For me:
GYBE - Buffalo - No words, just too awesome.
Sun Ra Arkestra - Strangewaves Fest - Up close and personal... maybe 100-125 people max...under a tent, in a field, under the stars. Magic.
The Residents - Mod Club Toronto - a straight out tour de force, was totally blown away. 4th time seeing them in past few years, this one just killed.
King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard - Toronto - second time seeing them...liked this one a lot better. Superb stuff!
Nik Bartsch Ronin (x2) - top of his game with minimalist modern jazz that grooves and grooves
Bent Knee - saw them twice this year, once in support, when headlining at Sinclair put on a terrific show.
Godspeed You Black Emperor - Big Ears - Stunning show, grooving driving post rock, really grabs you and hangs on, most players in dark with film projection behind the band.
Jaga Jazzist - Big Ears - heavy funky electronica big band jazz, took a couple of tracks to lock in but man they tore it up for 45 minutes with the whole crowd grinning and bouncing around.
BANGS (Jason Morans, Mary Halvorson, Ron Miles) - Big Ears - contemporary modern jazz, really beautiful stuff, really shone, loved it.
Alec K Redfearn & The Eyesore - ProgDay & RIO - stripped down line-up with French Horn more present, new material is really good.
Chromb! - RIO - tight, loose, heavy, fast turn on a dime rock/jazz with lots of humor
PinioL - RIO - loud heavy fast, bonkers, fun. Pretty much full on for their full set, exhausting but superb.
Free Salamander Exhibit - RIO - a terrific performance full of theatrics, energy, fast moving changes and crunchiness. Loved it
Jean Louis - RIO - experimental avant jazz with loads of distortion and effects, superb
Ian
Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on progrock.com
https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-a...re-happy-hour/
Gordon Haskell - "You've got to keep the groove in your head and play a load of bollocks instead"
I blame Wynton, what was the question?
There are only 10 types of people in the World, those who understand binary and those that don't.
As of today, 11/23, I saw 85 concerts! Hoping to see at least 5-7 more before the year is out!
Here's some faves
2/7/2018 Audrey Chen & Phil Minton
2/15/2018 Sarah Hughes 4tet Celebrates Ornette Coleman
Sarah Hughes (alto) Griffith Kazmierczak (trumpet, violin), Luke Stewart (bass) and Nate Scheible (drums)
3/3/2018 Matt Wilson's Honey & Salt
Matt Wilson - drums/compositions / Dawn Thomson - guitar, vocals / John Koozin - bass guitar / Dave Ballou - trumpet / Brad Linde - reeds
5/9/2018 Nik Bärtch's Ronin
5/12/2018 The Spell Casters
6/1/2018 Carla Bley / Liberation Music Orchestra - tribute to Charlie Haden
6/12/2018 Tigue
(Matt Evans, Amy Garapic and Carson Moody)
6/20/2018 Descartes A Kant
7/12/2018 The Messthetics
8/26/2018 Brian Settles - Anthony Pirog
9/20/2018 Dan Weiss - Starebaby
Trevor Dunn - bass / Matt Mitchell - piano / Ben Monder - guitar / Craig Taborn - synth / Dan Weiss - drums
9/22/2018 Joel Harrison Free Country
Joel Harrison: guitars, voice Anthony Pirog: guitar Jerome Harris: bass Jeremy Clemons: drums
10/6/2018 Soft Machine
10/10/2018 Akku Quintet / Accordo dei Contrari
10/27/2018 75 Dollar Bill
Steve F.
www.waysidemusic.com
www.cuneiformrecords.com
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Remember, if it doesn't say "Cuneiform," it's not prog!” - THE Jed Levin
Any time any one speaks to me about any musical project, the one absolute given is "it will not make big money". [tip of the hat to HK]
"Death to false 'support the scene' prog!"
please add 'imo' wherever you like, to avoid offending those easily offended.
Those 3 remain on my wish list.Originally Posted by Steve F.
Ian
Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on progrock.com
https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-a...re-happy-hour/
Gordon Haskell - "You've got to keep the groove in your head and play a load of bollocks instead"
I blame Wynton, what was the question?
There are only 10 types of people in the World, those who understand binary and those that don't.
Messthetics you can see at Big Ears.
I saw them 3 x this year, but this show was the best of them!
