Concerts I attended in 2015:
January 14th: Big K.R.I.T./Michael Christmas, The Sinclair, Cambridge, MA
January 25th: August Burns Red/Miss May I/Northlane/Fit for a King/Erra, House of Blues, Boston, MA
January 31st: Machine Head, Brighton Music Hall, Allston, MA
February 21st: The Contortionist/Revocation/Fallujah/Toothgrinder, Brighton Music Hall, Allston, MA
February 27th: Cannibal Corpse/Behemoth/Aeon, House of Blues, Boston, MA
March 14th: Dropkick Murphys/The Mahones/Blood or Whiskey, House of Blues, Boston, MA
April 5th: Revocation/Black Crown Initiate/Sexcrement/Coagula, The Middle East Upstairs, Cambridge, MA
April 10th: At the Gates/Converge/Pallbearer/Vallenfyre, Royale Boston, Boston, MA
April 27th: Action Bronson/Meyhem Lauren, House of Blues, Boston, MA
May 17th: Mastodon/Clutch/Graveyard, House of Blues, Boston, MA
June 9th: Lana Del Rey/Grimes, Xfinity Center, Mansfield, MA
June 10th: Juicy J, House of Blues, Boston, MA
June 18th: The Dillinger Escape Plan/Mutoid Man/Primitive Weapons, Royale Boston, Boston, MA
July 14th: Vans Warped Tour (Neck Deep/Miss May I/Riff Raff/August Burns Red/Four Year Strong/Beartooth/'68/While She Sleeps/Crossfaith/Hundredth/I Killed the Prom Queen), Xfinity Center, Mansfield, MA
August 4th: Slipknot/Lamb of God/Bullet for My Valentine, Xfinity Center, Mansfield, MA
August 7th: Incubus/Deftones/Death from Above 1979/The Bots, Xfinity Center, Mansfield, MA
September 18th: The Fall of Troy/And So I Watched You from Afar/Slothrust, Royale Boston, Boston, MA
September 19th: A$AP Rocky/Tyler, the Creator/Danny Brown/Vince Staples, Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, Lowell, MA
October 3rd: Revocation/Archspire/Black Fast/Coagula, Great Scott, Allston, MA
October 29th: Rae Sremmurd/Mike Stud/KaneHoller, Salem State University, Salem, MA
November 12th: The Weeknd/Banks/Travi$ Scott, DCU Center, Worcester, MA
November 15th: Parkway Drive/Miss May I/Thy Art is Murder, House of Blues, Boston, MA
November 28th: August Burns Red/Every Time I Die/Stick to Your Guns/Polyphia, The Palladium, Worcester, MA
10 Best Shows:
10.Incubus/Deftones/Death from Above 1979/The Bots
9.Action Bronson/Meyhem Lauren
8. The Weeknd/Banks/Travi$ Scott
7.Cannibal Corpse/Behemoth/Aeon
6.Slipknot/Lamb of God/Bullet for My Valentine
5.August Burns Red/Every Time I Die/Stick to Your Guns/Polyphia
4.The Dillinger Escape Plan/Mutoid Man/Primitive Weapons
3.Revocation/Black Crown Initiate/Sexcrement/Coagula
2.A$AP Rocky/Tyler, the Creator/Danny Brown/Vince Staples
1.The Contortionist/Revocation/Fallujah/Toothgrinder
10 Best Performances:
10.Archspire (10/3):
In a genre full of acts that can't match the inhuman speeds of their studio material in a live setting, Archspire is the gold standard. These beautiful Vancouver-bred cyborgs play their spastic brand of progressive/technical death metal with awe-inspiring precision and unrivaled intensity, making their live shows a slice of extreme metal bliss.
9.Action Bronson (4/27):
While his goofy, abstract persona may lead people to believe otherwise, Action Bronson is one of the most gifted rappers in the game right now and his damn near perfect performance at the House of Blues in April further confirmed that notion. With his relentless energy, joyous stage presence and flawless line delivery, Bronson has cemented himself as an elite live hip-hop act.
8.Behemoth (2/27):
There was a time not too long ago where I thought I'd never get the opportunity to see Behemoth perform again. Vocalist/guitarist Adam "Nergal" Darski's brush with death (he was diagnosed with stage 3 leukemia in August 2010 and received a life-saving bone marrow transplant in December 2010) has revitalized the band and made them even more of a sinister powerhouse than they were prior to his bout with cancer. Armed with a setlist driven by material from their spectacular 2014 comeback record The Satanist, Behemoth put on a gloomy, triumphant performance that served as a firm reminder to the audience as to why they are one of the greatest extreme metal acts of all-time.
7.The Weeknd (11/12):
The talent and appeal of the breakout pop star of 2015 becomes even more evident when you see him perform in person. The Weeknd's clever experimentation with the musical arrangements of his material paired with the sheer power of his vocals makes his live show a true wonder to behold.
6.Slipknot (8/4):
Slipknot has never been one of my favorite bands, but they are by far one of the most consistent and impressive live bands I've ever had the pleasure of seeing. Their live show is a raucous, circus-like spectacle that demands to be see by anyone who has even a passing interest in heavy music.
5.Incubus (8/7):
I went to this show exclusively to see Deftones and stuck around for Incubus just for nostalgia's stake. This proved to be a fantastic decision as Incubus put on one hell of a live show. Brandon Boyd's fantastic vocals made even the most forgettable songs in their catalog ("Love Hurts", "Here in My Room") breathtaking and the setlist had far more pre-Light Grenades material than I expected. Kudos to Incubus for putting on arguably the most surprisingly outstanding live performance I've ever witnessed.
4.Lana Del Rey (6/9):
Between her infamous Saturday Night Live meltdown in 2012 and the overwhelmingly negative reviews I had read from people that had seen her over the past few years, I was incredibly nervous to see Lana Del Rey live. Those fears vanished the minute her vocals came in on set opener "Cruel World". Del Rey's voice is distinctly beautiful live and her low-key stage presence made the 20,000 capacity venue she was performing in feel like an intimate setting.
3.Revocation (4/5):
I saw Revocation three times in 2015 and while they were excellent on all three occasions, this headlining show at the Middle East Upstairs on Easter Sunday was the clear standout. The combination of seeing them perform in a under 200 capacity venue and an absolutely sensational setlist featuring a handful of songs I'd never seen them perform before made Revocation's technically-dazzling, intense live show even more satisfying than usual.
2.Fallujah (2/21):
Fallujah has been one of my favorite bands for about three years now, but this marked the first time I saw them where their live show was in line with the quality of their albums. Their comfort level with performing has finally caught up with their immense talent and made their live show as epic, nuanced and crushingly beautiful as their masterful studio material.
1.The Dillinger Escape Plan (6/18):
I've seen hundreds of bands over the years and no one has even come close to matching the tornado of unadulterated chaos The Dillinger Escape Plan produces every time they take the stage. While The Dillinger Escape Plan never fails to create havoc when they take the stage, this show was particularly special because they dedicated an extensive part of the set to playing rare material from their 2004 breakout record Miss Machine. It was surreal to see them play so many songs that I never dreamed I'd see live in the same set and the presence of these rarities paired with Dillinger's trademark off-the-walls energy made this is the most memorable performance of 2015.
Honorable Mentions: Machine Head (1/31), Parkway Drive (11/15), August Burns Red (7/14), Lamb of God (8/4), Danny Brown (9/19), Converge (4/10), At the Gates (4/10), Every Time I Die (11/28), A$AP Rocky (9/19), Mutoid Man (6/18)
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