But I also see more rock concerts than most people I know.
And with at least one coming up before the end of the year--Wilco on Dec. 15 at the Chicago Theatre--my database of Shows Seen reveals I caught 353 concerts since the start of 2010.
On the list below you will several old favorites, some of whom I've seen going all the way back to 1981. (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers was the first concert I attended of my own volition, in June 1981.)
During the decade I made a point of seeing several veteran acts I never had, particularly of a New Wavish ilk--Duran Duran, New Order, Echo & the Bunnymen, Pet Shop Boys, The The, The Church, Jesus & Mary Chain and more--and some relatively newish acts, including Black Keys, Fleet Foxes, Dawes and The National.
Just this year, I made a point of seeing three legendary divas (Diana Ross, Barbara Streisand, Cher) and during the decade I saw artists as disparate as Barry Manilow, Madonna, Phish, Earth Wind & Fire, Tool, James Taylor, The Zombies and Taylor Swift, twice.
And of all the concerts I attended over the past 10 years, including some free shows in local parks, there were probably less than 10 that I didn't at least enjoy.
I wrote reviews of almost all of them--use the Search Box to look them up--and awarded the vast majority at least @@@1/2 (out of 5), and even that was rare compared to @@@@ and above. (You may also want to see my yearly picks for Best Concerts of the Year, posted late each December.)
Though I saw various festival streams, full shows on YouTube, concert broadcasts, DVDs, etc., I am only considering acts I saw live in concert at least once during the decade. Most of the artists on the list below I also saw before this decade, many multiple times. And there is considerable similarity with My Favorite Concert Performers of the '00s.
But for the most part, the greats remained great and comprise my picks for:
The Best Concert Performers of the Decade
1. Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
Seen 11 times during the decade.
2. U2
Seen 9 times during the decade.
3. Arcade Fire
Seen 5 times during the decade.
4. Pearl Jam
Seen 7 times during the decade.
5. Paul McCartney
Seen 8 times during the decade.
6. The Rolling Stones
Seen 4 times during the decade.
7. Soundgarden
Seen 3 times during the decade.
8. AC/DC
Seen 3 times during the decade.
9. The Who
Seen 5 times during the decade.
10. Elvis Costello (& the Imposters)
Seen 5 times during the decade.
11. Bob Mould
Seen 6 times during the decade.
Honorable Mention (in alphabetical order)
Adele - Seen 1 time during the decade.
Ash - Seen 3 times during the decade.
Black Sabbath - Seen 1 time during the decade.
Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band - Seen 5 times during the decade.
Buddy Guy - Seen 4 times during the decade.
David Byrne - Seen 1 time during the decade.
Leonard Cohen - Seen 1 time during the decade.
Coldplay - Seen 2 times during the decade.
Ray Davies - Seen 2 times during the decade.
Depeche Mode - Seen 2 times during the decade.
ELO - Seen 1 time during the decade.
Fleetwood Mac - Seen 2 times during the decade.
John Fogerty - Seen 2 times during the decade.
Foo Fighters - Seen 3 times during the decade.
David Gilmour - Seen 1 time during the decade.
Green Day - Seen 2 times during the decade.
Guns 'n Roses - Seen 2 times during the decade + Slash solo
Elton John - Seen 2 times during the decade.
The Killers - Seen 3 times during the decade.
Maximo Park - Seen 2 times during the decade.
Metallica - Seen 1 time during the decade.
Midnight Oil - Seen 2 times during the decade.
Willie Nile - Seen 7 times during the decade.
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - Seen 2 times during the decade.
Robert Plant - Seen 3 times during the decade.
Radiohead - Seen 3 times during the decade.
The Replacements - Seen 2 times during the decade.
Rush - Seen 4 times during the decade.
The Struts - Seen 2 times during the decade.
Wilco - Seen 5 times during the decade + upcoming on 12/15
Stevie Wonder - Seen 1 time during the decade.
Neil Young - Seen 3 times during the decade.
Special Mention (in alphabetical order)
Chuck Berry - Seen 1 time during the decade.
Aretha Franklin - Seen 1 time during the decade.
Merle Haggard - Seen 1 time during the decade.
Prince - Seen 1 time during the decade.
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