{"id":14479,"date":"2013-01-07T10:21:56","date_gmt":"2013-01-07T18:21:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/?p=14479"},"modified":"2013-01-09T20:11:55","modified_gmt":"2013-01-10T04:11:55","slug":"the-best-concerts-of-2012","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/2013-01\/the-best-concerts-of-2012\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Concerts of 2012"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>The Best Concerts of 2012<\/h2>\n<p>While many of our favorite bands did not release new albums in 2012, a number of them continued to tour behind their stalwart 2011 albums.\u00a0 Below were our favorite concerts of 2012, listed in order of preference.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1.\u00a0 Radiohead at Santa Barbara Bowl<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/ThomCloserWhiteStrat-560.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-14480\" alt=\"ThomCloserWhiteStrat-560\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/ThomCloserWhiteStrat-560.jpg\" width=\"560\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/ThomCloserWhiteStrat-560.jpg 560w, https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/ThomCloserWhiteStrat-560-140x150.jpg 140w, https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/ThomCloserWhiteStrat-560-373x400.jpg 373w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Radiohead<\/strong> is the best band currently on the planet (due respect to<strong> Arcade Fire, U2, Springsteen, Neil Young &amp; Crazy Horse, <\/strong> and others listed below), and nowhere is this more evident than on stage where their complex, nonpareil songs, arrangements and playing provide the perfect foil to <strong>Thom Yorke&#8217;s<\/strong> huge presence and visceral voice (not to mention the harmonies of <strong>Ed O&#8217;Brien<\/strong> and the boys). \u00a0 Their show at the <strong>Santa Barbara Bowl<\/strong> was the most sought after ticket in the entire history of the Bowl&#8217;s hallowed grounds.\u00a0 Fans flocked from around the globe (Hong Kong, Mexico City, Japan, etc.) to catch the band play in the smallest venue of their entire tour.\u00a0 And the band did not disappoint.\u00a0 Read our full review <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/2012-04\/review-photos-and-video-radiohead-at-the-santa-barbara-bowl\/\"><strong>HERE<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 While they won&#8217;t be coming back in 2013, we take heart that Yorke,\u00a0 Radiohead-producer<strong> Nigel Godrich, Flea <\/strong>and the rest will soon release a new <strong>Atoms For Peace<\/strong> album.\u00a0 And unless history does not repeat itself, <strong>AFP<\/strong> should find their way back to the Bowl in 2013.\u00a0 We can&#8217;t wait.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/2010-12\/the-year-in-music-the-year-in-song-part-iii\/\"><strong>It will be the show of the year<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 Again.\u00a0 Below is a clip from the Radiohead Bowl concert.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Radiohead ~ Idioteque\" width=\"635\" height=\"357\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7w9M1Pk3FUg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>2.\u00a0 Bon Iver at Santa Barbara Bowl<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bon-Iver-good-wide-650.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-14482\" alt=\"Bon-Iver-good-wide-650\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bon-Iver-good-wide-650.jpg\" width=\"650\" height=\"434\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bon-Iver-good-wide-650.jpg 650w, https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bon-Iver-good-wide-650-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bon-Iver-good-wide-650-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Running a close second for Concert of the Year was the big-banded <strong>Bon Iver.\u00a0<\/strong> For their 2012 tour, <strong>Justin Vernon, Sean Carey, Mike Noyce<\/strong> and brethren surrounded themselves with an enormous band of enormously talented players (<strong>Colin Stetson<\/strong>, <strong>Reggie Pace<\/strong>, etc.).\u00a0 By the time they got to the Bowl (ten full months after the release of their eponymous album and incessant touring) we were slightly concerned the band would merely go through the motions at the Bowl.\u00a0 We couldn&#8217;t have been more wrong.\u00a0 <strong>Vernon<\/strong> and band have made a meteoric leap from 2008&#8217;s cabin-in-the-woods motif (including a concert that year at the venerable, but tiny <strong>Muddy Waters<\/strong> in<strong> Santa Barbara<\/strong> that year).\u00a0 Vernon&#8217;s exceptionally well-crafted songs, coupled with impeccable and moving ensemble playing left the Bowl crowd in awe.\u00a0 Despite the length of their tour, if anything the band continued to gather strength and imbue the songs with newfound power, intricacies and heights (this was borne out when we watched, from afar, the final show of their tour in NYC&#8211;six months after the Bowl show&#8211;when the band seemed to have taken &#8220;it&#8221; up yet another notch).