Musings of a Dead Parrot

This was a record year for concerts for me. Even if I only count the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival as one show (though I saw seven performers), I attended 24 shows in 2009. Given the AARP eligibles on the list, you could call it the Old Folks Tour. However Chrissie Hynde, Willie Nile, Dave Alvin, John Doe, Alejandro Escovedo, The Edge and Bruce Springsteen can still tear it up. Rock and roll will never die.

1. Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue; the Dirty Dozen Brass Band at the Mint
   
2. The Pretenders
3. Billy Joel and Elton John
4. Bruce Springsteen
5. John Doe and Exene Cervenka at the Getty
6. The Decemberists at the Hollywood Palladium
7. Justin Townes Earle
8. Wilco
9. Adele and Chaka Khan at the Hollywood Bowl (Etta James cancelled)
10. Alejandro Escovedo
11. Paul Thorn Band; Dave Alvin and the Guilty Women at the SM Pier
12. Michael Rose; Toots and the Maytals at the Hollywood Bowl (Gregory Isaacs cancelled)
13. Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue back at the Mint
    
14. Patti Smith (with special guest band member Flea) at the SM Pier
15. Willie Nile
16. Tom Morello (the Night Watchman); John Prine; Lyle Lovett and His Large Band; Moonalice; Booker T and Drive By Truckers; Rodney Crowell, Aimee Mann
17. Bob Dylan with George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers opening
    
18. The Decemberists at Royce Hall
19. Bela Fleck, Zakir Hussein, Edgar Meyer
20. U2
21. Amy Farris Memorial Show at McCabes (Dave Alvin, Peter Case, Stan Ridgway; I See Hawks In LA)
22. Peter Case
23. Dave Alvin and Brian Wilson at Disney Hall
24. John Doe

Favorite new releases

1. Wilco (The Album)
2. Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears - Tell Me What Your Name Is
3. Willie Nile - House Of A Thousand Guitars
   
4. Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown
5. The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
6. Dave Alvin and the Guilty Women
7. Gene Taylor Blues Band -Live!!! 605 Boogie!!!

Favorite catalog CDs that I got this year

1. The Hacienda Brothers - Music For Ranch and Town (rest in peace, Chris Gaffney)
2. Green Day - American Idiot
3. The Dead Trees - King of Rosa (the Wilco sound hooked me, but these guys are more eclectic)

Favorite singles not on one of my CDs

1. The Avett Brothers - I And Love And You (over a piano solo, "Oh Brooklyn, Brooklyn, take me in. Are you aware the shape I'm in?" I had to stop what I was doing to listen to this song the first time I heard it.)
   

Favorite moments at a show

1. Shara Worden's first few bars of The Wanting Comes In Waves/Repaid. Oh. My. God. Her singing on the CD was an inadequate representation of a live performance. She was electric.
   
2. Chatting with Lucinda Williams on the way out of the Justin Townes Earle show.