20 concerts and counting...

it's only august, but somehow i've managed to get to twenty concerts already. and there's no signs of slowing down in the fall. i already have tickets to a few fun shows lined up. and i'm trying to snag some stevie wonder tickets today at noon - wish me luck!

1. emmett swimming w/ trustfall @ 930.
honestly, this was all the way back in january. i don't really remember much of it (that's probably not a good thing, is it?).

2. josh kelley w/ ingrid michaelson @ birchmere.
one of the top five so far for sure. i absolutely love josh kelley and he puts on great live shows. and "discovering" ingrid as his opening act was just an added bonus. i'm still bummed that this show never made it up on archive. josh was wasted out of his mind and the show was hilarious.

3. middle distance runner w/ the dance party @930.
two local bands - one great show! honestly, if you haven't seen mdr live you're missing out.

4. dave barnes w/ eric hutchinson @ jj.
definitely another one of the top five. these are two guys who write witty songs, have great voices and know how to make the audience laugh. seriously they both could have careers as stand up comedians.

5. josh groban w/ angelique kidjo @ verizon.
you're probably wondering why on earth i went to this concert. well, when i got offered a group of free box seats w/ free food and drinks all night how could i resist? plus any night spent w/ the roommates is a night well spent.

6. snow patrol w/ ok go and the silversun pickups @ bender arena.
i was so pumped for this concert (even resorting to craigslist to snag a ticket), but it was such a letdown. i'm sure having it at bender didn't help at all, but really none of the bands were as good live as i was expecting. oh well.

7. stephen kellogg and the sixers w/ matt wertz and jon mclaughlin @ 930.
another one of the top five. definitely. i had seen the sk6ers a few times before and knew they put on a killer show. i had listened to a bit of matt wertz before the show (as i usually try to do) - and he definitely won me over as a fan. and jon mclaughlin? let's just say i'm slightly obsessed. and you should have seen (or should i say heard?) brigid and i on the ride home when we realized he was wearing a wedding ring on his cd cover. total bummer.

8. christina aguilera w/ the pussycat dolls and danity kane @ verizon.
i snagged free "industry" tickets for this show. now i could have done without the first two acts for sure (slutty girls who - for the most part - can't sing or dance), but suffering through them made christina's show even more worth it! this was pre-pregnancy and she was amazing!

9. mat kearney w/ rocco deluca and the feeling @ 930.
i first saw mat kearney when he opened for train last summer at wolftrap. he has that very distinctive speak-sing thing going on. and while i can do without rocco deluca (good guitar player, lousy singer - at least live), i absolutely love the feeling! they're a fun british group w/ catchy songs. i'm bummed we got there just as their set was ending, but of course i went out and bought their cd so i got to hear all the songs we missed.

10. eric hutchinson w/ eva castillo @ jj.
ever since i saw eric open for pat mcgee three years ago up in annapolis i've become a big fan of his. and i've turned lots of my friends into fans as well. and since he's from maryland he tends to play a lot in this area!

11. the clarks w/ matt mays & el torpedo @ birchmere.
going to this concert was decided on a total whim, but i'm so glad i went. i had heard the clarks before (thank you earsnacks), but didn't realize how much i really loved them. and this was a bandstand show so we enjoyed our starr hill from a table during the forgettable first act and then got up close and personal when the clarks took the stage.

12. ari hest w/ the damnwells and julian velard @ birchmere.
ari hest is another one of my earsnacks discovery - and i saw him live back at herndon fest a few years ago. and when brigid asked if i wanted to go see the damnwells (one of her favorites) and i realized that ari hest was playing with them i was pumped. and then we got excited because the music on julian velard's myspace is great - but he really disappointed in his live show. and honestly the damnwells weren't so good live either. but, at least ari hest was good.

13. josh kelley @ herndon fest.
josh kelley at a free outdoor concert? of course i'm there - even if it does mean trekking it out to herndon. the highlight was definitely when they played the weight, but the whole show was great. although that might have had something to do with the twenty or so plastic cups we accumulated. that and the fact that he gave me his pick after the show and we snagged a picture with him.

14. joss stone w/ ryan shaw @ wolftrap.
common was supposed to be at this show and then he cancelled last minute. at first i was bummed, but i think it turned out for the best since ryan shaw got to play for longer. and if you haven't listened to ryan shaw yet you should get on that. and minus the heinous thunderstorms, this show was really fun!

15. dave barnes w/ kris delmhorst @ birchmere.
i wasn't too impressed with the opener, but dave barnes didn't disappoint - especially considering this show was on a sunday night. he went on so many story telling tangents i didn't think he would fit in as many songs as he did. you can tell he really loves putting on a show for the audience.

16. pat mcgee w/ carbon leaf and the sk6ers @ wolftrap.
absolutely in my top five! this is what a wolftrap show is supposed to be like. the weather was gorgeous and the cooler was packed with goodies! it was the third show i've seen played without chris williams - and it's still kind of sad. but, they powered on without him and at one point there were probably twelve people on stage rocking out.

17. eric hutchinson w/ mieka pauley @ jj.
and you thought i was kidding when i said i caught all of eric hutchinson's local shows. at first when he brought out a band to play with him (well only a drummer and bass player) i was a little nervous, but it all worked out for the best. i can't wait for his new cd to come out (it should be any day now). just based on her name alone i knew i would love her - but really she was great. and the best part was she handed out a free cd sampler at the end of her show.

18. marc broussard w/ shannon mcnally @ 930.
this show rounds out my top five for sure. marc broussard's cd, carencro, is one of the few cds that i can listen to the whole way through without having the urge to switch to the next track. and i have serious ipod add so this is quite the feat! this show was dubbed a soul revue and that meant he played a lot of soul covers. don't get me wrong, i loved all those songs, but the highlight of the show had to be when he brought out the whole gang for home.

19. ingrid michaelson w/ william fitzsimmons @ jj.
my only complaint about this show is that ingrid didn't play for long enough. william fitzsimmons was definitely better than i expected (did you see his picture??), and it was nice when he brought ingrid onstage for some harmony. and their haphazard rendition of umbrella was hilarious.

20. the temptations and the four tops @ wolftrap.
i think everyone knows how this concert went.

so that's it for 2007 so far - although i'm guessing i might have missed a few. and the concerts aren't stopping anytime soon. so far i have plans to go see hootie, rilo kiley, matt nathanson & ingrid and pat & josh (for free!). any other concerts coming up i should know about? you know i'm always up for anything!