\u00a0 At tour&#8217;s end, Vernon was noncommital about the band&#8217;s future, implying a possible break-up.\u00a0 For the sake of music, we pray it ain&#8217;t so.\u00a0 You can read our review of the concert <a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=N1tTKOWgvlQ&amp;feature=player_embedded#!\"><strong>HERE<\/strong><\/a>, and watch a vignette below.<\/p>\n<p>http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=N1tTKOWgvlQ&#038;feature=player_embedded#!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>3.\u00a0 Sufjan Stevens at the Henry Fonda Theater<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_4345-600.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-14484\" alt=\"IMG_4345-600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_4345-600.jpg\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_4345-600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_4345-600-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_4345-600-400x400.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>We almost didn&#8217;t attend <strong>Sufjan Stevens&#8217; Christ-mess Sing-A-Along<\/strong> show in Hollywood at the Henry Fonda Theater.\u00a0 It was early in the Christmas season, and our hearts weren&#8217;t revved up for singing Christmas carols with a throng of LA-ers.\u00a0 If we had given in to first-urges, we would have missed the most entertaining concert of the year.\u00a0<strong> Sufjan Stevens, Rosie Thomas<\/strong> and capable, shambolic crew came out and completely captivated the rapt crowd.\u00a0 The show had something for everyone, ranging from comedy, to Christmas carols, to confetti cannons, to confessional paeans, to cataclysmic cacophonies.\u00a0 While we had caught the fantastic <strong>Age of Adz<\/strong> tour, the <strong>Christmess<\/strong> tour was a whole different animal, filled with humanity&#8217;s best attributes.\u00a0 There were the moving banjo\/guitar &#8220;real songs&#8221; of yore (<em><strong>Gacy, Widows, Vito<\/strong><\/em>, etc.), hilarious and reverent Christmas carols, and stunning new originals (<em><strong>Christmas Unicorn&#8217;s<\/strong><\/em> segue into the confetti-ed crowd-sing of <strong>Joy Division&#8217;s<\/strong> <em><strong>Love Will Tear Us<\/strong><\/em><strong> Apart<\/strong>\u00a0was one of the highlights of the entire concert year). In short, &#8217;twas heaven on earth. \u00a0 You can read our review <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/2012-12\/review-photos-and-video-sufjan-stevens-at-henry-fonda-theater-in-la\/\"><strong>HERE<\/strong><\/a> and watch a vignette below.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Sufjan Stevens &quot;Christmas Unicorn&quot; LA 12\/4\/12\" width=\"635\" height=\"357\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/u0wZzBY68YI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>4.\u00a0 Band of Horses at the Troubadour<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bandof3NotGreat-650.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-14486\" alt=\"Bandof3NotGreat-650\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bandof3NotGreat-650.jpg\" width=\"650\" height=\"487\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bandof3NotGreat-650.jpg 650w, https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bandof3NotGreat-650-150x112.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bandof3NotGreat-650-450x337.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>We had waited nearly a decade to catch indie-rockers<strong> Band of Horses<\/strong>, one of our favorites.\u00a0 So when we managed to corral tickets to the comparatively tiny <strong>Troubadour<\/strong> for a first viewing, we jumped at the chance.\u00a0 And we were not disappointed.\u00a0 Leader <strong>Ben Bridwell, Tyler Ramsey<\/strong> and the boys came out raging and didn&#8217;t let up for <strong>21 magnificent songs<\/strong>, including covers of two of our favorite artists of all-time&#8211;<strong>Gram Parsons<\/strong> (<em><strong>A Song For You<\/strong><\/em>) and <strong>Neil Young<\/strong> (the nonpareil <em><strong>Powderfinger<\/strong><\/em>).\u00a0 Along the way they played most of the band&#8217;s fans&#8217; favorites and played with powerful aplomb.\u00a0 Most surprising was Ben Bridwell&#8217;s supple but strong vocals, but also the band&#8217;s energetic drive.\u00a0 They played more songs at the Troubadour than at any other (save, maybe, one) venue on their entire tour.\u00a0 A phenomenal, intimate show that you can read more about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/2012-09\/review-photos-and-video-band-of-horses-special-show-at-the-troubadour-92712\/\"><strong>HERE<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 And for a sampling, check the vignette below.