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From the shimmy shake to the backwards bicycle kick, great musicians own a room using way more than words. And, sometimes, all it takes is style…
5. Spoon
12 October 2007: Chicago, IL
Britt Daniel’s nice moves are the opposite of flashy, but he gets the suave off every time. Is it the tight pants? The cowboy boots? The guitar that does it? Everyone has those! Maybe it’s in the arrogance, the way his feet shuffle into the beat…whatever it is, this man has got it. Indie rock’s most likely sex symbol, every year. -Megan Milks
4. Gruff Rhys
19 September, 2007: Philadelphia, PA
After sampling himself silly—his vocals and carefully layered percussion floating around the room, bouncing off each other like bumper cars—Gruff Rhys definitely needed a rest. With that in mind, the Welsh singer laid down his head and pretended to take a nap as his cloned, surround-sound effects continued to echo through the venue, hardly disturbing the sleeping Super Furry Animal. -Kevin Pearson
3. Fishbone
21 September 2007: Centreville, VA
There were a bunch of bands on the bill—from the Avett Bros. to P-Funk—but it was during Fishbone’s typically high-energy funk set that a hippie chick (or dirt twirler, if you will) took her hula hoop onstage and proceeded to dance alongside lead singer Angelo, the two of them circling each other with amazing coordination and dexterity. The crowd loved it, but I couldn’t figure out whether “it” was the hula action or the young woman’s sequined bikini. -Brent Baldwin
2. Television
12 June 2007: New York, NY
Few 58-year-olds can match the unbridled defiance displayed by Tom Verlaine in the middle of “Marquee Moon”’s climax: The crowd’s excitement reached an absurd apex as Verlaine blatantly ignored the frantic “Out of time!” signals of a disgruntled stage manager. Majestic guitar genius + rebellion = perfection. -Zach Schonfeld
1. Deerhoof
26 January 2007: New York, NY
There’s nothing more badass than destroying the living hell out of a bass drum twice in one show. Deerhoof’s Greg Saunier is simply a man possessed, a powerhouse drummer of epic ability. The intro to “Milk Man” came to a sudden collapse as a well-centered hole colored the bass drum. -Zach Schonfeld
Best Theatrics
Theater ain’t just for drama dorks—it’s the lifeblood of rock n’ roll. Here’s to the crazy-big effects, stage set-ups, and sets that made this a dramatic year indeed.
5. Iggy and the Stooges
5 April 2007: Washington, D.C.
It’s kind of his schtick by now, but it’s still pretty exciting to see godfather of punk Iggy Pop yell for the house lights to be turned up during “No Fun”, so that he can invite huge chunks of the crowd up on stage to dance. There’s always the air of a mob riot about to happen, and you watch even closer to see just what drunk idiots will do when confronted with their hero (who is, after all, still in the middle of a performance). -Brent Baldwin
4. Dan Deacon
19 March 2007: Austin, TX
There’s no stage per se, but Dan Deacon doesn’t need much to put on a show—just a hodge-podge of electronics and a willing crowd. With only his wily personality as accompaniment, Deacon delivers a theatrical performance that features, among other things, a dance circle dubbed the “Transference Circle of Evil” and a group reading of the Lord’s Prayer. The fact that it’s only 4pm and there are less than 20 people in attendance makes this stage-less show an even more satisfying spectacle. -Kevin Pearson
3. Decasia Live
25 January 2007: New York, NY
Long, tan-grey arches reach above the great, open heights of the main hall of a decaying, long-abandoned synagogue. A patchwork of threadbare rugs has been haphazardly placed along the floor of the enormous room. Led by a matronly woman with fire-engine red hair, a small group of musicians take the pulpit. Surely they can’t be making all this racket? It’s a moment before I realize that the vast center of the room is surrounded, and that the majority of the Manhattan School of Music’s massive TACTUS Contemporary Ensemble’s members are hiding in the balconies behind a series of 12 large screens which have suddenly flicked to life with violently decaying, psychedelic montages. Whoah! -Andrew Phillips
2. Heaven and Hell
30 March 2007: New York, NY
Requisite medieval-dungeon-esque backdrop? Check. Netherwordly stage props? Check. Crunching rhythm section? Check. Steely-eyed guitar wizard? Check. Pint-sized metal god vocalist? Check. A sizable film crew recording the night’s festivities for a live DVD? Check. In the wrong hands, such a set-up could easily degenerate into Spinal Tap, but not for Ronnie James Dio and the boys. Older, wiser, darker. Thank Heaven (or Hell, as it were) for this reunion. -Adam Williams
Boredoms
7 July 2007: Brooklyn, NY
Framed by the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges, and facing the New York City skyline at sunset, Boredoms couldn’t ask for a better stage, err, rather, park center to pine to the unholy gods of percussion. With 77 drum sets set in a spiral around a central platform, a thick surrounding circle of audience members, and hundreds of gawkers eyeballing the mayhem form the bridges above, it was by far the most cosmologically attuned set-up of the year—the envy of druids, drummers, and drama dorks everywhere. -Andrew Phillips
