Meredith Monk (Feb. 1, Whitney Museum of Art)
Damn, I mean, there were people lined up all the way down the stairs. I didn't stand a chance. I turned around and left.
OffOnOff (May 9, The Studio at Webster Hall)
They've been doing some cool shows in the oddly nice basement room at Webster Hall. And it seems like they're trying to keep it secret. I saw a Tony Conrad / Haino Keiji duo there that was pretty great. But I totally didn't even hear about this one.
Wolfgang Voigt and Contract Ensemble Perform Brian Eno's Discreet Music (May 29, Miller Theatre)
Bang on a Can's Music for Airports at the 2006 BOAC marathon was brilliant, so I was keen to hear the Toronto Contact Ensemble play a chamber arrangement of Eno’s Discreet Music. But then I ended up going back to my hometown for the week. Ah well.
Paul McCartney (July 15, Ed Sullivan Theater marquee)
Look, we're running seriously low on Beatles, and I've never seen one. Not on stage, not on the street, nothing. I saw Yoko in Central Park once, that was pretty cool. And I saw her in concert with Sean at Tonic and Tramps. But they aren't Beatles. And I wasn't even doing anything the day that Paul played in Times Square for the David Letterman show. Like nothing. I don't think I did anything that day. At all. And then that night I turned on the Late Show, which I never watch, and there he was, I coulda gone. I coulda seen a Beatle. I blew it.
Purple Rain Sing-a-Long (Aug. 6, Prospect Park Bandshell)
I really wanted to go. I had a good reason. A really good reason. And it wasn't really a concert anyway. But I would have been so there. Anyone got mp3s? For seriously.
Fiery Furnaces (Aug. 9, East River State Park)
The theme of the summer, at least for me, was "it looks like it's going to rain." Which means I'm old. It didn't rain.
Generate Records Festival (Aug. 29, Roosevelt Island)
Roosevelt Island? Come on! I love going to shows in odd places. So what happened. Oh, looks like it's gonna rain. I suck.
Boredoms (Sept. 9, Terminal 5)
OK, I was out of town, so I have an excuse. Plus I did see the 77 Boredrum and the 88 Boredrum. Did they have 99 drummers this year? I don't even know.
KISS (Oct. 10, Madison Square Garden)
I saw them once. Which is to say I've only seen them once. The first favorite band I ever had. I saw them on their last tour with make-up, before all the other tours with make-up. The Plasmatics opened. It kinda sucked, although Paul was a superstar. I think about going every time I come around, but the truth is I have trouble going to shows that I need to get advance tickets for. Fear of commitment. And while of course I wish I did, what I really want is the KISS M&Ms. I'll send a WFMU t-shirt to anyone who sends me a box of them. Like, a case.
Henry Threadgill (Oct. 25, Roulette)
Wishful thinking, maybe? Get out of the last night of the WFMU record fair and get down to Roulette in time for an 8:30 show to see one of my seriously all time faves? Shoulda been doable, except that the show was at 8 and I couldn't even get in the door it was so packed. And his new album is one of the best albums of the year. Dammit.
Damn, I mean, there were people lined up all the way down the stairs. I didn't stand a chance. I turned around and left.
OffOnOff (May 9, The Studio at Webster Hall)
They've been doing some cool shows in the oddly nice basement room at Webster Hall. And it seems like they're trying to keep it secret. I saw a Tony Conrad / Haino Keiji duo there that was pretty great. But I totally didn't even hear about this one.
Wolfgang Voigt and Contract Ensemble Perform Brian Eno's Discreet Music (May 29, Miller Theatre)
Bang on a Can's Music for Airports at the 2006 BOAC marathon was brilliant, so I was keen to hear the Toronto Contact Ensemble play a chamber arrangement of Eno’s Discreet Music. But then I ended up going back to my hometown for the week. Ah well.
Paul McCartney (July 15, Ed Sullivan Theater marquee)
Look, we're running seriously low on Beatles, and I've never seen one. Not on stage, not on the street, nothing. I saw Yoko in Central Park once, that was pretty cool. And I saw her in concert with Sean at Tonic and Tramps. But they aren't Beatles. And I wasn't even doing anything the day that Paul played in Times Square for the David Letterman show. Like nothing. I don't think I did anything that day. At all. And then that night I turned on the Late Show, which I never watch, and there he was, I coulda gone. I coulda seen a Beatle. I blew it.
Purple Rain Sing-a-Long (Aug. 6, Prospect Park Bandshell)
I really wanted to go. I had a good reason. A really good reason. And it wasn't really a concert anyway. But I would have been so there. Anyone got mp3s? For seriously.
Fiery Furnaces (Aug. 9, East River State Park)
The theme of the summer, at least for me, was "it looks like it's going to rain." Which means I'm old. It didn't rain.
Generate Records Festival (Aug. 29, Roosevelt Island)
Roosevelt Island? Come on! I love going to shows in odd places. So what happened. Oh, looks like it's gonna rain. I suck.
Boredoms (Sept. 9, Terminal 5)
OK, I was out of town, so I have an excuse. Plus I did see the 77 Boredrum and the 88 Boredrum. Did they have 99 drummers this year? I don't even know.
KISS (Oct. 10, Madison Square Garden)
I saw them once. Which is to say I've only seen them once. The first favorite band I ever had. I saw them on their last tour with make-up, before all the other tours with make-up. The Plasmatics opened. It kinda sucked, although Paul was a superstar. I think about going every time I come around, but the truth is I have trouble going to shows that I need to get advance tickets for. Fear of commitment. And while of course I wish I did, what I really want is the KISS M&Ms. I'll send a WFMU t-shirt to anyone who sends me a box of them. Like, a case.
Henry Threadgill (Oct. 25, Roulette)
Wishful thinking, maybe? Get out of the last night of the WFMU record fair and get down to Roulette in time for an 8:30 show to see one of my seriously all time faves? Shoulda been doable, except that the show was at 8 and I couldn't even get in the door it was so packed. And his new album is one of the best albums of the year. Dammit.
What an amazing coincidence! I missed all those shows, too.
Posted by: Ralphine | January 07, 2010 at 10:34 AM
This sounds like the story of my life, except about different shows.
Condolences.
Posted by: Listener #109577 | January 07, 2010 at 06:00 PM
When I saw the title of this post in my RSS feeder I instantly wept for when I missed Fiery Furances in Chicago just before NYE. The reason? Pure laziness. Seeing that you missed them as well made me feel a little better.
Posted by: Mark | January 08, 2010 at 04:21 PM
Kurt, I saw OffonOff in Toronto (same little tour) and it was pretty awe-inspiring ... tied with the Ex and Getachew for favorite of '09 (although the sonic assault of OffonOff outdid the Ex by several orders of magnitude). The threat of being hit by Terrie's guitar as he slammed around the tiny space also added some extra excitement.
Posted by: Doug of Canada | January 12, 2010 at 04:51 PM
I heard a Beatles song playing thru my hotel window (on 7th and 51st) and thought to myself "who else besides a Beatle would have the balls to play a Beatles song that loud in downtown Manhattan?"
It turned out I, and about a bazillion other people, was right. I had chills all the way through the set, and Paul wasn't even my favorite Beatle by a long shot. I didn't even know I wanted to see it...
But it was great.
Yeah, I'm bragging a little.
Posted by: mark from helsinki | January 13, 2010 at 06:49 AM