Totally Unauthorized's Top 25 Concerts of 2021

25. Living Colour

October 23 at Shaky Knees

Crazy, funky, zany -- Living Colour are an institution and they are everything you would expect them to be onstage. There's social commentary with cuts like Open Letter to a Landlord, manic fretwork on songs like Time's Up, and perhaps even a bit of controversy courted when performing The Rolling Stones's Brown Sugar, a longstanding cover in their setlists. "Some people get mad about this song," singer Corey Glover acknowledged, "but we're going to do it anyway." The closer was none other than Cult of Personality, a song whose power and message still hit hard to this day, while the nearly impossible solos have served as inspiration for guitar heroes everywhere for a very long time.

24. Ayron Jones

October 22 at Shaky Knees

Hard hitting rocker Ayron Jones actually played both big festivals I went to this year and I felt a little bad about passing him up the first time, so I decided to post up front and center for his early day set at Shaky Knees. It isn't an outside the box type of rock and roll show but it's a good one. The compositions and level of showmanship is definitely above average for this type of set. There's perhaps a slight tinge of Seattle atmosphere that he allows to slip in and provide some coloring but he never fully tips his hand on it, other than when busting out a cover of Breed from hometown heroes Nirvana.

23. Jane's Addiction

September 24 at Louder Than Life

 

This set was a trip. I wouldn't say from a musical perspective it was the best I've ever seen but it definitely was memorable. Have you ever been on a camping trip, or Bonnaroo or somewhere and a random drunk dude crashes your campsite? That's kind of what singer Perry Farell is like. He kept going on about some cave that he wanted to play in Kentucky that no one could ever figure out exactly where he was talking about. He has enough charm to make it work, though. Dave Navarro on guitar still kicks ass, busting out kaleidoscopic riffs and ripping off breakneck solos in songs like Stop but also proving he can slow things down on cuts like Jane Says. It ended with some freaky vaudeville vibes as they had a couple of tattooed women swinging from hooks inserted into the back of their flesh during set closer Ted Just Admit It.

22. Cypress Hill

September 23 at Louder Than Life

 

Here's another old throwback. They had a song or two I liked back in the day. What's most impressive about them, not surprisingly, is the production. These old school hip hop beats are just what you need for grooving and shaking your booty. B Real and Sen Dog are veterans at playing the crowd, and keep it coming with one crowd pleaser after another.

21. Arlo Parks

October 23 at Shaky Knees

Arlo Parks was an early day treat. This UK based crooner was was very smooth, relaxing, and at times even a little bit jazzy. The standout track was Caroline, which she introduced by describing that she was inspired to write the song based on an ugly argument that she saw erupt in public between a couple. Parks's set was the perfect medicine for chilling out before embarking on a busy festival day.

20. The Hu

September 26 at Louder Than Life

Mongolian metal band The Hu was an absolute blast to behold, even if I couldn't understand a word. The guys knew how to play to the crowd and were heavy as hell. Their cover of Metallica's Sad But True got their point across in very short order. I doubt there's anyone who at this set who wouldn't tell you this was hands down one of the most badass things they saw all week.

19. Avatar

September 24 at Louder Than Life

This Swedish melodeath/metalcore act were one of my favorite discoveries of the weekend at Louder Than Life. While I'm not sold on what I've heard of their catalog, the stage is where they truly shine. With their red and black outfits and facepaint, they put on a feel that is very theatrical. Especially so from vocalist Christian Rimmi, who cradled the audience in the palm of his hand with his well honed showmanship.

18. Korn

September 23 at Louder Than Life

One of the most vexing questions I asked myself was where I was going to rank Korn. These guys are heavily nostalgic, having been introduced on MTV's Total Request Live to videos for Make Me Bad & Somebody Someone, among others. Yet I had never seen them live. That was remedied with this Thursday night headlining set on the first day of Louder Than Life. Jonathan Davis was sitting on his throne, bassist Ra Diaz of Suicidal Tendencies did a righteous job filling in for Fieldy, and when the band started building up that opening riff on Blind, it was impossible to escape the sensation that all hell was about to break loose.

17. Local H

October 22 at Shaky Knees

Uplifting raw power is what you can expect from any Local H set. They've been at it for over 30 years now, and it's hard to find a band that's more tight or on point. They know how to have fun too, mashing up The Beatles' Helter Skelter into High Fiving MFer, one of their signature staples.

