Live music is healing for me.
Live music is engaging, encouraging, enlivening, releasing and restorative for me.
As we’ve been navigating my wife’s health challenges this year, at her urging, I chose to care for myself in one specific way: by going to concerts far more than I normally do. This idea was greatly helped by the fact that nearly everyone I like, in every genre imaginable, seemed to be on tour this year. Some notes of highlight:
The largest concert experience this year: Metallica, where 100,000 people attended!
The most “captured by her voice & presence pointing to Jesus” concert experience this year: Cece Winans. What a Spirit-fueled evening!
The longest concert experience this year was obviously the festival I attended: Moon River for 2 days--it was worth every bit of sweating and standing to see NEEDTOBREATHE, Hozier, Nickel Creek, Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors, Larkin Poe and so many more.
The loudest: Extreme, which seems appropriate, right?! (thank God and Sarah for my Eargasm earplugs!)
The least planned for: Thrice in October, with my ticket purchased just 3 hours before showtime (though a few others were a-day-or-two-before-kinda-ticket-purchase)
The show with the best “seat”: NEEDTOBREATHE in Fort Worth when I got bumped up to “the pit” due to a broken seat and got to rock out with two of my sisters-in-laws already there!
The most innovative BY FAR: U2 at the Sphere. Until you immerse yourself in that place & moment, it’ll seem like hype. Just go and you’ll see it’s unlike anything you’ve ever attended!
Repeat acts seen in 2023:
Thrice 2xs (yes, I see the irony)
Stryper 2xs
NEEDTOBREATHE 2xs
Nita Strauss 3xs (one being w/ Alice Cooper)
MammothWVH 3xs
The best: ?
They all have a special place in my memory, with videos & photos on my phone and t-shirts in my closet. There wasn’t one “best”; they were all great in the moment. Some who have followed my Facebook posts, pictures and videos have asked for “The List” of the 35 concert events I attended this year. Feel free to look back at any of the posts there as there’s greater show by show detail and more photos and video clips. Here it is!
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Ben Rector w/ Jordy Searcy & Stephen Day
March 18 at Southside Ballroom in Dallas, TX:
April 13 at the Strand Theatre in Shreveport, LA:
May 7 at Lake Country Playhouse in Mineola, TX:
May 17 at War Memorial Auditorium in Shreveport, LA:
June 29 at Dos Equis Pavilion in Dallas, TX:
July 17 at the Basement East in Nashville, TN:
August 3 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX:
August 18 at At&T Stadium in Arlington, TX:
August 22 at Revel Event Center in Albuquerque, NM:
August 23 at Toyota Music Pavilion in Irving, TX:
September 9-10 at Moon River Festival in Chattanooga, TN:
September 28 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX:
September 30 at the Belcher Center in Longview, TX:
October 6 at True Vine Brewery in Tyler, TX:
October 7 at the Longhorn Ballroom in Dallas, TX:
October 9 at the Longhorn Ballroom in Dallas, TX:
October 13 at Thunder Valley Casino in Lincoln, CA:
October 18 at Tannahill’s Music Hall in Fort Worth, TX:
October 20 at Dickie’s Arena in Fort Worth, TX:
October 26 at Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler, TX:
October 29 at Flint Baptist Church in Flint, TX:
November 10 at the Strand Theatre in Shreveport, LA:
November 25 at the Factory in Dallas, TX:
December 1 at the Sphere in Las Vegas, NV:
December 7 at St Andrew’s Methodist Church in Plano, TX:
March 18 at Southside Ballroom in Dallas, TX:
Alter Bridge w/ MammothWVH & Pistols at Dawn
Steven Curtis Chapman
April 14 at the Arlington Music Hall in Arlington, TX:
