‘Cabinet relaxes corona measures for events’, the news sites headlinedsomewhere in March. And since then there was no going back. Already the samemonth we flew sweating, roaring and whirling through the pop halls – from punkden to arena hall – and this year we finally reported on more than 160 liveshows on EAR.NL. Now that only the oliebollen remain, let’s look back: thesewere the favorite shows of our live reporters.
Sylvie Kreusch
Photo Hub Dautzenberg
April 21, Music Foundry | The Taylor Hawkins tribute concert in London wasan experience that went much further than a concert alone. For that reasonalone I don’t count that show as a ‘normal’ concert; Comparing this tribute toother shows is – with all due respect – the same as letting a Lance Armstrongwho is drugged to the brim cycle in a peloton full of natural newbies: notfair. As the best concert I therefore choose Sylvie Kreusch in Maastricht. Ina far from full Muziekgieterij, the Belgian diva showed that she is indeed thestar-to-be that many have thought she is for years. The performance, thecharisma and – of course – the music were powerful and enchanting. I may neverbe able to see her in such a modest venue again – certainly not in Flanders –but I can still say: luckily we still have the memories. Beautiful show. TOMJANSSEN
Fontaine DC
Photo Eric-Pamie
June 3, Primavera | Three years ago I saw Fontaines DC for the first timein a back room of a sad holiday park on the English south coast. A greatercontrast to their performance last summer, on the main stage of Primavera inBarcelona, is hardly imaginable. Not only did the gigantic Estrella Dammfield fill up well in advance, the adjacent field was also black. The bandopened with In ár gCroíthe go deo from the new album Skinty Fia.Goosebumps when ‘gone is the day, gone is the night, gone is the day’ rosefrom both fields. Singer Grian Chatten showed himself to be lord and master,also in this massala setting. Of Boys In The Better Land and Jackie DownThe Line the immense happening reached its apotheosis. It’s almost scary howfast this band has grown so big. HESTER ALBERTS
Nick Cave
Photo Hub Dautzenberg
1 June 3, Best Kept Secret | Just breathe, just breathe. Nick Caverepeated it dozens of times on Best Kept Secret. First from behind his pianoduring I Need You – almost sobbing – later, including during Higgs BosonBlues when he hung above our heads spitting, hissing and with a piercingfinger as usual. Keep breathing, keep breathing. Everyone on the beach hadthose two deceased sons in mind, but instead of mourning, the pastoral rockhero sought the light. A call to live and love poured out on the public withBad Seeds obsession, with June’s near-supermoon adding extra atmosphere overLake Victoria. The most intense festival experience of 2022. THOMAS SNOEIJS
Eve the Fisherman
Photo Arend-Jan Hermsen
June 22, Amare, The Hague | After a long delay for fun and less funreasons, Eefje de Visser was finally allowed to board the tour bus this year.Her journey along the festivals and concert halls quickly turned into agrandiose triumph. Her performance at Pinkpop was so enthusiasticallyacclaimed that tickets for her later club shows flew over the digital counter.De Visser enchanted audience after audience with a very tightly choreographedpop show around the best record of 2020; the sultry and breathtaking_Bittersweet_. It almost felt old-fashioned how Eefje’s star rose this year.Her social media presence is mediocre and her marketing machine is on the backburner by default. Purely by creating something very, very good, the crowdsgrew at her feet this year. Randy Timmers
Gorillaz
Photo Anne-Marie van Rijn
July 2, Down The Rabbit Hole | With 2022 as the concert year, it isdifficult to choose a best live show. The logical choice for me would be tochoose one of the ladies from the Boygenius trio (all of whom I’ve seen liveindividually within half a year, they do deserve an honorable mention) but thebest this year was Down The Rabbit Hole- headlining Gorillaz. A closing daythat scored all points: energy, great visuals, enormous musicality and amoshpit. And of course the icing on the cake: Damon Albarn. What else can besaid about that? LOLA DESCHUTTER
Kings Of Leon
Photo Hub Dautzenberg
