With the year coming to a close, it’s once again time for me to share my favorite music of the year. Overall it’s been a tough year for me in a personal-professional sense. It felt like I lost everything without losing anything. I know that doesn’t really make a lot of sense, but I also don’t want to get into too much detail because there’s a lot. I’ve spent this year working on finding a new perspective to weather this brief storm and I’m thankful for the music and music moments that helped me along the way. So here we go, my best in music for 2023:
the 1975
I knew late last year that my interest in the 1975 was growing. They of course made last year’s top music list as well with Being Funny in a Foreign Language and “Heart Out,” but this year I got heavily into the 1975. Honestly, if any artist, album, song, experience, top the year for me it’s the 1975. I listened to all their music, almost every song and every album, continually throughout this year. I talked about them with multiple friend groups on many occasions. I saw them 4 times, twice on the second leg of their tour and twice at festivals, yet I still can’t sing every single word to “Love It If We Made It,” even though my friend Hailey and I have scream-singed it to each other 3 times this year. I’m getting better at it. Don’t worry. At this point, my twitter timeline mostly only sends news about the 1975 or Matty Healy. I also don’t think I’ll ever get over Hailey and Matty dressing as the same person for Halloween, when Hailey told us she wanted to be Matty first. It all checks out though, because they were my most listened to band per the Wrapped this year. I even spent the whole month of December listening to my BFIAFL CD on repeat as I classify it as a Christmas album thanks to “Wintering” and “When We Are Together.” I’ve liked the 1975 for almost 10 years now, but this year pushed them to being high on the list of bands I love.
Paramore at Bonnaroo
When I think back to my favorite live music moments of the year, Paramore at Bonnaroo is one of the top moments. Bonnaroo was the first time seeing my ticketing pals since ACL 2022. Last year’s ACL was defined by Paramore for our ticketing team. I thought it was special seeing them with my friend Kristen last year, but seeing them with the team – Kristen, Molly, Spencer, and Erin (with Kali and Alan somewhere in the back) was even more special. We were so close to the stage and our other ticketing pals from Front Gate were on the rail (we saw them on the screen pre-set). One of them even got a birthday shout out from Hayley Williams. ACL 2022 got me into Paramore more than I’ve ever been into them before, so I was able to sing along and match the energy of my fellow Tixie Chicks. We jumped up and down to “That’s What You Get,” “Misery Business,” our theme song “This is Why,” and every other song along the way. When I saw Molly and Erin in tears after “That’s What You Get” ended and we all hugged each other, I think we all felt how beyond special the set was and it had just started! The whole set just felt like Paramore was playing to everyone involved in ticketing. It was perfect. Honestly a core memory as the kids say.
Noah Kahan
At the end of 2022, my friend Megan was very hype about Noah Kahan and his recent album Stick Season. I had worked his VIP a year earlier and thought I might as well give him a chance if she really liked him. I did at the time, but I didn’t care for it, especially his song “Stick Season” that blew up on social media. Fast forward to June and having Friday night off at Bonnaroo. Kristen was coming to Bonnaroo for fun and arrived shortly after I got to site that evening. I texted her and asked her about seeing Noah Kahan together, even though I vaguely knew she really liked him. She said she needed to see him so after meeting up at our trailer, we headed over to his set at That Tent. It was so crowded in front of house that Kristen texted a member of the premium team to see if she could escort us into Platinum Viewing. Thankfully she did and it gave us more space to dance around! I didn’t know any of his songs aside from “Stick Season,” but I danced around with Kristen to every song. It was something I really needed at the time too! The live performance was so good that I decided to start listening to Noah Kahan afterwards. I listened to him constantly for the next 2 months. He was my soundtrack at Peach Fest and Catbird this year. I found many songs that I enjoyed and I still standby the fact that he has many other songs that are better than “Stick Season.” I saw him again at ACL (a little over 3 months since seeing him at Bonnaroo) and sang along to almost every song. It was such a change from not knowing any of his music, aside from “Stick Season,” at Bonnaroo. The crazy part in all of this is that I’ve seen him twice and Megan has still not seen him! Hopefully everything works out with her going to his Hollywood Bowl show! I definitely gained a “new perspective” on his music as he’s one of my top artists of the year.
