Looking back on 2012 as a concert going year I had to say that there were a lot of cool highlights for me. Sure I was compiling my “Year End Best Of” to cover all the different things that I’ve examined over the year but with the blog growing faster and faster and more contests happening on it for the crushing shows that hit our town, I decided to keep showcasing a number of the concerts that I saw during the course of the year. Bear in mind that these are my very favorite ones out of the whole bunch. I really had a great time seeing a number of shows but these stood out. Here we go.
1. KISS @ Live On Letterman: I don’t think that I need to go into how cool it is to see a band like KISS in the Ed Sullivan Theatre. The place holds 500 or so people and KISS sells out places that hold thousands more. See why I felt this was special. So yeah.
2. Nightwish and Kamelot @ Beacon Theatre: Nightwish and Kamelot both hold very special places to me as a music scribe and having them paired up for a tour was extraordinary.
3. Trans-Siberian Orchestra @ Prudential Center: This show was the debut of the new “Lost Christmas Eve” themed tour.
4. Roger Waters @ Yankee Stadium: My second time at Yankee Stadium for a massive concert and with Roger playing “The Wall” from front to back I stood awestruck.
5. KISS & Motley Crue @ PNC Bank Arts Center: This was a kickass pairing and the guys in The Treatment were pretty damned good as well.
6. Lamb Of God @ Roseland Ballroom: Metal laid waste to NYC this night.
7. Paganfest @ Gramercy Theatre: Turisas headlined this one and brought along Alestorm, Arkona and Huntress.
8. Sabaton @ Gramercy Theatre: This band is climbing the pole of popularity. Local support
9. Rhapsody Of Fire @ Gramercy Theatre: There was so much drama with the RoF division leading up to this show but you would never notice with the levels of kick ass Power Metal that was happening on the stage.
10. Marillion @ Irving Plaza: Leaders of the Neo-Progressive Rock movement. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen them and they even did “Kayleigh”.
11. Iron Maiden @ Prudential Center: I actually caught Maiden twice on this tour and am not complaining about that fact at all.
12. Into Eternity @ St. Vitus Bar: Have known this band for awhile through thick and thin and their latest lineup impresses me.
13. Five Finger Death Punch @ Prudential Center: This was the Trespass America Tour and also featured Killswitch Engage, Trivium, Pop Evil, Emmure, God Forbid and Battlecross.
14. Korpiklaani @ Gramercy Theatre: The Finnish Folk Metal kings were dominating this tour run that had a perfect support structure with Moonsorrow, Tyr and Metsatoll along for the ride.
15. Rob Zombie & Marilyn Manson @ Hammerstein Ballroom: Having never before seen either act live I had to say that I really enjoyed the whole presentation. Zombie sure knows how to put on a show.
16. Uriah Heep @ B.B. King Blues Club: Classic Hard Rock deserving of massive respect.
17. Aerosmith & Cheap Trick @ Madison Square Garden: You cannot go wrong with this pairing that is for sure. Had a blast.
18. Sonata Arctica @ Gramercy Theatre: Catching Finnish Melodic Power Metal kings on Finnish Independence Day was a pretty cool affair for me.
19. Eluveitie & Wintersun @ Gramercy Theatre
20. The Misfits @ Highline Ballroom: This was a makeup show based on the storm and Jerry and Company delivered as always.
21. Kreator & Accept @ Best Buy Theater: Yeah talk about a classic team-up. This was the Metal equivalent of Superman and Spider-man in the same issue. The only downside for this show was how Swallow The Sun got screwed out of a proper set time and barely made a dent in new fans.
22. Kansas @ Best Buy Theater: While loving the music of Kansas for most of my life I had never seen them before this evening. Great stuff.
23. Otherwise @ The Studio at Webster Hall: This band is on the rise, and with great tunes in their command. Give them a try.
24. Crashdiet & The Last Vegas @ The Studio at Webster Hall: Great stuff from the Sleaze Lords and Raunchy Hard Rock masters. The support was commendable as well.
25. Symphony X & Iced Earth @ Best Buy Theater: Pow, Bang, Boom – This was a punch in the face with a Metal laced leather glove. Welcome Stu Block from Into Eternity as well.
26. Behemoth & Watain @ Irving Plaza: Welcome back Behemoth, you scared us for awhile there and Watain, well you scare us in general.
27. Kittie @ Gramercy Theatre: I love supporting Kittie when I can and this time around they brought The Agonist and Blackguard. A night of Canadian Bacon I mean Metal. Yeah that’s the ticket.
28. Meshuggah @ Terminal 5: How awesome to see Meshuggah selling out a venue this size.
29. Katatonia & Devin Townsend @ Irving Plaza: An odd pairing but fantastic show.
30. Lamb Of God @ Irving Plaza: Let’s see; LoG in a small place like this. Yeah watch your head. This place was coming down for sure.
I’ll stop here because even though I enjoyed quite a few more shows than the ones I have lined out as my favorite, there is a good chance that I will go on and on and on and lose your attention. Now let’s reveal some that I felt were my honorable mentions. Great stuff all around and as above I have cited some reasons why.
Honorable Mentions:
1. Sanctuary @ Gramercy Theatre: Never ever saw the band before so was excited for this great change. The show was supported by local openers.
2. Soundgarden @ Live On Letterman: My second experience at the Ed Sullivan Theatre watching a rocking band and while this was my first ever go at a Soundgarden show, I enjoyed myself.
3. Blackmore’s Night @ The Concert Hall at the Society for Ethical Culture
4. Renaissance @ The Concert Hall at the Society for Ethical Culture: I grew up on this music
5. District 97 @ Bar Matchless: An American Idol contender goes Progressive-Rock. Not bad at all.
6. Quiet Riot @ B.B. King Blues Club: Only Frankie remains from the original lineup that I knew best but so good to hear these songs once more in concert.
7. Otep @ The Studio at Webster Hall: This time around I was more interested in seeing what Butcher Babies and One-Eyed Doll would do. No offense to the headliner of course but thanks for bringing some interesting stuff around as support.
8. Three Friends @ B.B. King Blues Club: The music of Gentle Giant as performed by former members and a cabal of talented other musicians. Perfect to keep the sound alive.
So there you have it, my whole rundown of the absolute most awesome of the shows I saw during 2012. Yeah my Yearly “Best Of” will have a few more but so what, this is for you blog surfers. What were your favorite concerts for the Metal Year of 2012? I have left the comments open for you to indulge us in your own recollection. Remember that we are using the Social Networks to bring you along with us at these kinds of happenings and only this past year by a few months, we have added an Official Instagram account to our fun. Be sure to give them all a follow and like what we’ve been posting.
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