When the members of UCR’s staff are not writing up articles, there’s a high probability you can run into one of them at a live concert.
The cool thing about our team — sorry, one of the cool things about our team, there are many — is that we each have access to different musical markets. Collectively, we’ve seen concerts in all sorts of places, spread across the country from New York City to Los Angeles.
Over the course of 2024, we’ve seen some damn good shows, and we hope you have too. Below, five of UCR’s own describe the best shows they saw all year.
Matthew Wilkening: Of course it’s tough to just pick one rock concert from 2024. The Black Crowes were fantastic, continuing one of the best comebacks in recent rock history with a powerful headlining set at the venue I will always refer to as the Rocksino. High on Fire with the new addition of Melvins / Big Business drummer Coady Willis was almost unfairly great, and Sammy Hagar upped his game to levels I wasn’t sure he could reach anymore on the Best of All Worlds tour. But the show that left the biggest impression this year was Clutch’s headlining show at the Nautica Pavilion. Their albums can run hot and cold — 2018’s Book of Bad Decisions was a somewhat muddled misfire, while 2022’s Sunrise on Slaughter Beach was much sharper — but they always deliver live and they were in particularly fine form on a lovely summer night. Three-quarters of the band never moves and doesn’t sing, but it didn’t matter in the least as singer Neil Fallon kept the crowd in the palm of his hand the entire night. As an audience member all you really needed to do was try and keep up with the four of them as they delivered a powerful, full-album reading of 2004’s high mark Blast Tyrant before closing out the night with a random assortment of favorites. It was “wait, how far away is the next show?” good.
Corey Irwin: Without question, seeing the Eagles open their residency at the Sphere was hands-down my favorite concert of the year. Now, I’m not going to go full Drew Carey over the Sphere experience, but the technological wizardry exceeded my expectations (which were admittedly high). The venue was unlike anything I’ve ever seen, yet what made it such a special night was the fact that the Sphere’s visuals didn’t detract from the performance onstage. The Eagles remain an incredibly impressive live act, and I was blown away by how great they continue to sound more than 50 years into their career.
Honorable mention goes to the Foo Fighters, who I was able to see during their Northern California stop late in the summer. Dave Grohl and company continue to deliver electrifying performances – and I was an especially proud dad as I watched my four-year-old son experience his first rock concert.
Watch the Eagles Perform ‘Hotel California’ at the Sphere
Allison Rapp: I got a lot of raised eyebrows and incredulous looks when I told people I traveled all the way from New York City to Los Angeles — literally sea to shining sea — to see the Wallflowers perform both the entirety of their 1996 album Bringing Down the Horse and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ 1982 LP Long After Dark. I had no regrets then and none now given it was one of the most fun shows I’ve ever attended as both a diehard Petty and Wallflowers fan. Jakob Dylan is in fine form these days, having grown into his husky voice and it was fascinating to hear the through lines from Petty’s music to his own in real time — a true disciple of rock ‘n’ roll. And frankly, if anyone was going to cover an entire Petty album in one night it should be him — Dylan went on the road with his dad and Petty in the mid ’80s, genuinely living the teenage rock ‘n’ roll dream. Plus, I got to go to the beach in October.
I must note a couple of honorable mentions: Neil Young at the Capitol Theatre (easily one of the loudest concerts I’ve ever heard, and Young’s voice is surprisingly still in good shape), and the Buffalo, New York stop of Willie Nelson‘s Outlaw Festival Tour, in which I was lucky enough to watch Bob Dylan smack a tiny wrench against his microphone for a portion of “Desolation Row.” A Nobel Prize winner at work.
Watch Bob Dylan Wield a Tiny Wrench During ‘Desolation Row’
Bryan Rolli: I wasn’t sure what to expect ahead of the Rolling Stones‘ Hackney Diamonds tour kickoff in April. I’d heard nearly as many stories of them being a trainwreck in their later years as a revelation. But their performance at Houston’s NRG Stadium was unquestionably the latter. How Mick Jagger can shake his toned ass across a stage for two hours without appearing to break a sweat is one of humankind’s great mysteries and marvels. Keith Richards and Ron Wood bounced riffs and solos off each other with their signature loose-limbed swagger, while drummer Steve Jordan and bassist Darryl Jones kept the train on the tracks with their sturdy groove. I’ve seen some fans complain about the set list, but as a first-timer, I felt it was as good an introduction to the Stones’ live show as I could’ve hoped for. I only wish they had played for twice as long.
My honorable mention goes to Green Day, a band I’ve seen live several times over the years and who have yet to disappoint me. They reached a new bar this summer with their Saviors tour, playing their career-defining albums Dookie and American Idiot in full. Billie Joe Armstrong remains one of rock’s most tireless frontmen, while Tre Cool and Mike Dirnt make one of rock’s tightest rhythm sections. They raced through 37 songs in two hours and 15 minutes, running the gamut from nervy pop-punk to epic, operatic arena rock. They might be cut from a different cloth, but the Saviors tour proved they can go toe to toe with any classic rock heavyweight.
Matt Wardlaw: I should first note that I did not raise an eyebrow or give Allison an incredulous look when she said she was going to Los Angeles to see the Wallflowers. I was jealous. Still am. But I got to mark a major entry off of the concert bucket list this year when I was lucky enough to see one of David Gilmour’s final shows of the Luck and Strange tour at Madison Square Garden. A good friend once told me, “Always go to the show.” I didn’t exactly listen to her in applying that to previous opportunities to see Gilmour and/or Pink Floyd. So when tour dates were announced, I knew what had to be done. I’m not being dramatic when I say that it was a life experience, seeing that MSG show. If you’ve spent any amount of time with Gilmour on record, you’ll know what I mean.
My honorable mentions line up well with Allison. Neil and Crazy Horse in Detroit at Pine Knob? Incredible. Willie, John Mellencamp and Bob in Chicago for the Outlaw Festival stop there? Mesmerizing. One final note: Anytime you have a chance to go see Bonnie Raitt, that’s a required “yes” as well. Long may they all run.
Watch David Gilmour Perform ‘Comfortably Numb’ at Madison Square Garden
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