If nothing else, the concert scene in 2014 shows why it's important to strike while the iron's hot. Two of my top six acts are highly unlikely to tour again in the imminent future, and one of those are headed out on their final tour next year. That said, it was still another great year for live music. Here's the best I saw:
25. Deafheaven
February 18 at The End
Watching Deafheaven on stage isn't
like watching a typical metal band. This was an epic, energy draining
set. Their frontman was kind of weird, but in a
good way. He practiced lots of exaggerated hand motions, and he liked to
scream right
in the faces of people that were close. Of course, they were eating it
up. His vocals were barely audible, though. I stopped by a Papa John's
on the way back to ask for a bottle of water. They were closed, but
thankfully they let me have one.
24. Goat
June 15 at Bonnaroo
Even with all the shows
I've seen, there's still few bands like Goat. Their sound
is a carefully culled mixture of 60s psych folk rock, but the colorful
gypsy costumes they don onstage and their bold sense of creativity makes
this a must see. They're a rare act to catch stateside but with any luck
a successful new album might bring them around more frequently.
23. Lily & the Parlour Tricks
June 13 at Bonnaroo
Glorious
harmonies from this band. They showcase three part girl
harmonies backed up by crunchy rock guitar. And if that's not enough,
they closed with a cover of Black Sabbath's War Pigs, which segued into
Ann Peebles' "I Can't Stand the Rain" before finally morphing into Nine
Inch Nails' "Closer." They harmonized their
three voices together to replicate the closing piano coda of "Closer."
My jaw was
on the ground.
22. Samantha Crain
October 29 at Ryman Auditorium
Crain is a consummate
singer/songwriter, in the sense that she definitely expounds on the
motivations and inspirations behind her
songs. Onstage, her manner of speaking to an audience causes her to
feels very down to earth, and easy to relate to. An example of her loveable, quirky personality: she wrote a song
inspired by a movie Convoy about a
trucker running away from cops and said if Convoy 2 ever came out she
hoped it would make the soundtrack.
21. Swans
June 30 at Exit/In
They rose from the grime
and grit of the early 80s New York art scene,
but now Swans have finally arrived and they're here to kick your ass.
There is also a strong art house vibe with frontman Michael Gira doing
some weird Native American spirit dancing, and rolling his tongue all
around the microphone. But more than anything else, it's all about those
riffs. The opening salvo on "Bring the Sun" hit with so much force it
felt like the equivalent of being mugged on a street corner.
20. Machine Head
July 21 at Exit/In
Rob Flynn
of Machine Head is one of the most well respected voices within metal
today, not to mention one of the most thoughtful and insightful. On
stage, he will stop at nothing to fire up a crowd. It may have been an
odd, between album cycle tour but it marked the band's first headlining
gig in Nashville in almost 20 years. The spitfire riffing in "Aesthetics
of Hate" and the pounding, old school punishment of "Ten Ton Hammer"
were as good of a welcome back present as any.
19. MS MR
June 12 at Bonnaroo
If you know me you know I love my synth pop bands, so the moment I
found out that's what they were I had to check 'em out. They're more
about vocals/hooks as opposed to electronics/production, which has its
pros and cons. On stage though, the band is far too infectious to deny.
Lizzy Plapinger and Max Hershenow ripped their way through most of the cuts from their debut,
Secondhand Rapture,
and tossed in covers of the Arctic Monkeys' "Do I Wanna Know" and LCD
Soundsystem's "Dance Yrself Clean" for good measure. This was the first
band of the weekend I saw people seriously getting hype over, and it
looked like the band themselves were blown away by the reception they
were getting. We were feeding off their energy as much as we were feeding off ours.
18. First Aid Kit
October 29 at Ryman Auditorium
The
Swedish dual threat of Johanna and Klara Soderberg have emerged as one
of the day's most compelling indie folk duos, and the grand glory of
their dual vocal harmonies rang forth in fine fashion at Nashville's
Ryman Auditorium. They also put on display considerable charm that wowed
the audience, and left little doubt the only direction they're headed
is up.
17. Rodrigo y Gabriela
August 8 at Ryman Auditorium
A duo doing little more than playing guitars on stage might not sound that exciting at first glance, but there's something living, breathing, and vital about Rodrigo y Gabriela onstage. They capture the giddy, whirlwind energy of street performers. Rodrigo works out speed metal inspired guitar leads and Gabriela practices the most insane rhythm playing I've ever witnessed. If that's not enough, they throw in a pretty bitchin' set of covers as well.
16. Cake
June 14 at Bonnaroo
Bahaha, these guys are insane. I
knew of Short Skirt Long Jacket and
The Distance, but didn't get really turned on to these guys until I
started researching the fest lineup and heard their cover of I Will
Survive. I had a front row spot for this show, and one of my friends
caught a drumstick they tossed into the crowd. It's fun, sing along,
breezy feel good music that makes you feel good and doesn't make you
think too much.
