While we’re almost done with thinking about the year that was, we can’t let it go by without recapping the year in our favorite concerts. Most of the shows we saw were in the LES (’cause it’s closer than say LA), but if we were there, it was eligible for inclusion on this here list of our top 15 gigs of ‘06:
15. SPANK ROCK @ ØYA FESTIVALEN, NORWAY 8/10/06
Our time in Norway meant first encounters with The Knife, Noxagt, New Violators, and an incredible, secret 120 Days gig, but nothing outshone Spank Rock in a torrential downpour, leading a pack of drenched Norwegians into a booty-shaking frenzy. Party? Started. [Original Post]
14. THE STROKES @ HAMMERSTEIN BALLROOM 3/1/06
There was as much buzz as curiosity in the air as the trust-fund stylers prepared to hit the stage in support of the year-end forgotten First Impressions Of Earth, and we suspect they’d been in band practice every day since Room Is On Fire. Sober, grateful Julian was a welcome replacement for entitled, mumbling Casablancas, and the band was a rhythmic juggernaut, ripping through its set with a mix of VU cool and studio sheen. Surprisingly awesome. [Original Post]
13. KEVIN FEDERLINE @ WEBSTER HALL, 11/4/06
To make this list, the concert in question has gotta be memorable. Fed-Ex getting excited to hear half of the 150 people in Webster cheer at his “How many of y’alls gots my album” query? Unforgettable. [Original Post]
12. THE CARDIGANS @ KNITTING FACTORY, NYC 10/31/06
Our first show of CMJ. Tough to believe, but Nina sounds even better than she looks, and the stripped set of Super Extra Gravity and Long Before Daylight tunes was … well, just watch for yourself. [Original Post]
11. RYAN ADAMS @ BOWERY BALLROOM, NYC 6/24/06
Lots of Cold Roses, as Batman and The Cardinals were firmly in the Dead’s mixolydian mode, but if you were there, the night has left an indelible (if soggy) imprint on your cranium. The show started at 1AM as we waited in a two-hour line (down Delancey, around the corner, and up Bowery), through a pelting thundershower, while the Keane kids cleared out of the Ballroom — and followed that by being packt like sardines in the Bowery basement for another 45 minutes. (No ice breaker like dripping rain from your hair into your neighbor’s beer!) Objectivity was compromised, but Ryan kicked a whole lotta ass anyway. [Original Post]
Top 10 after the jump!
10. GRIZZLY BEAR @ BOWERY BALLROOM, NYC 9/26/06
A road-honed Grizzly Bear, a cameo from Owen Pallett, and a reverent, sold-out Bowery hanging on each note of the Gummy-loved Yellow House. In a word: fanfuckingtastic. [Original Post]
09. SUNSET RUBDOWN @ MERCURY LOUNGE 5/22/06
There are a few distinct memories we carry from that night at Mercury: Spencer sweating disproportionately to the Lounge’s room temp, Carey Mercer’s spazztastic set with Frog Eyes later in the night, and thinking at the Sunset set’s close that, no matter what, we’d be there at their next Merc gig: two nights later. Maybe one of the reasons we think y’all were right on in giving Shut Up I Am Dreaming a nice Gummy spot. [Original Post]
08. EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY, AUSTIN CITY LIMITS
The post-rock titans of Texas were unflinchingly epic at their ACL gig. We’re talking shimmering crescendos, limb-flailing guitar assaults, and enough musical drama for a film soundtrack about high school football in the Lone Star state.
[Original Post]
07. THE HOLD STEADY @ IRVING PLAZA, NYC 10/1/06
‘Twas the night before album release, and the literate drunks of The Hold Steady splashed classic rock riffage in equal parts with their Budweiser chugging, and the result was a frothy, hometown, celebratory show honoring the release of the record y’all loved to love — and loved to hate. [Original Post]
06. ¡FORWARD, RUSSIA! @ MERCURY LOUNGE, NYC 6/24/06
How Tom Woodhead doesn’t bust his larynx nightly is beyond us, but his histrionics — mixed with mic cord nooses and the violent, incisive, number-loving post-punk — were a skull-crushing and fist-pumping good time. No show of theirs we’ve seen since has compared, but with Brit bands, it’s all about first impressions, innit?
