2012 Concert Year in Review
2012 was a very good year for concerts. Perhaps I didn't see quite as many shows as in 2011 (although it was close), but my luck on the quality of the shows was very high. Of the 39 gigs I went to only 4-5 of them could reasonably be called disappointing, and a mere two were actively bad. A few were sublime. The absolute best of the best were as follows:
[1] When I walked out of the Kent Stage after seeing Josh Ritter & The Royal City Band I remarked to my friend Rob that shows like that were the reason I went to concerts. Having seen Ritter before I expected a quality show, but this one took it to an entirely new level of energy and crowd connection. I felt simultaneously wrung out and energized. It was probably the best Josh Ritter show of the five or so that I've seen.
[2] Galactic has been on my list for nearly a decade, ever since my friend Franklin gave me a bootleg of an Odeon show. They were one of those bands that kept coming to Cleveland when I was out of town, or that played the same night as several other gigs. I finally made it to see them and had a fantastic time. Corey Glover (yes, of Living Colour and "Cult of Personality") provided vocals and they had a New Orleans brass band, The Soul Rebels, open for and then provide in-show support as well. The crowd never stopped dancing. I stood right near the front stage of the Beachland Ballroom and loved every minute of it.
[3] Esperanza Spalding destroyed the Tri-C JazzFest when she played at Metro. She opened the festival, and absolutely nobody could have matched the gig she put together. The sold out crowd was basically the perfect audience, and Esperanza and her band played us perfectly. EJ and I walked out of there like we'd been poleaxed, nigh unable to comprehend how awesome it had been.
Those were absolutely the top three, but there were many other fine gigs. For instance, I hosted not one but two house concerts. Eliza Rickman returned to town; first she played the Barking Spider where she could enjoy the benefits of a real piano, then she returned to my house for her second Cleveland house concert. The Insurance Salesmen made their debut that night as her opening act and have since gone on to play many gigs in the Cleveland area; when they make it huge I hope I get a line in their Behind the Music special. One house concert was not enough for 2012; Jeremy Messersmith also played my living room and put on a fine show. I had a ton of fun at both of these shows and hope to do more in the future. In fact, EdZ and I are working on the finishing details of one as I type (foreshadowing!)
For years Neil Young has been on the top of my "must see" list. I saw him, and it was really good. I was sort of expecting a "nostalgia bucket list show" that was fun but not particularly awesome, which is how Aretha Franklin was when I saw her at the Tri-C Jazzfest. Instead, Neil decided to rip the house up with new material. It was excellent. I'd go see him again in a heartbeat.
My new "must see before they die or I die" looks like this:
[1] David Bowie - He put out new music, now he just needs to go on tour!
[2] Tom Waits - First I'll have to be lucky enough for him to tour somewhere vaguely near me, and then I'll need to be lucky enough to actually get tickets.
[3] I'm not sure who movies up into the third spot. I would have said David Byrne but I saw him in 2013 by the time I wrote this. Does Stevie Wonder ever tour? That would be pretty awesome. If I thought The Smiths were ever going to tour again, maybe I'd list them. I blame Shari for this.
Other top shows from 2012, in no particular order:
- Cyrille Aimée & Diego Figueiredo
- Mike Doughty on tour for his memoir "The Book of Drugs"
- Allo Darlin'
- Kelly Hogan
- The Cleveland Orchestra with Bela Fleck
- El Vez
And special mention goes to William Shatner. It might technically not have been a concert, but I regret nothing.
From an opening act perspective:
- The Afghan Whigs did very little for me, but their opener Silencio induced me to buy an album even though I only caught two of their songs.
- Wesley Bright & the Hi-Lites opened for two different soul shows and blew the headliners out of the building both times. Neither Lee Fields nor Sister Sparrow looked like they belonged on the same stage. Awkward!
- The Fabulous Ginn Sisters did good work opening for Fred Eaglesmith.
One other highlight of note - for the first time ever I was at a show that got turned into an official live album! EJ and I caught the Cloud Nothings at the Grog Shop, which was later released as limited edition vinyl. That's awesome.
