X – Theater of the Living Arts (Philadelphia) – December 8, 2005
Last week I listed my 10 favorite records of last year. This week I’m listing my 10 favorite shows of 2005.
Like taking a trip back to 1983, X leapt out, grabbed a hold of me and never let go for the hour that they were on stage, hitting upon many classics from their 1st 4 albums and not missing a beat in the process. After seeing them on an acoustic tour back in 1995 and various side projects like The Knitters back in August, it was great to finally see the original lineup in an amped-up setting like this one.
The Arcade Fire – Irving Plaza (New York) – February 2, 2005
Besides the aforementioned X performance, this Arcade Fire show was my favorite show of the year because of the undeniable energy and excitement they create on stage and the absolutely magical occurence of David Byrne singing Talking Heads’ “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)” for their encore. For those reasons, this show was well worth the $65 or so I paid to get in.
Mission of Burma – Bowery Ballroom (New York) – January 14 ,2005
Although some in the audience left during the 2nd set (apparently they couldn’t stand the noise), I was riveted. This was a much better show than their performance almost a year before to the day at Irving Plaza.
Maximo Park – Tonic (New York) – June 10, 2005
Their show at Bowery Ballroom in September was great, too, but I’m picking this one since it was in a really small place and it was my 1st time seeing them and I got to briefly meet guitarist Duncan Lloyd afterwards, who was a really nice guy.
Antony and the Johnsons – Town Hall (New York) – July 28, 2005
I have to give props to anyone who can make a hip New York audience whistle and make animal noises on command. Furthermore, while Antony’s voice was even more stunning live than on record, the real eye-opener here was how funny his banter is between songs and thus how much more human he seems rather than the wounded, delicate angel that he’s often depicted as.
The Go-Betweens – Southpaw (Brooklyn) – June 11, 2005
I have to include this show because not only was it my 1st time ever seeing the great Go-Betweens, but also because I met my girlfriend at this show.
The dBs – Maxwells (Hoboken, NJ) – September 19, 2005
While the band themselves were a bit rusty since they hadn’t played together in over 20 years, it was still great to see songs from their great 1st 2 albums performed in a venue that really felt like home both for them and for me. The version of “Love is for Lovers” that they played that night blows away the version on Like This.
The Pernice Brothers – Southpaw (Brooklyn) – September 23, 2005
Of all the times I’ve seeing them, I’ve never seen Joe Pernice so passionate. It was a tough tour for them, to put it mildly, but it’s inspiring that they were able to play such riveting music in spite of, or perhaps because of, those events. The performances of “Saddest Quo” and “Dumb it Down” along with their intros are still as vivid as when I was there.
The Decemberists – Warsaw (Brooklyn) – May 28, 2005
This was my 1st time seeing The Decemberists and they didn’t disappoint. This show was great, including a cover of Kate Bush’s classic “Wuthering Heights” and all of The Tain in its entirety for an encore.
New Pornographers with Stars – Prospect Park Bandshell (Brooklyn) – June 25, 2005
Last but certainly not least, this was just a magical show. Outdoors on a beautiful June night, it seemed a bit odd that my 1st time seeing both of these bands was in front of 8,000 people (and furthermore that both bands were playing to such a huge crowd). Nevertheless, both bands were great and thanks to a certain someone, I was able to sit in the VIP section by the soundboard.
