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My Top 10 Concerts of the Year (and more)

I created this blog about a year ago to post reviews of the shows I went to... and then I didn’t. So here’s a brief take on each full show I went to this year plus a video or two from my YouTube channel. Headliners are given the most precedent for the ranking, but I took the whole event into account.

Check out my full list of attended concerts here.

and my concert clip YouTube channel here.

1. Oct 12, 2019 Finale: The Farewell Tour   Peter Frampton / Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Evening / Julian Frampton Band Concord Pavilion Concord, CA

Peter Frampton’s “final” show (outside of a recently announced European tour) never felt like the end of the road for the guitar legend. The set drew largely from “Frampton Comes Alive” and nearly every song was extended with improvised guitar solos that took the 2019 live versions to the next level. The intensity ramped up towards the me of the main set, with an instrumental cover of Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun,” a nearly 20 minute version of “(I’ll Give You) Money” and massive singalongs on “Baby, I Love Your Way” and “Do You Feel Like I Do.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSJ3N-P_xWM

Peter Frampton’s son, Julian Frampton opened the show, while Jason Bonham kept the family affair going by paying faithful tribute to his father, John Bonham, with the Led Zeppelin Evening. 

2. Dec 05, 2019 Alice in Winterland 2019   Kesha / Avril Lavigne / Flora Cash The Masonic San Francisco, CA

Alice 97.3’s annual “Alice in Winterland” holiday radio festival was co-headlined by two of pop’s biggest stars of the 21st century so far. Following an opening set from Flora Cash, Avril Lavigne kicked off her set with recent single “Head Above Water” before running through a career spanning 8 song set (including an two costume changes and an encore break) with every song keeping very close to the original recording. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i41-CrbxUIA

By contrast, Kesha’s performance was incredibly loose and free-wheeling, with songs rarely sounding anything like the album versions. Early hits like “Your Love is My Drug” and “Take it Off” were sped up, punk rock style, with the latter getting rowdy enough that Kesha had to dodge dozens of clothing items that were... taken off. In between bras flying and confetti guns and streamer cannons, Kesha performed 9 songs total, including a fan request for newer album cut “Boots” before closing with her debut single “Tik Tok.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IRsSx5vey8

3. Jul 20, 2019 – Jul 21, 2019 Vans Warped 25 Years  

Travie McCoy / Skating Polly / Doll Skin / I the Mighty / Ariana and The Rose / The Aquadolls / ONE OK ROCK / Face To Face / The Vandals / We The Kings / Anti-Flag / Ozomatli / Chali 2na & Cut Chemist / Meg & Dia / Goldfinger / Less Than Jake / Simple Plan / Atreyu / Go Betty Go / Bad Cop / Bad Cop / The All-American Rejects / Tsunami Bomb / Teenage Bottlerocket / Sum 41 / Yungblud / Machine Gun Kelly / Andrew W.K. / The Used (and more) Shoreline Ampitheatre Mountain View, CA

After wrapping up the cross-country version of the Warped Tour last year, Kevin Lyman brought the 25th anniversary celebrations to just three U.S. cities, closing in Mountain View, CA. Compared to the touring editions, Warped 25 felt supersized. Bigger stages. Bigger bands. Longer sets. The return of the half pipe and Lucha Libre wrestling. Even a Warped Tour museum. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1_SO4lp4wo

Of course, the main draw of the Warped Tour has always been the music and with 70 artists over two days there were lots of options. Between the three stages you could see bands who played Warped’s earliest days like Face to Face and the Vandals, followed by first timers like Ariana and the Rose and Yungblud. The latter brought one of the few true surprises with Warped alum Machine Gun Kelly crowd surfing his way through “I Think I’m Okay” twice in a row. It’s easy to see Warped 25 being a blueprint for future “Warped Weekends” I’m select cities, if the tour really is officially over.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoaH2xiABTM

4. Apr 12, 2019 Fight the Good Fight Tour The Interrupters / Masked Intruder / The Bombpops   The Regency Ballroom San Francisco, CA

This sold out show was by far the biggest Bay Area headliner for The Interrupters, coming off the success of radio smash “She’s Kerosene” and one night before their debut at Coachella. From the first song, the crowd sang and danced along to every word, at times shaking the floor of the Regency Ballroom. The LA band even paid tribute to Bay Area music with teases of tracks by Metallica, Green Day, NOFX and Rancid before settling into a cover of Operation Ivy’s “Sound System.” The rest of the set was evenly split between the band’s three albums and the energy never let up throughout.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbA4THZIqK8

Prior to the headliner, punk band Masked Intruder played a nearly hour long set. As their name suggests, all four members of the band conceal their identities with ski masks and nearly every part of the show has a “criminal” theme. This shtick could have been very corny, but lead to fun surprises like the straight-faced, on stage police officer dancing in the crowd and (hopefully fake) beating up the band with a night stick. Crowd participation went to the next level when an audience member was brought up to sing “Heart Shaped Guitar” with the band.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1Vyy3y0n3E

Opening the night were the dual-lead vocal attack of The Bombpops, who brought loud and fast punk rock songs like “CA in July” and “Dear Beer.”

