2023 Concert Year in Review
The six gigs and eight bands that I saw in 2023 doesn't seem like a whole bunch, but it's 5 gigs and 7 bands more than I saw in 2022 and infinitely more than 2021. Even better, most of these shows were pretty good, or at least I was so excited about going to a show that I liked them regardless.
Concerts - 6
Bands - 8
The Magnetic Fields w/Lomelda @ Music Box Concert Hall - W 3/29
The Cure @ Blossom Music Center - Su 6/11
Laurie Berkner @ Hudson High School Auditorium - S 8/05
The Beths w/Disq @ Beachland Ballroom - S 8/05
The Baseball Project @ Beachland Ballroom - R 8/24
Nick Cave @ State Theater & Playhouse Square - M 9/25
Assorted notes:
- I'd never seen The Magnetic Fields or Laurie Berkner before, but I'd seen all the other headliners at least twice and the Beths three times. Since I was deeply familiar with The Magnetic Fields (thank you Brandt/Ed/Christine of WRUW) and Laurie Berkner, it's clear that this was not a year for taking fliers on bands I know little about. I hope to get back to that again one day.
- M went with me to The Magnetic Fields, The Cure and Nick Cave. Let's hear it for babysitters! She also went with me to Laurie Berkner, but then so did Birdie and my mother-in-law. My least favorite show as clearly the kiddie rock of Laurie Berkner, but Birdie seemed to enjoy her first concert and that's what matters.
- Neither of the openers were particularly interesting. I sat through Lomelda because it was so nice to see a band after so long and because there was nowhere else in the venue to go to get away from them. Disq was better, but not as good as hanging out with my friends in the bar.
- I bought four CDs at shows, two apiece at The Beths and The Baseball Project.
I don't know that picking a "concert of the year" makes a bunch of sense when there are only six shows to choose from, but it was absolutely Nick Cave, with only The Magnetic Fields even momentarily considered as an alternate choice.
Building on my comprehensive concert count plus 2022 totals, my lifetime total is now apparently 679 gigs with 1,222+ bands. It's not going to rise much faster for a few years unless I start counting all the marching bands from the multiple parades we saw in 2023), but it beats it not rising at all.
Concerts - 6
Bands - 8
The Magnetic Fields w/Lomelda @ Music Box Concert Hall - W 3/29
The Cure @ Blossom Music Center - Su 6/11
Laurie Berkner @ Hudson High School Auditorium - S 8/05
The Beths w/Disq @ Beachland Ballroom - S 8/05
The Baseball Project @ Beachland Ballroom - R 8/24
Nick Cave @ State Theater & Playhouse Square - M 9/25
Assorted notes:
- I'd never seen The Magnetic Fields or Laurie Berkner before, but I'd seen all the other headliners at least twice and the Beths three times. Since I was deeply familiar with The Magnetic Fields (thank you Brandt/Ed/Christine of WRUW) and Laurie Berkner, it's clear that this was not a year for taking fliers on bands I know little about. I hope to get back to that again one day.
- M went with me to The Magnetic Fields, The Cure and Nick Cave. Let's hear it for babysitters! She also went with me to Laurie Berkner, but then so did Birdie and my mother-in-law. My least favorite show as clearly the kiddie rock of Laurie Berkner, but Birdie seemed to enjoy her first concert and that's what matters.
- Neither of the openers were particularly interesting. I sat through Lomelda because it was so nice to see a band after so long and because there was nowhere else in the venue to go to get away from them. Disq was better, but not as good as hanging out with my friends in the bar.
- I bought four CDs at shows, two apiece at The Beths and The Baseball Project.
I don't know that picking a "concert of the year" makes a bunch of sense when there are only six shows to choose from, but it was absolutely Nick Cave, with only The Magnetic Fields even momentarily considered as an alternate choice.
Building on my comprehensive concert count plus 2022 totals, my lifetime total is now apparently 679 gigs with 1,222+ bands. It's not going to rise much faster for a few years unless I start counting all the marching bands from the multiple parades we saw in 2023), but it beats it not rising at all.