By Anthony Kuzminski
Artists slave over the writing, recording, producing and mixing of singles and records for days, weeks, months and sometimes years. On the flipside is a concert performance which starts, ends and sees many peaks and valleys all within a few hours. However, the overriding themes and impact of those few short hours can last a lifetime. Nothing else can win over someone other than a blood and brimstone performance that leaves you physically and mentally drained at its conclusion. Walking into the show you may have hated the artist in question, but walking out you may be their most devout fan. No album or video can have the same impact and this is why I place such a huge emphasis on the live experience. 2008 was a extraordinary year for concerts; I saw over forty and narrowing them down to twenty proved to be challenging. I chose to only allow one show per artist to make the list and even by this, I still struggled with narrowing it down to twenty. No matter what one thinks of an artist of the type of music they may play, one has to admire their showmanship, the power, the drive and their musical talent. Each of the shows below showcased artists at the peak of their powers.
Honorable Mention:
I submitted this list to antiMusic and completely blanked on the two Butch Walker shows I saw in August here in Chicago. Both were unique non-tour shows and I wrote about them extensively at this link. They should have been on the list below, but due to the nature of the shows, I figured I would give them their own specific mention.
Number Twenty: REO Speedwagon (Rialto Theatre-Joliet, IL / February 10, 2008)
Check your opinion of REO Speedwagon at the door because when you walk into one of their shows, expect to be bombarded with 100-minutes of pure melodic bliss. I’m not just talking about a trip down memory lane either. The band hit the stage roaring and the appetite never subsided constantly keeping the crowd engaged. Many may dismiss REO as a nostalgia act, but they couldn’t be further from the truth as they tore through a number of rather impressive tracks off of their newest 2007 studio album, Find Your Own Way Home, including the lamenting title track.Number Nineteen: Weezer (Allstate Arena-Rosemont, IL / October 2, 2008)
The show could have been entitled “geeks with guitars”. Rivers Cuomo has a corner on the geek market. However, Weezer knows how to deliver a wild and wired show featuring good old time rock n’ roll with a smidgen of punk thrown in for good measure. The band itself proved to be the most cohesive version of Weezer ever as they owned the songs; “Pork and Beans”, “Troublemaker”, “Buddy Holly”, “Beverly Hills” were all here as were some blitzkrieg covers of Oasis and Nirvana songs. What makes Weezer such an endearing band is that they are fans just like those in the audience and as a result, there is a mutual understand and admiration which lends to fervent performances and vocal appreciation.Number Eighteen: Ace Frehley (House of Blues-Chicago, IL / April 1, 2008)
Ace Frehley, even with his Spaceman character, always seemed the one member of KISS that fans could relate to the most. Not everything in music should be about virtuosity, it’s about feeling and Ace Frehley is all about feeling. It’s been over a dozen years since Ace has toured solo and I had doubts if he really would be capable of launching a tour and not being a mere shadow of his former self. I couldn’t have been more wrong as he unblinkingly rocked the sold-out crowd at Chicago’s House of Blues flawlessly for nearly two-hours tearing through classics “Rip It Out”, “New York Groove”, “Rocket Ride” and “Strange Ways”. However, the best news is that Frehley’s show exceeds the ones being put on by his former bands mates. Instead of being recycled and tired, Frehley’s show is audacious and alive!Number Seventeen: Neil Diamond (United Center-Chicago, IL / July 26, 2008)
With his perfect salt and pepper hair, Diamond took to the stage as a veteran performer who had more to prove than just churning out his greatest hits. With a setlist that rewarded the crowd, Diamond proved why he is one of the top earning live performers of all time. “Sweet Caroline” and “America” shook the foundations, but it was the more subdued and restrained moments that stayed with me; “Don’t Go There”, “Pretty Amazing Grace”, “Man of God” and the resounding “Hell Yeah” proved that this isn’t a show drenched in nostalgia but one finding an artist amidst a career rebirth.Number Sixteen: Kenny Chesney’s Poets and Pirates Tour (w/ Keith Urban) (Soldier Field-Chicago, IL / June 21, 2008)
During Keith Urban’s performance of “Better Life”, I turned around to see the stadium’s reaction and 50,000 people were on their feet and there was nothing but a sea of teeth, as the smiles on everyone’s faces were impossible to erase. This performance exuded pure unadulterated joy and transported the entire crowd to another world where all felt right. The few who were unaware of Urban’s staggering stage presence walked away with a vivid visual they won’t soon forget. Keith Urban is not just a pretty face who got to where he is based on luck. If you’ve been seeking out a performer who leaves you mentally and physically exhausted where both band and fan are drained, then look no further, you’ve found someone to love as Urban is one of the five best live acts on the planet at this moment in time. You will find you questioning yourself as you think; “How can anyone be this good?”Those who believe that a gig has to be intimate to be great, have never experienced the adrenaline rush a stadium crowd can bring just like this very moment. As the stage protracted (a solid twenty rows into the crowd) Kenny Chesney rose up from beneath the stage singing “Live Those Songs”, a wonderfully unblinking song drenched in nostalgia that didn’t just announce his presence, but wrapped the crowd around his finger where they stayed for the entire 105-minute performance. The 23-song set was heavy on wistfulness and honky-tonk hymns which provided a convincing and perfect summer soundtrack to the diverse group of fans in attendance.
