For the last seven years, I have been blessed to see, on average, a show per week. This has allowed me to experience a great variety of genres and bands. Being associated with the Charleston Music Hall opens the door for many great performances. However, only five of my Top Twenty this year were shows produced by the Music Hall. Six of my best concert experiences were out of the state of South Carolina; six others occurred at the Charleston Pourhouse. Variety is the spice of life!

Every concert experience differs for a plethora of reasons. However, they all share the burden of producing a concert experience that lodges in your brain, remembering the show long after the night is in your taillights. My reviews of the shows are meant to encourage my audience to see these artists when they perform near you. Reading a good concert review encourages me to check out the artist when they come somewhere near me. Just as you are more inclined to eat at a restaurant that you have heard good things about, I believe the same can be said for concerts. I hope you enjoy the reviews and I look forward to getting your feedback. In chronological order, here’s my Top Twenty shows of 2021.

First up was Billy Strings at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre, Florida, on March 21. This was my first road trip since Covid started wreaking havoc on our ability to see live music. Billy Strings is a force to be reckoned with; his power bluegrass outfit delivers a strong performance, weaving his original tunes with a broad variety of covers. He makes a joyous noise on his acoustic guitar and his supporting band, including banjo, mandolin, and bass compliment him well. I refer you to my blog post titled, “The Next Generation of Guitar Gods,” (August 6, 2021) for more on Billy and other young emerging artists.

The next show was held in the back lot of the Charleston Pourhouse on April 25 and featured The Infamous Stringdusters live under the giant oaks. The outdoor setting, pods of four friends, was amazing and accentuated the great jam grass sound of the Stringdusters. A highlight of the show was their choices of cover tunes. They are one of the leading artists influencing today’s Jam Grass music scene.

On May 27, we were back at the Pourhouse for one of the first indoor shows since they loosened the regulations that made reserved tables and pods obsolete. A friend, Brian Reed, recommended we check out this young guitar player, Brandon “Taz” Niederauer. I was blown away by his performance. Imagine blending the energy of a young Eddie Van Halen with the soulful picking of Carlos Santana, and you get Taz! I recommend reading, “The Next Generation of Guitar Gods,” (August 6,2021) for more on this amazing young talent.

The Pourhouse was again the scene as we were there for the Midnight North Band, featuring Graham Lesh and Elliott Peck, on June 4. The quartet, purveyors of Americana music, were touring in support of their current album, There’s Always a Story. Making a guest appearance for the final four tunes was proud dad, Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead. Read about what made it a special night in the post titled, “Catching Lightning in a Bottle: My Chance Encounter with Phil Lesh,” (June 8, 2021).

Next up was a trimmed-down Tedeschi-Trucks Band in an outdoor show at the Bend in North Charleston on June 25. This was the second of a two-night stand, along the Ashley River, and the last show presented by the Charleston Music Hall at the Bend. The six-piece band delivered a smoking performance from beginning to end. Derrick’s mastery on the slide guitar melds so well with Susan Tedeschi’s smoky blues voice. The band, whether the version we saw that night or their full twelve-piece band, carries on the truest rendition of Southern Rock and Blues found anywhere in this country.

Fourth of July fireworks were in the air, literally and figuratively, for Shred is Dead, once again at the Pourhouse. Marcus Rezak’s and his support band put on a great performance of the Dead’s songbook dominated by the fury of shredding guitars in the likes of Zack Wyld or Dweezel Zappa’s guitar mastery. I’ve seen the Dead’s music interpreted in many styles, but shredding the guitar was a first and certainly won’t be my last.

A week later I made the pilgrimage to Red Rocks in Morrison, Colorado and saw The Avett Brothers with Langhorne Slim on Sunday the 11^th and the String Cheese Incident on the 18^th at this venerable amphitheater. Red Rocks has been operating since 1941 in its present form. The natural acoustics that these rocks provide and the aesthetic majesty of this formation made it a bucket list venue for me. Both shows were memorable for many reasons and the performances reflected the majesty of the mountains which awaited us! I highly recommend making Red Rocks a bucket list venue for you, too.

After returning to SC, I got to enjoy Leftover Salmon on the beach at the Windjammer on the Isle of Palms. No, I am not referring to a restaurant entrée but the Godfathers of the Jam Grass scene. These seasoned musicians pleased the crowd with the electrified string band music. They also paid tribute to at least a half dozen of their influences by covering their tunes. See these guys if they come to your town!

August 16^th saw us venturing to Raleigh, NC and the Walnut Creek Amphitheater for Dead and Company’s summer tour opener. I’ve been a Deadhead since 1974. If they’re willing to play, I am willing to come out and support the music I love. John Mayer has taken this band to a whole new level playing their iconic songbook. Bob Weir, Billy Kreutzman, and Micky Hart continue their legacy for more than 50 years since they broke on the scene in San Francisco.