Steve F.
www.waysidemusic.com
www.cuneiformrecords.com
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Remember, if it doesn't say "Cuneiform," it's not prog!” - THE Jed Levin
Any time any one speaks to me about any musical project, the one absolute given is "it will not make big money". [tip of the hat to HK]
"Death to false 'support the scene' prog!"
please add 'imo' wherever you like, to avoid offending those easily offended.
I did not see many interesring prog acts this year but i caught some interesting Jazz acts .
Favorite 2018 shows:
1.Mary Halvorson quartet playing John Zorn
2. Sax ruins
3. Gogopenguin
Going to see Nik Bartsch Ronin in a week
1. Dweezil Zappa
2. Jane Ira Bloom Quartet
3. Mobius Strip
4. FM
5. Aniba Hotep & Sol Collective
6. Music of Cream
Runners up:
7. Soft Machine
8. Kansas (Leftoverture tour)
9. Maceo Parker
10. Behn Gillese Quartet
For me:
King Crimson
Dweezil Zappa
But I feel like I'm forgetting something fairly recent...
Nik Bärtch's Ronin
Jaga Jazzist
GYBE
Soft Machine
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."
-- Aristotle
Nostalgia, you know, ain't what it used to be. Furthermore, they tells me, it never was.
“A Man Who Does Not Read Has No Appreciable Advantage Over the Man Who Cannot Read” - Mark Twain
I've only seen a few this year, unfortunately. The best was maybe Michael Schenker Fest. He had his mid 80's rhythm section (Chris Glen on bass and Ted McKenna on drums), and he had all three singers who were in MSG back in the 80's, plus Doogie White, who I gather is ostensibly his current singer. They rotated through the singers, each one doing about 20 minutes of the show (with the other singers occasionally singing backup or helping out here or there, e.g. Robin McCauley joining in with Gary Barden on Attack Of The Mad Axeman). The show started with was essentially side one of One Night At Budokan plus Into The Arena and a new song called Messin' Around, and it ended with a half hour's worth of UFO songs, including a 13 minute version of Rock Bottom.
After that, the 3rdegree show I saw was pretty cool, just because the band made the effort to come out to Cleveland and played for, I believe, an audience of three or four. Not the most ideal situation to play in (to say nothing of the Spinal Tap-esque technical problems), but they still played a great set, and I'm glad I went to see them play.
Soft Machine were pretty cool too. I actually enjoyed that one much better than I expected.
Hmmm, those might have been the only three shows I saw this year, now that I think about it, and I really only have one other scheduled (Brand X, in a couple weeks) before the year is over. How did it ever come to this! (shrug)
A few more to go but my current tally:
Carpenter Brut
Lingua Ignota
Jaga Jazzist
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Kid Koala
Ronin
Between the Buried and Me
Dan Terminus
Suzanne Ciani
Anna Meredith
Thomas Strönen
So far qualifying as faves:
Snarky Puppy
Steve Hackett
PFM
Steven Wilson
Discipline
Luz de Riada
Stick men with David Cross
Deep Purple
and tomorrow night The Flower Kings
Dweezil Zappa
Kansas 40th anniversary of PoKR
Yes 50th anniversary
TR's Utopia
YES (50th)...got to see this with my best friend from high school who came out to Atlanta (from California) to help celebrate my 60th B-Day...(The last concert he and I saw together????….YES @ MSG for the Tormato (in the round) tour.....Yeah, we had a great time.)
G.A.S -aholic
The Dixie Dregs - 3/21 The Egg, Albany NY
Billy Cobham - 3/25 The Egg, Albany NY
Steve Wilson - 4/19 The Egg, Albany NY
Brad Mehldau - 4/23 The Egg, Albany NY
Brand X - 5/10 Cohoes Music Hall, Cohoes NY
Empire Jazz Orchestra: 7/10 Central Park Schenectady NY
Jean-Luc Ponty - 8/28 The Egg, Albany NY
David Byrne - 9/9 The Palace, Albany NY
Paul McCandless & Charged Particles - 9/16 Shepard Park, Lake George NY
Accordo dei Contrari - 10/6 Progstock, Rahway NJ
IQ - 10/6 Progstock, Rahway NJ
Mystery - 10/7 Progstock, Rahway NJ
Jobson Plays UK - 10/7 Progstock, Rahway NJ
Still to come, John Scofield
I may have seen you at a couple of those
Ian
Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on progrock.com
https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-a...re-happy-hour/
Gordon Haskell - "You've got to keep the groove in your head and play a load of bollocks instead"
I blame Wynton, what was the question?