I learned one definitive thing this weekend and it is why Kenny Chesney and his country music festival every year can fill stadiums at $50-$100; it’s because country music acts feel privileged to be performing for their fans, whereas rock stars feel that their fans should be privileged to be in their presence. This is precisely why Kenny Chesney will fill stadiums every summer and others will watch from the sidelines in envy.
Number Fifteen: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (United Center-Chicago, IL / July 2, 2008)
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers stop at the United Center in Chicago found a band completely in control of their craft. For over two-hours, the band surpassed my unrealistic expectations performing six songs I had never seen before and a few new and novel arrangements. As Petty put an acoustic around his neck and performed his definitive anthem “I Won’t Back Down”, you could hear the crowd cut through the vastness of the arena providing a moment that wasn’t just warm and intimate but resurrecting as well. The song is nearly two-decades old but this performance is as unyielding as it has ever been. The test of a truly great song is when it transcends time and proves to be forever timeless; “I Won’t Back Down” (and most of Petty’s catalog for that matter) is as timeless as they come. The phoenix-like velocity of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers performance raised the roof on the United Center delivering a knock-out.Number Fourteen: Will Hoge & Jason Isbell (Double Door-Chicago, IL / February 8, 2008)
Will Hoge and Jason Isbell’s stirring performances left me in a state of shock and awe. The experience was religious; this was a soul drenching rock n’ roll revival with the crowd testifying, believing and hanging on every last note. One of the reasons I never grow tired of seeing Hoge live multiple times within a year is because each performance is continually fresh. I’ve seen him perform “Rock N’ Roll Star” before but the way he delivered the Mercedes Benz line on this night was priceless. It never ceases to bring a smile to my face. It also always makes me realize of how hard his job is. He plays 250 shows a year, travels all over the world and only has a small group of people supporting him and his band. Hoge does not need industry accolades; his music has soul and his spirit is alive and well. Since witnessing this performance, both Isbell and Hoge have lost band members and Hoge even had his bus and gear hijacked and held for ransom by a disgruntled employee and if that wasn’t enough, Hoge was sidelined by a freak accident in August (although I hear he is recovering well). Will Hoge has drive to communicate his art with anyone who will listen and because of this, I know he will survive and thrive even if being a rock n’ roll star isn’t all it is cracked up to be. A wise man once said, “I will rise high above it all” and I’m sure both Jason Isbell and Will Hoge will do just that because to them…the highway’s home.Number Thirteen: Tina Turner (United Center- Chicago, IL / October 3rd, 2008)
Her hips shook like Jagger; she mugged better than Madonna and commanded all eyes on her in a way Britney Spears could only dream; because all of them stole their moves from her. She’s the pioneer of performers and proved that fifty-years down the line, there’s plenty all of them could still learn from her. She oozes with confidence and this in turn makes her far sexier than any pop starlet who thinks sex is about a full reveal. She roamed the stage in heels the entire evening. What differentiates Tina Turner from current pop starlets is that she is a survivor. People look at Turner, see her perform and feel like she is a saint of sorts. They view her as a role model to believe in. If she can survive the hardships of life and not just survive, but thrive…then “so can I” they think. Turner’s roaring delivery of “Proud Mary” is in the pantheons of rock history and the performance I am witnessed is no different. By the songs conclusion, Tina Turner proved to the sold-out crowd that she always has been, continues to be and will forever be the Queen of rhythm, blues, soul and rock n’ roll. She is unsurpassed fifty-years into her career and is not resting on her legacy; over the course of two-hours on only the second date of her world tour, Tina Turner proved to Chicago that she is every bit as good as she has ever been.Number Twelve: Fall Out Boy (Chicago Theatre- Chicago, IL / December 2, 2008)
