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concerthopperblog · 2 years

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The Triumphant Return of Papa Joe’s Banjo-B-Que!

It is hard to believe but we are already at the 11th Annual Papa Joe’s Papa Joe’s Banjo-B-Que, but it seems like this festival started only a few years ago. So many incredible and unforgettable memories over the years from such greats as Ricky Skaggs, Drive-By Truckers, Willie Nelson & Family, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, The Avett Brothers, Old Crow Medicine Show, Greensky Bluegrass, and Trampled by Turtles just to name a select few. After taking 2020-2021 off (for obvious reasons), this year’s Papa Joe’s Banjo-B-Que took place on October 14th-15th, 2022 and was held at the Columbia County Fairgrounds in Grovetown, GA. I will also note that despite missing two years in a row, I am going to continue to label this as an “annual” festival because we can’t blame them for taking a pause for the cause. Much respect to all the people involved with making this passionate festival happen. Let me tell you, I really missed this hometown festival immensely. Since my first year attending Papa Joe’s Banjo-B-Que in 2012, I made it a point to attend this festival whether it was doing photography or just attending as a fan. What did Papa Joe’s Banjo-B-Que have in store for us with #11? Well let’s just dive right into this lineup and discuss how it all went down!

Starting off this year’s incredible line up is none other than St. Paul & the Broken Bones and Leftover Salmon, followed by the legendary Tanya Tucker, Punch Brothers, The Del McCoury Band, Yonder Mountain String Band, North Mississippi AllStars, The Lil Smokies, The Vegabonds, Daniel Donato's Cosmic Country, Fireside Collective, The Heavy Heavy, Little Roy & Lizzy Show, Tall Tall Trees, Sam Burchfield, and Grassland String Band! This lineup is stacked from top to bottom and there are so many reasons why everyone had a great time listening to music at Papa Joe’s Papa Joe’s Banjo-B-Que. Personally, I have been chasing a few of these artists on this year’s lineup such as The Del McCoury Band, Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, and the Punch Brothers. Finally, 2022 would be my time!

Day one (Friday) kicked off with some great music from a Papa Joe’s Banjo-B-Que vet. It was Athens, GA very own Grassland String Band (and they will be the first to tell you that they are not a string band). Their latest album, Grassland (Still Not A) String Band, was released on August 26th, 2022, and has made some major splashes across the music scene. You can follow this link to their Official Bandcamp page and check them out for yourself! Next up would be none other than the well-known bluegrass great Del McCoury and his band. As stated previously, I had been wanting to see Del McCoury perform for some time now and I was very excited to finally witness greatness. Getting the opportunity to see Del McCoury > The Heavy Heavy > Punch Brothers with a couple, close friends was some of the best times as we bounced between stages before the final two (2) acts for the evening.

Performing on the same stage about an hour after The Del McCoury Band, the Punch Brothers came up to entertain those eager, bluegrass fans who waited patiently for their set. Closing out the New Belgium Saloon Stage were The Vegabonds, a new southern/country/blues/jam rock band for me hailing from Nashville. And closing out the Main Stage (and headlining Day one) was Birmingham’s very own St. Paul and the Broken Bones, a southern soul band that made an impression on many fans who were not familiar with their incredible and vast discography.

The second day (Saturday) started off by catching the very last few songs of Tall Tall Trees. Wow! All I can say is that this one-man band was spectacular and everyone who came early will agree with me. Don’t believe me? Head over to Tall Tall Trees Official Bandcamp page and hear for yourself! North Mississippi Allstars was next up on the Main Stage, this was also a band that I have yet to see perform live. So, I was intrigued to witness their set. Let me tell you, I was very impressed by their bluesy take on Southern/jam rock. For those who do not know, the band was formed by brothers Cody and Luther Dickinson in 1996. Luther was also the former lead guitarist for The Black Crowes during 2008-2013 and has also played with the likes of Lucero, Jim Lauderdale, John Hiatt, and John Hermann to name a select few. Head over to their Official Bandcamp page today and check them out!

Saturday also had some moments in the schedule that, for me, made for some excellent memories as these three bands performed their heart out for the crowd: Fireside Collective > Yonder Mountain String Band > Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country. I have heard about Fireside Collective only through their music popping up on my Amazon music channel here and there. What I had heard in the past was great. Watching them perform live was even better! I cannot recommend enough that you find the opportunity to go see Fireside Collective perform live. Yonder Mountain String Band (YMSB) came on the main stage before Tanya Tucker and the headliner for Saturday, Leftover Salmon. Let me tell you that they did get that stage warmed up for them with some wicked, good selections from their amazing discography. You can read more about YMSB by following this link to check out Chris Griffy’s review of the band’s release, Get Yourself Outside.

