My 2023 Concert Year in Review
I made a conscious effort to stick closer to home in 2023 and to branch out on not only who I was seeing, but the types of music I was seeing. I saw more country/bluegrass/Americana than I’ve probably ever seen in a year. I also got really into Australian psych and while I only saw a handful of Aussie psych shows, they were some of my favorites. Only hit four states and none too far away, but I still had a good time. Here’s a quick snapshot of what I saw in 2023.
2023 Total Performances: 106
Different Bands: 95
Bands Seen for the First Time: 59
Days Seeing Live Music: 81
Monday (3) / Tuesday (10) / Wednesday (12) / Thursday (9) / Friday (16) / Saturday (19) / Sunday (12)
Venues Attended: 27
Most Attended Venues: Saturn: Birmingham, AL (18) / Avondale Brewing Company: Birmingham, AL (11) / Iron City: Birmingham, AL (4) / Orion Amphitheatre: Huntsville, AL (4)
First Time Venues: (5) Back Forty Beer Company (Birmingham, AL) / Ferus on 41st (Birmingham, AL) / LCY Media (Birmingham, AL) / Saenger Theatre (Mobile, AL) / Wald Park (Vestavia Hills, AL)
States: (4) Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee
Most Seen: Phish (5) / My Morning Jacket (3) / King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard (2)
Longest Stretch Without Seeing Live Music: 25 days
Top 12 Favorite Shows:
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard: June 3 / Caverns Amphitheatre / Pelham, TN
The Smile: July 3 / Thomas Wolfe Auditorium / Asheville, NC
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets: October 17 / Saturn / Birmingham, AL
Phish: July 15 / Ameris Bank Amphitheatre / Alpharetta, GA
My Morning Jacket: November 3 / Fox Theatre / Atlanta, GA
Phish: July 11 / Orion Amphitheatre / Huntsville, AL
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard: June 4 / Caverns Amphitheatre / Pelham, TN
Father John Misty: May 7 / Lyric Theatre / Birmingham, AL
Vincent Neil Emerson: November 1 / Saturn / Birmingham, AL
Charley Crockett: June 15 / Avondale Brewing Company / Birmingham, AL
Fleet Foxes: June 27 / Avondale Brewing Company / Birmingham, AL
Billy Strings: August 26 / Orion Amphitheatre / Huntsville, AL