blogTO's Best Concerts of 2010

[lsamuel3]

Our music team has drawn up a list of our favourite shows of 2010, maybe you attended some of them. Feel free to list your own I'd love to know who everybody saw.

http://www.blogto.com/music/2010/12/the_top_toronto_concerts_of_2010/

[Booche]

Jildren sounds like a winner:

Lol nice lists guys way to be exclusive critics who no one can relate to. I'm going to assume you guys simply weren't at the actual best concerts (LCD, iggy, de la soul) which is why you chose not to include them.

[lsamuel3]

Some of our reader's can't wrap their head around the fact that it's our personal opinions on music....i think they think we do blogTO full time and attend every show in toronto and should be writing on behalf of every toronto music-goer hahaha. the comments crack me up.

Edited December 24, 2010 by Guest

[Jaimoe]

Pretty interesting list. Iggy & The Stooges was one of the year's best, but the locale sucked and if you weren't up close, chances are you didn't see the stage - count me the latter. Still, the band was tight and Iggy plus James Williamson were in fine form.

I think the Dead Weather at the Sound Academy was fucking amazing, made more so because the notoriously shitty venue wasn't really a factor. The Black Keys twofer at the nearly as shitty Kool Haus also deserves some mention as does The National at Massey Hall (I'm not a big fan, but the concert was killer).

I regret not skipping work for any of those Arcade Fire shows; same with M.I.A. BSS are pretty boring, but great in concert.

[NewRider]

The two night run of Drive-By Truckers shows at Lee's were my favorite by far.

I missed a lot of stuff this year though.

[bradm]

The two night run of Drive-By Truckers shows at Lee's were my favorite by far.

I liked them, too, especially with the added bonus of the Patterson Hood appearance at Sonic Boom.

My Toronto highlights would include the recent Wood Brothers show, the Vandermark 5 show in June, and Powerhouse Sound's show at the Drake in August. Sisters Euclid earlier this month was also a treat, as was Folk Alarm at the Trane Studio back in March.

Aloha,

Brad

Edited December 24, 2010 by Guest
Add in Folk Alarm.

[zero]

For just Toronto shows I'd have to think hard on the order but definitely a handful of shows I saw the Mohawk Lodge play would definitely be up their, and the Lodge's Eamon McGrath at his first show at the Horseshoe backed by Ryder Havdale and the Lodge, definitely Young Empires opener for the surprise Japandroids show at the Dakota and also De La Soul during NXNE. I'd probably handily throw in Chris Brown and Kate Fenner at a rare Toronto gig at the Piston.

[skelter]

Making a list of the 'best concerts' is kind of funny I think, because there's probably quite a large number of great shows that you didn't attend because you didn't like the band. For example I hear Brooks & Dunn are one of the best live bands in country music, but there's a pretty slim chance I'd go see them. Were you at any opera or symphony concerts?

[AD]

it's not a definitive list - it's that particular blog's favourite shows of the year. Replace 'blogTO' with someone's name and it'll all make sense.

My BEST Toronto show of the year was either Pavement / BSS on the Island, the Kelp records BBQ at the hostel during NXNE (Camp Radio, Hollerado, Andy Swan, The Michael Parks, Chris Page), or Sloan during NXNE. Notice how all those shows were within 24 hours of each other, I think those were the only Toronto shows I saw this year.

[The Chameleon]

it's not a definitive list - it's that particular blog's favourite shows of the year. Replace 'blogTO' with someone's name and it'll all make sense.

I could not agree more.

I guess if you are th hipstyer to-tight jean wearing type than this is your list. However there is a world outside of the Arcade Fire/Broken Social Scene set.

[lsamuel3]

It's so funny that the impression of our music team at blogTO is that it's just a group of hipsters. I've hung out with the team on a couple of occasions and let me tell you, these people are far from hipsters. There's no tight jeans, fake glasses, and ironically awful haircuts to be had in our group. It's a really down to earth group of people who just like going to see live music. Most of us just happen to dig indie rock. I try and see and cover as much stuff from the jam scene as much as possible (see The Barr Brothers/Marco Benevento Trio), but let's be honest, Phish and Further ain't heading to Toronto any time soon...

I took one of the guys from the team who is more into indie and electro to the Wood Brothers show and he was blown away. He said he was having a really awful day and their music just made him feel a million times better. TWB make some soul soothing shit forsure!

Edited December 27, 2010 by Guest

[afro poppa]

that wood brothers show was pretty cool...

[edger]

Mmmmumford!

[Tooly]

old crow was the best show i went to toronto for this year.

those comments are teh best though, i think this one takes the cake for me anyways

mona In replying to a comment from JoeParez / December 24, 2010 at 11:52 AM

user-pic

Indie shows can't be good? Some of the best shows I've been to are impromptu living room sets.

awesome

[Jaimoe]

A great show is a great show, regardless of the band or genre. I've been won over attending concerts by artists I don't like (and still don't ) such as Sinead O'Connor and Tori Amos. Anyway, I hear that both Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros shows were hard to beat this year, especially the one at Lee's Palace.

[fluffhead77]

Aloe Blacc at Wrongbar was by far one of the best shows I saw this year, in Toronto or otherwise.

[bONES]

the Alicia Keys show was sizzlin' back in March

[NewRider]

I really enjoyed the Belle & Sebastian show with Zeus at Massey Hall back in October.

I'm still shocked we're allowed to take our drinks to our seats in that place now.

[StoneMtn]

I went to see Public Image Limited (P.I.L.) in Toronto in 2010.

I went mainly out of nostalgia, and despite the fact that Johnny "Rotten" Lydon spit on the crowd and stormed off the stage mid-set the last time I saw them in Toronto a couple decades earlier. I didn't expect to be wowed or blown away.

To my surprise, I was. John Lydon is charismatic as hell, the musicianship of the rest of the guys currently calling themselves PIL was stellar, and the show was amazing.