Concerts - 39 (yes, counting Shatner)
Bands - 69
Cyrille Aimée & Diego Figueiredo - W 1/11 - Nighttown
The Cleveland Orchestra: with Julian Rachlin and Franz Welser-Möst - R 1/12 - Severance Hall
Melvin Davis & The United Sounds w/We The People - F 1/20 - Beachland Tavern
Mike Doughty (The Book of Drugs tour) - W 2/22 - Beachland Tavern
Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires w/Little Barrie - R 2/23 - Beachland Ballroom
Galactic (with Corey Glover of Living Colour) w/The Soul Rebels - R 3/01 - Beachland Ballroom
Cyrille Aimée - W 3/14 - Nighttown
CityMusic Cleveland: with Dylana Jenson and Sean Newhouse - R 3/15 - St.Colman Church
The Black Keys w/Arctic Monkeys - T 3/20 - Quicken Loans Arena
Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds w/Wesley Bright & the Hi-Lites - S 3/30 - Beachland Tavern
Cloud Nothings w/A Classic Education, Library Time - R 4/05 - Grog Shop
Shatner's World: We Just Live in It... - S 4/14 - State Theater
Esperanza Spalding (33rd Annual Tri-C Jazzfest) - R 4/19 - Tri-C Metro Auditorium
Mr. Gnome w/Ohio Sky, The Baker Family - F 4/20 - Beachland Ballroom
Aretha Franklin (33rd Annual Tri-C Jazzfest) - S 4/21 - State Theater
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue w/David Sanborn Trio (33rd Annual Tri-C Jazzfest) - F 4/27 - State Theater
The Cleveland Orchestra: with Mark Kosower and Ton Koopman - R 5/03 - Severance Hall
Lee Fields & the Expressions w/Wesley Bright & the Hi-Lites - R 5/10 - Beachland Ballroom
Eliza Rickman - S 5/12 - Barking Spider
Eliza Rickman w/The Insurance Salesmen - S 5/12 - My Living Room!
Allo Darlin' w/The Wave Pictures - W 5/16 - Beachland Tavern
Fred Eaglesmith w/The Fabulous Ginn Sisters - Su 6/17 - Beachland Tavern
The Cleveland Orchestra: with Emanuel Ax and Jahja Ling - S 7/07 - Blossom
Dweezil Zappa Plays Zappa - W 7/18 - House of Blues
Carolina Chocolate Drops - F 7/20 - Cain Park, Evans Ampitheater
Josh Ritter & The Royal City Band w/Bhi Bhiman - Su 7/22 - Kent Stage
Wilco w/Lee Ranaldo Band - S 8/04 - Lifestyle Communities Pavilion
Sharon Van Etten w/Bethesda - W 8/22 - Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Studio-A-Rama 2012 - S 9/10
- The Lawton Brothers, RA Washington and the Family Dollar, Gossip Culture, Library Time, Pleasure Leftists, Village Bicycle, Dreadful Yawns, Herzog, Death of Samantha, Cloud Nothings (sort of)
The Afghan Whigs w/Silencio - Su 9/30 - Beachland Ballroom
Firewater w/Kitchy - S 10/06 - Grog Shop
Neil Young & Crazy Horse w/Los Lobos - M 10/08 - Wolstein Center
CityMusic Cleveland: with Rachel Barton Pine and Ryan McAdams - R 10/18 - St.Colman Church
Rosie Flores & Marti Brom - M 11/05 - Beachland Tavern
Charlie Hunter & Scott Amendola - R 11/08 - Nighttown
Jeremy Messersmith - W 11/14 - My Living Room!
Lydia Loveless w/Charles Hill Jr. - T 11/27 - Beachland Tavern
Kelly Hogan w/Maura Rogers & The Bellows - F 11/30 - Beachland Tavern
The Cleveland Orchestra: with Bela Fleck and Giancarlo Guerrero - S 12/08 - Severance Hall
El Vez - Su 12/09 - Beachland Ballroom
Embarrassingly, I've actually had this 80% written up since February. I just forgot about it despite it being on the desktop of my computer specifically so I would remember it. Oops.
