Best of 2010 : Top 10 Live Shows

2010 was amazing for live music in Vancouver, most notably due to the Olympic games and its twin component the Cultural Olympiad in the earlier part of the year. With all that being said, the cream floats to the top, and certain shows stand out as definitive. There's always those few shows that you mention over and over to friends, those "and when so-and-so did this... I FREAKED OUT!" moments that you can't help but relive. Below are those shows for me in the past year. I'd love to hear what yours were as well!

This past year, I had the pleasure of seeing several Vancouver-based artists several times, including Hannah Georgas, Said the Whale, We Are the City, Aidan Knight, and Dan Mangan. I was fortunate enough to cover the Vancouver Folk Music Festival once again, as well as play witness to the first rendition of the Live at Squamish Festival. For the full list of shows I had attended, you can check out my concert listings.

Without further ado... the top 10 ticket stubs of 2010. Links to original reviews or photos when available.

#10: Great Lake Swimmers at Vogue Theatre- January 29

#9: Malajube at Performance Works (Cultural Olympiad) - February 12

#8: Timber Timbre at Jericho Beach (Vancouver Folk Music Festival) - July 17

#7: Hey Rosetta! at the Orpheum - February 19

#6: Hollerado at Live at Squamish - September 4

photo: Skot Nelson

#5: Hawksley Workman and Jill Barber at Richmond O-Zone - February 17

#4: Diamond Rings at Biltmore Cabaret- November 20

#3: Mumford and Sons at the Vogue - October 23

#2: The Bonfire Ball (Jason Collett, Zeus, Bahamas) at Biltmore Cabaret and Sugar Nightclub (Victoria) - March 26-27

#1: Arcade Fire at Pacific Coliseum - September 28

Honourable mentions:
Library Voices, Paper Lions & Bend Sinister at UBC Pit Pub, Oct 29;
The Malahat Revue (Hannah Georgas, Jeremy Fisher, Aidan Knight, Said the Whale) at Vancouver Folk Music Festival, July 18;
Hannah Georgas w/ Colleen Brown at Venue Nightclub - May 22;
Jamie Lidell at Venue Nightclub, June 14.