16. The Strokes

October 24 at Shaky Knees

Here we have easily the most controversial set. Differing opinions are par for the course when it comes to most Strokes live performances, especially so when dealing with a divisive frontman like Julian Casablancas. He was off point at times, but the set still came together into a demonstration of what makes the band great. This is still one of the highly respected catalogs in post 2000s rock and it just got better with the additions from last year's standout album The New Abnormal. The band plays great and the stage setup presents an attractive visual style.

15. Lucy Dacus

September 15 at Brooklyn Bowl Nashville

The Richmond bred singer/songwriter came out ready to cut up and so did the crowd that greeted her. Someone shouted out her high school chant, another person asked where her dress was from during a start of set technical snafu. At one point she asked if it was hot, and someone must have busted out with that Nelly song because she said she set herself up for that in a decidedly bemused manner. It provided a colorful patchwork a killer set, that ended up being a full album play of her latest, Home Video. She hit us early and often with standouts Hot and Heavy, VBS, and First Time before inviting us to sing along, in either language, with a cover of Edith Pilaf's La Vie En Rose. Some songs, such as Thumbs, which tells the story of a friend's encounter with an abusive(?) father, stood out a lot more live. It was incredible how everything just went silent and still during that song. But when I'm driving around listening to that song in my car I'm just like nah more often than not. Her ability to connect with a crowd is impressive considering how early she still is in her career. 

14. Orville Peck

October 24 at Shaky Knees

That voice is simply something to behold. Orville Peck has quickly established himself as one of the prime newcomers in the country/western scene with colorful regalia, by serving as a staunch advocate for LGBT rights, and by having a songbook that sounds like something out of the old west. He maintained an easy command over the crowd with his personable nature. He demonstrated great knowledge of how to build his set to a big finish with a staggering three song run that featured the chilling and mournful Dead of Night, a rowdy cover of Gaga's Born This Way, and ending with a bonafide old style cattle call tune known as Take You Back (The Iron Hoof Cattle Call).

13. Mastodon

November 23rd at Ryman Auditorium

Atlanta heavy metal band Mastodon is capable of throwing down several different types of sets, but they were in a meditative mood playing before Opeth on their co-headlning tour. Perhaps that is appropriate for a venue like the Ryman. They unloaded a handful of tracks from their excellent new double album Hushed & Grim which leans into a more subdued and peaceful atmosphere than most of their past records. Also on display was their 10+ minute mindbender The Czar, replete with hypnotic rhythms and extended instrumental jams. They thankfully didn't forget their roots, closing the set by taking us in hunt of the fabled white whale on their pummeling fan favorite Blood and Thunder.

12. Big Thief

September 20 at Ryman Auditorium

This was the first time I had the pleasure of catching these Brooklyn indie-folkers, who rose to acclaim a couple of years ago with a pair of standout albums, U.F.O.F. and Two Hands. Frontwoman Adrianne Lenker conjures up their sound with her guitar and wispy vocals, producing something sublime but a slightly off kilter in a way you can't quite place. This set was heavy on new and unreleased material. The standout among those was a never before played song called Promise Is a Pendulum, one of those songs that seems tailor made for an environment like the Ryman. It's a gentle, lilting acoustic tune draped in hushed tones but at the same time piercing so that one makes a sound while it's playing.

11. Run the Jewels

October 23 at Shaky Knees

Any time you hang out with Run the Jewels, it's always going to be a blast. Killer Mike and El-P closed out the second day of Shaky Knees by gracing us with the same trademark bravado and hardcore production work that has always been a hallmark of their sound. It turned into a family affair with Mike bringing out his family onto stage and telling them there were going to do one more song, then go home and smoke a big bowl. But first, the duo had to dodge a pair of sneakers that were thrown onto the stage. El-P reminded the crowd that they're sneaker aficionados, and they're going to know if any shoe thrown on stage is quality or not.

10. Brittany Howard

September 4 at Ascend Amphitheater

Kick open the doors, because live music is back! That was the feeling I had, since this show was my return to live music and something of a makeup show in the wake of Bonnaroo's cancellation (the last show I'd seen before this being Wire at Mercy Lounge with my good friend Miles Goosens). Brittany played the middle slot in between Sylvan Esso and Phoebe Bridgers and affirmed her mastery in controlling a crowd. She ran through a few cuts from her latest, but the show kicked into a higher gear once the band started jamming and Howard starting going nuts. She's a bonafide star, and the passion she puts into her performances is simply riveting.

