10) Chiddy Bang @ The Blue Note - Funny story, I really didn't see much of this concert (for various reasons). We left early, but as for the part I did see/do remember: it was really fun. I hope to attend more rap concerts in the future.
9) Arctic Monkeys and Sleepy Sun @ The Pageant - This concert would've been disgustingly mediocre if it weren't for the opener. Sleepy Sun had the 60s running through their veins (literally, judging by the singer's dancing) and gave everyone an awesome "trip" to the past (get it?).
8) Vampire Weekend, Beach House, and The Very Best @ Chaifetz Arena - As mentioned in my last post, Vampire Weekend is very personal to me. The concert was decent—"Cousins" was outstanding and they covered a Springsteen song!—but the best part for me was just seeing my Afro-pop trailblazers in person. Beach House was chilltastic, much to the surprise of the audience (people gave me weird looks for knowing the words to "Zebra."). The Very Best sampled Yeasayer and M.I.A., which was sweet. And they had an African dude.
7) Blitzen Trapper @ Off Broadway - These guys were one of my early favorite "indie" bands, and their folk-rock translated perfectly to this intimate setting. Being in the front row helped.
6) The Hold Steady and Company of Thieves @ The Blue Note - The Hold Steady is kind of like the best bar band ever so seeing them live is quite the experience. Craig Finn might have been the most emotional performer I've ever seen—and quite hilariously so. Check out my full review here. Oh and Company of Thieves was great too. The lead singer chick kept making eye contact with me, which was weird at first, but ended up being probably the coolest way I've ever received music.
5) Phoenix and Toro y Moi @ The Pageant - Phoenix played all of 2009's Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, a smart move on their part. The crowd loved it so much, lead singer Thomas Mars was literally speechless after each round of applause (and no, it had nothing to do with the fact that he speaks broken English). Then for the encore of "1901," he brought out his extra-long, neon-orange, glow-in-the-dark microphone and walked out into the crowd. It was cool.
4) Passion Pit and Tokyo Police Club @ The Pageant - During Tokyo Police Club's opening set, the crowd started doing this cool lean-moshing thing that just kept building anticipation for what the headliner would be like. If you've ever heard Passion Pit, you can imagine how awesome their music must sound live. Well it sounded that awesome, except a little bit better. It was like a rad dance party where they actually play good music.
3) The Flaming Lips and Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti @ The Blue Note (outdoors) - The music was very good at this concert. The experience was fantastic. The Flaming Lips know how to put on an incredible show. I really don't think I can describe it here in a reasonable amount of words (maybe I can: "human hamster wheel") so check out my review here. Even Ariel Pink and the Haunted Graffiti put on a spectacle, what with Mr. Pink's cross-dressing and making out with front-rowers; not to mention the band's awesomely 80s, low-fi vibe that really set the perfect tone for a wild night.
2) of Montreal and Janelle Monae @ The Pageant - Okay I actually can't say anything about these last two right now. Just stay tuned for an in-depth look at why they topped the list. It will come, I promise. [EDIT: It did come]
1) LCD Soundsystem and Hot Chip @ Eagle's Ballroom - See above.
Five Concerts I Really Regret Not Attending
5) New Pornographers
4) Los Campesinos!
3) Girls
2) Yeasayer
1) Sleigh Bells
Honorable Mention: Kings of Leon. They got shat on by birds.
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