Best performances/shows of 2012

Saw a bunch of shows in 2012. Can't wait for what 2013 has in store. Already have Hot Water Music, the Everyone Everywhere Record Release, Murder by Death, Louis CK, and Masked Intruder shows coming up. These were my favorite shows of 2012.

1) Stay Sweet Fest Part 2

Best deal to be had with any fest (40 incredible bands for 40 bucks? What even). Cannot hold my excitement for part 3 come April!

2) The Adicts / World Inferno Friendship Society 5/19/12

This was before W/IFS got kicked off the tour. Literally the most fun I've had at a show in what feels like forever. Infernites make wonderful company. Afterparty was fun as well. Shout outs to them.

3) Spraynard / Sundials / Nona -> Little Pirouettes / This is Your Life 5/27/12

Show was the last time I ever saw Spraynard. It was awesome. They played in a kitchen. That is also awesome. Went to my friends show across the city the same night. It was all crucial.

4) Waka Flocka Flame 10/5/12

I still cannot believe I attended this. It was ignorant. It was hysterical. Above all it was fun as anything. SQUAD!!!

5) Every time I saw Timeshares this year (maybe 6 or 7 times)

Band is amazing. Hop aboard the train before they get to be as popular as Gaslight.


Other cool shows: Revival Tour in Philly, Menzingers in Pittsburgh, Murder by Death, and I saw TGA 4 times this year which was pretty alright

11/27/12
Streetlight Manifesto. Yeah. Best show of the year for me I think. I don't know who the openers were, I didn't much care, went to the bar after hearing a song by each. But man, made it back in time to get right up front for Streetlight, right in front of Tohkay and Mike Brown. Skanked the night away, grabbed a setlist, and a few conversations at the bus afterwards.

7/21/12
Flatfoot 56 put on a killer show, really worked the crowd, just some good fuckin' oi/street punk.

Lower Class Brats played after, which I'm not a big fan, but they still put on a show for the fans.

The Casualties were who I was there to see. KILLED IT. Biggest circle pit I've seen in the venue. Wall of death. Played "On The Front Line" in it's entirety. Then we booked it before Nekromantix played.

11/6/12
Whips/Chains, Kvelertak, TORCHE, and Converge.

I love Whips/Chains, some thrashy/doomish/crust stuff. Kvelertak put on one hell of a show, definitely recommend anyone who can to see them. Torche was just mind numbing. Right on the stage and dead center, hypnotized through their whole set.

Converge did nothing short of perect. Bannon is a man that belongs on stage. The playing was flawless, the setlist was good, and people were kind enough to start a circle pit and a "hardcore pit".


9/20/12
Teenage Bottlerocket, some shitty local band, and a great local ska band called Stuck Lucky.

Plastered drunk, singing along/with every song right in front of Ray. Went with my best friend, dragged him up to the front because he's never been an up front kind of guy. He loved it. It probably comes in right under Streetlight.



12/4/12
Every Time I Die, The Chariot, Letlive., Kills and Thrills.

This was probably the show that most surprised me this year. I'm not a big fan of any of these bands, but I went to go hang with a friend who just moved back to town. The Chariot has to probably have one of the best presences I've seen. It was neat and shit when the singer walked out into the crowd on their hands, but I'd seen that before, but then when everyone sans the drummer just decides to keep running and jumping into the crowd while playing, without fucking up or anything, and having a blast, that was pretty killer.

The rest of the bands played great, just nothing I'm really into.



Other shit: Dropkick/Frank Turner/Mahones back in March. Sold out crowd, fun times, piss drunk and dancing. Gaslight and Dave Hause in June? I think. Dave did great. Gaslight was alright. I've never been a huge fan of their live performances but I still love to go see them. Some England Oi punk legends The Business played the other night in a rundown little venue. Probably something I'll never get to see again in my life, but it was great.

7/22/12 The Gaslight Anthem with Dave Hause (or Dave Hause with The Gaslight Anthem)
SO MUCH ENERGY. Almost died of heat exhaustion. Amazing crowd. Plus, Dave Hause.

4/1/12 The Revival Tour
Chuck, Cory, Laura Jane, Joe, Jon, Nathaniel Rateliff and Ken Casey... Plus, Dave Hause.

