I spent a good chunk of 2018 at concerts. Try nearly 58% of the entire year was spent in some of the best places on earth: concert halls. From festivals and the big rooms like MSG and Barclays Center to the smaller clubs and intimate venues, some of the best memories I had all year were made in those rooms.
I saw over 200 shows this year, so you can imagine how hard it was to pick a top 50, and to find some way to rank them all. But I widdled it down and without further ado, here are the best 50 shows I saw in 2018:
50. St. Vincent at Mastercard House (January 23)
49. Caroline Rose at Rough Trade NYC (April 3)
48. Beach House at Kings Theatre (August 23)
47. Pinegrove at Music Hall of Williamsburg (November 26)
46. Operators at Baby’s All Right (December 13)
45. Radiohead at Madison Square Garden (Night 4 – July 14)
44. Belle & Sebastian at College Street Music Hall (June 6)
43. Chvrches at Elsewhere (May 21)
42. Chromeo at Music Hall of Williamsburg (June 16)
41. Lindsey Buckingham at Paramount Hudson Valley Theater (December 6)
40. Modest Mouse at Wellmont Theatre (October 10)
39. Franz Ferdinand at Brooklyn Steel (April 16)
38. Weezer and Pixies at PNC Bank Arts Center (July 20)
37. Idles @ Music Hall of Williamsburg (September 22)
36. Slowdive at House Of Vans (June 30)
35. Shame at Music Hall of Williamsburg (October 5, 2018)
34. The Twilight Sad at Elsewhere (November 1)
33. Parquet Courts at Rocks Off Concert Cruise (June 10)
32. Dan Auerbach @ The Capitol Theatre (March 28)
31. Young Fathers at Elsewhere (November 20)
30. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever at Bowery Ballroom (September 15)
29. Tenacious D at Kings Theatre (November 4)
28. Nine Inch Nails at Radio City Music Hall (October 14)
27. Childish Gambino at Madison Square Garden (September 14)
26. Spoon and Grizzly Bear at The Capitol Theatre (June 19)
24. Alt-J at Forest Hills Stadium (June 15)
23. The Gaslight Anthem at Bowery Ballroom (May 31)
22. Dirty Projectors at Elsewhere (November 19)
21. Smashing Pumpkins at Mohegan Sun Arena (July 29)
20. Phoenix at Brooklyn Steel (July 9)
19. Flyte at Mercury Lounge (March 21)
18. Moby at Rough Trade NYC (March 20)
17. Courtney Barnett at Music Hall of Williamsburg (May 19)
16. Boygenius at Brooklyn Steel (November 6)
15. The National @ Forest Hills Stadium (Night 2 – September 30)
14. Interpol at House Of Vans (August 24)
13. U2 at Prudential Center (June 29)
12. Thom Yorke at Kings Theatre (November 27)
11. Jack White at Warsaw (March 23)
10. Neil Young at The Capitol Theatre (September 27)
9. The National Homecoming (Day 2 – April 29)
8. Scott Hutchison Tribute at Rough Trade NYC (December 5)
7. Arctic Monkeys at Forest Hills Stadium (July 24)
6. Radiohead at Madison Square Garden (Night 3 – July 13)
5. Car Seat Headrest at Market Hotel (May 8)
4. Frightened Rabbit at Music Hall of Williamsburg (February 24)
3. David Byrne at Forest Hills Stadium (September 15)
2. Idles at Rough Trade NYC (March 24)
1. Paul Simon at Flushing Meadows Corona Park (September 22)
Most visited venues in 2018:
1. Brooklyn Steel – 29 times
2. Music Hall of Williamsburg – 20 times
3. Elsewhere – 15 times
4. Rough Trade NYC – 15 times
5. Warsaw – 15 times
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