Yeah, I know a lot of you don't go to many shows anymore. But there are those (like me) who still love going to see a live act. Being that you thrive on lists, post your Top 5 of 2004.

I went to almost 70 shows this year and it was VERY tough compiling my list to only five. Nonetheless, here's mine:

1) December -- Damien Rice w/ Herbie Hancock (Troubadour)
2) March -- Franz Ferdinand (Troubadour)
3) May -- Muse (Brick by Brick, San Diego)
4) June -- Secret Machines / Helio Sequence (Troubadour)
5) July -- Idlewild (Hotel Cafe)

Honourable Mentions:
Lou Reed (ATP Festival)
PJ Harvey (Knitting Factory)

Granted, I only made it to 18 shows this year (not bad for married with children), but here are my top 5:

1. My Morning Jacket/Andrew Bird---In The Venue(SLC) 5/15/04
2. Pixies/Moving Units---Glasshouse(Pomona) 4/30/04
3. Prince---USANA Amphitheatre(SLC) 9/7/04
4. Wilco/Calexico----Kingsbury Hall (SLC) 11/22/04
5. Arcade Fire---Bowery Ballroom (NYC) 11/11/04

Prince @ MSG

dang, I can't think..I'll edit this tommorow.

Hmmm, this is sorta tough, but here it goes...

The Arcade Fire-December at the Empty Bottle
Muse-November at the Riviera
The Faint-September at the Metro
LCD Soundsystem-Late spring at the Empty Bottle (fucking unreal)
Fatboy Slim- November at the Metro

I loved seeing Gold Chains again at the Abbey Pub, although the place maybe had 25 people there, including the employees. Fun as hell though.

I was very impressed with Franz Ferdinand when I caught them at the Empty Bottle. Overall real good year for shows.

death from above 1979 at TT's
hot snakes at knitting factory
lightning bolt at great scott
dwarves at the middle east
RJD2 at the middle east
mclusky at TT's

i'm sure there are other shows i've enjoyed but this is all i can remember right now

hmm... i tried this for myself last week, but had trouble bringing it down to 5 too. i think it's more that i saw some great sets during shows that weren't great overall. so, let me give this a shot...

february 26 - franz ferdinand @ north star (philly)
march 29 - sufjan stevens @ 1st unitarian church (philly)
april 14 - brendan benson @ mercury lounge (nyc)
october 9 - rilo kiley @ starlight (philly)
november 12 - arcade fire @ 1st unitarian church (philly)

1. Sage Francis @ Knitting Factory
2. Liars @ Warsaw (first show debuting new material to confused audience)
3. Eyedea And Abilities w/ Atmosphere @ Irving Plaza
4. SirenFest! (ft. Mission Of Burma, TVOTR, Thermals, Your Enemies Friends)
5. Joanna Newsom/Devendra Banhart @ Bowery

i can't believe that i always forget about this year's siren festival since the others were at the top of my shows for whichever year. the thermals, constantines, and mission of burma were great. trail of dead, fiery furnaces, and the ponys were disappointments.

1) yo la tengo w/ laura cantrell (guest encore with conor oberst)
2)brian jonestown massacre (w/ the dears)
3)iron and wine
4)the delgados
5) earlimart

i'm counting of wilco/flaming lips/sleater kinney to be in this as well. siren could have been in this had i actually been able to hear anything, which is too bad really.

1) Explosions in the Sky @ Local 506, Chapel Hill, NC
2) An Albatross @ King's, Raleigh, NC

I didn't really go to many concerts this year.

I would've loved to have been at that show.

1. Arcade Fire
2. Old 97s (second show)
3. Split Lip Rayfield
4. Old 97s (first show)
5. No Doubt / Blink 182

I don't remember the dates for these shows and I think there are some others I saw this year that would make the list if I could remember them right now.

2/27: Walkmen/Autumn Rhythm - Middle East, Cambridge
5/15: Bling Kong/Night Rally - Great Scott (The Plan), Allston
9/4: Wrens/Bon Savants/Choo Choo La Rouge/Get Him Eat Him - Middle East, Cambridge
9/18: The Beauty Pill - Great Scott (The Plan), Allston
12/1: PIXIES/Mission Of Burma - Tsongas Arena, Lowell

1. Pixies at Arrow Hall
2. Prince at the Air Canada Centre
3. Joel Plaskett at Lee's Palace
4. C'mon at the Bovine Sex Club
5. The Constantines and Pretty Gilrs Make Graves at the Pheonix.

Interesting that my favourite venue in Toronto, the Horseshoe, is not on the list this year! Interesting to me, anyhow. Y'all might not really care.

1. Pixies @ Coachella
2. Quannum Records Tour @ Clutch Cargo's
3. Electric Six @ Blind Pig
4. Oh My God @ Flint Local 432
5. Dirtbombs @ Blind Pig

hmmm.....

