Posted on by Robert Loerzel

Favorite concerts of 2013

These are my favorite musical performances of the past year, out of the 104 concerts I attended. (I’m counting each day of a festival as one “concert,” with a total of 323 or so sets. Maybe 20 of those are fragments of sets that I caught while dashing around taking photos at festivals.)

Jeff Tweedy and Tommy Stinson, during the June 21 Wilco concert
Jeff Tweedy and Tommy Stinson, during the June 21 Wilco concert

1. Wilco’s all-request show (almost entirely consisting of covers), June 21 at Solid Sound Fest at Mass MOCA, North Adams, Mass.

2. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, April 1 at the Chicago Theatre

3. Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Dec. 13 at the Majestic Theatre, Madison, Wis.

4. The Replacements, Sept. 15 at Riot Fest in Humboldt Park

5. Bill Callahan, May 6 at the Garfield Park Conservatory

6. Fatoumata Diawara, July 13 at Square Roots Fest

7. Laura Marling, May 23 at the Athenaeum

8. Neutral Milk Hotel, Oct. 15 at the Canopy Club, Urbana

9. Superchunk, Sept. 7 at the Hideout Block Party

10. Jason Molina tribute concert, May 11 at the Bluebird Nightclub in Bloomington, Ind.

Honorable mentions:

The Handsome Family, July 22 at the Pritzker Pavilion
The Rolling Stones, May 28 at United Center
Will Johnson, Nov. 11 house concert in Humboldt Park
Girl Group Chicago, Sept. 7 at Hideout Block Party
Low, March 7 at Saki
Charles Bradley, Aug. 3 at Lollapalooza
Scott Lucas & the Married Men, March 9 at the Hideout
Nick Lowe, Oct. 2 at Evanston SPACE
Twin Peaks, March 9 at the Hideout
Shoes and Green, May 4 at FitzGerald’s
Lee Ranaldo Band, May 27 at the Pritzker Pavilion
Jason Isbell, June 8 at North Center Ribfest
The Bats, June 9 at Schubas
Robbie Fulks, Sept. 5 at Lauries Planet of Sound
Mavis Staples, Sept. 6 at Hideout Block Party
Pere Ubu, Sept. 21 at the Empty Bottle
My Bloody Valentine, Nov. 3 at the Aragon
Bill Callahan, Oct. 14 at Alhambra Palace
Savages, July 20 at the Pitchfork Music Festival
Björk, July 19 at the Pitchfork Music Festival
Mavis Staples, Sept. 6 at the Hideout Block Party
Belle & Sebastian, July 20 at the Pitchfork Music Festival
Treasure Fleet, July 28 at Wicker Park Fest
Jack DeJohnette, Aug. 29 at the Pritzker Pavilion (Chicago Jazz Festival)
Billy Bragg, Sept. 27 at Evanston SPACE
Diarrhea Planet, Nov. 16 at the Beat Kitchen
The National, Aug. 3 at Lollapalooza
Laura Veirs, Sept. 25 at Schubas