Video of the Week: Suck My Kiss by Red Hot Chili Peppers (Live at Bonnaroo 2012)

So my series of live videos that I took posts continues here with one of my all time favorite songs by my all time favorite band. The backstory here is that Robert's wife Candice and "B" as he's known here elected to sit in the pit line for RHCP and let Robert and I go see Childish Gambino (big props btw). When we left Childish to rendezvous with Candice and "B", the pit line had become much more condensed and they were too far gone for us to reach them, but we managed to get pretty close in the line, but still a massive amount of people away. As we all waited, the Roots were playing terribly and when they stopped, everybody charged to try and get in the pit, which is stupid because they have to let the people who were in the pit for the Roots out first... Anyway, this caused massive pile ups of humanity and I was thrust into a wooden wall where I was the only thing in between the wall and thousands of people. This near death experience would prove to be worth it in the end as I was the closest I've ever been to Kiedis and Company and it was freakin awesome...

Artist Spotlight ::: Conner Youngblood

A singer/songwriter out of Dallas, Texas blends solid lyrics and basic instrumentals with a voice that is somehow raspy yet smooth.

Conner Youngblood ::: Australia

 

Conner Youngblood ::: Warpath

A Couple Bands I Can't Wait to Hear More from in 2013

CHVRCHES - This sync pop group from Glasgow released two singles in 2012. The hauntingly beautiful "The Mother We Share" and the stronger more confident "Lies." Lauren Mayberry's voice seems to dart in and out of the spaces between the ambitious beats.  CHVRCHES toured with Passion Pit during the fall and is working on their debut album due out sometime in 2013.

KITTEN - At just 17, Chloe Chaidez and KITTEN have already released two very distinct but equally brilliant EPs, Sunday School in 2010 and Cut It Out in 2012. Sunday School is a more of your traditional alternative style while Cut It Out is heavily influenced by the electronic 80s.  Having already toured across the US and a full length due out in early 2013 things could be falling into place for KITTEN to explode.

The 1975 - This Manchester, England based band released two EPs in the second half of 2012, Facedown & Sex. The 1975 have an experienced sound and are showing immense promise. Already touring across Europe, the band is poised for a big 2013 that will hopefully include a full length album.

A rebuttal to the below post/Top 20 shows of 2012 for me.

I think my esteemed colleague Robert did a fantastic job with the list he compiled of top shows here. Unfortunately, he did have to miss a chunk of that Foo Fighters show at Music Midtown, but I'm sure it would have been higher had he seen Joan Jett play "Bad Reputation" with the Foos. Anyway, since it is currently midnight here in beautiful Athens GA and the Gators just lost to Louisville, I will only put a top 20 here, most of which will consist of shows from Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, and Music Midtown:

20:  Phish at Bonnaroo 2012: Lot's of bourbon that night is the reason this made the list. More for the experience had with friends in a ridiculously muddy pit and making fun of hippies than anything else

19. Electric Guest at Bonnaroo 2012: The only reason I saw this band was to get close for Two Door Cinema Club, and they were a pleasant surprise.

18. Big Gigantic at Bonnaroo 2012: The people I was with (ahem) wanted to see Alabama Shakes instead, so this was mostly missed. But what I did see was amazing and will see them in full on at the Tabernacle on February 1st (so pumped)

17. Red Hot Chili Peppers at the Gwinnett Arena (Atlanta) 4-10-12: Good show, but not great. Hearing Wet Sand live was a treat. The Peppers will be back later in this list.

16. Arctic Monkeys/The Black Keys at the Bojangles Coliseum (Charlotte) 3-24-12: This show was fantastic because not only was the show great and it was the first time I ever saw TBK, but it was in Charlotte, a city that I love. TBK will also be back later...

15. The Beach Boys at Bonnaroo 2012: This show was great purely for the nostalgia. I wasn't really close for it (chillin in the VIP section), but hearing all those old songs was awesome.

14. M83 at Lollapalooza 2012: This show was much better than I expected it to be. With EDM style music like this, it's hard sometimes to make it translate live, but M83 did a great job. Hearing Midnight City and Reunion live were especially awesome.

13. Skrillex at Bonnaroo 2012: As Robert mentioned, this show was great from the tents,  but I was in the VIP pit about 3 rows away from the stage. I had never been to a dubstep show before this one and I was amazed at how much energy there is. I was tired after the RHCP show that preceded this, but am extremely glad I toughed it out. It was awesome too that Skrillex did a tribute to the fallen MCA of the Beastie Boys.