[Original Post]
05. HOT CHIP @ BOWERY BALLROOM 3/11/06
The morass of chords jumbled beneath the buffet of vintage synths looked like a mess, and sure enough technical issues plagued the night. But when your chord tech dude is James Murphy — and you’re pulling material from The Warning — equipment-repair intermissions are the only thing capable of stopping the dance party. Converted on the spot. [Original Post]
04*. LOVE IS ALL @ KNITTING FACTORY 3/24/06
Through a night of kitsch-cowbell, skronk sax, chanted choruses, and propulsive kit work, we wore shit eating grins, barely surviving the crowd surfing, mosh-pits, and Red Stripe benefaction in each of the Knit’s corners. Single most “fun” show of the year. [Original Post]
04*. EDITORS @ MERCURY LOUNGE, NYC 1/20/06
At the time, Editors were the latest model of Brit hype-mongered acts attempting to make a statement in NYC — and they simply killed it. They may lose luster in the studio, but live and in a confined space, Editors always seem like legends. Not sure what that’s about, really. Best “translation of advance press” gig this year.
[Original Post]
03. BEACH HOUSE @ CAKE SHOP, NYC 11/1/06
This was a simple case of perfect room, perfect band. Beach House’s narcotic pop was masterfully understated, and their one-mood style cast a wide net over the Cake Shop patrons and held ‘em close, warm, and cozy. Wish we had this one on TiVO so we could instant replay it over and over. [Original Post]
02. SUFJAN STEVENS @ LINCOLN CENTER, NYC 1/14/06
Take whatever set of high-fidelity, sound-isolating headphones you exchange your shit gifts for, listen to Soof’s most sweeping compositions, and you’d at least have an idea of the sonic wonder that was a suited Mr. Indie Rock accompanied by horns, strings, and the stunning acoustics of Allen Hall. Add in the 50-foot glass backdrop overlooking Columbus Circle, and it was high-class hipster fare. From this list, this is the one show we wished someone had taped. (Anyone?) [Original Post]
01. BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE @ LOLLAPALOOZA, CHICAGO
What we rushed to dub the “Best Set Of Fest” has grown in our minds to legendary proportions; Broken Social Scene’s set was universally hailed and immediately recognized (in the moment by fellow fans, on blog posts and in interviews later by bloggers and musicians alike) as a classic. What made it special? Dunno. That thing they do, we guess. Emily Haines (and others) say they’re due for a long break and lots of solo records. Before long we’ll clamor for the perfect follow-up to You Forgot It In People and BSS; for now, we’ll dig on the Lolla aftertaste. [Original Post]
Definitive list? Of course not! Just pulled from the shows we managed to make it to this year (and shows for which we had posts with pics). What were your favorite gigs? Tell us what we missed in NYC, and definitely fill us in on what shows came to your town and helped you party down.
ADDENDUM: Duh, we forgot Radiohead! We were busy choosing between the Philly, MSG, and Bonnaroo shows and just like that *poof* the list was done. Consider ‘em all “list”ed.
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The gig of the year, for me anyway, has to be Lily Allen’s gig over here. While it was short – she delivered it with such a kick, that it was hard to say that she was anything but perfect. Literaly amazing.
The gig of the year, for me anyway, has to be Lily Allen’s gig over here. While it was short – she delivered it with such a kick, that it was hard to say that she was anything but perfect. Literaly amazing.
Can somebody say Nine Inch Nails at Jones Beach?
You guys missed Radiohead @ MSG? Damn.
In addition to BSS, the one Lollapalooza set that sticks out is Dresden Dolls. We were there waiting for some other band that was coming on the larger stage (may have been Flaming Lips), and wound up mesmerized by the duo’s act on the smaller stage across the way. Completely entertaining, including a cover of “War Pigs” and a side boob shot from the female lead as she was changing outfits mid-set.
How about My Morning Jacket at Bonnaroo? Didn´t you guys go to that?
No surprise there, it landed at number 1 on our list as well. I love that picture too!
i’m going with Tom Waits club show at the house of blues in cleveland (hours after a theater show in akron)
and i totally dug michael franti and spearhead at emmanuel lewis hall
The Hold Steady at the Troubador – Los Angeles, CA. The show that blew our socks off.
Hip hip hooray for Grizzly Bear!!
to not remember/include radiohead @msg theatre is bordering on unforgivable.
Yeah, Radiohead @ MSG Theatre.
Hands Down
Daft Punk at Coachella
Pinback @ the magic stick was pretty good.
Al DiMeola was the best gig I seen this year though.
the constantines @ Spaceland
the best show i saw all year,and i saw some good ones.
Gotta agree with mikey about Daft Punk at Coachella……amazing show ….also as a good honrable mention…..!!! at North Six…….It got me Dancing….bitches
The Constantines @ anywhere.
