Favorite Concerts of 2016

While 2015 was coming to a close, I was tallying the amount of concerts I'd attended throughout the calendar year, and the number was much larger than I assumed it would be. 40 concerts, granted some were free or I worked at the event, was still a huge total; no wonder I'm broke. Going forward into 2016 I wanted to scale back to a total of 10, despite already purchasing tickets to two shows before the year even began! That number became "10 concerts I'd purchase tickets to" because I wasn't quite ready to restrict myself too much.

2016 is coming to a close and I'm standing on the edge, facing the same dilemma. I think I really will restrict myself to only 10, free or otherwise.

10. HerrinFesta (Herrin, IL)
I like traveling down south to Marion because I can see my buddy Todd, but I also get to make a stop at my favorite restaurant, 17th Street. These trips always seem to revolve around music, too, and on this occasion was a local weekend festival. One night was all 80's hair rock headlined by Tom Keifer (of Cinderella), while the next night was Foreigner.

9. The Great Affairs (Marion, IL)
It's always a good time seeing The Great Affairs, though it's even better to travel to see them, because they play longer sets. I can't get enough from a 30-40 minute opening slot. This time they were lighter on cover songs, playing a lot more of their own material, and I got to help sell merch which was fun.

8. Heart (Moline, IL/St. Louis, MO)
I saw Heart in Moline in the spring, though mostly I went for Lynch Mob, who was the opening band. Weeks later I was invited to see the Heart/Joan Jett/Cheap Trick tour along with a few friends for a road trip to St. Louis. It's hard to choose between the two shows, so I just lumped them as one entry.

7. Ryan Adams (Milwaukee, WI)
After I becoming a regular concert-goer in 2011, I became aware of an event in Milwaukee called SummerFest. I'd wanted to check it out since it's two weeks of bands performing every night, usually big name acts, too. The opportunity presented itself this year, when my buddy Kurt and I talked about checking out one of the nights during the fest. It worked out where I was able to see Ryan Adams, and we caught a few other bands during the afternoon, after starting off with a meal at Fuddruckers. Ryan was hilarious, with banter about 311 and a handwriting analysis booth between songs.

6. Megadeth (Moline, IL)
There was a VIKING SHIP on stage! I probably don't need to say any more than that. I was going only for Megadeth and didn't really care who was opening, but the selection of opening acts turned out to be surprisingly good for a night of heavy metal. There was likely something for everyone- old school "classic" metal from Metal Church; 90's group Suicidal Tendencies brought a lot of energy to their hip-hop infused rock; then Amon Amarth were so heavy, they had a viking ship on stage along with horns that they raised to toast their fans. Inbetween sets, my buddy was able to get a photo with drummer Dave Lombardo, who was mobbed at the merch table along with the rest of Suicidal Tendencies. Finally, Megadeth rocked and rattled my noggin as I stood within range of guitar pick-throwing; it worked. I took home a pick from their newest guitar player.

5. The Cure (Chicago, IL)
The Cure have been one of the longest bands I'd call a "favorite band." I've listened to them since I was in high school, though to be honest I only listened to one song back then; "Burn" from The Crow soundtrack. I later was recommended to purchase a two-disc greatest hits set, with the second disc containing all of the "hits" done acoustic. I quickly sought out other CDs, even a b-sides/rarities box-set. Finally, I was able to see them close to 16 years later... and they even played "Burn"!

4. Alter Bridge (Listening Party/Concert)
I've seen Alter Bridge a few times before, each time I've met the band too. This time I not only saw them live, had a photo op, but was also able to hear their new album months prior to it's release! Not only that, but when I saw Alter Bridge in Chicago, I made new friends. It's cool when you can make friends through music and concerts, which in the last year I've made quite a few locally.

3. Guns N' Roses (Chicago, IL)
The tour I thought I'd never see! I was quite content seeing Slash with his band that includes Myles Kennedy, and I've even said I thought Myles was better because he was "on time." I passed on buying tickets for this show, despite being excited for the shocking announcement, since I'd already committed to a few other expensive shows. Turns out the station had a bunch to give away for their second night in Chicago, which probably could've used a few more give-aways since he wasn't even close to being a packed house. That said, the show rocked! Axl, Slash, and company played for well over 2 hours, which included the hits, covers, and even songs from Chinese Democracy.

2. Alice Cooper (Peoria, IL)
Tickets for this show went on sale in January, I believe the day after my birthday, and I ended up being very lucky. I rolled the dice on attempting to get the best seats in the house by getting them from the box office the moment they went on sale. It worked and I managed to get front row, which put me close enough to lean on the stage! Not only did the show rock my socks, but quite a few of my friends attended the show, too. One of Alice's guitar players, Ryan Roxie, hosted a post-show meet-and-greet. I got a photo and an album signed, also picked up a box set of several of his CDs too.

1. Alice Cooper's Christmas Pudding (Phoenix, AZ)
It's hard enough to top being front row for an Alice Cooper concert, among many friends in attendance, and even meeting members of the band afterward. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience. So of course, the one thing that can top that is seeing Mr. Cooper in his hometown at his own charity event, along with my uncle. That last part would have been cool on it's own, since we had tossed around the idea of seeing a concert as a way for me to visit Phoenix again.

It just happened to work out where the two of us could attended Alice Cooper's annual Christmas Pudding event, which was an intimate event for roughly 2,000 attendees at an in-the-round theater. Alice headlined with his famous cover band The Hollywood Vampires, which includes Johnny Depp and Joe Perry on guitar. Members of Alice's band were on stage with them, too. Yet the best "performance" of the night ended up being the "red rocker", Sammy Hagar. After playing guitar for the first part of his set, Sammy decided to put it down, saying "I just wanna dance." I wish I could use that excuse in my daily life. Korn opened the show and rocked the house; unlike Gin Blossoms, who played to a crowd remaining silent in their seats. Poor guys.