Best Sets You Saw in 2014

[HAVN]

1) Daniel Rossen (Lincoln Hall)
2) This Will Destroy You (Lincoln Hall)
3) Slowdive (Vic)
4) American Football (Lincoln Hall)
5) Failure (2x) (Metro, Riot Fest Humboldt Park)
6) Owls (Wicker Park Fest)
7) Primus (Riot Fest Humboldt Park)
8) The Flaming Lips (Riot Fest Humboldt Park)
9) Hot Snakes (Riot Fest Humboldt Park)
10) Death From Above 1979 (Riviera)
11) The Life & Times (Beat Kitchen)
12) Russian Circles (Metro)
13) Mastodon (Riot Fest Humboldt Park)
14) Death Cab For Cutie (Hideout Block Party / Onion A/V Fest)
15) El Ten Eleven (Wicker Park Fest)
16) NoFX (Riot Fest Humboldt Park)
17) Deafheaven (Bottom Lounge Pitchfork After-Show)

Anyone else in Chicago? I'm just constantly amazed by the sound quality at Lincoln Hall.

Sonically, This Will Destroy You, Slowdive, and Failure (Metro show) most impressed. TWDY sounded like on their albums. I think that was the day Jeremy picked up his cabs from Janice.

Most fun was Primus, Flaming Lips, and NoFX. Offspring also played all of Smash and Weezer all of the Blue Album at that fest. Really fun hearing those songs live.

Deafheaven didn't impress much, except the drummer. DFA 1979 was super neat to see, but it felt like Seb was rushing when singing.

American Football felt deliberately nostalgic. They were also drunk. Owls was rad -- especially Victor Villareal. That guy really knows how to play. Hot Snakes sounded great. Death Cab's set was neat because it was one of Chris Walla's last.

[HAVN]

I should include Metric here. I had never heard of them and their set at Riot Fest was top notch.

[doommeow]

SWANS. Swans Swans Swans. Swans.

Saw them 3, maybe 4 times in 2014. Buying my tix today to see them later this month.

Runner ups - ASMZ. Colin Stetson.

[backwardsvoyager]

1. DUB-Russell (max/msp glitch breakcore improv artist, the venue was a 4-floor nightclub and the sound was just shattering the whole place, blew my mind)
2. ENDON (grind/noise band, i was standing in front of the subs and couldn't breathe properly, it felt like my entire body was being punished)
3. tricot (one of the most energetic sets i've ever seen, i was grinning like an idiot the whole time)
4. Ichiko Aoba (most beautiful and unique singer songwriter i've seen, she plays with different acoustic spaces by working out which sounds reverberate and stuff)
5. Yurumerumo w/ Jojo Hiroshige of Hijokaidan (J-Pop / Noise crossover with 12-piece ensemble, opened for Deerhoof)
6. sajjanu (god-tier musicianship)
7. Oshiripenpenzu (most fun i've ever had at a show i think)
8. Miyauchi Yuri (most amazing solo looping i've seen, super intimate venue)
9. Loren Connors & Keiji Haino (improvised film score over video conference)
10. Deerhoof (FUN)

honourable mentions to oneohtrix point never, melt-banana, yoshida tatsuya, coaltar of the deepers, les conferences bunker, and some sydney bands that i'm probably forgetting.
oh and if super early 2015 counts, Ben Frost and Tim Hecker put on a fucking great show.

[GardenoftheDead]

Cloudkicker
Intronaut
Godflesh
Nine Inch Nails
Swans

[trace]

Dean Ween Group
Helms Alee & Young Widows
Acid Mothers Temple w/ Cotton Casino
Zorch
Boris, Atlas Moth, and Subrosa
Mylets and Emma Ruth Rundle
Russian Circles & Mutoid Man (Looking back it seems i saw mostly only Sargent House bands last year )
Reggie & The Full Effect (not typically my type of music but my gf likes them and holy fuck did I have fun at this show)
Local H

[DarkAxel]

Swans
NIN
QOTSA
The Afghan Whigs
Biffy Clyro
Karnivool
Russian Circles
Tera Melos

it was a good year. i'm sure i'm forgetting someone

[Eivind August]

Keiji Haino
Slowdive
Boris
Todd Terje
Afghan Whigs
Merzbow
Swans
Autechre
LoveLoveLove
Of Montreal
Endon
Parquet Courts
Neutral Milk Hotel

[Iommic Pope]

Any of those times I saw Matt Pike were pretty awesome.

[Ugly Nora]

Robyn Hitchcock

[Iommic Pope]

Oh, and I saw Neurosis last year as well.
That was fucking amazing.

[HAVN]

SWANS. Swans Swans Swans. Swans.

Saw them 3, maybe 4 times in 2014. Buying my tix today to see them later this month.

Runner ups - ASMZ. Colin Stetson.

I had a chance to see A Silver Mt. Zion but I didn't. Kinda regret it.

[HAVN]

Helms Alee

I don't know how this slipped my mind! Saw them too, they sounded huge.

[HAVN]

Slowdive

I assume you saw them at Øyafestivalen? I was in Oslo at the time (konen min er norsk) but I just couldn't justify the price. Was happy to get the chance to see them in Chicago when they came back, since I also waited too long on the Pitchfork day passes and missed out on that.

Their light show was a trip and they sounded way better than I was expecting.

[kaeth]

Skinny Puppy
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds / Warpaint
Foxy Shazam / Larry and his Flask
Fountain -> http://fountainonline.bandcamp.com/
Bardos -> http://bardos.bandcamp.com/
Seraphic Lights -> http://seraphiclights.bandcamp.com/

Some locals that kicked my ass:
Ocean City Defender -> https://oceancitydefender.bandcamp.com/
IGBC -> https://igbc.bandcamp.com/
Reverb Bomb -> http://reverbbomb.bandcamp.com/
Bottom Rockers -> https://bottomrockers305.bandcamp.com/
Rock Truck -> http://rocktruck.bandcamp.com/