12. Of Monsters and Men at Lollapalooza 2012: I had not heard much about them before Lollapalooza, but Robert and crew drooled over the aftershow they did the night before, and seeing them the next day was truly awesome. Such a smooth band that sounds very similar live to in studio.

11. Fun. at Bonnaroo 2012: I elected not to see Young the Giant in lieu of staying for this whole set and despite being surrounded by 16 year olds, this set was, well, fun. This band has a lot of energy and closed out with a cover of You Can't Always Get What You Want by The Rolling Stones which was pretty sweet.

10. Rubblebucket/Reptar at the Georgia Theatre November 9, 2012: This might need to be higher it was sooo good. I only knew Rubblebucket from seeing them appear onstage with Foster the People at Bonnaroo, but they put on a fantastic show to open for Reptar. Reptar was awesome as ususal, and they were accompanied by Rubblebucket for most of their show. The guitarist for Reptar also crowd surfed on his own mattress, so there's that too...

   Next, there is a 5 way tie for 5th and a 3 way tie for second (I know, it's the cheap way out, but I really could not separate some of these...)

5. Childish Gambino (Donald Glover) at Bonnaroo 2012: What can I say about this show that Robert didn't?? Well nothing really. The freestyle was epic!

5. Two Door Cinema Club at Bonnaroo 2012: This show was unbelievably good. They had the crowd going the entire time, and I was literally in the second row from the stage, which made it even better (except for getting kicked in the head by crowd surfers, who we then started to hurl over the barricade which was fun...)

5. Passion Pit at The Masquerade 10-20-12: This was another incredible show. They were much better live than I anticipated and the highlight of the night was when streamers shot out from the rafters above the stage during Sleepyhead.

5. Foster the People at Bonnaroo 2012: From start to finish, this was one of the best shows I have ever been to live. Torches is one of the best debut albums I can remember, and they played it to perfection here. The dubstep ending to Pumped Up Kicks was awesome and so was Mark Foster jumping up on the barricade about ten feet from us.

5. Bloc Party at Lollapalooza 2012: Robert hit the nail on the head with this one. The energy was unbelievable. I cannot wait to see them again on January 16th at the Tabernacle. This show got so intense that we saw a guy in front of us get his tooth knocked out in a Circle of Death (basically a European version of a mosh pit). The use of Rihanna's We Fell In Love as an intro to their song Flux was awesome, and Helicopter as the closer was amazing.

2. Pearl Jam at Music Midtown 2012: I had been waiting to see Pearl Jam since I first listened to them in the 90's and this show did not disappoint. The hits were ringing out: Black, Jeremy, Evenflow, Corduroy, Why Go, Alive, Rearviewmirror, and to top it all off, they closed with Neil Young's classic Rockin' in the Free World. It was truly incredible.

2. The Black Keys at Lollapalooza 2012: It's not that the set list was that much better here than it was in Charlotte, it's just that they played it better here. They were on fire from start to finish, and the highlights for me were Your Touch, Lonely Boy, Little Black Submarines, and Everlasting Light.

2. Foo Fighters at Music Midtown 2012: This show is one of the best shows I have ever seen. They played everything I wanted to hear, and they played some tunes with Joan Jett, including Bad Reputation. What made this show even more special was that it may turn out to be the last full Foo Fighters show for a while, as they are now on "hiatus" whatever that means.  

1. Red Hot Chili Peppers at Lollapalooza 2012: Was there ever any doubt? This is possibly the best show I have ever seen mainly because of the amazing set list. They opened with Monarchy of Roses as they did with every show on this tour, but they then finally played a song I had waited to see since I saw them at Bonnaroo and in Atlanta earlier in the year: Around the World. They also played Snow and Suck My Kiss, which made this, for me, the best show of 2012  

YOTHT Best Shows of 2012

#40: Anamanaguchi @ Lollapalooza/Grant Park (Chicago, IL)

8-bit video game sound from guitars? Yes please

#39: Foo Fighters @ Music Midtown/Piedmont Park (Atlanta, GA)

This concert deserves to be much higher but for certain reasons I only was able to see three songs. This disappointment makes it so low on the list.

