Totally Unauthorized Presents: the Top 25 live shows of 2013

Let me begin by saying that this is easily the best concert year I've ever had in my life, and I don't expect this to be topped. 2012 got the ball rolling with plenty of great acts, which led me to attempt to up the ante this year. I succeeded, and then some. Here are the best 25 I saw this year:

 

25. Ty Segall Band

January 28 at The End

This show deserves a mention if for no other reason than for just how rowdy it was. It's probably lucky no one was hurt, but seeing as no one did it presents a fascinating case study on the type of impact an environment like this can have on a rock show. Broken bottles had to be swept from the stage, a massive Hispanic kid tried to stage dive directly on top of me, and I had to be hoisted over the side railing just to get back to the bar area. Ty Segall pulled off a rare sellout at The End, and had the place busting at the seams with sludgy garage rock influenced by everyone from Black Sabbath to Iggy and the Stooges.

24. Run the Jewels

July 16 at Exit/In

When you combine one of the boldest, most outspoken emcees with one of today's most free thinking producers (who also happens to kill it on a mic), it makes for a one-two hip hop combo that's hard to top by anyone, anywhere. Killer Mike and El-P even had guys in the crowd with cardboard cutouts of their faces taped to the end of wooden sticks,  and invited them onstage. Mike's intensity combines with El-P's face shredding beats to create arguably the best hip hop act touring the club circuits right now. For those who aren't sold on sitting in a dank arena for Kendrick, Drake or Yeezy, Run the Jewels is your best bet.

23. Wilco

June 14 at Bonnaroo

Wilco has consistently been billed among the best live bands for well over a decade, and it's simple to see why. Their Friday night pre-headlining set at Bonarroo had all the elements of a great rock show. Jeff Tweedy showcased himself as a relatable and  clever frontman, while guitarist Nels Cline let loose with ample amounts of rock shreddery, not to mention a back catalog that boasts plenty of influential, game changing tunes from their late 90s/early 2000s output. If that wasn't enough, they even brought out alt-country brethren Calexico onto stage for a ravishing guest spot for a song or two.

22. Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers

June 13 at Bonnaroo

She's not well known, but knows how to put on a good time. Imagine a gritty, southern rock sound coupled with Bluhm's impressive set of pipes, which also features great classic rock guitar soloing to boot. It's the kind of music designed to get you set to head to the bar and kick your good for nothing man to the curb.

21. Megadeth

September 5 at Bridgestone Arena

Unfortunately, their opening set for Iron Maiden at Bridgestone Arena didn't deliver the type of spectacle these Bay Area headbangers are known for putting on. Despite their extensive back catalog, they rushed through a short set that didn't even touch the hour mark. The only pause came before the final song, when Dave Mustaine delivered a few short remarks on the conflict in Syria. Yet it's still hard to argue with the pure headbanging power of "Hangar 18" or the god-tier soloing on "Tornado of Souls."

20. Of Monsters and Men

June 14 at Bonnaroo

For a relatively new band, Icelanidc indie pop folk band Of Monsters and Men have set a solid foundation for live shows for years to come. With only one album out, there's not much pomp, flair, or elaborate stage setups, but what comes across best is the demeanor of the band. Onstage they're all so easy going and laid back, and it makes it easy to feel endeared to the band and their material.  They played their album My Head is an Animal in full, while also impressively transforming Yeah Yeah Yeah's "Skeletons" into a mellowed out, deep sea submerged sounding version of an old Icelandic folk tune.

19. Bad Religion

March 20 at War Memorial Auditorium

Anyone with any interest in punk whatsoever should revel in frontman Greg Graffin's tales of the San Fernando valley scene the band came up in and the slam dancers they once played in front of. This set would have been a couple of notches higher had I not accidentally gotten balcony tickets, where the energy level was lethargic. But it was easy to see the kids on the main floor were in a frenzy. Bad Religion's influence runs wide and deep, and they tore through a career spanning setlist that featured everything from their old school hardcore hits to their newer, more melodic driving rock sound.

