Best Musical Moments of 2016 • Page 2

"Formation" and everything that followed, including seeing her on the world tour

finally seeing Ellie and her singing "Explosions"

thrice's "the long defeat"

jimmy eat world's "get right"

underoath's rebirth tour

kendrick's grammy performance

ultralight beam + FML that first madison square garden day

brand new's "you won't know"/"tautou" hybrid to close their set on the summer tour

 

Frank Ocean's Endless, the "Nikes" video, and then finally Blonde all dropping while I was on vacation in NYC will always be something I'll remember.

 

Earl's verse on really doe

 

Watching Chance do his "Ultra Light Beam" verse on SNL with Kanye wooping in the background.

Laying in my bed, early morning, listening to TLOP for the first time.

Walking on the Brigantine beach in the morning, listening to Blonde for the first time.

Laying in bed at night, laughing, listening to Coloring Book for the first time.

"It might be over soon."

Dancing with my gal in my apartment to "A Change of Heart".

Every part of "If I Believe You", my favorite song of the year. Most of all the live solo during their Philly show, with Matty just off to the side watching what the band had created.

The feeling at the end of Bruce Springsteen's 4-plus hour Philly show. I'm a huge fan, it was the first Bruce show I'd ever seen, and he played his record-longest US show ever.

Watching Julien Baker deliver a riveting, intimate Philly show to many more people than last time, and having it feel just as special. Really excited to see where she goes next.

Watching Christine and the Queens for the first time.

Standing in the rain for an hour at Gov Ball waiting for the Killers. Then they came out and went straight into "Mr. Brightside", blowing the whole crowd away.

Watching Beyonce's hair submerging in the water during her "Formation" video.

Pinegrove, man.

Dancing with my friends to "Pick Up The Phone".

Dancing by myself to "Friends".

 

Hey I was there for that! That really was an incredible moment, it seemed like the crowd completely forgot about the rain.

 

Chance smiling from ear to ear while playing Same Drugs on SNL last night.

 

seeing Greg Dulli cover Hyperballad

 

Seeing Busted for the first time after 13 years of thinking it would never happen.

New Busted music.

The 1975 thread when that album leaked.

Music video for "A Change of Heart" and the song itself.

Relient K's "Empty House".

Seeing Motion City Soundtrack for the last time.

 

Greg Dulli is too great.

 

getting to interview a fuck ton of people i thought i'd never even see live including Matt from The 1975, Soupy from TWY, Simon from Biffy Clyro, Chuck from Simple Plan, Jeph from The Used, Richie from Judas Priest, Matthew from Nada Surf, fucking Butch Vig and a bunch of important people from my country

the build up to California

getting my first advance album, Biffy Clyro's Ellipsis, and playing it to my friend who's a huge fan

realizing the connection between the songs on the Bittersweet EP by Aaron West

the entirety of Act V by The Dear Hunter

the entirety of Beyond the Fleeting Gales by Crying

the TWY show

getting to talk to Nick from TWY (even if i fucked it up and got him mad at me afterwards)

telling the girl i love that i had managed to get her a live interview with Simple Plan just as she was getting ready for her 8-hour trip to the show

listening to "Somebody Else" and wondering if same girl was being hit on while on that show

listening, singing, and dancing to "The Sound" while taking a shower

listening to "Death of a Bachelor" while leaving the city where i spent the best week of my year

listening to "Sun" while staring at the moon in front of my house at 2am on the coldest night of the last three years

listening to "Bonny and Clyde" by Galileo Galilei as the heavy rain clouds dispersed and revealed the most beautiful sunset i'd ever seen

 

Listening to Postcard by Balance and Composure the night it was released through my phone speakers in a hotel room in Lexington, KY with my girlfriend sitting next to me. And then later that night, listening to it for a second time at like 3am with headphones staring up the ceiling of the hotel room because my dad and his girlfriend's snoring kept me awake.

 

pinegrove + snowing's set's at BWM fest

my phone randomly playing an unreleased Los Campesinos! song cause itunes fucked up .

getting a new Johnny Foreigner album.

Pinegrove using my guitar for this session:

 

finally seeing future live
the FSMHP1 drop both live and in everyday life
going back into the bar on at least three different occassions because ginuwine's "pony" came on as i was leaving
blasting "fuck donald trump" four times at our halloween party
tweeting at a dj to never cut off remy ma's verse on "all the way up"
losing my mind because the young thug "pass dat" remix dropped while i was in montreal
waynes verse on "mad"
thugger saying "kerosene kerosene!" on "no limit"
kevin gates becoming a star
making watching music videos become a regular occurrence for me and my friends
listening to the frank ocean albums in the car to and from montreal bookending the trip
seeing chance play "sunday candy" and his ULB verse live

 

listening to Whitney on a train
quavo verses

 

Bear vs. Shark concert
Chance at MIA
Strafford APTS
Listening to Coloring Book for the first time
Playing "Only One" for my students
Listening to Goodness for the first time

 

The entirety of Kanye's Buffalo concert, and touching Kanye's hand

Listening to The Coloring Book for the first time, with the sun rising, driving down from Burlington, VT. One of the most beautiful drives I've ever experienced

Going to see Bruce live with my Dad and sneaking down to the floor mid-way through the show

Listening to the Eaux Claires Bon Iver set on repeat

Listening to 22, A Million for the first time on vinyl, and it being the first vinyl I ever purchased

Listening to "I Need a Forest Fire" at one of my lowest points in the year

Pulling an all-nighter listening to the 1975's i like it when you sleep, and getting crazy looks from my co-workers in the morning

Finally seeing the 1975 live and dancing my ass off

Spending a night just hanging my with friend, and listening to Glass Animals How to Be a Human Being together, realizing how great the album is

When Dawn Richard's Blackheart finally clicked

 

The Kanye roll out and album was genuinely a thing.

Blink 182 enjoying success because of new music.

The McCartney/Black Beatles thing is just so fantastic on a lot of different levels.

The Rolling Stones releasing a blues album that is great.

Chance the Rapper throwing a huge festival on the South Side.

Seeing Underoath come back and (seemingly) enjoy themselves immensely.

Seeing Guns N Roses make it through three hours of music on a summer night in Chicago (also the minor miracle that they made it through the entire tour) without any issues.

Having a college buddy drop in for a day from South Korea and seeing Cherub for a Lolla afterparty.

Going to more than a few shows by myself.

 

Saw Underoath at a festival in September, was definitely a highlight of the night for me. So happy they're back.

 

I went to so many shows by myself this year. It is almost even more enjoyable for me going alone.

 

Going to shows alone is great

 

I never got why people make going to shows or movies alone such a big deal, you shouldn't be talking during them

 

shows are better with friends but there is no reason to miss bands you like because you are better than your friends