Broken Social Scene at Lollapalooza was really, really special. A lot of us sprinted across Grant Park to catch them after Wilco played–that was probably the beginning of it. I think they also converted a lot of people with that set–the dude in front of me said he expected them to sound like the Barenaked Ladies. Plus, they were all together for the first/last time in who knows how long. “Anthems For A Seventeen-Year-Old Girl” performed by all five BSS women? Even Lisa Lopsinger seemed half as vacant as she usually is. And THEN they tore into “Ibi Dreams of Pavement.” The show-stopping applause they got didn’t happen to any other band in the festival. As good as some of the other sets were, nobody else got called back for an encore. Really, there was no other #1 pick for the year. You nailed it.
While I chose the Sufjan Milwaukee concert over this, another great concert I saw this year was the Eels. They blew me out of the water with a show that was incredibly unexpected. It was insane madness and I freaking loved it.
On a related note, has anyone stumbled upon any recording of the Eels “rock” tour?
Um, Sunset Rubdown = Wolf Parade Part II? Anyone?
For me, it was probably the second night of radiohead’s Chicago stop.
Getting to be in the room when they debuted one of the best songs of the new material… Along with a set that read like a wishlist of radiohead songs I wanted to hear live but had never gotten to?
Unforgettable.
Waits’ show at Detroit’s Opera House runs a nice second. TVOTR (with Grizzly Bear opening) was also highly awesome, despite Drunken Bitches doing their best to ruin Grizzly Bear’s set.
Agreed’d on EITS at ACL. I was extremely tired, smelly, and badly sunburned at that point (like everyone else in the crowd), but it still managed to be one of the most amazing sets I’ve ever seen. I’m super excited about seeing them live in March— sans the overabundance of sweat.
My Morning Jacket at Bonnaroo was undeniably a landmark moment this year, and it’s sad it didn’t show up on this list.
dirty pretty things at bowery, august. raw. gorgeous. emotional. even with a [surely painful] broken collarbone, carl barat turned in a top performance.
oh, and the libertines? ancient history.
dirty pretty things at bowery, august. raw. gorgeous. emotional. even with a [surely painful] broken collarbone, carl barat turned in a top performance.
oh, and the libertines? ancient history.
As hyped as they were, Arctic Monkeys at the Metro Chicago in March went beyond the hype and became the best show I’ve seen in a long time. They’re just so tight as a band, that I knew I was in for a treat by them for the rest of the year.
Can’t wait for their Old Trafford show.
hot chip at pure in philadelphia. big urban industrial gaybars look just like the hacienda.
Sleater-Kinney, August 12 at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland, OR.
Sufjan at the Paramount in Seattle.
There’s a great live performance – good sound quality – of Sufjan Stevens at:
Eventually the site http://indierockconcerts.com will feature a huge index of concerts, and hopefully some live shows.
In agreement with Mirr about Eels. A surprising hell of a fun good rockin’ time.
Shit – i didn’t see much this year (Jeff Tweedy, His Name Is Alive, Tapes n Tapes, among others). I can’t do anything besides give it up for my boys in the Plastic Constellations and Youngblood Brass Band for year-in and year-out performing the best shows I see.
i didn’t see any shows this year
hold steady at the warsaw back in the spring
Holy Crap!!! I was at Oya. and i was front and center in the pouring rain when Spank Rock was on. i was even sitting on the ground before hand right next to Naeem Juwan, and i thought i heard some other American accents. ha. my point in going was to see The Knife (yes… flew from New York to Oslo to see The Knife, but can barely afford my rent… priorities!), but Spank Rock was my highlight.
oh, and i have to admit… Daft Punk at Coachella was not only the highlight of my year, but the most life-changing musical (and therefore any type of) event of my year/life/future… but Coachella 06 also had kick ass sets from Sigur Ros, Jamie Lidell, Metric, Bloc Party, Go! Team, Scissor Sisters, etc…
Tried to feel the French robot magic again, by going to Belgium for Pukkelpop, but it was no Coachella. Although, it did have kick ass sets from Radiohead, The Knife (better than their CMJ set by far!) TVOTR, Mew, Hot Chip, Lindstrom & Prins Tomas, Colder, Massive Attack, The Dears, etc…
and Belle & Sebastian at the Hollywood Bowl w/ the LA Philharmonic was nice, but not as much so as when Air did the smae thing a few years ago and made me truly appreciate an Orchestra for the first time ever.
Show of the year for me has to be Beck acoustic at the Angel Orensanz Foundation.
Show of the year for me has to be Beck acoustic at the Angel Orensanz Foundation.