9. The Hives

October 28 at Brooklyn Bowl Nashville

By a show of hands, how many of you forgot all about this band? The Hives made sure we wouldn't make that mistake again with a out of control roller coaster ride of a show during a falltime run through the U.S. Singer Pelle Almqvist's humor was on full display, declaring Nashville as Music City -- at least for as long as they're there, that is. Almqvist, better known as Howlin' Pelle, was a hoot onstage and off, frequently hopping down from the stage and dancing around on the side, in the back of the crowd, even over by the bowling lanes. You name it. I'd be remiss not to mention their antics during show closer Tick Tick Boom, in which the band froze in motion for a few moments at the end of the last verse. It was like something out of a music video. Almqvist then joined us in the crowd once more, got everyone to crouch down with us, and chatted with us on a handful of subjects, including where we would like to see them play next.

 

8. Sabaton

September 26 at Louder Than Life

Chalk up Sabaton as one of the best kept secrets from this year's Louder Than Life. The Swedish metal group are kings in Europe but haven't made much of a dent in the U.S. consciousness. So much so that they were relegated to playing a side stage at 6pm on the festival's final day, or what's referred to as the hangover slot at European festivals, as singer Joakim Brodén put it. The crowd greeted them like headliners, chanting the band's name with such fervor that they had to stop a couple of times just to take it all in.

7. Opeth

November 23 at Ryman Auditorium

Drummer Martin Axenrot's sudden departure right before the start of the tour put Opeth in a bind, and nearly forced the band out of its co-headlining spot with Mastodon. Luckily, fortune intervened, and the Swedish prog/metal masters were able to go on with the show with Axenrot's drum tech Sami Karpinnen filling in. The setlist leaned heavily on Opeth staples, drawing predominantly from their prog era from 2011 onward with Cusp of Eternity, Devil's Orchard, and Sorceress making appearances. Vocalist/guitarist Mikael Akerfeldt was warm and charming as per his usual self. He made reference to the band's most recent set at the Ryman, which occurred not long ago in February 2020 shortly before the pandemic shutdown. We're beginning to make a habit of it, he joked.

 

6. Idles

October 23 at Shaky Knees

 This was one of the most anticipated sets on the Shaky Knees schedule when it was announced, and for good reason. Frontman Joe Talbot grounds the performance with his stage presence, which is one part intensity and one part ferocity. He does know how to lighten things up though, downshifting out of one of his band original's and segueing into a medley that contained Outkast's Ms. Jackson as well a few other songs. I think All I Want For Christmas Is You was part of it too. The band had one guy that was dressed in a frock or some type of foreign looking white dress. The players behind Talbot swayed and sashayed to the chaotic rhythms. This definitely had the feel of a late night Bonnaroo show. 

 

5. Judas Priest

September 26 at Louder Than Life

All hail the kings of metal. Priest has been at it for 50 years, and their show is still without compare. Even in his 70s, Halford's pipes are still a thing to behold. He positively wails on tracks like Painkiller and Victim of Changes. If I had to point out one instance where perhaps it wasn't, it might that on the verses of You Got Another Thing Coming, which are noticeably not as crisp. They tore through their hour long set with odes to heavy metal fellowship and leather, punctuated by Halford riding a motorcycle onto the stage during Hell Bent for Leather. Kirk Hammett also guested on the Green Manalishi prior to Metallica's set, with the band introducing him as the guy from the West Coast that we're going to give a chance. It was also a set with almost tragic implications, although none of us knew it at the time. Guitarist Richie Henderson [correct to what his actual name is] had an aorta bust open during the performance of the final song, Painkiller. It was reported that blood flowed into his chest cavity as he played the song's solo. Thankfully he was rushed to a nearby hospital and his life was saved. 

