Gigs of the year 2024

[CantWaitForGlasto22]

Seen various other threads ranking albums etc of the year so thought I’d ask, excluding Glastonbury, what’s been your gig of the year? I managed to get to 11 which is pretty good for me considering 3 young kids and busy year with work and other stuff  - always wanting to get to more though. 
 

Top 3 would be:

1. Killers - at The O2 - seen them about 10 times but this gig was really special. All killer, no filler. 
 

2. Vampire Weekend at Hammersmith Apollo - blown away by how brilliant they were. 
 

3. Pulp at Hammersmith Apollo. Had to edit as forgot them. But brilliant gig. So hoping to see them on the Pyramid.  Also Young Fathers at The Albert Hall - electric performance. Everyone on their feet by the end. 
 

special mention to Sam Fender at O2, Wunderhorse at Kentish Town and Keane at Shepherds Bush Empire which were also brilliant. 
 

What’s your top 3 of the year? 

Edited 21 hours ago by CantWaitForGlasto22
Pulp. Oops.

[Ayrshire Chris]

 Sam Fender, James and Vampire Weekend are my top three this year. 

[charlierc]

Top 3...

• Killers at London O2. They just get the assignment of the big shows and this set was punchy and delightful
• Public Service Broadcasting at Aylesbury Waterside. Such a great crisp sound scape to match the ambition of what they do
• Green Day at Old Trafford in Manchester. Great energy to keep going for 2 1/2 hours, playing two big albums in full. Sound could've been crisper in the second half, but was excellent until then

Kings of Leon was really good fun, if let down by something odd with the sound where I was sat. St Vincent at RAH, I really liked despite a stomach bug meaning I didn't feel like getting up & dancing, and I had great fun at Interpol at Ally Pally.

 

Not a bad year of shows by any means tbf.

[Gnomicide]

1. Janes Addiction - Bearded Theory

One of my favourite acts over the years, a gig from the Ritual tour is still in my top 3 ever. Great to see the original 4 back together and they delivered on all fronts.

 

2. Big Special - Bearded Theory & Glastonbury 

Can't split the two gigs, both were superb. I wasn't sure how the music would translate to the live setting with only the 2 of them but they put on one Hell of a show.

 

3. Red Rum Club - Liverpool Arena

A much bigger deal on Merseyside than in the rest of the country, they were able to step up to an arena and were a perfect fit. Now 4 studio albums in, loads of big, singalong tunes, they absolutely nailed it.

[SPW]

Excluding Glastonbury, I'd have:

 

1. Richard Ashcroft (Dreamland, Margate with Black Grape supporting who were also terrific)

 

2. Confidence Man (Brixton Academy and loved Fcuker who were supporting)

 

3. Manic Street Preachers/Suede (Dreamland, Margate)

 

Honourable mentions to The Saw Doctors (Hammersmith Apollo) and LG (O2).

 

 

[gingerevans84]

LCD Soundsystem at Rock en Seine was absolute perfection. Great setlist, was in the right spot in the crowd, found the cider tent. Couldnt be faulted.

 

Hives at the Apollo, Bruce in Cardiff and Fontaines in Leeds also superb.

[CharlotteB]

I didn't see much, but I really enjoyed Our Girl in November. Great little band.

[zahidf]

My gigs of the year

 

Just Joan's lexington

idles: kingston pryzm

Los campesinos troxy

Orbital Troxy 

Pogues tribute: hackney empire

Arab strap Koko

Beth gibbons:barbican 

Nick cave and the bad seeds: O2

Sprints: forum

End of the road overall

Anohni and the johslnsons: Barbican

manics/suede ally pally

fontaines DC/ally pally 

Vampire weekend: Brixton academy

[westholtschic]

Been a very lucky man this year with gigs, so here are mine in order.

1 Foo Fighters London Stadium

2 Bruce Springsteen Cardiff

3 Chemical Brothers Royal Albert Hall

4 AC/DC Wembley 

5 Faithless Document in Bristol

 Got 3 booked so far for next year

Elbow Cardiff Castle

Heaven 17 Cheese and Grain

Level 42 Bristol Beacon

[mjtko]

Managed to see quite some variety in 2024! Here are my picks:

• Best small show: UPSAHL - Castle & Falcon, Birmingham
• Best music-venue show: Joint awards to: Poppy - O2 Academy2, Birmingham & Confidence Man - O2 Institute, Birmingham
• Best theatre show: Public Service Broadcasting - Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry
• Best arena show: Joint awards to: Olivia Rodrigo - Utilita Arena (NIA Birmingham) & girl in red - OVO Arena (Wembley Arena)
• Best stadium show: Taylor Swift - Wembley Stadium

Best overall? Tough to pick! I suppose Tay Tay pips it, for the sheer scale of the show and for the shared experience with my daughter who, of course, had been absolutely desperate to see her.

