This could've been a top 10, but I didn't really see nearly as many shows as I have in other recent years. I've only had the advantage of both living in/around Baltimore and having my own car for the past 3 years, and I took full advantage of it and went to probably 30 shows each in '02 and '03, compared to maybe a dozen this year. I just worked a lot this year and had less and less time and energy for standing around for a few hours at the end of a long day just to see some live music. This year was the first time I found myself passing on a lot of shows I wanted to go to and could've. My passion just dwindled a little, mainly because I've seen all my favorite live bands one too many times or spent too much time at all the local venues. But I still saw some good ones:

The 92Q End of Summer Jam @ the Towson Center, 9/10/04
The acoustics were terrible, the performances weren't always top shelf, but a bill full of some of the year's biggest hitmakers (Jadakiss, Fat Joe, Nina Sky, Ciara, Shawnna and local hero Bossman) and a hyped crowd made it a memorable occasion (my Gov't Names post about it).

Travis Morrison / Karmella's Game / Beauty Pill @ the Talking Head, 11/9/04
2 of the artists from my top 10 albums list in better form than when I saw them at seperate shows earlier in the year, and a surprisingly good local band fronted by a girl who I didn't realize until a week later that I met once a few years ago (my Narrowcast post about it).

Kanye West / Young Gunz / Paula Campbell @ the UMBC Field House, 4/22/04
The man of the year right at the crest of his wave, album still in the top 10, great energetic set of back to back hits, with ok labelmates and another local hero (my ILM thread about it).

Jonathan Richman @ the Ottobar, 6/8/04
Not quite as consistently smile-inducing as his show at the same place a couple summers before, but still there's maybe noone I'd rather see perform with an acoustic guitar.

The High Zero Festival of Experimental Improvised Music @ the Theatre Project, 10/3/04
I'm not in general a huge fan of noise music and improv, but I'm proud that such a rare kind of festival has been able to establish itself here in Baltimore (6 years and running!), and so I make a point to check out at least one night of it every year. And the last night of this year's festival was no disappointment, especially with Andrea Parkins doing amazing things with an accordian and effects pedals.

Honorable mentions to people I see almost every year who did some decent shows in '04: Ted Leo, Sonic Youth and Cex.

Labels: Baltimore music, concerts, hip hop, lists, Sonic Youth, Ted Leo, Travis Morrison

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 28, 2004 at 10:54 PM. You can skip to the end and leave a response.