4. Primus

September 18 at PNC Pavillion

What struck me the most is how wonderfully immersive their sound is. What sticks out to me about their records is the general grime and abrasiveness, which is, of course, an intentional design decision. Les forces you to decide whether you're in or out when it comes to this band. Live, however, I found myself enveloped in their sound and was able to revel more in the expert musicianship being delivered. Larry Lalond's off-kilter leads crackle in and out of the caldron the band brews, as though it were a random signal you were intermittently picking up an on old transistor AM radio late at night and vanishes as quickly as it appears. The bass and drum interaction is a lot of fun to watch too, since there's obviously no one else who does it like this. Of particular note is the drum rolls syncing up in time with Claypool's -- I don't want to call them bass rolls, I guess you'd call it his bass rhythm -- on Southbound Pachyderm, I believe was the song. Of course I'd be remiss not to mention the Farewell to Kings portion of the show, which as you'd suspect was an unmitigated blast and a trip all in its own. Lalonde and Claypool manned the double necked guitar and double necked bass combo as they unleashed those big, swaggering Rush riffs. Claypool joked they were doing the album for the three Rush fans in the crowd, and yes there will be a post survey card he hopes one of them will fill out but remarked not to be too tough on him as he can only sing so high. On a more serious note, he also took a moment to call out the simple yet profound statements Peart could weave into his lyrics, quoting the opening passage of Closer to the Heart, highlighting the populist sentiments often found in Rush songs to issue a call to action from those from a higher power.

 

3. St. Vincent

October 9 at Ascend Ampitheatre

Expectations are always high whenever Annie performs. Her tours have been widely known for being strongly conceptual, visually dazzling showcases. So it shouldn't be hard to understand why I was a little let down by her prior Fear the Future tour, which felt tepid in comparison and not fully sure of what it wanted to be. There were no such troubles this time. Her set leans hard into bold color and on stage style of the 70s, a persona her recent album Daddy's Home fully immerses itself in. Much has been reported on her funkifying her back catalog during these shows. The way she does it causes the material to feel fresh without radically altering its DNA, such as you might see from Lauryn Hill. Her intention seemed to be to flex the muscle of her newer material, with more than half the setlist coming from Daddy's Home and the prior album, Mass Seduction. Downtown in Hollywood, Down [correct the names] delivered vigorous bite, and Birth in Reverse offered great opportunities for interplay between Annie and her guitarist, but Fear the Future is the one song my opinion might have been elevated the most on. With ts elegant, stripped down synth combining itself with Annie's powerful voice and guitar, she proved its status as one of the most vital rock songs in her oeuvre.

2. Foo Fighters

October 22 at Shaky Knees

2021 marks the year I finally caught these guys. I can finally say the wait was worth it. I had been trying to catch this band for last seven years, but some comedy of errors or circumstance always got in the way. The band and catalog is solid but make no mistake, this is the Dave Grohl show. He captivated us by putting on a screaming clinic during Monkey Wrench, regaled us with tales of how they used to tear up shows the nearby Masquerade during the band's early days, and at one point got in some good natured riffing on a young fan who claimed to be a lifelong fan but apparently whiffed when Grohl led us in the recital of lyrics from "Breakout." We also got Dee Gees, a series of Bee Gees cover songs with drummer Taylor Hawkins singing and the mighty Grohl flexing his muscles behind the kit. Although I'm not a big fan, the change of pace that brought was very important to the pacing of the show. It also gave Grohl the opportunity to demonstrate drum breakdowns from the Queens of the Stone Age song No One Knows and was one of the highlights of the show. Hawkins showcased his charisma and proved to be a remarkable frontman as well. One of the nice things about having your boss being a drummer is that he understands the struggle of being a drummer, he remarked, which is trying not to get fired everyday.

1. Metallica

September 24 & 26 at Louder Than Life

Metallica's two night run at Louder Than Life festival was enough to draw me to Louisville, spurred on by the promise of seeing deep cuts and fan favorites you don't get a chance to see on their regular tour runs. It did not disappoint. Their opening Sunday run of Hardwired, Four Horsemen, and Welcome Home (Sanitarium) was so astonishing I could hardly believe what I was witnessing. That fest closing performance, of course, also featured the band's self titled Black Album played in full which is an idea I was tepid about at first. I didn't realize how much I needed it in my life. God That Failed and My Friend of Misery blew the doors off as anyone who knew those songs knew they would, and the extremely rarely played Don't Tread on Me also factored in, which James jokingly announced as Lars's favorite song. The Friday performance was just as blistering, giving us well known staples such as One and Seek & Destroy, but they also opened up their catalog for No Leaf Clover, Harvester of Sorrow, and Whiskey in the Jar. The crowd crush was ridiculous on Friday, I had to bail out and take in the sweat soaked finish from the back of the field. I'm definitely glad I did it. I got probably within about 10 feet of the band, but definitely wouldn't do it again. Considering these were two separate performances, I'm considering them 1a and 1b for the purposes of this list, and are two sets that are firmly within my favorites of all time.