My favorite shows this year; 6 Hackett shows, 5 The Musical Box shows, 7 Brit Floyd shows, 6 Get The Led Out shows, Spock's Beard at Rosfest and Kraftwerk in Philly. Honorable mention to Steven Wilson and Iron Butterfly.
Paolino Dalla Porta https://www.facebook.com/Paolino-Dal...2390473742030/.
Easily Rodrigo y Gabriela this year. If you haven't seen these two in concert, you won't understand how a mosh pit can form with just two acoustic guitarists on stage.
"And your little sister's immaculate virginity wings away on the bony shoulders of a young horse named George who stole surreptitiously into her geography revision."
Occasional musical musings on https://darkelffile.blogspot.com/
Last edited by Svetonio; 12-20-2015 at 02:19 PM.
Didn't see a ton of shows this year, but these five were my favorites.
Magma - Boston, MA
Steven Wilson - NYC
Dave Liebman - Worcester, MA
Dead & Co - Worcester, MA
Rush - NYC
Only saw a about 5 concerts this year but no matter who else I would have seen, my top two would almost certainly not change:
1. Hackett (Cleveland)
2. ZPZ (Columbus)
Why oh why won't good shows come to Cincy? Oh yeah, because no one here seems to know shit about prog (well, except for a handfull of us).
ZPZ - Keswick
UK - World Café Live
Steven Wilson - Harrisburg
Steven Wilson - Keswick
Rush - Philly
APB - Stroudsburg
Steve Hackett - Wilkes Barre
Steve Hackett - Keswick
I happened to catch Bruford & Levin's one time buddy Chris Botti in Orlando in February. It was much more energetic than most of his albums I've heard, with a lot of jazzy stuff, including Miles Davis' "Blue in Green" and part of "Sketches of Spain". Pretty rocking at times, more than I expected. The encore even featured the "Iron Man" riff.
Most memorable were:
Roadburn festival and from individual gigs Goat, Blues Pills, Black Rainbows, Myrrors and Ashtray Navigations.
My year in concerts:
JANUARY 20: FLEETWOOD MAC – VAN ANDEL ARENA – GRAND RAPIDS MI: My 83 year old father decided he wanted to see Fleetwood Mac so I took him. It was a great show as usual and cool to see Christine McVeigh back in the fold.
JANUARY 31 – EXTREME – FIREKEEPERS CASINO – BATTLE CREEK MI:
I still maintain Extreme is one of the most underrated bands of the 90’s and they still put on a great show. They did the “Pornographiti” album from start to finish along with a lot of other stuff. Great show.
MARCH 17 – GREG ALLMAN BAND – STATE THEATER – KALAMAZOO MI
I could not find anyone else to go to this one so went by myself. I have never seen Allman before and I really enjoyed it. He had a large tight band and was in pretty good voice.
MARCH 28 – HEART / JOAN JETT – VAN ANDEL ARENA – GRAND RAPIDS MI:
Good show for the most part. Jett came out and did a kick ass hour long set. She still looks and sounds great. Heart headlined with a rather stripped down production, but a good show. Anne Wilson still sounds really good for the most part. Other than Nancy, the band is all hired guns these days, but it was good.
APRIL 11 – PRIMUS – STATE THEATER – KALAMAZOO MI:
The first half of the show was a stripped down straightforward hour long set of stuff from throughout their career. The second set was the Primus and the Chocolate Factory set with a full production. I loved the whole thing and thought it was a great show.
MAY 1,2,3: ROSFEST – MAJESTIC THEATER – GETTYSBURG PA:
Another great festival with a great lineup. Loved every minute of it!
MAY 21: GORDON LIGHTFOOT – STATE THEATER – KALAMAZOO MI
Old Gord ain’t what he used to be. He looked very frail (the concert had been postponed twice) and his voice was a shadow of what it once was, but he gave it a good effort and put on an enjoyable 2 hour show.
JUNE 4: STEVEN WILSON – PARK WEST – CHICAGO IL
This was the first time I have seen Wilson solo and it was fantastic.
JUNE 7: APOCALYPTICA – THE INTERSECTION - GRAND RAPIDS MI:
I have never seen these guys before, but they put on a great show and I really enjoyed it.
JUNE 14: RUSH – JOE LUIS ARENA – DETROIT MI
Well, if this ends up my last time seeing Rush it certainly went out on a high note. They never disappoint.
JUNE 24: GARY CLARKE JR. – MEIJER GARDENS – GRAND RAPIDS MI
Clarke is the big new thing in blues and he is the real deal. Really enjoyed this one.
JUNE 26: BILL GROGAN’S GOAT – IRISH FEST – ARCAIDA FESTIVAL SITE – KALAMAZOO MI
I saw this Irish band a few years ago at this same festival and really enjoyed them. They mix Irish music with heavy guitar. I dig what they do.
JULY 3: JOHN FOGERTY – FOUR WINDS CASINO – NEW BUFFALO MI
To be honest I had never really thought that much about seeing Fogerty before, but I guy I work with had an extra ticket so I decided to go. I was very glad I did. He totally surpasses my expectations and put on a great show with an ass kicking band.
JULY 13: PAT BENETAR / NEIL GERALDO – MEIJER GARDENS – GRAND RAPIDS MI:
My wife wanted to go to this one. I have never been a huge Benetar fan, but she put on a very good show and her voice was still in great shape. She could not hit some of the really high stuff, but she pulled off most of it just like when she was young.