5/25/12 Langhorne Slim with Ha Ha Tonka and Kingsley Flood
A dancing/singing/clap-along show from start to finish. One of those rare shows where all the bands on the bill made sense together.

Other highlights: We Are Augustines, Margot & the Nuclear So and So's, Mona, 3 other Gaslight shows, Frank Turner, Hot Water Music.

1) Fest 11.

I mean, obviously. Three days completely full of amazing shows. Just all kinds of good. Got to see a lot of the bands throughout the year but they were all their best at first.

2) Gaslight - Seattle Date

The Portland date was all fun a good, but the Seattle date wins out simply because they played Divorce. The concert experience doesn't get much better than locking arms with a stranger and belting out "ITS ALRIGHT MAN. I'M ONLY BLEEDING MAN. STAY HUNGRY STAY FREE AND DO THE BEST THAT YOU CAN"

3) Glamour Kills Tour

The Wonder Years have quickly become one of my favorite live bands. Wins out slightly over the Swellers/Wonder Years/Early November tour. Both were lots of fun, but the crowd was better here.

4) Front Bottoms / Fake Problems / Kevin Devine / Say Anything

I can't get enough Front Bottoms and Fake Problems. Kevin and Say Anything weren't bad either. Both Front Bottoms and Fake Problems were better at fest, but this was still a great show.

5) Craig Finn solo show

The Hold Steady are always special to see live, and this was also special in its own unique away.

Other highlights were The Menzingers, Lucero, Japandroids, Banner Pilot/Broadway Calls... having a serious hard time remembering all the shows I went to... I know I must be forgetting some!

Biggest disappointment was the Menzingers/Bouncing Souls show though. It wasn't bad... Menzingers still brought it but either it wore me out to much or the Souls set was just incredibly lethargic. Given how good it could've been, it was definitely kinda a bummer.

I saw Refused this year.

I will never see any band that will put on a better live performance than Refused. It bums me out to say that but god damn Refused is fucking amazing live.

and yeah fucking Refused.

2/21 - Frank Turner
3/13* - Such Gold / Mixtapes
3/19 - Andrew Jackson Jihad / Laura Stevenson & the Cans
4/5 - Mission of Burma
6/18 - Mixtapes (the Wonder Years were on this too but I missed their set)
7/13 - Gaslight / Dave Hause (saw them the night before too but this one was better)
7/30* - Swearin' / Waxahatchee
8/1 - Ramshackle Glory
8/24* - Cheap Girls
9/24 - The Henry Clay People
9/28 - Mixtapes / Aficionado / Citizen
10/4 - Henry Rollins
10/14 - The Capitalist Kids
11/8 - The Front Bottoms / Cheap Girls

These were just the highlights, I left out ones that were boring. I felt like I hadn't been to that much this year but I was wrong. Shows with an asterisk mean that my band opened. Got to play with some of my favorite bands this year which was really cool.

Springsteen in San Jose earlier this year. Probably the best performance I've ever witnessed

Against Me / Andrew Jackson Jihad / Joyce Manor in Santa Cruz. Some of the most fun I've had at a show, incredible bill. wish i could go back

1. Bruce Springsteen - Etihad Stadium. Absolutely epic gig.
2. Frank Turner - Wembley Arena. Such a special show.
3. Rob Zombie/Marilyn Manson - O2 Arena. Amazing show (Zombie that is, Manson was pish).

1. Deluna Fest. 3 days of remarkable shows, on the beach. Plus Brian and Eddie Vedder singing State of Love and Trust. And Bob Mould. And Joan Jett. And Florence. The list goes on and on.

2. Frank Turner at Webster Hall.

3. The Revival Tour at Bowery Ballroom. Chuck & Cory & Dan & Laura Jane (As Tom then) and Dave Hause and Jenny Owen Youngs and Kayleigh Goldsworthy. They could have played all night. They would have, too, if the venue hadn't said no.

4. Gaslight at Terminal 5, night 3. Despite the obnoxious NY crowd, the guys sounded remarkably good and were clearly having fun.

5. Gaslight at Webster Hall. Record release show. The twinkling-light-Mae opener was so special.