One of the major highlights for my weekend was getting to see the next artist performing on the New Belgium Saloon Stage, Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country. Imagine if Billy Strings and Sturgill Simpson had an offspring, then you get the awesomeness that is Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country. The final three performers for the evening would be: Tanya Tucker > The Lil Smokies > Leftover Salmon. What is there to say about Tanya Tucker that has not been said before? She has been an icon in the Country music scene since her career started in 1971. What an incredible set by Tanya and the crowd sang along to just about every song she performed. Of course, you know she played “Delta Dawn” to the delight of the crowd. It was truly a great experience especially for a 13-year-old girl in the audience who was a huge fan of Tanya Tucker. Closing out the festival was this year was Leftover Salmon. Leftover Salmon (Boulder, Colorado) is a Cajun/progressive bluegrass/jam band that is no stranger to performing at Papa Joe’s Banjo-B-Que (2019). I could not think of any other band to close out the return of Papa Joe’s Banjo-B-Que than Leftover Salmon and I hope they found some new fans who may not be familiar with their feel good music.

Now that we discussed the weekend’s activities, let’s talk about two more attractions at Papa Joe’s Banjo-B-Que: the plethora of tasty food vendors AND $6 domestic/craft beer (and I do mean REAL craft beer) tents with over 80 flavors to choose from on location! This year’s brewer’s lineup included Monday Night Brewing, Reformation, Savannah Brewing Company, Jekyll Brewing Company, Southern Brewing Company, Red Hare Brewing, Riverwatch Brewing, Dry County, Wild Leap Brewing, Akademia, Holy City Brewing, Duclaw Brewing, Sibling Revelry Brewing, Upcountry, Commonhouse Alehouse, Wicked Weed, Bell’s Brewing, Elysian Brewing, Goose Island, Breckenridge, Lonerider, Columbia Craft, Deschutes Brewing, and Slow Pour Brewing. To me, that is one amazing lineup for a craft beer selection that rivals many festivals across the Southeast.

Believe me, I am a proud beer snob and I do attend a good number of festivals. I would gladly pass on the status quo domestic brands in a heartbeat with no qualms about it. For those who do not care about craft beer, they also had some of the classics like Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob Ultra, Shock Top, and Yuengling. Plus, many ciders, wine, and alcoholic cocktails thanks to Cutwater Canned Cocktails and 2nd City Distillery. With regards to the dedicated food vendors, there were some amazing places to fill up while enjoying some great music. Between various BBQ vendors, tacos, pizza, Italian ice, and some other tasty items, Papa Joe’s Banjo-B-Que has you covered with some quality food when those hunger pains hit between sets!

After another successful Papa Joe’s Banjo-B-Que, we can only dream for our favorite artists/bands to be added to next year’s lineup. Who do YOU think will make the cut? All I know is that regardless of who plays this event you will find me front and center! I.C.Y.M.I. - Check out the 8th Annual Papa Joe’s Banjo-B-Que, 9th Annual Papa Joe’s Banjo-B-Que, 10th Annual Papa Joe’s Banjo-B-Que, and 11th Annual Papa Joe’s Banjo-B-Que photo galleries! Want to check out the 9th & 10th Papa Joe’s Banjo-B-Que annual recap? Then follow this link to the review of the 9th Annual Papa Joe’s Banjo-B-Que and 10th Annual Papa Joe’s Banjo-B-Que.

Curious about Concerthopper? You can find more music related articles, interviews, various photo galleries, indie music reviews, our very own ‘Bars & Bites’ section, our exclusive “She Said, She Said” column, or become a Concerthopper at www.concerthopper.com. Sign up for our monthly newsletter by following this link: The Setlist! Please ‘Like’ our page on Facebook and follow us on Instagram to stay up to date in 2022, on all music related events/festivals such as: Snowblind Festival, Trinity of Terror Tour: Ice Nine Kills + Black Veil Brides + Motionless in White, Meshuggah: Live at The Tabernacle, I Prevail & Pierce the Veil: Live at Buffalo Riverworks, Bilmuri: Live at The Masquerade, Thievery Corporation with Emancipator: Live at The Tabernacle, Counterparts: A Eulogy For Those Still Here Tour @ The Masquerade, Jake Hill: Live at The Masquerade, A Day to Remember: Reassembled Acoustic Theater Tour (Kodak Theatre), Big Something: Live at Variety Playhouse, and Jinjer: Live at The Tabernacle by following us on all social media formats: Concerthopper on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Also, you can follow my personal concert hopping on Facebook and Instagram for even more photos not available on Concerthopper.com.