[1] When I walked out of the Kent Stage after seeing Josh Ritter & The Royal City Band I remarked to my friend Rob that shows like that were the reason I went to concerts. Having seen Ritter before I expected a quality show, but this one took it to an entirely new level of energy and crowd connection. I felt simultaneously wrung out and energized. It was probably the best Josh Ritter show of the five or so that I've seen.
[2] Galactic has been on my list for nearly a decade, ever since my friend Franklin gave me a bootleg of an Odeon show. They were one of those bands that kept coming to Cleveland when I was out of town, or that played the same night as several other gigs. I finally made it to see them and had a fantastic time. Corey Glover (yes, of Living Colour and "Cult of Personality") provided vocals and they had a New Orleans brass band, The Soul Rebels, open for and then provide in-show support as well. The crowd never stopped dancing. I stood right near the front stage of the Beachland Ballroom and loved every minute of it.
[3] Esperanza Spalding destroyed the Tri-C JazzFest when she played at Metro. She opened the festival, and absolutely nobody could have matched the gig she put together. The sold out crowd was basically the perfect audience, and Esperanza and her band played us perfectly. EJ and I walked out of there like we'd been poleaxed, nigh unable to comprehend how awesome it had been.
Those were absolutely the top three, but there were many other fine gigs. For instance, I hosted not one but two house concerts. Eliza Rickman returned to town; first she played the Barking Spider where she could enjoy the benefits of a real piano, then she returned to my house for her second Cleveland house concert. The Insurance Salesmen made their debut that night as her opening act and have since gone on to play many gigs in the Cleveland area; when they make it huge I hope I get a line in their Behind the Music special. One house concert was not enough for 2012; Jeremy Messersmith also played my living room and put on a fine show. I had a ton of fun at both of these shows and hope to do more in the future. In fact, EdZ and I are working on the finishing details of one as I type (foreshadowing!)
For years Neil Young has been on the top of my "must see" list. I saw him, and it was really good. I was sort of expecting a "nostalgia bucket list show" that was fun but not particularly awesome, which is how Aretha Franklin was when I saw her at the Tri-C Jazzfest. Instead, Neil decided to rip the house up with new material. It was excellent. I'd go see him again in a heartbeat.
My new "must see before they die or I die" looks like this:
[1] David Bowie - He put out new music, now he just needs to go on tour!
[2] Tom Waits - First I'll have to be lucky enough for him to tour somewhere vaguely near me, and then I'll need to be lucky enough to actually get tickets.
[3] I'm not sure who movies up into the third spot. I would have said David Byrne but I saw him in 2013 by the time I wrote this. Does Stevie Wonder ever tour? That would be pretty awesome. If I thought The Smiths were ever going to tour again, maybe I'd list them. I blame Shari for this.
Other top shows from 2012, in no particular order:
- Cyrille Aimée & Diego Figueiredo
- Mike Doughty on tour for his memoir "The Book of Drugs"
- Allo Darlin'
- Kelly Hogan
- The Cleveland Orchestra with Bela Fleck
- El Vez
And special mention goes to William Shatner. It might technically not have been a concert, but I regret nothing.
From an opening act perspective:
- The Afghan Whigs did very little for me, but their opener Silencio induced me to buy an album even though I only caught two of their songs.
- Wesley Bright & the Hi-Lites opened for two different soul shows and blew the headliners out of the building both times. Neither Lee Fields nor Sister Sparrow looked like they belonged on the same stage. Awkward!
- The Fabulous Ginn Sisters did good work opening for Fred Eaglesmith.
One other highlight of note - for the first time ever I was at a show that got turned into an official live album! EJ and I caught the Cloud Nothings at the Grog Shop, which was later released as limited edition vinyl. That's awesome.
