2020 Concerts Ranking

 

Anything to be said about the concert experience in 2020 will be an understatement and will resonate as obvious. It is also pedantic to complain about not being able to enjoy live music in light of all this pandemic has taken from us. For me it made me reminisce and appreciate even more the chances I had to witness some of my favorite artists in the past and in a couple of the handful chances I had to attend shows this year, live music reminded me of the transformative and transcendental nature of art.

Lots of cancellations and plans that didn’t come to fruition. There was no Fuji Rock the year. I had tickets to see Tangerine Dream in June, the rapper JID in the same month, Brujeria and Pig Destroyer in March, a performance by the Butoh group Dairakudakan in March, The Tokyo Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jonathan Nott performing Mahler’s Fifth Symphony and Helmut Lachenmann’s Tanzsuite mit Deutschlandlied in July and Big Thief first scheduled for May, later postponed to March 2021 and eventually cancelled. 

From the thirty something concerts I usually covered every year, there were only six shows featured on the blog this year. I wonder what will be the number for 2021. These six shows -except for one- all ranged from excellent to spellbinding. Instead of choosing the best five I’ll just rank them.

6. Cattle Decapitation at Koenji High.

On February 29th, the only kind of dud on the list. Maybe my expectations were to high, but Cattle Decapitation this evening was definitely on auto-pilot mode. The lack of effort mixed with the horrid sound was even more infuriating due to the fact that people risked going there during the pandemic. I still think they are an amazing band on record. Revocation, on the other hand, were pretty great as an opening band.

5. Flux Quartet at Kanagawa Kenmin Hall.

The quartet performed a well chosen selection of 20th and 21st Century pieces. The funny thing is that I remembered that the unlisted encore, Michael Gordon’s Clouded Yellow, was the most memorable piece of the evening. Another thing that I remembered about this concert was that there were rehearsals for the following day Coming of Age Day ceremony at the same venue. It now feels like a completely different world.

4. Obituary at Garret Udagawa.

Obituary delivered the goods and more. It was an unrelenting set from beginning to end and included a full performance of their classic second album Cause of Death in its entirety. Another event at the beginning of the year that now feels like worlds apart.

3. Fabian Almazan Trio at Musashino Swing Hall.

The jazz trio of piano, bass and drums is always a treat in a live setting and this was no exception. These three musicians, Fabian Almazan on piano, Linda May Han Oh on bass and Henry Cole on drums, clicked in a truly symbiotic way. It was the first concert I went to in 2020, didn’t think at the time that it was going to be one of a handful. Good thing that it was an excellent one.

2. Uncle Acid and the deadbeats at Club Quattro.

The same can be said about the last rock show I went to in 2020. At the time this show felt as an act of defiance and an optimistic downplaying of what was happening. Nevermind the context, this show was the sound of a band at its peak and firing on all cylinders. Uncle Acid has always been an interesting band and it was great to see how their music achieved nirvana live.

1. Bach Collegium Japan conducted by Masaaki Suzuki at Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall.

Closing on a spiritual note. This concert and Bach music were a reminder of the relentless triumph of the human spirit over adversity. It couldn’t have been more meaningful and eloquent.  

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