Favorite Live Shows of 2009

December 3, 2009

It’s time yet again for EOY (that’s “end of year” for newbies) lists! 2009 has been one of my busiest years, but in the midst of all that I’ve still been able to catch some great concerts. I chose the 15 shows of 2009 that I loved the most for this list. Make sure to visit the musicforants.com flickr page to check out all my concert pictures from this year.

15. Cymbals Eat Guitars @ Pitchfork Festival (Chicago)

Cymbals Eat Guitars’ debut hadn’t been given an official release yet when I saw them at Pitchfork and they still managed to put on one of the most energetic, explosive shows I saw of the year.

MP3 Cymbals Eat Guitars – Wind Phoenix

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14. Asobi Seksu / Bell @ Illinois Weslyan (Bloomington)

This was my second time seeing Asobi Seksu and I was again entranced by Yuki’s ethereal vocals and the band’s huge sound.

MP3 Asobi Seksu – Me & Mary

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13. Junior Boys / Max Tundra @ Canopy Club (Urbana)

Junior Boys provided a wonderful night of soulful dance tunes and gorgeous, melodic electronica with wonderful opening support from Max Tundra.

MP3 Junior Boys – Hazel

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12. Harlem Shakes / Passion Pit @ Empty Bottle (Chicago)

Passion Pit have really exploded on the scene lately but it was Harlem Shakes that stole this show with their jubilant, infectious pop tunes.

MP3 Harlem Shakes – Strictly Game

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11. Beirut @ Pitchfork Festival (Chicago)

Zach Condon and his band of spirited young troubadours swooned the crowd with classics like “Postcards for Italy” and “Elephant Gun”. Owen Pallett joining them for “A Sunday Smile” was one of the festival’s biggest highlights.

MP3 Beirut – Scenic World

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10. The Hold Steady @ Courtyard Cafe (Urbana)

The Hold Steady overcame the limitations of an extremely small venue, to provide a truly amazing set including a few songs like “Party Pit”, “Hornets! Hornets!”, and “How A Resurrection Really Feels” which I’d never seen them perform live.

MP3 The Hold Steady – Constructive Summer

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9. The National @ Pitchfork Festival (Chicago)

The National provided a masterful closing to day two of Pitchfork. As Pete said in his review, “you’d be hard-pressed to find better footage of a seething mass of twenty-somethings screaming their lungs out in unison than when they closed their main set with “Mr. November”.

MP3 The National – Fake Empire

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8. U2 @ Soldier Field (Chicago)

I never ended up doing a review on here of U2’s opening night show in Chicago because I simply had way too much other stuff going on, but nevertheless I’d be lying if I didn’t include this show in my favorites. Their set-up (nicknamed “the claw”) was a breathtakingly specatcular visual and seeing the band pull out some of their lesser-known tracks like “The Unforgettable Fire” and “Ultraviolet (Light My Way)” as well as showstoppers like “Where The Streets Have No Name” and “One” made the night very special.

Y2B U2 – City of Blinding Lights (U2 360 Live in Chicago)

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7. The Antlers @ Canopy Club (Urbana)

I saw The Antlers twice this year, but it was the intimate Canopy Club setting that proved to be the most memorable. The band’s performance was passionate and stunning and it further cemented The Antlers as one of the most talented and significant bands to emerge in 2009.

MP3 The Antlers – Two

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6. Iron & Wine @ Krannert Theatre (Urbana)

This acoustic set from Sam Beam was by far my favorite show I’ve seen from Iron & Wine twice before, both in large outdoor settings and both with a full band. I’ve rarely seen an artist who encapsualated an audience’s interests so intently and his dynamic performance of “Trapeze Swinger” was heartbreakingly beautiful.

MP3 Iron & Wine – Resurrection Fern

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5. Japandroids @ Pitchfork Festival (Chicagod)

Unlike the rest of the artists on this list, this Japandroids show was actually my introduction to the band. Their set-up was as simple as can be: one dude on guitar, one on drums, both sang, but I can not overstate how much they tore the place the hell up. Their high-octane, turned-up-to-11, fuzzy rock anthems like “Young Hearts Spark Fire” and “The Boys Are Back In Town” sounded amazing and their ridiculously energetic performance had me grinning like an idiot the entire time.

MP3 Japandroids – Young Hearts Spark Fire

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4. Flaming Lips @ Pitchfork Festival (Chicago)

The Flaming Lips’ festival-closing, requests-based performance was an absolute joy to watch. The band provides the most crazy, visual extravagant, musically overwhelming live show of any band out there. From his giant space bubble hamster ball, to the confetti and balloons, to the epic closing number “Do You Realize?” there’s nothing that compares to witnessing The Flaming Lips live.

MP3 Flaming Lips – Do You Realize?

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3. Sufjan Stevens @ The Highdive (Champaign)

I was among a small number of very lucky fans that got to see the “Sufjan Stevens Workshop Tour”, where Sufjan captivated audiences in small bars and clubs with primarily new, wildly experimental songs. Whether it was the ambitious, sprawling new compositions or hearing acoustic versions of his wonderful recorded output like “Casimir Pulaski Day” and “Chicago”, seeing Sufjan in this incredibly intimate environment was a truly unforgettable experience.

MP3 Sufjan Stevens – Dress Looks Nice On You

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2. Phoenix @ Park West (Chicago)

Phoenix have had a milestone year, and I found out that on top of releasing the magnificent Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, they also has a phenomenal live show. The band absolutely tore the place up from the very start hitting high after high, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a more escatic crowd. They ended with an extended version of “1901″ which had Thomas Mars wandering through the crowd and signing the last refrain on a table in the middle of the theatre. Phoenix succeeded in putting on what was easily one of the most triumphant and thrilling concerts I’ve ever witnessed.

MP3 Phoenix – Lisztomania

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1. Sunny Day Real Estate @ The Metro (Chicago)

Growing up for me, Sunny Day Real Estate was my favorite band and one of my biggest dreams was that someday they’d reunite and I’d be able to see them live. I didn’t think it would ever happen but this year eremy Enigk, Dan Hoerner, Nate Mendel, and William Goldsmith played together for the first time in 15 years, and the band exceed every one of my almost-impossible expectations. The band put everything they had into the performance, rocketing through songs like “Seven”, “In Circles”, “Guitar and Video Games” and the breathtakingly gorgeous “Song About An Angel”. I can honestly say this was not only one of the best shows, but one of the best nights of my life.

MP3 Sunny Day Real Estate – In Circles

Posted by Taylor in Lists, Live