A year in music
As soon as I can pull myself away from the Daytrotter sessions I’ve been listening to all weekend, I’m heading off to my final concert of 2008: Blue Cut Robbery at WorkPlay. (Check out our online-only interview with Matthew Mayfield for more on this local trio, comprised of Mayfield, Stewart Vann and Wil Drake). That will bring me to a personal best of 23 shows in one year. Twenty-three concerts.
I realized that I may have exceeded my limit when I found myself at a show but thinking more about the gorgeous Le Creuset tea kettle I’d just purchased than the excellent musician on stage. It was a great show from an excellent performer, but it was also a month filled with concerts and I was exhausted.
I’ve sworn to myself that I’ll rest more in 2009—I need not only the downtime but also to give my credit card a break! (I try not to think about how much I’ve dropped on concert tickets. Music, books and coffee are my financial vices.) Even so, my concert calendar is already filling up; I’ve purchased tickets for Punch Brothers, Cowboy Junkies and two Ryan Adams shows. There are many other shows (including a third Ryan concert …) on my radar.
So I may not be able to restrain myself in 2009. We’ll see. In the meantime, these are the top five shows I attended in 2008, arranged in chronological order. Keep the music coming.
Garrison Starr and Over the Rhine, WorkPlay Theatre, Birmingham, Feb. 4, 2008
I received Over the Rhine’s most recent album, The Trumpet Child, only weeks before this concert. And despite a lack of familiarity with their music, tears pooled in my eyes several times during the show. I’ve since purchased three more OtR albums and am anxious for them to return to Birmingham.
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, BJCC, Birmingham, April 26, 2008
Plant and Krauss’ Raising Sand was one of my favorite albums of 2007; a full year later, every time I put it on I am still surprised by how perfectly their voices blend. This was easily the most expensive single-show ticket I bought in 2008, and I’m confident everyone in my group would agree it was worth every cent. Seeing these two together, live, may have been a once in a lifetime event.
Old Crow Medicine Show, Act of Congress, Jon Black, The Dexateens, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Guys with Guitars, Ingrid Michaelson, Andrew Bird, Shooter Jennings, The Flaming Lips and Robert Earl Keen, City Stages, Birmingham, June 13-15, 2008
I won’t ramble too much about City Stages—I already did that back in June—but I have to say again that this was my best City Stages experience. Yes, even better than the year I saw Nickel Creek (my favorite band) and Bela Fleck on the same night.
The Swell Season, Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, Sept. 24, 2008
I’m very, very against unmerited standing ovations. (Just ask anyone who’s ever attended a play with me!) I’m happy to keep my rear planted firmly in my seat, where I can applaud your performance the proper amount, thankyouverymuch. But during The Swell Season show in Nashville, the crowd burst into four or five standing ovations in the middle of the show—and I leapt to my feet every single time.
Blitzen Trapper and Iron and Wine, WorkPlay, Birmingham, Nov. 22, 2008
As we waited in line for this sold-out show, a friend and I compared the times we purchased tickets for Iron and Wine. Mine were at 10:12 a.m. and his even earlier—on AUGUST 8, the day they went on sale. Yes, we were a bit excited about this show, and for good reason. (I’ll direct you back to an earlier blog entry for a more detailed recap!)
Check back later this week for a preview of a show that’ll start your 2009 off rockin’. Until then, I’d love to know—what were your favorite concerts in 2008? What are you looking forward to in 2009? Share your answers in the comments.
