If there’s one thing we love here at POD is live music, so for our latest year-end list we want to showcase some of our favorite shows we attended in 2015. Our tickets and press passes pictured above give you a pretty good idea of some of the concerts attended, but we couldn’t possibly fit into this one picture all of the dope sets we experienced all over the country since last year.
Hit the jump and read about which live shows were the dopest of the dope in 2015.
The Arcs at the Vic
https://www.instagram.com/p/-0TiCvr5ns/
Dan Auerbach’s new group The Arcs were unleashed onto the world this year and earlier this month they played the Chicago stop of the obligatory tour in support of new album Yours, Dreamily. The dessert-y, southwestern grooves fully came to life at The Vic, with a really captivating live set that included a great mix of new songs and covers, killer guitar work from Auerbach himself, and a truly show-stealing performance from the backing vocalists that consisted of Mariachi Flor de Toloache members.
Foo Fighters at Wrigley Field
https://www.instagram.com/p/7ABXNMGXUa/
When band leader Dave Grohl broke his leg earlier this year few held any hope that the Foo Fighters would be playing any of their shows from the summer’s Sonic Highways Tour, but the band showed their true colors and demonstrated that even serious personal injuries won’t soon be keeping these guys off the stage and rocking! The Wrigley Field concert was an epic show from beginning to end, with openers including Naked Raygun and Cheap Trick putting on headline-worthy sets of their own, while the Foos gave a performance that won’t soon be forgotten by any of us who were in attendance that evening. Grohl, performing from a kickass throne made of guitar and fully equipped with a light show of its own, the Foo Fighters played through all their hits and they did new songs as well, delivering one spine-tingling performance after the other. Legendary? I’d dare to say so.
Freaky Deaky Festival 2015
Our first time attending/covering Freaky Deaky was sure a great experience with a fully stacked lineup that included POD regulars like 2 Chainz, Mac Miller, Vic Mensa, Logic, Joey Badass, and many more. To quote our girl JuicyJackie from her recap of the fest: “Freaky Deaky was the perfect place Halloween weekend, it totally surpassed what I thought it would be” and “React Presents generated an awesome Halloween music festival. I’ve never been to one before and loved the music and Halloween theme mixed together. The music was awesome, the performances were awesome and the venue was really cool.”
James Bay at the Riviera
When we got news of James Bay coming to Chicago, one of our main objectives then was to secure a press pass to cover this one. After seeing the hatted guitar hero at a Republic Records party down at SXSW, we knew from then on that this man could only get better on a bigger stage and his show at the Riv was proof of just that.
Kehlani at Lincoln Hall
For us, 2015 is without a doubt the year of Kehlani! Just reading through this recap, you can tell JuicyJackie had the time of her life seeing the sultry R&B right as she was on the brink of taking a major step towards the limelight of the mainstream music world. Don’t believe me? Just look at her cozying up with her in the pic above. Further proof, Jackie says of the show:
“Kehlani is beyond a performer, not only did the performance have soul, it had confidence and love. You felt like you were part of the tsunami family. You felt her pain, you felt her happiness, you knew she truly meant her words.”
Kendrick Lamar’s Kunta’s Groove Sessions
Best concert of the year? Easy: Kendrick Lamar’s limited run Kunta’s Groove Sessions tour. The limited run part wasn’t what made this so special, but rather the fact that this was the tour on which fans were finally able to get live performances of his 2015 masterpiece To Pimp A Butterfly, which Kendrick previously mostly avoided at numerous festival appearances. It was beautiful, magical even.
Lollapalooza 2015
https://youtu.be/rraM0dt2qr0
Lolla is one of the can’t-miss shows for us every year since even before the start of the blog and we continued that tradition again with no hesitation. The fest was a (supremely) close second to P4k for us as far as festivals went, but it put up a good fight for the top spot with a lineup that included headliners that are among the best acts on the planet. The biggest highlights of Lolla 2015 included Alabama Shakes inching towards a headlining spot soon with an awesome set list that’s prime fest material, The Weeknd showing why he’s the breakout superstar of the year, Metallica proving they’ll forever be one of the best concerts you’ll EVER see, and Paul McCartney’s artistic legacy will never be matched thanks to the finest collection of music ever produced.
Mick Jenkins at the Metro
https://youtu.be/Y69HYxPfeBo
There’s nothing like a homecoming show from a beloved artist on the rise… Except when that homecoming show is the final show on a tour supporting a new project. That was the case with Mick Jenkins’ headlining slot at the iconic Metro, where he flexed and preached, proving just why he’s one best and most eclectic men on the mic in this new class of Hip Hop.
Pitchfork Music Festival 2015
Best music festival experience of the year? I’ve got to say, this title has to go Pitchfork Music Fest. The lineup was stacked and we saw triumphant sets from the likes of Wilco, Sleater-Kinney, Vic Mensa, and Chance The Rapper. The latter performing one of his best sets ever (we would know), marking yet another landmark moment in his still very young career. Oh and about Wilco and Sleater-Kinney? Absolute legends that show no signs of ever fading.
Soundset Music Festival (MN)
Our yearly pilgrimage to Minnesota for Soundset Music Fest always ends up on these lists because what’s not to like about a dope music festival that every Hip Hop fan would enjoy? The 2015 lineup had a fine mix of veteran and up-and-coming acts, giving us a good dose of live performances of classic tracks and hot new releases alike. This was also the place where we saw Vince Staples take a major leap forward as an artist, kickstarting a campaign that would make him one of the best artists of the year.
Summer Ends Music Festival (AZ)
Picture this: Imagine seeing J. Cole, Vic Mensa, Pusha T, Chance The Rapper, AND Kanye Westn… ALL in one weekend! Well that’s what happened at this year’s Summer Ends Music Fest in Tempe, Arizona. This show was lit from beginning to end, and well, you just can’t complain about a festival where you can see Yeezy.
Twin Peaks at the Empty Bottle
The last show of the year for us also happened to be amongst the best we’d seen overall. The force (of Rock & Roll) is strong with these guys, and these guys never fail to give a crowd what they want. You want to party and Rock out? You want to groove? Look no further than Twin Peaks.
*This isn’t the last you’ll hear of these dudes on this list…
Wavves and Twin Peaks at the Metro
https://youtu.be/QXRmspGDv-w
This show was probably my (Oscar) favorite individual concert of the year. Their new album V was the focal point of this concert and that was definitely a good thing as it’s one of my favorites of the entire year. The crowd was wild, with the most sincere moshing and crowdsurfing I’ve seen in years (trust me, sometimes these are forced and thus pretty lame), which prompted Nate to respond to that energy with a leap from the balcony into the welcoming crowd to end the show. Fuck. Yeah.
