What's the best show you've seen this summer?  That's a tough call ... I saw Interpol's soundcheck, but couldn't get in for the show due to a glitch at the door, but the best was probably the three-hour Black Rebel Motorcycle Club show in Toronto.  And I've heard that they've done even longer sets in some cities this summer.  I also saw good shows from some great bands in Detroit - Ether Aura, The Marta Complex, Crashing Cairo.

Didn't get out to nearly as many shows as I'd hoped for this summer.  5 if I can go back to May :(

The one I enjoyed the most was The Birthday Massacre (hard synthpop?) in early August.  I won't claim they were virtuosos, but their material was great.

The Nekromantics (psychobilly) were really strong too, and their frontman is a virtuoso on his stand up bass.  Awesome.

Hoping to get enough friends hooked on Ether Aura around here to justify a border raid into Michigan =)

Quigs

Oh yeah, gotta love Ether Aura.  Their drummer recently moved, so he had to leave the band, and I think Ether is going a bit more acoustic at the moment.

Hmmm... like folk music?  Sandalgaze? :)

Quigs

Mew. I have been a fan of theirs for quite some time and they decided to finally come over to the states earlier this year.  I saw them 4 times in the LA area and each show was different from the last.  I was absolutely lost in the set each time. At the first show I saw they opened for Bloc Party, who were good, but it really should have been the other way around.  They definitely play songs different live, flowing them organically into one another and changing them slightly.  I recommend listening to their studio recordings before seeing them live so you get an idea of how much more they're adding. And the videos that Jonas created are like a child's dream poured over a glowing melody like caramel (or hot fudge, whichever one you like). Last time I felt that way at a show I think was the Disintegration tour.

And I agree with Quigs, the TBM are really fun live too.

 

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People who get nostalgic about childhood were obviously never children. -Bill Watterson

OK.  Best concert that I saw this summer was Erasure.  Detroit Music Hall.  No warm-up (support) band.   Just Erasure.  And a kick-a** time it was and they played for the fans, not for money.  It just doesn't get any better....

 

-PeterG-

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If music were flowers you could walk in a field forever.

How long were they on for?  Sounds like a brief night out for a pop concert.

Quigs

2 1/2 hours of pure Erasure was worth everything that I paid for the concert tickets.  Great venue, great crowd, and the guys were really into providing a wonderful experience.  They really put a lot of energy into their shows and it's great to watch them perform. 

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If music were flowers you could walk in a field forever.

Went to the wireless festival the line up was not too bad

The White Stripes, Queens of the Stone Age, Air, Satellite Party, The Bees, The Thrills, The Sounds, Dredg, Polytechnic, Ghosts, Connan and the Mockasins, Kissaway Trail, Daft Punk, LCD Soundsystem, Klaxons, CSS, Plan B, New Young Pony Club, Calvin Harris, Simian Mobile Disco, Digitalism, Kaiser Chiefs, Editors, The Cribs, The Rakes, The Twang, The Little Ones, Kate Nash, Ripchord, The Duke Spirit, Polysics, Mumm-Ra, The Pigeon Detectives, You Say Party! We Say Die!, Los Campesinos!, and Under the Influence of Giants

but i wish i had seen erasure!

Lisa Gerrard in Chicago.