Perhaps no one you know sees more concerts in any given year than Mark Engleson — certainly not anyone who contributes to Parklife DC, at any rate!
And yet the prolific reviewer absolutely nails his Top 10 concerts of 2024. You’ll note his love of old-school folk songs here, but also his proclivity for inventive music and unique frontpeople.
Atlanta-born rapper Destroy Lonely recently performed at The Anthem in DC in support of his sophomore album, Love Lasts Forever!
Chris Castillo was there to photograph the show.
A Night to Remember: The Black Crowes Live at MGM National Harbor
Words and Photos by Michael Sprouse/OddRocker Photography
The Black Crowes recently took the stage at MGM National Harbor in Maryland, and damn, what a show. The second they hit the stage, you could feel the energy in the room rise. Fans were hyped, and the band? They crushed it, like they always do, but there was something extra they brought to the show that made the night special.
What can I say about 2024? Well, as it turned out, quite a lot. Over the past year I’ve seen over 80 shows and photographed well over 200 bands. As I’ve gotten older I think my musical interests have expanded, and the breadth of the artists I’ve covered over the past year mirror those tastes.
Below I’ve put together just ten of the dozens of shows I’ve seen that held a special place for me this year. The Summer of 2024 really packed it in with amazing shows, but there was one week in particular that stood out.
2024 was my first full year shooting for Parklife DC, and I was genuinely shocked and humbled looking back at this last year. I shot nearly 70 shows for Parklife DC, including a 4-day-long festival, taking over 25,000 photos of several hundred bands. Thanks to Parklife DC, I was able to capture artists I’ve loved all my life – some I’d seen live multiple times, some for the first time. I’ve been there to see friends of mine celebrate their first album releases, and I’ve seen huge artists sell out baseball stadiums. I’ve been introduced to bands I’d never heard of that I hope to follow forever, and I’ve seen some artists I first saw as openers headline their own tours.
Here are some of my favorite shots of 2024.
Not every year ends on a high note. I’ve had my share of year-end disappointments; 2024 is not one of those years. Stephen Wilson Jr.’s recent show at Sixth and I is the last show I had schedule to cover for the year. It seems like 2024 saved the best for last. In a year of amazing shows, this was one of the very best.
I had never covered a show at Sixth and I, so I didn’t know what to expect. All I knew was that it was a synagogue that had transformed into a live venue.
The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC have continued their annual tradition of offering a seasonal holiday performance.
In 2022, I traveled to Los Angeles to attend the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. I couldn’t resist because three of my all-time favorite artists were receiving honors and performing — The Eurythmics, Pat Benatar, and Duran Duran. In the past two years, those artists hit the road for some of the best concerts that I’ve seen in recent times. (Duran Duran made this best shows of the year list in 2022 and 2023, for example!)
As you’ll see on this list, Dave Stewart of The Eurythmics and Pat Benatar with husband and fellow Hall of Fame inductee Neil Giraldo both played in the DC area this year, qualifying them for spots on my list. I also was very much thrown back to my senior year of undergraduate school with some of the records that I revisited in concert this year.
Here are my Top 10 Concerts of 2024.
Sammy Rae & The Friends play a New Year’s Eve show at The Anthem on Dec. 31! Catch this fun, energetic collective headlining the biggest night of the year with openers. Ripe, Juke Box the Ghost, and Oh He Dead!
2024 turned out to be an incredible concert going year for me in that I got to see four of my five favorite artists (and I would have been five for five if Massive Attack hadn’t canceled their US tour!) along with a legacy act that had been dying to see one last time. plus a few other special shows sprinkled in here and there.
A quick public service announcement before I get to my list. 30% of this list comes from shows outside the D.C. area. Road trips are the best! Go see your favorite bands as many times as you can! Go see them in unfamiliar surroundings! You won’t regret it. Unless you’re traveling to see Morrissey.