18. Menomena

February 23 at Mercy Lounge

This Portland based indie rock duo put on a great sing along performance with a very clever and unique songwriting style. The best part is that it's hard to know where their songs are going to end up when they start. The music is predicated on a great sense of rhythm from drummer Danny Seim, while frontman Justin Harris keeps the crowd on their toes by switching between bass and saxophone

17. Patty Griffin

October 21 at Ryman Auditorium

Griffin displayed a very warm and inviting personality while touring her album American Kid, which focuses on her family relationships. She told personal stories about her dad and grandfather and explained how they connected with the themes of each song. She also cleverly tinkered with different arrangements for several songs. She transformed "Don't Let Me Die in Florida," with the presence of blusey, warbly electric guitar, while a dash of accordion was injected into the teary eyed eulogy "Go Wherever You Wanna Go."

16. Animal Collective

June 14 at Bonnaroo

Their set was insane, and had great stage production value. With rows of teeth and and giant pointy blowup balloons adorning the stage, it looked like something out of an acid trip. Michael Winslow from Police Academy announced the band's entrance, and they played late into the night. It came across like listening to an old transistor radio late at night, fading from one song into the next. One of the highlights was Avey Tare twerking around onstage with nothing but mic in hand while singing "Peacebone." They played a bit long, but their dieheards probably would have taken much more.

15. The Whiskey Gentry

December 7 at Variety Playhouse

This show marked a special occasion for these Atlanta based country/folk rockers as they celebrated their 5th annual Merry Y'all Tide Celebration. The band was a blast onstage, ripping into breakneck solos on banjo, mandolin, violin, and more. Although they may be country/folk based, the intensity they play with rivals that of a punk band. Throughout the set they were joined by various artists from the Atlanta area, ending with a folk/gypsy extravaganza that featured over 15 performers onstage. No matter your spirit, The Whiskey Gentry proves there's no better band for celebrating the holidays with glasses raised high.

14. Preservation Hall Jazz Band

June 15 at Bonnaroo

It's hard to discount the way good old New Orleans jazz can positively affect the soul. Preservation Hall Jazz Band have not only kept this incredible tradition intact, but have impressively expanded upon it. Their Saturday night Bonnaroo crowd responded in full force, dressing themselves up in 1920s style suit and ties and kicking it like it was still pre-Depression era.The best treat, though, came near the end when My Morning Jacket's Jim James joined them onstage for a jaw dropping rendition of blues/jazz classic "St. James Infirmary."

13. Atoms for Peace

October 3 at War Memorial Auditorium

Atoms for Peace take the cake in terms of unique stage setup. The Thom Yorke fronted superband relies heavily on percussion and electronics, eschewing guitar almost entirely. This leaves Flea to play bass like a lead instrument, which is essentially what it functions as in this band. There are flourishes of guitar, but it tends to get eaten up by their impressive wall of sound.  Nigel Godrich's deep knowledge of electronics enables him to crank out impressive beats, while a pair of percussionists layer over top of that. Also consider that you have Thom Yorke and Flea on the same stage, and that's almost too much badassness to comprehend.

12. Savages

October 7 at Municipal Auditorium

For a band with only one album, Savages are way better live than anyone has a right to expect them to be. The band is powerfully propelled by their rhythm section, bassist Ayse Hassan and drummer Fay Milton. They have a versatile guitarist in Gemma Thompson, who can alternate between light, gentle brushstrokes and jagged riffing, while frontwoman Jhenny Beth generates a blast of defiant, feminist energy while slipping back and forth from steely edged rock singer to performance artist and back again.

11. David Byrne/St. Vincent

June 16 at Bonnaroo

Dave Byrne and Annie Clark are about as good as you can ask for when it comes to performers who know how to have fun. They promote a quirky, fist pumping nature, while singing songs covering all sorts of zany topics. Their band presented a big, loud, and brassy sound, and the duo even mixed it up by letting all of their bandmembers go through line and sing a line into the microphone. If that's not enough, hits from the Talking Heads catalog, along with gems from Clark herself should be ample to convert almost anyone. These two clearly have a blast on stage, and make sure you do too.

