Author: Will Colbert

Best of the Year: Top 10 Moments of 2019 by Will

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Paak_1 The above pic of Anderson .Paak was Will Colbert’s “top shot” of 2019. (Photo by Will Colbert)

Editor’s Note: This year, we asked our bloggers to name their Top 10 shows of 2019 or choose their Top 10 photos of the year. We will run them over the course of mid-December as our Best of the Year posts.

Thinking ahead often begins by looking back. It’s a humbling exercise to reflect on the ups and downs from a year reaching its end. The decisions we made, the consequences, and how we can do things better next time.

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Live Review: Bad Bunny @ EagleBank Arena — 11/1/19

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Bad Bunny performs at Eagle Bank Arena on Nov. 1, 2019. (Photo by Will Colbert)

Puerto Rican trap and reggaeton singer Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, better known as Bad Bunny, made a recent stop at Eagle Bank Arena to give the DMV a bit of la isla de encanta (the island of enchantment). The innovative artist with the unique name gave fans a show that set a new bar for immersive concert experiences.

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Live Review: Big Freedia w/ Low Cut Connie @ 9:30 Club — 10/29/19

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Big Freedia performs at 9:30 Club on Oct. 29, 2019. (Photo by Will Colbert)

What’s more New Orleans than a crawfish boil and king cake? Bounce music! The uninhibited twist on hip-hop is as beloved in NOLA as Go-Go in the nation’s capital. Freddie Ross, Jr., better known as Big Freedia (pronounced “FREE-da”), recently showed a packed 9:30 Club why he’s the “Queen of Bounce.”

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Live Review: Buddy Guy @ State Theatre — 10/14/19

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Photo Courtesy of The State Theatre
Buddy Guy (Photo courtesy The State Threatre)

“Don’t let them goddam blues die,” Muddy Waters once told Buddy Guy. That was over three decades ago, but the eight-time Grammy award-winning blues guitarist and singer hasn’t forgotten. Buddy spent a recent night reminding fans at The State Theatre in Falls Church that the blues are very much alive.

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Live Review: Los Lonely Boys @ The Birchmere — 9/30/19

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Los Lonely Boys perform at The Birchmere on Sept. 30, 2019. (Photo by Will Colbert)

“Are you ready for some Texican rock ‘n’ roll?” sibling trio Los Lonely Boys asked a game Birchmere audience during a recent show. The band of brothers hailing from San Angelo, Texas, were in town for a bit of “rockpango” — a made-up Spanish word they translate as “rock party.”

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Live Review: Burna Boy @ The Fillmore Silver Spring — 9/15/19

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Burna Boy performs at The Fillmore Silver Spring on Sept. 15, 2019. (Photo by Will Colbert)

What if I told you that giants roamed the earth? What if these powerful beings could leap across continents with ease? A sold-out audience at The Fillmore Silver Spring recently witnessed a bonafide musical colossus. The titan was none other than Nigerian singer and songwriter Damini Ogulu, also known as Burna Boy.

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Live Review: Gary Clark Jr. @ Merriweather Post Pavilion — 8/25/19

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Gary Clark Jr
Gary Clark Jr. (Photo courtesy Warner Bros. Records)

Genres are BS! The need to categorize was how blues became rhythm & blues and R&B was rebranded into rock ‘n’ roll — clever window dressing for marketers! Gary Clark Jr. would have none of it during a recent show at Merriweather Post Pavilion. The “guitar man” defied categorization as he traveled a continuum of American music that included blues, rock, and soul.

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