AUG 4: AEROSMITH / LIVING COLOUR – VAN ANDEL ARENA – GRAND RAPIDS MI:
Another great one. First Living Colour came on and did a great hour long set. Then Aerosmith proved once again why they have been around as long as they have. Great show from start to finish.
AUG 7: BLUE OYSTER CULT – RIBFEST – KALAMAZOO MI:
I have seen BOC more than 15 times over the years. This was not their best show, but still a very good one. They pulled out some rarities as well which was very cool.
AUG 9: UPMPHREY’S MCGEE – MEIJER GARDENS – GRAND RAPIDS MI:
A perfect summer evening for a 3 hour outdoor show. UM never disappoints and this was another great one. The first set in the daylight and the second set in the dark with their killer light show. They really emphasized the more hard edge at times metal side during the second set. I loved it.
AUG 15: YES / TOTO – FREEDOM HILL AMPETHEATER – DETROIT MI
Far from the best Yes show I have seen, but still enjoyable. The Chris Squire tribute was very moving. Toto opened with a solid 90 minute energetic set.
SEPT 23: SYMPHONY X / OVERKILL – THE INTERSECTION – GRAND RAPIDS MI:
Symphony X were fantastic. My first time seeing them and I totally dug it. Overkill were so loud that I went to the concession stand and got earplugs which is very rare for me.
NOVEMBER 7: DON HENLEY / SHAWN COLVIN – FOX THEATER – DETROIT MI:
This was my first time seeing Henley solo and it was an enjoyable show. A little heavy on the country at times, but overall he was in fine voice with a very good band. Colvin was ok, but did not do that much for me.
DECEMBER 6: TRANS SIBERAN ORCHESTRA – VAN ANDEL ARENA – GRAND RAPIDS MI:
All flash and bombast they put on another extravagant killer show. Lots of fun was had by all.
"Oregon - Live at 36. Leverkusener Jazztage 2015"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHn_...288TEhKOcZdLLb
KING CRIMSON, PARIS Olympia 20-21-22 september.
ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA - Juan les pins 15 july
STEVE COLEMAN AND FIVE ELEMENTS - PARIS La villette 5 september
SECRETS CHIEFS 3 - RIO EVENT Carmaux - 19 september.
Only saw 3 this year. In order:
Steven Wilson (Newark, NJ)
Riverside (New Brunswick, NJ)
Kansas (Melbourne, FL)
Currently attempting to catch up on all of the chaos in the Market Square.
I saw around 30 shows this year. Highlights:
Magma- The Crocodile (Seattle)
Magma- Aladdin Theater (Portland)
Al Di Meola- Jazz Alley (Seattle)
Steven Wilson- Moore Theater (Seattle)
Inner Ear Brigade- Highline (Seattle)
Rush- Key Arena (Seattle)
Hiromi- Jazz Alley (Seattle)
Snarky Puppy- Neptune Theater (Seattle)
Earthless- Chop Suey (Seattle)
MoeTar- Columbia City Theater (Seattle)
Howlin Rain- Tractor tavern (Seattle)
Radio Moscow- The Crocodile (Seattle)
Overall 2015 was a pretty good year for me:
Two events – Cruise to the Edge and the UK Marillion weekend in Wolverhampton;
5 “large” theatre shows – Steven Wilson, King Crimson, Steve Hackett, Bryan Ferry and Ian Anderson; and
16 “small” theatre/club shows - Steve Rothery, Mostly Autumn (2x), Karnataka (2x), Renaissance, Anglagard, Spock’s Beard, Tim Bowness, Uriah Heep, Panic Room, Lifesigns, Arena, Banned From Utopia, Pallas and The Watch.
The Uriah Heep concert was a novelty as we were on holiday in Budapest at the time – most of the other shows (apart from the two events) were in local venues (Manchester/Lancashire).
The two events are the most memorable (due to their scale) but the individual shows by SW, KC, SH and the Neil Morse Band (on CTTE) stand out.
Of the bands that I’ve seen play for the first time, those making the best first impressions were Anglagard, IOEarth, Airbag and the Dave Kerzner Band.
Surprisingly I’ve managed to see Steve Rothery play no less than 7 shows (4 with Marillion and 3 with his own band) – that’s a first.
So a pretty good year then, although (as is often the case) it’s been frustrating that a few of the bands I’d really like to have seen have played their only UK show(s) in London – it’s such a difficult/expensive place for so many of us Brits to visit!
I'm thinking about it, and I don't think I saw a single live show this year.
flute juice
This year was a stellar year for live music. The best was:
The Pop Group (Lee's Palace, Toronto) never thought it would happen, brilliant!
Maddy Prior and Steeleye Span (Hugh's Room, Toronto) another buck list show
Van Morrison (Ottawa Cityfolk Festival) a beautiful outdoor event
FFS (Franz Ferdinand and Sparks) (The Phoenix, Toronto)
Three Friends with Moulettes (Moulettes were my discovery of the year. It is wonderful to get excited about something new again)
King Crimson (Toronto and Montreal) say no more.
Happy New Year, folks.
I am hoping for a chance to see Camel next year. Fingers are crossed.
I forgot to add that I also saw the Tallis Scholars this month in Ottawa. Renaissance polyphony that transports your spirit. Exceptional musicians making heavenly music. Cheers.
Thanks .. Yeah, I apparently was too busy with other stuff (mostly work and my involvement in the Magic: the Gathering community). But definitely making a point to get to more shows this year. Magma for sure, and probably Marillion. Hopefully KC comes round this way again. And definitely Ashbury.
flute juice
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