Top 5 concerts of 2022

[LedZep]

Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1zMqY...3074344a2f (mid September 2022)

60 remaining. Random number generator gives us: 58, 27

The Mamas & The Papas - California Dreamin'
Position: 95

The most sunshine of all the sunshine pop tracks. If I had to guess, I'd say it's one of the LA anthems as well. I 100% associate this with Chungking Express (rather than LA), which is a positive for the song ofc, anything connected to Wong Kar Wai is cool by default. Honestly I don't have much to say here, a very good pop song, which is not a rarity on this list, but I do love it nonetheless. An iconic song in the 60s music for sure, with The Mamas & The Papas version being a definitive one.

"I've been for a walk
On a winter's day
I'd be safe and warm
If I was in L.A.
California dreamin'
On such a winter's day"

The Microphones - The Moon
Position: 46

One of the least sunshine songs on the list. It's not the darkest cut from The Glow Pt. 2, but compared to a lot of these singles, it's bleak af. Raw, emotional and love the narrating style Phil uses. The favourite moment is easily around 1:18 when the nice acoustic intro suddenly bursts into one of the noisiest riffs on the whole album. The saxophones are a fun addition, though I have a feeling I'd prefer it if those same melodies were played on other instruments (guitars for example). IDK, saxophones make me feel like it's an epic, life-affirming song, in juxtaposition with the somber lyrics. I understand most people actually love that about The Moon, but it sometimes rubs me the wrong way. In conclusion, it's an excellent song.

"And every night when the sun went down in the town where we live
The empty streets were lit up by reflective light
From a distant sun bouncing off a glowing ball of rock
We just lied on the roof and watched
The moon, the blue light of the moon
The moon, the moon, the blue light of the moon
We didn't talk and silently we both felt powerful
Like the moon, my chest was full
Because we both knew we're just floating in space over molten rock
And we felt safe and we discovered that our skin is soft
There's nothing left except certain death
And that was comforting at night out under the moon

I went out last night to forget that
I went out and stared it down
But the moon just stared back at me
And in its light I saw my two feet on the ground"


Sunday Morning
Hyperballad
Pictures of You
Epitaph
Marquee Moon
Idioteque
The Shook Ones Pt. II
The World Is Yours
There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
1979
Lazarus
Let Down
Walk on the Wild Side
When You Sleep
Paranoid Android
Alison
Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
Wuthering Heights
Penny Lane
Paper Planes
The Moon
Like a Rolling Stone
No Surprises
Care of Cell 44
Train In Vain (Stand By Me)
Alright
Sugar/Tzu
HAZARD DUTY PAY!
Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You)
This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)
Ashes to Ashes
Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space
California Dreamin'
Reckoner
Runaway
Enjoy the Silence
The Heart Part 5
Sinnerman
Jesus, Etc.
Be My Baby
Space Song
ナイトクルージング (Night Cruising)
_________________
Finally updated the overall chart

2020s
90s

[Mercury]

[kokkinos]

Wow, tons of progress here, you’re on a roll.
Too many great songs -accompanied by very interesting comments - to write anything detailed about them, I’ll just share a few random thoughts.

