The Best of 2018: Sights Seen and Photos Taken

My life is an open book. Or a published blog post, as the case may be.

Via this Seth Saith blog, augmented by my Facebook page--on which I share everything I write here, post my daily 6word Portraits and share various other thoughts, inanities and photographs--any who cares, or even doesn't, can know of every performance I see, including full reviews and Best of 2018 lists.

Theoretically, you would already know that my life largely revolves around friends, family--though I tend not to photograph either so much--rock concerts, theater, travel, art museums, movies, sports, other forms of culture and enlightenment, constant exploration and dining out.

2018 wasn't much different, and as the image above denotes, I ventured to Machu Picchu in Peru, as well as Boston and Milwaukee. But I also tried to make the most of my time at home, whether literally within my condo in a suburb of Chicago, or in pursuing all that the great Windy City has to offer.

Unlike my rash of previous Best of 2018 posts, this one isn't a competitive category and just tries--via some largely randomly chosen photos that I took (or a few I had taken of me)--to highlight my year.

Because it's rightfully taboo to take photos of theatrical performances, the plethora I attended won't be featured here--see my lists of Best Plays and Best Musicals--but I'll begin with some photos from some of the Concerts I caught. (I'm also not a big selfie taker, but go here if you really need to see some from over the years.)

The above pix represent U2, Buddy Guy, Robert Plant, David Byrne, Depeche Mode, Arcade Fire, Elton John and Pearl Jam. Just below is one of me with rocker Willie Nile, followed by a few other famous folks:

The Best of 2018: The Best New Movies I Saw

Of movies that were first made readily available for me to see in 2018, whether in Chicagoland theaters for a regular run--i.e. not a festival showing--or via self-producing streaming TV channels, I saw 39 over the past 365 days.

For the purposes of my list below, these include The Post, Phantom Thread, Hostiles and perhaps a few other films that were officially 2017 releases but didn't open locally until 2018.

I won't count as eligible a film called Fast Color, which I saw at a special screening--with star Gugu Mbatha-Raw present at Chicago's Music Box Theatre--but which won't open normally until March 29.

And because I believe I only saw two new documentaries in 2018--not counting straight concert movies or Springsteen on Broadway--I will take care of acknowledging them separately here:

1. Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story 
2. McQueen

As in years past, after my list I will also include the Top 10s of my friend Dave and Brad, who tend to see a wider swath of art films than I do.

I won't take the time to spell out which films are still in theaters, on Netflix or other streaming service, rentable or whatever else, but have found an app called Just Watch is quite valuable in this regard. 

Best New Movies Seen in 2018
(F = Foreign; 17 = Officially a 2017 release)

1. If Beale Street Could Talk
2. Roma (F)
3. Shoplifters (F)
4. Burning (F)
5. Green Book
6. The Post (17)
7. Widows
8. Leave No Trace
9. Eighth Grade 
10. Blackkklansman 
11. The Rider 
12. Disobedience 
13. You Were Never Really Here
14. Bohemian Rhapsody 
15. Black Panther 
16. On the Basis of Sex
17. Crazy Rich Asians 
18. A Simple Favor 
19. First Reformed
20. A Star Is Born

Honorable Mention (in preference order)

Mary Poppins Returns, Mission: Impossible - Fallout, Foxtrot, Lean on Pete, Annihilation, Zama, Hostiles, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Notable 2018 Movies Not Yet Seen
The Favourite, The Sisters Brothers, Mandy, The Mule, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Wildlife, First Man, A Private War, Creed II, Museo, Boy Erased, Ben Is Back, Halloween, Cold War (not yet released in Chicago), The Death of Stalin, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse, Love After Love, Isle of Dogs, The Other Side of the Wind, Colette, Bloodspotting, A Quiet Place, The Endless

Notable Movies Seen But Not Cited Above

Phantom Thread (17), Fast Color, Support the Girls, Deadpool 2, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Set It Up, Anon, Game Night, Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again

