MY SONIC SUMMATION 

As many of you know,  I am a huge music buff and a connoisseur of live music. Anything that is slightly interesting, I'm out the door and in line. I create no boundaries so I see a variety of bands in all different genres.  I want to see real art ( no money grabbin' greatest hits show by a bunch of geriatrics). Crazy concert prices for people in their 70's singing rock is not my thang man. 

Since I see so many shows, many have asked what were my most memorable performances for 2018? Here is my list of the top 5 shows (and why they were so memorable).

 
1) Lucy Roche and Suzzy Roche at the Krest Theater in Delray Beach - 

Lucy was opening for her father, famed folkie Loudon Wainwright III. She was okay (she had no stage presence). However, when her mother Suzzy (of one of my favorite bands, The Roches) unexpectedly stepped up on stage and they covered the Beatles' beautiful "For No One", it was pure magic. Can you imagine that, one song makes the whole performance? 

2) Portugal The Man- One Big Holiday, Punta Gorda, Dominican Republic

Despite having a number one song on the charts ("Feel it Still") they are hardly just a pop band. They took the stage doing Metallica and Queen covers and finished their set with a killer edition of Oasis' "Don't Look Back in Anger". PTM rocks like it' s nobody's business.

3) Father John Misty at the Fillmore Miami Beach

With the looks and debonair of a model and charisma of Freddy Mercury, this guy has STAR written all over him. I was previously familiar with some of his songs but his on-stage energy and charisma totally put me in awe. He's a diamond in the rough. 

4) My Morning Jacket, Night one at "One Big Holiday" in Punta Gorda, Dominican Republic. 

With the band going on an extended hiatus for a couple of years, for this five day music festival, they simply played their whole catalog in chronological order. They finished their first set with a 20 minute "Phone Went West" which started out as a breezy reggae song but then burst into a psychedelic guitar freak out. This demonstrates why they are the premier modern rock and roll band 

 
5) David Byrne "American Utopia" tour at the Fillmore South (Miami Beach). 

This was, not even close, the very best show I've seen in the last 5 years. The Talking Heads founder re-imagined and reinvented the whole concert going experience by making his show a combination Broadway show/marching band. Every song was a different, choreographed dance where the instruments were attached to the bodies and not a stick of equipment on stage.  

Of course my opinion is hardly the end all;  I just like to write.  What was your favorite show of 2018?  

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all  (except for those lawyers quoting ridiculously low fees, prosecutors that don't return phone calls and judges that don't bother to read pleadings) .