Duff Does Live Music pre-2007

Note that some of this goes back as far as high school (Bryan Adams, Corey Hart) and college (Rolling Stones, U2, UB40) and my very early years in New York (Cocteau Twins, David & David). I’m sure there are some things missing/some concerts I have just completely forgotten about, (as I found several I had forgotten about just digging through old ticket stubs, and I only have those going back so far) and that will drive me crazy to the end of my days.
Ambulance LTD – x2
Aqualung
Arcade Fire
Augustana
Badly Drawn Boy
Barenaked Ladies – x4
Barry Manilow
BB King
Beastie Boys
Beck
Ben Kweller
Beth Orton
Bicycles
Blue Merle
Blur
Bob Dylan
Bob Mould
Bob Schneider
Bodeans
Boy Least Likely To
Broken Social Scene
Bryan Adams
Canasta
Chris Smither
Chuck Berry
Citizen Cope
Clearly and the Mainstream
Cocteau Twins
Common
Corey Hart
Corinne Bailey Rae
Counting Crows
Damien Rice – x2
David & David (Baerwald “Welcome to the Boomtown”)
David Gray
Death Cab for Cutie – x2
Dogstar
Drive by Truckers
Duran Duran
Editors
Eels
Eliza Carthy
Elliott Smith
Elvis Costello
Erin McKeown
Etta James – x2
Fabulous Thunderbirds
Figdish/Caviar – x7 or 8
Fiona Apple (never again.)
Foo Fighters
Franz Ferdinand
Gnarls Barkley – x2
Hold Steady – x3
Hot Hot Heat
Imogen Heap
Indigo Girls – x7
In Living Color (opened for the Stones. Ugh.)
James Taylor
Jason Mraz
Jenny Lewis (with the Watson Twins)
Jewel
Joan Baez
John Lee Hooker
John Mayer
John Mellencamp
Josh Rouse
Kaiser Chiefs – x2
Kaki King
Kanye West
Kasey Chambers
Katie Reider
Katie Todd
Killers
Kim Taylor
KT Tunstall
Lady Sovereign
Liz Phair – x4
Louis XIV
Local H
Lyle Lovett – x2
M2M
Maceo Parker
Macy Gray
Madonna
Maroon 5
Mary J. Blige
Matchbox Twenty
Matt the Electrician
Matthew Sweet
Mike Doughty – x3
Modest Mouse
My Beautiful Diamond
Neil Finn
New Pornographers
Norah Jones
Oasis
OK Go – x2
Over the Rhine
Peter Mulvey
Pixies
Poi Dog Pondering
Psychedelic Furs
Queens of the Stone Age
Rachael Yamagata – x2
Rachel Ries
The Raconteurs – x2
Radiohead
Ray LaMontagne
Red Hot Chili Peppers
REM
Rhett Miller
Robbers on High Street
The Roches
Rolling Stones
Ryan Adams – x2
Scissor Sisters
Secret Machines
Semisonic
Shane Nicholson
Shawn Mullins
Sheryl Crow
Shins – x2
Smoking Popes
Snow Patrol
Sondra Lerche
Spank 1000 (100?)
Spiritualized
Spoon
Strays Don’t Sleep
Sufjan Stevens – x2
Tear(s) for Fear(s) (post departure of other member)
Three Five Human
Tom Jones
U2
UB40
Underworld
Veruca Salt
Weezer
Multi-Artist Fests
Newport Jazz Festival 1991
BB King’s Blues Festival 2002
Field Day Festival 2003
Lollapalooza 2005
Lollapalooza 2006
Some of the acts heard/seen at these Fests may be missing from above list due to lack of my serious lack of long-term memory. For example, according to press reports, My Morning Jacket and Bright Eyes both played the Field Day Fest. I have no memory of their performances, although I know I saw every performance that day. Oh well…

