Over the past two years, I’ve made the arbitrary decision to rank the live shows I attended that year. It’s worked decently well, since I have gone to some shows in the past that just knocked my socks clean off into a waiting volcano, incinerating them and along with it any hope of having dry feet for the next 10,000 years. This year, however, was different. I feel like I was surrounded by volcanoes, each with a bigger desire for socks. There was no way I could rank which volcano was hungrier than the next: they’re volcanoes! Instead, I’ll write about the hungriest volcanoes instead. I feel like I’ve drifted away from the main point here. In short, here are the best and most memorable shows I attended this year, presented in chronological order. I thought that I wouldn’t see more shows in a year than in 2017, but I beat that in 2018. Two festivals helped, but even without them I still exceed last year’s ludicrous total. Make sure to scroll all the way down to see stats + every artist I saw.

(Notice – all the videos linked below are rando live videos, so in the future they might get taken down. For this, I apologize. I just want you to be exactly where my headspace was, yknow?)

29 FAVORITE SHOWS OF 2018:

• Destroyer (+Mega Bog) @ Brooklyn Steel – 1/27/2018
  The famous show that inspired the Essential Oil Dimension. Setlist likely could not have been better, plus seeing the band just sync up in a dreamy, hazy, formless pocket like that was beyond my wildest dreams. Dan Bejar is one cool customer, let me tell ya.
• The Radio Dept. (+SRiD & Psychic Twin) @ Warsaw – 2/3/2018
  This was just a wholesome good time. I ran into a good acquaintance at this show and hung together for most of it. Even though I was kinda dropped by another friend there, I had a sweet time talking and hanging. Plus the bands were great. Psychic Twin was killer – y’all should see her if you get the chance! Totally blew me away.
  
• IDLES @ Hotel Vegas (SXSW) – 3/14/2018
  The christening show of SXSW 2018 was a doozy. IDLES really put the clamp down on 2018 with their run at SX, with good reason. The whole place was moshing, I saw the entire staff of a South Carolinian radio station get swallowed up right before my eyes. The guitarist climbed and promptly fell out of a tree while wearing only underwear. Glad to have gotten to see these lads on a small stage before they start smashing down arenas.
  
• G Flip @ Lucille’s (SXSW) – 3/15/2018
  Felt a little like watching a star be born, especially since it was her second show EVER. Hasn’t quite taken off yet (how much can you do with only two songs in the world?) but G Flip is a natural born performer. The songs she has waiting in the chamber are pop perfection and a blast to see live. The kind of songs everyone was singing along to by the end of them, even though it was our first time hearing them. I was also standing behind her family from Australia, who were getting STUPID lit. Always fun to see a proud, lit fam for their super talented daughter. This is not to slight the second time I saw G Flip, which was with some music directors who got their mind blown when G Flip gets on drums during “About You” – I will never forget their faces.
  
• Hop Along @ Cedar Street Courtyard (SXSW) – 3/16/2018
  First time seeing Hop Along. Just wanted to put this on here. Singing along to the hits was about as satisfying as you’d think it would be. Love this band to bits.
• Four Tet @ National Sawdust – 3/22/2018
  I’ve never had a psychedelic experience through hallucinogenics, but I’d imagine that this came close to that feeling. Four Tet’s most recent live show included him playing in the center of a room amongst hanging, colored lightbulbs that were programmed to flow with the music. Watching Four Tet go through his songs live (it wasn’t just a DJ set, there was a ton of tech onstage with him) while the lights blinked and bobbed around in the audience and up into the ceiling was mind blowing. The stereo system itself was also surrounding the audience, so he would send sound to wrap around the room and move it around places, creating a multitude of hypnotic effects. I’ve already got my ticket to see him at Brooklyn Steel in February. I doubt it’ll capture the same magic as this did, but it’ll be another great, body-moving affair.
  
• One Night, Three Shows – 4/13/2018
  I went to three shows in one night because I wanted to. It wasn’t even CMJ.
  
  • Waxahatchee @ Warsaw – Happy to finally see them! Didn’t play my fav songs, but regardless, another great one to check off my priority list. Sad to skip Hurray For The Riff Raff, but I had two other shows to hit that night.
  • Young Galaxy @ Knitting Factory – SO happy to finally see YG, on what would turn out to be their potential final tour. They played the hits (“We Have Everything”, “Pretty Boy”) and even came out for an encore, something that the lead singer said didn’t happen often. They seemed so grateful for everyone being there. After being a fan for seven years, it felt great to finally groove out to their songs in real time.
  • U.S. Girls (+Gold Dime) @ Baby’s All Right – Their third show of the night as well. Funny how we crossed paths like that. Like I wrote in my Top 50 Albums of 2018 post, U.S. Girls was the most impressive act I saw all year, packing wicked talent and grooves onto a small, small stage. This was at 1am, mind you. It was a delirious fever dream of a show and I feel lucky to have gotten the chance to see it.
    
• Kevin Morby + Hand Habits @ Bowery Ballroom – 4/21/2018
  Another super wholesome show! I’ve love both Meg and Kevin so much, but seeing them play a show together was like heaven. New Hand Habits songs sounded amazing, and her old songs still shred like hell. As for Kev’s set: it was dope! The band is so in sync with each other. Also gotta love the moment when Meg jumps of Kevin’s back to rip a guitar solo while he sings. Just a sweet family outing.
  
• serpentwithfeet @ The High Line Hotel – 5/6/2018
  Definitive proof that I have been in the same room as Björk, less than four feet away at one point. Thanks to some Red Bull money, serpentwithfeet put on an elaborate performance at an old meeting hall in a historic NYC hotel, complete with props and small dolls placed on every chair. As for the music, if you haven’t treated yourself to a serpent show yet, you better get the heck on it, cowboy! He’s hilarious, immensely talented and something so refreshing amongst many acts that try their hardest to not care. Because serpent definitely cares, and I am grateful for it.
  
• Bombino @ Brooklyn Bowl – 5/9/2018
  Speaking of artists who care a lot, Bombino might just be the most skilled guitar player I’ve ever seen in my life. Whereas Meg Duffy (Hand Habits) is my favorite current guitarist, Bombino is the best shredder. My jaw was constantly left agape by the dude’s wicked shred skills, going off on multiple solos in non-Western modes, keys, what have you. Not to forget about his band, whom were also masterful in their own right and all stemmed from four or five different countries.
  
• Fever Ray (+Bunny Michael) @ Brooklyn Hangar – 5/12/2018
  One of my longest-standing bucket list artists, Fever Ray, was finally checked off this year with a feverish, unabashed, brilliant and horny performance in a remote hangar in Brooklyn. It was great and all to hear the fiery new material, but hearing her superstar band incorporate her older, more somber songs into this jacked-up framework was a blast and a half. This was nearly a decade of anticipation, folks!
  
• Midori Takada (+Huerco S.) @ Murmrr – 5/23/2018
  A master at work! Never thought I’d get the chance to see Midori Takada perform, but hey – New York, baby! Watching her do her thing on marimba, pseudo-taiko drums, cymbals and bells was amazing. The only detractor was the young boy sitting behind me, constantly fidgeting in his creaky seat and loud kid-whispering to his dad “daddy is that the lady?” and “daddy when is this over?” Why you would bring a little kid to a show like this I don’t know. Eventually they left, which was much appreciated. Thank you Midori!
  

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