2013 has been a great year. We have expanded our staff and coverage to bring more bands and live acts to the attention of fans and readers, and are looking forward to 2014 with great anticipation as we focus on the music coming out of all corners of New York State. Music festivals and incredible tours pepper the Upstate New York music calendar, giving broad musical choices for the 8 million New Yorkers who call Upstate their home.
Our staff writers and photographers were asked to look back at the full year of music in Upstate New York and beyond, and weigh in with their best of 2013. We looked at 10 categories – Best Upstate Show, Best Show, Best Upstate Album, Best Album, Best Upstate Festival, Best Festival, Best Upstate Venue, Best Venue, Best Band on the Rise and Jam of the Year – and came up with the best music we have seen and heard this year. We’ll bring you two categories each day this week
Here’s part 1 of 5, looking at the Best Shows of 2013
Best Upstate Show
Top Picks
Pearl Jam at First Niagara Center, Buffalo 10/2
Phish at Glens Falls Civic Center, 10/23
Rest of the Best
Turkuaz, The Westcott Theater, Syracuse 2/28
BB King, The Massry Center, Albany 4/14
Ian McLagan Solo, Lovin Cup, Rochester 6/23
John Brown’s Body, Grassroots Festival, Ithaca 7/20
Railroad Earth & Yonder Mountain String Band, Saranac Brewery 8/3
Woodstock Sessions with Alan Evans Trio 8/24
Allman Brother’s Band with Steve Winwood, SPAC 8/28
Aqueous with Lotus, Buffalo Place Rocks the Harbor 8/29
Jimkata, Marris Amphitheatre, Oriskany Falls 8/31
Michael Franti, Upstate Concert Hall, Clifton Park 9/16
Start Making Sense, The Hollow, Albany 9/27
Bad Cello, The Cult of the Crying Moon and The Bird Calls, WERW Launch Party, Syracuse 9/28
Pretty Lights Live in Albany, 10/31
Chicago and the Utica Symphony Orchestra, The Stanley Center, Utica 10/5
Rubblebucket, The Westcott Theater 11/20
Best Show Overall
Top Pick
Phish at Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City 11/1
Rest of the Best
Tenacious D, House of Blues, Boston 3/4
Huey Lewis, Tarrytown Music Hall, Tarrytown 5/11
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Great Googa Mooga Festival, Brooklyn 5/17
Yonder Mountain String Band, Cumberland, MD 5/26
Dirty Projectors, Lincoln Hall, Chicago 6/13
The Rolling Stones, TD Garden, Boston 6/14
Warren Haynes & The Boston Pops, Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration, Lenox, MA 6/22
Tipper, Burning Man, Black Rock Desert, NV, late August
Sound Tribe Sector 9, Bank of America Pavilion, Boston 8/31
Elvis Costello and The Roots, Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn 9/16
STS9, Landmark Theater, Syracuse 9/21
Turkuaz, Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn 9/25
The Disco Biscuits, City Bisco, Philadelphia, PA 9/28
Steely Dan, Beacon Theater, NYC 10/5
Nine Inch Nails, Prudential Center, Newark, NJ 10/15
Phish, DCU Center, Worcester, MA 10/26
Bernhoft, The Troubadour, Los Angeles, CA 11/1
Phish, Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ 11/2
Dark Star Orchestra, Higher Ground, South Burlington, VT 11/19
Railroad Earth and Peter Rowan, Sherman Theater, Strousberg, PA 11/30
Did we miss a show this year that you thought was great? Sound off in the comments!
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