list season: best in show 2005.

i was inspired by yeti don't dance [http://noyetidance.blogspot.com] to do my very own shows list. and instead of ranking them, like i've done for almost every list this month, i'll format it just like jerry did. hey, it's okay for me to bite someone's style every once in a while; it's not like i NEVER have my own ideas:

best show i went to by myself:
the long winters @ chop suey. i intentionally by myself, because i bought tickets like two days before the show, so it was more of a "seat of the pants" type deal. and i do have to say that i really enjoyed myself that night. hearing "the commander thinks aloud" for the very first time is like losing your virginity.

other best show i went to by myself:
bloc party @ neumo's. i tried to find like five people to go with, and they all cancelled on me, so i sold my ticket in line for $10. waiting for the doors to open, the guy in front of me gave me a pop tart. they were generic ones [meaning they tasted terrible], but that's the nicest thing a stranger has ever done for me. the best moment of that show came from during the freakout in "positive tension", where the band was going crazy [especially russell and his skinny arms strumming the guitar harder than anyone i've ever seen], the crowd in front of me was moshing, and i'm standing in awe directly behind the mosh pit, and everyone stopping to scream, "SO FUCKING USELESS!"

best acknowledgement of an encore:
tegan and sara @ neumo's. "this is the part where we go backstage and stand awkwardly for like three minutes, and then come back out to play some more songs."

best use of a drum kit:
franz ferdinand @ the paramount. alex kept standing on the drum kit and jumping off. i couldn't count enough times he did that, but it looked really cool. they had stairs leading to the drums!

worst display of hipster coolness:
tv on the radio @ the paramount. these guys played the most life-affirming, visceral set i've ever seen in my life, and all of the fucking goddamn scenesters just stood there with their arms are folded, like they were too good to enjoy the shit. they played their hearts out, and got a lukewarm response. that hurts my heart.

best place to meet a nice lesbian [aka the "pink triangle award"]:
tegan and sara @ neumo's.

bad band who totally had a kick-ass show:
the bravery @ endfest [white river amplitheater]. i watched these guys CONTROL the crowd with a stage presence brandon flowers couldn't muster up on his best fucking day.

best use of irony and a hip-hop cover:
aqueduct @ endfest. for god's sake, they played "damn it feels good to be a gangsta" by the geto boys! and it was a perfect moment to be in the sun that day.

best boring live band:
interpol @ endfest. i'm a big fan of the band, but they're pretty boring live. i'd rather just listen to the records at home and pantomime them myself.

best use of an accordion:
the decemberists @ the showbox. they played a week before they released picaresque, and all the kids knew the words. it was fun.

best onstage banter:
john roderick [the long winters] @ the crocodile cafe. there were too much wit going on during the show for me to list a highlight reel, but trust me: there's probably not a single soul in the music industry who is better at being a smart-ass.

best live moment:
5,000 kids jumping up and down and shouting the lyrics to "take me out". at the paramount. on my BIRTHDAY. i couldn't have dreamed of a better birthday party.