[OllieMadd]

Lovely question.

 

I'd probably say...

 

Taylor Swift wins out at #1 with 2 nights on the bounce at Wembley Stadium 

 

Very closely followed by The Cure at Troxy at #2

 

And Bruce Springsteen in Cardiff at #3.

 

Honourable mentions for Bad Manners and Last Dinner Party at The Fleece at #4 and #5 respectively.

[tomlc]

1. Paul McCartney at the Co-op

2. Ezra Collective at Green Man

3. Idles at Manchester Apollo 

 

[DomDom1984]

Enter Shikari - O2 Academy Edinburgh 

 

It's never not when I've seen this lot. Outstanding setlist and seeing their self titled track for the first time was an incredible moment. Special mentions to...

 

Take That - O2 Arena

Bring Me the Horizon - AO Arena

Twin Atlantic - O2 Academy Glasgow 

Hope of the States - Glasgow Stereo

The Interrupters - Slam Dunk North 

[charlierc]

14 hours ago, charlierc said:

Top 3...

• Killers at London O2. They just get the assignment of the big shows and this set was punchy and delightful
• Public Service Broadcasting at Aylesbury Waterside. Such a great crisp sound scape to match the ambition of what they do
• Green Day at Old Trafford in Manchester. Great energy to keep going for 2 1/2 hours, playing two big albums in full. Sound could've been crisper in the second half, but was excellent until then

Kings of Leon was really good fun, if let down by something odd with the sound where I was sat. St Vincent at RAH, I really liked despite a stomach bug meaning I didn't feel like getting up & dancing, and I had great fun at Interpol at Ally Pally.

 

Not a bad year of shows by any means tbf.

Tbf the only one I saw as well as this and left off was Foo Fighters in Cardiff. Was a great show but hurt by two factors - the fact I got stuck in appalling traffic to get to Wales and the sound system being iffy for the first few songs where I could only hear vocals and drums, which given Foo Fighters use more than these two items meant it was a bit thin sonically. When I moved places it was much better.

 

Little gutted I missed most of Wet Leg - I only saw the last two songs but they sounded great. Much better than when I saw them open for Pulp in '23.

[dondo]

Top 3 for me were

 

1) Sprints at New Century Hall last month

 

2) Underworld at Factory International in April 

 

3) Pete Wylie at Brudenell in March

 

Honourable mention also for Depeche Mode at AO Arena in January 

Edited 6 hours ago by dondo

[sheffinghell]

Surprisingly quite a few of my top picks were outdoors this year, but show of the year was an impromptu gig from The Hives at The Leadmill when storm something or other stopped them getting to Ireland.

 

Outdoor top picks...

 

Yard Act at Tramlines

The Cribs at Live at Leeds

Richard Hawley at Don Valley

Grace Jones at The Piece Hall

Michael Kiwanuka at The Piece Hall 

Human League at Tramlines

 

Indoors...

Sirens of Lesbos at Sidney & Matilda

Elbow at Leeds Arena (letdown by an awful self-indulgent support set from The Waeve)

 

Loads of other good stuff too, and was absolutely gutted to miss The The at Holmfirth Picturedrome due to a knee injury. 

[Chapple12345]

A bit of a cop out but my gig of the year (more of an event really) was the Doctor Who Prom at the Royal Albert Hall. An amazing show and a wonderful experience 

Other highlights were 

The Mary Wallopers - Latitude 

Kasabian - Latitude 

CMAT - Latitude 

The Last Dinner Party - LCR Norwich 

Confidence Man - LCR Norwich 

I haven't been to that many gigs this year sadly but already got plenty booked for 2025 🤩

[Ortiz34]

Bruce Springsteen - Madrid night 2

The War on Drugs - Liverpool night 2

English Teacher - EoTR

[steviewevie]

Nick Cave, Beth Gibbons, English Teacher and The Smile all fighting for top 3.

[Olshansky]

 

1. Joni Mitchell at the Hollywood Bowl 

2. Missy Elliott at USB Arena 

3. PJ Harvey, second night at Terminal 5 in NYC

 

I saw a lot of live music this year.  Was hard to pick three but Joni is no question number 1.  I'd rank it top three i've ever seen.