5. Arcade Fire, Judson Memorial Church, 2.13.07: Though the dark-minded “Neon Bible” would never be as well-received as the more light-hearted breakthrough album “Funeral,” the Arcade Fire certainly introduced it as dramatically as possible, drumming up a monsoon of indie hype that it nearly lived up to.
R.E.M., Begin the Begin
3. Jay-Z, Steiner Studios, 10.24.07: Yeah, I’ve praised President Carter’s “American Gangster” album enough already. The best part of this special show – the taping for his “Storytellers” special on VH1 – was getting a chance to see Jay have some fun, to see him truly enjoy himself onstage. No wonder it became easier for him to give up his day job running Island Def Jam in search of more things that are just as fulfilling and, for his sake, as fun.
2. Aretha Franklin, 9.7.07: Not only was The Queen of Soul a remarkably good interview, vividly reliving her times spent with The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and offering thoughts on her own future, but she was incredibly gracious as well. (A side note: Miss Franklin does not speak on her voice mail. She simply clears her throat. And yet her voice is so distinctive and recognizable that the sound leaves no question you have correctly connected to music royalty.)
1. John Mayer, Giants Stadium, 7.7.07: The oddest part of my “controversial” exchange with Mr. Waiting on the World to Change is that I was actually trying to be helpful. I was actually trying to get him to talk about the power of music and how musicians could use events like Live Earth to affect people. In return, I got snarkiness and attitude from Mayer. Fair enough. Serves me right. What made this the year’s most memorable moment for me, though, was that “The Daily Show” used his answer as a jumping-off point for its satire on Live Earth’s importance. It also got me on my favorite Comedy Central show (Sorry, Colbert) and generated exponentially more excitement from my family and friends than when Newsday’s Hip-Hop series was a finalist for the Pulitzer. So I guess I should thank Mayer for his sarcasm. Um. Yeah. That.