July 8, Weert | There were not really high expectations, as can be seenfrom the moderate turnout at Kings Of Leon in Weert. The gigantic field, onwhich Bospop would start a day later, remained impressively empty. Theconcerns turned out to be unfounded. On a summer evening, the unexpectedhappened that can make concerts so beautiful: everything spontaneously fellinto place. The previous shows of the band that can be so grumpy were soonforgotten. Fun was had in Weert: on stage and on the field, where we asvisitors had plenty of space. More than twenty songs later – from The Bandit_until _Molly ‘s Chambers_from _Sex On Fire until TaperJean Girl – we walkedblissfully into the night. The one who stayed at home had been proven wrong,we all had that feeling. We will probably not get another chance like thisanytime soon, on this evening the organizer undoubtedly suffered a loss thissummer. But enjoy? We sure did. ANTON SLOTBOOM
The Murder Capital
Luuk Denekamp ‘s photo
August 19, Lowlands | One of the last concerts I attended before the firstcorona lockdowns was that of The Murder Capital in the Melkweg. A highlightthat the Irish post-punk band repeated two and a half years later at Lowlands.Where the build-up from slow and subdued to total euphoria ( Don ‘t Cling ToLife and Feeling Fades ) still hit like a bomb. The whole Heineken wasdrenched in sweat at the end, and even more so than at other good concertsthis year, it really felt like we were back where we left off in February2020. CLEANER VAN DER ZOUW
Stromae
Photo Arend Jan Hermsen
August 20, Lowlands | 2022 was full of wonderful shows. Metallica atPinkpop, the first really big show after two years of corona silence. LittleSimz showed Down The Rabbit Hole how dazzling hip-hop sounds live. Nick Cave,who pushed it up a notch and demanded the utmost from the Best Kept Secretaudience. Still, Lowlands concluded with my show of the year. Stromae’sperformance seemed Pixar-sponsored, cutting-edge, with contrasting moods. Andguts. Stromae did the bravest thing you saw a great artist do this season. Aslights turn red, like sirens sounding the alarm, Stromae – after a bouquet ofhits – sings about his mental valley. That was felt everywhere. DAN KRAHMER
Bauhaus
August 22, Zitadelle (Berlin) | The Cure in the Ziggo was unparalleled, aswas Suede in the Kleine Melkweg. But on a beautiful summer evening in August,everything fell into place in the German capital. Bauhaus in Berlin. The open-air setting – the 16th century fortress Spandauer Zitadelle – felt just asmonumental as the Gothfathers who performed there in original line-up. The skyslowly turned red, long shadows crept over ancient walls, and Peter Murphy’ssweet sepulchral voice still lingered. The citadel shuddered thanks to gothicclassics like Stigma Martyr and – of course – signature song Bela Lugosi ‘sDead. Indestructible, timeless, undead … RAYMOND ROCKS A LOT
Japanese breakfest
Willem Schalekamp ‘s photo
October 26, Paradiso | The first ‘live event’ I attended this year wasESNS. It symbolized the tail end of the corona crisis, which I had to reportfrom the couch in my living room. Later this year I reported on Dua Lipa inthe Ziggo Dome, where the enormous mass exchanged so much sweat, saliva andelbow strikes that corona seemed decades old. My favorite, however, becameJapanese Breakfast in Paradiso, which was somewhere in between in terms ofcrowds. Sincere and friendly despite the fact that the hall was sold out. Theband played the whole show with a smile and Kokomo, IN is now the soundtrackof my winter. BASS DISCO
Rosalia
Photo Marc Prodanovic
December 10, AFAS Live | Perhaps I expected a gigantic, detached popspectacle full of vanity and attitude beforehand. Maybe I got that too. Butthat was only for a while, because after four songs Rosalía stole my heartjust as quickly as her sass impressed me, just last week in AFAS Live. Withher sincerity, her involvement and her palpable emotion, the Spanish Motomamidelivered a show that stays straight on the tightrope, in perfect balance.Full of flamenco as it was once intended, reggaeton from the future, movingmarriage proposals and impressive seduction rituals. vocals on fleek skilledon different instruments and an entourage ooh to say against. Half an houron the road, somewhere around the vulnerable HENTAI on the piano, you knewenough: this is a show you will never forget, musically, visually andphilosophically way above the rest in 2022. DAVE COENEN
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