what were your favorite shows this year?

mine, in no particular order:

brainbow/blueprint @ donewaiting anniversary show
howlies at carabar in august and december
neko case at the hideout block party in chicago
hugs & kisses comfest and election night sets
brainbow at comfest
jens lekman @ wex
collasus blizzard set @ carabar in march
and the parking lot blowout but i may be a smidge biased on that one.

no surprises here:

firewater -- @ beachland tavern, cleveland
nick cave & the bad seeds -- @ riviera, chicago
dirtbombs -- last show of the tour madness @ the basement
x -- newport
lydia loveless -- comfest

blueprint/brainbow - skully's
stinkin liz/torche/sword - ravari
pink reason/outerspacist/thomas function - house of pleasure
deadsea/el jesus - comfest
terrible twos/dan melchior/brimstone howl - SXSW


so many shows... can't remember them all.

There are a lot but the first that comes to mind is John Vanderslice @ Skullys + Alina Simone/Jerry @ Surly Girl

Muscle Puzzle @ Comfest

By far and without question the best show I saw last year and perhaps ever was The Pogues in Chicago. Everything else was pretty good by comparison.

swell season @ palace theatre

X-Newport
Devo, Chrisse Hinde, The Black Keys-Akron Civic Theatre
Electric 6 & Local H-Newport
Motorhead, Year Long Disaster & Valient Thorr-Newport
Iron Maiden-Blossom
Helmet-Ravari (was that this year?)
Sword, Stinking Lizaveta, Torche-Ravari
Brian Jonestown Massacre-Carabar (nevermind I think that was last year but still)
Witchcraft-Ravari
Dwarves-Ravari
Baroness-Ravari
Russian Circles-Ravari
Feelers last show but the second to last one-Bobo
Weedeater-Bobo st.
Brainbow-Ravari
Phantods CD release-Skully's
Unholy Two-Comfest
Dead Sea-Comfest
Gwar-Newport




etc etc etc X 50000000

Dude, I could on for days. The live show is what I live for. X though, was one of the ones that really sticks out in my mind. Hangin out with Xene and listening to stories about her farm and kitty-kats, Billy Zoom telling me my vise grips were inferior, John Doe seeing me kick around an inflatable soccer ball and talking to me about songwritng and muscle memory. Uh, I couldnt even make that up if I tried. Goddamn life is good.

hayden @ rumba.
motorpsycho @ wex.

Blind Melon - In store @ Magnolia's
Yonder Mountain - LC
Hayden / Metronome - Rumba
tea leaf green - basement
Tom Waits - Ohio Theater

Same this year as in years past - The Riverboat Gamblers at the Basement...AMAZING live show and AMAZING music

NIN @ Schott
X @ Newport
Springsteen @ Schott
New Pornographers @ Newport
Hives @ Newport
Police/Elvis Costello @ Nationwide
Jens Lekman @ Wex
Bon Iver @ Wex
Gnarls Barkley @ Newport

thanks for asking. i really had an exceptionally good time at:

Mr. Rubberburner @ Carabar (My Perogative)
timesNewViking and TheFeelers @ Wexner
TwoCowGarage @ Comfest
BlackCobra and DevilInExile @ Bourbon Street
Zachery Allan Starkey w/ Thrill Kill Kult @ Ravari (My Perogative)

Great year for shows for me. Some of my favorites:

Comfest - Ugly Stick/Guinea Worms/TJSA/2Cow/Sowashes
Damien Jurado - Milo
James - 9:30 Club
Pogues - 9:30 Club
Cloud Cult - Basement
Of Montreal/Love is All - 9:30 Club
Magnetic Fields - Southern Theatre/Old Town School of Folk Music
Liam Finn - DC9/Jammin Java
Waco Brothers/Chris Mills - RNR Hotel
Lou Reed - 9:30 Club
Surly Girl Cookout
Ugly Stick/Earwig - Summit
2 Cow/Whiles - Skullwise
Billy Bragg - Chicago
eels - Majestic - Detroit
Nick Cave - 9:30 Club
De Novo Dahl/Jesse Malin - Iota Club
Flight of the Conchords - OSU

Jandek, Derek DiCenzo, Ryan Jewell, & Spencer Yeh at the Wexner
Los Llamarada/Fey Gods at the Summit
Tyvek at the Summit
Harrisburg Players/Tommy Jay Big Band at Carabar
Sic Alps at Bourbon Street
Fabulous Diamonds/Psychedelic Horseshit at Carabar
Cheater Slicks often, anywhere
the Homosexuals at Summit (!!)
TV Ghost at Bernies
Deadsea at Comfest
Dan Melchior at Carabar
TNV/Feelers at the Wexner

I'll apologize in advance that I played most of my favorite shows, but I played a bunch of kick ass shows and since I couldn't even come up with 10 LPs I liked from this year (and I bought a lot...) I'll stick to making this list. Plus I can never remember when records come out anyway and I put shows on my calendar so I don't forget. I had to narrow down to 11 and there were other really good shows- roughly chronological...

