of drummers, who didn't trip over their own dicks nor just play the same pattern. Pretty goddamn impressive all around.
5 - Sleep @ House of Blues
Sleep at House of Blues
I've seen Sleep play about six times now though never w/ Hakius, and for once I didn't have to get on a plane to do it, or drive 5 hours into upstate NY, like the first time I saw them. This show also had the bonus having new material for the first time since they reformed, with "The Clarity" added to the set and sounding like a heavier OM. Pike was rocking the Goose Gossage 'stache, Cisneros had a full monk's beard (and he was pleased to be playing under the OM symbol that adorns the top of the stage lighting rig at the venue), and Roeder was pounding away with a heavy, precise hand. They were fucking around backstage before the show started, w/ Jason toying around with some sort of mixer/sampler plugged into Matt's guitar while he played it, but when the time came for rock, Pike stretched out before taking the stage and they were all business.
6 - The Damned @ Royale
Captain Sensible of The Damned, at Royale
Fun fact - when The Damned played The Channel in 1989 with Brian James playing the first set, both Hilary and I were at the show but wouldn't actually meet in person until later that year. James (to my knowledge) hasn't played with the band since that tour, but for me it's all about Captain Sensible and Dave Vanian... if either of them were to step out, the band would be over. Last time they played town two or three years ago, they did the in vogue 'entire LP' thing, doing the debut and the overlooked but excellent Black Album. The set list would retain some of those gems, including the hair-raising epic "Curtain Call." Sensible and Vanian are such a great and bi-polar pairing; Captain w/ his trademark beret, goofy smile and ramshackle humor while Vanian plays the debonair host to your murder. I will see this band play whenever possible. A few columns ago in The Big Takeover, Tim Sommer made the case that The Damned should have been bigger than U2, and I can see where he's coming from.
7 - The Replacements @ Boston Calling
The Replacements at Boston Calling
One of the reunion crown jewels. Sadly they have yet to play a proper tour, preferring the pay day and ease of festival dates aside from two shows, and the one in Flushing really hopes that 2015 will have this on offer. That said, they took the 60 minutes they were allotted and stomped on the collective throat of Boston, grinning all the while. Not quite punk, not quite straight rock, not just posture and attitude...whatever combo they concocted has never quite been duplicated. And how great was that Jackson 5 cover?
8 - White Fence @ Great Scott
Tim Presley of White Fence at Great Scott
For anyone who digs what Tim Presley does with White Fence via listening to LPs or CDs, you don't quite get the full picture until you experience the psych-pop fury on stage. The Live in San Francisco LP definitely reveals some secrets, but until you are shoulder to shoulder in a packed, sweaty club with a beer in hand and singing "Arrow Man" at the top of your lungs into the next guy/stranger/new best friend's ear, well...you just haven't lived, baby. Bonus points for having Cate Le Bon in the touring band this go-round.
9 - Agalloch @ Great Scott
Agalloch at Brighton Music Hall
Third time seeing Agalloch, and they are another band who I'll more than likely make the effort to see them if they are in town. Tours used to be pretty scarce, and when they played the unlikely location of Bucharest Romania in 2010, that seemed to open the window for touring. Maybe getting signed to the excellent Profound Lore label also helped, but they've been in town three times in the last five years and that's something I can get used to. With the trademark incense burning in cast iron kettles atop stumps, leader John Haughm whipped his hair into action and the black metal band sprang to life. Equally anthemic, beautiful, and brutal, this year's [i]The Serpent and the Sphere[/i] was another worthy addition to their canon.
10 - Guided By Voices @ The Paradise
Bob Pollard of Guided By Voices at The Paradise
Another improbable reunion was Guided By Voices; sure they did the classic victory lap with the 'classic' lineup in 2010 onward, but who would have thought that SIX records would spring from the very fertile lobes of Pollard (and to a lesser extent, Sprout) in the following two and a half years. And while there is always some flotsam and jetsam to pick through to find the gems, they were certainly present (esp w/ Sprout's contributions, who really did a great job). The new material meant that new songs were pumped out in classic 1-2-3-4 fashion, a veritable rock hurricane that sweeps the room, with Pollard at the eye. Sweaty, boozy rock and roll. I'm surprised that according to GBVDB, they've actually played Salt Lake City twice; I figured that this much of a good time would certainly be banned in Utah.
The next 20, in no particular order:
Steve Malkmus @ The Paradise
Steve Malkmus & The Jicks at The Paradise
The new record was a disappointment but the live show not at all. Steve was in a talkative mood, too, which always helps up the humor level. Add in a couple of classic Pavement songs and everyone went home smiling.
