Wrapping up 2022 feels like a real return to not only great live music, but for me it was the start of many firsts. From seeing my daughter experiencing her first concerts – caught up in the thrill of live music – to having the chance to step foot in one of my favorite venues, The Recher Theater (now the Recher), where 20 years ago I had seen artists like Elliott Smith and Wilco.
So many great moments throughout this past year, but below are some of my favorites.
I’ve had the immense joy to watch the UK band, IDLES, go from playing smaller clubs to selling out The Anthem in just a handful of years. It’s an incredible sight to see how singer, Joe Talbot take control of a crowd, whether at Baltimore’s Metro Gallery or The Anthem, the way Joe commands that stage while Dev, Jon, Lee, and Bowen (and Tina, taking the place of Bowen at The Anthem) create that transcendent noise is something that has to be seen to be believed.
I had seen Lucy Dacus a number of times over the years. From the days playing DC9 before and just after the release of her first LP, to performing at Rams Head Live in Baltimore. The best performance, however, was seeing her after a number of canceled and postponed dates in the open courtyard outside of Rams Head to a completely sold out crowd. And the best part of it all was having the opportunity to watch the show, after photographing in the pit, with my daughter and singing along to so many songs, having memorized the words over repeated listens in the car, on the turntable, before she went to bed. An incredible memory we’ll both share forever.
Courtney Barnett at Rams Head Live!
One of the best songwriters who puts on one of the most electric (no pun intended, though perfectly apt) shows is Courtney Barnett. The Australian musician has consistently created some of the best records out there, and I had the immense pleasure to have seen her twice in the span of one year, but my favorite would be seeing her at Rams Head Live. Wrapping up the band’s tour in Baltimore in front of a crowd that stood transfixed was one of the best nights of the year.
Fontaines DC at Rams Head Live!
Another stellar show at Rams Head this year was one of my absolutely favorite bands, Fontaines DC. From the opener, Wunderhorse, with their beautifully manic performance to Grian and company hitting the stage to totally overtake the audience, playing better than ever and hitting all the right buttons.
Flogging Molly & The Interrupters at The Anthem
Sometimes it’s the surprise shows that are the most memorable, and in the case of Flogging Molly I became an instant fan after their fantastic show at The Anthem this year. Opening for them was another band, The Interrupters, that I hadn’t seen before, but their set was infectious, playing to the crowd and putting on one heck of a show in their own right along with jumps and confetti cannons, And then it was Flogging Molly with frontman, Dave King’s unending fount of energy propelling one of the most fun evenings I’ve had at the 6,000 capacity venue.
Jesse Malin and Club 603
Okay. So this is a two-fer. Club 603 – Baltimore’s best kept secret – as many who read These Subtle Sounds, is an institution at this point. Scott and Jean put together some of the best house shows, and 2022 was one of the best years. From the David Wax Museum; Emma Swift and Robyn Hitchcock performing Dylan; Jason Narducy / Split Single and that power pop perfected to Will Johnson’s sheer poetry and finally getting to see the Dream Syndicate’s Steve Wynn or bringing my daughter with me to see the great John Calvin Abney, it was an unbelievable year of great music and fellowship at Club 603. But there’s one night that stood out, and it was a special one, with Jesse Malin and his band putting on a roof-raising, window shaking performance as we all celebrated Jean’s birthday. From Jesse rocking out (literally) into the kitchen to bring out a bowl of chips to those stories that kept us in stitches, it was one of the best.
This was the one that kicked off the whole year for me. Low Cut Connie, whom I had seen at WTMD’s First Thursdays concert years before, proceeded to put on a genuine rock and roll show from the rump-shaking tunes to the theatrics that had everyone dancing and cheering, Adam Weiner and his band heated up a particularly chilly evening and kept the party going all night. This was also the first time I had been to The Recher (formerly the Recher Theater) since the early 2000’s and had me thinking back on those old days with thoughts of great shows there to come.
