2009 Year in Review: Live Music

Concert of the Year

Pixies performing Doolittle at the Fillmore in Denver, Night Two. One of my all-time favorite bands playing a classic record beginning to end. It's a hard show to beat—especially when the Pixies are at the top of their game. Sure, Kim, Joey, David, and Black Francis all look a little older and a little pudgier, but they rock ferociously. I didn't get to see them back in the day, but I did see them back in 2004 and I've listened to other live recordings—this show blew them all away.

I loved the sheer enthusiasm and energy the band brought to each song. They've played most of these songs a thousand times, but I never felt like they were mailing it in. Rather, the years of practice made them a tighter band and they knew how to get the most out of each song. The Pixies aren't a chatty band (while Kim Deal provides great comic relief, she's pretty much the only one who says anything during the show), but the way they played said everything. For those two hours, it seemed like Denver was the only place they wanted be.

Besides the performance, the production also set this show above the rest. The stage set up, the set list, and the concert visuals completed the experience. Before the Pixies came out, a stylized version of Un Chien Andalou played on the big screen behind the stage ("Slicing up eyeballs, ah ha ha ho!"). Each song was accompanied by a different video background

—

each a perfect compliment to its song.

My favorite video would have to be the one for "Here Comes Your Man,"

a four-way split screen with close-ups of each band members bobbing their heads to the beat. It was a sly yet warm-hearted little poke at a quirky song about a hobo that somehow became a hit. In all, I don't think I've ever seen a show where the visuals complimented the performance so well.

At the end of the night, all four band members came to the front of the stage and said thank you to the fans at the show. Yes, I realize they probably do this every night (they did it in 2004 too), but I can't remember another band taking the time to say thanks so intentionally.

Why the second night over the first night? I waited in line for an hour and a half before the doors opened and Emily and I staked out a spot on the first row right in front of Kim Deal's bass.

We were even on screen during "Gouge Away" as the stage camera slowly panned across the crowd.

Yes, I am a Pixies fan boy. At least I own it.

• Travis—Deer Tick
• Bman—Phoenix
• Natasha—Depeche Mode at Red Rocks
• Jozwik—Vampire Hands and My Golden Mask ties with a close second of Vivian Girls
• Deacon—Andrew Bird and St Vincent in Columbus. He is like a mad violin scientist.
• Rachel B.—Grizzly Bear with Beach House at the Michigan Theater
• Ashley H.—Fleetwood Mac

Best Concert Moment
Wilco performing "Spiders (Kidsmoke)" at Red Rocks. I feel like I need to provide some context on this one. Back in 2002-2003, going to a Wilco show could be a bittersweet experience. The band gave a good show each night, but Jeff Tweedy always seemed to be in pain. His stage presence was lacking in confidence and neurotic at best. A lot of this had to do with crippling headaches and an addiction to pain medicine. I always appreciated the art and effort, but part of me regretted that he went through so much to perform.

After surgery to relieve the headaches and a trip to rehab to ditch the meds, Jeff Tweedy has an entirely different presence and he's having fun. Tweedy also seems to finally be comfortable with Wilco's growing notoriety. Seeing Wilco fill Red Rocks and then rock it like an arena band was something to experience. Sing-alongs, hand claps, waving your arms in the air; the vaunted "lighter song" was the only trick in the book they didn't pull out. Wilco has become one of the heavy metal bands Tweedy used to go see at the Landing in the summer—and it's fun to watch.

One moment in particular drove this home for me. During "Spiders (Kidsmoke)," Tweedy approached the crowd as the first guitar solo approached. Now it should be noted that the guitar solos in "Spiders" are a couple of my all-time favorites—I love the ramshackle way the tension builds before the band explodes out of the Neu! beat of the verses. Well, just before the first solo, Tweedy walks up to a girl in the front row and lets her pick the notes on his guitar as he worked the frets!

I literally laughed out loud! This was the same artist who I saw almost kick a guy in the head during the encore of a 2003 show at DAR Constitution Hall in DC because the guy and his friend took a flash picture at the front of the stage. The same Tweedy who seemed almost crippled by insecurity at so many shows I had been to before. Now he's in full-on rock star mode, letting someone in the audience play his guitar. And it completely rocked.