Duff’s Favorite Albums 2004

Favorite Albums of the Year
1. Green Day “American Idiot” Genius. Listen to it over and over again. Making a REAL protest. Standing up for what you believe. Telling it like it is. Punk rock adults.
2. Damien Rice “B-Sides” Well, if an EP is all we can get, it’ll have to do. Beautiful. Understated. Trembling.
3. DJ DangerMouse “The Grey Album” Genius. Better than either of the albums it pulls together. (Yes, I love the Beatles. But that’s not my favorite of theirs.)
4. Garden State Soundtrack Great music from a great movie. Lots of fun.
5. The Shins “Chutes Too Narrow” Listened to this nonstop for about two months. Saw them in concert. Bunch of goofballs. This album is just plain fun.
6. The Killers “Hot Fuss” Rock’n’roll. Can’t get these songs out of my head.
7. Scissor Sisters (self-titled) Disco lives again. Self aware, unafraid, putting it all out there.
8. The Hold Steady “Almost Killed Me” Thanks to Cari for clueing me in to this band. You’ll see them listed in Rolling Stone as one of the best bands you didn’t know about this year.
9. Ray Lamontagne “Trouble” In the Damien Rice mode. But has his own things to say. Heart-wrenching. Calm, yet not quiet.
10. And tied for the final spot are: Eminem “Encore” and U2 “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. Sure, Encore is shockingly juvenile in some spots, and Atomic Bomb is all rock-anthem love songs. So what? What’s your point? Did you make a better album than these? Yeah, I didn’t think so!
Favorite Singles
“Winter” Joshua Radin Ouch.
“Wash Away” Joe Purdy Ah, the ocean.
“Love Like That” Stew Lie on the couch and tell me you love me. Seriously, is that too much to ask?
“Worn Me Down” Rachael Yamagata Can she really be as worn down as I am?
“Just Lose It” Eminem Fuck W and everything he stands for.
“Mosh” Eminem Who else can rap like this?
“Empty Apartment” Yellowcard Acoustic version is quite nice.
“Broken” Seether, featuring Amy Lee When is Evanescence going to make a real new album? Guess this’ll have to last me till then. (No, “live” does not count.)
Runners Up
Snow Patrol “Final Straw” “Run” is a great, great, great fucking song.
Jet “Get Born” Pure rock’n’roll.
Arcade Fire “Funeral” Along the lines of “The Hold Steady.” Still getting to know this one.
Metric “Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?” About as “electronic” as I get. Check it out.
The Finn Brothers “Everyone Is Here” Their best effort in years, including Neil’s solo stuff. Makes me miss Crowded House all over again.
Listened to Lots
Chronic Future “Lines in My Face” Rap-rock combo. Surprising.
Franz Ferdinand (self-titled) Dance, dance, dance.
Guilty Pleasures
John Mellencamp “Words & Music: Greatest Hits” What can I say? It’s an all-night sing-along.
Eminem “Encore” I can’t help it. I just can’t.
Don’t Really Understand the Hype
Modest Mouse “Good News for People Who Love Bad News” Got this album. Saw them live. Eh. They’re OK.
Iron & Wine “Our Endless Numbered Days” Surprised I don’t like this more. But it just doesn’t grab me.
Interpol “Antics” Better than their first. But I STILL spend more time thinking about who they sound LIKE when I listen to them than I do actually listening to them.
Wilco “A Ghost Is Born” I actually didn’t buy this album. I’ve never understood the Wilco hype. I always think I should be listening to them. But I never can.
Loretta Lynn “Van Lear Rose” Jack White’s weird. There are some neat things here, but never enough to keep me focused on it.

GirlReaction Reads: Best of 2004

Best Novel read in 2004: The Plot Against America, by Philip Roth.
Runners-Up: The Houdini Girl, by Martyn Bedford and The Great Fire, by Shirley Hazzard.
Favorite New Discoveries: Jonathan Coe (“The Rotters Club” and “The Winshaw Legacy”), William Boyd (“Any Human Heart”, “The New Confessions” and “Stars and Bars”), Alison McGhee (“Rainlight” and “Shadow Baby”) and Haven Kimmel (“Something Rising (Light and Swift)” and “The Solace of Leaving Early”).

Duff at the Movies 2004

  • The Company
  • Mona Lisa Smile
  • The Girl with the Pearl Earring
  • Big Fish
  • The Big Bounce
  • Mystic River
  • Starsky & Hutch
  • Jersey Girl
  • Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
  • The Ladykillers
  • Kill Bill Vol. 2
  • Troy (en Francais)
  • Coffee & Cigarettes (en Francais)
  • Raising Helen
  • I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead
  • The Village
  • Garden State
  • (very loosely based on) The Bourne Supremacy
  • Collateral
  • Hero
  • Ladder 49
  • The Motorcycle Diaries
  • I Heart Huckabees
  • The Incredibles
  • Finding Neverland
  • Closer
  • Sideways

Books Read in 2004

(In opposite order, last read up top)

