Happy 2017 From BillyRocksPhilly!

Happy New Year!  It’s 2017!  OMG!

When I decided to start a blog earlier this past year, I started keeping track of the bands that I was seeing live in 2016 in order to be sure I didn’t miss a review of them.  Blogs need a lot of content!  Anyway, the revelation to keep track didn’t occur to me for a bit, in fact, not until last March.  I couldn’t remember every band I saw before March, but I kept a list of those I attended from March until December.  Want to see it?  I’m not 100% sure that it’s a good idea to share it as it shows what a crazed person I am, but at the same time, I found it interesting to look at the other day, and thought you might like to check it out.

Now, I didn’t keep track of all the opening acts, bar cover bands, honky tonk party groups or other live music that I saw.  There was a lot of that - remember, for every band listed below, they pretty much all had at least one opener.  And I spent a long weekend in Nashville that was primarily seeing live music, and Florida is free cover band heaven – check out the archives if you want to be reminded of that stuff.  Instead, my list includes only those acts where I spent my hardly-earned money to go see that particular group.

With that said, here we go – the list of BRPs live shows attended in 2016.  I did see a couple bands twice, so if they are listed twice, that is noted and not a mistake like Dewey Finn saying he taught Latin twice in School of Rock.  I also highlighted bands that are really worthy of acclaim, and if you get the chance to see them live, you should.  I also highlighted bands that I would never go see again, truly barf bag worthy.  If a band isn’t highlighted, but falls into the great middle, it doesn’t mean that they are bad – in fact, some have great music that you should listen to – but it does mean that their live act may be good, but is not highlight reel worthy.  Alright, enough blah blah blah already!  To
the list!

Protomartyr

Parquet Courts

Robin Trower Thumbs Down, Don’t Waste Your Money

Wilco – Great Live Show

Wolf Alice

Gregg Allman

The Feelies – Great Live Show

DIIV

Bad Company

Joe Walsh

Tedeschi Trucks Band

Junior Brown

Courtney Barnett

Titus Andronicus – Great Live Show

Richard Thompson

Dolly Parton

Joywave

Paul McCartney

Bruce Springsteen

Dick Dale – Thumbs Down, Don’t Waste Your Money

Titus Andronicus (Second Time in 2016, Great Live Show)

Sleigh Bells

ZZ Top

Gov’t Mule

The Buzzcocks

Ash – Great Live Show

English Beat

Squeeze

Teenage Fanclub

Catfish and the Bottlemen

Royal Canoe

The Revivalists

The Weeks

Low Cut Connie – The Best Live Show Going Right Now – Do Not Miss These Guys!

Marah – Great Live Show

The Naked and Famous

Marah Christmas Spectacular - (Second Time in 2016, Great Live Show)

Butch Trucks and the Freight Train

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

That’s a fair amount of live music.  I will say that I saw some cool things in 2016.  Nothing like this video of The Darkness’s Justin Hawkins from the Trocadero a few years back (yup, I was at this show and witnessed this incredible balcony dive – one of the most rock ‘n roll things I’ve ever seen). 

But I finally got to see a show at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, country’s holiest ground, and enjoyed a lot of Philly and SoFla venues.  And the bands!  Seeing it “snow” on Marah, checking out the best live act in the States right now in Low Cut Connie, dancing yet again to the English Beat, and finally seeing some bands that I love but had never seen live – Teenage Fanclub, Titus Andronicus, DIIV, The Feelies, Wolf Alice and Protomartyr – well, 2016 was a very good year for BRP.

But 2017 is a new year, and I already have some great shows lined up.  Tickets are already in hand for Japandroids and Tedeschi Trucks, and I have my eye on Cloud Nothings, Travis Tritt, and a great double bill featuring Willie Nelson and Dwight Yoakam.  And some funk – I want some damn funk in 2017!  Yowza! 

I hope you saw some shows, lived in the moment, and enjoyed the hell out of yourself.  If you’re on the fence about going out on the town, well, I’m not a huge Bob Seger fan, but he was right that you can come back, baby, because rock ‘n roll never forgets.  Go for it – you’ll be happy you did.

Happy New Year to the entire BRP family of readers and bless you for taking your valuable time to spend it with me.  I’m truly humbled, and will continue to try very hard to entertain you in 2017.  Come by and laugh at my drivels.  Whatever, keep coming back and tell your friends … or enemies, as the case may be.  Now on to video versions of rock ‘n rollers singing “Auld Lang Syne” my friends.  Keep going - it gets better with each video.  Ciao!