1. 4-Jan  Dragons, Creepy Creeps, Phantoms (Casbah)
2. 18-Jan   X, Gary Heffern (Casbah)
3. 29-Jan   Pink Martini, the Von Trapps (Civic Theater)
4. 31-Jan   Blue Oyster Cult(Sycuan)
5. 5-Feb    Moonspell, Leaves Eyes (Joe’s Grotto – Phoenix)
6. 8-Mar   Gary Numan, Big Black Delta(Marquee – Phoenix)
7. 19-Mar  St Vincent, Noveller  (House of Blues)
8. 21-Mar  Small Black, Snowmine, Soft Lions  (Casbah)
9. 22-Mar   Kings of Leon, Local Natives(Sleep Train.)
10. 24-Mar  Fanfarlo, Lilies on Mars (House of Blues)
11. 16-Apr   Broken Bells, Au Revoir Simone(Humphreys)
12. 17-Apr   Bryan Ferry, Dawn Landes(Humphreys)
13. 19-May  Band of Skulls, Deap Vally  (House of Blues)
14. 23-May Burning of Rome(Lou’s Records)
15. 23-May  Chris Robinson Brotherhood (Belly Up)
16. 10-Jun   Eliza Rickman, Lily & Madeleine (Queen Bee’s)
17. 18-Jun   Owl John, Withered Hand (Casbah)
18. 3-Jul      Queen + Adam Lambert (The Forum)
19. 9-Jul     Wye Oak (Belly Up)
20. 30-Jul    Alice Cooper, Mötley Crüe (Sleep Train)
21. 3-Aug    Tom Petty & Heartbreakers, Steve Winwood (SDSU Arena)
22. 5-Aug    Arcade Fire, Spoon (Sleep Train)
23. 4-Aug    Love Revisited, Standells, Loons (Tiki Oasis)
24. 18-Aug  Yes, Syd Arthur (Humphreys)
25. 21-Aug  Nine Inch Nails, Soundgarden (Sleep Train)
26. 28-Aug  Nik Turner’s Hawkwind, Witch Mountain (Casbah)
27. 4-Sep    Tom Bailey, Howard Jones, Midge Ure (Humphreys)
28. 12-Sep   Chicago(Humphreys)
29. 13-Sep   Styx (Harrah’s Rincon)
30. 4-Oct     The Eagles (SDSU Arena)
31. 8-Oct     ABC, Boys Don’t Cry (Belly Up)
32. 18-Oct   New Pornographers, Pains of Being… (North Park)
33. 24-Oct   Afghan Whigs, Joseph Arthur (Belly Up)
34. 9-Nov  Black Keys, Jake Bugg (SDSU Arena)
35. 26-Nov  Peter Hook  (House of Blues)
36. 2-Dec    Fleetwood Mac (SDSU Arena)

2014 turned out be a fantastic year for concert-going here in Southern California (I live in San Diego).  From small shows like The Dragons at The Casbah(capacity ~200) to big shows like Arcade Fire at Sleep Train Amphitheater (20,000+), there were quite a few highlights and surprisingly few low-lights.

By far the worst show I saw was Blue Oyster Cult way back in January. It was quite disappointing to see how this once mighty band had become so average and boring.

[please note – all hotlinks lead to my original reviews]

While it’s easy to figure out the worst show of the year it’s a lot more challenging to determine the best one.  I remember the punk-rock icons, X, putting on a ferocious set at the Casbah, a place that is much smaller than they typically play.  Also, at the same venue was a double bill with two up and coming indie bands from Brooklyn, Snowmine and Small Black. That show was especially fun because I only know about these bands because my daughter turned me on to them and went to the show with me.  That was a small challenge since she is only 20 and we had to sneak her into this 21+ venue!

One thing I noticed is how vital many of the older acts still look and sound. Artists like Bryan Ferry, Yes, Tom Petty/Heartbreakers and Fleetwood Mac did not appear or sound at all like they are just running out the string and collecting a paycheck.  These bands all have members in their 60’s (and even 70’s) and are still going strong and sound fantastic.  My favorite show of the year fell in this category when Queen + Adam Lambert played the Fabulous Forum in Los Angeles.

Probably my favorite show (non-Queen division) was St. Vincent at the House of Blues.  With Annie Clark and her band’s combination of musicianship, stage presence and fantastic songs I think we are seeing a real breakout performer whose career is going to be fascinating to follow.

A lot of folks say rock is dead.  They’re wrong.  On to 2015!

Honorable mentions:

• Best stage show:  Nine Inch Nails
• Best show with less than 100 fans:  Fanfarlo
• Best local bands: tie – The Phantoms and Soft Lions
• Best local solo artist: Eliza Rickman
• Best metal show: Moonspell& Leaves Eyes