2024 Live Recap
Really good year for shows and live music. Here were some of my favorites. |
| 1 |  | Wata Igarashi
Agartha
Probably the only pure techno set I saw all year. In an age where techno DJs seem committed to playing hard/fast for the crowd, it was very refreshing to get lost in Wata's psychedelic and euphoric techno stylings. |
| 2 |  | Yung Singh
Boiler Room 08/05/2021
Holy shit what a DJ! Yung Singh plays a wide variety of garage, dub, and jungle influenced by Punjabi and Eastern Asian sounds pushing forward a newer scene of dance music I was unaware of until digging into his Rinse shows and bandcamp releases. Highly recommend if you're a fan of high energy bass music of all kinds. Loved the Ayo Technology edit he played as a cheeky banger too. This Boiler Room set is a good representation of his styles if you wish to dig deeper. |
| 3 |  | Kacey Musgraves
Deeper Well
My drunkest show of the year lmao but still an absolute hoot! Loved the mix of Golden Hour classics this time with a lot of newer stuff and minimal Star Crossed jams (its not bad but not great). The backing band Kacey has is also on fire. Wish this could have been at a different venue but can't complain when singing your heart out w the homies. |
| 4 |  | Martyn
Voids
The way Martyn combines genres like techno and house with every genre of bass music under the sun has always really intrigued me about his productions and he translates this so well into his DJ sets. Everything from footwork to Playboi Carti was included in this 3 hour mix but the way it was cohesive and flowing well was what really blew my mind. Open format DJing will forever remain my favorite as it takes you on a journey and really gives you an eye into the varied taste of the DJ. Shout to DJ Voices as well for her wonderful warm up before Martyn's set. If you are a fan at all, I can't recommend seeing him enough |
| 5 |  | Mastodon
Leviathan
Was very excited when this co-headliner w Lamb of God as Leviathan was one of my first metal albums I truly loved. I thought Mastodon was great live but they still don't have their vocal parts fully down 10 years later which was a little disappointing. I straight up laughed out loud at how badly they fucked up Seabeast. Vocals aside, the instrumentals are what really matters with this band and they fucking delivered. Can't be disappointed with Hearts Alive in the setlist. |
| 6 |  | Lamb of God
Ashes Of The Wake
Lamb of God just continues to be one of the best live metal bands over 20+ years into their career. It felt really full circle getting to see this album played in full at Red Rocks for its 20 years as they were another starter band back in the day before my tastes developed. I also can't believe Randy hit all his vocals notes with no back ups and fighting the mountain altitude. So goated |
| 7 |  | King Diamond
''Them''
Saw Mercyful Fate in 2022 and now it was time for the King's solo show. He fuckin rocked it as his vocals are still on point with the rest of the band sounding great. I also love how theatrical and choreographed the show was as it adds a level of immersiveness to the live show. Go see him if you can! I was so happy they played The Invisible Guests (: |
| 8 |  | Megadeth
Rust in Peace
Finally completed seeing all of the thrash big 4 live with this one. I was skeptical as Dave is the only "classic" Megadeth member left but they fuckin crushed it. It was for sure a greatest hits type set but you really can't ask for more when its your first Megadeth show. I forgot how hard "Trust" fuckin goes too until they played it. |
| 9 |  | The New Mastersounds
Out On The Faultline
A UK jazz/funk band that recently got back from hiatus to record a new album and play shows again. They are very popular with the jam band scene which led to both nights we saw being sold out. Happy these guys are still in top form since getting back together and were inviting a nice variety of guest musicians to come jam with them each night. Highly rec looking up any of their live shows on Youtube to really get into what this band is about. |
| 10 |  | Hatebreed
Perseverance
One of the best hardcore bands of all time. Crowd went as hard as you would expect at a Hatebreed show and the setlist was mostly stuff from the first 4 albums. Also Carcass opened which was fuckin sick. Banger show! |
| 11 |  | Caribou
Honey
Another show I was a little skeptical on due to the dance-centric new record. I should never doubt Caribou as they only seem to get better live with every subsequent tour. They continue their live jamming of all the Caribou hits but it seems they have gotten so much tighter and diversified with their jams like never before. Add this to upgraded production and lighting and you are in for a hell of a live show. Seriously don't miss them if they come to your city! |
| 12 |  | Skream
Midnight Request Line/I
Saw Skream play a 5+ hour open to close set b2b with Plastician and Jakes. I wasn't sure how much I'd be down with listening to dubstep for that long but these three legends blew me away on the Black Box sound system. Locked in for the entire set and honored I got to experience this show in such an intimate setting. Legendary!!! |
| 13 |  | King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard
The Silver Cord
I'm starting to feel confident in calling King Gizzard the best modern live rock band as they only seem to be getting better each tour. This recent set was a little bit different as the show was divided up into various sections of their sound (southern rock, metal, electronic, psych rock). They really give you a nice slice of each style in the show to prove they can't be boxed into one genre. The electronic jam was really my highlight despite not loving this album on record. They started going into some straight up Squarepusher style acid breaks, it was really dope. |
| 14 |  | Crowbar
Odd Fellows Rest
The heaviest band of all time in a small DIY venue was quite a treat. They sounded absolutely excellent. Another greatest hits type set for the most part but the highlight for me was when they played "To Carry the Load" from this album. Easily one of their hardest jams and I couldn't have asked for a better first Crowbar show |
| 15 |  | Simo Cell
Pour Le Club!