#2022 #music #music festival review #music festival #photography #papa joes banjo b que #georgia #grovetown #review #americana music #americana #alternative country #country #blues #rock n' roll #indie rock #bluegrass #concerthopper

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unproduciblesmackdown · 3 months

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been on a rich journey of niche productions of yore, found these production pics ft. will roland as [?] in "zombies, actually....an undead musical" performed at the new orleans fringe festival in 2011

#found this from 1) looking at will's bio on The Bus website 2) looking up the ''we didn't have time to be scared'' production he cites #there from edinburgh fringe festival which is also niche enough a result is a 2018 bio of his on another site mentioning This show #which i'd either never heard of or entirely forgotten about ever hearing of. found from 2 actors' personal sites w/production pics #also found out this was another musical by the fantasy football: the musical? writer. debuted in nymf 2009 but nyu workshop 2011....#rights site saying skip ''must be charming and adorable'' Done & Done. look at this little guy #another review (abt the 2009 show anyway) saying ''ok the Straight Guy(tm) stuff seeming like unnecessary misogyny sometimes'' well;#weary sigh....will's [?] role seeming Affiliated w/rainbow socks look at them laughing together pic 1 lol #maybe that's why he doesn't have to be like Wahoo abt what seems a bit like contexts of impromptu aggression there. bro! hwaet!#which brings us around to ''fr let's watch the 6 min michael park will roland seeing spamalot together vid. he talks abt beowulf''#this AND going ''oh an actor in ff the musical? w/him was in the xmas xtrav w/him! wham! tee guy behind cyril in 1 pic!!!''#AND my about to listen to a podcast with the writer of this & the football show. hope he doesn't say anything key to This Post #how about some relevant tags....#will roland #zombies actually #zombies actually...an undead musical #ya never do know....#oh another couple of sources confirmed the musical comediness of this & that the comedy was landing. know Nothing of other info #also for clarification afaik there's no role called [?] idk what his role's name was. there was like a Tad in the mix (another guy)

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serjaimelannister · 3 months

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i am still two episodes behind on true d because the schedule change for week 5 tripped me up and my brain has been refusing to cooperate ever since but GOD i am so excited to bask in the glow of whatever it is that goes down that has the reddit dudebros and nic p in the middle of a circle while we all point and laugh

#the non-spoiler reviews i've seen from the mutuals. delicious #maybe i will attempt an episode tonight even though it's 12:17 a.m. and i'm supposed to be sleeping off the current malady #incidentally pretending i don't have physical needs is what got me into this predicament to begin with. but no matter #me this week: i dont need sleep i dont need nourishment i DO need to drop several hundred dollars to go to a music festival in utah

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cherylprime · 17 days

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Roadburn Festival 2024 // In Review // Vol.I

The first part of my Roadburn coverage - featuring good bands, my words, and some questionable photography.

I went back and forth on whether I would write about Roadburn this year, mainly because I had no idea if I would have the motivation or the commitment to doing so once I got back home. Over the Festival weekend a few people asked and I was still leaning towards no up until the Sunday morning of the fest. It’s been quite a long time since I wrote anything substantial and even longer since I wrote…

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#Black Metal #Death Metal #Electronic #Hip Hop #live music #Review #Roadburn Festival

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foxreviewsrock · 2 months

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Fox Reviews Rock - Exciting News!

I decided to switch things up this week and instead of a regular album review, I wanted to share some exciting news with you all! When I started working on my Podcast and Spotify playlist to accompany my reviews , I realized that I didn’t just want to focus on albums. Mixing it up a bit sounds like a lot of fun and allows me to cover more of what I love about music! As I attend gigs and music…

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#Album #Album Review #Blogging #Festivals #Gigs #Hard Rock #Metal #Music #Music Review #Playlist #Podcast #Review #rock #Singles #Writing

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joyfuljellyphish · 3 months

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And with the zeal of my middle school self, I am peeking my head back into this wild world.

I'll primarily be sharing my musings on music and the music/festival scene, as well as some content I'm learning to create!

#music #concert #festival #reviews #writing #Spotify

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newmusickarl · 5 months

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Best Live Shows of 2023

In the age of streaming and with ever-mounting logistical cost pressures, it is more important than ever to go support the bands you love by catching their live show and, if you can, pick up a record or some merchandise whilst you’re there.

Of course, the price of live music itself for the average fan is going up too, with £100+ tickets for stadium/arena shows and £40+ tickets for academy shows, quickly becoming the norm. That said, if you look beyond the household names selling through Ticketmaster’s exploitive dynamic pricing system, you can still find plenty of great acts playing live shows for £10-£20. So, if you find yourself constantly being priced out of the large stadium shows, why not spend that money on five grassroots shows instead – you may just find your next favourite artist in the process!

As for myself, I live for live music and by avoiding those top tier tickets and focussing on cost-effective festivals and shows with great line-ups, I’ve packed in more live music in 2023 than I ever have in my life. Including festival performances and warm-up acts, I’m grateful to have caught 127 performances in 2023, hopefully helping in some small way to support the artists and up-and-coming acts I adore.