15. Tune Yards
October 9 at Marathon Music Works
It
has been a joy to see Merrill Garbus's band and stage show grow over
the years. The band's presence is delightfully bizarre, while never
deviating from their brand of exotic rhythm based pop music. They've
gotten more diverse and electronic since I first saw them, and seem to
be getting into the artier side in terms of dress and presentation as
well.
14. Hundred Waters
November 11 at Marathon Music Works
I
caught these guys opening for Interpol. I knew very little going in but
they turned out to be one of the most pleasant surprises I've had in a
while. What impresses me most is their versatility. They vary from
James Blake like downtempo soul vibe but can also get more upbeat and
frenetic in their drumwork without losing their aesthetic. They can be
more electronic/ambient at times, and sometimes the girl even pulls out a
flute and starts wailing away. I found myself wondering if there's
anything this band isn't capable of.
13. Janelle Monae
June 13 at Bonnaroo
Her
set was significantly shorter than the last time I saw her, but Monae
was undeterred as she demonstrated that sparkling, vivacious, electric
showmanship that's made her one of today's must see acts. It was mostly
an energetic set, only slowing down for rosy cheeked love tune
"Primetime," in which Monae urged us all to bring our lover closer
together for a slow dance. She closed the set by hopping off stage and
mingling with the crowd before being carried off piggyback by one of her
crew members.
12. Cloud Nothings
June 12 at Bonnaroo
One
of my favorite Bonnaroo moments was raging out with this band. The set
was a pure unleashing of energy and emotion. So cathartic moments: the
shrieking of "Psychic Trauma,"
the colossal build up and release of "Wasted Days", straight up to the
eerie parting drone of "No Future No Past." The crowd responded in kind,
whipping up some of the most intense moshing of the entire weekend.
Apparently it was too much
for some, as people were leaving the show in droves.
11. Kvelertak
November 6 at Marathon Music Works
Norwegian
heavy metallers Kevelertak come across like viking conquerors onstage,
come to smite us with heavy metal. Their frontman, Erlend Hjelvik, knows
how to
play to a crowd; he came out wearing an owl mask for their opening
number "Åpenbaring," and never let up from there. The gang is very
energetic on stage. They hit loud, fast, and hard, and played with the
swagger of 70s rock and roll stars.
10. Elton John
June 15 at Bonnaroo
Seeing
Elton was a highlight of the year, even if his show didn't quite live
up to other headliner caliber sets I've seen. He opened with the 11
minute epic "Funeral
For a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding," which was among the greatest songs I
heard at Bonnaroo. After drawing top billing, many festivalgoers began
to wonder how he'd compare to last years #1 billed act, Paul McCartney.
He didn't come close to the majesty of that set, but that's not a bad
thing. Unlike fellow headliners Kanye West and Jack White, Elton didn't
have much to say. He simply kept his head down
and powered his way through his hits. It seemed like he was going
through the motions to a certain extent, but when your catalog contains
"Bennie and the Jets," "Tiny Dancer," and "All the Girls Love
Alice," it's not hard to forgive. Not to mention that Ben Folds came out
to join him for "Grey Seal." Before hitting the exit gate, I saw a
group of people who joined hands together and ran/danced
around in a circle, and then brought it in and high fived one another,
and I managed to get in on it. It was one of my favorite moments of the
weekend for
sure.
9. Mastodon
June 13 at Bonnaroo
Mastodon
has gained a reputation as one of the best live acts in their field for
good reason. I saw them twice this year, and it was tough to decide
which performance was better. Ultimately I'm going with their Bonnaroo
set for its more varied setlist. They pulled a good amount of
traditional metal from fan favorite albums
Blood Mountain and
Leviathan,
but delved into their more noodly, progressive side also. They've got
great stage presence, one of the best drummers walking the planet, and a
killer light setup. I was also jazzed for Capillarian Crest, one of the
best deep cuts they've done.
8. Beck
July 15 at Ryman Auditorium
Last
time Beck hit Nashville, we saw him stealthily slipping into a nearby
restaurant to wow patrons with secret set. No such festivities occurred
this time, but what we did get was a career retrospective from a
stunning artist who observes no rules but his own. He shared the tale of
how many cuts from his latest album,
Morning Phase, originated
from recording sessions in Nashville and wooed us with a handful of
those dreamy cuts. The highlight, however, was when Beck rolled out
yellow police tape and finished his set with a combination of crazed
harmonica playing, 90s hip hop, and a mashup of Rolling Stones' "Miss
You."
7. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
June 14 at Bonnaroo
I only caught the last half of Nick Cave, but even from that it is dead obvious the man was born to be
onstage. He cast a sinister shadow as he leered over his crowd and wove his tale
of the murderous madman Stagger Lee. I loved how the drummer clashed his stick against
the kit to make it sound like gunshots when Billy Dilly got filled full
of lead. But if that wasn't enough, Cave drops a secret verse on us
where Stagger Lee straight up kills the Devil! I loved the the chilled out dissonance of his
Push the Sky Away material as well as the gothic, Quentin Tarantino vibe, but Stagger Lee was the most badass moment of
Bonnaroo for sure!