Rocket From The Crypt and Ex Hex @ Brighton Music Hall
John "Speedo" Reis of Rocket From The Crypt
Ex Hex at Brighton Music Hall
Great double bill...Mary Timony's most recent rock project was firing on all cylinders, while John Reis and the mighty horn section of RFTC played a frat party worth attending.
Brand New @ Boston Calling
Brand New at Boston Calling
Have you ever seen a guitar thrown in the air about 20 feet into the air (check the upper right side of the photo)? How about the guy catching it and doing it again? I really didn't know anything about this band aside from their Long Island roots and an emo tag. Instead, they sounded like an updated Afghan Whigs, piss and vinegar flowing through every bursting seam.
Godflesh @ Royale
Godflesh at Royale
I'd seen Justin Broadrick perform as Jesu as well as White Static Demon but nothing was close to the power of Godflesh. Intense bass sound from this gig, so loud and clear. Streetcleaner has such an iconic cover and the music has the strength to back up the imagery.
Drive-by Truckers and Deer Tick @ Hampton Beach Casino
Drive-By Truckers @ Hampton Beach Casino
Deer Tick at Hampton Beach Casino
Second time seeing the Truckers this year... first time was very good but I was a week out from tearing my knee to pieces so I didn't quite enjoy it as much, or get the shots I wanted to. Hampton Beach was a lot better. It also helped that they were touring on their strongest effort in years, English Oceans. I went w/ my wife and my good friend Ted, and saw the usual Three Dimes Down crew at the rail. And while Blitzen Trapper was a good opening act in Boston, Deer Tick really brought it this night. Finally saw Cooley play the Flying V too! "The Night GG Allin Came To Town" was a 'tribute' to the man who was born a half hour or so from this venue. "Ronnie and Neil" rained down tears and bourbon. "Grand Canyon" is a superb closing track, a good way to say good night.
Spirit Caravan @ AS220
Dave Sherman of Spirit Caravan
Last year The Obsessed played MDF and this year Wino brought Spirit Caravan to life. Can The Hidden Hand be next? This was a great gig but also a bit of a weird one... some sound troubles and occasional crowd action set both Wino and Henry off, with threats to kill the sound man and a final push of the drums into the crowd only offset by Dave Sherman playing good cop throughout the night (to the sound guy “I think you almost got it” while Wino threatened to strangle him), and sharing a joint w/ the audience in front of him. Still, it was great to hear classics like "Black Flower," "Courage" and "Dead Love/Jug Fulla Sun" at high intensity. Kudos to Greg Kelley for anticipating the crowd surge that started in “Black Flower” and stepping in to save my ravaged knee from further damage.
Mogwai @ Terminal 5
Mogwai at Terminal 5
If I had to pick a favorite band of the last two decades, Mogwai would likely carry that banner. These Scots can really do no wrong...it's pretty rare for a band to continually turn out music that provokes such an emotional response. Though I've seen them plenty of times in the past (I think this show was number 10 or so, a pretty high number for someone who doesn't follow bands around on tour), the show still hit high points...I finally got to see Stuart sing with "Take Me Somewhere Nice"! According to my sound meter, the punishing "Batcat" made it the second loudest show of the year, hitting 103 dB. God bless Etymotic.
Swans @ Royale
Swans at Royale
...and this was the loudest show of the year, at 104 dB. Not surprising that Gira and crew were the top volume dealers, as they continue to punish and ultimately cleanse audiences with their sonic ritual. The Seer and To Be Kind are demanding listenings.... see them live to unlock the next level of consciousness.
Reignwolf @ Newport Folk Festival
Reignwolf at Newport Folk Festival
It was nice to see a band bring a little bit of grime under the fingernails rock, a la Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, to the proceedings at Newport this year. I don't think it was a coincidence that before the show, the drummer came over to me and positively commented on the High On Fire shirt I was wearing.
King Buzzo @ Brighton Music Hall
King Buzzo at Brighton Music Hall
Buzzo is well known as the leader of The Melvins, but he'd be flying solo for this tour... no band, no crushing Melvins songs via Crover et al pushing it through the audience. Nope, he was all on his own, with just a towel and a small amp on the stage. Acoustic Melvins? Could there be such a thing? After the opening salvo of "Boris," the answer was an emphatic yes. Bonus points for a much more talkative Buzzo, with a couple of really funny road anecdotes, especially the Mike Patton story.