#38: LP @ Music Midtown/Piedmont Park

Solid show from LP highlighted by her single "Into the Wild" and a great cover of Beyonce's "Halo"

#37: AWOLNation @ The Tabernacle (Atlanta, GA)

 

AWOL put on a solid concert, but were way overshadowed by their opener Imagine Dragons.

#36:  Joy Formindable @ The Masquerade-Heaven (Atlanta, GA)

Low ranking has nothing to do with the crowd energy or the stage presence of JF. Put on a great show with tons of energy.

#35:  Tune-Yards @ Bonnaroo/This Tent (Manchester, TN)

Merrill Garbus is something else. Still fascinated by what she can do and her voice.

#34: Phish @ Bonnaroo/What Stage

Absolutely great show with fireworks, rain, and Kenny Rogers. It's hard to explain why this isn't higher on the list, but last show of a festival mixed with rain and the four hour set. The gap between set one and two was just too long.

#33: Beach Boys @ Bonnaroo/What Stage

Watching the Beach Boys perform made me all nostalgic about something my parents lived through and I never even experienced. To see the show they put on at their age I can only imagine what it was like in the 60's.

#32: First Aid Kit @ Buckhead Theater (Atlanta, GA)

This Swedish sister act put on a great performance. Playing hits Lion's Roar, Emmy Lou, while sharing stories and covering Paul Simon's America. The one sour note was when a random attendee yelled "F*ck America" as they announce the cover...

#31: Ludacris @ Music Midtown/Piedmont Park

Just when I was a little dissapointed I wasn't going to venture over to see GirlTalk again to get closer for Florence + the Machince, Luda busts out all his hits in a very GirlTalkesqe fashion. So much high school nostalgia.

#30: Skrem & Benga @ Lollapapalooza/Perry's Stage

Didn't even see this duo, only heard 2-3 songs waiting for the grossest portipotti ever to see this earth after reentering Grant Park post-storm of the decade. That being said they were soooooooo high powered I forgot about the 3 hours of the festival that didn't happen and running through the streets of Chicago in the worst storm I've seen. 

#29: fun. @ Bonnaroo/ That Tent

fun. lived up to their promise to make their Bonnaroo show something to be seen. Probably could have been higher on the list, but I left midset to catch Young the Giant.

#28: Bon Iver @ Bonnaroo/What Stage

Forced the Roo Crew to go see Bon Iver. Preshow they were nicknamed 'audible ambian', but they're a totally different story live. They come hard live and put on a memorable show.

#27: Lonely Forest @ Bonnaroo/This Tent

Wasn't too familiar with this band pre-Bonnaroo, but left with a new up and coming band to listen to. This young group acted like veterans controlling the crowd and bringing the energy.

#26: Silversun Pickups @ The Tabernacle

I had been waiting to see Silversun Pickups for a few years and it was well worth the wait. They mixed up their set between their first two albums and their latest, 'Neck of the Woods'.

#25: Family of the Year @ Drunken Unicorn (Atlanta, GA)

Hadn't heard of this band prior to seeing them live, but I came away a big fan. They put on a great show and were some of the nicest people to talk to after the show.

#24: Florence + the Machine @ Music Midtown

With a memorable start where she completely redid the first 5 minutes of their show coupled with her amazing voice it was such an enjoyable show having only caught 15 minutes of her Bonnaroo '11 set.

#23: Imagine Dragons @ The Tabernacle

Opening for AWOLNation, Imagine Dragons stole the show with great emotion, energy, and overall excitement to be playing live.

#22: Miike Snow @ Lollapalooza/Sony Stage

At this point at Lolla I was in a tailspin of health due to hand, foot, and mouth I picked up somewhere, but that didn't damper this show. Can't wait to see them in a better state.

#21: Avett Brothers @ Music Midtown*

The Avett Brothers have such great control of their instruments including their voices. They seem to love waking up everyday and playing together.

#20: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis @ Lollapalooza/Google Play Stage

I'm still kicking myself for not making a bigger push with our Lolla crew to see this entire set. Such an amazing turn out and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and the crowd both brought a furious energy.

#19: M83 @ Lollapalooza/Sony Stage

Just an all around great performance.

#18: Pearl Jam @ Music Midtown

Season veterans that make every performance could. Setlist could have been a little better, but not by much.