Dave's Top 10 Movies of 2018

1. Roma (F)

2. Eighth Grade
3. Can You Ever Forgive Me?
4. The Mule
5. If Beale Street Could Talk
6. The Favourite
7. Hostiles
8. Foxtrot
9. Green Book
10. Leave No Trace

Brad's Top 10 Movies of 2018

1. Roma
2. Blackkklansman
3. First Reformed
4. Burning (F)
5. Hereditary
6. The Other Side of the Wind
7. Black Panther
8. Eighth Grade
9. The Endless
10. Shoplifters (F)

The Best of 2018: The Most Enjoyable & Enlightening Museums, Exhibitions and Attractions I Experienced

If you're reading this--whether just this particular blog post, my current series of "Best of 2018" posts or my Seth Saith blog with any regularity--I appreciate it.

I like sharing my thoughts, and passions, and certainly hope doing so may enlighten, or merely entertain, somebody else.

Ideally several times over.

But the truth is that I write and maintain Seth Saith in large part for my own benefit.

Therapeutically, certainly, as the enjoyment of writing--and sharing my opinions on many superb performances--with consistency has been rather fulfilling.

But candidly, I also like having an archive of what I've seen, done, thought, etc.

Year-round, but in more capsulized form, via these Best of the Year posts.

This category, with somewhat unwieldy rankings of museums of differing types, sizes, scopes, exhibitions and/or permanent collections, etc., and also "attractions" of myriad forms, very much plays into this.

The lists wind up being rather non-parallel, and undoubtedly weighted to sights seen on vacation. Some of the "once in a lifetime" variety.

I realize the imperfections, and even more than most, the rankings are somewhat immaterial. But it'll be nice to have something to look back upon. And if you enjoy perusing this, that's even better.

(Note that in the museum listings, in some cases I cite particularly great Special Exhibitions, while in others simply a visit to the museum itself (or both). In the specific case of the Art Institute of Chicago, I have visited it for so long and so often--including a few times this year--here I will merely consider special exhibits I saw this year, although the museum as a whole could always rank near the top My Favorite Museums list.)

My Favorite Museum Visits of 2018

1. Museum of Fine Arts - Boston

2. Larco Museum - Lima, Peru

3. Isaballa Stewart Gardner Museum - Boston

4. Old State House - Boston

5. Harvard Art Museums - Boston

6. Ivan Albright and John Singer Sargent exhibitions - Art Institute of Chicago (seen on the same visit)

7. Speak Truth to Power / Kerry Kennedy - Illinois Holocaust

Museum & Education Center - Skokie, IL (my recap)

8. Milwaukee Public Museum

9. Paul Revere House - Boston

10. Japanese Prints - Art Institute of Chicago

11. Lima Art Museum - Lima, Peru
 





Best Non-Museum Attractions Visited in 2018

1. Machu Picchu - Peru 

2. Ollantaytambo Sanctuary - Ollantaytambo, Peru

3. Whale Watching Boston Harbor Cruise - Boston

4. Forced from Home interactive exhibit by Doctors Without Borders - Daley Plaza, Chicago (website)

5. Qorikancha - Cusco, Peru 

6. Convent of San Francisco and Catacombs - Lima, Peru

7. Boston Public Library, Old Building 

8. Huaca Pucllana - Lima, Peru

9. Plaza de Armas, Cusco 

10. Trinity Church - Boston

11. BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir - Bartlett, IL

 
Honorable Mention 

- Convent of Santa Domingo - Lima, Peru
- Plaza de Armas, Lima
- Fenway Park - Boston
- Harvard  University Tour - Cambridge, MA
- State House Tour - Boston
- Art Walk of River North Galleries - Evening Associates of the Art Institute of Chicago
- Convent of Santo Domingo - Lima
- Old North Church - Boston
- Basilica of St. Josephat - Milwaukee

The Best of 2018: The Best Plays I Saw

In 2018, I saw 40 plays.

