Top 10 Most Memorable Concerts Of 2008: Toronto Edition

December 29th, 2008

10. Coldplay, Air Canada Centre, August 30. I love Coldplay. I can’t stop loving them no matter how un-hip it is. And almost as a big F you to Al Gore they dropped millions of paper butterflies on the entire ACC! (I kept one as a souvenir, obvi.)

9. Queens Of The Stone Age, El Mo, May 9. Josh Homme is hot. He’s a total dick, but he’s a hot dick.

8. George Michael, Air Canada Centre, July 17. George Michael has a freaky face now, but I was far enough away that it didn’t bother me. His voice still sounds AMAZING. Plus, he sang I’m Your Man AND Careless Whisper. I mean, come on.

7. NKOTB, Air Canada Centre, Sept 18. New Kids On The Block, Skydome, August 1990: that was the first concert I ever went to (I was 12. We won tickets from Tarzan Dan off the radio, 8th row on the floor!). This was JUST as good. And Jordan took his shirt off, just like he did 19 years ago…Sigh.

6. The Verve, Ricoh, May 1. I never got to see The Verve live when they were at their peak (1996, in my opinion). But this was enjoyable to me. Dickie Ashcroft is looking like less of a heroin addict, but still singing like one.

5. Radiohead, Molson Amphitheatre, August 15. No explanation necessary. Possibly their last show in Toronto ever? (And we got ourselves to the “after party” backstage and stood about 15 feet away from Thom Yorke as he chatted with Edward Norton – random? – but didn’t have the balls to actually go talk to him.)

4. Feist, Massey Hall, August 23. I don’t usually go for the singer/songwriter chicks, but Feist is an amazing performer and Massey Hall was the perfect venue for her. She even did her My Moon My Man dance. It was cute.

3. Kanye West, Molson Amphitheatre, May 21. One-man-show. I don’t think ANYONE else came on the stage for the full 90 minutes (or however long it was) and I didn’t even notice. He can captivate an audience like no one else…

2. Kings of Leon, Kool Haus, November 7. I am obsessed. These dudes make me want to wear cut-off jean shorts and be a redneck. I bet they get super drunk and get into lots of fights. And for some reason, I like the thought of that. His gravelly voice is mesmerizing and I like that you can’t make out what he’s saying half the time…because you don’t need to know what he’s saying…you just need to feel it. Sex. On. Fire.

1. Eddie Vedder, Massey Hall, August 13. I have loved (and I mean been-in-love-with) Eddie Vedder since I was 14. I listened to my cassette tape of Ten nonstop for about 16 months. He changed my life. This show was absolutely beautiful. I don’t know if I’ll ever feel the way I felt that night again. And I got to shake his hand and he said “Thanks for coming”. (Softest hands on a man I’ve EVER felt, btw.)

More Memorable Shows!

Gregg S.:
1. Eddie Vedder @ Massey Hall
2. The Verve @ Ricoh Coliseum
3. Neil Young @ ACC
4. Ray Lamontagne @ Danforth Music Hall
5. The Kooks @ Virgin Festival Toronto

Kyle:
1. The Killers @ Massey Hall
2. Radiohead @ Molson Amphiteathre
3. Yelle @ The Opera House

4. Spice Girls @ ACC

Wendy:
1. Jay-Z & Mary J Blige @ ACC (legendary and electric)
2. Spice Girls @ ACC (the energy in the air was incredible)
3. Alicia Keys @ ACC (she’s brilliant)
4. Common @ Kool Haus (one word out of his mouth and you’re transfixed)
5. N*E*R*D @ Pemberton (Pharrell made the crowd go bananas!)

Photo Courtesy of Getty Images

Posted on Monday, December 29th, 2008 at 5:20 pm by NS and is filed under Concerts & Events.