I cannot rank the 38 concerts and festivals that I saw in 2022 by preference, because they were all so good, but I do have a few memory highlights to share…
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Bauhaus under the blood moon eclipse at the Cruel World festival on May 15 stands out, not just for the band’s flawless performance, but also because of the totality of the occasion with my first visit to California.
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Midge Ure and Howard Jones performing “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” together here in Atlanta on July 22
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I was one of 40 fans who saw Mark Burgess of The Chameleons play in a backyard of a suburban house in metro Atlanta on July 11. I expected beforehand that this show would just be one guy going through the motions on an acoustic guitar, but the addition of current Chameleons drummer Stephen Rice on electric guitar gave the show that “shimmery Chameleons sound.”
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Death Bells/Smirk/TWINS played to an embarrassingly small audience of only 10 fans here in Atlanta on August 21, but these bands all performed as though they were in front of a Wembley Stadium crowd.
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Tears for Fears performed what was perhaps the most technically perfect show that I saw this year when they played here in Atlanta on June 12. “Woman in Chains” had to be seen to be believed.
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During her show here in Atlanta on February 5, Billie Eilish spotted a fan in the crowd who was signaling for help and who needed an inhaler. She asked for someone to get the fan an inhaler, and then waited until the fan received aid before starting the next song. She said that she waits for people to be okay before she keeps going with the show. During the days that followed, Kanye West launched a social media attack on Eilish because he believed that she had been throwing shade at the Travis Scott concert tragedy. I have attended hundreds of concerts in my life, but this was my first time being at ground zero of a manufactured tabloid feud.
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Automatic at Cruel World festival on May 15 and here in Atlanta on October 11. This band’s blend of post-punk rhythm section intensity and flying saucer sounds on the keyboard had me addicted from day one.
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Boy Harsher/Twin Tribes on April 6 and ACTORS/Hip to Death/Entertainment on April 7. After these two back-to-back nights here in Atlanta, my post-punk goth heart was full.
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Suzi Moon opening for The Damned on August 23 was perhaps my favorite supporting act show of the year.
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The KVB is a criminally underrated band who puts on electrifying shows. Their performance here in Atlanta on October 5 was for the ages.
Honorable mention:
Kendrick Lamar performed to prerecorded music here in Atlanta on July 30, but the ferocity of his rap style on stage was really something else to see in person.