Runner up: Vivian Girls trading instruments mid-song during their encore at the Hi Dive in Denver. I'm sure they do it all the time, but to me it was a fun and spontaneous way to close out the night.

• Travis—Deer Tick playing "Dead Flowers," "Maybelline," "Twist and Shout," and a couple of other rock and roll standards to cap off a 2 hour show
• Bman—1) The beginning of Blitzen Trapper ‘s "sleepy time"; 2) Light show that accompanied the Phoenix show
• Natasha—Foxy Shazam at Halloween was pretty awesome! [I would second this one. Foxy Shazam was insane. There was so much going on; I don't even know where to begin. The lead singer looked like a Doobie Brother, sang like Freddie Mercury, and strutted like David Lee Roth. The rest of the band was just as crazy. One of the most fun opening acts I've ever seen—Fran]
• Jozwik—You know there's too many people at a venue when your nose touches the neck of the guy in front of you. Yuck.
• Ben—When Neko Case took her top off (this didn't actually happen, but it would be sweet)
• Rachel—Nothing specific comes to mind, but it was pretty amazing to realize Grizzly Bear can take its sound and multi-instruments on the roads—so much more beautifully eerie live.
• Ashley—the close of the Band of Horses New Year's Eve show when they brought folks up on stage and sang "We are the World"

Venue of the Year
Hi-Dive, Denver. If I could choose only one place to see a concert ever again, it would be Red Rocks, hands down. Fortunately, I don't have to choose just one because if I did I would have missed out on a fantastic run at the Hi-Dive in 2009. For a while, it seemed like every up-and-coming band I wanted to see was playing the Hi-Dive. Blitzen Trapper, Vivian Girls, Japandroids, and my favorite local Denver band, the Pseudo Dates (R.I.P.), all played the Hi-Dive this year. There were even more shows I wanted to go to but didn't make. The Hi-Dive is easy on the wallet too; each show costs only 6-10 bucks. And there's a great bar/restaurant called Sputnik adjoining the club. All reasons why the Hi-Dive rocked my 2009.

• Travis—Has always and probably will always be Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, NC, but the Black Cat in D.C. ain't bad. I love the felines.
• Bman—One Eyed Jacks, New Orleans
• Natasha—Red Rocks for big shows, I still like the Bluebird in Denver though.
• Jozwik—The Civic Opera House in Chicago to see Andrew Bird was pretty awesome.
• Ben—Goes without saying—the Ryman in Nashville

Most Surreal Show
The Sounds Halloween show at the Ogden. Costumes required. A life-size Pac-Man being chased by a ghost through the crowd. Bands wearing masks. Trick or treat candy at the bar. Champagne spraying everywhere. Me dressed like a punk emo kid with red hair. And Foxy Shazaam.

Show I wish I could've gone to
Dangerosa, anywhere, anytime. It'll work out one of these days, Will.

Fran's 2009 Concerts:

• Blitzen Trapper, Hi-Dive, Denver, 3-12-09
• Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band, Twist & Shout, Denver, 3-13-09
• Vivian Girls with the Pseudo Dates, Hi-Dive, Denver, 5-3-2009
• The Detroit Cobras, Larimer Lounge, Denver, 5-11-09
• Neko Case, The Ogden Theatre, Denver, 5-30-09
• A Camp, Bluebird Theater, Denver, 6-6-09
• Wilco with Okkervil River, Red Rocks, 7-3-09
• Old 97s, Boulder Theatre, Boulder, 7-16-09
• Japandroids, Hi-Dive, Denver, 7-21-09
• The Flaming Lips with Explosions in the Sky, Red Rocks, 8-23-09
• The Gossip, Bluebird Theater, Denver, 10-19-09
• The Sounds with Foxy Shazam, The Ogden Theatre, 10-31-09
• Pixies, The Fillmore, Denver, 11-16-09
• Pixies, The Fillmore, Denver, 11-17-09
• Spiral Stairs, Seattle, 11-20-09

Thanks to all my concert-going companions: Maya, Katie, Adam, Emily, Natasha, Josh, TJ and James!

Coming up on Monday: "2009 Year in Review: Recorded Music"!