The best St. Louis concerts of 2008

Jason Gonulsen
Special to Metromix

So, it's that time of year for "Best of..." lists, and I'd like to share with you some of my favorite concerts I attended in St. Louis in 2008. This year, we had quite a few amazing acts to come through town, playing everywhere from Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre to the tiny surroundings of Off Broadway. This I know: I didn't attend every grand moment this side of the Mississippi. Please feel free to let me know what I missed. Let's count down, shall we?

5. Kathleen Edwards, Blueberry Hill, 5/6

This was Edwards' second-ever show in St. Louis, with both performances taking place in the Duck Room at Blueberry Hill. This particular show featured Edwards performing her new material off of 2008's Asking for Flowers, my favorite album of the year. Edwards has always been an impressive songwriter, vocalist and guitarist, but on this night she seemed as fiery as ever, ripping off an ear-deafening solo during "Run." Her husband—Colin Cripps—also was in fine form with his guitar, making it an evening full of feedback and heavenly noise.

Best Moment: Edwards solo-electric, delicately performing "Alicia Ross," a song off Asking for Flowers about a young Canadian girl who was murdered by her neighbor.

4. What Made Milwaukee Famous w/Gentleman Auction House, Off Broadway, 7/31

Combining hand claps, keyboards, guitars and overall enthusiam, St. Louis' Gentleman Auction House proved quite an opener for Austin's WMMF. Almost all of Alphabet Graveyard was played in front of a healthy crowd that wanted to drink and dance the night away. The members of WMMF took the hint from those in attendance, openly requesting absinthe from the bar. It only made the music faster, as tunes from their newest album, What Doesn't Kill Us, sounded like a drunken dream. When the show ended around 1:30, everyone, including Beatle Bob, still wanted more.

Best Moment: The catchy "Cheap Wine," which exploded before our ears and challenged us go buy another.

3. Tift Merritt and Matthew Ryan, Blueberry Hill, 9/11

If you've never heard of these two amazing songwriters, go find their albums now. This proved to be a night where lyrics took focus before an attentive crowd. Ryan opened and performed tunes off his latest, Matthew Ryan Vs. the Silver State, one of the best albums of 2008. His stage banter showed his sense of humor, while his songs like "American Dirt" and "They Were Wrong" showed off his serious nature as an artist. The energetic Merritt was just as good, splitting time between keyboards and guitar. Her songs off 2008's Another Country sounded wonderful live, as she was backed by an amazing group of musicians.

Best Moments: Ryan, performing the acoustic "Jane, I Still Feel the Same," and Merritt, performing the literally unplugged "Supposed to Make You Happy" off her first album, Bramble Rose.

2(b). Radiohead, Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, 5/14

When Radiohead initially announced that St. Louis would be one of the stops on their 2008 tour, you could immediately feel the buzz. Expectations were high, and the band from England delivered, performing an intense set that was focused around the superb In Rainbows. Although the lawn was wet and the crowd more or less obnoxious, Thom Yorke and Co. gave St. Louis thousands of  smiles with what could be their last stop in the U.S. for a while.

Best Moment: Reaching in their back catalog and nailing "Fake Plastic Trees" from The Bends.

2(a). Wilco, The Pageant, 5/15, 5/16, and 5/17

Jeff Tweedy and Co. controlled The Pageant for a three-night sold-out stand, and it couldn't have turned out any better for the Chicago-based band. Performing songs off all of their albums, each night featured a little bit of everything. The final night found Tweedy wearing a nudie suit throughout the entire show (he had to be sweating profusely), where he led the band through a whopping 31 songs over a main set and three encores. "It's good to be back home," Tweedy—who is from Belleville—told the packed crowd.

Best moments: There were so many, but I'd have to go with the opening "Misunderstood" on night three and John Stirratt on lead vocals for "It's Just That Simple" on night two.

1. Ryan Adams and The Cardinals, Fox Theatre, 11/4

If you attended Adams' show at The Pageant in 2007, you were probably disappointed. So much, that you may have skipped this show. Well, I have bad news for you: RA and The Cardinals were amazing. Smiling from the beginning, Adams did it all: joked with the crowd, delivered clear vocals and simply had fun. It's true that you never know what you're going to get when you go to one of his shows, but the key is to keep going.  You're bound to see a show like the one he delieved at The Fox.

Best Moments: The opening rock of Cardinology's "Cobwebs," the fan favorite "Come Pick Me Up," Demoilition's "Desire," and Cold Roses' "Let it Ride."