1. Broken Social Scene (March @ TLA)
2. The Wrens (April @ Khyber)
3. Ted Leo/ Rx (March @ Maxwell's - Hoboken)
4. The Walkmen (12/3 @ TLA)
5. The Shins (May @ Bowery NYC)
6. Wilco (October @ Brandeis U, MA)

Best, all in Atlanta:
1. Les Savy Fav, Detatchment Kit, Smoke & Smoke @ The Earl, - 9/15
2. Devendra Banhart, Joanna Newsom, Vetiver @ The Earl - 6/29
3. The Pixies, The Thrills @ The Fox Theater - 10/13
4. Squarepusher, Cassetteboy @ The Echo Lounge - 4/24
5. Animal Collective, Gang Gang Dance @ MJQ/Drunken Unicorn - 11/14


6. Magnolia Electric Co., People of the North @ The Earl - 7/14
7. The Walkmen, The National @ The Echo Lounge - 3/22
8. The Mountain Goats, The Rosebuds @ The Earl - 2/18
9. Wolf Eyes, Rubber-O-Cement, Wilson + Heath @ MJQ/Drunken Unicorn - 11/3
10. Jackie-O Motherfucker @ Eyedrum - 2/25

Worst show:
The Microphones/Mt. Eerie, Woelv @ Eyedrum - 9/29

Worst opening band:
Wilson + Heath

12/31/03 - 1/1/04 -- DBT at Variety Playhouse in ATL. WOW
Sometime in February -- DBT at the Georgia Theatre in Athens, GA
Sometime in March -- Squad Five-O at Stubbs/SXSW, Austin, TX
Sometime in March -- The Walkmen at ?/SXSW, Austin, TX
Sometime in March -- Dwight Yoakam and DBT/SXSW, Austin, TX
October 14 -- The Pixies at the Fabulous Fox Theatre in ATL
The Saturday after Thanksgiving -- DBT at The Tabernacle in ATL

I guess you could say I likes me some Truckers.

Hmmm.... In no particular order, these are the 6 that stand out (off of the top of my head)....

Prince - Staples Center
Pixies/Moving Units - Glasshouse
Mountain Goats/We Ragazzi - Spaceland
LCD Soundsystem - Echo
!!! - Henry Fonda Theater
Notwist w/ Themselves - El Rey

If I had to clip one, it'd probably be the Notwist show, but it's way too early in the morning for me to attempt that...

I can't remember going to 5 concerts this year, so I'll just list a few I remember going to.

Guided By Voices w/ Ambulance Ltd. @ some pier orver the Hudson River
OKGo @ Knitting Factory
Sufjan Stevens @ South Street Seaport
Ted Leo @ South Street Seaport (I count this as half a show, as it was pouring and I think the set got cut short)

Did I only go to one non-free concert this year? Am I that cheap?

sad, but there have been only 3 all year...but they were all DAMN GOOD!

05/07/2004 - belle & sebastian- fillmore auditorium - denver, co
05/16/2004 - andrew bird/my morning jacket - fox theatre - boulder, co
11/06/2004 - wilco - fillmore auditorium - denver, co

5 out of 58. Extremely tough to narrow down.

1. 11/11 - Dirty on Purpose/Hidden Cameras/The Arcade Fire @ Bowery Ballroom - NYC
2. 1/22 - Sufjan Stevens @ Knitting Factory - NYC
3. 9/17 - Neko Case/Broken Social Scene @ Bank of America Stage - Austin City Limits Festival
4. 10/06 - Pixies @ Ryman Auditorium - Nashville
5. 1/09 - Yeah Yeah Yeahs/Liars/Black Dice/Devendra Banhart @
Hammerstein Ballroom - NYC

Honorables:
12/02 - The Cherry Blossoms/Entrance @ The Basement - Nashville
9/22 - Wilco @ Uptown Mix - Nashville
2/05 - Themselves/The Notwist @ Bowery Ballroom - NYC
6/20 - Bobby Bare Jr./My Morning Jacket @ Exit/In - Nashville

Worst shows:
1. On a level I can only compare to getting hit by a car at age 6 -> 1/13 - The Unicorns @ Pianos - NYC
2. 8/25 - Guided By Voices @ Uptown Mix - Nashville
3. 8/7 - Cypress Hill @ Dancin' in the District
4. 3/23 - N.E.R.D. @ Volume - Brooklyn



Sorry to burst your parenthetical comment bubble, but the 1st show they debuted the new material was my #5 best show @ Hammerstein Ballroom. I was confused. There were a bunch of teeny-boppers there heckling Black Dice too.
I was at that Warsaw show, and the Liars set was the best part of the night, so yeah, I agree with you on the good factor. How do you pronounce the name of the cheap Polish beer they serve there?

Scissor Sisters - Berbati's Pan, Portland
Luka Bloom - McGann's, Boston
Sondre Lerche - Doug Fir Lounge, Portland
Helio Sequence/Menomena - Crystal Ballroom, Portland
Interpol/Secret Machines - Crystal Ballroom, Portland

(still kicking myself for not seeing Sufjan Stevens when I had the chance)

I would kill to have seen BBJ and MMJ, that's hott.

You are the only person I know who's said that a Cypress show sucked. I've seen 'em twice, and despite only ever owning the first album (hip hop CLASSIC) I though they were tops.

*bump*