10. Weird Al

June 15 at Bonnaroo

Some might scoff at Weird Al, but don't write him off.  His showmanship is first rate, and his decades of experience have enabled him to perfect the art of his live shows. It's a very production heavy show, as Al's costume changes see him parody everyone from Nirvana to Green Day to Amish preachers. Also charming is his use of video screens to poke fun at non-musical entertainment figures in between costume changes. The popular culture he satirizes is so ingrained in our culture that almost anyone can relate to his shows on a variety of levels.

9. Janelle Monae

November 17 at Ryman Auditorium

When it comes to meticulously planning and arranging a concert, few put more work in than Monae. She entered the stage strapped to a dolly like a mental patient, then proceeded to blow our minds. Her shows are highly thematic, her upbeat demeanor rivals that of Matt & Kim, and she can also lay claim to the best set of pipes I have ever witnessed live. But it all paled in comparison to her 25 minute extended jam of "War of the Roses," where she moonwalked, led the audience in a Cab Calloway style sing along, jumped into the crowd, and even conducted an audience costume contest.

8. Sleigh Bells

November 8 at Marathon Music Works

This was the best I physically felt after any concert this year. After soaking in all the energy this duo left on stage, I felt like I was ready to go level a forest. Guitarist Derek Miller's playbook extends far beyond mere headbanging, allowing him to craft musical backdrops that are threatening and dissonant, while others are rowdy and rollicking. Alexis Krauss, meanwhile, draws from her experience fronting a girlpop band and proves she knows how to play to a crowd, getting them riled up with throat stomping badassery. 

7. Steven Wilson

April 17 at Variety Playhouse

Wilson's previous band, Porcupine Tree, was a regular entrant on many best live bands list. He hasn't garnered as much press since their hiatus, but it would be a major error to write off his solo shows. The musicianship is first rate, with famed British guitarist Guthrie Govan joining Wilson's live band, along with a slew of other virtuoso musicians. Wilson weaves an impressive multimedia aspect into his act, projecting eerie, dissonant video clips to complement his creative concoctions. Touting material from his excellent album, The Raven That Refused to Sing, Wilson haunted the auditorium with tales of ghosts, supernatural beings, and other menaces, while also breaking out cataclysmic prog rock from his first two albums. The highlight goes to their captivating performance of "Raider II," which silenced the crowd for its 25 minute duration.

6. The Wayne Shorter Quartet with Esperanza Spalding and the Nashville Symphony

April 12 at Schermerhorn Symphony Center

This was easily the jazz event of the year in Nashville. Shorter's backing quartet features some of the most talented musicians in the world, on any instrument in any genre. Shorter can't blow the pipes like he used to, but just seeing him preform is a treat. The symphony upped the ante by joining in after the first set, but that was no preparation for what Spalding brought to the fore. I admit I wasn't well versed in her work prior to the show. That changed after her glorious and dominating voice pierced every square inch of Nashville's cavernous Schermerhorn Center.  It served as an overpowering testament to jazz's legacy, along with a strong affirmation that its future is indeed bright.

5. Queens of the Stone Age

October 7 at Municipal Auditorium

Queens of the Stone Age aren't flashy, but they operate like a well oiled machine. With Josh Homme showing off muscular rock and roll chops, bassist Michael Shuman going nuts all over the stage, and guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen clad in his signature black suit and red tie, these are some of the meanest, leanest rockers around.  They got off to a blazing start, instantly hooking the audience with great rock and roll sing alongs "No One Knows" and "Burn the Witch," but demonstrated their catalog is much more diverse than the hits their known for. They pack plenty of well known crunching rockers, but can also deploy raging piano power ballads, grooving funk pieces, and even dissonant jam tunes. Their songs always have a distinctive flavor, and it is predicated on being slightly different in their rhythm section. Many songs will have very distinctive beats but are also very simple, to the point it makes you wonder why someone else hasn't thought of it first.

