TOP TEN LIVE SHOWS OF 2008
10) Justice - Stubb's Bar-B-Q - March 3, 2008
For two guys with turntables, Justice put on a pretty badass live show. The question as to whether or not their leather jackets and light-up cross were ironic or not evaporated once they reached their set-closing remix of Metallica's "Master of Puppets". It figures that they year's best rock show came from a French house duo.
For two guys with turntables, Justice put on a pretty badass live show. The question as to whether or not their leather jackets and light-up cross were ironic or not evaporated once they reached their set-closing remix of Metallica's "Master of Puppets". It figures that they year's best rock show came from a French house duo.9) Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band - Zilker Park (Austin City Limits Music Festival) - September 27, 2008
Sandwiched between Erykah Badu and Beck, Conor Oberst's ACL set showcased songs from his new self-titled solo album as well as two new ones (one of which was dedicated to Spoon's Britt Daniel) and a Paul Simon cover. This set of alt-country tunes was a good fit for the festival, and Oberst's performance was surprisingly stirring and captivating.
8) Liars - Superpages.com Center - May 18, 2008
Warming up a crowd for Radiohead is not an easy feat, which makes frontman Angus Andrew's apparent lack of shyness all the more commendable. Their noisy rock won the crowd over as much as it possibly could without making the crowd forget that they, you know, weren't Radiohead.
7) M.I.A. - Palladium Ballroom - May 2, 2008
While it didn't quite live up to her 2007 ACL appearance, M.I.A.'s show at the Palladium was still an awesome experience. She is quite the performer, and the multicolored videos on the screens behind her and her backup dancers and DJ contributed to make for an amazing show.6) Erykah Badu - Zilker Park (Austin City Limits Music Festival) - September 27, 2008
"They say I'm rapping like Big, Jay, and Tupac, Andre 3000, where is Erykah Badu at?" This verse from Lil Wayne's inescapable "A Milli" was visibly pregnant Badu's entrance music for her ACL set, and her hip-hop infused soul did not let down from the energy established from opening with such an iconic song.5) Weezer - Frank Erwin Center - October 20, 2008
When two-thirds of your albums don't even come close to living up to the ridiculously high standards set by your first two, you have to at least put on a fun show. Luckily, Weezer have learned this, and have donned red jumpsuits, trampolines, and an affinity for playing with their fans. If only their music was this exciting.4) Beck - Zilker Park (Austin City Limits Music Festival) - September 27, 2008
Beck's latest tour supporting Modern Guilt matched the album in that it was much more scaled back than previous tours, leaving room for Beck to just rock. He wasn't able to remove gimmicks completely, as there was a medley of Guero songs performed entirely on wireless headsets, but even that was only employed to bolster the energy of the set.
Beck's latest tour supporting Modern Guilt matched the album in that it was much more scaled back than previous tours, leaving room for Beck to just rock. He wasn't able to remove gimmicks completely, as there was a medley of Guero songs performed entirely on wireless headsets, but even that was only employed to bolster the energy of the set.3) Kanye West - Superpages.com Center - May 1, 2008
With his Glow in the Dark Tour, Kanye West established himself as a true performer. Designed by the same people who did Daft Punk's light show, the whole lost-in-space concept sometimes came off as a little cheesy, but ultimately it didn't matter; when confronted with so much audio and visual stimulation, it was impossible not to have fun.
With his Glow in the Dark Tour, Kanye West established himself as a true performer. Designed by the same people who did Daft Punk's light show, the whole lost-in-space concept sometimes came off as a little cheesy, but ultimately it didn't matter; when confronted with so much audio and visual stimulation, it was impossible not to have fun.2) Wilco - Stubb's Bar-B-Q - May 12, 2008
I had seen Wilco three times (once being the night before) and Jeff Tweedy solo once before this show, but never had I seen the band enjoy themselves so much. In between cracking jokes and playing songs ranging all the way back to the oft-neglected A.M., Tweedy actually asked how much time they had left to play; he did not want to leave the stage, and not one person watching wanted him to, either.
I had seen Wilco three times (once being the night before) and Jeff Tweedy solo once before this show, but never had I seen the band enjoy themselves so much. In between cracking jokes and playing songs ranging all the way back to the oft-neglected A.M., Tweedy actually asked how much time they had left to play; he did not want to leave the stage, and not one person watching wanted him to, either.1) Radiohead - Superpages.com Center - May 18, 2008
Duh.
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