Some interesting statistics. 2012 I went to 42 concerts. 2013, 17. That's a considerable drop. Though, in 2012 I did see the lovely Jukebox the Ghost 9 times, and then in 2013 only once. There's a good chunk. That and being a college kid again, and moving out of the drivable distance of Chicago really limited my shows. I've only been to three since I moved to Orlando in August.
States visited for shows: Colorado (1), Illinois (6), Wisconsin (3), Michigan (1), Ohio (2), Georgia (1), and Florida (3)
Band saw the most: Ben Folds Five (with one solo Folds show in April) with 5 BF5 shows. 6 if you include Ann Arbor. For the band I was therefore in the first place, second place goes to 3 Avett Brothers gigs. Everybody else I just saw once. I of course saw Guster and Barenaked Ladies several times over on the Ben Folds Five summer tour in conjunction, but that's counting duplicates.
Bands I saw for the first time (that I was looking forward to - not openers I was clueless about going into it) in 2013: Guster, City & Colour, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Nataly Dawn and Matt Pond.
Artists met either before or after gigs this year: Seth & Scott Avett (1), Jukebox the Ghost (1), Tim DeLaughter - The Polyphonic Spree (1), Kevin Devine (1), Amanda Palmer (1), Jenny Owen Youngs (1), Ben Folds (2), Darren Jessee (2), and Robert Sledge (3). Which constitutes 10 of 17 shows. That's damn good.
It's impossible to pick a particular favorite show because it's apples and oranges. The highlights that stick out over the year follow:
Hard to forget last January in Denver seeing Ben Folds Five and Brooke, Stef, Kate, Mollee and myself are walking around this outdoor mall (it was surprisingly 60 F that week) after having lunch, having a coffee. Then what I will never forget happened. We're chatting and of course all on our phones, then Brooke puts her arm out in front of me and gasps. First thought is that I'm about to run into someone or something, etc. Next thought processed she's saying "Darren! Robert!" We're walking straight at two thirds of the band. The band. It's been almost 365 days and I'm still giggling over it. The guys stopped and talked to us about all sorts of stuff. Anytime I get to spend with those guys is just golden. How many people in the world can say their favorite band knows them? I certainly count my blessings! Darren and I had a great conversation that helped me get my ass out of Wisconsin and down here and back in school. Just remember, anything you say to someone can change their life, either for the better or the worse. Words have power. Build people. Back on track, as we're talking to the Darren and Robert, Ben shows up. He had a CVS bag (the things you remember), and you could tell he was trying to get their attention without ours, and then noticed it was us. Oops. Then he says, Oh I still owe you $20. YOU DO SIR. Haha. The concert is relatively less memorable after that all happened. I do very well remember the Rock this Bitch/Freebird improv from the show, but the pre-show is far more memorable on it's own.
The Avett Brothers have some great memories over 2013 and shows I attended. Seeing them and freezing our butts off in line in early February in Madison, WI. Oh man. Meeting the guys before the concert was also very wonderful, and I was very happy to share that moment with Megan. The concert itself was awesome too, they consciously decided to play smaller venues early 2013. It was great, those days are probably long gone with their recent, well deserved, success. The show in Milwaukee in June was particularly memorable as well. They co-headlined with the Violent Femmes, which was great MKE hometown pride kind of stuff, but the time that TAB was on stage was during the opening night of the festival's fireworks. The fireworks start going off during 'I and Love and You' which is quiet for a TAB song. Scott was having a moment with the fireworks and getting the lyrics in. It was fun to watch. Another great moment during 'Down with the Shine' the lyrics of "out with the warm / in with the cold" a great breeze of cold air off of Lake Michigan came into the pavilion, which just made it all more magical. Then my last concert of the year was TAB here in Orlando, and I had some bomb ass seats. SEE HERE:
I mean, DAMN! It's a lot harder to come by first row TAB seats nowadays. AND I can't talk about how good Magpie and the Dandelion sounded live. Their setlist was surprisingly diverse between the albums, which was wonderful. 'Souls Like the Wheels' live is a completely different experience. I'll talk about this more in the album review post that is to come.
I had mixed feelings this year about the Jukebox the Ghost concert I attended. Musically and all of that Ben, Tommy & Jesse we're fantastic, no qualms there. I also loved the fact they were able to headline the Metro in Chicago, but what the audience was comprised of certainly rubbed me the wrong way. Sure I could be snobbing out - at that point I was the person not related/personal friends with the band who had seen them the most…. the audience was just overwhelmingly young girls who were/are 'in love' with one of the three guys. I am certainly not one to get on anyone's case for fan-girling, but be realistic dudes. There was a notable lack of concert etiquette too, which is always distressing. But young kids….. c'est la vie.
Seeing Kevin Devine this fall was fantastic. Going to a small place like The Social was neat to discover here in Florida. His stage presence never fails. Ever. You may not be able to hear for a few days later if you stand too close to any of the amps, but that grin on your face will satiate your hearing needs. You'll hear much more about KD in my albums post in the near future.
Dawes this summer in Chicago was great too. Megan and I waited a few hours to be in the second row, speaking of another band who's audience has exponentially grown. Boy do they deserve it too. It was a hot day and a good time. It was also wonderful to hear songs off the new record live. You'll hear more about Stories Don't End in the album post as well.
City & Colour was certainly the concert that I was most impressed by someone I hadn't seen live before. The lights alone are noteworthy. Dallas Green put on a great show, an incredible setlist (though I, of course, would have loved to have heard 'O Sister'). The House of Blues in Orlando was packed to see the band, which I was not quite expecting, but I was really glad to see it. Dallas cracked me up when he asked everyone to put away their phones and just pay attention to the music for ONE song, and the audience couldn't even do that. You'll hear more about The Hurry and the Harm in that same album post.
Ben Folds' solo show was also incredibly noteworthy. It was short. There was a terrible opener. Ben should have played a heck of a lot longer (especially for the ticket price). Ben hadn't played solo in a while, and boy did he screw stuff up. He even screwed up 'Brick.' Hahaaa. 'Sentimental Guy' was understandable, because how long had it been since he'd played it. He even had the lyrics printed out for 'The Bitch Went Nutz' (the fake one if you don't pay attention to spelling). It was a lot of fun, it was sad to sit apart from Brooke and Stef, but it was wonderful to watch Ben on a piano alone. PLUS then he planked on the piano for screwing up the lyrics. Hilarious moments with Ben Folds.
The Cincinnati Ben Folds Five show is also very noteworthy for how kick ass it was. (We also randomly ran into Robert outside of an art museum on our way back to our car after a coffee run). The guys were very into it and the crowd was too. The Rock this Bitch that night - Don't Roll the Dice 241-6748 (Adam S Levine - some injury lawyer) was priceless. I remember the phone number six months later. My brain is very good at that.
Overall while 2013 did not have a big festival involved like 2012's Bonnaroo and 2009 and 2011's Lollapalooza, it was a good year. Of my top 7 favorite bands I just didn't see Hotel Lights (who didn't tour) or The Old Ceremony (who didn't come anywhere near Milwaukee/Chicago or Orlando at least since I've been here). Seeing The Avett Brothers, Ben Folds Five, Ben Folds Solo, Jukebox the Ghost, and Kevin Devine all in one year. It's gotta be a win!
I've only got one gig booked for 2014 right now, it's The Avett Brothers in Tampa. Can't believe how quickly they're back here in Florida, but I'm not objecting at all. Everyone else should take note!