My favorite DJ set of the year easily. Got to see him spin 3 hours on some Function 1 speakers which was such a delight. I always liked his recorded sets and production but seeing him in action is a whole new level. Played any genre of club music you could think of and the mixing of 3 tracks at once was straight up messing w me and my gfs head at times. A straight up master class I was honored to see. Essential clubbing for me |
| 16 |  | Janet Jackson
All For You
Happy we managed to see Janet Jackson again when she announced her tour dates this year. We were a little worried as typically larger artists recycle their setlists but to our surprise it was an entirely new setlist and stage setup. Improved lighting, new jams, and being with some of my best friends made this a night for the books. She also played "Someone to Call My Lover" which is a top 5 Janet song and imo one of the great 2000s pop jams of all time. Brilliant! |
| 17 |  | Misery Signals
Controller
Had to send off the MisSigs boys final tour as I never saw them live and both vocalists were playing. Wow they fuckin crushed that shit. When I think of this band, I always think of heir melodic shit, you always forget how heavy they are until you're there in person. Came out of mosh retirement hard and was sore for 3 days after this one (I'm 32 lol) but it was so worth it for these songs I loved in my high school days. Shout out to Foreign Hands killing their opening slot too. R.I.P. to one of the greatest to do it. |
| 18 |  | Unwound
New Plastic Ideas
Saw them play this album in its entirety along with like 7 other jams. It was fuckin amazing and one of the loudest and immersive shows I've seen this year. I'm so happy my Sput dog FowlKrietzsche rec'd me this band this year as I've fallen in love at first sight. They ended up being my second most listened to artist this year. Can't say enough good things about this band. |
| 19 |  | The Blood Brothers
Crimes
Middle and high school me were ecstatic to finally see the Blood Brothers live. Modern me is amazed with how incredible they sound after all these years. You'd think Johnny and Jordan's distinct voices would be shot after all these years but no they haven't missed a beat. I really forgot how ahead of the curve these guys were until seeing them live and drowning in the tidal wave of nostalgia. Johnny still singing while crowd surfing in the crowd is wild as well. If you are a fan of any degree of this band, please make he effort to catch them live. It will change your life. |
| 20 |  | Primus
Pork Soda
Primus is my favorite live band of all time, I don't think anyone comes close. This show is now special as it was Herb's second to last show before leaving due to losing his passion for music. I find that surprising as Primus sounded fantastic and the setlist was loaded with tons of rarities such as Spaghetti Western, Ol Diamondback and The Pressman which I have been chasing at a show for years. The Mr Krinkle tease during the Groundhog's Day jam and Rush cover were also massive highlights. It'll be really interesting to see who takes on the kit next because the bar is already so high. Fuckin love these guys |
| 21 |  | Missy Elliott
Supa Dupa Fly
For a while I told my partner my number 1 show to see was Missy Elliott. To my surprise, we finally got the announcement and went this past July. This show exceeded any expectations I had and ended up being my favorite show of the year. It was like being immersed in a live Missy Elliott music video for two hours going through every single hit imaginable. Couple this with wild stage production, mad hits from your youth and a bunch of your drunk friends and its the recipe for a perfect night. Having Timbaland, Ciara and Busta Rhymes open also helped to set an amazing tone for the night. I can truly say this was one of the best nights of my life! |
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