Sunday Morning may not be the most representative VU song, but it’s definitely their most accessible and having it as a single is totally reasonable in that sense. And it’s even more important as part of the album than as a standalone song. If you view the album’s concept as “life in NY” or something along those lines, the entire statement becomes more powerful when you know there’s a glimpse of light even in the darkest corners.
Paper planes does more than you ‘d expect from a straight banger, a good 5-10 years ahead of its time.
Paranoid Android is a modern day epic. Being “both serious and cartoonish” is the key, that’s a great observation and it’s what makes it stand out - not to mention it actually has a point and escapes the pretentious, art for the sake of art paths that many of their predecessors followed.
Train In Vain is admittedly enjoyable considering where it comes from – to be fair, though, The Clash have always been way more sophisticated than the average punk band. So, yeah, nothing life-changing, but totally acceptable.
HAZARD DUTY PAY! Is a song I can appreciate because of its production and its overall creativity/out of the box thinking and I guess it kinda deserves its place in such lists, but it’s not something I particularly enjoy.
No Surprises made a big first impression on me – I mean, how many popular songs feature such a lullaby-like quality? It has faded ever so slightly over time and I have to agree it isn’t Radiohead’s best. Great video as well, takes the song to the next level.
Blackstar might be Bowie’s greatest achievement, it had left me – and millions of people – speechless when it came out, the self-titled track and Lazarus being the two absolute highlights. He’s drawn influence from various sources, though I’ve always found it striking how the intro is taken straight out of Joy Division’s playbook and as the song progresses, it hits you that this song might be even more crushing than what those Manchester lads were doing, which is sort of unthinkable.
Reckoner is the opposite of No Surprises, the more I listen to it, it just keeps getting better. If Paranoid Android was Radiohead at their most progressive/Pink Floyd-ish, then Reckoner sees them channeling their inner Beach Boys: complex arrangements, attention to detail, unique structure, gorgeous yet haunting vocals, simply a piece of sheer beauty.
Ashes To Ashes is a song only Bowie could make work, incredibly catchy and another example of his genius.
We are on the same page regarding Fishmans, they kinda pass me by.
If My Bloody Valentine were a manic beast, Slowdive were a beautiful fairy and I find this version of shoegaze way more appealing.
Like A Rolling Stone is decent – call that an understatement - , but Dylan has done better in my opinion and it’s a shame that’s his only song in the top-100 when some of the usual suspects have 4 or 5 each.
Hyper-ballad is Bjork in top form, though she has another song on the list that I very much prefer.
Walk on the Wild Side is a great song and the fact that Can I Kick It is even greater only adds to its value.
I’m too much of a fanboy to say anything about the Beatles, a.k.a. the greatest band in the world, so let’s move on.
Let Down is a song that tends to come to my mind whenever I find myself stuck in traffic and, unfortunately, that happens quite frequently, so I have thought about it a lot and have a special connection to it.
I wrote a comment regarding The Mama’s And The Papa’s on my diary the other day, so I won’t repeat it here, I’ll only say that they perfectly capture the atmosphere of the ‘60s and California Dreamin’ is undeniably their magnum opus.
I’ve never been able to relate with the Microphones, not really my cup of tea.

Without putting too much thought into it, that's how my list would look like - made a couple of tweaks along the road, as there were a few songs I had initially overrated or underrated, though I'm still not entirely satisfied, ranking these all-time greats is extremely tricky:

Idioteque
There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
Shook Ones, Part II
Reckoner
Penny Lane
Alright
Paper Planes
Paranoid Android
Let Down
Like A Rolling Stone
Runaway
Epitaph
Lazarus
Wuthering Heights
No Surprises
Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You)
Be My Baby
Hyper-ballad
Care Of Cell 44
1979
The World Is Yours
The Heart Part 5
Ashes To Ashes
Space Song
Alison
Enjoy The Silence
Jesus, Etc.
Pictures Of You
Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space
Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
California Dreamin'
Walk on the Wild Side
Sinnerman
HAZARD DUTY PAY!
Train In Vain
The Moon
When You Sleep
This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)
Night Cruising
Sugar/Tzu
Marquee Moon
_________________
Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus

[LedZep]

[LedZep]

Glad y'all are still following the diary. Took some time off, had some stuff to do over the holidays, but now it's time. For. A new brief project/rundown. This singles project will certainly return in a few days/weeks, but now it's time for something different.

I've been keeping track of all the concerts I've seen since September 2021 (with a pause from February to April this year, didn't go to any concerts for 2 and half months back then for various reasons). Friend's idea, she was doing it before Covid times. She usually beats me by the sheer quantity, but she was a waitress at a local venue at the time, so it makes sense. This time around, I've beaten her and a few other friends who track concerts. Counting every festival performance and every opening band separately (because why not), I've passed the 100 mark, which is my personal record and a respectable score imo. Here's some kind of top 5 with a lot of honorable mentions.
_________________
Finally updated the overall chart

2020s
90s

[LedZep]

Honorable mentions:

