The editors would like to celebrate the best shows we’ve seen this year! We will list in chronological order to avoid endless weighing of one show against another.

Were you in the house on these nights?

2016 Best Shows

Sonny Landreth – Soiled Dove Underground, Denver, CO 1/14/16

Conrad Oberg – Springing the Blues, Jax Beach, FL 4/3/16

Lucero Block Party: Lucero and St. Paul and the Broken Bones- Minglewood Theater parking lot, Memphis, TN 4/23/16

 

2015 Best Shows

Tedeschi-Trucks Band- Florida Theatre, Jacksonville, FL 1/16/15

NMO- North Mississippi Allstars and Anders Osbourne- Ponte Vedra Concert Hall, Ponte Vedra, FL 2/19/15

John Fogerty- Fiddler’s Green, Denver, CO 8/8/15

Drive-By Truckers- Red Rocks Amphitheater, Morrison, CO 8/16/15

2014 Best Shows

Greg Allman and JJ Grey – Florida Theatre, Jacksonville, FL  1/1/14

Tommy Emmanuel and Martin Taylor – Ponte Vedra Concert Hall, Ponte Vedra, FL 2/21/14

Corbitt Brothers- Springing the Blues, Jax Beach, FL 4/5/14

Betty Fox Band- Springing the Blues, Jax Beach, FL 4/5/14

Eric Steckel- Springing the Blues, Jax Beach, FL 4/6/14

Old 97s- Bluebird Theater, Denver, CO 6/28/14

Alvin Youngblood Hart- Blues Under the Bridge, Colorado Springs, CO 7/19/14

Tedeschi-Trucks Band, Gary Clark Jr. – Red Rocks Amphitheater, Morrison, CO 7/25/14

2013 Best Shows

Drive-By Truckers, 930 Club, Washington, D.C. 1/1/13 ( As the encore started way past midnight, this counts as a 2013 show. Especially when it’s Mike Cooley playing ” Zip City”!)

Kelly Hogan, Turf Club, St. Paul, MN, 1/24/13.

Marshall Crenshaw and the Bottle Rockets, Ponte Vedra Concert Hall, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 1/25/13

Ruthie Foster, Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hopkins, MN, 1/29/13.

Lucinda Williams, Dakota Jazz Club, Minneapolis, MN, 2/6/13.

Sam Llanas, with Kevin Bowe & Andy Dee opening, Icehouse, Minneapolis, MN 2/22/13.

The Mavericks, with Seth Walker, Pantages Theater, Minneapolis, MN, 4/3/13

Kelly Willis & Bruce Robison, with Molly Maher & Frankie Lee opening, Dakota Jazz Club, Minneapolis, MN, 5/5/13

Boz Scaggs – The Florida Theatre, Jacksonville, FL 5/7/13

Tedeschi-Trucks Band – Red Rocks, Morrison, CO 6/15/13

Blues Caravan – Blues Under the Bridge, Colorado Springs, CO 7/20/13

Ray Wylie Hubbard, Cedar Cultural Center. Minneapolis, MN 8/22/13

Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band, Samantha Fish- Florida Blues and Music Fest, Sarasota, FL 10/26/13

Bonnie Raitt – The Florida Theatre, Jacksonville, FL 11/29/13

Gregg Allman Band, JJ Grey and Mofro- The Florida Theatre, Jacksonville, FL 12/31/13

2012 Best Shows

An Evening with Garland Jeffreys, Friday, Jan. 20, 2012, Ritz Theater, Minneapolis

The Malone Brothers (Tommy – Subdudes & Dave – Radiators), Sunday, March 4, 2012, Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant, Minneapolis

Colin Hay (Men At Work), Tuesday, March 6, 2012, Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hopkins,MN

Peter Case (Plimsouls), Thursday, March 22, 2012, Amsterdam Bar, St. Paul, MN

Van Dyke Parks (legendary producer of The Beach Boys’ masterpiece, “Smile,” among countless others), Tuesday, April 3, 2012, Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers/ Regina Spektor – Broomfield, CO 4/19/12

Social Distortion, Friday, April 27, 2012, First Avenue, Minneapolis

NRBQ, Saturday, May 12, 2012, Famous Dave’s BBQ & Blues, Minneapolis

Chris Duarte – Crystola, CO 5/12/12

Chip Taylor (writer of “Wild Thing,” “Angel of the Morning,” among others), Friday, May 25, 2012, Threadgill’s, Austin, TX

Alejandro Escovedo – The Grey Eagle, Asheville, NC 6/1/12

Sonny Landreth – The Soiled Dove Underground, Denver, CO 6/29/12; and again, at The Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis, MN 11/14/12

Watermelon Slim, Monday, July 16, 2012, Bluesberry Cafe, Clarksdale, MS

Los Lobos/ Steve Earle – Arvada Center, Littleton, CO 7/29/12

Neil Young and Crazy Horse – Red Rocks Amphitheater, Morrison, CO 8/5/12

Dan Penn & Bobby Emmons, Sunday, August 5, 2012, Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant, Minneapolis

Tedeschi/Trucks Band, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO 8/30/12

2012 Americana Music Honors & Awards Show, Ryman Auditorium, Nashvile, TN, 9/12/12

North Mississippi Allstars – Ogden Theater, Denver, CO 9/15/12

Kelley Hunt, Crystola Roadhouse, Crystola, CO, 10/19/12

Leonard Cohen – First Bank Center, Broomfield, CO 11/3/12

James McMurtry / The Gourds, Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis, MN 11/10/12

Graham Parker & The Rumour, Fitzgerald Theater, St. Paul, MN 12/19/12

The Bottle Rockets, with local openers Crankshaft & The Gear Grinders, Famous Dave’s BBQ & Blues, Minneapolis, MN 12/29/12

Drive-By Truckers and North Mississippi Allstars- 930 Club, Washington, D.C. 12/31/12