TOP TEN CONCERTS FOR 2010

1. Roger Waters @ Boston Garden

2. Herbie Hancock @ Lowell Concert Series

3. Blue Rodeo @ Harper's Ferry

4. Peter Wolf @ Wilbur Theater

5. Airborne Toxic Event @ Somerville Theatre

6. Karnivool @ Harper's Ferry

7. Richard Thompson @ Prescott Park (Portsmouth NH)

8. The Yardbirds (Showcase Live)

9. Andre Previn (with St. Louis Symphony)

10. Slash (House of Blues)

Honorable Mention: Rush (Boston Garden), Experience Hendrix (St. Louis)

TOP TEN ALBUMS FOR 2010

1. David Byrne & Fatboy Slim - Here Lies Love

2. John Legend with The Roots - Wake Up!

3. Bruce Springsteen - The Promise

4. Robert Plant - Band of Joy

5. Dead Weather - Sea of Cowards

6. Peter Wolf - Midnight Souvenirs

7. Gaslight Anthem - American Slang

8. John Mellencamp - No Better Than This

9. Jamey Johnson - Guitar Song

10. Airbourne: No Guts No Glory

Honorable Mentions:

Bettye Lavette - Interpretations

Gorillaz - Plastic Beach

Steve Miller - Bingo!

Grace Potter - Grace Potter

Ozzy Osbourne - Scream

Eric Clapton - Eric Clapton

Julian Casablancas - Phrazes For The Young

Tom Petty - Mojo

Big Disappointments: Cindi Lauper, Neil Young, Santana

TOP TEN CONCERTS FOR 2009

1. Leonard Cohen @ Wang

2. Metallica @ Garden

3. Tony Bennett @ Cape Cod Music Circus

4. Steely Dan @ Wang

5. Outside Lands Festival

6. Bruce Springsteen @ Garden

7. Ida Maria @ Paradise

8. WPA @ Tupelo Music Hall

9. Green Day @ Garden

10. Tower of Power @ Hampton Casino

Runners Up: Charlie Walker/Brother Josephus (Middle East), Jeff Beck (HOB), Gavin Rossdale (Paradise), Joe Cocker (South Shore Music Circus), Clapton/Winwood (Denver), Dead Weather (House of Blues), Blondie (Harborlights)

TOP TEN ALBUMS FOR 2009

1. Avett Brothers - I and Love and You

2. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

3. Derek Trucks - Already Free

4. Wilco - Wilco

5. White Lies - To Lose My Life

6. Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown

7. Alice in Chains - Black Gives Way To Blue

8. Bat For Lashes - Two Suns

9. Dead Weather - Horehound

10. Maxwell - BLACKsummer's Night

Runners up:

Muse - The Resistance

U2 - No Line on the Horizon

Levon Helm - Electric Dirt

Black Crowes - Before The Frost

Ida Maria - Fortress Round My Heart

TOP TEN CONCERTS FOR 2008

1. Outside Lands Festival (Radiohead, Wilco, Tom Petty, Ben Harper, and many many more)
2. Linkin Park - Verizon Wireless Arena (Manchester, NH)
3. Coldplay - Boston Garden
4. Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Harborlights (Boston)
5. The Pogues - Orpheum Theater
6. Grace Potter & the Nocturnals - Palace Theater (Manchester, NH)
7. Pearl Jam - Tweeter Center
8. Blue Rodeo - Austin, TX (SXSW)
9. Eric Clapton - Tweeter Center
10. Neil Diamond - Worcester Centrum

Honorable mentions:
Nicole Atkins - T.T. The Bears
Bruce Springsteen - Hartford Civic Center
Alice Cooper - Orpheum Theater (all hits, lots of fun)
Los Lonely Boys - Hampton Beach Casino (surprisingly good!)
Matthew Sweet/The Bridges - Paradise Rock Club (nice double bill, The Bridges were good pop fun, and cute as hell!)
My Morning Jacket - Harborlights (really good show, but marred by mediocre sound)
Rose Hill Drive - Great Scott (Boston)
Steve Winwood - Berklee Performance Center
Alicia Keys - Boston Garden