Jeff Tweedy @ Newport Folk Fest
Jeff Tweedy at The Museum, Newport Folk Festival
Dad rock is dead. Seriously, it gives me hives when I hear that derogatory term used in conjunction with Tweedy. Fuck That Shit. Bottom line, the guy is as generous, humorous, and creative as they come. This unannounced show in the tiny museum room (maybe fitting 100 seated people) was a hidden gem at the Newport Folk Festival this year, with a handful of covers, Uncle Tupelo songs and Wilco songs played with his usual aplomb. And funny shit too. After a ten year kid in the front row, wearing a Wilco shirt, shouted out a request, Tweedy said "Your parents dressed you today, didn't they?"
Alvarius B @ Johnny D's
Alan Bishop (aka Alvarius B) at Johnny D's
The opposite of Dad Rock. "Six Kids Of Mine" will underscore that until there are splinters. Alan Bishop remains an uncompromising iconoclast, with searing wit always at the ready. Ask him what he thinks about globalists. His take on "Queen Jane Approximately" was sublimely perverse, as expected.
DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist @ House of Blues
DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist on the Renegades Of Rhythm tour, House of Blues
Two turntablists, playing homage to THE pioneer, Afrika Bambaataa, by playing his record collection! Seriously, how great was this? It was like taking a trip through the Smithsonian.
Neutral Milk Hotel @ The Orpheum
Note: this is the back of my camera LCD of Mangum at Boston Calling... no photos allowed from the front, and discouraged overall
Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel at Boston Calling
I'd seen leader Jeff Mangum a couple of times play solo at the ATP in Asbury Park a few years ago, but not the whole set and not with a band...and not so close. I can't count myself among the myriad acolytes whose lives were changed via In The Aeroplane Over The Sea but I cannot deny the emotional impact of this show, sitting in the 5th row in a dark room, surrounded by them. And finally hearing "Oh Comely." The show in the concrete canyon that is Boston City Plaza at Boston Calling was not nearly as successful.
Warpaint @ Royale
Warpaint at Royale
2014 was finally the year I saw Warpaint... back in 2011 I made the decision to see The Joy Formidable in the tiny Brighton Music Hall rather than seeing Warpaint at The Paradise, and while I do not regret that decision even slightly, I figured that Warpaint wouldn't wait to come back to town so long; in the same time frame, The Joy Formidable left Wales to play Boston four times. The Boston Calling show was good, w/ the Bowie cover a nice surprise, but a show packed with their fans and on their terms was much more satisfying. The set closer of "Burgundy" to "Krimson" set records for hair neck altitude.
Gruff Rhys @ Brighton Music Hall
Gruff Rhys at Brighton Music Hall
Sometimes Boston (and I think US) audiences pisses me off, and tonight put that in on display in big, bright letters. Missing the tour opener in Philly due to visa problems, Rhys (Super Furry Animals main man) finally got approval and took the next flight from the UK and despite his hurried taxi drive, barely got on stage in time for the obscenely early start of 8 PM on a Friday (there was a local radio Country night following the show. Ugh). Rhys gamely put all his gear together under duress, but the turntable didn't work so "Shark Ridden Waters" had to go without audio samples. No matter, the visual projections worked and the American Interiors show was the main attraction, a compelling complete hagiography of the Welsh man who would settle the North American continent. This is a great record if you've not heard it.
Bob Mould @ The Paradise
Bob Mould, Jason Narducy (l) and Jon Wurster (r) at The Paradise
Bob Mould, legend. What else is there to say? How about Beauty and Ruin being a worthy companion to his prior work, in both Husker Du and Sugar? Yep, it's true. And having Wurster and Narducy as your rhythm section is a surefire way to have your rock show locked and fucking loaded.
Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats @ The Middle East
Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats at The Middle East
The mystique of this band grew mighty quickly.... a barely released CDR that stirred the waters, a signing to Rise Above where Blood Lust made all your Sabbath dreams come true, and then Mind Control where the dystopian world became a complete vision. Yanked out of obscurity, they were the hand-picked opener for Black Sabbath on the European dates (us sad US fans got Andrew WK doing a DJ set....thanks, Sharon). Expectations of the sold out room were high, and the dimly lit band delivered the goods ten-fold.
King Diamond @ The Palladium
King Diamond at The Palladium
Never a big Mercyful Fate nor King Diamond fan (and I admit to giggling sometimes at the improbable falsetto), nevertheless I was very happy to see the first King Diamond shows in over ten years, and they pulled out all the Alice Cooper stops they could find, and found a couple more.