With that mass of live music, it’s been hard to whittle this down to just my 10 favourites. So, in true New Music Weekly fashion of avoiding difficult decisions and leaving stuff out, firstly here’s the honourable mentions in chronological order:

Honourable mentions:

Foals at Engine Rooms, Southampton, May

Simply one of my all-time favourite bands at the peak of their powers, in the smallest venue I’ve ever seen them play (800 cap). Biblical!

Opus Kink at Dot-to-Dot Festival, Nottingham, May

The annual “get-me-in-that-pit” performance at Dot-to-Dot festival, proving I’m not too old yet for at least one moshing session per annum. Just like Bob Vylan the year before, my friendship group approached the ska-punk outfit with trepidation, but all ended up fans by the end of the set.

Mickey Callisto at Dot-to-Dot Festival, Nottingham, May

Imagine Freddie Mercury’s Live Aid performance, but in a tiny loft venue – that is essentially what synth-pop superstar Mickey Callisto delivered at Dot-to-Dot festival this year. Next level showmanship and an electric end to the day’s proceedings.

Swim Deep at Rescue Rooms, Nottingham, June

The Brummie indie darlings celebrated 10 years of Where The Heaven Are We this summer, performing one of my all-time favourite albums in full. They also played the ever-magnificent King City twice in the career-spanning set!

Young Fathers at Best Kept Secret Festival, Beekse Bergen, June

The band that have defined 2023 for me, it seemed like much of the audience in the tent with me at Best Kept Secret were catching the Scottish trio for the first time and weren’t sure what to expect. The result was a truly mind-blowing performance, with the energy from the stage radiating around the tent to the point of elation and thunderous applause by the end of the set.

Watch Young Fathers at Best Kept Secret 2023 here

The War On Drugs at The Piece Hall, Halifax, June

American rockers The War On Drugs performing anywhere would probably be enough to get a mention here, such is their stature as a live force. However, with support from Warpaint, a euphoric rendition of Under The Pressure and the gig itself taking place in the beautiful surroundings of the Grade I Listed Piece Hall, outdoor summer shows don’t get much better.

Confidence Man at Splendour Festival, Nottingham, July

When you need a lift during a washed-out festival, get Confidence Man to save the day. Having waited a long time to see them perform live, the Aussie dance outfit didn’t disappoint as the sun cleared just in time for their dazzling half hour of power. Immaculate choreography and joyous vibes aplenty!

Walt Disco at Rescue Rooms, Nottingham, September

A special shout-out to Walt Disco, who supported Nation of Language at their Rescue Rooms show in September. They are my pick for the best warm-up act of the year, with their David Bowie-inspired dramatics and glam rock chic leaving me eager to catch them again in the future.

Read the full review for both Walt Disco and Nation of Language here

Don Broco at O2 Academy Leicester, Leicester, December

Genre-bending heroes Don Broco are one of the most fun live acts around and even with a neck brace leaving frontman Rob Damiani more restricted than usual, they still blew the roof off. Usually not a fan of O2 Academy venues, this was also one of the better ones I’ve visited and it all just made for a great Saturday night.

Jadu Heart at JT Soar, Nottingham, December

My final show of 2023 and easily one of the most magical of the year. Performing in JT Soar which is an old garage turned Sleaford Mods’ recording studio, electro-folk outfit Jadu Heart brought string-tinged beauty and festive spirit to the intimate space. With only around 30 people in attendance and the bargain price of just £5 for the ticket, it was capped off with a pair of singalongs to Christmas classics Happy Xmas (War Is Over) and Fairytale of New York.

Read the full review for LeftLion here

That’s the honourable mentions then, now onto the main event – out of the 120+ performances I’ve seen in 2023, these are the ten that ended up leaving the biggest impression.

Top 10 Live Shows of 2023

10. The 1975 at Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham, January

One of the most discussed arena tours of the year, The 1975 kicked 2023 off with a spectacle. Split into two parts, the first half covered their latest album, Being Funny In A Foreign Language, and then the second half was just wall-to-wall greatest hits with 10,000 people losing their minds. Add in some unique staging and some surreal, theatrical interludes, it made for one of the most memorable arena gigs of the year. In fact it was so good, we’ve already booked to see The 1975 Still At Their Very Best in 2024, this time over in Brussels.

If you’re intrigued to see the show for yourself, their Madison Square Garden performance is streaming on YouTube and Amazon – check it out below.

Watch it here

Stream the live album here

9. The Lottery Winners at Rock City, Nottingham, November

Sometimes the best gigs are the ones that come along and surprise you. With support act Deco a favourite in our household and having seen indie-pop outfit Lottery Winners once previously at 110 Above festival, this one was booked purely on the basis that it looked like a fun Saturday night. Add in up-and-coming Notts rockers The Publics, you’ve got three quality bands at Rock City for £18. However, what I didn’t expect, was this show to be as life-affirming as it ended up being.

