Concert Therapy

I realized not to long ago that in 2012 I saw my three favorite bands within a few months of each other. 2012 was also a year that I saw more concerts than I care to count (hooray for me I guess), though that concert-spree didn't begin until the second half of the year. I don't think I have too much to really say about these concerts other than I really needed them. In addition to how going to concerts is in my top five favorite things to do (the other four will be disclosed and altered when and as I see fit), this year music in all of its forms was more cathartic for me than usual. 

Music is truly powerful. Like almost anything, it can be cruel or it can heal. Ask anyone, and chances are they have a favorite band, or a favorite song, or a favorite genre of music. You can't say that about many other media. It'll only take one person to prove me wrong, but I'm gonna go on record saying that if you claim that you don't know of any piece of music in any form that you care about, you're a dirty liar and I hate you and get out of here. 

I mentioned that music can heal. Maybe not physically (Not yet, but rest easy that I'm working on the logistics), but mentally few other forms of media can be as therapeutic as music. Given what my family and I went through in the first quarter of the year, I needed some kind of therapy, something you puny humans couldn't offer me (I kid, I kid. But seriously, work on that), and the best part was that it started in June, shortly after my grandparents passed away, with Radiohead.

The exciting thing about live music is how in the moment everything is. I'm sure the show is rehearsed and practiced, but something can always go wrong, or an unexpected opportunity might arise that the band can take advantage of to enhance the show, something that other shows on the tour might not get to experience (In the education field, we call this a teachable moment. I think I just got an idea for another post...)

So anyway, you've probably guessed what's coming next. A list of the concerts I attended in 2012. If you don't care to read the words, at least stick around for the pretty pictures. This is a long post, so if you want, please scroll to the bottom and tell me, what were some of the concert highlights from your year?

Radiohead

Venue: First Midwest Bank Amphitheater, Tinley Park, June

Looking back through the pictures I took, I forgot how far I actually was from the stage. Still, you can get an idea of the awesome light show that Radiohead put on. I was excited to see my favorite band for the first time. I can't pick a highlight from this concert, but I will say that Idioteque was like five thousand simultaneous orgasms. Okay, so maybe that was the highlight.

REO Speedwagon followed by Styx

Venue: Charter One Pavilion, Chicago, June

I saw REO Speedwagon open for Styx. I didn't know what to expect from either of these concerts. I'm fairly  knowledgeable of both of their more popular selections, but here I was surrounded by hardcore fans who have been following these bands for decades. It was like being at a giant block party. This was probably the only concert I went to where you actually got to know the people who were standing around you. Oh yeah, Ted Nugent was there too, but he mostly just droned on about the government and talked about guns while trying to hang on to his last tenuous strands of relevancy.

Delta Spirit

Venue: The Double Door, Chicago, August

Delta Spirit is a band that has, unfortunately for me, only come on my radar since last year. They are amazing and brought a unique energy to their show. Shift your attention away from the angry man in the foreground squinting in annoyance at my camera's flash. Look instead at the center of the photo. That's the lead singer of Delta Spirit, Matt Vasquez, crowd surfing back to the stage after ordering a jack and coke mid-song and crowd surfing to the bar to get it.

Of Monsters and Men

Venue: The Double Door, Chicago, August

After Delta Spirit cleared out, I noticed a poster on the wall advertising an upcoming free concert by Of Monsters and Men. The night of the concert, I waited in a line that rounded the entire block of the Double Door. It wasn't until I was inside that I knew for sure I'd made it. At any point they could have closed the doors and I would have missed out. This band was having a damn good time while they were up there. I only knew their single when I saw them, but I've since become a fan. While most of their songs are good, this was the only band I saw last year in which the crowd was only into it during their big radio song. I saw them twice and it was even more evident the second time. More on that later.

Silversun Pickups

Venue: The Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, September

My third favorite band. I was happy to see SP playing before a full house. The last time I'd seen them was when they opened for Muse in 2010, but that was in a larger venue. SP plays best to a medium sized crowd and they blew this one away. Unfortunately, the standout part of this concert wasn't the (very fantastic) performance. It came during the encore when some coked out douchebag started shouting at me in Spanish before body checking me out of the sweet spot I was in. His two equally douchy friends ran up out of nowhere to eliminate any chance I had to fight for my spot back. The guy then proceeded to jump around and hang more than half his body over the balcony while I waited and hoped that he would fall. Don't worry, he didn't, but I like to think he overdosed on something later that night.

Dispatch

The Riviera, Chicago, October

I was late to the Dispatch party. Late by about eight years. I never thought I'd see them play live, but in 2011 I was lucky enough to catch them during their reunion tour. Fast forward to 2012 and I got to see them again, jamming like every song was their last. They began their set with as much punch and energy as most concerts close with, and they didn't let up for a second. Oh, and they gave away a free download of the concert to all the ticket holders. That's fuckin' classy.