Biggest Disappointments:
The Police - Tweeter Center (Yawn. At least Costello rocked as the opener)
Hold Steady/Drive-By Truckers - Orpheum Theater (poor sound, which is a shame, since this could have been one of the best of the year)
Cheech and Chong - Orpheum Theater (bought tix for $10, still overpaid)

TOP TEN ALBUMS FOR 2008

1. Nicole Atkins - Neptune City
2. Coldplay - Viva la Vida
3. My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
4. Mudcrutch - Mudcrutch
5. Metallica - Death Magnetic
6. Al Green - Lay It Down
7. Pretenders - Break Up The Concrete
8. Alejandro Escovedo-Real Animal
9. Drive-By Truckers - Brighter Than Creation's Dark
10. Sonny Landreth - From the Reach

Honorable Mentions:
Guns N' Roses - Chinese Democracy
AC/DC - Black Ice
The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
Ray Lamontagne - Gossip in the Grain
Aimee Mann: @#%&*! Smilers
Raveonettes - Lust Lust Lust
Joe Jackson - Rain
Mercury Rev - Snowflake Midnight
Matthew Sweet - Sunshine Lies

Overrated:
She and Him (actually this is a decent album, just not nearly as good as some claim, IMHO)
Duffy ('Mercy' is a great single, but the album is weak. Plus, she sucks live)

TOP TEN CONCERTS FOR 2007

1. Muse/Cold War Kids - Agannis Arena
2. Beastie Boys Gala Event - Opera House
3. Amy Winehouse/Mika/Razorlight - La Zona Rosa, Austin (SXSW)
4. Bryan Ferry/Joan Armatrading - Melbourne, Australia
5. Mutemath - Paradise Rock Club
6. Robert Randolph & Family Band - Redhook Brewery (Portsmouth NH)
7. Sara Borges& the Broken Singles - Tupelo Music Hall (Londonderry, NH)
8. Grace Potter and the Nocturnals - Bank of America Pavilion (opening for Gov't Mule)
9. Forro In The Dark (w/guest David Byrne) - SXSW (at some motel pool)
10. Midlake - New Orleans (forget the name of the bar, it was near the convention center)

Honorable mentions:
Hothouse Flowers - Tupelo Music Hall (Londonderry, NH)
Travis - Bank of America Pavilion (Boston)

TOP TEN ALBUMS FOR 2007

1. Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
2. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
3. Betty LaVette - Scene of the Crime (recorded w/Drive-By Truckers as her band!)
4. Robert Plant/Alison Kraus - Raising Sand
5. Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles - Diamonds In The Dark
6. Foxboro Hot Tubs - Stop Drop and Roll
7. Grace Potter - This Is Nowhere
8. Jason Isbell - Sirens of the Ditch
9. John Fogerty - Revival
10. Bruce Springsteen - Magic

Honorable Mentions:
Beastie Boys - The Mix Up
White Stripes - Icky Thump
Ben Harper - Lifeline
Go! Team - Proof of Youth
Beck - The Information
Radiohead - In Rainbows

TOP TEN ALBUMS FOR 2006

1. Bruce Springsteen - Seeger Sessions (American Land Edition)
2. Drive-By Truckers - Blessing and a Curse
3. Christina Aguilera - Back To Basics
4. Midlake - Trials of Van Occupanther
5. The Raconteurs
6. Raul Malo - You're Only Lonely
7. Wolfmother - Wolfmother
8. Ben Harper - Both Sides Of The Gun
9. Cold War Kids - Robbers and Thieves
10. Bob Seger - Face The Promise


Special Mention:
Jerry Lee Lewis - Last Man Standing
Secret Machines - Ten Silver Drops
Elton John - Captain and the Kid
Magic Numbers - Those The Brokes
Lindsey Buckingham - Under The Skin
Corrine Bailey Rae

TOP TEN ALBUMS FOR 2005

1. Trail of the Dead - Worlds Apart
2. Neil Diamond - 12 Songs
3. Herbie Hancock - Possibilities
4. Kate Bush - Aeriel
5. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Howl
6. Rodney Crowell - The Outsider
7. Sonny Rollins - 9/11 Concert
8. White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan
9. Jamie Oldaker - Mad Dogs & Okies (see below)
10. The Redwalls or Martha Wainwright - two strong debut albums