As you probably have realized by now, I’m not anywhere near as cool as Kyle when it comes to musical excursions and his ability to be in touch with the “musical pulse” of the moment. I really wanted to post about my best concerts of 2007 as well but then I realized that I only attended 11 total concerts last year (hence why this wasn't posted until now...embarassment factor). This might be a sign of 1) my frugal nature as a married individual that can not spend all of my money on crazy things like live music or 2) I’m a homebody.

If you were a betting person, you should bet the house on #2. Nevertheless, I did experience some outstanding concerts last year which I will rank accordingly:

The Coldest Night of My Entire Life AwardThis was the 2/3 concert for Camera Obscura that Kyle and I attended at the Logan Square Auditorium. Why we took public transportation to this show will forever be a mystery to me as I couldn’t feel any of my appendages by the time we finally got to the show. Despite this fact, this show was unreal in regards to set-list and the atmosphere in the venue. It was obvious that only the truly die-hards (or extremely idiotic) were out this night and the typical “only came out to drink and talk the entire show while trying to piss off everyone else” crowd were in the minority for once. I give props to this show for that fact alone.

The Best Ravinia Performance Award
I have seen numerous shows at Ravinia over the years, symphonic and popular alike. My wife and I were treated to the best show I have ever witnessed when we grabbed tickets for the 8/10 Fiona Apple and Nickel Creek show. I have been a huge Fiona’s for a LONG time and I honestly just recently got into Nickel Creek. Despite the fact that the concert confirmed all of friends statements about how crazy Fiona Apple is (I prefer to call her an “eclectic artist”), the show was TIGHT. Nickel Creek were the band for Fiona Apple’s set and they added a whole new feel to her piano centered songs with guitar, violin, upright bass and mandolin. This was a delightful surprise and I would recommend for ANYONE to see Nickel Creek. They incorporate pretty much every genre of music into their live shows with ease and seamlessly make it their own. I am sad to know that they are going on an “indefinite hiatus” for the future.

The Show That Can Piss Off Even the Casual Music Fan Award
This award goes to the 9/7 Bloc Party show for the Hideout’s Block Party. For a better idea of what I am talking about I would like for you to see my good friend, Kevin Sperry’s blog entry about said show. He sums it up better than I could. http://architectureandfootball.blogspot.com/2007_09_01_archive.html

The Passing of the Torch Award
I have to say that going to shows with Kyle usually leave me with at least a few lasting memories of it. The 5/13 Regina Spektor show did not disappoint in this regard either. The wife and I met up with Kyle at the show and proceeded to get into an ideal position very close to the stage and Regina’s piano. I also am happy to say that I believe that Regina has decided to take a large portion of the lesbian crowd over to her camp from Tori Amos’ and The Indigo Girls. Good for her. Everyone needs a devoted fan base.

The UK Band that Deserves a Bigger Following AwardMy final show of merit was the 11/10 Athlete show at the Empty Bottle. I LOVE the Empty Bottle primarily because of intimate nature of the bar and how the sound fills you up and you kind of resonate for a few hours after the show. Athlete are quite a large band in the UK (my friend from Scotland that saw them with me said that he could NEVER see them in a venue that small in the UK) but they haven’t really taken off over in the states yet. The band writes catchy pop tunes with clever lyrics and the bouncy rhythms that bands like Snow Patrol and Oasis are known for creating. If you get a chance to hear them live, do like the Sugarhill Gang and JUMP ON IT!