5. Jun 03, 2019 The People Tour MMXIX   Hillsong United / Amanda Lindsey Cook / Mack Brock Oracle Arena Oakland, CA

Hillsong United may be a “church” band but they were easily able to pass for an arena rock band at Oracle Arena. The Australian worship band came equipped with two stages, three smart phone shaped screens and all the laser lights you could possibly want. United’s set drew mostly on their 2019 album People, but thanks to a lyric ticker above the stage, the near capacity crowd song along to every song. When they did break out older songs like “The Stand” or “From the Inside Out”, it tended to be only the bridge and chorus of the song but repeated enough to last a few minutes each. All told, it was over two hours and 20+ songs of praise music from Hillsong United.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4EWL8Wr5Ig

If that wasn’t enough, the People Tour brought worship leaders from two other well known churches to join the party. Mack Brock from Charlotte, NC’s Elevation Worship opened the night with a short set on the b-stage in the middle of the arena. This performance would be later immortalized by a live EP featuring two songs from Brock’s solo work as well as the Elevation anthem “Do It Again.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-qEv7qeCos

Amanda Lindsay Cook from Redding, CA’s Bethel Church took the middle slot, utilizing the lights and screens of the main stage to bring her songs to the next level. She opened with a reworked take on her most famous song with Bethel, “You Make Me Brave” followed by about a half hour of slow burning tracks from her two solo albums. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FC9GQEHle14

6. Mar 26, 2019

Girl The World Tour Maren Morris / Cassadee Pope   The Masonic San Francisco, CA

Less than a month after her sophomore album Girl released, Maren Morris brought all but one of those songs to her set at the Masonic. In between, she revealed much of the inspiration behind the lyrics, especially those about husband Ryan Hurd, having spent their first wedding anniversary together in the city earlier in the week. Newer songs like “The Bones” and “RSVP” got big reactions but it was early songs like “My Church” and “Rich” that really had the crowd singing. Of course the biggest singalong was reserved for the final song of the night, pop-crossover smash “The Middle.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fpt8Bnep9tA

Before joining Maren Morris for a verse on “All My Favorite People,” The Voice winner and former Hey Monday lead singer Cassadee Pope opened the show with a handful of new songs along with her breakout singles “Wasting All These Tears” and “Think of You.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8Ue4n57jlQ

7. Nov 25, 2019 Ximena Sariñana / Mylko   The RitzSan Jose, CA

Just couple of weeks after performing at the Latin Grammy’s, where she was nominated for both Record and Album of the Year, Ximena Sariñana played her first Bay Area show since 2013’s Outside Lands festival. The night club atmosphere was obvious early and for awhile there was more chatter than singing from the audience. Ximena eventually got the crowd on her side with recent single “Si Tu Te Vas” followed some of the earliest songs from her career. The biggest highlights were songs Ximena originally did with other artists. The first was an acoustic version of “Aire Soy,” originally a duet with Miguel Bosé, here featuring the band Mylko who opened the show and acted as two-thirds of Ximena’s backing band. Later in the night, came “Mis Sentimientos,” a Los Angeles Azules song that here felt more reggae than cumbia with the stripped down production.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF-Iqe_WFW8

Before playing bass and drums in Ximena’s band, Mylko played a half hour of their own songs, blending electronic sounds and falsetto vocals. The duo played all of the synths and drum pads live which made the songs feel looser and more jammy than you might expect from the genre.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12HXYhClgLI

8. Aug 30, 2019 Nelly / TLC / Flo Rida / J-Kwon / Sage the Gemini / Gorilla Zoe / 99 Percent Shoreline Ampitheatre Mountain View. CA

The tour unofficially known as the “Whole Lotta Hits Tour” definitely lived up to that billing with some of the biggest hits of the last thirty years.Flo Rida was the first of the three headliners but could have easily closed the night. Not only did he bring the hits like “Low” and “My House” but Flo Rida also came with every gimmick in the book to make the show feel bigger. Sometimes it was stuff thrown into the crowd (t-shirts, roses, CASH!); other times, audience members were brought up on stage to sing or dance. Not once but twice, Flo Rida hopped on a security guard’s back to trek up the the lawn the greet the fans in the cheap seats. As if hits and antics weren’t enough, there were special guests galore. Bay Area rap group 99 Percent came out for their part on “Cake” while Gorilla Zoe surprised the crowd with his hit “Hood Figga” along with a couple of newer songs. The Bay Area flavor continued with Sage the Gemini and his post-hyphy song “Gas Pedal” along with two features with Flo Rida. In all, Flo Rida brought everything he could do please the audience and make his performance a hard act to follow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3IUkbwvFEc

