Favorite Concerts of 2017

Going into 2016 I tried to cut back on the amount of shows I'd attend, but I didn't exactly stick to it. While I saw less shows, I think I spent much more overall. With 2017, I wanted to try it again...and I found out that less really is more. At times I found myself acting grumpy when I missed out on a band coming to town, but these shows that I did see were among the very best ever.

10. Get The Led Out (Peoria, IL - March)
This was the third year in a row for the Zeppelin tribute, Get The Led Out, making an appearance in Peoria but only my 2nd time going. The first time was pretty fun, as I'd never seen a tribute band before and they were pretty damn good at recreating the music of Led Zeppelin. This time was even better as I somehow managed to get a seat in the 2nd row. It was also my last free show while working for 95.5 GLO, so it was a pretty damn good way to go out.

9. Fitz and the Tantrums (Peoria, IL - July)
There haven't been many times I've seen a concert with my mom, and since I knew she liked hearing this band on the radio, I thought I'd buy her a ticket. That meant I also needed to find out more about their music... which made me wonder how they hadn't landed on my radar yet. It turned out to be a nice book-end to a weekend after seeing Ben Harper on Friday, too. Both were artists I'd ever listened to before 2017, so it was neat seeing them for the first time on the same weekend, and in outdoor settings.

8. Red Hot Chili Peppers (Milwaukee, WI - June)
This was a my 2nd trip to Milwaukee for SummerFest, which is now likely to become an annual trip up north for some rock and/or roll. Last year was Ryan Adams on one of the several  general admission stages, while this year I'd move up to a bigger show at the amphitheater. It seemed to be a stroke of luck that the Chili Peppers were playing the amphitheater that evening, because we were caught in a monsoon, and luckily enough there was a roof to get a little shelter from the rain. I feel like I might have enjoyed the show more if my feet weren't soaking wet all night, but at the same time, the rain was all part of the experience. Too bad they didn't play "The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie" for the occasion.

7. Ed Sheeran (Rosemont, IL - September)
I never imagined I'd ever see this guy live and I also never imagined I'd actually enjoy it either! I've seen one-man acoustic shows before, from bars to theatre-sized venues, but this is the first time I've seen it done in a large arena. It's crazy to think that just one guy and a guitar (and fancy looped backing tracks) can hold the attention of 20,000 and keep them engaged in the show.

6. Jimmy Eat World (Peoria, IL - May)
This wasn't really a "concert", more like a private party, as it was a 4-song mini set that the band performed at a bar in town to less than 200 people. I feel lucky I was able to attend this, since I had just started working for the station that hosted it, my friends Jim and Gavin were among the listeners who won passes, and and it's just cool to think a band this big would still play such a small show at a bar. I've actually seen Jimmy Eat World in some form, every year since 2013, so I've gotta keep the streak alive.

5. The Great Affairs (Marion, IL - September)
Though I only saw them a handful of times this year, maybe that made this time extra special. It was another trip to see the band at the local HubFest in downtown Marion, yet this time I was with friends, enough in fact that it seemed like they may have been playing a show back in Central Illinois.

4. Dream Theater (Peoria, IL - November)
Something else I never imagined- seeing this band in my own town. I'm not sure who brought them to Peoria of all places, but thanks! I'd see the band before, on their 2014 tour, but that time I had to travel to Chicago and went solo. This time my buddy who actually initially told me about the band way back in 2003, bought our tickets, and the band was set to perform Images and Words from start to finish. They also added some b-sides from that era onto the set, and closed with the 20-something minute long "A Change of Seasons." Pretty neat!

3. Beasto Blanco (Moline, IL - January)
Band leader Chuck Garric is a veteran of Alice Cooper's band and recently ventured off into his own solo band during his downtime from Cooper touring. He even teamed up with Cooper's daughter Calico, and the results are a little White Zombie-inspired. Whereas Cooper seems to borrow from classic horror for his props, Calico wields a baseball bat and chains, reminding me more of slasher films. The band was fun to see and being at a venue I've never been to before made it plenty memorable. Just like last year's Cooper show in Peoria where I met up with many friends after the show, this was more about friends than the music.

2. Alice Cooper (Springfield, IL - April)
The current line-up of the band has been the same since mid-2014, beginning with their slot opening on the Motley Crue farewell tour. This marks the third time seeing them since then, and you'd think I'd have had enough by now, especially since the set was very similar comparing the 2016 and 2017 shows. Although they dropped an encore of cover songs, in favor of bringing back "Woman Of Mass Distraction" and a few obscurities like "Pain" and "The World Needs Guts." The thing that keeps me seeing them again and again is that the show is so high energy. It's 90 minutes of non-stop, song after song, and each band member is fun to watch. They're already on my list to see in 2018.

1. Foo Fighters (Champaign, IL - November)
Seeing the Foo Fighters in 2015 was pretty cool for a number of reasons; it was my first time seeing them in concert; it was in Chicago at Wrigley Field; I traveled with friends and met up with several while I was there; and it seemed like an extra special event because Dave invited his family members on stage for everyone to sing "Happy Birthday." I wasn't quite sure that show could be topped.

However, I was wrong! The new material from Concrete & Gold sounded better live, and they played quite a few throughout their set. I think I counted 5, including "The Line", which is one I was hoping they'd play (though I wasn't holding my breath.) Five is a lucky number it seems, as they played five from Wasting Light, and their encore included a whopping five songs, too.