Tuesday Top Ten: Concerts of 2014

I didn't go to as many shows in 2014 as I have in previous years, but it was still a pretty solid year in live music for me.  The year started out slow.  There wasn't much of interest in the first quarter of the year, and I didn't go to my first concert until mid April.  But the middle and end of the year made up for it, with a cadre of great live performances.  With tickets purchased for Billy Idol, Neil Diamond, and Foo Fighters thus far, 2015 is also shaping up to be a good one.  But before 2014 gets too far from us, here is how I would rank the twelve concerts I attended in 2014 (not including the shows I saw at Lollapalooza, which are separately ranked here):

12.  Wolfmother, Metro, May 2

I have been waiting for a Wolfmother tour for several years after I saw them at Lolla many years ago (and since I enjoy their music).  This was a great show with a lot of energy.

11.  The Gaslight Anthem, Aragon, October 16

TGA is a favorite of mine, and they always put on a good show.  The Aragon is the largest venue I've seen them in, and they adequately rocked the house.

10.  Foxy Shazam and Larry's Flask, Lincoln Hall, June 21

Opener Larry's Flask was a pleasant surprise, as kind of a folk punk type outfit that tore the roof off the place, just in time for headliner Foxy Shazam to do the same.  I have seen Foxy Shazam a few times, and each time they have not disappointed, proving that rock and roll is still alive and can still save your soul.

9.  Cage the Elephant and Foals, Aragon, May 14

We actually went to this show to see J. Roddy Walston & The Business, who was the first opener, but we received incorrect information about when the show was supposed to start, so Foals was on when we got there.  It was a bummer, but Cage the Elephant made up for it.  Between opening for other bands, seeing them at Lollapalooza, and this show, I have now seen them probably four or five times, and I feel like they get better every time I see them.  They know how to work a crowd into a frenzy.

8.  Ghost and King Dude, The Vic, April 19

Swedish metal band Ghost (also known as Ghost B.C. in the US) is a must-see, even if you don't like metal.  If you aren't familiar, the identities of the band members are unknowns.  The lead singer, Papa Emeritus II, dresses up as what I would call an evil pope, wearing clerical robes and skeleton face paint.  The rest of the band members are referred to as Nameless Ghouls, and they wear black robes and black masks.  Papa is charismatic, and talks to the crowd in a polite Swedish manner in between songs, even if many of his songs are about Satan.

7.  Jack White, Auditorium Theatre, July 24

My only other concert experience at the Auditorium Theatre was seeing Smashing Pumpkins in probably 2009 or 2010, and I left with a sour taste in my mouth, mainly due to Billy Corgan's uneven performance.  While weird and musically talented in his own ways, Jack White is not Billy Corgan.  Thus, this show was great.  Its luster was a little bit diminished by the fact that he played for three and a half hours the night before, but only played for two hours when we saw him.  Nonetheless, it was nice mix of his solo stuff, White Stripes, Raconteurs, and covers, ending the encore with Lead Belly's "Goodnight, Irene."

6.  J. Roddy Walston & The Business and Pujol, Metro, September 18

5.  J. Roddy Walston & The Business and Pujol, Schuba's, July 31

I'm just going to count these two shows as one for purposes of this list.  The July show was a Lollapalooza "aftershow," even though it was technically the night before Lolla started.  Schuba's is one of my favorite venues in Chicago, and J. Roddy Walston & The Business is one of my favorite newer bands, so the combination was perfect.  The opener, Pujol, was also pretty damn good, which was an added bonus.  In fact, we liked the line-up so much we saw them again a month and a half later at the Metro.  Pujol got a haircut.  

Here's a video of an excerpt of "Brave Man's Death" from the July show.

4.  Def Leppard and KISS, First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre, August 16

Two of the best live acts of the last 30-40 years and two of my favorite bands in one venue?  Yes, please.  Both bands played for 90 minutes, which was perfect.

3.  Mötley Crüe and Alice Cooper, First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre, August 8

Due to the tardiness of a limo a few years ago, I missed all but one song of Alice Cooper's set when they opened for Iron Maiden.  We took no chances this year and arrived in plenty of time.  Alice Cooper was as good as I had hoped.  His stage show is a wonderfully macabre mixture of music, art, theater, and guillotines.  And he was just the opener!  Mötley Crüe did not disappoint on their final tour as a band.  They have put on a great show every time I've seen them, and they went overboard for their final tour.  Most impressive was Tommy Lee's Crüecifly, which is basically a giant rollercoaster track that carries Lee and his drum set into the crowd, while constantly rotating him forward.  I took a video of Tommy's entire 10-minute drum solo ride on the Crüecifly, but it would take about a day to upload to YouTube, so I can't share it with you.  It's rare to see a sellout crowd of 25,000+ at the First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre (at least with the bands I see there), but this one was packed to the gills, which I think is a testament to both of the bands.

2.  The Hold Steady, Concord Hall, July 2

These guys have been one of my favorite bands for nearly a decade, and thanks to a charity pledge drive the band spearheaded, drummer Bobby Drake (who is also a certified mechanic) came to my house the day of the show and changed my oil, or at least he would have if I had the right tools.  

And then we got backstage passes for the show.  The show was great (as every Hold Steady show is).  I've never had backstage passes before, so I was geeked.  Despite the best efforts of a security guy at Concord Hall (who tried to tell us that, because it was an all-ages show, everyone had to leave the venue right after the show), we got to drink some beers backstage with the band after the show.  

Even better, we went down the block to a bar called the Green Eye, where we talked with Craig Finn for a few minutes.  Jessie was ecstatic.

This show was going to top my list until . . .

1.  KISS, The Joint (Las Vegas), November 14

Paul Stanley took my picture.  Game over.