“3 Nights” by Dominic Fike
Although I’m sure I heard this song prior to adding it to my Coachella 2023 playlist, it really hit for me in the weeks leading up to Coachella. I would listen to my playlist to amp myself up for the festival while I worked out or while driving in the car. I got to the point where I would hear this song once and then replay it. When I arrived to Indio in April, it was on repeat during my month there. It would often be the first song I would play when I got in my car. Dominic Fike played Saturday during the sunset hours on the Outdoor Stage and it was perfect hearing his set then. He played this song a few songs in and I watched it from afar as I was hanging out with some friends, but it still hit just the same. It definitely brought the 2023 Coachella vibes for me.
Fall Out Boy at Jiffy Lube Live
Last December, Fall Out Boy started dropping hints of a new album and I knew with that would come a new tour. This was important to me because my best buddy/little cousin Hudson had gotten into Fall Out Boy over the last few years and going to a concert with him was something I’ve wanted to do for about 8 years, since he was 3 and started showing an interest in music. He just turned 12 for reference. So of course in late January, Fall Out Boy announced their summer tour and I, of course, bought tickets for my cousin, his wife, Hudson, and I to see them together. My cousin’s wife decided we should surprise Hudson with the tickets. We kept the secret for 5 months. We surprised him after picking him up from summer camp on an afternoon in mid-July and told him we were all going to see Fall Out Boy that night. I’ll never forget the look on his face when he saw me running at him. He had no idea what was happening. Getting to and from the venue was the worst experience for all of us, but unfortunately, it was the closest show that I could attend due to work obligations. My cousin was also dealing with a severe back injury, but was well enough at the time to make it work. Hudson knew about 85% of the set list and sang along to everything. It was so fun singing the songs together, jumping around to the music, and enjoying the show. It was his second big concert and our first together. My favorite moment happened when Patrick Stump played his acoustic song of the night which was always a surprise song. I had to run back to my seat from trying to get a drink when I realized it was my favorite Fall Out Boy song “Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner.” I ended up taking a video of Hudson and I singing along together. He went so hard to the song that it was a perfect example of the whole show for us and I love re-watching it to feel how special the whole night was. I’m not sure if he feels the same, but I hope he at least remembers the surprise and us having fun together seeing a band we both like. That night was definitely a culmination of so much and a highlight of the year. We actually get to do it again in a few months for leg 2 of the tour! This time hopefully under better circumstances…good health and much closer to their house.
Calling the Dogs by Citizen
For years, I had known about the band Citizen, but never bothered to listen to them because I fell out of that scene for a bit getting more into indie rock and then electronic music. Over the last 2 years though, my interest in emo/alternative music has been revitalized so when Hailey talked about how good they were in June, I decided to listen to them. Hailey sent me a few of her favorite songs so I added them to my work out playlist. I enjoyed listening to them. Then a month later they released a song called “If You’re Lonely,” a single off of their latest album Calling the Dogs. That was the song that did it for me. The new album was released at the beginning of October and I didn’t listen to it until I got home from ACL. It was great from top to bottom with an emphasis on the bottom because the song “Takes One to Know One” is so good. I liked it better than the other Citizen albums I listened to and immediately decided I needed a CD copy so I could listen in my car on repeat. I spent the next month listening to the album a lot and even decided to see them live in November. It was a quick trip to see their show, but fun as I caught up with a few friends that night too. I didn’t get in to that many albums this year so I can surely say that Calling the Dogs was one of the top ones for me.
Arctic Monkeys
Last year the Arctic Monkeys released their 7th studio album, The Car and with it came the announcement of a 2023 tour. My friend Amanda and I spent a few days at ACL last fall trying to get tickets, until Amanda came through while we were on a golf cart on the way to our box office one morning. 11 months later we attended the show together along with one of her other friends. It was technically the second time I saw the Arctic Monkeys, but the first time I was able to see the entire show and I was able to enjoy one of Amanda’s favorite bands with her. My first time came while working at their show at FHS in 2018. In the month that lead up to the show, I listened to Arctic Monkeys as much as possible renewing my love for the British indie rockers. Seeing them live made me want to attend more of their shows, but unfortunately I was only able to catch one. They still became one of my most listened to artists this year nonetheless.
The Lumineers at Oceans Calling
The Lumineers were the Sunday night headliner at Oceans Calling this year and I decided to go watch them with the two supervisors I hired, Chyanna and Maria, who are also some of my pals. Every day at the festival Kali gave us creds to use so we could watch the headliners from front of house and not deal with the masses. It’s always a treat being able to watch from that spot. This was even more special though due to The Lumineers’ stage design. Their stage extended to a smaller stage almost right in front of where front of house was situated. Taking in the show so closely and hearing their beautiful music from the beach in a private area after a great week hit me hard. I tried to take it in as best as I could. It was so unexpectedly great and the perfect way to end the festival.
