Happy new year everyone! Before I continue with my top 20 albums of 2006 and enter the top 10, it's time to take a look at my favorite concerts of the year. I went to a few others as well, but these two stand out above and beyond the rest.
Why I chose Desdemona Music Festival
It was the most unlikely event to happen here in Cincinnati: a festival of alternative music. Other cities have had things like it for a long time, but around here, all we ever had were generic rock concerts, jazz festivals, and the like. So I was supremely excited when I heard that something different would actually be coming here. The entire festival was created by former City Council candidate Nick Spencer. This guy organized the whole thing, booked all the bands, and paid for it out of his own pocket. The festival was sponsored by internet radio station WOXY.com, which I talked about a couple of weeks ago.
Desdemona was responsible for making me a fan of some great artists like Mates of State, Radio 4, The Fiery Furnaces, and especially Annie, who I got to see from the front row. It was also a great place to see a few bands I already knew and loved, like Stellastarr*, We Are Scientists, Apples In Stereo, Ghostface, VHS or Beta, and of course, Northern State. They signed some stuff for me, which you can see scanned above in the image; they were also incredibly nice people. When their new album comes out this year, I'm still holding out hope to get an interview with them for my site. Anyway, with all that said, the Desdemona Music Festival was an event to remember. I hope it happens again this year.
Why I chose Foo Fighters
In 2005, I didn't get to go to any of the Foo Fighters' shows on their "In Your Honor" tour, and I was pissed. That was going to be my chance to see my favorite band. Later that year, I heard they would be doing an acoustic tour in 2006. So, I said I'd find a way to go see them no matter what. As I've mentioned many times before in my best of 2006, a summer road trip to the New Jersey area was to be one of the highlights of the year in music for me. This night would prove to be the epicenter of it all.
That afternoon, I set out with Lucy from New Jersey to Philadelphia's Tower Theater. We got seated just a few minutes before Foo Fighters came out on stage. The next two hours would be pretty much the greatest thing I've ever seen. So much more special than just a regular Foo Fighters concert, this show was all acoustic, in a much smaller theater where you could actually see the band up-close, featured some incredible special guests, and was a far more intimate setting. It was the perfect way to see my favorite band. They ended their set with "Everlong," my favorite Foos song. Finally, after all this time, it happened. As a result, 2006 will forever rule.
Join me later today as my top 20 albums of 2006 list continues! I'll be posting at least #10 through #6 at some point today or tonight. Also coming up, the #5 to #1 albums and a full recap of both singles and albums, so stay tuned. Finally, if you missed the
adieu from The TC 10, go look at it and help send off its thread!