Nero Di Marte & Thundercat & The Comet is Coming
Why am I grouping those 3? What does an Italian prog metal machine have in common with the world's best modern jazzy R&B bassist? And what do they have in common with possibly the best nu jazz band right now? Well, I've seen them all at different venues in the span of 2 weeks, and these 3 performances were technically impeccable, the best playing I've heard the whole year. Nero Di Marte were opening for Imperial Triumphant (another great live band), and they were the definition of sounding tight. It's not a purely technical band like Dream Theater, there's some serious heaviness, several atmospheric/ambient parts, insane live vocals... But the best of all is that they sounded like they've been rehearsing this set for years. Playing complex songs as perfectly as possible while having fun on stage, headbanging, jumping, bursting with positive energy. Thundercat had his signature jam session, in terms of pure playing, the best performance of the year. 3 incredible musicians spearheaded by what I now consider to be the best bassist working today. He can play jazz, funk, R&B, pop, rock, hip hop... The Comets were probably the best of these 3. The early festival slot meant that there weren't more than a few hundred people present, but every single person was left in a trance after the 1 hour set. Shabaka was actually playing the back fiddle to the other two members, which was interesting. Seems like the dude doesn't like to be in the spotlight. There was even a drum solo which blew my mind. A drum solo. In 2022.

Dead Can Dance
As a longtime fan, it was a privilege to see them live. Finally. My dad's a huge fan, he's been listening to them since the early 90s and it was his first Dead Can Dance concert as well. In fact the only concert this year where I went with a family member, pretty fun. The venue was more of an opera house than a typical concert venue, really great choice for the occasion. They seem to pick the coolest arenas, amphitheaters, concert halls, etc. in every city they're at. The performance was magical and I consider this a top 5 of the year, despite it not landing on the actual list.

Mastodon / Kvelertak / Baroness
2 great opening bands followed by the legends themselves. I've already seen all of these bands live, but it didn't matter one bit. This was just a couple of days after that festival I went to. The crowd was something else. In comparison to that ok-ish but pretty tame festival crowd, this was a slaughter. I love moshing, but being in the front rows right in the middle of mosh pits wasn't exactly the wisest decision lol. Mother Puncher was insane, but the whole place turned into a chaotic mess of sweaty bodies during the closer, Blood and Thunder. They played Blood and Thunder the last 2 times they were in Zagreb as well, both were crowd requests after the initial encore. This time Brann even stayed to thank the crowd several times after the end, they obviously have a big following and love playing here. It could've been a top 5 concert had I listened to the new album beforehand lol, half of the concert was the new stuff. Oh, and I have Bill Kelliher's pick in my collection now

Idles & Fontaines D.C.
Saw them back to back at a local festival. When somebody talks about "young and hungry" bands, this is exactly what I envision. Idles have been at it for 5+ years, but yeah. Opening up the mosh pit for THAT part of Colossus was a top 1 moment ever. Plus it was the biggest group of friends I've ever been with at the live show, it was like 15 people all lined up in the row, and at least 4 of us knew every single song. A fantastic performance which was followed by me and a friend regrouping near the second stage and losing our shit during the Fontaines show. Lost my voice after that night. Fun times.

Nadja / CZLT
CZLT (Guillaume Cazalet of Neptunian Maximalism) was definitely the more interesting one, but Nadja killed it as well. Wasn't sure what to expect from CZLT, while I knew Nadja would be great. Dude was dressed just like on the Junkyard album cover and he sat throughout the entire performance, just like the great Indian raga masters. It all started with some slow, eerie and quiet drone played from the laptop. After a short 1-minute intro, he started singing. Throat singing, in fact. And it was an otherworldly experience, a chilling moment. He's an insane vocalist, which wasn't that apparent from the studio releases. After some time the loud, noisy drone stuff started and there was no looking back. A long sitar solo, 3-4 different Indian flutes, loud drone. We sat on a cool Turkish-style carpet in the first row and inhaled the incense he was burning onstage. Dreamy, trance-like 45 minutes. Recommended for everyone, even if you're not a fan of this drone metal style. Nadja were loud and relentless. They didn't even bring their own guitars and amps, had to borrow the guitars from a friend of mine, and the performance was still top-notch. Glad I wore ear plugs.