Concerts - 39 (yes, counting Shatner)
Bands - 69
Cyrille Aimée & Diego Figueiredo - W 1/11 - Nighttown
The Cleveland Orchestra: with Julian Rachlin and Franz Welser-Möst - R 1/12 - Severance Hall
Melvin Davis & The United Sounds w/We The People - F 1/20 - Beachland Tavern
Mike Doughty (The Book of Drugs tour) - W 2/22 - Beachland Tavern
Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires w/Little Barrie - R 2/23 - Beachland Ballroom
Galactic (with Corey Glover of Living Colour) w/The Soul Rebels - R 3/01 - Beachland Ballroom
Cyrille Aimée - W 3/14 - Nighttown
CityMusic Cleveland: with Dylana Jenson and Sean Newhouse - R 3/15 - St.Colman Church
The Black Keys w/Arctic Monkeys - T 3/20 - Quicken Loans Arena
Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds w/Wesley Bright & the Hi-Lites - S 3/30 - Beachland Tavern
Cloud Nothings w/A Classic Education, Library Time - R 4/05 - Grog Shop
Shatner's World: We Just Live in It... - S 4/14 - State Theater
Esperanza Spalding (33rd Annual Tri-C Jazzfest) - R 4/19 - Tri-C Metro Auditorium
Mr. Gnome w/Ohio Sky, The Baker Family - F 4/20 - Beachland Ballroom
Aretha Franklin (33rd Annual Tri-C Jazzfest) - S 4/21 - State Theater
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue w/David Sanborn Trio (33rd Annual Tri-C Jazzfest) - F 4/27 - State Theater
The Cleveland Orchestra: with Mark Kosower and Ton Koopman - R 5/03 - Severance Hall
Lee Fields & the Expressions w/Wesley Bright & the Hi-Lites - R 5/10 - Beachland Ballroom
Eliza Rickman - S 5/12 - Barking Spider
Eliza Rickman w/The Insurance Salesmen - S 5/12 - My Living Room!
Allo Darlin' w/The Wave Pictures - W 5/16 - Beachland Tavern
Fred Eaglesmith w/The Fabulous Ginn Sisters - Su 6/17 - Beachland Tavern
The Cleveland Orchestra: with Emanuel Ax and Jahja Ling - S 7/07 - Blossom
Dweezil Zappa Plays Zappa - W 7/18 - House of Blues
Carolina Chocolate Drops - F 7/20 - Cain Park, Evans Ampitheater
Josh Ritter & The Royal City Band w/Bhi Bhiman - Su 7/22 - Kent Stage
Wilco w/Lee Ranaldo Band - S 8/04 - Lifestyle Communities Pavilion
Sharon Van Etten w/Bethesda - W 8/22 - Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Studio-A-Rama 2012 - S 9/10
- The Lawton Brothers, RA Washington and the Family Dollar, Gossip Culture, Library Time, Pleasure Leftists, Village Bicycle, Dreadful Yawns, Herzog, Death of Samantha, Cloud Nothings (sort of)
The Afghan Whigs w/Silencio - Su 9/30 - Beachland Ballroom
Firewater w/Kitchy - S 10/06 - Grog Shop
Neil Young & Crazy Horse w/Los Lobos - M 10/08 - Wolstein Center
CityMusic Cleveland: with Rachel Barton Pine and Ryan McAdams - R 10/18 - St.Colman Church
Rosie Flores & Marti Brom - M 11/05 - Beachland Tavern
Charlie Hunter & Scott Amendola - R 11/08 - Nighttown
Jeremy Messersmith - W 11/14 - My Living Room!
Lydia Loveless w/Charles Hill Jr. - T 11/27 - Beachland Tavern
Kelly Hogan w/Maura Rogers & The Bellows - F 11/30 - Beachland Tavern
The Cleveland Orchestra: with Bela Fleck and Giancarlo Guerrero - S 12/08 - Severance Hall
El Vez - Su 12/09 - Beachland Ballroom
Embarrassingly, I've actually had this 80% written up since February. I just forgot about it despite it being on the desktop of my computer specifically so I would remember it. Oops.