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.
1 – Neil Young @ Jiffy Lube Live — 5/11/24
Neil Young has had one of the longest and most varied — at times idiosyncratic — careers in rock, but the high points are as good and as important as the music anyone has made in the last 60 years. At this show, backed by Crazy Horse, he played many of his most popular songs, focusing on many of the tunes that he made him an icon in the ’70s. Crazy Horse is sometimes criticized for being too loose and shambling, but Young kept it tight, with the longest song only stretching out to about 10 minutes. A solo acoustic mini-set was another highlight of the evening.
2 – John Mellencamp @ DAR Constitution Hall — 4/18/24
Emphasizing his connections to what his become known as Americana, Mellencamp’s show was prefaced by clips from a selection of movies that set the stage. Mellencamp and his band came out hard after this, rocking the audience with a selection of his best-loved tunes, showcasing some new ones from Orpheus Ascends, too. The return of violinist Lisa Germano to his band was welcome.
3 – Richard Thompson @ Strathmore Music Center — 10/20/24
At 75 years old, the veteran British folk-rocker is still going strong, releasing a new album, Ship to Shore. His voice, a distinctive growl, is still as powerful as it ever was, and his guitar playing, whether electric or acoustic, remains as dazzling as anyone’s. And the songs, of course, are as beautiful as they’ve ever been.
4 – Waxahatchee @ Wolf Trap — 9/6/24
It’s been thrilling to see Waxahatchee grow as an artist and achieve the popular recognition she deserves, going from playing small theaters to major outdoor venues. With MJ Lenderman on guitar, Waxahatchee was more than up to the big stage, delivering an incredible performance that shows just how much she’s arrived.
5 – Wilco @ Wolf Trap — 6/20/24
As much as Wilco are known for the power of Jeff Tweedy’s songs, they are a fantastic rock band that puts on an incredible live show. The current lineup has now been together about 20 years, and they share an almost telepathic connection that allows them to draw new and different things out of the songs on the stage.
6 – The Hold Steady @ 9:30 Club — 6/21/24
Putting plenty of muscle behind Craig Finn’s song, the Hold Steady lit up the 9:30 Club. A rare opening appearance by The Paranoid Style was the icing on the cake.
7 – Los Lobos @ The Birchmere — 7/10/24
They may call themselves just another band from East L.A., but this enduring outfit has been delighting fans with a unique mix of American music for 50 years, which they celebrated on this night, mixing good-time party music with deeper, more plaintive songs.
8 – JJ Grey & Mofro @ The Fillmore Silver Spring — 4/13/24
Touring behind their first album in nearly a decade, Olustee, the north Florida musician was able to put on the show he really wanted, a big band affair that featured horns and background singers. Though the sounds are distinctly southern, there was a lot of Springsteen and the E Street Band in this show.
9 – Indigo Girls and Melissa Etheridge @ Wolf Trap — 8/25/24
A fantastic double bill, with Etheridge rocking hard and the Indigo Girls showing off their superior songcraft.
10 – Andrew Bird @ Wolf Trap — 8/21/24
Bird and his band were in fine form, playing everything from jazz to swing to rock.