Rockness Recommends
Chicago's Best Shows of 2005
December 21, 2005
photo by Pitchfork Media
Well one thing is clear, 2005 will go down in history as the best year EVER, even if you didn't get out to many shows. Why? Because the Chicago White Sox finally healed the wounds the Fighting Illini inflicted on us last April. Second City, my ass! Chicago is a city for winners... just like the following shows. 5, 6, 7, 8, who do we appreciate? Paul Konerko and Lollapalooza!
Best Chicago Shows of 2005
1.) Lollapalooza (overall) -- Special mention was made of Pixies and The Black Keys
"Well organized, controlled, AWESOME music CONTINUOUS! The only downside - just Budweiser. "
2.) Les Savy Fav @ Intonation Fest
"Most outrageous and engaging performance I witnessed all year, with killer music to boot."
3.) Feist @ Schuba's
"She is much better than Broken Social Scene. Much better. And while her backing band was subpar, her voice never wavered, despite covering 3 octaves in a smoke-filled bar. I was majorly impressed."
4.) Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade, Bell Orchestre @ Riviera "Bell Orchestre would have been fun to see by themselves, and set a really great tone for the night. Wolf Parade was underwhelming, but that was due more to a bad sound system than a lack of effort. And then, as per usual, the Arcade Fire basically blew everyone away. An absolutely transcendent show."
5.) Metric @ Empty Bottle
"They played an early and late show. I was at the late show... and they were still awesome, even after playing a full set, not a half hour before. They played nearly their entire new album, plus some old stuff... sounded great, atmosphere was great, and Emily Haines rocked!"
6.) Slint @ Metro & Park West
"The noise freakout at the end. And everything preceding that."
7.) Intonation Fest (overall)
"Best festival line up anywhere: DFA 1979, BSS, Andrew Bird, The Go! Team, Deerhoof, Decemberists, Les Savy Fav, The Hold Steady, etc. The venue wasn't overcrowded, the lines weren't too long and everything wasn't ridiculously commercialized and overpriced (Lollapalooza)."
And after that, there was absolutely no consensus... there were too many great shows this year!
Favorite Place To See a Show
Your tallied votes resulted in a tie between Empty Bottle and Schuba's. We love both those venues, too! Runners up included Metro and The Vic.
Thanks to all for a great year!
Best Chicago Shows of 2005
1.) Lollapalooza (overall) -- Special mention was made of Pixies and The Black Keys
"Well organized, controlled, AWESOME music CONTINUOUS! The only downside - just Budweiser. "
2.) Les Savy Fav @ Intonation Fest
"Most outrageous and engaging performance I witnessed all year, with killer music to boot."
3.) Feist @ Schuba's
"She is much better than Broken Social Scene. Much better. And while her backing band was subpar, her voice never wavered, despite covering 3 octaves in a smoke-filled bar. I was majorly impressed."
4.) Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade, Bell Orchestre @ Riviera "Bell Orchestre would have been fun to see by themselves, and set a really great tone for the night. Wolf Parade was underwhelming, but that was due more to a bad sound system than a lack of effort. And then, as per usual, the Arcade Fire basically blew everyone away. An absolutely transcendent show."
5.) Metric @ Empty Bottle
"They played an early and late show. I was at the late show... and they were still awesome, even after playing a full set, not a half hour before. They played nearly their entire new album, plus some old stuff... sounded great, atmosphere was great, and Emily Haines rocked!"
6.) Slint @ Metro & Park West
"The noise freakout at the end. And everything preceding that."
7.) Intonation Fest (overall)
"Best festival line up anywhere: DFA 1979, BSS, Andrew Bird, The Go! Team, Deerhoof, Decemberists, Les Savy Fav, The Hold Steady, etc. The venue wasn't overcrowded, the lines weren't too long and everything wasn't ridiculously commercialized and overpriced (Lollapalooza)."
And after that, there was absolutely no consensus... there were too many great shows this year!
Favorite Place To See a Show
Your tallied votes resulted in a tie between Empty Bottle and Schuba's. We love both those venues, too! Runners up included Metro and The Vic.
Thanks to all for a great year!
