Concert Chronicles: Ranking My Top 5 Music Shows Of 2023
By Mack Carlyle on December 13, 2023
I love live music. The energy from the performance, the vibe and the atmosphere of the venue. Concerts are an event I am constantly keeping an eye on in our city, and 2023 was full of amazing concerts. I was lucky enough to experience some of these awesome shows, and I wanted to relive those performances and rank the 5 concerts I saw in 2023.
#5 – TOOL
Starting my list off, we have TOOL! They where in town October 25th, and although they where at the bottom of my list for concerts I’ve seen this year, that in no way means it was a bad concert. The opposite in fact! The main issue I had with the show was the pacing. The show was slow, and I know TOOL has a slow pace, but this felt too slow, could’ve been a little faster, keeping momentum and energy a little higher. Other than that, the only reason they are last on my list, is because every other show I saw this year was so good!
Now, onto the awesome parts. TOOL was a spectacle. The lights, the graphics and videos on screen, it all told a story, and it was very clear that every detail of the show was massaged and tailored towards making a memorable and awesome show!
The setlist did feel lacking to me as well. They only played 2 of their biggest hits, and I would’ve loved to have heard Schism live. The songs they did play were fantastic, but I am still a sucker for the greatest hits.
TOOL was a great show, and I am glad I was able to see them live, but they are unfortunately at the bottom of my list for concerts I’ve seen this year.
#4-Volbeat
Back in July, Volbeat was at Rogers Place, and their frontman, Michael Poulsen, might be the best vocalist I’ve ever seen. If I had to compare him to another artist, I’d say he is like a Metal version of Johnny Cash. He’s got a deep, smokey voice that he uses to control the stage that was amazing to listen to live.
Volbeat is a Danish metal band, formed in Copenhagen. They where the “smallest” band I saw this year, but they definitely delivered. The show had a ton of awesome moments, like Michael Poulsen actually covering Johnny Cash’s Ring Of Fire. And, this was my first show with a mosh pit, so with my dad and his friend Travis, we made our way to the front, right up to the stage, and got to enjoy my first mosh pit.
The biggest downside to the concert was unfortunately the crowd. The people in attendance wheren’t very lively, and when they tried to have a back and forth with the crowd, there wasn’t any return from the crowd. It was disappointing to say the least.
Other than that, the show was awesome! Michael Poulsen was fantastic, and he is one of my favourite vocalists. This show was a highlight, but the lackluster crowd was a big drawback, so Volbeat sits at my number 4 spot.
#3-Blink 182
The first show I saw in 2023 was one of my favourite bands of all time. I had wanted to see Blink-182 so bad, and didn’t think I was gonna be able to see them because of the ticket prices. But after a very long and frustrating day at work, I checked the ticket prices for the concert that night, and made a very last minute purchase, grabbing a very cheap lower bowl ticket to the show at Rogers Place, 2 hours before Blink-182 took the stage.
The best part of the show for me was Travis Barker. The drummer had been dealing with a hand injury for a while, and during the show, his fingers were bandaged, so he was drumming with essentially half a hand, but it didn’t slow him down at all. He is by far the best drummer I’ve ever seen live, and the way they utilized him and showed off his skills during the show was awesome! He was blindfolded by Mark Hopus at one point and drummed blind for half a song. During the later half of the show, his drum kit was lifted up off the stage on a platform, spinning him, and moving him around, 20 feet above the stage.
The crowd was incredible for the show, with every single person in the arena standing up and singing every single song. They played all of their classic songs, some I have very nostalgic memories from listening to them in my dads car.
The concert is one I will always remember, and I am so glad I was able to see a band that means so much to me live. Blink-182 gets my bronze metal for concerts in 2023.
#2-Iron Maiden
Definitely the biggest band I’ve ever seen, Iron Maiden was in town September 30th, at Rogers Place, and they did not disappoint. I went with my dad, and there was some concern that the aging band members wouldn’t deliver like they used to. But even though the band is well into their 60s, they did not disappoint that night.
The Future Past tour had a very cool vibe to it. It started off with very futuristic vibes, making it feel like a Blade Runner-esque setting. But as the concert went on, they went back in time, playing more songs that had medieval vibes, such as Death Of The Celts: a 10 minute epic about the Roman people battling Celtic warriors. The set list had a perfect combo of older Maiden songs, as well as their newer works, and it all helped to compliment the tone and vibe the band was going for, with the old and new, the future and the past.
Much like Volbeat, but this time after two or three more beers, me and my dad made our way to the front, and we somehow ended up at the front of the crowd. The crowd was lively, which was great to see after I was disappointed by the Volbeat crowd.
Iron Maiden brought it that night, and I was so glad to have the chance to see such a legendary band with my dad. It was a very tough decision, but I had to put them at my #2 spot, but it was a very, very tight race between my top 2 concerts.
#1-Depeche Mode
The one and only Depeche Mode not only take my #1 spot, they might have been the greatest concert I’ve ever seen.
I wanted to see Depeche Mode for months. Their ads kept popping up on my Instagram feed, and their song Ghosts Again dropped earlier this year. The hype was building for me, and I was lucky enough to grab a floor seat the day of for a respectable $90. Depeche Mode was on their Memento Mori tour, and they where at Rogers Place on November 21st.
The show was the perfect combo of classic Depeche Mode, and new songs. The energy the band brought to the stage, the interactions between themselves and the audience, the passion they had for their music, it all combined to make the perfect performance. The crowd was also the loudest I’ve ever seen. When the band left, came back for their encore, and left for their final time, the entirety of Rogers place was still screaming for 1 more song.
The Memento Mori tour for Depeche Mode was a 10 out of 10. It was a perfect performance, and everything about the night made it one that I will remember for years. Depeche Mode takes my gold medal for best show I saw in 2023.
2024 has a lot of awesome shows to look forward to, and I already have tickets to Queens Of The Stone age, at Rogers Place April second, and there are so many other great shows I want to see, like Noah Kahan, Rogers Place March 29th and City And Colour at Rogers Place February 10th. I love live music, and I know for a fact I will go to as many live shows as I can in the years to come.