For passionate music fans, the live concert experience is as integral to your overall fandom as dropping the needle on your favorite record, or hearing it blare through your headphones or car speakers. Taking in a live performance of your favorite music is the ultimate fulfillment of this hobby and passion that so deeply soundtracks your life. And, perhaps most rewarding, it provides a direct connection between you and the artist of your choice, as well as with your fellow music lovers.
This is one of the multitude of reasons that the COVID-19 pandemic was so challenging, with its year-plus silencing of our musical stages, and therefore robbing us of the joy that live music brings us. Sadly, my 2024 live music experience, or lack thereof, proved to resemble that of 2020. So, if you were losing sleep at night over the lack of live concert reviews on the site this year (and I know you were), this was not the result of laziness or lack of time available to write about the shows that I saw. It was because I literally was not able to experience any live shows this year, but it wasn’t for lack of trying, but rather just a run of bad luck and timing.
My live music calendar for 2024 actually looked fairly promising, though admittedly not quite on par with 2023. I snagged tickets for The Black Keys’ promised arena tour early on, however apparently I was too much in the minority there, what with the messy tour cancellation that soon followed. Strike One. Come July, I headed to Alpine Valley with my husband, cousin and his family to see Noah Kahan headline. We staked out our prime seats on the legendary Alpine hill, and even made it through the concession stands when literally right before start-time, the capacity crowd was summoned to shelter from an incoming storm. After a long and painful wait, the storm finally came to fruition, but the concert never did. Strike Two. Finally, we were primed to be treated to a local show from The Mavericks, who I found out the day of had to cancel due to ongoing cancer treatment for lead vocalist, Raul Malo. (Obviously understandable; best wishes for recovery to the great Malo.) Strike Three. The concert interference Gods were officially undefeated in our showdown.
Thankfully, I had a solid final quarter of live album releases to seek solace in as 2024 wrapped up, including great baseball stadium sets from Kahan himself, and The Lumineers, as well the stunning Royal Albert Hall showcase from Dua Lipa, which proved to be a tremendous surprise during the typically slight December release schedule.
But, as Marvin and Tammi once soulfully opined, there ain’t nothing like the real thing, baby. Positively, my 2025 calendar is looking promising in terms of some much needed course-correction. Tickets already in my possession include shows for the likes of Kelsea Ballerini, Dwight Yoakam with The Mavericks(!), Emmylou Harris, The Killers, Dua Lipa herself, and hopefully more. Hoping to get dates aligned for Sierra Ferrell and Carly Pearce, also. If my concert fortunes turn around this year and these ventures go as planned, it should be a more than satisfying journey through live music.
In the meantime, please allow me the luxury of living vicariously through all of you. What were your favorite 2024 live music experiences? And who is on your docket for 2025?
Happy New Year!
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