With every full-length album, the Chicago foursome has pushed the envelope and managed to create some of the most infectious melodies on the pop landscape which Fall Out Boy demonstrated this to 3,500 inside the Chicago Theatre, proving there is more to them than meets the eye. Over the course of the 85-minute set, the band entered a rarified kill-zone where they evoked an intense concentrated consciousness. Finding middle ground between heartbreak anthems, despair, disintegration and internal pleas for solace Fall Out Boy proved to be a rare band whose songs reveal layers with each listen and in concert they reach a summit where pop art becomes art. Don’t judge a book by its cover, let their music be a penicillin to the agonizing uncertainty of your life, you will be better off for it.Number Eleven: AC/DC (Allstate Arena-Rosemont, IL / October, 30, 2008)
Amidst a stack of Marshalls AC/DC delivered 105-minutes of pure rock n’ roll ecstasy full of four-chord blues based rock that was completely unrelenting and unpretentious. What I loved about this show was it encompassed five-members; no hired hands, backing singers, hidden keyboard players and most importantly, none of the five members looked tired or bored. This was a show that is simultaneously theatrical while maintaining all of the essential and core elements of rock n’ roll and the blues. During the main set closer, “Let There Be Rock”, Angus played the guitar on his head amidst a rising mini stage on the opposite end of the floor. Remember when rock n’ roll used to be this fun?Number Ten: Bon Jovi (United Center-Chicago, IL / February 23-26, 2008)
Truly great and illustrious bands defy expectations, push their limits and challenge their audiences. Live concerts provide artists with a platform to show you another side of themselves and on Bon Jovi’s third night in Chicago, they did just this proving that when they want to be they are an illustrious, audacious and blazing band. Forty different and unique songs over three nights is the stuff of legend and I’m happy to say I was there to see it. I had caught their Milwaukee show prior to the Chicago stand and I was worried, they came off as a band whose best days were behind them instead of in front of them. However, over their three nights in Chicago, Bon Jovi was like the Live At Leeds version of the Who. The challenging setlists chock full of rarities and rarely played songs found the band at their peak. It just goes to show that it’s never too late to choose the less traveled road and still find your way home.Number Nine: Soraia (Elbo Room-Chicago, IL / July 22, 2008)
In the lower depths of the Elbo Room in Chicago, Soraia singer Sue Mansou is purging her body of demons as the slithers across the tiny stage like a snake ready to swallow its prey. Her every move is watched with pensive and penetrating eyes from the audience. What strikes me is the power she has over males and females alike as their mouths gape over her command of the stage. One girl I spoke to spoke of wanting to give Mansou a carnal lesson, although she did slyly smile and tell me how she would settle for the sizzling lead guitarist (Dave Justo). Seeing Soraia live is an exceptional experience showcasing the immeasurable talents of this band. Drummer Joe Armstrong furiously hits the snares like Dave Grohl while rhythm guitarist Joe Francia guitars buzzes with soul while bassist Travis Smith has immense stage dynamics while holding down the grooves allowing the rest of the band to soar. Soraia are a club band who performs with arena-rock muscle tone with each member being integral to their sound. Make sure you check them out in 2009 in clubs…while you still can.Number Eight: R.E.M (United Center – Chicago, IL / June 2, 2008)
R.E.M. has been reborn with a vengeance on this current tour. I saw them blissfully give their all during a standout performance in June. The band took chances choosing from a catalog of 80-songs ready to go on any night. I saw them in an intimate theater back in 2004 and I was bored, as I felt the band wander off course delivering a set lacking emotive drive. Touring behind their loudest album in decades (Accelerate), the band appears to be at ease with their past while having a determined eye on the present. Singer Michael Stipe, bassist Mike Mills and guitarist Peter Buck were at their most relaxed, determined and confident in close to two decades. There wasn’t a hint of irony in the air, nor was there a fraudulent atmosphere. For two-hours and twenty seven songs, R.E.M. did what they did best…release the mind, body and soul.Number Seven: Kid Rock (Sears Centre – Hoffman Estates, IL / May 23, 2008)
