Top Performances of 2006

It’s time to take a hard look at the shows I checked out this year. The full list was pretty extensive, but I think I’ve managed to pare and prune (not pear and prune) it down to a Top 20. My only criterion is that they must all be concerts or performances that I saw with mine own eyes. Therefore, they are not limited by geography, as you might expect from a Hipster’s Guide to Calgary.

Top 20 Performances of 2006

1. Wilco/Elliott Brood – MacEwan Hall – Calgary, AB
2. Brian Jonestown Massacre – Warehouse – Calgary, AB
3. The Flaming Lips – Sasquatch Music Festival – The Gorge, WA
4. Deerhoof – Hiro @ The Maritime Hotel – New York, NY
5. Islands – Warehouse – Calgary, AB
6. Beck – Sasquatch Music Festival – The Gorge, WA
7. Ladytron/John Acquaviva – Metro/Smart Bar – Chicago, IL
8. Wolf Parade/Frog Eyes/Sunset Rubdown – Various Locations – Calgary, AB
9. Final Fantasy – Liberty Lounge – Calgary, AB
10. Thunderbirds Are Now!/You Say Party! We Say Die! – Broken City – Calgary, AB
11. Noam Chomsky – Sun Room, ISU Campus – Ames, IA
12. Shout Out Out Out Out/Holy Fack – The Den – Calgary, AB
13. Blue Cheer – The Knitting Factory – New York, NY
14. Pink Mountaintops – Liberty Lounge – Calgary, AB
15. Enon – Broken City – Calgary, AB
16. The Grates/Tokyo Police Club – Broken City – Calgary, AB
17. Jaime Lidell – Hifi Club – Calgary, AB
18. London Elektricity – Hifi Club – Calgary, AB
19. Ladyhawk/Brother Coyote – Cat’s Eye Vintage – Calgary, AB
20. Forward Russia!/Archie Bronson Outfit – Mercury Lounge – New York, NY

Among the solid shows, I went to some terrible ones. This year, I am brave enough to acknowledge the Bottom 5.

Bottom 5 Performances of 2006

1. Tom Green – The Tequila – Calgary, AB
2. Matisyahu – Sasquatch Music Festival – The Gorge, WA
3. Bengy Ferree – Mercury Lounge – New York, NY
4. Bright Eyes/Gruff Rhys – MacEwan Hall – Calgary, AB
5. Bo Diddley – The Back Alley – Calgary, AB

Other strong contenders or shows that didn’t make either list:

Tool, SIDS, The Incandescence, Strokes, Les Georges Leningrad, Duchess Says, Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, The Shins, The Tragically Hip, Neko Case, Iron & Wine, Sufjan Stevens, Gomez, Rogue Wave, Sam Roberts, Constantines, Band of Horses,Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks, Death Cab For Cutie, Queens of the Stone Age, The Decemberists, Nada Surf, Arctic Monkeys, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, We Are Scientists, Chad Vangaalen, The OhSees, The Fall, Erase Errata, Malajube, Snowden, Album Leaf, Massey Lecture (U of C), Azeda Booth

Thanks to everyone who came to these shows with me. What a sweet year in music. ♪