It was the best year in recent memory for live music in the Bay Area.
As per my regular music critic routine, I saw more than 150 concerts in 2006. A few of those shows were stinkers, some were mediocre and a surprisingly large number of them proved to be quite memorable.
The best of the lot are remembered here, in my own highly subjective list of the top 10 concerts of 2006. All of these shows left a lasting mark on me, in one form or another, which is exactly what's supposed to happen with truly great live music. There was no shortage of worthy candidates for this list. I had a harder time than usual whittling the list down to just 10. That's why I've included an honorable mention section, which highlights some shows that were simply too good not to bring up.
Indeed, if it had been a merely average year for live music in the Bay Area, any of those runners-up could have landed in my top 10 list. But it wasn't an average year for live music — it was a fantastic year. And I'm just glad I was there.
8. Coldplay
(Jan. 31, Oakland Arena)
It took a few years for this critic to warm up to Coldplay. Any lingering frost was quickly melted — as if a flamethrower was pointed in my direction — during this superbly paced and executed concert. Vocalist Chris Martin and crew mined all three of their studio albums in Oakland and came up with nothing but exquisite gems.
Read the full list here
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