6. Outkast
July 18 at Forecastle
Forget everything you've
heard about that off-kilter Coachella
performance. Hip hop's most dynamic duo dominated Forecastle during
their Friday night headlining set, delivering spitfire rhymes and hooks
tastier than Southern fried steak and gravy. The duo's reunion was one
of the inescapable music stories of the year, and with a chance to hear
"Ms. Jackson," "So Fresh So Clean," and "The Whole World," among many
others, it's no surprise why. The only nagging concern was whether or
not Andre was truly on board, and apparently he wasn't. In a post tour
interview he talked about how much he disliked the entire experience so
it's almost certain we'll never have the chance to see them again.
5. Damon Albarn
June 14 at Bonnaroo
Albarn
is pound for pound one of the best pure performers I have ever seen,
but the frontman of Blur and Gorillaz had no designs on hogging the
stage during this solo set. Along with him came a dazzling cast of
guests, paving the way for one of Bonnaroo's most unforgettable main
stage acts in recent memory. He belted out hard rockers, hip hop
inspired beats, more downtempo
fare and even a bit of circus style music as he weaved his way through
material from all the various bands and collaborations he has been a
part
of over his career. But when he brought out De La Soul for "Feel Good
Inc." followed by Del the Funky Homosapien for "Clint Eastwood," an uproarious celebration broke out and engulfed the entire field.
4. Neutral Milk Hotel
June 13 at Bonnaroo
Few
reunions have been more lauded by fans and critics than that of 90s
indie folk darlings Neutral Milk Hotel. After a somewhat disappointing
performance at Ryman Auditorium, their set at Bonnaroo showed me exactly
why.What is typically a laid back affair became balls to the wall as
the normally timid Jeff Mangum unleashed a torrent of buzzsaw guitars.
The moshing, pushing and shoving became so intense that several people
had to flee the set. But suddenly you got hit with the 8 minute ballad
Oh Comely. After all the roughhousing we were all so drained it felt you
were dying and that song was the only thing keeping you alive.
3. Darkside
June 14 at Bonnaroo
Navigating
Bonnaroo, especially on a Saturday night, can be a trying experience.
Fortunately, Dave Harrington's minimalistic, ethereal guitar work
coupled with Nicolas Jarr's heavenly, all encompassing synth washes
proved to be the perfect healing salve. Jarr's high pitched vocals sneak
in
to a track and then slip back out like a thief in the night. There was
an booming bass beat that keeps kicking you in the chest. And then there
was their gigantic mirror, reflecting radiant beams of light throughout
the tent. This was one of those experiences that made me forget where I
was -- to just forget about everything for a moment. For that reason,
I'll always hold it in the utmost regard.
2. Arcade Fire
May 1 at Bridgestone Arena
Win
Butler and crew are some of the brightest, most innovative and forward
thinking musicians of our day. It's hard to put a finger on what exactly
it is, but everything about their stage show and production is a breath
of fresh air. The band's first stadium tour had it all: raging calypso
drums, blankets of confetti, Mexican wrestler masks and crystal monsters
dancing around. Famed DJ Kid Koala even showed up to jam while the
equipment was set up. But Arcade Fire also have the booming catalog to
back it up. They could rattle the arena with Springsteen-esque rock or
get experimental with more exotic material from their latest album,
Reflektor,
but it was the giant anthems that carried the night as the entire
building was swept away in a riveting rendition of "Wake Up."
1. Jack White
June 14 at Bonnaroo
He may hail from Detroit, for but
three hours in a field in Tennessee Jack White did all he could to
position himself in the pantheon of all time greatest Southern
musicians. He had a particular concept in mind, so I'll let him tell you in his own words:
"All the musicians up here with me now, I think they all mentally decided that the best thing to give to you right now was not a show that would put on a bunch of explosions behind us and give you some sort of pyrotechnics for some festival or something like that. But the kind of show that we show you what kind of music we would play if we were in a room all by ourselves and you were there too."
As simple as it may seem, some performers put too much stock into presentation or focus too much on trying to girls onstage topless with them. With Jack White it was not just about the music; it was a celebration of music. This show was special because everything about his delivery felt very personalized; it was like he was talking directly to
you in the crowd no matter where you were.
But you also have to excel in terms of musicianship to make a concept like this work, and in White's case he's capable of doing things that many musicians can't. There are plenty of blues players with amazing instrumental skills, but White combines electrifying charisma with awe-inspiring musical chops, and he can actually write songs too. I found myself mesmerized by his playing. He belts out blues inspired solos but can also jam out quite a bit.
"Seven Nation Army" was the moment the audience had been anticipating all night. When he hopped onto the speaker and belted out that riff it was a full blown coronation. Of all the iconic, instantly recognizable guitar riffs that one is the most recent, and may well be the last for all we know. But what we do know is this: there may not have been any pryo at this show but you're out of luck if you're trying to determine anything else it was lacking.