4. Bjork

June 15 at Bonnaroo

This is the show that made me a fan of Bjork. Up till this point I always had a curious interest in her but had never found time to listen to her works. Her sunset set on Bonnaroo's main stage vindicated that sentiment in a big way. She came out in a dress that looked like it was made of mangled fish, wearing that unforgettable icicle headgear and supported by a choir dressed in blue and gold cloths. The early part of her performance felt like a New York art museum translated into a musical equivalent, with songs that were mellow and restrained but serene and majestic. As the sun began to set, however, she broke out much harsher beats in songs like "Hyperballad" and "Nattura" that you could free yourself to get lost in. There was no more absorbing dance related experience this year, and certainly nowhere else you can go to get an audiovisual experience quite like Bjork.

3. Nine Inch Nails

October 22 at Bridgestone Arena

When I heard talk about the Nine Inch Nails light show, I had no idea what I was in for. Thinking of it in terms of a light show is simply missing the point. The vision designed by Trent Reznor and Rob Sheridan is a full on embrace of the various ways technology can transform our idea of what a concert can be. Full on digital scanning creates various images that complement each song, the most jaw dropping of which was the giant NiN logo at the end that was made by what was initially just nine clusters of lights. But to pull it off the way these guys also requires a killer band onstage, and Nine Inch Nails is a band capable of tearing it up with or without fancy tricks. This was proven by the final three song run in the main set, consisting of "Head Like a Hole," "The Hand That Feeds," and "Wish," undoubtedly my most breathless concert experience of the year. 

2. Iron Maiden

September 5 at Bridgestone Arena

I'd seen clips of Bruce Dickinson electrifying massive crowds on TV specials and Youtube videos, but an opportunity to physically see one of the world's most passionate, intense, and beloved bands is an incomparable experience.  Their Bridgestone set was ripe with an amazing setlist, and the stage setup and production is second to none. The concert's theme was based upon their Seventh Son of a Seventh Son album, and had the corresponding icy glacier/mesa setup, Bruce wore his aviator cap and waved the UK flag, and Eddie stalked around all over stage. Far from just a band onstage playing old songs, like contemporaries Metallica and Megadeth. This is one of the last few remaining bands that still capture the spirit of 1980s metal and communicate it to younger generations. It's a shame I couldn't have been there to drink in that scene, but thanks to Iron Maiden I was able to live it for one night.

1. Paul McCartney

June 14 at Bonnaroo

Paul McCartney has been enjoying a heavy dose of visibility lately. He's had a great new album, Saturday Night Live cameos, and continual touring over the past few years. I was fortunate in that this was my second time seeing him. His performance was on par with his Bridgestone Arena set I saw three years ago, although that show will always be my favorite as it was my first time seeing him. Nevertheless, his headlining set at Bonnaroo allows McCartney to top my list for the second time in four years. It was an incredible shared collective experience with 80,000 other people.

The final remaining core of the Lennon-McCartney songwriting battery preformed a slew of songs from his solo projects, Wings, and The Beatles and showed us why he's one of the most electric performers and songwriters to ever walk this planet. Massive screens broadcasted all of his antics and fireworks all the way to the back of Bonnaroo's massive main field. He broke out several old Sgt. Peppers songs that hadn't been heard in years, including "For the Benefit of Mr. Kite" and "Your Mother Should Know." Even more fittingly, someone tossed a plush walrus doll on stage, which Paul placed on his piano while he played his final encore. There isn't a better live show on earth than this.

Top 10 sets from Bonaroo 2013

10. Nicki Bluhm & the Gramblers

Nicki Bluhm was kickass. She’s got an old school country/southern rock vibe with plenty of heart and soul. Many of her lyrical themes take their cues from this era – a lot of “my man ain’t no good” vibes. It’s been done many times, but Nicki presents it with so much passion and authenticity that she will make you believe in it all over again. She’s got an incredible set of pipes and a kickass guitarist to boot.

