My top 5 live performances:
2. Portishead - 2008 @ Coachella
3. Ben Folds/Rufus Wainwright/Ben Lee - 2005 @ Some venue in SD
4. Radiohead - 2008 @ Hollywood Bowl
5. RJD2 - 2004 @ Troubadour
#3 and #4 were tough but the Ben Folds show won over Radiohead of 2008 simply because Ben Folds rocked the shit out of his piano and to this day the memory makes me sigh. Plus who can beat that lineup?! I was going to do top ten, but after #5 the rest are pretty much a toss-up. Also, I don't quite remember all the shows I've been to, especially the ones prior to 2004. Jon Brion's gig at Largo was definitely top-ten worthy. Might be a tie between him and RJD2 actually. I definitely encourage all to check his set out. He plays at Largo every Friday. Strangely enough none of the hip hop shows (Atmosphere, Eyedea, Typical Cats, Living Legends, Visionaries, etc.) stand out as being worthy of the top-ten. Electrelane in 2007 was definitely an awesome show, partially because it was their last tour EVAR -- now if only I remembered most of it and had not spent the latter half drunk/crying. Rilo Kiley in 2003/2004 (this is where my memory gets hazy) at the Glasshouse was memorable if not for the moment I started to black out and Jeff and I had to give up our spots up front to stand in the back right as Blake Sennett was getting a birthday stripper on stage as a gift from his bandmates. Ugh. Surprisingly, DJ Shadow in 2003 at the House of Blues in LA doesn't make my list either. It was a great show, but I'd expect more out of DJ Shadow. It's only worth mentioning just so I can say I saw him before he got all hyphy.
This was all thought up on my drive from my parents' house to my apartment last night, while listening to the In Rainbows album. Now might I mention that this album is one of few I can listen to from beginning to end without skipping a single track. I swear this record gets better each time I listen to it. On repeat. On loop. On shuffle. On forever.
