Best Gigs Of 2008

Neil Young at Hammersmith Apollo (5, 6, 8, 9, 14 March)

Back in the UK for the first time since 2003, after Neil Young’s aneurysm I really thought I would never see him live again so I must admit I flipped out when he announced these fairly small (for him) shows at the legendary Hammersmith Apollo and I attended five out of the six shows he played there.
And I have to say, it was the best two weeks of my life. My favourite show of them all was the first night when I was second row centre, so close to Neil I could stand up and touch him (he sat very close to the edge of the stage during the acoustic segment  at the start of the shows) and he was often staring right at me while he was singing such spine-tingling songs as From Hank To Hendrix and Don’t Let It Bring You Down. It was so beautiful and overwhelming  I was actually moved to tears during a stunning Ambulance Blues. The second half where he returned for an incredible electric set was just as powerful and my one abiding memory of it is that he went way over curfew (and apparently was fined for it too),  playing almost to midnight in order to give us a mind- blowing rendition of Like A Hurricane, only the second outing of that classic song on that tour. How lucky we were to experience it. I saw him a couple of months after this at Hop Farm and it was also brilliant and exciting but those Hammersmith shows, and particularly that first night, will forever be etched into my mind as some of the best gigs I’ve ever been to.

The Who at Indigo2 (17 December)

I was beyond lucky to get last minute tickets for this rare fan club show and I can’t even tell you how unbelievable it was see one of my all-time favourite bands, one that rarely plays anything smaller than an arena, in such a tiny venue.  Every second was thrilling stuff, with Roger Daltrey sounding even more belting and wonderful close-up and Pete Townshend just a wonder to hear and watch. For me the best moment came at the end with an absolutely perfect Tommy medley which wasjust mind-blowingly incredible and the funniest moment was courtesy of Pete when he quipped "I heard someone shout 'Long Live Rock', and thought, yeah, right on, long live rock! And then I remembered I had written a god-awful song called Long Live Rock." Good old Pete.  He and Roger were on top form, performance-wise and banter-wise. I hope they play Indigo2 again, it was a such a treat. Plus, I have to applaud them for the measures they took to stop the touts getting all the tickets so fans didn't have to pay ridiculous amounts to see them in such a small venue (only the credit card holder could pick up the tickets and get in). That is amazingly cool too, for a band that big and so legendary to still care about their fans that way.

Leonard Cohen at the O2 Arena (17 July)

What an honour it was to finally see Leonard Cohen, a man I never thought I would ever be lucky enough to get to see live.  He was so full of warmth, grace and good humour and lived up to every notion I ever had of him and of course the music was absolute bliss even in the vast, soulless atmosphere of the O2 arena, some feat to make a place like that seem warm and intimate. What an age range there was at this concert too, proving that good music never goes out of style.

Fleet Foxes & Beach House at the ULU (11 June)

I told my friend about how exceptional this show was and convinced him to come see Fleet Foxes at the much bigger venue Shepherd’s Bush Empire and sadly so much of their charm was lost in that big old theatre.  After he looked at me like I must have been crazy to rave about them but this was a truly lovely show and I came out after feeling like I had received a big hug made up of good feelings and beautiful swirling harmonies.  This felt like a concert held in someone’s front room only by some wonderful, charming musicians who seemed as awed by the fact we had come to see them as we were by their 70s-style folk sounds. Plus there was fantastic support from the upcoming band Beach House, definitely one to look out for.

Cat Power at Hammersmith Apollo (8 June)

Chan Marshall has always been a strange artist live, going from complete mess to completely sublime.  As beautiful and cool as she is, she still often looks and feels like an awkward performer but in many ways this is a huge part of her charm. And this show, in support of her excellent covers album Jukebox, at least I felt she was actually hugely enjoying herself for once and even at the end she seemed like she didn’t want it to end, wandering out into the audience and even remaining on stage for ages after even when the rest of her band had disappeared. And the music, especially that raspy soulful voice of hers, was gorgeous and full of feeling of course. Plus the fact she sang a uniquely reworked cover of Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams only made me love her more.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band at Emirates Stadium (30 May)

I think it goes without saying that Bruce Springsteen is one of the best performers in the history of rock music. Even if you hate his anthemic rock I can’t even imagine the person who could go to one of his shows and not get swept up by the good atmosphere and Springsteen’s natural showmanship. Plus he’s got one of the best backing bands ever.  I was particularly thrilled to hear Glory Days but this whole show was pure entertainment from start to finish and even the vastness of the venue and the nightmare of getting out and to the tube station at the end didn’t diminish its power.


My Bloody Valentine at the Roundhouse (22 June)
I don’t think I’ve ever been given earplugs going into a show before but boy did I need them for this: one of My Bloody Valentine’s incredible reunion shows at the Roundhouse. I think this is without doubt the loudest gig I’ve ever been to. At the end I actually had to go outside during the wall of noise finale, it was so painfully loud. But the rest was a beautiful fuzzy blur of feedback and dreamy, swirling noise. Some of it made my body shake with the tremors, some of it moved me with its pure atmospheric beauty and then, at the end, I was shocked out of the venue by its power. Although the band didn’t move much on stage they were still strangely fascinating to watch and all these years on still looked pretty damn cool. Definitely an unforgettable and unique experience.