Top Concerts of 2012
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
September 7, 2012 @ Wrigley Field
By Dave Miller
My hearing survived 72 complete sets performed over 33 concert outings this past year. I saw so many great shows that it took some time to rank the best. The top three stand above the crowd. Each could have been listed as No. 1. Teri Gender Bender of Le Butcherettes gave one of the best individual performances I've witnessed. The rest of the shows in the Top 10 each featured something extra, though a case could be made for any of the honorable mention shows to be in there, too. I wish I could have fit ex-Sex Pistol Glen Matlock's spirited March 1 show at Reggie's Rock Club, M.O.T.O.'s April 24 dizzying set at Township that had the crowd singing "I Hate My Fucking Job" with Paul Caporino in working man solidarity or drunken rebelliousness (take your pick), and Tropixplosion!'s Aug. 12 concert in Oak Park which inspired a conga line to break out in Scoville Park into my top 20 shows for the year. Without further ado, here are my top concerts of 2012:
1. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, September 7 at Wrigley Field - With stupefying energy, "The Boss" holds up a mirror to the country while rocking for nearly three-and-a-half hours. Surprise guests Tom Morello and Eddie Vedder join the anger and, ultimately, fun. (The next night with Springsteen playing in a downpour for an hour was something, too.)
2. Iggy and The Stooges, September 16 at Riot Fest - Restless Pop and his menacing band leave the rest of the fest in the Humboldt Park dust with an incendiary performance, showing that punk is a state of mind.
3. Le Butcherettes, June 1 at Subterranean - Teri Gender Bender throws her mind and body into a mesmerizing display of self-expression in the moment. The breathless show challenges the standard expectation of a concert performer.
4. The Who, November 29 at Allstate Arena - Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey play Quadrophenia and their greatest hits with renewed passion and commitment in a performance worthy of the band's legacy.
5. Charles Bradley, December 30 at Lincoln Hall - The late bloomer turns a lifetime of blues into a triumphant soul revue, singing through tears and sweat before leaving the stage to hug audience members.
6. Roger Waters: The Wall, June 8 at Wrigley Field - The tour returns for a victory lap. The themes of personal isolation and government tyranny found in the awesome spectacle remain relevant.
7. Those Darlins, November 1 at Schubas - The Tennessee band's trajectory continues to rise like a rocket with a knockout combination of tight songwriting and wild performance.
8. Garland Jeffreys, July 20 at Square Roots Festival - The New Yorker pours himself into a seamless mixture of rock and roll, soul, and reggae with an old-school delivery filled with contagious joy.
9. Mavis Staples, June 10 at Chicago Blues Festival - The feisty singer gives a living history lesson of not only gospel, soul, and rhythm and blues, but the civil rights fight that continues today.
10. White Mystery, September 16 at Riot Fest - Miss Alex White is so eager to play that she launches into the blistering set early with her drumming brother, Francis Scott Key, oblivious to the stage manager's urging to wait. The brother and sister's cranked-up, garage rock draws a crowd to the stage like a magnet.
Honorable mention (in order): Sister Crayon, September 16 at Riot Fest; Dropkick Murphys, September 15 at Riot Fest; The Wanton Looks, August 11 at Northalsted Market Days; The Black Keys, March 19 at United Center; Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes, March 16 at Subterranean; Cathy Richardson Band, September 22 at Montrose Room; Bob Dylan, November 19 at United Center; Willie Nile, April 28 at FitzGerald's; The Handcuffs, April 7 at Kryptonite, Rockford; and Summer Girlfriends, August 15 at Double Door.
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