Shows I attended in 2016:
3/2: Migos/Skippa Da Flippa/Domingo Mango and Mango Foo, Middle East Downstairs, Cambridge, MA
3/30: Intronaut/Scale the Summit/North/Rozamov, Middle East Downstairs, Cambridge, MA
4/7: Waka Flocka Flame/Oxymoronz, Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA
4/16: Kvelertak/Torche/Wild Throne, Middle East Downstairs, Cambridge, MA
6/18: Bane/Saves the Day/Title Fight/Modern Life is War/The Promise/Right Brigade/Cruel Hand, Palladium, Worcester, MA
7/5: letlive./Seahaven/Silver Snakes/Night Verses, Brighton Music Hall, Allston, MA
7/22: Intronaut/Entheos/Moon Tooth, Palladium Upstairs, Worcester, MA
8/7: The Dillinger Escape Plan/Lunglust, Great Scott, Allston, MA
8/19: blink-182/A Day to Remember/All Time Low, Xfinity Center, Mansfield, MA
8/25: Black Sabbath/Rival Sons, Xfinity Center, Mansfield, MA
9/9: ScHoolboy Q/Joey Bada$$/A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Lowell Memorial Auditorium, Lowell, MA
9/18: Danny Brown/Maxo Kream/ZelooperZ, Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA
9/29: Chance the Rapper/Francis and the Lights, Blue Hills Bank Pavilion, Boston, MA
10/7: Dance Gavin Dance/The Contortionist/Hail the Sun/Good Tiger/The White Noise, Middle East Downstairs, Cambridge, MA
11/11: Young Thug/21 Savage/Divine Council, Lowell Memorial Auditorium, Lowell, MA
11/16: The Dillinger Escape Plan/O'Brother/Car Bomb/Cult Leader/Bentknee, Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA
11/30: Animals as Leaders/Intervals/Plini, Royale, Boston, MA
10.Entheos (7/22):
On a show headlined by prog/sludge juggernauts Intronaut, it was budding tech death superstars Entheos that managed to put on the evening's finest performance. The combination of Evan Brewer's prominent slap bass, drummer Navene Koperweis' piercing blast beats and frontwoman Chaney Crabb's distinctly spastic vocals made their set pure extreme metal nirvana.
9.Migos (3/2):
The act I was most nervous about going to see in 2016 ended up putting on one of the best performances I saw all year. Migos had the explosive stage presence, relentless energy level and over-the-top fun vibe that you always want yet rarely ever actually get out of a trap show. Major props to Quavo, Takeoff and Offset for showing up and blowing the doors off of every other trap heavy hitter (Young Thug, Travi$ Scott, Waka Flocka Flame, Juicy J) I've seen over the past 24 months.
8.Dance Gavin Dance (10/7):
I was excited to finally cross veteran post-hardcore act Dance Gavin Dance off my bucket list this year and holy shit, did they deliver. What they lacked in energy and flashy stage antics, they made up for with awe-inspiring instrumentation, note-perfect vocals from frontmen Jon Mess and Tilian Pearson and excellent setlist choices that spanned the duration of their decade-plus career.
7.blink-182 (8/19):
I can't stress enough how great it is to no longer exclusively associate blink-182's live show with rage, misery and sadness. The departure of "Toxic" Tom Delonge has allowed blink to return to being the pop punk powerhouse they were in their late 90's/early 2000's heyday, which in turn made this set A++ nostalgic fun for anyone that spent a sizable amount of their angst-ridden teenage years in their bedroom jamming Enema of the State and/or Take Off Your Pants and Jacket at an obscene volume.
6.Intronaut (3/30):
While the second time I saw Intronaut this year was a better show on the whole, they were definitely more striking the first time I saw them headline back in March. Hearing their brilliant 2015 album The Direction of Last Things played in its entirety was a beautiful experience that highlighted why their grimy yet jazzy brand of progressive metal has captivated me so much since I discovered them back in 2009.
5.Danny Brown (9/18):
Danny Brown's terrific 60-minute headlining set at the Paradise Rock Club in September proved once again why he's the most consistent live act in hip-hop. The ferocity, astonishing precision and infectious energy he brings every time he hits the stage never fails to render me speechless.
4.letlive. (7/5):
If I'm the Devil... might've been one of the most disappointing albums of 2016, but my first letlive. headlining show still managed to be dope as hell. Vocalist Jason Butler is the type of incendiary showman that commands 110% of your attention every minute he's on stage and the setlist featured a number of deep cuts from their 2011 masterpiece Fake History ("Homeless Jazz", "Enemigos/Enemies") that I never expected them to pull out on a headlining tour for their most melodic album to-date. As long as letlive. continues to put on insane, memorable shows, I'll go see them every time they come to Massachusetts.
3.Kvelertak (4/16):
Norway's finest Satanic party band delivered once again. Kvelertak's blend of hardcore energy, black metal fury and 80's arena rock cheesiness makes them the most unique, absurdly fun live act in metal today.
2.Black Sabbath (8/25):
Few experiences in my life have been more surreal than seeing Black Sabbath live. It sounds cliched as hell, but you truly do have to pinch yourself to confirm that you're not dreaming when you're in the presence of legends. The founding fathers of heavy metal sounded so pristine that it's hard to believe that they're a group of guys in their late 60's embarking on their farewell tour after a nearly 50-year career.
1. The Dillinger Escape Plan (8/7):
In most years, Black Sabbath would've easily taken home performance of the year. However, not even metal royalty can beat seeing The Dillinger Escape Plan in a hole-in-the wall venue. Dillinger's signature tornado of chaos swirled through the 200-capcity Great Scott in Allston, Massachusetts and basically left the entire building in ruins. The level of energy given off by the band and the audience was unreal, and reminded me of exactly why I fell in love with heavy metal as a teenager. No words can describe how happy I am that I got to see the greatest live band I've ever seen play in an intimate venue before their upcoming disbandment in 2017.
Honorable Mentions: Joey Bada$$ (9/9), Animals as Leaders (11/30), Intervals (11/30), Car Bomb (11/16), Night Verses (7/5)
BONUS SHIT:
Top 5 Shows:
5.Animals as Leaders/Intervals/Plini
4.Intronaut/Entheos/Moon Tooth
3.The Dillinger Escape Plan/O'Brother/Car Bomb/Cult Leader/Bentknee
2.Black Sabbath/Rival Sons
1.The Dillinger Escape Plan/Lunglust
5 Biggest Surprises:
5.The White Noise
4.Young Thug
3.Joey Bada$$
2.blink-182
1.Migos
5 Biggest Letdowns:
5.Torche
4.The Contortionist
3.21 Savage
2.Chance the Rapper
1.Waka Flocka Flame
Top 5 Acts I Hope to See in 2017:
5.Mac Miller
4.Gucci Mane
3.Rivers of Nihil
2.Frank Ocean
1.Metallica
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