EAR FARM’s Top Concerts of 2008 : EAR FARM :: music information helps grow ears

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

EAR FARM’s Top Concerts of 2008

above: Ween @ McCarren Park Pool – 25 July 2008

2008 was a banner year for concerts in the EAR FARM world. One of the best, if not the very best, ever. Show after show was amazingly memorable… from The National @ BAM to The Cure @ Radio City; from Wilco @ McCarren Pool to Deerhoof @ the Prospect Park Bandshell - instant classics abounded. And those are just some of the shows that didn’t end up on our final Top Concerts of 2008 list.

Below you’ll find our picks for the Top 15 Concerts we attended in 2008. They are listed in chronological order and represent concerts from a variety of locales (Atlanta, Austin, Chapel Hill, and New York) and genres. When possible we’ve included links to video footage or audio files from the respective concerts as well as a photo and writeup for each. We’d love to hear your thoughts on any of the below concerts, suggestions for shows or cities you think EAR FARM should visit next year, OR feel free to share your own list of the best shows you saw this year. If you missed any of our other 2008 “Best Of” lists you can find links to those below as well. We hope you enjoy, and we’ll see you in 2009 with an all new roster of EAR FARM Bands of the Week and some super swell new features, contributors, and more. So stay tuned. There will be a few new posts in the next week and a half and we will resume regular daily posting again on January 5th. As always, thanks so much for reading.

Now, on to EAR FARM’s Top Concerts of 2008…

1 February 2008 - Joanna Newsom @ Brooklyn Academy of Music (original review HERE)

Mike: Perhaps the first truly chill-inducing, insta-classic show of 2008, Joanna Newsom floated onto the Howard Gilman Opera House stage alongside her Ys Street Band AND 28 members of the Brooklyn Philharmonic with an explicit sense of purpose. See, the posse’s daunting task for the evening was to bring the 5-song labyrinthine Ys to life one last time before retiring it for the foreseeable future. In doing so, they took the entire sold-out crowd (fanboys and aesthetes alike) on a powerful trip through every melodic twist and successive trapdoor that comprise this masterpiece, Newsom’s uniquely expressive siren song leading the way the entire time. And when their business was finished, Newsom came back for an “encore” that saw her and the Ys Street Band cutting loose for a set as playful and inspired as Ys was solemn and dramatic. Wowza. (above photo by Bao Nguyen from HERE)
9 February 2008 - Liars and No Age @ Warsaw (original review HERE)

Matt: Many factors went into creating this memorable show. The weather (it was snowing), the venue (Warsaw owning a bit more character than many similar-sized NY venues), the smart choice of opener/headliner pairing (No Age warmed it up, Liars blew the roof clean off), and finally, the precarious condition which Angus Andrew found himself in heading into the show. Apparently he’d injured his back. The injury was bad enough that it forced him to perform seated for the majority of the concert; however, none of his trademark energy was absent. Instead of lazily going through the motions (the way Julian Casablancas did while performing injured at Irving Plaza in 2002), Angus electrified from his chair and managed to stand up intermittently. Each time he did rise to his feet the audience’s energy level rose with him (see video of “Freak Out” HERE) creating a near maniacal atmosphere that had the lead singer waving flags by the end of the show. Literally. (above photo by Matt Tyson, more HERE)
15 February 2008 - Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings @ Beacon Theatre (original review HERE)

Matt: Sharon Jones is a force of nature. A modern day Tina Turner, or perhaps James Brown with the voice of Gladys Knight. Whatever the appropriate comparison, all of her talents were on full display and her charisma radiated throughout the Beacon that night back in February. It was the archetypal “artist at the top of her game” kind of performance. Like a fine wine uncorked at the perfect moment, Sharon Jones (having just turned 52 in May) and the Dap Kings delivered the kind of show that positively wowed all 2,800 people in attendance and converted even the least malleable of old white people into dancing soul freaks. (above photo from HERE)
25 February 2008 - Super Furry Animals @ Bowery Ballroom (original review HERE)

Mike: Before this night, it appeared SFA’s reputation for bombastic live shows correlated directly to the impressive production value they brought with it. Wrong. Stripped-down but revved up, the band embraced the concept of “downsizing” for this tour by letting the MUSIC hold the spotlight, opening up their considerable back catalog to the fans and letting them vote on each night’s setlist. Less a “greatest hits” show than a “we’re a criminally underrated band and we’re going to show you why” show, they completely dominated with impeccable musicianship while maintaining their subversive sense of whimsy….and a Power Rangers helmet. (above photo from HERE)
9 March 2008 - The Walkmen and Vampire Weekend @ The Earl (original review HERE)

Mike: You’re no doubt tired of hearing us gush about this show, so I’ll try and make it brief: this was the best performance I witnessed in 2008. On the corner stage of a cozy club not much bigger than the Top Chef stew room, the Walkmen absolutely tortured the besieged PA system with a smoldering set culled mostly from the then-forthcoming You & Me. An hour before the show, I didn’t even know they were working on a new album. A minute after the show, I walked out fairly certain the best record of the year was forthcoming.