Mission of Burma @ The Regent Theatre
Mission of Burma at The Regent Theatre
I hadn't seen Mission of Burma in five years. And they never really tour outside their homebase....What sort of asshole had I turned into? Luckily rectifying this and going out on a Sunday night, I was paid massive dividends by their normal, tightly wound sound and surprised when they paid homage to the anniversary of the Beatles' appearance on The Ed Sullivan show by a couple of Fab Four covers. I'll never make that same mistake again.
Well that was fun. Let's do it again next year.
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There were other fantastic shows too, which I'll list later. Here's a slideshow of some of my favorite photos of the year...sit back and enjoy!
Top 20 shows of 2012 (in no particular order, aside from the top 5)
The Who - They played Quadrophenia in 1996 but this time Pete played electric guitar, and the lineup didn't have annoying cameos like Billy Idol as the bell boy. The band's lost a bit of their edge, which is understandable, but the material spoke for itself.
Dinosaur Jr. - They played my favorite record (YLAOM) and had a slew of guests...Kim Gordon absolutely ruled on "Don't" and it was fun seeing Johnny Marr and Dale Crover playing a Smiths cover. File that in the 'who would have thought' category.
Swans - Pure energy and honesty, delivered in uncompromising style.
Rangda - I finally saw this trio and aside from dropping and breaking a lens, this was a fantastic night. Corsano, Chasny and Bishop - that's an impressive amount of talent.
Om - The Roadburn show was excellent, but the later show in Boston bested it as I was more familiar with the new record, which hadn't come out yet and would turn out being my favorite LP of the year.
Yob - Of all the bands I saw this year, YOB topped the most performances seen with 4. They opened for Tool, played two sets at Roadburn (including a heart-stopping performance of Catharsis and also played the amazing 1st night of the ATP event in London, along with Slayer, Sleep, Melvins, Wolves In The Throne Room and A Storm Of Light. Heavy, smothering, all-encompassing.
Barn Owl - Evan Caminiti and Jon Porras are two of my favorite guitar players, and they wove a tight tapestry of guitar howling that was mesmerizing.
Oranssi Pazuzu - A surprise of 2011 and I was very happy to get a chance to see them play. Powerful dynamics and fully fleshed out sound. This isn't your father's black metal.
Sleep - A triumphant return to the stage, as last year only had a small handful of shows. They absolutely packed the main room at Roadburn to the rafters and delivered. Their ATP show was a bit tighter and just as brutal.
Archers of Loaf - A surprise for me...never really rated the Archers but they delivered two heaping helpings of jagged guitar rock and had the crowds in the palm of their hand.
Charles Bradley - An unexpected resurrection, a belated career of a soul singer that exudes honesty and compassion.
OFF! - It's 1978 in America again, and volatile punk rock comes in 45 second blasts. What a band.
The Dirty Three - The toughest omission of the top 5, as they ruled both ATPs they played. I felt bad for Mogwai, who had to follow them in London.
The Roots - A band who can do anything, and does. Constant entertainment, and super-tight.
The Magic Band - Another unexpected surprise. Drumbo handled Capt's vocals just fine, and the band was as inscrutable as ever.
Thee Oh Sees - The NYC show barely topped the London one, with Dwyer giving it all he's got. I get the feeling that happens at every show.
Hot Snakes - Reunions can come off as being past their sell-by date, but not this one. Tightly controlled punk rock ferocity in the Greg Sage style.
The Clean - True legends. A short set, but it hit all the right spots.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Triumphant closing set for ATP (well, Demdike Stare was after them, but only a handful of people saw it to the bitter end), with massive swells of drones and guitar crescendos.
Neil Young and Crazy Horse - It had been 16 years since I last saw Neil play with Crazy Horse, and I am glad he got the Horse back on stage. Self-indulgent in all the right ways; Neil still enjoys giving purple nurples to his fan base who just want to hear "Old Man" or "Like A Hurricane." "Ramada Inn" is the best song he's written in years, and the fastest sixteen-plus minute song you'll ever experience in a live setting.
The rest:
A Place To Bury Strangers
New Multitudes
Radiohead
Ancestors
Chelsea Wolfe
Agalloch
Black Cobra
Harvey Milk
Mudhoney
Mogwai
The Make Up
Refused
Sharon Van Etten
Alvarius b
Jane's Addiction
Sunn O)))
Lightning Bolt
Lee Ranaldo Band
Melvins Lite
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Kvelertak
Black Tusk
High on Fire
Public Enemy
ZZ Top
Spiritualized
Graveyard
Umberto
Slayer
The Afghan Whigs
In the meantime, here's a favorite shot of mine from this year, from Refused's show at House of Blues.
