It’s the end of 2009, and that means it’s time to look back on the year that was. And to start things off, a quick rundown of my five favorite shows of 2009. There’s no set order, that would involve too much effort, but I can say that these five are a mere fraction of all the great shows I was fortunate enough to see over the past year.
Brand New @ House of Blues (November 18th)
Brand New being my favorite band and all, I’ve seen them quite a few times, but it wasn’t until just recently that they really amazed me with a performance. I stuck with the band through Jesse’s seemingly self-loathing stage back in 2007 where it looked like he didn’t enjoy performing on stage anymore, always giving them another chance when they came through Boston. Thankfully, it all paid off; Jesse finally has energy to match the rest of the band and they’ve been playing a bunch of older material as well. Their 22-song set on this night was simply the best that I’ve ever seen on any tour, and quite possibly the best that I will ever see from them.
Jimmy Eat World @ House of Blues (February 26th)
Hearing Clarity performed front-to-back was the reason I didn’t mind paying $65 for two tickets (I lost the first one on the way to the show), and a major reason why this concert is one of the few from the first half of 2009 that really stand out in my memory. The group has been pretty silent as of late, no news on the recording of their seventh full-length that’s supposedly going to be released in 2010. While I wait patiently for that, I hope they decide to have a Bleed American (oh sorry, a self-titled) 10th Anniversary tour as well.
Say Anything @ House of Blues (October 30th)
I was pleasantly surprised by Say Anything’s self-titled release, enough so to place it among my favorite albums of 2009. Although every song isn’t the cynical and satirical outcrying many have come to expect from Max Bemis, his recent marriage and new-found happiness in life had a positive impact on his song-writing. It’s a plus that on stage, he’s just as energetic as ever; barely able to contain his excitement as he bounds across the stage and occasionally into the crowd.
Good Old War @ Harper’s Ferry (November 3rd)
Any time a band member decides to leave the stage and enter the crowd it’s going to be a good how, and it’s even better when the entire band decides to do it. That’s what the guys in Good Old War did, claiming that they arrived late and didn’t want to bother setting up their equipment. I got to spend the entire set ruining their beautiful vocal harmonies with my terrible voice, and they closed the set with my personal favorite “Coney Island.”
fun. @ Middle East Downstairs (April 21st)
You can always count on Nate Ruess to put on an entertaining show and seeing fun. live is -to be outright cliche- downright fun. They played some format songs (Nate’s not one to forget where he comes from), but they mostly stuck to their own material from Aim and Ignite, which is fine by me.
Man Overboard :: 
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