Top Live Shows of 2024

Please Don't Stop the Music

I’ve been going to see live music my entire life and I hope that trend continues as long as I do. This year wasn’t as packed as I would have hoped, in large part because I was out of commission from March until July. I still saw some shows in there, but not as many as I would like.

I’m not going to rank these shows, I’m just going to share my ten favorite live shows I saw this year. Outside of one show, which took my top spot, these shows were all excellent and I was lucky to see so many great shows. I have videos of most of the bands I saw live on the RocketCon YouTube channel.

The Hard Season / Endless Mike and Beagle Club / Shot Clock @ Gallery 5

Garrett Berneche was a member of Richmond’s The Riot Before, a band I used to play shows with regularly in Ascetic Parade. I never knew Garrett, he was already out of the band by the time we got acquainted, but I did know a lot of his friends.

We weren’t going to this show originally, instead we were planning to see Punks for Presents at the Camel. It sold out and so we pivoted. We had just seen another show at Gallery 5 the night before and we both love Shotclock so this moved to the top of the list.

When I looked into the Hard Season, because I was unfamiliar, I was greeted with a bittersweet story of love and loss. Garrett was beloved in the Richmond music scene and these were the last songs he wrote, brought to life by a group of his friends. It was a magical night to be a part of and I’m glad we got to be there.

Monsoon / Tentative Decisions / Pink Windows @ Gallery 5

This night introduced me to a side of the Richmond scene I’m less connected to, the indie rock scene. It was fun to see bands I didn’t know, TD and PW are both local bands I was unfamiliar with.

Monsoon came to us through one of our exploratory periods, I was helping Adrianne find new bands and they were at the end of one of the rabbit holes. We both dug the song “Red Blood” and I checked out some other songs. When we saw they were coming to Richmond, I figured they were worth checking out. Boy am I glad we did, they were killer live. The ONLY complaint I have is that they don’t have a bassist, a trend that is all too common in touring bands these days.

Maybe it’s because I play bass, but it always takes a band down a notch for me when they have bass tracks playing but no one playing them live. Monsoon was, in spite of that considerable personal drawback, straight fire live. I wish I had recorded another song, because they ripped live, but this will give you an indication of their live show.

They were so much better live than recorded, I was blown away:

Syndrome 81 / No-Heads / Pistons @ The Warehouse

European bands coming to the States is rare enough at this level that you know it is going to be something special. Seeing them at the Warehouse is another level, because it is the kind of place that only exists in a punk city.

Any time I set foot in a show in this city I am reminded of how lucky I am to live in a place with such a vibrant music scene.

The Beaches / Charlie Houston @ The National

Adrianne introduced me to the Beaches last year. I don’t always connect with the bands she likes, but they had a few songs that I vibed with. Post-punk/Power Pop in the vein of the Go-Gos, they blew up on TikTok with their hit song “Blame Brett.”

For the most part, I find TikTok hits to be not for me. Glad this was an exception. They were killer live, even if the bassist switched over to a backing track on some songs. Really, stop this please. If there’s one trend I can stop, it is having bands not have bassists live.

Marianas Trench / Cassadee Pope / PIAO @ Buckhead Theater

This show was Adrianne’s favorite of the year so I had to include it. Plus, it was awesome seeing Conner and Amanda for a weekend getaway to Atlanta. A fun fact, we were unfamiliar with Cassadee Pope and soon after this show Jett Holden put out his stellar debut record featuring one Cassadee Pope. Wild.

Marianas Trench wasn’t for me, none of this show was, but they were exceptional live and it was awesome seeing how excited Adrianne was. She has leveled up her love of music this year and it rules.

Koyo / One Step Closer / Anxious/ Life’s Questions @ Canal Club

This was a handful of bands on a huge upswing playing together and there’s something special about the energy in the room on shows like that. Anxious is the band I like the most out of that group, but they were all on point and it was a bright spot before the dark days that were ahead.

Paint It Black / Dillinger Four / The Invertebrates / Public Acid @ St. Stephen’s Church

I have had so many opportunities to see D4 live and missed them. When my friend Canaan had an extra ticket, well, I couldn’t let it happen again. A bonus, my friend Alex was in town from Colorado to see this show. I saw so many friends and had Taco Bell at like midnight after the show. What better way to celebrate the most important punk band in the world.

Punks For Presents

This was the first year I was able to attend a Punks for Presents show. It was great. Van Hailin was my highlight (I do have video, just not on my channel, maybe I’ll fix that!), but I also got to see Faith Sno More (Faith No More), Sharped Dressed Santas (ZZ Top), Sorry Ma, Forget to Wrap the Presents (The Replacements) and Rudolph Can’t Fail (The Specials).

Oso Oso / Flycatcher / Riley! @ Union Station

This was a tough call, because the first time I saw Oso this year (also in DC at the 9:30 Club), I was in a real dark place. My father was on the decline and I had spent the past month helping him and my mother out. There was still a chance he would recover at that point, but it wasn’t looking great. A very emotional show.

The second time I saw them, however, they were electric. I love seeing Oso headline because they play longer, the play deeper cuts and I tend to get a chance to hang with Jade before and after the show. It’s so cool to see one of your friends have so many people love their songs. I also got to meet Conor, the TM for Riley! and it’s fun making new connections in the scene. It is such a small world.

I also met Cole from Macseal, a band I just started listening to. I’m late to the party, I know. He’s playing bass on this and he’s excellent.

Anyway, listen to Oso Oso, see them live, they are one of the best going right now.

The #1 Live Show Of The Year

My favorite show this year caught me by surprise. Two of the bands, Teens in Trouble and Bat Boy I had seen before. I’ve probably seen Bat Boy double digits at this point, if we count the times before the name change that’s a definite.

Both bands played together with Doll Baby at the Poe Museum earlier in the year and it was a lot of fun. When I saw them at the Camel though, with Teenage Halloween headlining, it was transformative. The bands were on their way back from playing the Fest, which is the best music festival I’ve ever attended.

I had never seen Teenage Halloween and I was unprepared for how great they were. They broke out a cover of “War Pigs” in the middle of their set and it was flawless. The audacity was rewarded. All three bands were on top of their game, the sound was great and I got to make new friends. It was a perfect night and one that will stick with me throughout the years.