  • The Genocides by Thomas M. Disch
  • The Weather in Berlin, by Ward Just
  • Pagan Babies, by Elmore Leonard
  • (sections of) Boys & Girls Forever: Children’s Classics from Cinderella to Harry Potter, by Alison Lurie
  • (sections of) Don’t Tell the Grown-ups: Subversive Children’s Literature, by Alison Lurie
  • The Daughter in Law, by Diana Diamond
  • California Girl, by T. Jefferson Parker
  • The New York Trilogy (City of Glass, Ghosts, The Locked Room), by Paul Auster
  • Witch Hunt, by Ian Rankin
  • Mrs. Satoris, by Elke Schmitter
  • The Final Solution, by Michael Chabon
  • The Polysyllabic Spree, by Nick Hornby
  • Lucky Girls, by Nell Freudenberger
  • Shadow Baby, by Alison McGhee
  • The Girl Who Played Go, by Shan Sa
  • Never Mind the Pollacks, by Neal Pollack
  • Don’t Think of an Elephant, by George Lakoff
  • The Line of Beauty, by Alan Hollinghurst
  • Stars and Bars, by William Boyd
  • How to Get into Law School, by Susan Estrich
  • The Rotters Club, by Jonathan Coe
  • The Armies of the Night, by Norman Mailer
  • The Evening of the Holiday, by Shirley Hazzard
  • Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi
  • The Adventures of Flash Jackson, by William Kowalski
  • Marriage: A Duet, by Anne Taylor Fleming
  • The Plot Against America, by Philip Roth
  • Twice Shy, by Dick Francis
  • The Gunslinger, Dark Tower Part I, by Stephen King
  • Macbeth, by Shakespeare (reread)
  • Men in the Off Hours, by Anne Carson
  • Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, by Susanna Clarke
  • The Dogs of Riga, by Henning Mankell
  • Blood of Victory, by Alan Furst
  • Eva Moves the Furniture, by Margot Livesey
  • Rainlight, by Alison McGhee
  • The Other Boleyn Girl, by Philippa Gregory
  • Something Rotten, by Jasper Fforde
  • The Time Traveler’s Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger (reread)
  • Light of the Moon, by Elizabeth Buchan
  • Chasing Shakespeare, by Sarah Smith
  • The Great Fire, by Shirley Hazzard
  • Ghostwritten, by David Mitchell
  • Daughter of God, by Lewis Perdue
  • Flashman, by George Macdonald Fraser
  • French Lessons, by Alice Kaplan
  • The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
  • Gallows View, by Peter Robinson
  • The Houdini Girl, by Martyn Bedford
  • Uniform Justice, by Donna Leon
  • The Jane Austen Book Club, by Karen Joy Fowler
  • The Photograph, by Penelope Lively
  • The Game, by Laurie R. King
  • The Big Love, by Sarah Dunn
  • Truth & Beauty, by Ann Patchett
  • The Winshaw Legacy, by Jonathan Coe
  • The Black Book, by Ian Rankin
  • Hopscotch, by Julio Cortazar
  • Something Rising (Light and Swift), by Haven Kimmel
  • Hearing Birds Fly, by Louisa Waugh
  • The Long Firm, by Jake Arnott
  • Dead Souls, by Ian Rankin
  • Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination, by Helen Fielding
  • Faceless Killers, by Henning Mankell
  • Decider, by Dick Francis
  • Rat Race, by Dick Francis
  • Driving Force, by Dick Francis
  • To the Hilt, by Dick Francis
  • Abandon, by Pico Iyer
  • Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight, by Alexandra Fuller
  • The Epicure’s Lament, by Kate Christensen
  • Let It Bleed, by Ian Rankin
  • Fox River, by Emilie Richards
  • New Spring: The Novel, by Robert Jordan
  • Strip Jack, by Ian Rankin
  • Mortal Causes, by Ian Rankin
  • Angelica, by Sharon Shinn
  • Mrs. Kimble, by Jennifer Haigh
  • The Fall, by Simon Mawer
  • Tooth and Nail, by Ian Rankin
  • The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse, by Louise Erdrich
  • Final Target, by Iris Johansen
  • The Patron Saint of Liars, by Ann Patchett
  • A Time to Dance, No Time to Weep, by Rumer Godden
  • What I loved, by Siri Hustvedt
  • The Solace of Leaving Early, by Haven Kimmel
  • Little Children, by Tom Perrotta
  • Wild Horses, by Dick Francis
  • Wedding Season, by Darcy Cosper
  • Bringing Down the House, the Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions, by Ben Mezrich
  • A Fistful of Rain, by Greg Rucka
  • The Last Detective, by Robert Crais
  • Hide and Seek, by Ian Rankin
  • Trial Run, by Dick Francis
  • The New Confessions, by William Boyd
  • Straight, by Dick Francis
  • Dead Aim, by Iris Johansen
  • Isn’t It Romantic, by Ron Hansen
  • The Dog of the South, by Charles Portis
  • Remember Me, by Trezza Azzopardi
  • Knots and Crosses, by Ian Rankin
  • On Love, by Alain de Botton
  • I Wish Someone Were There Waiting for Me, by Anna Gavalda
  • Untangling my Chopsticks: A Culinary Sojourn in Kyoto by Victoria Abbott Riccardi
  • The Well of Lost Plots, [Thursday Next book 3] by Jasper Fforde
  • Any Human Heart, by William Boyd
  • Blood Brothers, by Richard Price
  • Picture Palace, by Paul Theroux
  • Giving Up the Ghost, a Memoir, by Hilary Mantel
  • The Good Doctor, by Damon Galgut
  • Perfume, by Patrick Susskind
  • Nothing Remains the Same; Rereading and Remembering, by Wendy Lesser
  • Eats, Shoots & Leaves, by Lynne Truss
  • Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them, by Al Franken