From Another Mother
A local band who always give their all on stage. It's some type of post hardcore mixed with jazzy stuff, art rock, prog etc. Usually aggressive and loud live. Locally known as "men in pants" because they always end up half naked by the end of the concert. The whole show was excellent, the crowd was A+, they ended the concert by moving the drumset to the middle of the floor and playing encircled by the crowd. I even have a short video of that lol. Exactly what I imagine a Fugazi performance might've been like.

Lalalar
Went in completely blind. Didn't know a single thing about the band except that they were from Istanbul and played music similar to Altin Gun. And, having seen both of them this year, I'll vouch for Lalalar. Sure, Altin Gun had a better sound system at the bigger venue, they were pretty good in their own right and nothing tops Supurgesi Yoncadan, but in terms of the raw energy and playing, Lalalar are superior. Had the whole crowd dancing in a matter of seconds. A bombastic performance, the coolness oozes from the band, and they're fun guys to talk to as well, would recommend seeing them live.

Hotline TNT
This was just a fun, chill show. Nothing too spectacular, but I really liked it. The specific thing was that they played in front of the stage, rather than on the stage. All the lights, amps, etc. had to be set up specifically for this show, it was a lot of fun doing that tbh. An intimate noisy shoegaze performance, a perfect Thursday gig which I have fond memories of.
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Finally updated the overall chart

2020s
90s

[LedZep]

5. Duma / Ecko Bazz
Been to a lot of parties and DJ sets this year (I'm not counting them in this concert rundown), but it turns out one of the best raves wasn't a rave at all. It was Ecko Bazz concert. Only around 50 people in a 300 capacity venue, which was actually perfect. As soon as we felt the first bass (or maybe bazz?) note in our stomach, there was no going back. Dude killed it. Raw, industrial, danceable, fun. Everybody had the time of their life. Duma followed that and they were very good as well. This was in April and it was actually the second time seeing them in like 7–8 months. Not sure what a Kenyan metal band is doing in my random ass country 2 times in a year, but I'm all for it. They were better than the first time, had better costumes, better light, fantastic visuals, better sound system and were thankfully quieter. The first time was at the local venue and it was the loudest concert I've ever been to. The sound check almost gave me a heart attack. There were plastic and even glass cups falling from shelves from the overpowering bass, people were running to grab the ear plugs and close the doors, a friend's poor dog was scared and had to go outside. And that was just the soundcheck. Back to the better, 2nd performance. It was fantastic, the singer sounded like a demon and the songs were 10 times as powerful as the studio versions. It also included one of the longest "we want more" chants I've ever heard, it took them like 5 minutes to get back on stage and the small crowd would not give them a break lol. Non-stop chanting for several minutes until they finally did the encore.
_________________
Finally updated the overall chart

2020s
90s

[LedZep]

4. Cura & decko
A local band called "A boy and a girl", "the girl" sings and "the boy" is a DJ, effects, synths, guitars guy. They play some sort of electronic bedroom pop, nothing spectacular on the surface tbh. BUT. This live show was insane. Apparently their main synth died 10 minutes before the show, so they scrapped the setlist and decided to do more of a DJ set/performance than a concert. It was a hit. Singer is the singular most energetic front(wo)man I've ever seen. She was jumping, rolling around, interacting with the crowd, crowdsurfing, dancing (a lot), and just in general being absolutely wild. She had an aura of positive craziness around her, and it was probably amplified by the whole setlist being half-improvised. The set went from Kelly Lee Owens-style electropop ballads to trancey techno and back, maintaining a perfect balance of improv, crowd engagement, showmanship and just playing good music. The highlight was the cover of Kosheen's Hide U, a song I have "rediscovered" relatively recently after loving it in the past.
_________________
Finally updated the overall chart

2020s
90s

[Repo]

OMG! Those concerts sound awesome, Zep! \m/

[LedZep]