For context, once upon a time Lottery Winners were due to support Embrace at Rock City only to be dropped when Embrace feared The Lottery Winners would receive a bigger reception than them. So finally getting the opportunity to play the iconic stage where legends such as David Bowie and Nirvana have played before, you could see The Lottery Winners were putting everything into the performance. The fact I didn’t really know a single song of The Lottery Winners didn’t matter at all either. With plenty of laugh-out-loud, inter-song banter, some thunderous crowd singalongs and the band themselves in genuine tears at certain points in the set, it was just an incredible, emotionally uplifting night.

8. ROB GREEN at Rescue Rooms, Nottingham, February / ROB GREEN at Hockley Hustle Festival, Nottingham, October

Yes, I’m cheating again! But twice I saw Notts’ soul/pop artist ROB GREEN in 2023 and both were magical in their own unique way - so it was impossible to separate them.

Back at Hockley Hustle festival in October 2022, I saw Rob play an acoustic set that just completely blew me away. Having heard only positive things about him up until that point but not knowing too much about his music beyond that, it was one of those performances where I went in with not too much expectation of what I was going to hear, and then left just in complete awe of what I had just experienced. It was a borderline spiritual experience at times, with Rob’s mix of spoken word poetry and gospel-inspired singalongs just captivating and immensely uplifting.

So fast forward to February this year and I finally got to see Rob perform with a full live band setup. However, thanks to the utter jubilance from the crowd, his impressive backing vocalists and immensely talented band, it just amplified that feeling from Hockley Hustle 2022 tenfold. With my whole immediate family in attendance with me too to celebrate my mum’s birthday, it made it even more special.

Fast forward again to Hockley Hustle 2023 and Rob somehow managed to top his 2022 performance by pulling in a string quartet to perform alongside him. Here’s what I said in my review for LeftLion:

“Performing in the corner of Broadway Cinema’s café with the Rob Rosa String Quartet accompanying him, people are literally queueing at the door to catch even the smallest glimpse of his incredible thirty-minute set. And rightfully so, as the enigmatic performer has this unrivalled ability to bring immeasurable positive energy to a room and leave the audience sitting on Cloud Nine. Storming through performances of early singles Life Goes on and Sleeping on My Own, Rob gets noticeably emotional when the crowd singalong with recent single from his forthcoming EP, I’ll Be Around. “It’s so good to be back in NG1,” he exclaims, with the Nottingham faithful grateful to have him back. He then ends as he always does with a joyously euphoric medley of classic covers, leaving the crowd in Broadway Cinema fully uplifted and proving once again why he’s the best live performer in Nottingham.”

Read the full LeftLion roundup of Hockley Hustle 2023 here

7. Spector at Rescue Rooms, Nottingham, December

A band that have defined the last 10 years of my life but most definitely the last two months of my 2023, Spector delivered one of the best albums of their career to date in November with Here Come The Early Nights. Eager to hear the new songs from that record live, I headed down to Rescue Rooms to catch them for the third time in that venue, for the sixth time in Nottingham and for the tenth time in total! With fierce competition from their past selves, Spector pulled out all the stops and delivered a rip-roaring set that packed in so many anthems, I lost my voice completely from all the singing along.

Of course, it may be recency bias but for me this was right up there as one of the best performances I’ve seen from them over the years. It just further cemented why they are one of my favourite bands and also one of the best bands to see perform live. If you want all the details from the night, you can read my review for LeftLion below.

Read the full review for LeftLion here

6. The Chemical Brothers at First Direct Arena, Leeds, October

The legendary Chemical Brothers were another band that I saw live twice in 2023, however as fantastic as they were at Best Kept Festival over the summer, their own arena show in October was just the next level up.

If you’ve not had the pleasure of seeing Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands before, let me assure you they put on one of the best live shows on the planet, especially in an arena setting. The hypnotic, mind-melting visuals they put together to accompany their set is just like no other, in addition to all the big production tricks like confetti, lasers, giant balloons and even massive robots too.

However, all of that will only get you so far, you still need the bangers to back it up. Thankfully with a career-spanning 30+ years they have them in abundance and their setlist in Leeds was near faultless. A lot of cuts from their 2023 album For That Beautiful Feeling were included with Goodbye in particular standing out, as well as all the classics you’d want to hear such as Galvanize, Go, Hey Boy Hey Girl and Block Rockin’ Beats. They even had space for one of my all-time favourite songs, Wide Open. Probably the best show from them of the five times I’ve seen them and easily one of my favourite arena gigs of the year.

5. Oscar and the Wolf at Best Kept Secret Festival, Beekse Bergen, June

When you travel to another country and spend hundreds of pounds on a festival for one particular artist, it’s important they deliver. Sure, Best Kept Secret had a phenomenal line-up this year that also boasted The Chemical Brothers, The 1975, Aphex Twin, Young Fathers, Caroline Polachek, Christine & The Queens, Nation of Language, Arlo Parks, Billy Nomates, Interpol and so many more, so I would have gotten the value anyway. But Best Kept Secret Festival was really all about seeing one man – Max Colombie AKA Oscar and the Wolf.