 9. Of Monsters & Men

Another of my must sees, and they proved my reasoning to be solid. I love their onstage demeanor, so carefree, laid back, and humble. The setlist was a bit by the numbers, but with only one album that’s to be expected. They were really good at interacting with the crowd; once or twice Nanna or the other guitarist would walk out on a platform jutting into the crowd and everyone would just soak it all in. One unexpected moment came when they did a cover of “Skeletons” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The original is really electo/new wavey, but OMAM folked it out, added in their harmony arrangements and really made it their own.

8. Alt-J 

Alt-J has been a tough nut for me to crack. I couldn’t get into the album much from what I listened to it and had considered skipping the set entirely, but decided to give them one more shot to change my mind live. I was up pretty close to the front, which seems to be a great accomplishment as this show was totally fucking packed from what I’m told. That said, I certainly have obtained a new appreciation for the band. It’s tough to think of any band to directly compare them to.

Many people have said there’s not much energy which is true, but this set was really sort of hypnotic in a way. The drummer is really talented; he moves around the kit with some really spastic, offbeat patterns I don’t hear often. And songs like “Tesselate,” along with most of their set really, just have this really chilled out vibe like you’re drifting through space and becoming one with the stars or something.  Still don’t think this band is a good as most people try to make them out as, but I’ve gained a new willingness to open up to them.

7. Tom Petty

Making my way toward the What Stage for this one was bittersweet,  knowing it was the final act but also getting excited for the awesomeness of Petty. After all I had seen and experienced over the past four days, I couldn't think of a more fitting way to wrap it all up than a Tom Petty concert.  I hope they continue to stick with the classic/vintage rocker act for the closing spot in coming years. I couldn't imagine some shitty jam band closing it out. 

Anyhow, I was on the field for the first 45 minutes or so of his set. The plan was to meet up with the rest of my group and we would sit on top of our cars and watch the end of the show, since our campgrounds were so close to the What Stage field. The weather ruined those plans, though it was pretty gratifying singing "Free Falling" in the rain with tens of thousands of other people. I really liked his demeanor and manner of speaking on stage. "I predict we're going to have an incredible time tonight," he declared, before announcing, "I don't have anywhere to be for hours!"

I didn't know many of the songs he played while I was out there, but I liked "Tweeter and the Monkey Man," a song he did with the Traveling Wilburys about a guy trying to escape from an undercover cop. It provided a nice flavoring for the evening. I headed back to camp and heard his final songs, "You Wreck Me" and "American Girl" as I was making a call home.

6. Animal Collective

I don’t buy it when people say you need to be on drugs for this set; this set is drugs.  You can be straight sober and still feel in a slightly different state of mind when these guys play. They had some big pointy acid colored blowup balloons that filled half the stage, along with blowup teeth balloons protruding from gums. The well water ran out before Wilco so I arrived in a state of increasing dehydration but otherwise stone sober.

As they said before the release of Centipede Hz, the set was structured a continual running stream of music. In between songs they would keep playing/jamming/dicking around, so it was like listening to a late night radio broadcast and there would be a bunch of fuzz for awhile and then suddenly you would hear something familiar and get back into it. I give them props for the idea, but it tends to make their set feel disheveled and unorganized at times. There are sections where nothing much is going on for awhile, but the set was scheduled for two hours and I’m guessing is longer than they normally play, so that might have had something to do with it.

As a tribute to the band in front of me, I’m trying my best to imagine I’m on hallucinogens, a task which is made complicated seeing as I’ve never done them. I find myself staring at images projected onto one of the teeth. It’s flipping back and forth between a yellow alarm clock waving his arm and a big pile of purple jello oozing around. Avey gazes into the lights and seems to get lost for a moment, then stares blankly at the crowd and then goes back to what he’s doing on his keyboard. He seemed a bit out of it for most of the show, but was still able to perform well.