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Band of Horses - The Funeral\" width=\"635\" height=\"357\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8AO6fhcpqcw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>5.\u00a0 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/glen-hansard-3-400.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-14488\" alt=\"glen-hansard-3-400\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/glen-hansard-3-400.jpg\" width=\"400\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/glen-hansard-3-400.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/glen-hansard-3-400-100x150.jpg 100w, https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/glen-hansard-3-400-266x400.jpg 266w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>While 2012&#8217;s (free!) <strong>Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival<\/strong> could not possibly touch the hallowed heights of 2011 (with <strong>Elbow, Broken Social Scene, Gomez, Devotchka<\/strong>, etc.), there&#8217;s never a bad year for HSBF and such was the case yet again in 2012, which featured perfect weather throughout and a superb lineup.\u00a0 While many in the crowd were agog at the presence of <strong>Led Zeppelin&#8217;s Robert Plant<\/strong> and <strong>John Paul Jones<\/strong> (both of whom sat in on various sets), our highlights were varied and plentiful.\u00a0 On Friday, highlights were <strong>Chuck Prophet, Ben Kweller, Jenny (Lewis) <\/strong>and<strong> (Johnny <\/strong>and<strong>) the Watson Twins<\/strong>, and <strong>Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band<\/strong>.\u00a0 You can read our full review of Day 1 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/2012-10\/hardly-strictly-bluegrass-festival-day-i\/\"><strong>HERE<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 On <strong>Day 2<\/strong>, which you can read more about below in our unpublished post, highlights included a surprisingly-strong showing from much (by-the-young) loved<strong> The Head and the Heart<\/strong>, a resilient <strong>Dave (and Phil) Alvin<\/strong> and the ever-inspiring oldsters, <strong>The Flatlanders (Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Butch Hancock)<\/strong>.\u00a0 And on the last day, highlights included a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/2012-10\/glen-hansard-at-hardly-strictly-bluegrass-festival-the-great-one-two-finish\/\"><strong>Best-of-HSBF set from Glen Hansard (with large band)<\/strong><\/a>, <strong>Howe Gelb&#8217;s<\/strong> gigantic and varied <strong>Giant Giant Sand, <\/strong>and ace songwriter\/singer <strong>Nick Lowe<\/strong>.\u00a0 Don&#8217;t miss it next year.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Day 2:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>On the second day of the ever-invigorating <strong>Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival,<\/strong> the great weather and magnificent music continued unabated.\u00a0 We frankly had lower musical expectations for Saturday, but higher anxiety over the circus crowds.\u00a0 In the end our musical expectations were far exceeded (except by one artist who sorely let us down\u2013again), and though the crowds were daunting, they were not insurmountable (though we admit to having a rather high pain threshold on this front).<\/p>\n<p>First, we caught a portion of the set by tremulous troubadour, <strong>Joe Pug<\/strong>, who played affecting, personal songs.\u00a0 But we needed to get to the Rooster Stage so left and were treated upon arrival to the late, great <strong>Warren Hellman\u2019s<\/strong> grandchildren, assorted relatives and a band of supporters (including <strong>The Wronglers<\/strong> and <strong>Jimmie Dale Gilmore<\/strong>), all under the rubric of <strong>The Go To Hell Man Clan <\/strong>(get it?).\u00a0 Spread out across the entire Rooster stage, they were a sight to see and a heartwarming way to begin the day.<\/p>\n<p>Next up was one of the craftiest of song-crafters, <strong>Lloyd Cole<\/strong>, on acoustic guitar and accompanied only by his NYU-attending son, <strong>Will Cole<\/strong>.<strong>\u00a0 The Coles<\/strong> played a great set that featured many of Cole\u2019s Commotion-gems, such as <em><strong>Rattlesnakes<\/strong><\/em> (featured below) and <em><strong>Are You Ready to Be Heartbroken?<\/strong><\/em> along with older solo songs (<em><strong>Best New Friend<\/strong><\/em>) and other wistful songs.<\/p>\n<p>After Lloyd Cole\u2019s set, we ventured to the west end of the proceedings for <strong>Justin Towne Earle\u2019s<\/strong> fine set of folk-blues and poignant (and humorous) lyrics.\u00a0 Earle has quite a quiver of songs, and is an adept player and singer.\u00a0 A little blues-based for our tastes, but he wears it well.<\/p>\n<p>Next up was one of the finest roots-rock performances of HSB\u2013<strong>Dave Alvin &amp;\u00a0 the Guilty Ones<\/strong>.\u00a0 Alvin can write a song and play roots-rock guitar like no one extant, and he delivered the most incendiary solos of the entire Festival on Saturday.