We’ve always enjoyed live music and this year an unusually large number of bands we like were touring. Live concerts we saw included: Collective Soul, Eddie Vedder, Shinedown, Bush, The Offspring, and Black Stone Cherry. When Jennifer finally got James to drop his “no musicians over age 70” rule, we also caught great shows by Billy Idol, Joan Jett, and The Who.

Our first show of the year was Collective Soul, playing at the newly-constructed Muckleshoot Casino Resort, 33 miles (53 km) south of Seattle in Auburn, where we spent the night. This was our first time at the facility and we enjoyed our stay in a spacious and comfortable room. The concert venue was small and intimate, with only a few hundred seats and good sight lines. We had a great time at the show and will likely return.

Next up was Joan Jett opening for Billy Idol at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. We stayed at the 1 Hotel in the same room that had impressed James when he had visited earlier on business. Before catching the show, we spent some time exploring the city a bit and enjoying some great meals.

We’d purchased a Lexus Lounge upgrade, which gave us access to a private entrance and expansive bar area that we took advantage of before the show and between bands. We spent some time chatting with the soundboard engineer before taking our seats for Joan Jett. She put on a fabulous show, with a ton of energy and attitude.

We’re longtime Billy Idol fans. We frequently played his albums Billy Idol, Rebel Yell and White Wedding in the 1980s as we drove back and forth between Victoria and Ontario for co-op jobs while completing our undergraduate degrees. We really enjoyed finally seeing him in concert, and he performed all our favorites with swagger and style.

Back in Seattle, we attended an “Evening with Eddie Vedder” at the Museum of Pop Culture. After an enlightening interview, Vedder put on a wonderful show. He is a talented and charismatic performer, and we felt privileged to watch him perform in such a small venue.

For James birthday, we’d purchased tickets to see Bush at Climate Pledge Arena in Settle that included an opportunity to meet the band for photos and autographs, attend an acoustic pre-show warm-up, and watch two songs from the side-stage. Bush lead singer Gavin Rossdale was a gracious host who made everyone feel welcome for photos before the band sat down to perform a few songs for the small gathering of perhaps fifty people. We had a fabulous time.

From our seats we enjoyed opening act Morgan Wade and the beginning of the Bush show until it was time for our side-stage access. We were expecting that we’d be off in the stage wings, but instead we were ushered onto the stage directly behind the band. It was a wild place to watch from—we almost felt like we were part of the band. The Bush experience was definitely the most memorable concert of the year.

Bush wasn’t actually the main attraction of the evening, although they were for us. They were supporting Shinedown, a band we’ve also liked for many years. We were quite impressed with the quality of Shinedown’s performance and special effects. Their setup also included a large stage extension that lead singer Brent Smith frequently performed on, occasionally accompanied by the entire band, drummer included.

Black Stone Cherry is not what you would call a complicated band, but we really like their music, and they are energetic and enthusiastic performers, particularly guitarist Ben Wells. After seeing a video of their signature “Devil’s Queen” at Royal Albert Hall in London, we wanted to duplicate that experience and finally did at the Arcada Theater in St. Charles, Illinois just outside Chicago. We had a great meal along the Fox River before the show, and really enjoyed their performance from front-row balcony seats.

Our next concert was the Offspring at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands just outside Houston. Our room at the Hyatt Centric had a great view over The Woodlands, a park-ringed, restaurant-filled retail center, where we enjoyed several great meals before heading to the show.

The outdoor Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion is a few minutes’ walk from our hotel, and a wonderful concert venue with great acoustics. Opening acts New Found Glory and Jimmy Eat World put on entertaining performances and the Offspring were excellent.

Our final concert of the year was The Who back at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. We just made the show after a flight back into Seattle from Nome, Alaska. We were returning that day from our trans-Arctic cruise. Our tickets included access to the pre-show sound check, where we watched with 100 other attendees a few rows from the stage. Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey chatted with the audience and the band, and it felt wonderfully intimate given the large venue.

Seattle-based Candlebox were a great opening act, and The Who later put on an excellent show, belting out all their hits and poking fun at those who suggested they were too old to tour. Daltrey and Townshend both performed their signature moves: Daltrey a microphone swing and Townshend a windmill guitar strum. Charismatic violinist Katie Jacoby, accompanying The Who for “Baba O’Riley”, provided an extra burst of energy. It was another exciting evening to cap off a great year of live music.