Blink-182 at Coachella & in Hershey
In 2004, I was supposed to attend a Blink-182 concert at the local concert venue with one of my best friends/crushes at the time. It never ended up happening due to some confusion on the tickets. Then I just never saw them. They weren’t around and I didn’t travel much for music until my 20’s. Tom left the band and Matt Skiba came in so it wasn’t the original lineup. I went almost 19 years without seeing them, until I was finally able to during their Weekend 2 performance at Coachella. It felt special to me being able to finally see this iconic punk band with the original lineup, as I should have in 2004. Not only that, but I even got to work one of their tour concerts a month later and catch the show again. That felt even cooler as I watched Travis, Tom, and Mark after finishing a day of working for them. Seeing Blink-182 this year was definitely a moment to check off my list of bands I’ve wanted to see.
Windser
In January, Hailey sent me the song “Friends That I Barely Know” by an artist named Windser. She befriended him when he was with another band and went out to LA to see him. It was the only song I listened to on my way home from Mexico that month, partially because it was the only song working on my Spotify for some reason and partially because it was so good. She found out at the show she went to that he would be performing at Lollapalooza. He also happened to be opening for another band at a Lolla aftershow, so we decided to try to see him in Chicago. Leading up to the show I started listening to all of his music and realized how good he was. I even sent his music to some friends encouraging them to listen. I was so excited to see him at Lolla, but of course timing and work got in the way of us making it for his performance. It was a bummer and the night surely didn’t turn out as well as I wished it would’ve for so many reasons, but a few months later I got another chance to see him. I had planned to help Megan sell merch one Sunday in October, but then the show got cancelled. The show being cancelled lead to an opportunity to see Windser as he was performing nearby the same evening. Although I invited a few friends to partake in my plans that evening, it turned into a solo night out to see his show. I watched him perform in a tiny venue in a room with about 30-40 people. It was nowhere near crowded despite the small venue size. The show was perfect though. It felt cool seeing a show like that, knowing how talented an artist is. I don’t think there’s any song he’s released that I don’t like. For that reason and all of the above, Windser has definitely been here and there throughout my year and he’ll likely be part of my 2024 too, if the debut album he mentioned does, in fact, get released.
Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness at Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center
Last year after missing When We Were Young by my own choice and seeing the 2023 lineup, I determined that I needed to work the festival this year. Although I tried in the ways I knew how, it didn’t come to fruition. Part of the reason I wanted to be there was because of Something Corporate, a band I listened to a lot in high school but never had the privilege of seeing live. The band stopped creating music together before I ever had the chance to see them. Their front man, Andrew McMahon, began working on other projects as the band went their separate ways. Over the years I saw Andrew McMahon’s other projects, Jack’s Mannequin and Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, where he’d cover a few Something Corporate songs every set, but seeing the band in full and hearing one of my all time favorite songs live, “Hurricane,” was always something I wanted to witness. I was disappointed that weekend and had a bit of fomo (although not as much as 2022). A few friends sent videos of the set, but it didn’t feel right. I ended up connecting over Andrew and Something Corporate with a tour connection that I now consider a work friend around that time. She also hired me to come work for her a few weeks later while she ran VIP for a fall tour. On the day we worked together, she abruptly came to the check-in table asking me if I had any plans that evening. I hesitantly responded with something like, “Working for you. Driving home. Nothing else I can think of?” Then she goes, “Do you want to see Andrew McMahon tonight?! He’s playing at a venue 15 miles away.” Although again hesitant, I responded “Sure!” She got us on the guest list and we ended up heading there after completing the VIP work. I didn’t think I’d stay for the whole show, but I ended up staying the entire time. It was a great show, and the best part was that I finally got to hear my favorite Something Corporate song live. It wasn’t what I ideally expected for hearing that song live for the first time, but it made me so happy anyway, especially after not being able to be at When We Were Young. It ended up being the best last minute change of plans surprise.