Honestly My Morning Jacket at Bonnaroo was like a watershed moment for them. While I’m sure most of the listed shows were great, I can’t help feeling that many of them will probably fade as the 2007 tour schedule fills up.
MMJ late night ‘06 I’m pretty sure will hold up
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals ending their tour in Boston, and melting everyone’s faces with some badass vintage rock.
I sadly missed BSS @ Lolla but I have to say that Thievery Corp and Blackalicious @ Lolla blew my mind — so did 120 Days at Empty Bottle in Chicago; Editors at Metro in April; Ben Harper (w/ the Marley clan) @ ACL — and who can forget the unforgettable night of TVOTR at Prospect Park in June?
isis @ beat kitchen, chicago il – semi-secret show after tool canceled a show in i believe WI?
tvotr/grizzly bear @ metro, chicago il – i came twice.
jon brion @ intonation music fest, chiicago il – did you guys miss this one, too? this and pitchfork were the shows to see in chicago this summer, eff lollapalooza. and jon brion stole the show this year the way andrew bird did for me the year previous.
My Morning Jacket’s epic late night performance at Bonnaroo may have been the best I’ve ever seen, let alone the best this year. Radiohead’s set was surprisingly good also, especially since I had never been that big a fan.
Death Cab for Cutie at Greek Theater. It was Ben Gibbard’s 30th birthday.
Death Cab for Cutie at Greek Theater. It was Ben Gibbard’s 30th birthday.
Death Cab for Cutie at Greek Theater. It was Ben Gibbard’s 30th birthday.
Death Cab for Cutie at Greek Theater. It was Ben Gibbard’s 30th birthday.
Isn’t that prettymuch the setlist suf always plays?
gorillaz @ the apollo. a shockingly beautiful show. my fave of the year.
It wasn’t the setlist per se that did it. It was just probably the most amazing show I’ve ever seen for a variety of reasons. The sound was unreal, place small, and there was a 100 foot tall glass wall behind the 17 piece band dressed in all black that overlooked the city and central park. The whole thing was just really tripped out and unreal.
I thought Knife at Webster deserved a shout as did Sonic Youth at CBGB’s, Sleater-Kinney at Webster, or Joanna at Webster.
I second Hot Chip/Rapture at Pure in Philly; I only wish the Rapture had headlined because their dance energy is more concentrated and Hot Chip’s mroe diffuse.
Saw BSS for my first time at Lolla this year and they blew me and everyone else out there away. All I can say is– I definitely wasn’t quite ready to see the chili peppers; I think we all wanted more BSS… in fact after their set ended we proceeded to get crunk on the hill and not even watch the peppers..
kudos to all who shared in the moment!
i didnt see there NYC show, but the Editors were fucking amazing in DC at the 930 Club
girl talk at mercury lounge during CMJ. can’t belive this got looked over.
girl talk at mercury lounge during CMJ. can’t belive this got looked over.
My fave NYC show of the year was probably TVOTR at the Prospect Park bandshell. Overall was Tom Waits at the Ryman in Nashville.
Regina Spektor @ Warsaw, Bklyn
i was there for MMJ @ bonnaroo too. they took the stage at midnight & played for 3 hours, dude! best show ever.
for me, 120 days @ the echo in l.a.+++
finally something different from all the regurgitated indie rock.
which is weird because the most diappointing show for me, hands down: the knife @ el rey theater.
didnt translate very well live.
but hey thats just me.
Daft Punk at coachella will be considered a legendary set in the years to come.
That Sufjan show (and the fact that no recording seems to exist) is the biggest reason I started taping practically every show I’ve gone to since.
Forward Russia was my favorite live act of the year and I thought their CMJ Mercury show was killer. My favorite NYC show was actually Feist at Webster Hall in February. Both Ted Leo and Hot Chip at the Seaport and My Brightest Diamond at the nearby Speigeltent were also great shows.
Overall, Sleater-Kinney’s last show with The Thermals in Portland was my most memorable show.
yeah I saw broken social scene in providence, RI and i must say that was the best show of the year. and i saw radiohead. it was religious.
As much as I’d like to pick an up and coming indie band as the best show of the year and be totally cool… I saw Dylan in Fargo and it was life-altering. Now he happens to be my fave artist and it was my first time seeing him… plus I’m from Canada so I miss out on all the good shows, but still, awesome stuff.
As much as I’d like to pick an up and coming indie band as the best show of the year and be totally cool… I saw Dylan in Fargo and it was life-altering. Now he happens to be my fave artist and it was my first time seeing him… plus I’m from Canada so I miss out on all the good shows, but still, awesome stuff.