\u00a0 We were again impressed by his singing and storytelling, but his <strong>Telecaster-antics<\/strong> are not to be missed.\u00a0 Catch him when you can!\u00a0 To cap it off he brought out heart-attack-recovering brother,<strong> Phil Alvin<\/strong>, for a couple of blistering songs and a rousing version of Dave\u2019s chestnut,<em><strong> Marie Marie<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>After, we fought the Rooster crowd to get to the front for the much-buzzed <strong>Lumineers<\/strong>.\u00a0 By the time we got there, the crowd was in full-Lumineer-love mode.\u00a0 Time will tell about this band.\u00a0 While we get their crowd-pleasing ways, we will have to see whether <strong>or NOT <\/strong>they will\u00a0 be able to hang with their genre\u2019s progenitors such as <strong>Mumford &amp; Sons, Edward Sharpe &amp; The Magnetic Zeros<\/strong>, and <strong>The Head and the Heart<\/strong> (more about them below).<\/p>\n<p>Next up was the much-anticipated set by <strong>Patty Griffin<\/strong>.\u00a0 And this was the disappointment to which we referred above.\u00a0 While others were raving about the time-conflicting set of <strong>Jerry Jeff Walker<\/strong>, we were watching Griffin come out solo (a major disappointment given her usual musical friends) and immediately have sound problems (a recurring theme at the Rooster Stage in particular, but elsewhere too).\u00a0 We grant Griffin her songwriting and winning vocal ways, but she certainly didn\u2019t wow solo and concentrated on new songs early in her set.\u00a0 So we decided we\u2019d wasted enough time (after catching <strong>Robert Plant<\/strong> join her for a new song\u2013he added nothing of value to the mix from our perspective\u2013though his head is 2-1\/2 times the size of Patty\u2019s pinner-head).\u00a0 So we scrambled over to catch <strong>The Head and the Heart<\/strong> (a daunting prospect given the multitudes) and on our sojourn caught the<strong> Cowboy Junkies\u2019<\/strong> resounding covers of <em><strong>Sweet Jane<\/strong><\/em> and <strong>Neil Young\u2019s <em>Don\u2019t Let it Bring You Down<\/em><\/strong> by the surprisingly big and raucous sounding band.<\/p>\n<p>After navigating their adoring, young audience, we were pleasantly surprised by <strong>The Head and the Heart<\/strong>, who put on the set of the day, fully sating us and their fans.\u00a0 This band is the real deal, with incredible ensemble and solo vocal skills and fine instrumental playing throughout.\u00a0 It was a harmonic convergence of band, audience and setting that produced repeated chills during their set.\u00a0 Catch them when you can.<\/p>\n<p>Last up was the biggest surprise of the day, a completely heartwarming and winning set by the <strong>The Flatlanders<\/strong> (they are getting old enough to mistakenly be dubbed the <strong>The Flatliners<\/strong>, but let everyone know they had plenty of life left in them).\u00a0 <strong>Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore<\/strong> and<strong> Butch Hancock<\/strong> were backed by a crack-band of amazingly gifted players (especially the lead guitarist and accordianist) and gave the feelgood performance of the day.<\/p>\n<p><strong>6.\u00a0 Kathleen Edwards at the &#8220;Majestic&#8221; Ventura Theater<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_34261-587x60.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-14498\" alt=\"IMG_34261-587x60\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_34261-587x60.jpg\" width=\"587\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_34261-587x60.jpg 587w, https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_34261-587x60-146x150.jpg 146w, https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_34261-587x60-391x400.jpg 391w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 587px) 100vw, 587px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>We had never seen <strong>Kathleen Edwards<\/strong> live until her show in April in <strong>Ventura<\/strong>.\u00a0 Despite an embarrassingly small crowd, <strong>Edwards<\/strong> and her great band played as if the venue was filled with VIPs.\u00a0 We were treated to songs from her phenomenal 2012 album <strong>Voyageur<\/strong>, but also favorites from throughout her tremendous songwriting career.\u00a0 Edwards has a voice for the ages, and never fails to move with her words or her instruments.\u00a0 As far as we could tell, despite the crowd-size she played more songs in Ventura than any other show on her tour.\u00a0 With that kind of show-must-go-on attitude, she&#8217;s bound to continue to be successful live.\u00a0 You can read our full review <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/2012-04\/kathleen-edwards-at-the-ventura-theater\/\"><strong>HERE<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>7.\u00a0 My Morning Jacket\/Iron &amp; Wine<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/timthumb.php_.