11 best shows of 2007

Yes puny humans, cheer for us!
I would like to use this 100th post (!) to congratulate ourselves. And to continue the listing. If it wasn't for the surprise act of the year the number one of this list would be the act I posted about first.

I've seen quite a lot of shows in 2007. My goal was to see all the artists that ended up in my top 15. But a good record does not necesarily mean a good show of course, and there were some surprises this year.
The best supporting act of 2007 was Patrick Watson...thrice! First he opened for Loney, Dear which kinda made me lose interest in the main act. Right after that we were treated to him supporting Interpol (again more interesting than the main act) and he had a double-headline gig with The Besnard Lakes.
The Biggest let-down was The Field. As much as I love his album the 'live act' was anything but live. He just stood there behind his laptop and flicked some switches. Boring! Lo-Fi Fnk at Pukkelpop also were a bit...sad and someone needs to tell Justice that a glowing cross is not an act, it's just a glowing cross.

But what were the 10 shows that made me dance, scream, cry or pee (not really!)?

10: Bjork at Cultuurpark Westergasfabriek (july 8)
I was and still am a bit disappointed by her last album. It features some good songs but it's just not that special somehow. The concert was however. She played the crowd like a Japanese flute. She danced like a little elf-troll on speed accompanied by brass-girls, lasers and flags. She ju-jitsu'd to the beat of Hunter and finally destroyed everything with the anthemic 'Declare Independance' (I still hear her shrill voice scream "raise your flag!" sometimes).

9: Pukkelpop in Hasselt (august 16, 17 and 18)
Although Arcade Fire didn't convince at all (because the sound was crap) Spoon (made me want to dance), Architecture in Helsinki (made me want to dance even more!), Sonic Youth (but not the entire set) and Fujiya & Miyagi (funky!) did. Seeing Low and Besnard Lakes again was also very nice but the true winner of Pukkelpop had to be Patrick Wolf. What a show, what a crowd, what a showman! The first beats of Accident and Emergencies were spectacular.

8: Stars in Paradiso (september 29)
Stars revolve around Amy Millan and Toquil Campbell who proved to be even more charming live than on record. The instant-hit 'Take Me To The Riot' got everyone going, the funky 'Genosha Heights' kept everyone moving and the cathartic duet 'Your Ex-lover is Dead' moved eryone even more. And as if that wasn't enough 'In Our Bedroom After The War' topped it all of (best last song on an album ever?).

7: Soulwax in Club 11 (october 21)
Simian Mobile Disco?...pfff! Justice?...bleh. Soulwax really proved they are the coolest of the cool. They invented cool, threw it away, invented a new cool and reinvented that. They played the remixes they did for other acts...live. To have enough good remixes to be able to do that is one thing, to come up with the bloody genius idea is another, but to make it work so incredibly well is....well....Cool.

6: Spinvis in Theater Kikker (september 23)
Spinvis is really Eric de Jong and played by himself in the small and charming theatre Kikker. I didn't really think it was going to be that special without his band but just him, a guitar, piano and lots of electronic tricks proved to be enough. Escpecially since he posseses a unique talent for uncovering big emotions from 'small' urban situations. I'm not ashamed to say that my eyes filled up a bit.

5: St. Vincent in Theater Kikker (december 8)
Annie Clark was so fragile it looked like whe was made of porcelain. But despite her appearance she really knows what she is doing. And what she's doing is nothing less than brilliant. She plays the piano and the guitar like she was born to it, has such a clear and beautiful voice AND writes incredible songs. An entire album full of them in fact. During the concert I was so close that I had to restrian myself from stepping on stage and hugging her. A savant with looks and charms.
St. Vincent - Marry Me (mp3)

4: Of Montreal in Paradiso (december 11)
Ridiculous costumes, psychedelic (and sometimes downright psychotic) visuals and opening your show with a 15-minute song? A recipy for disaster. But Of Montreal got away with it, and how! Their music features lots of rhytmn changes and breaks but my attention never wandered for a second. I dind't really consider myself a fan before, but now I'm converted. A paradoxically great show. You can watch all of it here.
Of Montreal - The Past is a Grotesque Animal (mp3)

3: The Besnard Lakes in Paradiso (may 28)
Nobody wanted to go with me to see The Besnard Lakes in Paradiso. Understandable if you try to describe their music; "well, it's kinda 70's rock, with male falsetto vocals and a shrill female voice, it's really loud and the songs last about 8 minutes...". They played their entire album and created that magical feeling that you sometimes get when everything just comes together... twice! It happened with 'And Tonight' and with 'And You Lied To Me'.
The Besnard Lakes - And You Lied To Me (live video)

Since I was foolish enough to finish this list before seeing my last show of the year:
2.5: Dan Deacon in Melkweg (20 december)
Just imagine a world where a fat bald-ish sweaty American loops Woody Woodpecker, uses raw techno-beats and sings and screams over it in a helium voice. Then imagine it being the coolest thing ever. COngratulations, you're living in that world! A dance-of, holding hands in a circle and a sing-a-long have never been this cool. The anthemic 'Wham City' was the highlight of the night.
Dan Deacon - Wham City (mp3)

2: Low in Paradiso (may 7)
I've had the pleasure of seeing Low twice this year. The first time was in Paradiso and I have to say that I was not at all prepared for that much subdued beauty. They've learned that less IS more. Highlight of the show was 'Take Your Time', a track that brims with tension and when the harmonic release comes it goes from the gut to the heart. The second time at the pukkelpop festival made me want to see them again a few days later in Utrecht. I really should've gone again.
Low - Take Your Time (live video)

1: The Ark in Waterfront (october 1)
A big fan of The Ark took me to see them. They're huge in Sweden but this was their first time in The Netherlands and they played in quite an unknown venue for some mysterious reason. Not that they seemed to notice because they played as if the crowd consisted of 150.000.000 people instead of 150. We had to endure two lame supporting acts but were treated to THE BEST CONCERT OF THE YEAR! A glam-rock show that spits on the Scissor Sisters from such great heights that it isn't even funny anymore. Cried from enjoyment and peed from exitement. I get all barfy even thinking about how great that show was.
The Ark - It Takes a Fool to Remain Sane (video)