The setlist was great, “Purple Bottle” was very catchy and fantastic, and “What Would I Want? Sky” was a great surprise. From Merriweather and Centipede Hz we got pretty much the usual. Avey was all herky jerky when he got up to sing “Peacebone,” but it totally rocked.  Deakin also had some great moments; he did Monkey Riches and a couple other songs that frankly I don’t know what they were. The set was a bit long and I got bored at some points, but after the fact all I really tend to remember is the awesome.

 5. Weird Al

I was utterly conflicted over whether to catch this set or the Superjam. The Superjam felt like the set that I should see, but Weird Al was the set I wanted to see. I headed over shortly after PHJB to get a good spot, and waited at least an hour before At this point that my feet were horribly hurting, to the point I was getting seriously irritated. The long wait was not helping, but did prove to be worth it. He got off to a great start by busting out the accordion for a medley parodying current pop songs. Justin Beiber, Lady Gaga, and even Ke$ha found themselves victims of his satirical barbs.

His costume changes were excellent, and an easy highlight of the night. He dazzled in his half red, half white maple leaf jacket for "Canadian Idiot," while donning a thick black rimmed hat and fake beard for "Amish Paradise." But he went all out in his blonde mop and early 90s grunge getup for "Smells Like Nirvana." He even brought out the cheerleaders. The videos that played during his costume changes were also a riot, taking aim at everyone from Edward Cullen, Megan Fox, and Johnny Cash documentaries. But he was equally engaging while preforming deep album tracks without the help of any visual aid. He captured the crowd's attention with his humorous rendtion of the Spiderman saga on "Ode to a Superhero," while describing the joy (and horror) of selling products online on "eBay." Al undoubtedly endeared himself to the crowd and proved to be one of the best performers on the farm this year.

4. David Byrne & St. Vincent

Spectacular! Very funky, jazzy, and brassy sound presented by two of the more oddball personalities in popular music these days. Coming into this I knew virtually nothing about the material from either artist, but now I will certainly be on the lookout to hear more. It was a delight to see how well they interacted with one another, excitedly exchanging hand gestures and fist pump. And their themes were always delightfully wacky. Byrne did a song about how he used to think that TV was a good thing, but then realized it wasn't.

Annie was even more about there, doing a song about bone connecting to the marrow and weird stuff like that. They even let their band step into the spotlight, doing a song where the entire backing band formed a single file line and each came up to the microphone in turn and sang a single line. It was phenomenal, and everyone looked like they were having a wonderful time.

3. Preservation Hall Jazz Band

To continue Saturday's theme of mistakes, I missed the beginning of this set. I was busy eating a veggie burrito with sweet potatoes and various kinds of foliage. This set was fantastic though; the band members were dressed up in finely pressed suits, ties, and vests, overpowering you with the sheer sound of brass. Trumpets, trombones, horns, and blaring tubas led the charge; I'm pretty sure there was even a clarinet or two. They majored in traditional New Orleans jazz, the type made famous by Louis Armstrong and Jelly Roll Morton. But almost as engaging as the performers was the crowd itself. All around there were guys dressed as cool cats from the 20s, losing themselves to dance.

Right in front of me was a couple dressed up in white swan feathers, covered in all sorts of white material and fabric along with plenty of beads and colorful stuff. Suddenly, there were squeals and everybody started pushing closer to the stage. The man himself Jim James was making a guest appearance. I hadn't planned on catching either of his scheduled performances, but now it's easy to see Bonnaroo wouldn't have been complete without seeing him in some capacity. They did a mournful dirge called "St. James Infirmary" that blew my mind; it's about a guy who searches for his love and then finds out she's dead. If they haven't already, I demand that they record it so I can download it on MP3 and play it endlessly.