This doesn't include musicals, operas, ballets, sketch comedy, improv, etc.

Presented by 22 different local troupes in a wide variety of venues, some of these works were world premieres, some were age-old classics, many were somewhere in-between.

There were shows with vast casts, and several others with a single performer.

And many of the performances were fantastic, from Hollywood stars--Michael Shannon, Stacy Keach, Richard Thomas--many Chicagoland actors I've long seen and several I never had before.

A large number of the works were quite good, with all of the top 11 below earning @@@@@ or @@@@1/2 (out of 5) on my ratings scale--and the others cited at least @@@@. 

My #1 pick is still running for a few more weeks, and though it is a non-traditional play--with no spoken dialogue--it is completely magical.

As always, my exact rankings--and ratings of any play--are an inexact science, so great admiration is bestowed on all productions making my list, and many more that didn't.
   
The Best Plays I Saw in 2018
All were in the Chicago area. New/recent works are denoted with an *.

1. The Steadfast Tin Soldier* - Lookingglass Theatre
conceived and directed by Mary Zimmerman
(my review)

2. Liberty City - Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre

written by April Yvette Thompson; directed by Jonathan Wilson
(my review)

3. Pamplona* - Goodman Theatre
written by Jim McGrath; directed by Robert Falls
(my review)

4. All My Sons - Court Theatre 
written by Arthur Miller; directed by Charles Newell

(my review)

5. Downstate* - Steppenwolf Theatre

written by Bruce Norris; directed by Pam McKinnon
(my review)

6. A Home on the Lake* - Piven Theatre and Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre
written by Stephen Fedo & Tim Rhoze; directed by Tim Rhoze

Liberty City at Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre

(my review)

7. A Shayna Maidel - TimeLine Theatre 

written by Barbara Lebow; directed by Vanessa Stalling
(my review)

8. Until the Flood - Goodman Theatre
written by Dael Orlandersmith; directed by Neel Keeler
(my review)

9. Linda - Steep Theatre
written by Penelope Skinner; directed by Robin Witt
(my review)

10. An Enemy of the People - Goodman Theatre
written by Henrik Ibsen; adapted & directed by Robert Falls
(my review)

11. The Gentleman Caller* - Raven Theatre 
written by Philip Dawkins; directed by Cody Estle
(my review)

Honorable Mention

Curve of Departure* - Northlight Theatre
written by Rachel Bonds; directed by BJ Jones
(my review)

The Play That Goes Wrong - National Tour / Broadway in Chicago

written by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields; directed by Matt DiCarlo
(my review)
 
Indecent - Victory Gardens Theatre
written by Paula Vogel; directed by Gary Griffin
(my review)

Victims of Duty - House Theatre

written by Eugène Ionesco; directed by Shira Piven
(my review)

The Humans- National Tour / Broadway in Chicago
written by Stephen Karam; directed by Joe Mantello
(my review)

The Lonesome West - Aston Rep Theatre
written by Martin McDonagh; directed by Dana Anderson
(my review)

Vietgone - Writers Theatre
written by Qui Nguyen; directed by Lavina Jadhwani
(my review)

Lady in Denmark - Goodman Theatre
written by Dael Orlandersmith; directed by Chay Yew
(my review)

A Moon for the Misbegotten - Writers Theatre
written by Eugene O'Neill; directed by William Brown
(my review)

Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years - Goodman Theatre
written by Emily Mann; directed by Chuck Smith
(my review)

-- If re-posting list or highlighting selections, please attribute to: Seth Arkin on SethSaith.com

The Best of 2018: My Favorite Songs of the Year -- A Spotify Playlist

Anybody who sees my post of The Best Rock Concerts I Attended in 2018--or most other years for that matter--will likely think, "Boy, he likes a bunch of old rock bands."

Which isn't incorrect. I do.

I still love rock music, and listen to it daily.

But I can count on two hands the number of rock acts I've really cared about that have arisen in this century, and on just one those from this decade.

