Best Concerts of 2023
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Gizz was just the most fun concert of the year. The crowd for the group is the most accepting that I’ve seen and just about everyone in the crowd passes the vibe check. I tailgated with a mix of strangers and friends before the concert and it was an amazing time. To add to this, KGLW are easily some of the most talented individuals that I’ve seen live in terms of technical prowess. The setlist was also perfect considering what I love about the band, which is their harder material. Gila Monster, Nuclear Fusion and Crumbling Castle were all incredible live. And the best song of the year that I saw, The Dripping Tap, was so so incredible to see live. It was just an extended jam session of one of my all time favorite Gizz songs and was an unforgettable experience. It’s easy to see why they have such a cult following and I’m sure I’ll be going to another concert of theirs in the near future.
100 gecs + Machine Girl - One of the most fun concerts of the year. Machine Girl’s set was easily the best drumming that I’ve ever seen and the singer went all across the venue with a hilariously extended microphone (had to have been a 500 foot long extension). 100 gecs was again one of the most fun experiences to see live. Their technical prowess on the instruments is incredible to see and you can just tell from their vibes that they are having the time of their lives when playing. Moshing to Frog on the Floor was an incredible experience. Can’t wait to see them again.
Weyes Blood - Weyes Blood’s voice is somehow better live, which is crazy to say because her voice is heavenly on the studio recordings. Her voice combined with the live instrumentation made for a one of a kind experience. The visuals were also the best that I saw this year. In particular the visuals for God Turn Me Into a Flower from documentarian Adam Curtis was incredibly powerful when paired with the music.
Slowdive - This was one of my bucket list bands, and I’m so glad I was able to see them live. The instruments live were crazy. The new material was great live. And of course the old hits were amazing live. When The Sun Hits and Souvlaki Space Station were some of the best songs that I heard live this year.
Gipsy Kings - I hadn’t heard of this band until one of my friends invited me to a concert for them, but it was a great time! The group had so much energy and by the end of the concert they had everyone dancing. So much fun!
Swans - Swans had the oldest crowd that I went to this year, which to me was a bit surprising. Michael Gira acted basically as a composer for the other band members, which was interesting to watch. It makes sense because of the long-winded nature of the songs that they were playing that night, and it added a lot to the experience. This was also easily one of the loudest concerts of the year. Some of these guitar chords were insane live, where I could feel it in my chest each time they played a chord.
Little Simz - Simz was for me the best rapper that I saw live this year. Her stage presence was great and her rapping was top tier. Her tracks from her past two albums in particular translated really well live and I hope that I’m able to see her again if she comes back to the Americas.
STRFKR - This concert was just a blast. STRFKR are one of the best live bands that I’ve seen multiple times and it works because they have so many hits to play.
George Clanton, death’s dynamic shroud, and Frost Children - I was excited primarily for DDS and George Clanton and they both delivered. It was super cool to see how DDS performed live, with a mix of their more poppy material and then of course playing their vaporwave material. George Clanton was awesome as well, I think his stage presence is the best that I saw this year. The visuals were also sick, with CRTs displaying some of the visuals that he had.
JID + Smino - The mixing at this concert was hit or miss (with Smino’s set especially suffering from it), but the JID portion was really fun. JID is top tier at rapping and listening to Stick live was one of the most memorable experiences of the year.
Big Thief - A cute little outdoors concert, with some great performances by one of my favorite folk bands.
Earl Sweatshirt + The Alchemist - This set was pretty sick because not only did I get to see Earl for the first time, which was awesome, but also unexpectedly got to hear a set beforehand with The Alchemist playing a lot of his beats. I didn’t know that some of the songs that he played were produced by him, like some songs on Lost Tapes by Nas and FEAR. by Kendrick Lamar, so it was super sick to hear those live.
John Mayer - John Mayer can absolutely play. Although I wasn’t familiar with a lot of his work he showed why he can fill up an arena with his stage presence at this one.
Billy Woods - It’s actually incredible that Billy Woods is able to rap all of the songs that he does live. Great vibes and got to talk to him a bit after the concert which was super cool!
AG Club - A nice hype concert, with great stage presence from both MCs.
Books Read in 2023
Miss Smilla’s Feeling for Snow - A great Scandinavian thriller with political aspects, reminded me a lot of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Lots of great history laced in there too. Highly recommend if you like thrillers.
Geek Love - A very weird and quirky book about a family that intentionally makes children that are built to be in the circus by taking drugs during pregnancy. A pretty quick read too if you want something very different than most books.
Dune - I can see why this has been adapted as a movie twice, some very interesting sci-fi going on here. The Denis adaptation pretty much follows the first half of the book to a tea, so I’m excited to see what he’s able to do with what I believe to be a larger scaled 2nd half.
The Girl Who Played with Fire - My personal favorite of the trilogy. Salander is absolutely on one throughout the book. This one kept me thinking each time I read it.
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest - A direct continuation after the last book. Much more about the politics this time around than the action, but still a great way to end my new favorite trilogy.
The Goldfinch - A long winded part tragedy part thriller detailing the life of Theo Decker. I found this to be a bit too much at the beginning, but once it got to Theo’s adolescence it picked up the pace and was super enjoyable.
The Maltese Falcon - A quick, fun, and easy noire read. Could easily see someone reading this on a plane ride.
Interview with the Vampire - Sneakily one of my favorites of the year. A great gothic novel going through the life of a vampire, and the unexpected dynamic of how a vampire interacts with their creator whom they don’t necessarily like.
The Dry - A solid easy read thriller in the outback. Certainly kept me gripped the entire time, if you like thrillers I’d recommend.
We Need to Talk About Kevin - An interesting concept for a book, which is from the perspective of a mother of a school shooter. Very bleak at times, but was also super captivating.
Never Let Me Go - An easy dystopian type read. Was enough to keep me captivated the whole time, but wasn’t anything too crazy either. Would have certainly fit in well with my reading in middle school.