2004 in Music.
Concerts. It was an incredible year for music and concerts. Most of my concert-going decisions were heavily influenced by ticket price, but even if I was a bit of a cheapskate, I saw more good shows this year than in any in recent memory. The following are my ratings of shows in order of preference/enjoyment:
1) Delbert McClinton. Rio Grande Zoo.No flash, hardly any talking to the audience, but Delbert delivered musically, and even got the zoo to allow people to dance in front of the stage. An absolute blast!
2) Rod Stewart. Journal Pavillion. Two Rods, one show. The first half was rock n' roll Rod and the second half was slick crooner Rod singing old standards. The most I paid for a show last year ($50.00 for lawn seats), but worth every penny. Great production, great music and the old boy still has it!
3) Tower of Power. Sandia Casino. Fourth of July show, with after concert fireworks. An awesome show of old school East Bay Funk that got you up shakin' your rump. These guys are brilliant, and their new lead singer is incredible. Added bonuses, we picked up our tickets early and got to hear the sound check, plus the setting is great with the Sandia mountains in the background!
4) Morris Day and the Time. Isleta Casino. I was undergoing a slew of emotional crises when I decided to just give in and go to this show by myself, and man, am I glad I did. It felt like 1983 all over again. Morris and Jerome were slick and funny as every, and the Time, in their brightly colored suits, kicked out some major funk. Lots of audience participation and a generally house party atmosphere made me forget all my troubles.
5) Wailin' Jennys. BioPark. My new favorite folky band. Two of the Jennys actually bought stuff at my shop the day after the show. The cute punky one Cara, has been replaced by a scary looking chick, so lets hope they are stil good. When they were here they provided a great show with lots of personality, great harmonies and thoughtful lyrics.
6) Natalie McMaster. Rio Grande Zoo. Damn this gal is a firecracker! Coming to the Kimo agin in February. Great Celtic/bluegrass.
7) Winton Marsalis. Lensic Theatre, Santa Fe. A jazz master. Smooth and technically amazing.
8) Austin Lounge Lizards. Rio Grande Zoo. Funniest concert of the year. Parody and satire set to bluegrass. Love the German rap songs too.
9) Taj Mahal. El Rey Theatre. Hawaiian blues-boogie. Never have seen a band with a ukelele section before.

10) Latinas: Women of Latin America. Popejoy Hall

11) Rickie Lee Jones. Lensic Theatre, Santa Fe. Great music but Rickie, stop taking yourself so seriously.

12) Syd Masters and the Swing Riders. Wildlife West Nature Park. YeeHah! Lots of good western swing, a great setting and BBQ food too!

13) Chicago & Earth Wind and Fire. Journal Pavillion. Too many drunks, but the music was good, especially when the two bands combined to perform as a supergroup.

14) Indigo Girls. Rio Grande Zoo. Great songs, a muffled sound mix and lots of women with bad haircuts.

15) Albert and Gage. Bio Park. Great husband and wofe folk duo. Especially liked the French Edith Piaf covers.

16) Mary and Mars. Bio Park. Good folk harmonies, but one guy was trying too hard to imitate Bob Dylan.

BEST FREE OUT OF TOWN CONCERT:Tears For Fears, Pioneer Square, Portland OR. Went to visit friends and we stumbled on the sound check for this free show, so we stuck around. The guys still sound great, and are even more trippy than usual. The 80s do live. Only drawbacks: they only played for one hour and were the "opening act" for Five for Fighting, whom we did not stay to see.

Show ruined by It's Audience:
Los Lonely Boys. Rio Grande Zoo. Note to Zoo staff: Instead of IDs check for alcohol, check IQs instead.
In A Class of It's Own: Agrippina at Santa Fe Opera. I gots me summa that culture then.
Worst Show of the year: Syd Masters, Lynn Anderson and Michael Martin Murphey. Civic Plaza.Watching Lynn Anderson was like watching my grandma trying to be funny after she downed six Margaritas. Honey, drinkin' and singin' don't mix. Also, Muphey is a redneck gasbag.
Best Venue: Albuquerque Bio Park. Mellowness, nature's beauty and I live next door!
Runner-up: Sandia Casino Ampitheatre. No bad seats, and a great view of the mountains.
Worst Venue: Journal Pavillion. Lines, crowds, drunk morons and traffic jams, what fun!
Next Worst: Rio Grande Zoo. This would also rate as third BEST due to the outdoor surroudings, but what sucks about the place is the parking, the long lines to get in, scrambling for a spot to sit and the fact that they don't allow people to dance, but do serve booze to idiots.