You see having discovered Oscar and the Wolf at Dot-to-Dot festival in 2015, his music instantly resonated with me and he quickly became a favourite of mine. The issue is the Belgian indie-pop superstar isn’t really known here in the UK. So, whenever I have been able to see him live over the years since, it’s been in quiet festival slots with short sets and a small crowd who aren’t familiar with his output. So, when choosing a festival to attend in 2023, we chose Best Kept Secret for one key reason – Oscar and the Wolf was headlining it.

You see whilst the UK hasn’t caught on to Max Colombie’s talents, over in Europe he is a headline act on the level Muse, Liam Gallagher, Arctic Monkeys, etc. So having decided on Best Kept Secret over Rock Werchter as it looked less commercial and a much more manageable capacity, we ventured to the Netherlands to catch Oscar and the Wolf live with a crowd of 20,000 and, importantly, one which knew the words to all of his songs.

And with that massive expectation on it, Max and his band still managed to exceed all expectations to deliver a dazzling Saturday evening performance. Full of brain-melting guitar solos, a flawless setlist, Max’s own incredible vocals and all the big production tricks, it was everything I hoped for when booking the festival. To finally see one of my favourite artists with a crowd deserving of his music, it was such a special moment.

If you’re intrigued to see more and want an introduction to Max’s output, you can watch a 30-minute snippet of his performance from Best Kept Secret below.

Watch Oscar and the Wolf at Best Kept Secret here

4. Stevie Nicks at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, March

It is very rare I get to tick off two bucket list items, let alone two in a single week. But earlier this year, I was fortunate enough to travel over to Las Vegas for work, a place I had always wanted to visit. Whilst I didn’t get to see everything in the short time I was there, I did have enough free time to get a flavour of the one-of-a-kind city. Of course, seeing a show is a must out there and when looking at what was on, I noticed that none other than music legend Stevie Nicks was in town for one night only. Biting the bullet on a last-minute ticket, whilst I will never get to see Fleetwood Mac perform live, I was fortunate to catch Stevie that night – which feels like the next best thing.

The production of the stage was utterly entrancing, with montages and artistic visuals projected on the screens behind her throughout. Her voice sounded as good as ever even at 74 too, with the live band playing alongside her also fantastic. Playing through all the classics from both her solo career and time in Fleetwood Mac, it made for a really special show. It also ended on quite an emotional note, as Stevie paid tribute to both Tom Petty and Christine McVie in the encore. Performing Free Falling and Landslide to round it off, she was noticeably moved following her performance of the latter.

I feel incredibly lucky to have had the chance to experience that, seeing a genuine musical legend on the opposite side of the world. One of the defining highlights of my 2023 and a moment I truly will never forget.

3. Self Esteem at Eventim Apollo, London, March

These days, the performance happening on stage is only 50% of what makes a good show. If you get the wrong crowd of people more interested in getting pissed or talking through the set, then you can quickly end up distracted during key moments. But for the final stop on Self Esteem’s Prioritise Pleasure UKtour at the Hammersmith Apollo, the entire audience were there for one thing and one thing only – a performance from Rebecca Lucy Taylor.

Off the back of a huge breakout year following the success of Prioritise Pleasure, this one felt like a victory lap as the crowd erupted into thunderous ovation after every single song. The production of the show itself was incredible too, from the dazzling choreography and vocal performances to the impressive costume changes and staging. It felt like an arena-level pop show but with the intimacy of an academy venue, just the best of both worlds.

The biggest testament I can give it though is what I touched on at the start. A lot of shows I’ve been to post-COVID, when it comes time for the acoustic songs they are sadly often spoilt now by crowd chatter, with people’s loud conversations disrupting these intimate moments. That didn’t happen with Self Esteem, as at one point she took centre stage just her and a guitar to perform her track John Elton and honestly you couldn’t hear a pin drop. Instead, everyone just stood in awe and respectfully engaged with what they were witnessing on the stage.

I said back in March this was one of the best shows I’ve ever had the privilege of seeing and I think I stand by that. An unbelievably special night thanks to a respectful crowd and an artist right at the top of their game.

2. Creeper at Rock City, Nottingham, November

Speaking of one of the best shows I’ve ever seen, I think it’s well documented at this point just how blown away I was seeing Creeper at Rock City last month. The only other time I had seen the Southampton-hailing goth-rockers previously was years ago at Slam Dunk festival and I’ll be honest, their show didn’t leave much of an impression on me at that time. However, with this performance coming less than a month since the release of their operatic third album Sanguivore, which I had been playing constantly, it seemed like the perfect storm for a special night – and my assumptions were correct.