Stryper w/ Millennial Reign
April 20 at First Baptist Church in Texarkana, TX:
Cece Winans
May 7 at Lake Country Playhouse in Mineola, TX:
Randy Stonehill
May 17 at War Memorial Auditorium in Shreveport, LA:
Alice Cooper
May 22 at the Echo Music Lounge in Dallas, TX:
Thrice w/ Holy Fawn
June 29 at Dos Equis Pavilion in Dallas, TX:
Matchbox Twenty w/ Matt Nathanson
July 12 at Trees in Dallas, TX:
Nita Strauss w/ Lions at the Gate & Adam Nanez Band & Russ Hewitt Band
Stryper w/ Jamie Rowe
July 21 at Dos Equis Pavilion in Dallas, TX:
Shania Twain w/ Mickey Guyton
August 3 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX:
Thomas Rhett w/ Cole Swindell & Nate Smith
August 18 at At&T Stadium in Arlington, TX:
Metallica w/ Pantera & MammothWVH
August 22 at Revel Event Center in Albuquerque, NM:
Extreme w/ Living Colour
August 23 at Toyota Music Pavilion in Irving, TX:
Counting Crows w/ Dashboard Confessional
Hozier & NEEDTOBREATHE w/ Nickel Creek, Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors (guest appearance by Amy Grant), JOHNNYSWIM, Larkin Poe, First Aid Kit, Wilder Woods, Noah Cyrus, the 502s & Larry Fleet
September 28 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX:
Guns n Roses w/ Alice In Chains
September 30 at the Belcher Center in Longview, TX:
Vince Gill (Neal McCoy’s ETAN benefit concert)
October 6 at True Vine Brewery in Tyler, TX:
Lydia Laird
October 7 at the Longhorn Ballroom in Dallas, TX:
Snarky Puppy w/ Nate Wood
October 9 at the Longhorn Ballroom in Dallas, TX:
The Wallflowers w/ LC Franke
Kenny Loggins w/ Richard Marx
October 14 at Toyota Music Pavilion in Irving, TX:
Sting w/ Joe Sumner
October 18 at Tannahill’s Music Hall in Fort Worth, TX:
Thrice w/ the 68
October 20 at Dickie’s Arena in Fort Worth, TX:
NEEDTOBREATHE w/ Judah & the Lion
October 26 at Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler, TX:
Brandon Lake w/ Benjamin Hastings & Leeland
October 29 at Flint Baptist Church in Flint, TX:
Natalie Grant & Bernie Herms
November 10 at the Strand Theatre in Shreveport, LA:
Whose Live Anyway?
November 11 at the Belcher Center in Longview, TX:
Crowder
November 25 at the Factory in Dallas, TX:
MammothWVH w/ Nita Strauss
U2
December 3 at Christ Church in Tyler, TX:
Nine Lessons & Carols
December 7 at St Andrew’s Methodist Church in Plano, TX:
Andrew Peterson’s Behold the Lamb of God w/ Jess Ray, the Arcadian Wild, Andrew Osenga, Jill Phillips, Andy Gullahorn & Skye Peterson
December 15 at Dickie’s Arena in Fort Worth, TX:
for King & Country’s Drummerboy Christmas
I’ve created an Apple Music playlist titled “Joal’s ‘23 Concert Review” with over 50 tunes, 3.5 hours of listening, with a song from each headliner and many of the opening acts that I heard live this year. It’s pretty eclectic as the list of shows suggests.
https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/joals-23-concert-review/pl.u-NpXmYB7FmvogKo
As I’m typing this, I still have my U2 floor access wristband on. I didn’t feel a need to cut it off because every time I catch sight of it or feel it slide on my wrist, I smile.
Good memories buoy.
We can all use a little lift these days and these concerts have been that life-joy-lift for me.
Next time you see me, ask to see some concert photos and videos on my phone. I’ll show you some Crowder that’ll make you worship Jesus right then and there or a full on Footloose dance party with Kenny Loggins or a little Guns n Roses that’ll have you head banging with me in the parking lot or a smidge of U2 that’ll probably make you as dizzy as it did me that night. After seeing some clips, you’ll be smiling, too. There are a few shows in ‘24 I have tickets to attend, but nothing on pace with this year. It’s been a once in a lifetime run.