There are only 10 types of people in the World, those who understand binary and those that don't.
If you didn't, then we need to get you to an eye doctor pronto!!
Yep, some great shared ones in there, and I'm already looking forward to the next batch this coming March
If you're actually reading this then chances are you already have my last album but if NOT and you're curious:
https://battema.bandcamp.com/
Also, Ephemeral Sun: it's a thing and we like making things that might be your thing: https://ephemeralsun.bandcamp.com
I kicked up my heels at "A Celebration of 50 Years of Lawrence Welk" and threw my back out dancing the polka all night.
I also (seriously) slipped in the shower Thanksgiving morning and bruised a couple of ribs and my ass and am presently on Vicodin, which explains my first sentence..
New online purchases in the last 2 days include 2 shower/bath grab bars and a shower seat.
The only concerts I went to in 2018 were ProgDay, Bent Knee, Gordon Lightfoot & Lake Street Dive. I now live vicariously through all you assholes (I just mentioned this so I didn't have to cop to hijacking the thread).
"My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician, and to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference"
President Harry S. Truman
The Arkestra are still at it, eh? Who is nominal bandleader nowadays?
Sounds like a marvelous experience. Sometimes the enviorn in which we see a show can play such a strong part in how we feel about what we are hearing. Neil Young & Crazy Horse during a thunderstorm in Hershey Park PA in 1996 is one of mine.
Damn, that sucks. Hope you heal up quickly.I kicked up my heels at "A Celebration of 50 Years of Lawrence Welk" and threw my back out dancing the polka all night.
I also (seriously) slipped in the shower Thanksgiving morning and bruised a couple of ribs and my ass and am presently on Vicodin, which explains my first sentence.
New online purchases in the last 2 days include 2 shower/bath grab bars and a shower seat.
The only concerts I went to in 2018 were ProgDay, Bent Knee, Gordon Lightfoot & Lake Street Dive. I now live vicariously through all you assholes (I just mentioned this so I didn't have to cop to hijacking the thread).
Michael Rother (Edinburgh)
Peter Hammill (Bristol)
King Crimson (Cardiff)
Nik Bärtsch's Ronin (Southampton)
Ezra Collective (Bristol)
(the last three were each wildly different from the others, but each could easily have laid claim to being amongst the best gigs I've been to - &, remarkably, they took place within a period of two weeks!)
Last edited by per anporth; 11-26-2018 at 12:03 PM.
Looking back over my calendar I had a pretty good concert year:
Jan 5: Buddy Guy at his club in Chicago IL
Feb 3: Umphrey’s McGee / Marcus King Band Wings Stadium Kalamazoo.
Feb 9: Cheap Trick Firekeepers Casino Battle Creek MI
Feb 16: Marillion Royal Oak Music Theater Royal Oak MI
Feb 18: Marillion 20 Monroe Live Grand Rapids MI
March 28: Nightwish State Theater Kalamazoo MI
May 1: Steven Wilson / Paul Draper Vic Theater Chicago IL
May 11: Rival Sons The Intersection Grand Rapids MI
May 24: Marcus King Band State Theater Kalamazoo MI
June 4: The Decembrists Meijer Gardens Grand Rapids MI
July 19: Drive By Truckers Bell’s Brewery Kalamazoo MI
July 28: The Struts Elevation Club Grand Rapids MI
August 10: Chris Robinson Brotherhood Bell’s Brewery Kalamazoo MI
August 16: ELO Little Caesars Arena Detroit MI
Sept 1 & 2: Progday Chapel Hill NC
October 5: Buddy Guy / Quinn Sullivan 20 Monroe Live Grand Rapids MI
Oct 19, 10, 21: Progtoberfest Reggie’s Chicago IL
Nov 17: Lindsey Buckingham Michigan Theater Ann Arbor MI.
Steve, how was the ELO concert in August?
Steve Geez, sorry to hear about the fall. I feel down the stairs rushing for work an landed on my tailbone, still hurts a week later.
It was very good. I think I posted a review on here if I remember right. It was pretty amazing how well they re-created their studio sound on stage.
Eldorado is a 10 out of 10 album for me, Anything from that album, Can't Get It Out Of My Head etc? I wanted to catch the Toronto show but didn't make it to the show. I'll check for your review.
The best concert I saw was Steve Wilson's Too The Bone show in Montreal.
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