Top 10 Shows of 2012

2012 was a pretty great year for shows, but of course, some are way better than others. Here are my top 10!

Psychedelic Furs play tiny Maxwell’s in Hoboken, recapturing some of the magic from the first two awesome albums (at least until they play “Heartbreak Beat”).

Bruce Springsteen! At Madison Square Garden! My first time seeing Bruce live. Everybody should go at least once and soon. He’s the hardest-working man in showbiz.

Swervedriver at Bowery Ballroom. The juggernaut returns!  Frontman Adam Franklin is awesome singing in this band and solo.

Asobi Seksu at Highline Ballroom. Yeah, man! The coolest band in the world keeps smokin’!

Agnostic Front at Warsaw. Three decades along, the veterans show the whippersnappers also on the Power of the Riff bill how it’s done.

Asobi Seksu at Brooklyn Bowl. They count again because Yuki sang through a cold for this show. She is like so great!

Grimes at Hudson River Park. The show almost didn’t happen due to warnings for a thunderstorm, but Grimes could not be denied. Not my sort of music at all, but from the standpoint of delivering a live show — she killed it!

Ringo Deathstarr at Cake Shop. My favorite new band will go on to rule the fucking universe!

Public Image Limited at The Music Hall of Williamsburg. John Lydon has a never-ending supply of bile.

Corrosion of Conformity at St. Vitus. The Animosity-era lineup is having the time of their lives playing shows, judging by the smiles and jokes. “How’s the weather?” asked singer/bassist Mike Dean. This was about a week after Hurricane Sandy. “Too soon!” yelled back an unflappable audience member. New York. You gotta love it.