December 26, 2007

10 Best Concerts of 2007

This year I found that I couldn't put together a proper list of albums that I liked. There's probably a correlation here between getting an iPod, but I think I also downloaded a lot less music this year. There were a whole lot of great shows that came through the Bay Area, so here are 10 of my favorites. There's not much importance to the ranking of these shows, except for two certain Frenchmen towering above everyone else...



1. Daft Punk, Greek Theater (Berkeley)

A show of inconceivable proportion. I've never seen a crowd lose its mind like this before. I've never lost my mind like this before. This is an already legendary tour, and with good reason.

Daft Punk - Television Rules the Nation / Crescendolls



2. Akron/Family, Enchanted Broccoli Forest (Stanford)

Akron/Family had the power to unite the frat boys and kinda-hippies of Stanford campus. Who knows how great a feat this really is, but the band rewarded the crowd with a high-energy, uncompromising set that ranged from blues to prog-rock to hip-hop.

Akron/Family - Ed is a Portal




3. Black Lips, Popscene

This had all the elements of the 90's punk show that I never went to: excessively loud guitars, distorted vocals and a lot of jumping around. The most fun show out of all. (that's because Daft Punk sublimates the category of fun)

Black Lips - Boomerang




4. The Field, Rx Gallery

Time to pour one out for the now-defunct Rx Gallery. This tiny venue had its off nights, but when The Field played it was packed with people ready to dance. This was definitely the best night I had there.

The Field - Everyday




5. Wu-Tang Clan, AT&T Park Parking lot for Rock the Bells

They had to play before dusk so Rage Against the Machine could go on last, but gave a great performance anyway. Ghostface Killah and Method Man were the brightest lights.

Wu-Tang Clan - Rushing Elephants




6. !!!, Mezzanine

Frontman Nic Offer wears a particular look on his face while he's on stage. It just says: "I know we kick ass." It's hard to argue with him, especially with a rowdy hometown (Sactown) crowd behind him. !!! turned Mezzanine out, which is no easy feat.

!!! - Me and Giuliani Down By the Schoolyard (A True Story)




7. Plaid, NASA Ames Research Center for Yuri's Night (Mountain View)

It's pretty awesome to see anyone play in an airplane hangar over 18-foot tall speakers, let alone IDM royalty. Plaid's songs are headphone-friendly, but they make them a lot more danceable when they play live. They're coming back in January to Mezz...

Plaid - Tan Sau




8. T.I.T.S., Elbo Room

This was a severely hard-rocking show, bringing together metal, punk and post-rock. I can't see this SF band not blowing up once they get a chance to tour the country.

T.I.T.S. - Mystery




9. Liars, Bill Graham Civic Auditorium

The Civic Auditorium is imposing, but Liars showed that they can translate their sound, and Angus Andrew's stage antics, to the big stage without flinching. Rock music would be a lot more boring without them.

Liars - A Visit From Drum




10. Giant Skyflower Band, Hemlock Tavern

Hypnotic waves of sound from these local guitar-worshippers made for one of the year's pleasant surprises - this sounded nothing like their record.

Giant Skyflower Band - The Archangel (Hurray for the Beast)

7 comments:

Gregory Q. Public said...

you forgot caetano veloso

majormike said...

I couldn't get into the Liars at the Bill Graham. It was boring and no one was dancing/moving at all except for this group of kids who were on e.

Dan said...

@greg: that was a good show, and i did not forget about it when i was making this list, but it did not have as powerful an impact as these other ones.

@mike: i didn't think it was boring at all... it's true the crowd wasn't really in to it though.

Gregory Q. Public said...

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that no mp3s is WACK. I want to hear them NOW.

Dan said...

k, done

Matthew Andrew Drake said...

dan my top 20 albums of 2007 are here: http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=246805462&blogID=339841917 ill do the live shows tonight when i get home

Dan said...

i want to hear that devendra, i only even heard a bit of cripple crow but i thought it was pretty great. no akron/family though?