Best Concerts of 2019

**NogbadTheBad** · 12-12-2019

So I went to my last gig of the year last night so now its time for best gigs of the year

Vezhlivy Otkaz - New York - bucket list band for a decade, never thought I'd get to see them, stunningly good
King Crimson - Boston - as good as any of their recent tours, still stellar
Nick Mason - Boston - really excellent to see all the old Floyd material with real sense of joy and a high energy packed venue
The Comet Is Coming - Big Ears Knoxville & Boston - high energy modern electro jazz funk featuring Shabaka Hutchings on sax
Koenjihyakkei - RIO Lyon - another bucket list band, high energy Japanese Zeuhl heavy and bonkers all the time
This Is Not This Heat - Big Ears Knoxville - Experimental Rock one of the highlights of the festival
Nik Bartsch Ronin - Big Ears Knoxville - Swiss minimalist modern zen groove jazz
PoiL - RIO Lyon - punky avant rock - tiny club all standing loads of fun
Schnellertollermeier - Swiss brutal minimalist jazz, crushingly good.

**rickawakeman** · 12-12-2019

We really enjoyed Joe Jackson and Neal Morse in Boston, Flying Colors in NYC, Steve Hackett and King Crimson in Montreal, Adrian Belew in neighboring Holyoke, and Jane Siberry and the Musical Box right here in town.

**markwoll** · 12-12-2019

Nik Bartsch Ronin - Big Ears Knoxville
Stereolab - 9:30
Messthetics - Big Ears
God Is An Astronaut - R&R Hotel
Us Today - Progday

**moecurlythanu** · 12-12-2019

Haven't been to a ton of shows this year, but the ones I have, ranked in order:

1. Vezhlivy Otkaz - Cleveland Heights
2. Steve Hackett - Cleveland
3. King Crimson - Northfield Park
4. Jonah Koslen - Cleveland
5. Neal Morse Band - Cleveland
6. Jon Anderson - Northfield Park
7. The Musical Box - Cleveland

**Garyhead** · 12-12-2019

1. STRAWBS 50th Anniversary Weekend! - Lakewood, NJ
2. Soft Machine - Seattle, WA. Highlight was the drummer’s Plumbers Crack to the audience while adjusting his drums!

3. Riverside - Seattle, WA

**AncientChord** · 12-13-2019

King Crimson - Greek Theater Los Angeles
The Pineapple Thief - El Rey Theater Los Angeles

In my prog world, it don't get any better than this. Wish it would, but I have high standards.

**battema** · 12-13-2019

It was a great year for shows. Glad I could even see a few of these with a few of the fine folks in this thread like Ian and Mark

Quick run through some notables:

William Basinski @ U Street
Deafheaven @ Fillmore
Com Truise @ Union Station
Nick Mason @ DAR Constitution Hall
Sunn O))) @ Howard
Nik Bartsch Ronin @ Big Ears
This is Not This Heat @ Big Ears
KTL @ Big Ears
Imogen Heap @ Lincoln
Kyle Dixon + Michael Stein @ Kennedy Center
The Midnight @ The National
God is an Astronaut @ Rock + Roll Hotel
Oranssi Pazuzu @ Metro Gallery
Drab Majesty @ Union Station
Polite Refusal @ Rhizome
Cinematic Orchestra @ 9:30 Club
Street Cleaner @ Metro Gallery
Henry Kaiser @ Rhizome
Between the Buried + Me @ Fillmore

So far 2020 has Swans/Anna Von Hausswolff, Cult of Luna, Heilung, whatever Big Ears has in store, and an Ensemble Ire with Franck Vigroux. So, looks like another great year lies ahead (can't wait).

PS: Fuck it...special mention to seeing Metavari @ Songbyrd Cafe in DC, mainly because it's the only time I've been to a show where 100% of the audience loved the band as completely as me. That's because I was literally the ONLY person in the audience, but why nitpick. It was amazing and I gave him a full room's worth of enthusiasm.

**rickawakeman** · 12-13-2019

Perhaps our favorite musical performance this year was not a concert per se, but David Byrne's American Utopia during it's Boston pre-Broadway run. Exceptional show. Getting rave reviews on Broadway.

**adap2it** · 12-13-2019

Us Today @ Progday
Steve Hackett, Oakville Canada
Cher, Toronto

**Steve F.** · 12-13-2019

It was hard to whittle it down but here:

NUMBER ONE SPOT definitely goes to:

6/19/2019 Вежливый Отказ aka Vezhlivy Otkaz aka Polite Refusal - Rhizome, DC

rest are in date order.

2/17/2019 Spellcasters - Bertha's, Baltimore

2/28/2019 Boom Tic Boom - An die Musik, Baltimore

3/22/2019 Big Ears - Ralph Towner

3/23/2019 Big Ears - This Is Not This Heat

3/26/2019 FIRE! - Rhizome, DC

4/5/2019 Tomeka Reid Stringtet - Milkboy Arthouse, College Park, MD

5/5/2019 Rosetta Trio [Jamie Fox/Liberty Ellman/Stephen Crump] - Rhizome, DC

5/18/2019 The Mercury Tree - Orion, Baltimore, MD

6/23/2019 Empirical - Rhizome, DC

6/26/2019 Marbin - Seasons & Sessions - DC

11/22/2019 Henry Kaiser - Rhizome, DC

**Steve F.** · 12-13-2019

P.S. - really pleased to see several people pick US, TODAY's Progday performance. I was not at Progday, but I've seen them twice in the last few years, and am a fan and am glad others here share my enthusiasm.

