'I went to 46 gigs this year alone – there's one performance I'll never forget'
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From the venue down the road to a week in Oslo, gig-going has taken me for a ride around Europe this year. Darting around the world accompanied by a fear of flying, a partner suffering through my peculiar taste in music, and a copy of Football Manager for those long-haul trips, has been great fun. Next year looks to be an equally crammed blast of entertaining trips to venues in some of the best parts of the world.
From seeing all-time favourites Pulp as they headlined Øyafestivalen, Oslo's finest music festival, to a wild weekend in Dublin, Ireland, for a chance to watch Idles and LCD Soundsystem share a tremendous bill at Malahide Castle, 2024 was filled with stunning performances.
Trips to historic locations like the Brudenell Club in Leeds and the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, my old university stomping grounds, had some of the best nights on offer. But there can be only one peak for this year of gigging, where I trudged through snow, storms and streets in search of the best live music experience.
It opened with Bruce Springsteen's only UK date of the year in Sunderland and ended with a double bill of Paul McCartney and The Prodigy in Manchester, which were thankfully not on the same day. All three were exceptional. Legends of the business working their absolute hardest, decades removed from their biggest hits.
It was not a trip down memory lane though. The cheap trick so many nostalgia acts rely on to peddle tickets for album anniversaries was nowhere to be found here. Nor was it a problem for the double bill of Bob Dylan gigs, with the 83-year-old's Rough and Rowdy Ways tour coming to a close at the Royal Albert Hall in London last month. His gig in Liverpool was mired by poor sound mixing but the Nottingham show was close to perfection.
