2023. Wow. Another year come and gone. It’s hard to believe that just a couple of years ago I was hunkering down and praying to the metal gods that I wouldn’t get COVID-19, and now here I am, back out and going to shows and loving it. If I learned anything from Covid, it was that I don’t have to go to every show that pops up on my radar, so needless to see, the shows I saw this year (and probably every year from here on out) were all about quality.
2023 kicked off with an outstanding show from Crash Test Dummies at City Winery in Atlanta. The last time I saw them live was in the early ’90s on their God Shuffled His Feet tour, so seeing them again after all these years was a full-circle moment. After eight years together, the grateful Dead off-shoot project Dead & Company announced they would call it quits. This was hands down the greatest post-Garcia project that could’ve ever happened, and their farewell tour was nothing short of mind-blowing. Bobby Weir, John Mayer, and crew were firing on all cylinders and put on some of the best shows I’d seen from them yet. Seeing them go out on top of their game was bittersweet, but they will be missed dearly.
’90s metal veterans Ugly Kid Joe hit the road for their first North American tour in over 27 years, stopping in Atlanta at Center Stage Theater. UKJ sounded untouched by time and put on a high-energy, fun, and interactive performance. Performing a great mix of songs spanning their career, UKJ proved to everyone that they are not even close to being washed up or done. They’re still putting out new music, and hopefully, we’ll see more of them here in North America after their successful run in 2023.
Dream Theater popped into the Fox Theater here in Atlanta for an outstanding show, which would be their last appearance with drummer Mike Mangini. The show was fantastic and, as usual, was a great display of synced-up visuals along with their usual outstanding light show. Joining them were Animals as Leaders and Devin Townsend, neither of whom I could get into. They weren’t terrible, but I didn’t care for either performance. Dream Theater announced that former founding drummer Mike Portnoy would be returning to the band, re-igniting some excitement within the fan base. Hopefully, we’ll see some new and much-anticipated new material in 2024. I wonder if this reunion will bring some change in the creative output. Things that make you go “hmmm” indeed.
I attended the 2nd Annual Soccer Mommy Halloween Bash in Nashville at the outstanding Eastside Bowl venue. A venue that looked like something out of the backrooms of The Big Lebowski and Pulp Fiction, Eastside Bowl was the perfect place for this show. After some fun pinball games with my buddy, we were treated to a fun and inspired set by Soccer Mommy. Kicking their show off with “Theme From Buffy the Vampire Slayer” by Nerf Herder, they were all decked out as characters from the TV show, with Sophie sporting a blonde wig as Buffy. Soccer Mommy blew my mind again, and I can’t wait to see this band many more times.
John Mayer rolled into Atlanta with a few guitars and a piano (which he didn’t play) for a stop on his “SOLO Tour” at State Farm Arena. Like most Deadheads, I grew to appreciate the musicality of John Mayer. While I couldn’t say that I am a full-on STAN of Mr. Mayer, I will say that I found his solo performance to be captivating, entertaining, and even inspiring. Holding an audience’s attention as a solo musician is already hard enough, but watching him do it for 20,000 people was nothing short of amazing. He’s a charming person who doesn’t take himself too seriously, and I left the show with a new love for his material while still disliking some of them. I would see him again, but I’d love to see him in a band setting.
2023 came to a close with Atlanta indie rock band Lunar Vacation. Like Soccer Mommy, Lunar Vacation has an annual throwdown in their hometown, and this time, it was a sold-out show at the Masquerade in Atlanta. Last year, the band did two sold-out shows in the smaller Purgatory room, and this year, they graduated to the 2nd biggest room, Hell, and once again sold out. Embodying the spirit and energy of the ’80s/’90s Athens college rock scene mixed with some dream pop for good measure, Lunar Vacation put on a no-frills, energetic, fun performance. I couldn’t help but dance like nobody was watching; honestly, I don’t care what they were. Hopefully, I won’t have to wait another year to see Lunar Vacation, but if so, it will be worth the wait.
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