**Zeuhlmate** · 12-13-2019

This Is Not This Heat - Copenhagen
Magma - Oslo

**battema** · 12-13-2019

Originally Posted by Steve F.

It was hard to whittle it down but here:

NUMBER ONE SPOT definitely goes to:

6/19/2019 Вежливый Отказ aka Vezhlivy Otkaz aka Polite Refusal - Rhizome, DC

rest are in date order.

2/17/2019 Spellcasters - Bertha's, Baltimore

2/28/2019 Boom Tic Boom - An die Musik, Baltimore

3/22/2019 Big Ears - Ralph Towner

3/23/2019 Big Ears - This Is Not This Heat

3/26/2019 FIRE! - Rhizome, DC

4/5/2019 Tomeka Reid Stringtet - Milkboy Arthouse, College Park, MD

5/5/2019 Rosetta Trio [Jamie Fox/Liberty Ellman/Stephen Crump] - Rhizome, DC

5/18/2019 The Mercury Tree - Orion, Baltimore, MD

6/23/2019 Empirical - Rhizome, DC

6/26/2019 Marbin - Seasons & Sessions - DC

11/22/2019 Henry Kaiser - Rhizome, DC

You know, I almost included Polite Refusal too...in retrospect I really should have. They were excellent and I also got lots of fun stories about the before/after aspects of the show

**NogbadTheBad** · 12-13-2019

Originally Posted by battema

So far 2020 has Swans/Anna Von Hausswolff, Cult of Luna, Heilung, whatever Big Ears has in store, and an Ensemble Ire with Franck Vigroux. So, looks like another great year lies ahead (can't wait).

I've got Swans/Von Hausswolff & Heilung already planned for 2020.

Wish I'd gotten to see Us, Today, love their stuff.

**Steve F.** · 12-13-2019

Originally Posted by battema

You know, I almost included Polite Refusal too...in retrospect I really should have.

That's why God gave you the edit button!!

P.S. The stories are not part of the concert. Sadly.....

**strawberrybrick** · 12-13-2019

Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets was pretty special, as was Gong at HRH Prog in Sheffield. Looking forward to Richard Thompson acoustic on ... New Year's Eve.

**Sturgeon's Lawyer** · 12-13-2019

I only went to one show this year, but it was King Crimson....

**moecurlythanu** · 12-13-2019

Originally Posted by battema

So far 2020 has ... Heilung,

Heilung is touring the US??!! I'm going to have to find the dates. I think I might even travel for that one, if I have to. Thanks for mentioning it.

I have Nektar & TMB tickets for 2020 so far.

**dgtlman** · 12-13-2019

Robin Trower - Tulsa, OK
Judas Priest/Uriah Heep - Austin, TX
Kansas - Norman, OK
Steve Hackett - Chicago, IL

Gotta travel to see most shows anymore. OKC is not much of a hotbed for the kind of music I prefer unfortunately. Tulsa seems to get the best shows in this state.
2020 is already starting to shape up with:

The Eagles - Dallas, TX
Frank Marino - Dallas, TX

**battema** · 12-13-2019

Originally Posted by moecurlythanu

Heilung is touring the US??!! I'm going to have to find the dates. I think I might even travel for that one, if I have to. Thanks for mentioning it.

I have Nektar & TMB tickets for 2020 so far.

It seems to be a very limited tour, like six or seven dates. Full honesty, I knew nothing about them before a friend got tickets. Still not 100% how I feel about them musically but based on the YT videos, it should be one hell of a night regardless

Good luck! I hope you can score tix

**moecurlythanu** · 12-13-2019

Originally Posted by battema

It seems to be a very limited tour, like six or seven dates. Full honesty, I knew nothing about them before a friend got tickets. Still not 100% how I feel about them musically but based on the YT videos, it should be one hell of a night regardless

Good luck! I hope you can score tix

Only resale tix are available for the Chicago show. Fairly expensive, with hefty fees on some of the sites. One is even charging $7.50 per for you to download tickets. Anyway, I tried ordering off the ticketmaster site and the PayPal option glitched/didn't go through, so I tried using a cc, and that didn't cooperate either. Fuck it, maybe next time.

**moecurlythanu** · 12-13-2019

Originally Posted by battema

Still not 100% how I feel about them musically but based on the YT videos, it should be one hell of a night regardless

I'm not really buying the "Amplified History" aspect, but Maria Franz has an incredible voice, and if you checked the YT videos, you have seen that the spectacle should be...spectacular. Hope you enjoy it.

I'm on their mailing list through Bandcamp, I wonder why they didn't notify me of the tour by email. They email about all new releases, even T-Shirts.