#17: Matt & Kim @ Variety Playhouse (Atlanta, GA)

So. Much. Energy! Both Matt and Kim were both sick, but absolutley brought it.

#16: Phantogram @ Bonnaroo/Other Tent

Phantogram just put on a fun, awesome show.

#15: Young the Giant @ Bonnaroo

YTG wouldn't have let the crowd get out of it even if they wanted to. Playing their whole LP and R. Kelly's Remix to Ignition blew me away.

#14: Skrillex @ Bonnaroo/Which Stage

Seeing Red Hot Chili Peppers in the pit was too much for one of our crew, but even hearing Skrillex from campsite was enough to land him at 14. Can't even describe it.

#13: Givers @ Lollapalooza/Google Play Stage

This band should be bigger than they currently are....

#12: Passion Pit @ The Masquerade

Great setlist and energy.

#11: Red Hot Chili Peppers @ Lollapalooza/Red Bull Sound Stage *

Was disappointed in how much better this performance was than their Bonnaroo showing two months prior.

#10: Milo Greene @ Drunken Unicorn *

The first show in their first nationwide tour and you would have never guessed.

# 9: Of Monsters and Men @ House of Blues/Lollapalooza After Show (Chicago, IL) *

It was really a toss-up between their show at the House of Blues or their performance the next day at Lolla. Both were great but first times the charm. Only problem with OM&M is their album is so well produced their is not much of a difference between them live.

# 8: Electric Guest @ Bonnaroo/This Tent

# 7: The Head and the Heart @ Lollapalooza/ Sony Stage*

The Head and the Heart gets better and better everytime I see them. This trend continued the forth and most recent time. The entire band just works so incredibly well together.

# 6: Two Door Cinema Club @ Bonnaroo/This Tent

Landing at number six is a combination of being close, time I've waited to see them, and just overall fabulous performance.

# 5: Bloc Party @ Lollapalooza/Sony Stage

So much energy from Bloc Party it was amazing. I can't even explain how great they were.

# 4: Foster the People @ Bonnaroo/Which Stage

FTP sounds great on the record, but it's another level live and this may have been the best show they've ever put on. The combination of vocal and instrumental aspects coupled with the confetti, inflatables, and other aspects of their show you could tell they did not want to disappoint the massive crowd that showed up to see them.

# 3: Black Keys @ Lollapalooza/Red Bull Sound Stage

One of the farthest spots I've started a show off at and it still felt like I was right there. It continuously shocks me how much this duo is able to do live.

# 2: Radiohead @ Bonnaroo/What Stage

Based on what they play live, I couldn't have asked for a better setlist or a better showing from their second time on the Farm.

# 1: Childish Gambino @ Bonnaroo/Which Stage*

Just an insane performance. Computer malfunction and he goes off on a 4 minute unscripted freestyle (somewhat oxymoronic) that blew everyone away.


*Better of one or more performances
Honorable Mention
Bonnaroo
Flogging Molly
The Word
Umphree's McGee
Needtobreath
Black Lips
Ben Folds Five
Roots

Lollapolooza
Jeff the Brotherhood
White Rabbits
Polica
Bombay Bicycle Club
Gas Light Anthem
Jack White

Music Midtown
T.I.
Garbage

Other Shows
Further

City Spotlight:::Athens Double Feature

Grass Giraffes 

An Athens four piece band with the slogan 'Bringing you all the hits from the 70s, 80s, and 90s', was recently featured on NPR's All Songs Consider as a band that should be bigger than they are. With the increase publicity hopefully this band can add to the list of great musical groups to come out of the Classic City.

Grass Giraffes ::: Better Along and Backstories

(2 songs, one video)

Phosphorescent

Though Matthew Houck has since moved to Brooklyn, he gained his start as the band Phosphorescent in Athens, GA back in 2001. His latest album with the incredible name, Muchacho is set to release on March 19th. The first single, Song for Zula, off the record is already receiving well deserved attention.

Phosphorescent ::: Song for Zula

Phosphorescent ::: Full Grown Man

Artist Spotlight ::: Low

Entering into their 20th year, indie rock band Low, is set to release their tenth studio album, The Invisible Way March 19th. Teaming up with Wilco's Jeff Tweedy only increases the buzz around this album featuring Plastic Cup, their first single off the new record.

Low ::: Plastic Cup

Low ::: Witches