R&B legends TLC had that honor, with a set that was very similar to their show at the San Mateo County Fair last year. Where this summer’s show differed was the pure size of the production. TLC utilized the large screen to provide a different moving backdrop for each song, making the show feel more like the arena shows of the group’s prime. “Red Light Special,” for example, use silhouettes to mimic the actions of the on stage dancers and seemingly increase the number of performers on stage. The end of show featured the late Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes’ famous music video moments as her verse from “Waterfalls” played and Shoreline was lit up by cell phone lights.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSLn2Yg70DQ

Ostensibly, Nelly was the biggest of this three headliner show, but his set had an uphill climb to match the two prior to him. Sure, he played all the songs you’d want to hear like “Ride Wit Me” and even his verse on Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise,” but just speeding them up slightly couldn’t mask the lack of production or interesting elements to the show. The screen mostly showed the original music videos for songs, and outside of dancers and a dj, there wasn’t much going on on stage. Nelly did have his own surprise guest, bringing out his nephew J-Kwon for 2004’s smash “Tipsy.” Any momentum that created disappeared with words that can be a kiss of death at any show. “I’m gonna do a few new songs now.” Three unreleased singles later, Nelly finally made it to “Hot in Herre,” “Dilemma” and “Just a Dream” but he never really had a chance at following the previous two acts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyurIDM11oM

9. Jun 22, 2019 Sanctuary Tour   Aly & AJ Alameda County Fairgrounds Pleasanton, CA

County fair shows usually feature either extreme nostalgia acts or young artists that still have a lot to prove. Aly & AJ feel like both and neither at the same time. On tour for their second EP since breaking a ten year hiatus, the sister act went back and forth between their old Disney Channel hits and the newer critically acclaimed mid-tempo pop. With a mixed, fair-going crowd, it made sense that early songs like “Potential Break Up Song” and “Like Whoa” connected more often than the recent ones but the band gave full effort to each track, whether it was a rock-edged guitar track or a more soulful synth pop ballad. Considering this was a more casual audience and venue than the shows on their club tour, (plus an interruption for an altercation between two fans and a security guard,) Aly & AJ still managed to impress. The full show with opening acts and a longer set would probably be a better atmosphere though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWxdBqJU6ns

10. May 15, 2019 Nice to Meet U Tour   Bea Miller Great American Music Hall San Francisco, CA

The same week she was announced as a performer at the Outside Lands festival, Bea Miller brought her first headlining tour to San Francisco for a sold out show. With no opening act, this show felt more like “An Evening With” Bea Miller, even if the evening was over in just over an hour. Bea spent the better part of the hour telling the stories of about her EPs turned into album Aurora. The highlight of this part of the set was an acoustic version of “Like That,” a song she says still makes her cry on stage sometimes. So, of course, a crew member was sure to hand her a tissue as soon as it was over, just to lighten the mood. That latter portion of the night featured less talking and more well known songs, like a remixed “Fire N Gold”, new single “it’s not u, it’s me’ and Bea’s biggest hit to date “I Wanna Know.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGG1e9vr_cE

Honorable Mentions

Jun 15, 2019 The Bash Music & Craft Beer Festival 2019   Rancid / Pennywise / Suicidal Tendencies / L7 / Sharp Shock Santa Clara County FairgroundsSan Jose, CA

Punk rock beer fests have emerged as a sort of “Warped Tour for older people” which might be sustainable in the post-Warped era. Rancid played an hour of mostly the old songs you would expect, preceded by veteran bands Pennywise and Suicidal Tendencies among others. My only two gripes: 1. the beer fest portion occured before the bands started playing 2. “Institutionalized” sounds less manic from a 57 year old Mike Muir than twenty something Mike Muir.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isftBRQL9Gk

Jan 04, 2019 AT&T Playoff Playlist Live! 2019   Alessia Cara / Alex Aiono / Brynn Elliott Discovery Meadow San Jose, CA

This was the first of a planned three nights of concerts celebrating the national college football championship and would’ve been the least attended if the third night weren’t rained out. Musically, the show was fine, featuring ten song sets from up-and-coming artists Brynn Elliott and Alex Aiono, with slightly more established Alessia Cara closing. However, the show never felt like it was about the music. In between each set was around an hour of brand ads and promo reads that, on a frigid night, felt like overkill considering only a 45 minute headlining set.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evwPJq2XsqU

Aug 02, 2019 Pop 2000 Tour O-Town / Aaron Carter / Ryan Cabrera / Tyler Hilton The Mountain Winery Saratoga, CA

For a tour based mostly in nostalgia, this show featured a lot of new songs. That was not always a bad thing, as Aaron Carter’s solo keyboard, laptop and vocal performance showed. It was telling when O-Town’s “biggest fan” was brought on stage to win a prize and couldn’t name a single song from their new album. With only a couple acoustic guitars (at one point, Ryan Cabrera even had to borrow Tyler Hilton’s,) a keyboard and two laptops between the artists, this felt more like a backyard barbecue with slightly more famous than usual entertainment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOfZqBzFi14

Top 3 Performers of the Year (no particular order) Flo Rida Kesha Peter Frampton

Top 3 Venues The Masonic Mountain Winery Shoreline Ampitheatre