Matt: For starters, we had the buzz boys from Vampire Weekend regaling us with a performance that belied their relative youth and flew in the face of the benighted boobs who find them to be an overrated band. They’re not. Ask any member of the sold-out audience and they’d say the same thing - they were mostly there to see Vampire Weekend and many left early/after their set, likely very pleased with the show they got. However, those who did leave early missed out on the real concert. The Walkmen took to the stage with an obvious hint of determination in their collective step. The eye of the tiger, à la Rocky Balboa vs. Clubber Lang. In a little over an hour the headliners gave the room a heavy helping of songs from EAR FARM’s top album of the year (You & Me - watch “If Only It Were True” HERE), took our breath away, and then retreated to their tour vehicle that I’m imagining has vanity plates that read BESTOF08. (above photo by Matt Tyson, more HERE)
13 March 2008 - Islands and Man Man @ Cedar Street Courtyard (original reviews HERE and HERE)

Mike: My favorite show of SXSW, a special night where we were treated to mostly new material from two of our favorite artists amidst a packed courtyard and fanatical crowd. Luckily, we were right up front, which allowed us to closely witness the synergy between Man Man’s Honus Honus and Pow Pow as they grinned, grimaced and telepathically pummeled the shit out of the audience. It also happened to be the best Islands show I’ve seen too, as Nick Diamonds clearly relished playing all the new songs from Arm’s Way.

Matt: The best all-around show from South by Southwest saw Man Man characteristically exceed already high expectations and Islands deliver their most focused performance I’ve seen from them to date. We’ve got two songs from each band for your viewing pleasure… from Man Man: “Mister Jung Stuffed” into “Hurly Burly”… and from Islands: “Where There’s A Will, There’s A Whalebone” and “Red Football”. (above photo by Matt Tyson, more HERE)
14 March 2008 - Torche and Harvey Milk @ Red 7 (original review HERE)

Matt: As good as Harvey Milk’s album Life… The Best Game In Town is, their live show in Austin didn’t really impress. However, Torche blew me away in a manner best captured in this video. They took the stage as I looked down at my camera and then, before I knew it, there was this thunderous whooshing sound and the band and audience erupted in showers of metaldom as I figuratively got knocked off my feet by ceaseless raw power. It was the best singular performance of SXSW. Video proof HERE. (above photo by Matt Tyson, more HERE)
31 March 2008 - Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks @ Bowery Ballroom (original review HERE)

Mike: Not my first live exposure to Jicks 2.0 (with Janet Weiss being the significant addition on drums), but certainly the first time I fully comprehended her importance to the band. Clearly, Malkmus has found the grounded Ying to his meandering Yang, a bludgeoning powerhouse that seals every loose end and improvisatory whim he gleefully dishes out while still letting him take the lead in their boozy dance of jammy bliss. A carefree romp that could have worked in a room twice the size, we’re all just grateful they decided to use Bowery Ballroom as their rehearsal space for the night. (above photo by Jonathan Mason, more HERE)
11 April 2008 - Paul Simon @ Brooklyn Academy of Music (original review HERE)

Mike: By far the most fully realized of the three BAM events celebrating Paul Simon this past April, “Under African Skies” effortlessly unfurled like an informal jam session precisely for that very reason. It was an evening of music born from the singular vision of paying tribute to an icon without parading him around for a cheap curtain-call, and the result was a fun, breezy, joyous, festive, and awe-inspiring spectacle. Rotating appearances from the likes of (among others) Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Vusi Mahlesela, and David Byrne (his version of “You Can Call Me Al” being the show’s highlight), Simon appreciatively stood in the background and ceded the floor to his friends, perhaps simply because he was having as much fun watching it as the rest of us were. A truly uplifting evening and purveyor of one of those “only in New York (err, Brooklyn)” moments. (above photo from HERE)
6 May 2008 - British Sea Power and The Rosebuds @ Cat’s Cradle (original review HERE)

Matt: Returning to the Cat’s Cradle for the first time in many years was a real treat for me. I’d forgotten how sweaty-hot that place can be, and also forgot how nice the sound is there. The Rosebuds opened up the show with a set split evenly between songs from all of their albums (watch “Hold Hands And Fight” and “Blue Bird”) and the hometown audience responded with glee: much dancing, many smiles, and even a few stage to crowd high fives. British Sea Power brought with them a revised lineup that included two new players and a return to the foliage-heavy stage decoration they favored on their first tour of the US. Their performance was as bright and heavy and frenetically focused as they’ve been every other time I’ve seen them (watch “Blackout” and “Lights Out For Darker Skies”), which is to say it was a very special show. They always are. But the entire time there was a palpable sense that we were all approaching some kind of climactic moment… sure enough, it came in the form of the monstrous seventeen minute version of “Carrion” that closed the set. The band was doing handstands, leaping from their amps during guitar solos, and stage diving with reckless abandon. Brilliantine immortality. (above photo by Matt Tyson, more HERE)
13 June 2008 - Oneida @ The Kitchen (original review HERE)