“plus I’m from Canada so I miss out on all the good shows, but still, awesome stuff.”
Peter, FYI:
The Arcade Fire
Broken Social Scene
The Dears
Death from Above 1979
Destroyer
Emily Haines
Final Fantasy
Feist
The Hidden Cameras
Islands
Land of Talk
The Lovely Feathers
MSTRKRFT
Malajube
Metric
The New Pornographers
The Organ (R.I.P.)
Pink Mountaintops
Pony Up!
Small Sins
Stars
The Stills
Sunset Rubdown
Swan Lake
Tegan and Sara
Think About Life
Tokyo Police Club
Wolf Parade
You Say Party! We Say Die!
the most memorable strokes show ever was Halloween 2001. there is nothing memorable about the strokes in 06.
not one person has mentioned the touch and go festival?
man, seeing GVSB playing “venus luxre no. 1 baby” straight through on the first night, and then having the opportunity to see NEGATIVE APPROACH (which was hands down the best set i saw all year)was bliss.
maybe they hip enough or new enough, but christ, where’s the love?
not one person has mentioned the touch and go festival?
man, seeing GVSB playing “venus luxre no. 1 baby” straight through on the first night, and then having the opportunity to see NEGATIVE APPROACH (which was hands down the best set i saw all year) was bliss.
maybe they aren’t hip enough or new enough, but christ, where’s the love?
The Hold Steady at the Orpheum in Ybor City (Tampa, FL) was my favorite show of the year. Like attending the best party ever at the cool kid’s house, but even better.
final fantasy at merc was magical
great list, a couple of those shows made my list too. gotta say, so wish i had been at that Beach House show and Lollapalooza to see BSS (kickin’ myself in the ass right now)! check out my top 10 shows (and more): http://indiedanceparty.blogspot.com/2006/12/so-long-06-hello-07_27.html#links
have you forgotten about DAFT PUNK?
Didn’t get to see that many shows this year, but MuteMath, when they played in Toronto, was an amazing show that actually gets on my “top 10 of all time” list. Their energy when they perform is crazy unbelievable amazing. 2nd choice was seeing Starflyer 59 twice in one weekend this summer- he doesn’t come here very often, the crowd wasn’t very enthusiastic either, but it was still a solid performance, especially for die hard fans.
The Sufjan Stevens and Broken Social Scene concerts were great.
Check out the “I Want To Write” contest that ends Feb. 1, 2007. Get published and win a $25 gift card of your choice:
http://www.indierockcafe.com/2006/12/digging-archives-apple-in-stereos.html
ALSO, we have another exclusive report about Stephen Colbert and The Decemberists green screen challenge:
http://www.indierockcafe.com/2006/12/stephen-colberts-green-screen-challenge.html
Finally, also check out our Top 20 Indie Playlist with free music:
http://www.indierockcafe.com/2006/11/weekly-play-best-of-indie-music-series.html
Note: The editors here at IRC hope to see more concerts this year and bring them to you via Podcast and radio streams.
We’ll also be launching a separate website for concert listings very soon. Sign up for the Indie Rock Cafe news feed by clicking the Atom/XML/RSS buttons so you will know all the latest in the indie rock world without doing a thing. :0D
You didn’t make it out to RIOTTT! Festival in San Francisco, but Girl Talk’s show was amazing. 10 minutes of fantastic, frantic dancing, until he encouraged the audience to bumrush the stage and the organizers cut his show. We were still talking about it two weeks later.
Death Cab for Cutie at The Rave in Milwaukee. They still rocked it even though the venue is shitty as hell. “We Looked Like Giants” was an odessy.
All these youngsters!!!
Many good shows listed, but how ’bout some love for the older gen?
2 for your list:
Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint at B’roo. Legendary!
The Who BBC Electric Prom 10/29
Rocking like never before! If Tea and Theatre doesn’t send chills yer not connected correctly.
And the Mule deserves mention, the Wiltern show rocked and so did the one I saw at the Ryman. High and Mighty was one of the best releases of the year.
definitely definitely Sleater-Kinney’s last two shows in Portland. That last roar of “One More Hour” to close the show? Rip my heart out!
Best show of the year for me def had to be Wilco at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ on April 21st. Starland is a must see venue, def one of the best. Wilco played an awsome set with 2 random BU college students playing horns on “Monday” and “I’m the Man that Loves You”. Plus Wilco is my favorite band and Starland is seriously 5 minutes from my house. The fact that my fav band played at my fav venue was too good not to top my list for 06.