2. Bjork

It's a safe bet that Bjork made loads of new fans with this set. Throughout her career she's always been a fringe artist, but a very well respected one who know what she's doing. The first part of the set felt more akin to performance art than a music concert. She comes out backed by about 10 or 15 choir girls clad in blue and gold outfits. With their extravagant dress, they look like a retinue that Bjork purchased from a caravan off The Silk Road or something. As for Bjork herself, her face and head are covered in long white pointy ice spikes, while the bottom half out her outfit is like a dress made out of weird squids squished together. The setlist was more balanced than what she's been doing lately; most of her shows since 2011 focused on playing most if not all of her latest album, Biophillia, but she got most of those songs out of the way early. During "Crystalline," her drummer beat on a strange dark black semicircle shaped pad that he sat between his knees, and it sounded like a marimba when he hit it. Along the way we got most of the classics from her back catalog, including the silky synths of "Hunter" and "Joga," followed by curt little thank yous following every song. Otherwise, she wasn't very vocal. Occasionally she'd come over toward my side of the stage and attempt a little funky dance, but stayed focused on her game.

As the sun began to set, she approached the mic and announced, "It's getting darker." Then shit got real. The beats, which had generally been elegant and reserved suddenly became abrasive and visceral. These are my favorite kind of beats, because it's so easy to totally lose yourself while dancing to them. The choir girls, meanwhile, who had been pretty restrained, cut loose in some amped up dancing as well. It was also refreshing to see a wholly different side of Bjork. She moved into a stunning rendition of "Hyperballad," which was a great surprise because I figured we would get either "Isobel" or "Possibly Maybe" as our Post contribution. At the end she did an awesome raging extended jam session which I later learned was "Freak" by LFO merged into the end of "Hyperballad." The next cut, "Pluto," is easily one of the most visceral songs in her catalog. I was curious to see how well she could pull off the ultra high pitched screams near the end of the song. She couldn't quite get up there, but compensated by slamming the mic stand down and bolting off the stage.

She closed the main set with fist pumping anthem "Declare Independence" before ending with the frantic "Nattura" as her encore song. Flames lit up the back of the stage, bringing back memories of the devastating  pyro show that closed out Paul's set the night before. Although Bjork couldn't come close to topping him in that department, it still resonated powerfully as a finisher to an experience that was no less unique.

1. Paul McCartney

10/10… what else? It was been supremely satisfying to witness the mass reaction to this set, both in person and with regard to what’s been posted online in the following week. There’s not much that tops seeing everyone react like hysterical squealing fangirls, which was more or less my reaction when I first saw Paul in the fall of 2010. Naturally, I don’t feel like anything can compare to my first time seeing McCartney – not even this set – but there are more than a few merits to this show that more than justify the hearty applause it’s gotten.

Not a ton has changed from the show he played at Bridgestone Arena in 2010. This time around I found myself much quicker to pick up on the stories he tells. He’s talking about writing a song to give hope to the civil rights fighters – it’s time for “Blackbird.” Now he’s talking about a guitar he wrote a song on a long time ago – here comes “Paperback Writer.” Oh, now it’s the first verse of “Live and Let Die”? Oh snap, grab your camera – and try not to have your face melted if you’re up close. But knowing how the story ends beforehand doesn’t take an ounce of enjoyment away.  A Paul concert is like watching your favorite classic film. You can watch it over and over and rewind it and play it again and it never gets old. These are top notch performances of some of the best songs ever written, and done so by a man who knows a thing or two about showmanship.

There were, of course, many great moments worth going over here as well. “Lovely Rita,” “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite,” and “Your Mother Should Know” are all great mid/late period Beatles tunes that haven’t seen the light of day in some time. Also impeccable were his accents of Russian government officials that he met when he played a concert there, which served as the lead in to his free Pussy Riot declaration.  And to cap it all off, a fan threw a plush walrus on stage, which Paul took and put on top of his piano while he played “Golden Slumbers/Carry that Weight/The End.” It provided a fitting finale for Bonnaroo’s definitive set.