Paper Trail Staff Picks / Favorite Concerts of 2010

Here are a few of our favorite concerts in 2010 …

____

Mark Allen
Glasser / CMJ Offline Festival at Brooklyn Bowl in Brooklyn, NY / 10.22.10
Glasser front woman Cameron Mesirow left this unflinching Brooklyn audience captivated and spellbound at this well attended CMJ Music Marathon performance back in October. Her voice was warm and graceful, perfectly complementing the electronic tidal wave beneath her. Honorable mention to performances by Zola Jesus and How To Dress Well, but Glasser stole the show in my opinion on this particular evening.

Amanda Mastrull
Monarchy / Electrowerkz in London, UK / 7.22.10
London-based pop duo Monarchy played their debut show (after one that was to be broadcast into space) last July at London’s Electrowerkz venue. They presumably had a lot to prove, after a variety of [amazing] online demos got them a fair bit of attention. Happily, they delivered, playing most of what was circulating online as well as a couple new songs. Highlights included ‘Floating Cars’ and ‘The Phoenix Alive.’

Brian Davis
Pearl Jam / Scottrade Center in St. Louis, MO / 5.4.10
Pearl Jam has put on great live performances their entire career. While their shows have toned down a bit with age, the energy that the band brings to the crowd is unparalleled. And their catalog is vast to the point that everyone there loves the band; not just a song or two, because you most likely won’t hear the two songs you like if you go for that reason alone.

Julia Kwamya
Appomattox & Hooray For Earth / Pianos in New York, NY / 11.10.10
Unabashedly I love Appomattox and Hooray for Earth. So it comes as no surprise that I was in music heaven when both bands played together on Nov 10th at Pianos!!!! Sooo much fun! Both rip heavy guitar chords but manage to create awesome beats so that you can get dancey!!!

Glasser Photo Taken By Puja Patel (for Village Voice)