With 2010 having just ended, I thought this would be a good time to reflect on some of the great concerts I saw this past year. The grandness of these live performances has me hopeful for 2011. Below are my five favorite shows from 2010. Note – these are in no particular order. You can read the entire review of each concert by clicking on the active links.
Halestorm at the Starland Ballroom
Opening for Theory of a Deadman at a small club in New Jersey (The Starland Ballroom), I had zero expectations when Halestorm took the stage. I had heard of them, and may have heard a song of theirs on the radio (or the internet). What I knew for sure was that they were a band that everyone in rock journalism was talking about. After seeing them perform, I can understand why. I immediately went out and got their debut CD and jumped on the fan bandwagon. Halestorm gave a magnificent performance and won me over that night. It was one of the nicest surprises of 2010.
Dave Matthews Band at Citi Field
One of my favorite bands ever gave one of their greatest performances ever (so great, in fact, that it was released as a double live CD) on a hot summer’s night in New York City. With ingredients like that, how could this not be one of the best shows of 2010? The energy that DMB brought to the concert that night was magnified by the intensity of the crowd. The band played a show that was over the top and much more juice filled than other performances they gave that year. It must be something about New York City, it always brings the best out of the Dave Matthews Band.
Kix at M3
Another sweet surprise for me in 2010. I had never seen Kix live, but was curious about their performance. I made sure to witness them at M3 and I am so thankful that I did. They were the best band to perform at the festival, outshining Cinderella, Warrant, and even the headliners of the night, The Scorpions. Kix proved that they know how to put on a kick ass rock and roll show. They were so great that I would end up seeing them again later in the year. Surprises like that performance are what continue to make me attend live concerts.
From Good Homes – Wellmont Theatre
It’s hard to see a concert in December and have it make your top performance of the year list. In order for that to happen, it must be one incredible show. Well, in the case of From Good Homes, it was. Rivaling DMB for the greatest concert of the year, From Good Homes blew their audience away and performed with a passion that’s rarely seen anymore. You would have thought they were performing in front of 250,000 fans, not 2500. What an incredible gift they gave us with that evening.
OAR – at PNC
Always great in concert, this summer’s OAR performance at the PNC Bank Arts Center was no different. The band always gives an amazing performance. Perhaps it was the close seats we had, perhaps it was hearing such great music on a warm summer’s night, or perhaps it was a combination of those things – either way, OAR was one of the best shows I saw in 2010. They just get better every time I see them live.
And there they are – my favorite concerts from this past year. What were your favorite shows? Comments are opens, feel free to post some.
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