Box Elders and Grave Blankets at Bobo

Hue Blanc's Joyless Ones, Pink Reason, Michael Zink's Silent Drape Runners and Grave Blankets at Carabar (GB's last show and a great finale!)

Mudhoney, Grafton and Cheater Slicks at Bobo

Cheater Slicks, Witch Hats and Fey Gods at Bobo

Feelers last show at Bobo w/ krunchies and Vegetative State!

Eat Skull, Little Claw and Fey Gods in Chicago (had to see them again when they came to Columbus 2 days later even though I was exhausted)

Aluminum Knot Eye (We have to bring these guys to Columbus!!), Gut Reactions and Fey Gods in Milwaukee

Jandek (even though the band may have been better if Jankek wasn't playing with them)

Thomas Function, Fey Gods, Outer Spacist and Day Creeper at the Summit

Homosexuals, Guinea Worms, Fey Gods at the Summit

Los Llamarada, Psychedelic Horseshit, Fey Gods at Summit

Biggest disappointments of the year was that pjflyer didn't take me to see Nick Cave, Lou Reed and the Pogues...

Well I can 1st tell you the three shows I missed that wish I would have saw, Tom Waits at the Palace, Devo/Black Keys/Chrisie Hynde Akron and the Jandek Wexner Center show, I guess I could also add the Fleet Foxes show at the Wex.

Now for the shows I did see that stand out:

Mudhoney at Bourbon Street

Bruce Springsteen & E Street Band @ The Schot

TVN/Feelers at The Wexner in January

Comfest - Offramp entire weekend, espcially Lydia Loveless, TJSA and the Unholly2/El Jesus/Deadsea sat close set

Surly Girl Parking Lot bash

All the bands that played the Lost Weekend Records Anniversary Show and Summer show, especially the Dolby Fuckers re-union

All the bands that played at Lost Weekend in-store Hootenannies especially Day Creeper

that's the first shows that came to mind I am sure there are others I forgot

Jeff Mangum
Jens Lekman
Devo
The Dodos @ Bobo
Peter and the Wolf @ Magnum House
Dr. Phil Collins @ Milo
Jordan O'Jordan @ Wholly Craft
Polka Dot Dot Dot @ Carabar
Grizzly Bear, Andrew Bird, Bill Frisell, The Dirty Projectors, Sufjan Stevens, Nico Muhly, Doveman, Bang on a Can w/ Glenn Kotche, Ben Verdery, Bryce & Aaron Dessner from The National, and Ritchie from Arcade Fire @ MusicNOW Festival in Cincy

life sucks but lots of great shows in 2008

Cheater Slicks wiping mudhoney off the map at bourbon st.

Horrible Fest in cleveland @ now that's class (Clockcleaner, Cheater Slicks, TV Ghost, Pink Reason acoustic set {i believe some fake skinhead girls were heckling him}, Homostupids, Daily Void

SXSW (tyvek, pissed jeans, cheveu, kills, g worms, ncrpls, terrible twos, some
really fucked up creep/satanic group + tons more, but why did i not go see the
raveonettes)

TV Ghost @ Bernies

the week at the summit w/ intelligence, tyvek, oh sees/ sic alps

little claw @ carabar

cheater slicks/ this moment in black history @ carabar

A.H. Kraken @ beerland

Feeling of Love @ Carabar

los llamarada/fey gods @ the summit

Nobunny karaoke @ bourbon st. (Doug do u remember this

Deathers @ I-71 fest @ beachland

twin stumps/drunkdriver/pink reason @ asterisk art project

vile gash @ monster house

el jesus/dan melchior @ carabar

crystal stilts @ bourbon st

deathly fighter @ skullys

raven on halloween @ the summit

that dude that use to collaborate w/ lou reed @ skylab

bassholes @ bourbon st x 2

tnv @ emo's

Worst Bands i saw:
vivian girls
dirtbombs
half japanese
numerous bands that sound like iron maiden