After a year-plus drought, live music came back to the world in 2021. Living in NYC and being addicted to the high of seeing my favorite songs performed live, I absolutely had to dive back into seeing shows. When I started buying tickets, it felt like the fog of 2020 was clearing a bit and things were returning back to “normal”. Ha haaa… but not for long! I continued going to shows despite being stressed, masked the heck up, and trying to not engage with thick crowds as much. Too much good music came out this year, too many artists on tour with songs that I’m hinging emotional ground on hearing coming through the city. Too many artists I’m anxious to support in some meaningful way again.
I ended up seeing 44 performances by 43 different bands (Yo La Tengo being the only double), with a mini festival at Knockdown Center putting up big numbers in terms of artists added to the list. I had a stretch of seeing four shows over four days leading up to my birthday. My legs are no longer conditioned for shows. I’m going to have to regain my strength.
I maintained my concert-going etiquette though. On that note, can I please ask fellow concert-goers to please mask up (don’t just keep it down just cause you’re drinking an $8 Modelo), please go to the back or to the bar area outside if you’re just going to gab the whole time (too many shows this year I’ve been stuck by people who just talk and talk during sets. Where do you think you are?? Just go to a bar!), and if you’re tall as hell and you worm your way up to the front of the crowd after the show starts, I hope you slip on a banana peel. We’re not animals out here.
To the artists that once again braved the conditions and performed for us – thank you! Your work and art are not taken for granted. I saw some of the most mind-blowing shows of my life this year, and I hope that I can continue to do so in 2022. My full list of shows I saw is below, along with ten alphabetized shows that immediately stuck out to me, along with one shining moment I don’t think I’ll ever forget.