Mike: And now for something completely different. For reasons wide and varied, Oneida’s best – and would-be breakthrough - album, 2005’s The Wedding, never got the attention it so clearly deserved. That is until this past June, when the band took over a performing arts space in Chelsea and invited a a string quartet, pianist, background singers, and entire audio/visual department to help them bring the whole damn album to life, song for song and note for note. Oneida is many things, and this show’s juxtaposition of lulling strings, cacophonous jams, hypnotic visuals, and droning interludes proved just that. The ambition of the performance alone was inspiring, but the fact that they pulled it off with such grace and bravado was the true cause for celebration. (above photo by Mike Grimes, more HERE)
21 July 2008 - Jarvis Cocker @ Music Hall of Williamsburg (original review HERE)

Matt: Last year’s Jarvis Cocker show made EF’s best concerts of ‘07 list, and that one was at the cavernous Webster Hall. So it would stand to reason that an encore performance this year at the much smaller Music Hall of Williamsburg would make EF’s best of ‘08 list right? Obviously. Not only did the smaller confines help personalize things even more, but Jarvis and crew were even more polished and on point this time around. They played a few new songs, incited encores with tracks from Cocker’s debut solo LP, and closed the show with a stellar version of a Master C & J old-school house track called “Face It” that provided a window directly into the influence that brought Pulp out of the doldrums of It and into their signature sound found on Separations and His ‘n’ Hers. A concert I’ll never forget. (above photo by Matt Tyson)
28 August 2008 - Lykke Li @ (le) Poisson Rouge (original review HERE)

Matt: With her band pumping up the energy on the tracks from her recently released debut Youth Novels, and the audience knowing each song very well, the evening had a magnetic air about it that was undeniable. Songs such as “Let It Fall” and “Breaking It Up” brought the house down, with Lykke playing auxiliary percussion and dancing and moving as though the beats were coming from someplace deep within her. The band dropped a choice cover version of “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” by Vampire Weekend (with Li using the song to brighten up the mood after one of her own slow songs) and saved that little something special to end the show with: a version of “Can I Kick It?” by A Tribe Called Quest (watch/listen below). After first taping a performance for Late Night with Conan O’Brien and then playing to a packed house of superfans in-the-round, it must’ve been a very special night for Lykke Li. Well, she gave it right back to the audience. The entire show was something very special indeed. (above photo by Matt Tyson, more HERE)
1 October 2008 - Echo & The Bunnymen @ Radio City Music Hall (original review including six live MP3s HERE)

Matt: This concert was comprised of two sets: the first was a greatest hits set (of sorts), while the second saw the band perform their greatest album (Ocean Rain) in its entirety with full orchestral accompaniment. Words can not do justice in describing how amazing the Ocean Rain set was. Other than some mumbly between song banter from lead singer Ian McCulloch about the ineptitude of the Dutch lighting guy, it was perfection incarnate. The movie screens which flank the stage lit up with vintage pictures of Echo & the Bunnymen, the stage itself lit up with vintage sounds. The longing, the listless melancholia, and the darkness which Echo have always embodied, bled through in thick strokes reaching a climactic peak during the album’s sixth track, the theme song of an entire generation, “The Killing Moon”. It’s from this point forward that Ocean Rain magically moves into stupid-good territory, the final four songs of the album sometimes considered one of the great album sides ever. Shrouded in shadows, the music stood on its own and couldn’t have sounded any better. It was, for lack of words (and without fear of repetition), stupid-good. That night they made Radio City their “king-kingdom kingdom kingdom…” (above photo by Matt Tyson)
23 October 2008 - EAR FARM CMJ Day Party @ Pianos (original review HERE)

Mike: Biased, you say! Perhaps, but when you get to curate your own day of music, doesn’t it make sense to be thrilled with the results? For me, the revelation during this 6-hour getdown was how wonderfully each band segued into the next. From the Howlies through Takka Takka, each band’s individual strengths both blended perfectly into and stood in relief from those surrounding them. And this time next year, who knows where you’ll be seeing Drink Up Buttercup, Project Jenny, Project Jan, Howlies, Sister Suvi, Sam Champion, and Takka Takka, but it’s not bloody likely it will be all together and for free on a Wednesday afternoon in a room as intimate as Pianos. Yesssss.

Matt: What? You were expecting maybe to see the uneven BrooklynVegan CMJ show featuring that crappy bar band from Charlotte listed here?? No way. What can I say? We booked a perfect lineup that catered directly to our tastes. Of course it was going to appear in our best shows of ‘08 list. Especially given the way Howlies blew in and out of the venue like a pop-rock Tasmanian devil followed by the One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest derailed folk-rock of Sister Suvi (the favorite set of just about everyone in attendance). From there things went nuclear with Drink Up Buttercup (pictured above) and Project Jenny, Project Jan splattering minds and making happy fans all-around. Two of our most favorite local bands (Sam Champion and Takka Takka) closed out the show in grand mini-sets that belonged in a room ten times the size of Pianos. If you were there consider yourself fortunate, we sure do. Also, watch for live audio from this show to be posted here early next week. A special holiday treat from EAR FARM to you. (above photo by Matt Tyson, more HERE)