Frightened Rabbit

Venue: Lincoln Hall, Chicago, October

Of all the bands on this list, Frightened Rabbit is the one I'd take a bullet for. I was in love with them ever since I listened to the thirty second sample of their song The Modern Leper on iTunes almost five years ago. This was probably my favorite concert I've ever seen. Lincoln Hall was easily the smallest of all the venues I visited, and the crowd was boisterous, but FR welcomed it. The lead singer, Scott Hutchinson, bantered with the crowd very honestly and naturally, recounting a trip across the border of Canada that somehow cost the band several thousand dollars earlier that day. Just before the encore, when Hutchinson usually puts on a solo acoustic set while the rest of the band takes five, there was a malfunction with the electronics. I guess it's possible that it was staged, but what happened next could never happen in a larger venue (and I have proof of that later). He did an impromptu rendition of Poke, an unbelievably somber tune that I'm sure has moved people to tears. Hutchinson asked for complete silence, which he miraculously got. Then he began playing, and I realized a minute into the song that I needed to record this because I'd never hear anything like it live again. Here's what I got. It's quiet even though I was in the front row, so turn up your speakers and prepare for your earholes to be amazed.

Delta Spirit

Venue: The House of Blues, Chicago, November

The second time that I saw Delta Spirit in 2012 was just as great as the first, maybe even better because I was more familiar with their tunes this time. But the standout of this concert was before it even started. I stood in the Foundation Room on the top floor of the House of Blues waiting for Holly to get out of the bathroom (insert sexist joke) when a guy in a black t-shirt stood next to me. We watched the TV in silence as the the 49ers and Colin Kaepernick's arm tattoos pulverized the Bears and I cried deeply inside. At least there would soon be a concert to cheer me up. When the concert started, the guy in the black t-shirt, who stood next to me at the bar and shared a moment with me (whether he knew it or not) as I watched my favorite team get murdered, took the stage. It was Matt Vasquez. Cool story, bro.

Silversun Pickups

Venue: The Rave/Eagle's Club, Milwaukee, December

I'm gonna speed things up. I've seen SP four times now, and this was the best of them all. At the end, they played Kissing Families, a song off their EP from 2006, that led into Well Thought Out Twinkles. If you're a Silversun Pickups fan, you don't need me to tell you how awesome that is.

 Band of Horses

Venue: Chicago Theater, Chicago, December

Alabama Shakes opened for Band of Horses, and while I respect the Shakes, they're not really my bag. They put on a great show, however, and if you're a fan and haven't had a chance to see them in concert, I can tell you that they sell out their own headlining shows for a reason.

Band of Horses, though, is a band that's been on and off my radar for years. I was happy that I finally got to see them, and I'm happier to say that they have a permanent spot in my music rotation now. Their songs run the gamut from fast and poppy to slow and melodic to just plain epic, and few bands can do that with such penache while transition that to a stage performance. And it was very much a performance in grand style, different from anything I'd seen before or since. It's an older tune, and while they have plenty of great newer material, do yourself a favor and listen to The Funeral. Simply haunting.

Of Monsters and Men

Venue: The Riviera, Chicago, December

Essentially the same show I saw last time, just at a bigger venue. That's a good thing. However good they are, it became clearer to me at this show that many of their fans simply don't know their music very well. Crowd participation was spotty, and at some points I could hear people conversing louder than the music. The only time this concert felt like a concert was during Little Talks, the bands hit single, and clearly the song that most of the people were there to hear. Not the band's fault at all, as I reiterate that I enjoy their work a great deal. I just hope the next time I see them, the crowd cooperates a little better.

Grouplove

Venue: The Riviera, Chicago, December

Grouplove took the stage after a month's delay due to illness, having originally been scheduled for November. For better or worse, they exhibited plenty of energy and each member of the band had their standout moments. But it was during the song Time that they really came together and surprised me. I liked them enough, sure, but I was there because I bought the tickets as a gift for Holly. With Time, they melded the impressive light show with haunting lyrics and explosive instrumentals. This led into the encore which began with a faux end of the world (it was December 21st, 2012 after all) as the "power went out." They came back onstage and urged the audience to be quiet so they could play a song on a simple acoustic guitar. Saying the audience didn't cooperate was an understatement as people shouted at them to get on with it and were generally acting like heaping bags of dickholes. Finally, after the band literally told the crowd to shut up (and then apologized) everyone was quiet and the show went on.

And so it goes...

If you stuck with me this long, thank you, and I urge you to share standout concert experiences you might have had last year so I can turn this overlong post into an actual discussion. I've described music and concerts as a form of therapy that aided me throughout the year, and I meant it. But nothing beats the human element. And I truly want to know: What has music done for you lately?