Totally Unauthorized's Top Concerts & Festival Sets of 2023: List 25-1

Last year, 2022 was far and away the biggest live music year I'd ever experienced. So what do you do when you're coming off a year like that? Go bigger! I saw just under 200 bands this year and these were the absolute best. If any of these acts come near you, I highly recommend hitting them up if they're your style. 

See Part 1 of the list here: Totally Unauthorized's Top Concerts & Festival Sets of 2023: List 50-26

25. 2manyDJs 

April 16 at Coachella

Mash-up / House / Electronic

 

24. Incubus

August 16 at Firstbank Amphitheater // Franklin, TN 

Alternative Rock / Funk Metal / Pop Rock

23. LCD Soundsystem

June 23 at Re:SET Concert Series // Nashville, TN 

Dance Punk / Indietronica / Post-Punk Revival

22. Kendrick Lamar

June 16 at Bonnaroo 

West Coast Hip-Hop / Conscious Hip-Hop / Pop Rap

21. boygenius

June 25 at Re:SET Concert Series // Nashville, TN

Singer-Songwriter / Indie Rock / Indie Folk 

20. The Mars Volta

October 1 at Ryman Auditorium // Nashville, TN

Progressive Rock / Experimental Rock / Post-Hardcore

19. Little Simz 

October 13 at Terminal 5 // New York City

UK Hip-Hop / Conscious Hip-Hop / Neo-Soul

18. Tool

September 22 at Louder Than Life // Louisville, KY

Progressive Metal / Alternative Metal 

 

17. Tenacious D 

 September 7 at Firstbank Amphitheater // Franklin, TN 

 

Comedy Rock / Rock Musical / Film Soundtrack 

 

16. Rina Sawayama

June 16 at Bonnaroo

Dance Pop / Contemporary R&B / Electropop

15. Vulfpeck  

June 16 at Bonnaroo

Funk / Jazz Funk / Pop Soul

14. Foo Fighters 

June 18 at Bonnaro

Alternative Rock / Post-Grunge

13. Queens of the Stone Age 

September 27 at Louder Than Life // Louisville, KY 

Stoner Rock / Hard Rock / Garage Rock Revival

12. Enslaved 

April 28 at Variety Playhouse // Atlanta, GA

Progressive Metal / Black Metal / Viking Metal 

11. Björk

April 16 at Coachella

Art Pop / Electronic / Trip Hop

10. The Cure 

June 27 at State Farm Arena // Atlanta, GA

Post-Punk / Gothic Rock / New Wave

9. Janelle Monae

October 3 at Ryman Auditorium // Nashville, TN

Contemporary R&B / Progressive Soul / Synth Funk

8. My Morning Jacket 

June 17 at Bonnaroo

Indie Rock / Alt Country / Neo Psychedelia 

7. Muse

April 12 at Honda Center // Anaheim, CA

Alternative Rock / Pop Rock / Electropop

6. The Chemical Brothers

April 14 at Coachella

Big Beat / Progressive House / Techno

5. Les Claypool's Flying Frog Brigade

October 31 at Ryman Auditorium // Nashville, TN

Progressive Rock / Jam Band / Funk Rock

4. Beyoncé

July 15 at Nissan Stadium // Nashville, TN

Contemporary R&B / Dance Pop 

3. Metallica 

November 5 at The Dome at America's Center // St. Louis, MO

Heavy Metal / Thrash Metal  

2. Billy Strings

February 25 at Bridgestone Arena // Nashville, TN 

Progressive Bluegrass / Jamgrass 

1. Nick Cave

October 17 at Ryman Auditorium // Nashville, TN

Singer-Songwriter / Post Punk / Gothic Rock

Out of all the world class musicians and vivid performers I was lucky enough to see this year, this show is at the top for one simple reason: it gave me something I didn't know I needed. i picked up a copy of Cave's Alone at Alexandria at Rough Trade last year when I was in NYC, which showcases a playing style and many songs that figure prominently into the setlist he was playing on this tour. I wasn't a big fan of it; as a fan of the more gothic, hellraising side of Cave it didn't have much to offer me. But he said something before the show began that made a big impact; it was a sort of mission statement for the evening. He said he wanted to break these songs open and see what's inside them, and I found that very powerful. There was something that felt very special and intimate to see an artist presenting that type of deconstruction of their own songs. 

 

He was accompanied by Colin Greenwood of Radiohead on bass. As much as I appreciate Colin, he may as well have been invisible here. Cave's playing was nothing short of magnetic. You had your well-known cuts like "The Mercy Seat," but equally captivating was the story he told about "Papa Won't Leave You, Henry," a father's lullaby set against the backdrop of shocking violence and squalid conditions. Cave explained the song was inspired by his time living in Brazil. Elsewhere, "Stranger Than Kindness" was one of the most vulnerable and tender songs of the evening, and Cave went into detail explaining the song's origin, having been written by former Bad Seeds member Blixa Bargeld. Cave capped the night with a second encore that saw him taking audience requests, ending with two plaintive but poignant cuts in "God Is In The House" and "People Ain't No Good." Cave proved his prowess as a performer and demonstrated yet again why is among the world's consummate showmen.