This week, the Arts Watch page is reviewing the best and worst concert moments of the year as chosen by Tribune freelancers and staff writers; today’s offerings include Tribune staffer Monica Eng’s favorite concerts of the year and music writer Brad Cawn’s list of his weirdest musical moments of 2000. For the all the best-of-2000 lists by staff critics and others, go to metromix.com/go/criticsreviews.
– Las Super Tejanas at the Field Museum on Nov. 10: Even if you just went to see one of the performers on the bill, you wound up falling in love with all of them; the bill included the fabulous conjunto accordionist Eva Ybarra, the wonderfully spirited female bolero trio Las Madrugadoras, rockabilly filly Rosie Flores, pop-folker Tish Hinajosa and that Tejana timbalista Shelly Lares. Lares’ singalong of the Mexican heartbreak anthem “Volver” was a showstopper among many great numbers that made you want to hear more by each of these talented ladies. Whether performing separately or together with five guitars ringing out, this all-female show was Latina power at its best.
More Top Picks Best 50 Inch Tvs
– Ryan Adams at Schubas on Sept. 22-23: Those who have been disappointed by Ryan Adams’ occasionally boozy live antics as the front man of Whiskeytown would have been stunned see the calm concentration and hear the gorgeous melodies coming out of this shy man and his guitar. Adams laid his heart out on the floor at this beautiful and mercifully quiet two-night stand, showcasing his melodically perfect, if lyrically uneven new release “Heartbreaker.” Kudos to the Schubas staff for posting signs in the room warning talkers to step into the bar area. Between Adams’ intensely intimate delivery, a great sound system and the audience’s manners, this was a show to remember.
– OK GO at Merle Reskin Theater on Dec. 16: This unknown group delighted audiences at the live tapings of “This American Life” with their wit on songs like “You Are Getting Older and Older Still,” but most of all for their brilliantly choreographed dance number (a la the Brady Bunch’s Silver Platters) delivered to a canned track of their music, which was mimed by Ira Glass, Sara Vowell and others.
– Dave Alvin and the Guilty Men at the Old Town School of Folk Music on Oct. 14: Leaving his usual rock ‘n’ roll steam train at home, Alvin rolled out his folk wagon, which hits just as hard as his rock attack. “Black Jack David” and “Fourth of July,” delivered in that devastating baritone, took on a new crushing poignance in this wonderfully attentive and intimate room. But the calm disappeared when opener Robbie Fulks joined the boys for a rockin’ encore of Alvin’s “Marie Marie” that smeared a huge smile across the faces of everybody in the room and got the auditorium shaking.
— Monica Eng
Top head-scratching experiences
– Every moment of the ‘N Sync concert, Aug. 1 at the Chicago Motor Speedway: From the traffic that left thousands from ever seeing a second of the show, to the pitiful organization inside the Motor Speedway, to the simply awful performance by N’ Sync, this was a different kind of natural disaster than the tornado that originally felled the boy band’s first summer gig here. Question is, which was worse?
– Dre Dre at the Up in Smoke tour, July 8 at the Allstate Arena: Could this be the first time a headlining act has come out on the heels of an inexplicable film — a liquor-store robbery skit that involved the murder of three people? Let’s hope it’s also the last.
– Mariah Carey’s stage “presence,” March 25 at the United Center: Miss Diva attempted to carry on the alter-ego battle of her “Heartbreaker” video onstage, but the scripted fracas made little to no sense other than to serve as a time-waster. Carey also stopped the show for no less than eight dress changes; the film clips of her on the video screens were longer than her actual in-person performance. Puh-leeeze.
– Guster at Rockfest, July 22 at the Chicago Motor Speedway: Art and commerce clashed at Rockfest, and who should win but a bunch of gorillas shooting Oldsmobile T-shirts into the crowd. Guster got, oh, 10 seconds of free publicity for mocking this tiresome but predictable meeting of marketing and MTV.
– Insane Clown Posse and “high” art, May 7 at the Riviera: At its Juggalo wrestling show here, a performer by the name of Mad Man Pondo jumped off the balcony of the Riviera (a good 25 feet off the ground) onto another wrestler lying on a table below. Before you could say “ouch!” there arose Pondo, a look of triumph on his bloody face that stretched from ear to ear.
– The Bloodhound Gang’s “Pepsi challenge” at the Q101 Jamboree, May 22 at the New World Music Theatre: Of all the antics on display during the Gang’s set at Q101’s Jamboree, it was the one they forgot about that was the weirdest: the girl they brought up from the crowd to drink an entire 24-pack of cola. When the band left the stage, she was just left there — nauseous, confused and alone.
– Eddie and Jobo at the B96 Jingle Bash, Dec. 9 at the Arie Crown Theatre: Before introducing 98 Degrees, the B96 jocks lambasted the critic in the front row (guess who?) who was inevitably going to stereotype the audience of the show and criticize the concert. Good to know that they not only can predict the future, but read the Tribune as well.
– Christina Aguilera, Aug. 19 at the United Center: The young pop princess is a gorgeous girl who needs to fire her makeup artist: at her August show she was so doused with cosmetics it looked like her face had been spray-painted on. Good thing she can still open her mouth to sing under all that gunk.
– Weezer, Sept. 3 at Metro: Inside, Weezer was performing its usual catchy mix of introverted pop; outside, its fans were making insane requests to get in that cannot be repeated in a family newspaper. By the time the show let out, there seemed to be more people anxiously waiting outside for a glimpse of the band than those who got in — not too shabby for a band that hasn’t released a record or toured in four years.
— Brad Cawn