TOO MANY GREAT shows for a top 10 list
Bob Seger, Muse, Patti Smith among memorable concerts of the year
It was my full intention to rank the top 10 concerts of 2019 in the Bay Area. But there were so many good shows this year that, well, top 10 quickly morphed into top 20. So here are the best performances I saw in 2019.
1
Bob Seger, Feb. 28, Golden 1 Center, Sacramento: The legendary singer-songwriter waved goodbye to fans in triumphant fashion, as he performed some of the greatest classic rock tunes of all time — “Night Moves,” “Hollywood Nights,” “Like a Rock,” “Turn the Page,” etc. — on this unforgettable night. (He also played the Shoreline Amphitheatre at Mountain View in September.)
2
Muse, March 9, Oakland Arena: In my review of this show, I compared this British trio to Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, U2, Radiohead and Prince. That says volumes about what it was like to be in attendance.
3
Patti Smith, Jan. 11, Fillmore, San Francisco: Smith and the Fillmore are just a magic pairing, never failing to result in a transformative evening of music and poetry.
4
Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets, March 15, the Masonic, San Francisco: This was an amazing treat for old-school Pink Floyd fans, as the band’s legendary drummer and other talented musicians spotlighted oft-neglected material from such early albums as “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn,” “Obscured by Clouds” and, of course, “Saucerful of Secrets.”
5
Metallica with San Francisco Symphony, Sept. 6, Chase Center, San Francisco: The biggest Bay Area band of all time combined forces with the 75-piece symphony — including a 41-piece string section — and powered through “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” “Nothing Else Matters,” “Master of Puppets” and other favorites on opening night of the new home of the Golden State Warriors.
6
New Kids on the Block, May 29, SAP Center, San Jose: In terms of just pure fun, no concert in 2019 topped NKOTB’s Mixtape Tour, which featured not only that amazing boy band but also a totally awesome supporting cast of ’80s and ’90s hitmakers — Salt-N-Pepa, Tiffany, Debbie Gibson and Naughty by Nature.
7
Lizzo, Oct. 27, Bill Graham Civic, San Francisco: The Year of Lizzo continued, as the soulful star unleashed her powerful vocals on “Heaven Help Me,” “Exactly How I Feel” and other favorites and delivered inspirational pep talks to the crowd: “If I can do it, you can do it,” she said. “Be that superstar you want to be.”
8
Jeff Lynne’s ELO, June 22, Golden 1 Center: It was a spellbinding evening of music, as the mighty Lynne — one of popular music’s true visionaries — and his amazing 12-piece band blended classical, prog-rock, avant-garde, psychedelic pop, disco and other styles into nothing short of “Strange Magic.”
9
Waterboys, Oct. 11, Fillmore: It had been far too long since Mike Scott and company had rocked through the Bay Area. They made up for lost time by delivering two thoroughly engaging sets of music at San Francisco’s most storied venue.
10
Bryan Ferry, Aug. 31, Fox Theater, Oakland: The newly enshrined Rock & Roll Hall of Famer delivered a brilliant overview of the Roxy Music catalog — aka one of the greatest catalogs in popular music history — as he performed 14 songs, touching upon seven of the band’s eight studio albums, during this show.
11
Lauren Daigle, Feb. 22, Warfield, San Francisco: Blessed with one of the finest voices in all of music, Daigle wowed fans with a night of moving, inspirational anthems and heartfelt ballads at the Warfield. She was also tremendous during her set at Outside Lands in August.
12
Slipknot, July 26, Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View: The Iowa band sounded every bit like one of the best metal acts of the past 25 years as it opened its longawaited Knotfest Roadshow — Slipknot’s first North American tour in three years — with a performance that was as entertaining for the eyes as it was for the ears.
13
Mary J. Blige and Nas, Aug. 14, Shoreline: The long-reigning Queen of Hip-Hop Soul combined forces with one of the most influential rappers of all time during what was the year’s best co-headlining tour.
14
Cowboy Junkies, April 11, Freight and Salvage, Berkeley: R.E.M. might be the only other band that has produced as much good music over the last 35 years. And the Junkies would showcase that abundance of musical riches during its time at the Freight.
15
REO Speedwagon, Wente Vineyards, Livermore: Best known for the smash power ballads “Keep on Loving You” and “Can’t Fight This Feeling,” this multiplatinum act soared highest on this night with such guitar-driven rockers as “Keep Pushin’ On” and “Ridin’ the Storm Out.”
16
Diana Krall, Sept. 22, Mountain Winery, Saratoga: The jazz vocalist-pianist and her superb band (featuring guitarist Anthony Wilson, drummer Karriem Riggins, bassist John Clayton and saxophonist Joe Lovano) treated fans to a night of standards and other selections under the stars at the Bay Area’s most picturesque music venue.
17
Lana Del Rey, Oct. 6, Greek Theatre, Berkeley: Drawing from the best album of 2019 —“Norman (Expletive) Rockwell!” — Del Rey was pure California cool as she delivered a stellar 21-song set, highlighted by an appearance from the Bay Area’s own Joan Baez.
18
Joe Jackson, March 2, Masonic: The new wave/ post-punk icon, who ranks among the most versatile recording artists in pop music history, took listeners on a fascinating ride through his deep back catalog as well as highlighted the recently released studio effort “Fool.”
19
Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Sept. 14, SAP Center: Snoop and Cube — undeniably two of the greatest rappers of all time — joined with Bay Area hip-hop heroes Too Short and E-40, as well as Warren G and Blueface, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the landmark San Jose venue.
20
Maren Morris, March 26, Masonic: The acclaimed singer-songwriter expertly mixed pop and country during her first-ever headlining show in San Francisco.