Paul DeMerritt’s top 10 concerts of 2014

The last year has spoiled me in a big way. There were reunions once thought impossible, artists that used everything from aggression to contemplation to control their audience, and Atlanta’s melting pot of local talent that continue to bare everything out on stage, week after week, with little incentive other than the audience’s energy bouncing back in a positive feedback loop. In no particular order, here are my 10 favorite concerts of 2014.

Janelle Monae: Counterpoint, April 26
One of my biggest regrets as a concert-goer is never getting to see the fabled professionalism of James Brown. I am convinced that Janelle Monae’s performance is the closest I will ever get to witnessing precision of Brown’s caliber. Monae masterfully handled the contrasting duties of entertainer and artist, dance-queen and virtuoso, pop princess and innovator.

OutKast: Counterpoint, April 27
Fighting for air in a sea of sweaty people, checking my watch every two seconds, and gazing at OutKast’s ambitious stage setup, I was nervous. Counterpoint was only their second show back, and their first performance at Coachella was an awkward whimper instead of the triumphant comeback everyone was pining for. Sure, this show was in their home state, but it still wasn’t clear whether Andre even wanted to be onstage.

Moments before Dre and Big finally took the stage, I had nightmarish visions of A Tribe Called Quest’s contentious reunion, sporadic Wu-Tang feuds, the Pharcyde’s spiral into strife where there had once been camaraderie. Just a minute after Atlanta’s rapper laureates ripped into “B.O.B,” my anxiety metamorphosed into 90 minutes of unrelenting bliss.

Taylor McFerrin and Deatoni Parks: 529, July 16
The Fender Rhodes revival permeating all corners of electronic music has almost reached the point of over-saturation. Pianist Taylor McFerrin managed to dodge the well-worn Rhodes textures favored by Flying Lotus and his myriad of imitators. McFerrin’s set blended his penchants for soulful melodies and fiery improvisation, expertly complemented by the finesse of drummer Deatoni Parks (the Mars Volta, Bosnian Rainbows, John Cale, KUDU).

Warehouse/Dan Deacon: Drunken Unicorn, April 22
At first, Warehouse’s double-edged punk and Dan Deacon’s hyper-cartoonish, chipmunk aesthetic don’t seem like natural bedfellows. But Warehouse’s spitfire performance electrified the audience, who happily obliged in Deacon’s famed dance contests.

Kebbi Williams and Kevin Scott: Elliott Street Pub, June 24
Any city would be lucky to have peerless talents like saxophonist Kebbi Williams and bassist Kevin Scott, let alone a venue brave enough to host the madness. Thankfully, Atlanta has all three. This particular jam session highlighted exactly what makes the pair such talented performers. Sure, Williams and Scott have enough chops to charm any conservatory professor, but their greatest asset is their ability to communicate. The pair engaged in a live musical conversation, using only raw improvisation as their language.

The Coathangers: Meltasia, September 5

A Coathangers show is like my punk rock church. Mindlessly thrashing to an equally reckless soundtrack provides a much-needed catharsis that firmly plants me in the present moment. The trio’s performance at Meltasia in Lafayette, GA was particularly hypnotizing. Maybe it was the intimate crowd, maybe it was the madness of a full Georgia moon, maybe it was the danger of dodging plastic skeleton limbs, but the Coathangers gave a riotous show that my ears are still paying the price for.

Vockah Redu: Meltasia, September 6
Saturday was a weird night at Meltasia. By then, it was clear the festival was barely going to break a few hundred people, and Andy Animal, the fest’s ringleader, didn’t even seem sure if Vockah Redu was going to play. But then at 1 a.m., hours after his original set time, NOLA bounce rapper Vockah Redu commanded the stage with a rare energy lost on the vast majority of concerts. All he brought with him was two dancers, a laptop and a mic, and with those sparse instruments Redu performed a physically exhausting blast of up-tempo jams, complete with impressive dance routines and the intermittent poem.

Little Tybee: The Goat Farm, September 24
Little Tybee have a sense of harmony unlike any other Atlanta band. The six-piece folk outfit’s compositions employ intricate structures, rhythms, and melodies, but ensure the complexities don’t keep you from humming every tune on the way out. Any Little Tybee show is a treat, but the overgrown serenity of the Goat Farm added a special aura to the already stellar performance.

Wayne Shorter: Rialto, April 5
I never thought I would get to see Wayne Shorter. The man seems untouchable, too talented to be of this Earth, too influential to be alive, and too wise to be more than a myth. The saxophonist, who has reinvented jazz countless times over with Miles Davis, Weather Report, and by himself, played at the Rialto to tour for his latest album, Without A Net. Even at 83 years old, Shorter performed with a freshness and power that flies in the face of any who believe jazz is a stagnant genre.

Shonen Knife: Anime Weekend Atlanta, September 27
Shonen Knife is more of an institution, an undying idea, than a band. Only one member, guitarist Naoko Yamano, remains of the trio’s original 1981 lineup. Musically, Shonen Knife aren’t particularly talented. Their songs are admittedly very similar, usually favoring power chord progressions and chugging punk rock, always with a childlike approach. But the group’s energy is timeless. It’s impossible not to be charmed by their mile-wide grins, joyful head banging, and coordinated dance moves. Shonen Knife’s performance left me with an afterglow that still lingers.