pacificlectic : concert reviews & eclectic music news

Well, this year was once again good to the Pacific Northwest on the concert front… 365 days, 67 shows, 132 artists, many long nights driving home, and a lot of photos…

My favorite concerts of 2011:

1. Puscifer :: Paramount Theater :: Seattle, WA {7 Nov} [review with photos] – brilliant new album, fantastic stripped down/meets over the top tour!
2. U2 & Lenny Kravitz :: Qwest Field :: Seattle, WA {4 Jun} [review with photos] – one of the biggest tours ever doesn’t disappoint
3. My Brightest Diamond :: Mississippi Studios :: Portland, OR {6 Nov} [review with photos] – Shara’s gorgeous voice works well even in a solo setting
4. Peter Mulvey :: three shows :: Eugene/Creswell/Corvallis, OR {10-12 Nov} [3-show review with photos] – yes, I’m an addict, but I can’t pass up any chance to see Peter in my neck of the woods…
5. Godspeed You! Black Emperor :: Crystal Ballroom :: Portland, OR {18 Feb} [review, no photos] – surreal and amazing!
6. The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger (Sean Lennon & Charlotte Kemp Muhl):: The Woods :: Portland, OR {28 Jan} [review with photos] – pure pop brilliance, Sean takes after his father…
7. Nels Cline Singers :: Doug Fir Lounge :: Portland, OR {30 Jan} [review with photos] – avant garde guitar experimentation…
8. Eddie Vedder (of Pearl Jam) & Glen Hansard (of The Swell Season) :: Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall :: Portland, OR {14 Jul} [review with photos] – Glen is a great singer-songwriter, and Eddie is an amazing performer (this time, mainly on ukelele)…
9. Explosions in the Sky / MusicFest NW :: Pioneer Courthouse Square :: Portland, OR {10 Sep} [no review] – I had to scuttle from this show to a follow-up MFNW show, but this was definitely a highlight…
10. Pomplamoose :: Doug Fir Lounge :: Portland, OR {27 Oct} [review with photos] – the youtube stars make good with a real tour… A+!
11. Over the Rhine :: Aladdin Theater :: Portland, OR {17 Nov} [review with photos] – OTR will always be a favorite
12. Opeth :: Roseland Theater :: Portland, OR {16 Oct} [review with photos] – no cookie monster screams, I missed them, but Opeth still doesn’t disappoint.
13. Erik Friedlander plays John Zorn’s Masada Book Two (Book of Angels, Volume 8: Volac) :: The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts :: Eugene, OR {8 Jan} [review with photos] – an amazing cellist playing a amazing book of melodies
14. Toad the Wet Sprocket :: Downtown Bend Celebration :: Bend, OR {8 Jul} [review with photos] – anytime Toad or lead singer GLen Phillips are playing in my radar, I’m going!
15. Jeffrey Foucault :: Cozmic Pizza :: Eugene, OR {20 Oct} [review with photos] – Jeffrey is quickly becoming a favorite songwriter of mine, full of grit and charm…

Runners-Up: Reptet at Luckey’s (Jan), Elton John at Matthew Knight Arena (Feb), A Perfect Circle at Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (June), The Dead Kenny G’s at Sam Bond’s Garage (July), and Jason Webley & Mood Area 52 at WOW Hall (Oct).  Even after honorable mentions, I cut some GREAT ones… 2011 was a great year.

My favorite concert photos of 2011: (in chronological order)

(all images are free to use under a creative commons designation,
simply identify Daniel Temmesfeld with a
photo credit and link to pacificlectic.com.

Past Favorite Concerts Lists:

• Favorite Concerts 2010
• Favorite Concerts 2009
• Favorite Concerts 2008
• Favorite Concerts 2007

Favorite music of 2011 will be coming soon… EPs/DVDs/etc, vocal albums, instrumental albums…

~Dan – np: Steven Bernstein’s Millennial Territory Orchestra – MTO Plays Sly