Best live act you've seen this year?

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Best: Sleater-Kinney, Yeah Yeah Yeahs (separate shows)
Worst: Joe Doe (what a disappointment)

― Jazzbo (jmcgaw), Thursday, 29 May 2003 16:37 (twenty years ago) link

Dub Narcotic Sound System playing an underpromoted show for 20 people. They rocked it with extreme prejudice.

― Dale the Merciless (cprek), Thursday, 29 May 2003 16:47 (twenty years ago) link

Definitely The Sea and Cake. Dirty Three were pretty good, but a) I don't really like the new record, and b) they'll probably never match up to the time I saw them in Detroit three years ago, which was totally magical and amazing.

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 29 May 2003 16:55 (twenty years ago) link

I think I've enjoyed the Joe McPhee gig I went to more than anything else so far this year - perfect venue/performance/moment

Also gd: No Neck Blues Band, Sunny Murray, Bernard Parmegiani/Jim O'Rourke/Pita/EL-P all at ATP

― Andrew L (Andrew L), Thursday, 29 May 2003 16:56 (twenty years ago) link

Hands down: Califone. It was a 45-minute opening set for the Sea and Cake in Denver a couple months ago-- a glorious tease. I'm anxiously awaiting their headlining tour stop in July.

― Vek (vek), Thursday, 29 May 2003 16:56 (twenty years ago) link

calla, carlsonics, a frames, rapture...

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Thursday, 29 May 2003 16:59 (twenty years ago) link

Yanc3y
Aren't the Carlsonics great? I have trouble figuring out exactly what it is that makes them great, as they're basically just a garage rock band, but there's something fantastic there.

― NA. (Nick A.), Thursday, 29 May 2003 17:03 (twenty years ago) link

yeah, the carlsonics are great. their new album should be waiting for me when i get home. hopefully it's as fun as the demo.

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Thursday, 29 May 2003 17:05 (twenty years ago) link

See, I think the demo is kind of flat and generic compared to the live show, though I suppose this goes without saying.

― NA. (Nick A.), Thursday, 29 May 2003 17:08 (twenty years ago) link

My buddy and all around great guy Thomas Dean from Order of the Dying Orchid did the album art for the new Carlsonics, so let me know how it looks.

― NA. (Nick A.), Thursday, 29 May 2003 17:08 (twenty years ago) link

I know Order of the Dying Orchid. I've seen them play several times.

The demo got them their deal with Arena Rock...

Have you seen the 'sonics play as Crosby, Stills, Hash & Young? I sang with them at a party last summer during one of those shows.

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Thursday, 29 May 2003 17:12 (twenty years ago) link

liquid liquid

lcd soundsystem

lou donaldson with doctor lonnie smith

all three left me speechless and smiling like a goon.

― stirmonster, Thursday, 29 May 2003 17:29 (twenty years ago) link

No, but I helped sing "Born to Be Wild" when they covered it at the Meridian in Williamsburg (VA).

― NA. (Nick A.), Thursday, 29 May 2003 18:06 (twenty years ago) link

Godspeed You Black Emperor, who I'd never really rated before, at a motherfucking Masonic temple.

Other good ones: Grand Buffet, Blonde Redhead, Angels of Light/Devendra Banhart, Q and Not U, Buck 65.

― Tom Breihan (Tom Breihan), Thursday, 29 May 2003 18:41 (twenty years ago) link

Way to go Nick!

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Thursday, 29 May 2003 18:44 (twenty years ago) link

Once again this year's concert experience is being ruled by The Rheostatics in almost punk rock mode recently. They did play their crappy 'Schools' song now titled 'Scum Politicians' but otherwise it was wonderful from Mary Margaret O'Hara jumping up on stage at midnight to wish us all a "Happy Motherfucking Mothers Day' to Tielli being dressed in a Home Hardware shirt and Tie. Very enjoyable.
I wish I could have stayed longer for Damo Sazuki which seemed to be headed for excellence but it was a Tuesday night.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Thursday, 29 May 2003 18:48 (twenty years ago) link

Does Bobby Previt still have that curious was of leaning and rolling into his drumming?

mmm... one could still say that, i guess.
it was a festival gig (Jazzkaar 2003, Tallinn) and Previte anyway had a v.good band: Mat Maneri, Steve Swallow, Wayne Horvitz, Brandon Ross.

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Thursday, 29 May 2003 19:53 (twenty years ago) link

(so nick the carlsonics rekkid is really fucking hot shit)

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Thursday, 29 May 2003 22:57 (twenty years ago) link

I've seen surprisingly many awesome bands so far.