Here's what I said in my review for LeftLion:

“Bringing with them a uniquely theatrical live show unlike any I saw in 2023, it was full of dramatic production, crowd surfers, circle pits, plenty of monstrous riffs and a faultless setlist. The moment of the night however came in the form of a stunning rendition of debut album favourite, Misery. Driving home the special connection Creeper have with their fans, phone torches were switched on and several audience members climbed onto shoulders to emotionally sing along with frontman, Will Gould. As the song reached its peak, Will didn’t even have to say a word or move a muscle - the crowd just instinctively belted out the song’s gut-punching refrain. A beautifully powerful moment and one of the most spine-tingling I’ve ever experienced inside that venue. With red confetti then shooting out of cannons onstage during the triumphant closing performance of 2023 single Cry To Heaven, it was a suitably mind-blowing finish to a truly mind-blowing rock show.”

See LeftLion’s full list of Best Gigs of 2023 here

Read my LeftLion review for Creeper at Rock City here

1. James at Northern Echo Arena, Darlington, August / James at Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham, October

So here we are at my favourite live show of 2023 and guess what – I’ve cheated again. Here we have two shows that both had the recipe for an all-timer - one of my favourite bands of all-time, one of the best live acts in the country and a band with 40+ years of exceptional music in their catalogue. Funnily enough, all three of those ingredients are Mancunian indie legends, James.

I saw James twice in 2023 and what has landed them in the top spot is the fact that each time I saw them this year, they delivered a unique experience. Each of these gigs, one in Darlington and one in Nottingham, offered something completely different from the other but ended up equally as sensational for their own reasons.

The first in Darlington was just the perfect line up in the most perfect setting. An August summer’s day with three of my favourite bands on the bill together – Maximo Park, Editors and James. The venue was a decent-sized Rugby stadium, but rather than having the whole thing open, the stage was to one side of the pitch, with one side of seating open and then the pitch the standing area – so it was set up more like a bowl than an open stadium.

What worked perfectly was the fact that although we had booked seats, we didn’t have to stay in them all day. We could sit in the seats and chill for the support, make use of the toilets and quieter bars etc. but then when we wanted to go have a dance and get into the mix, we could walk down onto the pitch and join the standing crowd. This is the first gig I’ve been to with that set up and it just added to the whole experience.

In terms of the bands themselves though, it was just a fantastic day of music. Even before the trio of Maximo Park, Editors and James, you had shoegazers Pale Blue Eyes, up-and-comers The Kairos and 00s indie outfit The Pigeon Detectives, who in particular were much better than I expected. Then as fantastic as Maximo Park and Editors were, it really was all about James who just reaffirmed to me why they’re one of my favourite bands. Ploughing through the hits as the sun was setting, Tim Booth wandering gracefully through the crowd and the band on stage sounding so effortlessly tight-knit, just like a band who have been playing together for 40 years should sound. It may have been the booze, it may have been the life-defining songs, it may well have been a bit of both – but I’m not ashamed to say I was near tears at a couple of points. Just magical.

If that wasn’t enough, I would see them again a few months later at Nottingham Royal Concert Hall, this time backed by a full choir and orchestra. Having had the devastation of the cancellation back in April, after waiting over a decade for them to repeat their 2011 orchestral tour, this was a rescheduled show I had been waiting a long, long time to see. And boy was it worth the wait.

Playing some of my favourite deep cuts that I would never get to hear in a normal set like Space, Alaskan Pipeline, Ten Below and Someone’s Got It In For Me, but then with the strings and extra voices accompanying them too, it just amplified their already world class live show to another level. With goosebump-inducing singalongs to Many Faces and Sometimes also throughout the night, this was another special gig that I’ll remember for a long time.

So there you have it, my favourite shows of 2023. Just one final part of my New Music Weekly awards still left to come and it’s a big one – my Top 100 Songs of 2023 playlist.

It’ll be dropping soon so keep your eyes peeled and thanks for following along so far!

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methodman13 · 5 months

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Metal Magic at Stubb's: High On Fire Delivers Sonic Onslaught with Matt Pike at the Helm

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#Coady Willis #Concert Photography #Concert Review #Doom Metal #High On Fire #Jeff Matz #Levitation #Levitation 2023 #Matt Pike #Music Festival #Sludge Metal #Stoner Metal #Stubb&039;s #Thrash Metal

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topoet · 5 months

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Alice in Newfoundland

It was a gloomy Sunday when me and my gal pal drove out to Stirling Festival Theatre to see their annual Christmas panto. The drive there was trouble free with on pit stop at the Big Apple where I bought a coffee & a box of apple fritters. We found the 33 & there were even arrow signs for the Stirling Festival Theatre. A bit of precipitation but not bad at all. We arrived with just enough time…

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#entertainment #J.P. Baldwin #musical #Ontario #panto #photographs #review #small town #Stirling #Stirling Festival Theatre #summer theatre #TOpoet.ca #Toronto

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stoneyocean · 6 months

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Stoneyocean.com

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andykanaev · 8 months

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#photography #rock music #festival #september is burning #mobilephotography #concert #concert review #concert report

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concerthopperblog · 11 months

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RE:SET Complement Burger

I want to approach the Re:SET Concert Series like a friend that needs a little guidance. If Re:SET can be pointed in the right direction, it has a possibility of being the next great touring festival. If not, it was a thing that my concert hopper crew did once.