The self-proclaimed rock n’ roll Jesus hit the stage in the late spring with a cocksure attitude and an arsenal of hits that lit up the crowd. Other tours have been more theatrical, but this one found Rock comfortable in his own shoes with a little help from Peter Wolf in the first set where they tore through a illustrious “Motown Medley” and in the second set Rev Run on Run DMC helped out in a barrage of old school rap and rock hits. Peppered in between these guest spots were hits and a number of songs from Rock N’ Roll Jesus proving that Rock’s best material is in front of him and not behind him. Rock has an ability to carry himself like a rock God, but can simultaneously be as down to Earth as a country star. Those who can’t separate this split personality is missing the point; they’re one in the same. He put his money where his mouth is charging $15 for the nosebleeds. This is an artist of immense magnitude, and if you think otherwise, it’s time to take your blinders off. The way he wields multiple genres of music into his own is nothing short of extraordinary. The brilliance of the Kid Rock is that he melds the sentimental, the spiritual and the sexual with ease like no one else I've ever seen.Number Six: Buddy Guy (Legends Night Club-Chicago, IL / January 23, 2008)
Within the walls of the Legends Night Club there is a soul that can’t be defined or expressed, it’s merely a feeling one embraces the second they set foot in the building. Watching Buddy Guy play his guitar within inches of my face isn’t just a thrill, but a powerful lesson. I realized that no one can teach you the blues. It has to be felt. It’s much like speed in sports. You can train wide receivers how to maneuver, lead-off hitters to study a pitchers style and an Olympian runner how to pace themselves, but you can’t teach them speed, it’s embedded in their DNA. The same could be said of the blues. As I watched the fluidity of Guy’s band made me question why I’d even bother seeing an arena show ever again, because this is as raw and real as music will ever get. The swell of emotions just flows through Guy’s hands. It’s like watching God wield his power through this legend, because no one should be this good. “My Time After Awhile” gingerly exposed his inner broken hearted bluesman as he rubbed the guitar against his chest evoking deeply buried emotions. This is the beauty of the blues-everyone has been down and out in their lives at some point and when you experience the blues, you immediately feel like it understand who you are.Number Five: Wilco (Riviera Theatre- Chicago, IL / February 16, 2008)
Over five-nights last winter, Wilco performed their entire catalog (every song) in front of their hometown crowd. I walked into the second show with trepidation because while I’ve always admired Wilco, I’ve never warmed to them. What I witnessed was a band with an abundance of pop hooks, restraint and searing intensity who matched the best arena rock shows I’ve ever seen while simultaneously yielding moments so intimate and reflective they could only happen in a club. The pop framework of their earlier material contrasts rather stunningly against their more endearing work, however, it helps bridge these songs as catalysts for one another where they may reveal a new color or transform themselves in ways no one could have ever imagined, including the band. What does matter is that Wilco has grand ambitions for themselves and their music as long as it is on their own terms. Whether they play to 1,300 or 13,000 is irrelevant, what’s important is that Wilco continues to grow and push the envelope in ways few have done before. I only wish every band was as ambitious and truthful as Wilco. Their pained pop crescendos and emotive lyrics are cemented in the DNA of their fanatical fan base and to see the band embrace their fans, their hometown and their catalog is beyond inspiring, it’s divine.Number Four: Michael Franti and Spearhead (Vic Theatre, Chicago, IL / November 8, 2008)
Four nights after the presidential election, Michael Franti and Spearhead brought their whimsical and foot stomping music to Chicago. There was an undercurrent of joy in every one of the one-hundred fifty-minutes of the performance at the Vic Theatre and it entrenched itself in your mind right from the opening moments providing a high that never dissipated. The vibe of the show was dreamlike and each meditative poem came to life on the concert stage with the camaraderie brotherhood of Spearhead providing the soundtrack to the overriding themes of life. The evening came to a triumphant and ebullient close with the “Say Hey (I Love You)” as the crowd chanted the chorus over and over as their gleaming smiles lit up the room as the audience let their release be heard.Number Three: Eddie Vedder (Auditorium Theatre-Chicago, IL / August 22, 2008)
One man solo shows can go horribly wrong. If executed poorly, they can be exercises in ego. Fortunately, Eddie Vedder closed out his solo tour in his hometown of Chicago in complete command of his songs in a truly inspiring, enlightening and humorous evening, Vedder showed a side of himself we only get to see glimpses of when he’s with Pearl Jam. Showcasing many songs from his stupendous Into The Wild soundtrack, Vedder’s voice provided an intimate experience allowing his poignant lyrics to breathe. A war veteran was brought on stage for “No More” in a moment no one will forget any time soon and Vedder even pulled out “All The Way”, a song he wrote for the Chicago Cubs. If all of this wasn’t enough, it also included some choice and intense covers of songs by the Beatles, Johnny Cash, Cat Stevens and Nick Cave. Eddie Vedder delivered a show that didn’t wallow in ego, but provided a much needed release where you walked away with not just an evening of entertainment but one where you reflect on your own life and have a better understanding of who Eddie Vedder is.Number Two: James (Vic Theater-Chicago, IL / September 25, 2008)