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-large wp-image-14490\" alt=\"timthumb.php\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/timthumb.php_-650x430.jpg\" width=\"635\" height=\"420\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/timthumb.php_-650x430.jpg 650w, https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/timthumb.php_-150x99.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/timthumb.php_-450x298.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/timthumb.php_.jpg 988w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 635px) 100vw, 635px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>We caught the second night of <strong>My Morning Jacket&#8217;s<\/strong> three-night, no-song-repeated stand at the <strong>Wiltern<\/strong> (with <strong>Sam Beam <\/strong>of<strong> Iron &amp; Wine<\/strong> opening solo acoustic), and it was fantastic.\u00a0 We later somewhat regretted our decision to attend this show instead of the highly-acclaimed <strong>Walkmen<\/strong> show at the <strong>Gibson Amphitheater\u00a0<\/strong>the same night, but such is life.\u00a0 And we wouldn&#8217;t have traded anything to see\u00a0<strong>Sam Beam<\/strong> saunter onto stage and absolutely disembowel us with his pantheonic song, <em><strong>The Trapeze Swinger<\/strong><\/em>. \u00a0 After, MMJ came out and assassinated the crowd for 2-1\/2 hours of phenomenal playing, and their ardent fans ate it up.\u00a0 The two artists would later cross paths twice on stage.\u00a0 The first was a joint cover of <strong>George Harrison\u2019s<\/strong> <em><strong>Isn\u2019t It a Pity<\/strong><\/em> (seen below) and then on a cover of <strong>The Clash\u2019s<\/strong> <em><strong>Rock the Casbah<\/strong><\/em> for which <strong>Sam Beam held the lyric cue cards<\/strong> for <strong>Jim James<\/strong>.\u00a0 MMJ also covered <strong>Erykah Badu\u2019s<\/strong> <em><strong>Tyrone.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><strong>\u00a0<\/strong> We wrote about the crossed-paths <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/2012-09\/watch-my-morning-jacket-and-iron-wine-cover-gearge-harrisons-isnt-it-a-pity-and-the-clashs-rock-the-casbah\/\"><strong>HERE<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 Together, the two artists provided a great night of resonant, full-throttle music.\u00a0 Check out a collaboration below.<\/p>\n<p>http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=1xD1l6U5N3Y&#038;feature=player_embedded#!<\/p>\n<p><strong>8.\u00a0 Wilco at Avila Beach<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_4049-650.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-14496\" alt=\"IMG_4049-650\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_4049-650.jpg\" width=\"650\" height=\"359\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_4049-650.jpg 650w, https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_4049-650-150x82.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_4049-650-450x248.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>We missed <strong>Wilco&#8217;s<\/strong> highly-acclaimed show at the Arlington in February so were pleasantly surprised when Wilco came back around to the Central Coast in the fall, playing at the <strong>Avila Beach Resort<\/strong>.\u00a0 On a beautiful day, surrounded by our family and friends, <strong>Jeff Tweedy<\/strong> and band came out and gave the audience everything it wanted and more.\u00a0 They played songs from throughout their discography, with our highlight being <em><strong>California Stars<\/strong><\/em> (can we just make this <strong>California&#8217;s Official Song<\/strong> already, and require it be sung in all elementary schools?) You can read our brief review <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/2012-10\/review-photos-and-video-of-wilco-at-avila-beach\/\"><strong>HERE<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Honorable Mentions<\/strong>:\u00a0 <strong>Twin Shadow\/Poolside<\/strong> at Soho; <strong>Electric Guest\/Hospitality<\/strong> (in front of a tiny crowd) at Velvet Jones.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Biggest Disappointments<\/strong>:\u00a0 <strong>Edward Sharpe<\/strong> &amp; the Magnetic Zeros (can we just have <strong>Jane &amp; the Magnetic Zeros <\/strong> next time and skip the <strong>Dirty-Shroud-Dude\u00a0<\/strong>and his shamanic ways?) at the Santa Barbara Bowl; <strong>M. &#8220;Photo-Phobe&#8221; Ward<\/strong> at Soho.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Best Concerts of 2012 While many of our favorite bands did not release new albums in 2012, a number of them continued to tour behind their stalwart 2011 albums.\u00a0 Below were our favorite concerts of 2012, listed in order of preference. 1.\u00a0 Radiohead at Santa Barbara Bowl Radiohead is the best band currently on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-music"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14479","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14479"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14479\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}