A brief summary of Re:SET for those who might need it. It is a touring three-day festival with four artists a day. It tours with the same artist lineup but will be on a different day, for example… Boy Genius will play in New Orleans on Saturday and Atlanta on Sunday, while LCD Soundsystem visa versa. All this is on one stage in each city.

Speaking of which, the headliners this year were the previously mentioned Boy Genius and LCD Soundsystem, and Steve Lacy.

This festival was great, but it also reminded me of the burger I ordered there. I really needed the burger to keep up with the calorie count I lost dancing during the Idles set. The $18 burger, though, should be the peak burger, but I just got the mediocre burger.

So with the continuation of the food metaphor, I want to call out RE:Set’s good with the bad, and good again with a compliment sandwich, but the middle is so important to be addressed that it needs to have a bigger filling than just a regular sandwich.

May I Pre:SENT… The Re:SET Burger.

The Top of the Bun: Best Festival to Explore a City

I love Atlanta’s Shaky Knees Music Festival. Shaky Knees Festival books my favorite Alternative and Punk undercard on the east coast. The first couple of times I went, my crew and I had planned on cool touristy things to do in the city. However, if you go to Shaky Knees fashionably late because you spent too much time shopping in Little 5 Points, you are missing music. Resulting in missing out on that aforementioned best alternative and punk undercard on the east coast.

With RE:SET in Atlanta, we were able to nerd out at Emory University's Michael C. Carlos Museum and the High Museum of Art and ride bikes on the Beltline. We finally had the time to some top-tier burgers from Slutty Vegan that were worth every penny before the late-night crowd.

The festival is a great way to explore a city and actually do things.

For example, attendees of Re:Set Nashville could go chow down on Prince’s Hot Chicken and regret thinking they could handle two heat levels too hot later while getting down to the Tori y Moi set.

A New Orleans cemetery tour with all the other sad girls to see would have really set the mood to see Boy Genius in City Park.

In D.C., you could have stormed* the capital and been back in time to sing about your Big Habit with Steve Lacy. *Publisher note: Do not “storm” federal buildings. There are plenty of other fun, affordable and legal things to do in Washington, D.C.

If this is an annual event, I might use it as an excuse to visit a different city.

The Patty: The Re:SET Communication

It was a failure of the little things that can only be explained in bullet point form that bugged me.

The lineup was released early, but the time of the event was posted almost less than a month from the day of the event.

You can plan a pretty picnic, but you can’t predict the weather. With that in mind, the festival should be better prepared to share updates. At Re:Set Atlanta and some of the other city stops sets had to be rescheduled due to extreme weather. Instagram Stories should not be a primary way to receive updates, and emails about rescheduling should not be sent out an hour after the new schedule starts.

Speaking of Instagram, be excited about your festival. My beloved Shaky Knees posted schedule updates and pictures and imaging and stuff, maybe too much stuff all the time. It seemed that RE: Set went months without posting anything. I chose your festival, let me know I’m going to enjoy it.

A lot of people ignored this, but no blankets? Re:Set is one stage, I’m there for four hours, and the grass gets uncomfortable to sit on without a blanket.

It felt like it was lucky it happened. When the crew and I left, we were all, “That was nice. Hope it happens again,” and not, “That was great! Can't wait until next year!”

That being said, “I was like, that was great, let see them in Nashville!” which brings me to the bottom of the bun.

The Bottom Bun: Each Day a Different Vibe

On the first day, Steve Lacy and the other artists brought the funk. The freaks came and got freaky.

LCD Soundsystem and others brought the energy. The energy was reciprocated back to them.

The third day brought the chill. Everyone chilled.

In each city, the rotation will be different, but the vibe remains. Every undercard really did elevate the headliner. My crew really loved the Idles, Jamie XX, and LCD Soundsystem energy so much that we were eyeballing the Nashville show.

The organizers really did a good job with each day's lineup, but they really did drop the paper plate on some of the small stuff.

I really do hope this concert series continues, though. I have mentioned Shaky Knees before, and there was a time when their headliners were Gary Clark Jr and LCD Sound system; now, there are giants like The Killers and Muse. Those crowds kill vibes. Re:Set was all about vibes.

The Fries

The house music between sets was pretty lit.

Re:SET, improve your communication, and it will be biscuits and gravy, babe.

#2023 #Concerthopper #Review #music #Music Festival #music festival review #review #Atlanta #Shaky Knees #RE:SET #indie #Rock N' Roll #Rock

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