Favorite Concerts Of 2015

 I saw entirely too many shows in 2015, some I can't even remember clearly. Not because I drank too much, just because they began to run together. Some I was mostly attending as an excuse to hang with friends anyway, so the music became secondary to the experience. I guess that actually sums up why I went to so many- the experience.

10. Van Halen (Tinley Park, IL - July)
This was my second time seeing Van Halen, and while the first concert was one of my favorite concert experiences (how can you top a limo?!), this was still a fun trek to Tinley Park. I seem to hit this venue once per summer as it was my 4th in a row. This time we paid for lawn seats but upgraded to seats prior to show time, while drinking $14 beer. While it wasn't my first time seeing Van Halen, it was my first time eating Portillo's, and I'd definitely stop there again. Speaking of food, David Lee Roth told a story about a $6,000 chili dog.

9. John Corabi (Bolingbrook, IL - May)
I saw John perform twice before in 2014 but this was an opportunity see the guy plugged in and backed with a band. He was performing the entire self-titled Motley Crue album, which was cool to hear live. I went with friends, even friends made the trip to see the show too, so it almost felt like being back home at Goodfella's or whatever that place has changed it's name to. Yet again the road trip itself made it even better.


8. Def Leppard (Moline, IL - October)
This was a show where I received tickets from the radio station and was mostly going to it just to go, but it turned out to be much better than I expected. I asked my concert buddy Dustin and he instantly accepted- it was his second time seeing Def Leppard and my first. It was also our first time seeing Foreigner, while the opener, Tesla, was a band we had just seen a few weeks earlier. Dustin seems to know someone everywhere he goes, usually it's someone recognizing him from the store, but on this trip he was able to get beer from a local brewery he had just visited a few days earlier. In an odd coincidence we sat next to a couple from Pekin, and I noticed Frank Hannon from Tesla chilling during Foreigner's set, so I shook his hand. Def Leppard also debuted their newest single live, "Let's Go", which made the show even more memorable.


7. Foo Fighters (Chicago, IL - August)
So I originally bought tickets with my friend Kurt, which was a chance for us to finally meet up. He was driving down from Wisconsin, I was driving up. We met online in a wrestling forum, and the chance to meet up overshadowed the show, since a few other online "bros" would be in attendance. Turns out, Kurt scored an extra pair, so I was able to include my friends Nick and Joe, who also had never seen the Foo Fighters live. I've found myself tempted to be on my phone quite a bit during a concert- yet the Foo Fighters was least amount of time I've ever touched my phone. It's hard to reach for a phone when you're playing air guitar! The band rocked their own songs and also a medley of covers, including Alice Cooper's "School's Out."


6. Chicago (Peoria, IL - May)
I was mostly attending this show because my aunt was excited to go, but I ended up enjoying it a lot. Much like ZZ Top and Judas Priest years before, this was a band full of "old dudes" that rocked! While they do have a few newer members, it was the original members on horns that were the most animated of the night. Even Jimmy Pankow received a "shout out" from some ladies in the audience. The band performed two sets with an intermission in the middle, packing in every hit song you can think of; even the new song "Now" sounded great alongside the classics.

5. Slash (Chicago, IL - May)
Slash, along with Alice Cooper, are acts I am vowing to see yearly, if the opportunity presents itself, despite my claims to slow down my concert-going. I've seen several club shows in Chicago- The Vic, The Riviera, and now the Concord Music Hall, and this place was the coolest of them all. A big surprise happened in the form of the opener- Fozzy. I was killing time on my phone, waiting for my friend Marcia to arrive and I just wanted to see what time the show actually started and that's when I noticed Fozzy was performing. The band did a cool cover of ABBA's "S.O.S." and Jericho actually wore his lighted ring jacket from his time in pro-wrestling. The new Slash songs were fun live, but the highlight was the GNR song "You Could Be Mine."

4. Rock N Skull (Pekin, IL - October)
Rock N Skull ranked highly in 2014- mostly because of it's unexpected performances on Saturday from Danger Danger and Black N Blue. That was true of the 2015 version too, as I ended up enjoying Loudness the most. The chance to socialize with so many different people across the 3-day event was the best part, as I was introduced to so many new people in a "6 degrees of separation of Jim Glass"-type of scenario. There was also the chance to hang out with the Shandi's Music guys outside of their store, and again a chance to see The Great Affairs, which makes 8 times in 2015.

3. The Damnwells (St. Louis, MO - May)
The month of May clearly wins the award for the best month of concerts. Usually that's a busy month anyway, given that the radio station hosts an annual concert each year and it's the beginning the summer concert/festival season when all of the bands are hitting the road. This particular trip stands out for the local beer (I brought a can back for my boss), the bands which were all outstanding, and the "five star" burger joint that we ate at. I also realized I can't do these types of weekday shows anymore- work a half day, drive several hours for a show, then come back and work my regular schedule. Like Roger Martaugh says, "I'm too old for this shit."


2. The Great Affairs (Marion, IL - November)
I traveled to see The Great Affairs in January and (almost) ended the year seeing them in November back at the same place- John Brown's On The Square. I was all set to give the nod to the January show, which featured a guy dancing in his socks, but now I've changed my mind for the November gig. The selection of covers mixed with their own material was great- including covers of Rod Stewart, Tom Petty, and even Fleetwood Mac, with Pat on vocals! Their own songs were great, highlighted by "Make It Out."

1. Scorpions (Rosemont, IL - September)
I was supposed to see this show with a co-worker- he wanted to see Queensryche and I wanted to finally see Scorpions (I missed a show I had tickets for back in 2012.) It turns out I went with my new concert "dad" instead- Mr. Jim Glass. It was fun hearing about the time he saw Iron Maiden on their reunion tour in Milwaukee and also the many times he's attended Blue Oyster Cult shows. For pushing 70, Klaus sounded great and Rudolph Schenker bounced around playing guitar like it was still 1980. What made the trip even better was we were in and out of Rosemont with ease!