James is one of the most electrifying live bands on the planet and their two-hour show showcased them at their preeminent. The political fireball of “Hey Ma” flexed arena rock muscle while “I Wanna Go Home” was ambient yet interlocked with the crowds emotions which eventually encircled into a paroxysmal jam that proved to be otherworldly. The classic songs blazed out of the gate heading for the finish line as the band ripped through them as if they never took a career pause. For a band whose core sound is ambient and atmospheric, there is no way they should be as effective on stage, but they defy expectations. The seven members are pieces of one puzzle and together they perform these songs with breathtaking abandon. Their best anthems build up to a wailing and crushing arms in the air crescendos which take alternate roads and have abrupt shifts, but they never once lost the crowd and due to some incandescent performances and meticulous pacing, they owned the crowd from the word “go”. This is an arena band that brought the same presence and determination with them. They found a way to dig beneath the surface and crawl inside your skin as every song engulfed the crowd and reverberated in your soul like a lost friend. Then there was the mouth gaping performance of “Sometimes”. The first verse and chorus were restrained in an inventive new arrangement as the crowd sung along to every last word. Before the second verse, Baynton-Power’s machine gun drums and Davies’ sprinting acoustic guitar charged into the furious well known arrangement. Booth’s gut wrenching vocals were an avalanche of emotions. The crowd reached their apex as the band nearly finished the song when the 1,300 souls in attendance began to chant the chorus repeatedly for almost five-minutes as the band watched in awe; “Sometimes, when I look deep in your eyes, I swear I can see your soul”. This was goose bump inducing. Eventually, the band delivered a slamming reprise that left everyone breathless and grasping for air. This wasn’t merely a memorable moment, it was one of those moments where life comes into focus for a few brief seconds. The music not just takes you away, but wraps around you like your favorite childhood blanket offering not just sound advice but comfort.
Number One: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (Scottrade Center-St. Louis, MO / August 23, 2008)
Life is a delicate balance of lightness and darkness. Bruce Springsteen is at his best when wrangles with the space in-between. Springsteen falters when he leans to heavily towards one or the other, but on a hot August night everything fell into place for a show that wasn’t just ferocious, but proved to be redemptive and resounding as well. Opening with a cover of the Crystals “Then She Kissed Me”, notice was served early this would not be an ordinary show. In all, twenty-nine songs were performed over the three-hour fifteen-minute show. Of the forty-plus times I have seen Springsteen, I have never seen him and the E Street Band as in command of their music as they were on this night. They ripped through five covers, elevated hearts and minds during a nine-song encore, made everyone reflect on a searing performance of the rarely played “Drive All Night”, hit all the right notes and fired on all cylinders with a confidence that no one could shake. The band effortlessly segued from the melodic (“Cover Me”) to the emotive (“Backstreets”). It was a perfect setlist where a series of emotions were expunged and excavated. This wasn’t just the best damn show of 2008, it may have been one of the best damn shows of Springsteen and the E Street Band’s career. Nights like these don’t just serve as entertainment, but reach elevated spiritual heights. Life doesn’t always go as planned and there are times when that physical and vocal release is needed. However, the flipside of that coin is when music reminds you of not just the heartaches of life, but the joys as well. After a decade where Springsteen leaned a little too heavy on darkness, in St. Louis he embraced the light and reminded us all that it ain’t no sin to be glad you’re alive. 
Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer for the antiMusic Network and his daily writings can be read at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com.