Lightning Bolt are always amazing; The Coachwhips were a dance party of fun;
Rotten Piece was great;
Hair Police looked like a rock and roll band and sounded like Merzbow;
The Chinese Stars' first show made me miss Arab on Radar even more, but I think in time the Stars will give me the same kind of rush;
Deerhoof were amazing live, especially the drummer. The second guitar adds a lot;
The first time I saw It's A Fucking Trap I thought I was going to die;
I was really high when I saw The Intima and they were very intense/mathy--their volume was also incredible.

― Ian Johnson, Friday, 30 May 2003 00:00 (twenty years ago) link

This is a much more diverse list than the one about best CDs of the year (not that that is surprising in any way, but we should try to keep a thread about live performance going regularly).

― Rockist Scientist, Friday, 30 May 2003 00:05 (twenty years ago) link

hmm. I saw Sea and Cake last week and was really unimpressed. I thought the music really didn't translate well in a live setting. John McEntire really rocks though

― Fabrice (Fabfunk), Friday, 30 May 2003 06:56 (twenty years ago) link

Erlend Øye was a lot of fun.
nothing blew me away, yet. but tonight's the Hidden Cameras who will be trying to blow me away ;)

― willem (willem), Friday, 30 May 2003 06:58 (twenty years ago) link

Wayne Shorter at the Barbican.

― James Ball (James Ball), Friday, 30 May 2003 07:06 (twenty years ago) link

Yanc3y - is that a good thing or a bad thing?

― NA. (Nick A.), Friday, 30 May 2003 10:46 (twenty years ago) link

Gonzales, twice, both times in Sydney. Fucking fantastic show.

But then, i'm seeing Broadcast tonight in London and the new material rocks hard on record, so who knows?

and in conclusion, Ninetynine.

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Friday, 30 May 2003 11:44 (twenty years ago) link

Rovo, Jaki Leibezeit & Burnt Friedman, Seiichi Yamamoto (new band), Asa Chang, DJ EY3 @ BOAfest.

Ian Johnson writes:
Hair Police looked like a rock and roll band and sounded like Merzbow;

they must have improved significantly in the last year and a half.

― gygax! (gygax!), Friday, 30 May 2003 13:00 (twenty years ago) link

1. The Black Madonnas at the Dirty Water Club: Ouch.
2. Instant Flight at the Tulse Hill Tavern: Czech classic psychedelic rock never sounded so good.
3. Lamb at Brixton Academy: I actually love this band.

― Alex K (Alex K), Friday, 30 May 2003 13:14 (twenty years ago) link

Iggy and the Stooges at Coachella. with Mike Watt replacing Dave Alexander-they played every song on Funhouse ! rock action

― Rem Lezar, Friday, 30 May 2003 18:30 (twenty years ago) link

The Instant Composers Pool Orchestra at the Kerrytown Concert House in Ann Arbor, MI. They only played one hour-long set, but what a set!

Mr. Quintron rocked at the Bulb Records 10th Anniversary party at the Magic Stick, too.

― Jeff Sumner (Jeff Sumner), Saturday, 31 May 2003 16:06 (twenty years ago) link

biting tongues (reunion show at the ica on thur, supporting crispy ambulance)!!

i may put a mini-review up on nyplm later

― mark s (mark s), Saturday, 31 May 2003 16:09 (twenty years ago) link

futureheads
junior senior
hidden cameras

― (jg) ((jg)), Saturday, 31 May 2003 16:20 (twenty years ago) link

Blood Brothers
-- DJ Mencap (l**********est@hotmail.com), May 29th, 2003.

What?

They weren't even the best band that _night_!

― mei (mei), Tuesday, 3 June 2003 15:26 (twenty years ago) link

No Neck Blues Band at 291 Gallery, Hackney Road. When they piled the drums on top of the PA i thought it was going to fall on my head and kill me. And I met a really nice girl. Oh and the music was heart fuckingly awesome.

― ss, Tuesday, 3 June 2003 15:32 (twenty years ago) link

what can i expect at a junior senior show? i'm seeing them tonight...

nick, the carlsonics news is very good. aside from the first song, the record is great. one track ("ice people") sounds like a marquee moon outtake!

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Tuesday, 3 June 2003 15:33 (twenty years ago) link

N*E*R*D at the Astoria on Valentine's Day was not only the best thing this year, was one of the most exciting and passionate gigs I've ever been to. The mood pre-gig was some serious idol-worship I'm thinking Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake type stuff. Every single person just going absolutely fucking mental - obviously all this made more intense because it was only their second ever gig over here, and the only one this year. Just pure non-stop energy, love, strangers hugging each other and grinning like loons, every person singing every word, dancing and moshing all over the place, Pharrell had us all singing anti-war songs (remember this was the night before the huge anti-war march), threw roses to the girls at the front, I felt like we were in a better world for a while there. Ahhh....

― pete b. (pete b.), Tuesday, 3 June 2003 15:37 (twenty years ago) link

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