“Seventeen Going Under” by Sam Fender
I heard of Sam Fender from one of my coworker friend Erin in 2022 so “Seventeen Going Under” was one of the first songs I listened to in 2023. Although I don’t always fall for an artist’s most popular song, this one stuck with me. It was on repeat during the early months of the year. I’ll always remember listening to it on a quiet New Years Day morning as I drove to and from Starbucks. From this song, I listened to a few other Sam Fender songs as well, but they didn’t hit the same. There was a period where I believed it would be one of my top songs of the year, but I know all too well that usually what I listen to early on doesn’t always last the entire year. This one was close though as it was actually number 6 on my Spotify Wrapped.
Honorable Mentions:
“thoughts I have while lying in bed” by the Maine
Last year I got into the Maine because of Hailey. They’re her favorite band. Even though I listened to them briefly in the late 00’s, last year was basically a second coming of the Maine for me, but I also got into some of their newer stuff. This year they released a new album on 8/1/23 (8123 for those that know). The song “thoughts I have while lying in bed” was my favorite from the new album. As a result, I ended up listening to it a lot this fall. I even ended up playing it on guitar a bunch too. I listened to it enough that it ended up on my top 5 songs of the year on Spotify. I definitely didn’t think it would make the cut, but it did. It’s a great song and worthy of an honorable mention of the year.
the record by boygenius
Many folks will tell you 2023 was the year of the boys aka the band boygenius. The supergroup comprised of Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Lucy Dacus released their debut album the record on March 31st. Then 2 weeks later the group played Coachella. I listened to boygenius in the weeks leading up to Coachella and saw their performances both weekends. They killed it this year both live and in stereo. Although it wasn’t an album I played all year, it was still notable for me in a brief time period of 2023.
Skrillex, Fred again…, Four Tet at Coachella
When Frank Ocean cancelled his Weekend 2 Coachella performance after a disastrous Weekend 1, Goldenvoice filled the bill with none other than Blink-182 and “TBA.” The TBA was the collaboration of Skrillex, Fred again…, and Four Tet performing a one of a kind headlining set on the polo fields. It was the best electronic set I’ve ever seen at the festival and one of the best headlining sets I’ve seen to date. I still feel grateful that I got to be there for it, despite being a casual Fred again… listener, but not being the biggest fan of any of the artists.
Pierce the Veil at Pier 17
I’m not a Pierce the Veil fan by any means, but I decided to see them in early June at Pier 17 in NYC so I could spend time with Hailey since I knew I wouldn’t be able to see her much this year. At the show, Hailey, our other friend Grace, and I went into the pit during Pierce the Veil because Hailey wanted to mosh. Although we’d done similar at the Maine’s shows the year before, Pierce the Veil was way more intense. There were crowd surfers flying every minute and the moshing was intense. It’s not something I typically engage in so I was dying to get out. Hailey explained to me quickly that if I wanted out, the easiest way was to crowd surf. Crowd surfing was something I had always wanted to do during my warped tour days, but I always had a reason I couldn’t. Most of the time it was because I wore basketball shorts and I had stuff in my pockets which made it easy for items to fall out. On a 50 degree night in NYC though, I wore skinny jeans so this wasn’t an issue. I decided to go for it. Although it was only a short ways to go, I crowd surfed for the first time out of the pit then watched the rest of the show from house right. Hailey joined me a few songs later (towards the end of the show) and Grace, who we lost early on, also met up with us. I actually ended up really liking the song I crowd surfed during too, which was a bonus from the whole experience. It was a special moment for me this year as I never thought at this point in my life I’d do it, but I finally did.
Despacio at Coachella
I almost didn’t include this one because it was always such a tiny moment of each day I spent at Coachella during the 2 weeks of the festival, but it was one of my favorite parts of Coachella 2023. Despacio aka James Murphy, 2manydjs, and the McIntosh sound system happened every day at Coachella this year. I stopped in for a bit every day as well and every time I thought it was the coolest thing. It made me feel so content in the small space watching James spin vinyl and dancing along with other festival-goers while my favorite festival was happening right outside. Coachella 2023 wasn’t always the best at times, but this was definitely a highlight. It was such a brief part of the year, but a special one for sure.
There you have it, my 2023 best of music list. Like I said, it was rough at times this year, but music always helps. These bands/artists, songs, albums, and live music moments were the things that worked out this year. It’s proof of how important music is to so many people and how creating a live music experience can provide such positive energy to everyone witnessing it. It makes me grateful for what I do and makes we want to continue doing it. I hope 2024 will give me even more experiences like that and also more great music to listen to, but every year always does. There’s always something to discover. It’s magic.
The Spentertainic Source 