The Best & Worst of 2008 - Live Music Edition

Over the past couple of years there has been a resurgence in the amount of live music I have witnessed. This has been mainly caused by my wife dragging me out of the house, but I have actually enjoyed many of the shows I have seen. I have even started dragging her out of the house occasionally. So here are my favorite live music experiences from 2008.

1. Fall Out Boy - December 20, 2008 at the Epicentre. I am not a huge fan of going to see bands in large venues. So, when I get the chance to see a huge band like Fall Out Boy in a tiny venue, I am quite pleased. The Epicentre is a youth recreation center that is about a five-minute walk from my house. Fall Out Boy is my son's favorite band. So, this was an amazing stroke of luck that they were playing there. I did have to wait in line for thirteen hours to ensure that we could get in, but it was worth it. It was a great show.

2. Ghostland Observatory - September 20, 2008 at Street Scene. My love for festivals has been diminishing lately. I do like the variety of music they provide, but the ambiance is usually lacking. I went to the second night of Street Scene only because I wanted to see Ghostland Observatory and they were amazing. I typically hang back and watch shows, but for this one I had to be as close as possible. So I was right in the midst of the crazy crowd right down in front. The amount of energy these two guys generate is unbelievable.

3. Maceo Parker - February 16, 2008 at the Belly Up. Over two hours of non-stop blistering soul and funk. Maceo is a legend. I can't remember the last time I actually danced at a show. I don't think it is possible to not dance at a Maceo show.

4. Vampire Weekend - September 19, 2008 at Street Scene. These guys are the reason I went to the first night of Street Scene and they did not disappoint.

5. Tilly and the Wall - July 11, 2008 at the Epicentre. A great band with a super-cool gimic. Their percussion is supplied by a tap dancer instead of a drummer. Great songs and a very fun live show.

The worst show of the year? New Kids On The Block - November 25, 2008 at Cox Arena. I won't go into how crazy my wife is for these guys, but she dragged me along to their show. I knew they would be bad, but they were way beyond bad. I spent the first hour laughing out loud constantly as things just got more horrendous with each song. Eventually it reached  a point where things couldn't get worse and I got bored, but before that I did enjoy the shear ridiculousness of the spectacle. It was definitely a horrible show, but I did have some fun.