kylecrowe
2000’s: Music
I’m not going to write some cliche article looking back at the past decade listing my favorite albums or who I believe the most influential bands were (because we all know it’s The Strokes). Instead I’ll write about how I will remember the 2000’s, live music. I officially went to my first concert in 2003, so I’m leaving out 3 years of music in this decade, but I think I made up for it in the next 7 years, going to 83 concerts total. When I look back at music for this past decade 10 specific nights will stand out to me the most (In chronological order):
December 2003: Lucky Boys Confusion at the House of Blues
My first concert ever, I had no idea what to expect. LBC generates an interesting crowd with the perfect mix of stoners, frat guys, white trash and plain rock ‘n roll fans to make every concert fun. I’ve seen them 7 times total but nothing was as fun as my first concert ever.
October 2005: Fall Out Boy, The Starting Line, Motion City Soundtrack, Panic! At The Disco at the Aragon Ballroom
Going to concerts now I have to call the venue in advance so I can strategically plan when to arrive in order to prevent my ears from bleeding by hearing another Cobra Starship or Boys Like Girls. Looking back at old tours every bill seemed to have 3 or 4 great bands. This is the last tour I remember with 3 huge bands, plus one about-to-explode band (Panic).
August 2006: Red Hot Chili Peppers at Lollapalooza
It was my first music festival, but that’s not why I’ll remember this night. I fell in love with Chicago this night. Watching a great band with 100,000 other people with the most beautiful background behind the stage is the reason the first weekend of August is my favorite weekend of the year. I know regardless of who’s playing I’ll have a great time in a great city.
February 2007: Fall Out Boy at the Metro
My favorite concert ever. Fall Out Boy just released their third album and where perhaps the hottest band in America. To see them in such a small venue was awesome, and the band thanked every fan as they knew the venue was full of fans that had supported them for the past 5 years and the only reason they were there was because of those fans. Special night.
April 2007: The Academy Is at the Metro
I bought the tickets for $2 on eBay, had very little expectations, and was blown away. It was TAI’s record release show for their second album, but it was more like a farewell to their first album, as they basically played their entire first CD. Now I call their first CD, Almost Here, my favorite album of all time. Not many times do you get to see your favorite album of all time played live for $2.
July 2007: Powerspace at the Beat Kitchen
There was no special appearance by Pete Wentz or anything, in fact, the actual concert was just okay because Powerspace released their first album that day and I knew very few songs. Regardless, everyone was having a blast because as long as you’re at a great venue with your friends you will have a great time.
May 2008: Kanye West, Rihianna, N.E.R.D. Lupe Fiasco at the United Center
Usually I don’t like hip-hop concerts, but Kanye West may be the best entertainer ever. The three opening acts were fantastic, but Kanye blew everyone away. He may not be a great person, but he put more heart and energy into this show than I’ve ever seen anyone put into a concert before. The first row seats didn’t hurt either.
May 2009: Valencia at some place in a SW Chicago suburb
I always get upset when I look back to 2003-04 and think of how many times I passed up seeing Fall Out Boy in a similar venue as this one. I loved FOB then but just assumed I could go to their concerts later. Well I can still go to their concerts now, but it will be in the 3rd level of some arena. I didn’t want to make that mistake again. I’m not saying you will start seeing Valencia all over MTV anytime soon, but they may be done playing in random suburban venues. The actual concert was amazing as well, as Valencia played the longest set of their careers. After performing their encore song the crowd kept yelling for more and without the security of a city venue, Valencia just kept playing all night, basically performing every song they’ve ever recorded.
May 2009: Empires, Company of Thieves, American Taxi at the Bottom Lounge
Musically, perhaps the best concert I’ve been to. I went to see Empires and American Taxi, who were nothing short of fantastic, but Company of Thieves blew everyone away with their 30 minute set. Their album doesn’t do them justice, but I can confidently say they are the best live band I have ever seen.
July 2009: Brand New at the Subterranean
This show was special simply because of how exclusive it was. The Sub-t can’t fit much more than a few hundred people and I was lucky enough to get tickets. People had offers on StubHub offering hundreds of dollars per ticket. Then instead of promoting their new album, Brand New thanked all it’s fans by playing all their old fan favorite’s that are almost never seen live anymore.
December 2009: Motion City Soundtrack at Lincoln Hall
Similar to the last concert, this was super exclusive. Through my borderline-obsessive stalking of message boards, online forums and Craigs list I was able to get 4 tickets for me, my brothers and my cousin. MCS played their first CD in it’s entirety, which is all one of our favorite records ever. I can’t really describe the importance of this CD in my life, but after the show I was able to hug lead singer Justin Pierre, thank him, and simply tell him “I love your music. You make my life better.” - A simple way to not only sum up this night, but music in general for the past decade.