Yet I rather constantly--and quite vociferously at year-end as research for lists like this and Best Rock Albums--try to catch wind of new artists, albums and songs that prove that rock really is still alive, in an ongoing sense.

And I also attempt to find some stuff a bit beyond my wheelhouse.

Different than most of my other year-end Best of 2018 lists, my selection of Favorite Songs isn't presented as a ranking, but rather as a playable Spotify playlist. It is sequenced to hopefully make for pleasant listening, without qualitative delineation.

You can play the songs through the interface below, but can also find/bookmark the playlist online through the URL:

SethSongs2018.us

And should you happen to care, past yearly playlists of favorite songs can be found by clicking each year: 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014

Enjoy.

My Favorite Songs of 2018

The Best of 2018: The Best Rock Concerts I Attended

Even without any shows by Mssrs. Springsteen and McCartney, 2018 was another rather remarkable year of concert going. (And I love Springsteen on Broadway on Netflix after seeing it live in December '17.)

Including everything from free shows in local parks to sold-out stadium extravaganzas, I attended 45 rock concerts--and I truly enjoyed every one of them.

I say "rock" so as not to include here classical, jazz and theatrical performances, even if the latter included rock & pop songs.

But acts I saw in 2018, and eligible here, range from Buddy Guy to Taylor Swift, Erasure to Foghat, so rock isn't meant in any stringent sense.

I awarded 12 performers a full @@@@@ rating on my Seth Saith scale, and among these, I saw U2 and Pearl Jam twice. (For ranking purposes, I will award them just one berth each.)

And while I will cite opening acts, my ratings and rankings only apply to the headliners. Def Leppard and Journey made for the only true double-bill I saw (with the Pretenders opening the show at Wrigley Field), but though both were quite enjoyable, neither makes the list below.

My Favorite Rock Concerts of 2018
Artists seen multiple times ranked just once; venues in Chicago area unless noted.

1. David Byrne (w/ Benjamin Clementine) - June 3, Auditorium Theatre (my review) 

2. Arcade Fire (w/ Manchester Orchestra) - July 8, Milwaukee Summerfest Mainstage (my review)

3. Depeche Mode (w/ EMA) - June 1, United Center (my review) 

4. Foo Fighters (w/ the Struts) - July 29, Wrigley Field (my review)  


5. Pearl Jam - August 20 & 22, Wrigley Field (my review)

6. U2 - May 22 & 23, United Center (my review)

7. Jeff Lynne's ELO - August 15, Allstate Arena (my review)

8. Elton John - October 26, United Center (my review)

9. Stereophonics (w/ The Ramona Flowers) - September 11, The Vic (my review)

10. The Struts (w/ The Glorious Sons) - November 24, House of Blues (my review) 

11. Ash (w/ Namorado) - September 22, Schuba's (my review)

Honorable Mention
(in preference order)

- Little Steven & the Disciples of Soul - November 5, Copernicus Center (my review)

- Robert Plant (w/ Seth Lakeman) - February 20, Riviera Theatre (my review)
- Radiohead (w/ Junun) - July 7, United Center (my review)

- Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band (w/ Larkin Poe) - December 14, Allstate Arena (my review)

- Smashing Pumpkins (w/ Metric) - August 13, United Center (my review)

- The Zombies (w/ Don DiLego) - March 19, City Winery (my review)

- Neil Young (John Hammond Jr.) - June 30, Auditorium Theatre (my review)
- Buddy Guy (w/ Ronnie Baker Brooks) - March 31, Rialto Square Theatre, Joliet (my review)

- Simple Minds - October 15, Chicago Theatre (my review)

- Willie Nile - April 14, City Winery (my review)

---
Thus begins my annual barrage of year-end rankings. In the coming days, please look for The Best of 2018 posts covering Plays, Musicals, Albums, Songs and Movies, as well as others covering Travel, Dining and various other topics. 

If re-posting lists or highlighting selections, please attribute to: Seth Arkin on SethSaith.com