Labor Day weekend I was back at the Pourhouse for the eclectic Everyone Orchestra and an evening of improvisational music. This is not a band for all to see but they speak to my love of free form music. Matt Butler brings together a varied group of rock musicians from a number of bands whose schedule allows them to spend a weekend playing for the love of live music. He calls it summer camp for musicians. I’ve seen this troupe come to town on four separate occasions and the lineup is different each time. The sextet featured members from four different bands who tour the country on a regular basis.

On September 19, we were treated to an evening of the acoustic guitar mastery of Tommy Emmanuel. Chet Atkins called Tommy a Certified Guitar Player, a label that places Tommy in a small group of elite guitarists. Tommy is a master acoustic guitarist and delivers a dazzling performance of his tunes and the songs he loves. I whole-heartly recommend that you check out his performances on YouTube and buy tickets the next time he comes to your town.

A week later, the Marcus King Band played to a standing-room-only crowd of 1200 fans at the Charleston Music Hall. Marcus was one of the subjects of my blog, “The Next Generation of Guitar Gods,”from August 6 of 2021. He is in his mid-twenties and the future of Southern Rock and Blues for a new generation of fans. An SC native from Greenville, he has a soulful, raspy voice that blends well with his ability to bend the string of his electric guitar making a beautiful sound. His high energy performance was capped by a trio of Marshall Tucker classics, a nod to his SC Southern rock godfathers.

On October 7, the Black Jacket Symphony delivered the complete performance of Pink Floyd’s, The Wall at the Music Hall. BJS’s model is to bring together a group of musicians who can recreate a classic rock album and tour to support it. The troupe has played on average three performances each year at the Hall, playing the music of classic bands like Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty, Queen, and the Beatles. The band played the double album in its entirety and did it justice. I believe it’s more than thirty years since I sat and took in the Wall in one sitting. You owe it to yourself to take in the BJS’s performance soon…or put the Pink Floyd album on your turntable and recall the mastery of this classic album.

Three nights later, Blue Note records saxophone master Dave MacMurray brought a sextet to the Pourhouse and delivered a jazzy performance of Grateful Dead tunes. Inspired by jazz greats Ornette Coleman and Branford Marsalis’ love of the Grateful Dead, he delivered two solid hours honoring their music as jazz standards. Just when I think that I have heard every possible style embracing the Grateful Dead’s music, along comes Dave McMurray to blow my mind. Give a listen to his album, Grateful Dedications, wherever you stream music.

The next night, October 11, a group of us found ourselves in Charlotte, NC for the fall tour opener for Dead and Company. Two sets, two and a half hours of Dead tunes, and cover tunes from some of their favorite influences are the recipe for a fun evening. The music is a reflection

of the mastery of these fine musicians and their love of the Grateful Dead. Build it and they will come.

On October 20 I had the opportunity to experience Melissa Ethridge for the first time in concert. She brought her quartet to the Music Hall and gave a passionate performance of her music. Her fans are rabid and for good reason. She is a soulful singer and a darn good guitarist. If you’ve read this far, you owe it to yourself to see why she is loved and admired by fans worldwide.

We were invited to a friend’s vacation home in the eastern Tennessee mountains outside of Pigeon Forge for a weekend gathering in early November. After we said “yes” our host informed us of a concert by Eric Church to be held on the campus of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. So, of course, we bought tickets! Once on the campus, we found our way to the 20,000-seat basketball arena that plays host to the men’s and women’s programs and found our seats in the upper region. What we got was a three-hour performance by a rocker who loves country music. His support band includes guitar masters Driver Williams and Jeff Cease and Joanna Cotton as his singing sidekick. I wholeheartedly recommend seeing his tour. If you are a rock fan and don’t consider yourself a country music fan, you too may be a convert.

On November 17, it was back to an arena, the North Charleston Coliseum, for the James Taylor & Jackson Browne tour. I’ve seen both in the last decade and really enjoyed their shows. But I wasn’t hoping to see them again, thinking they didn’t have much new to offer. My daughter, who has seen both of them with me, was excited that they were playing together so we bought tickets. Both artists put on spirited performances of songs old and new along with a few covers of other artists’ tunes. James Taylor was the headliner and played two tunes together with Jackson at the end of his opening set. For his set, James and his bandmates had five backup singers including one of his sons. I was concerned that I would get the same string of hits that he has been playing for years; but I was pleasantly surprised that he mixed up his setlist with nuggets from several other artists. The pairing of two iconic singer/songwriters touring together was well received and may be a good idea for other classic musicians to emulate.

My last show was a band whose name was familiar, Breaking Benjamin, but whom I had no recollection of their style of music. The show was at the Music Hall where I worked as an usher. BB is a rock band from Pennsylvania, founded by Benjamin Burnley, who have been performing together since 1999. To me, their music was in the same style as bands like the Foo Fighters post-grunge hard rock. On this night, it was an “acoustic” performance. The three acoustic guitars were amplified and they gave a loud, energetic performance from their six studio albums and a couple of tunes by others. I have to say that I left the show a fan and would look forward to an electrifying performance in the future.

Thanks for taking the time to read the entire recollection. I am living proof that you can find great live music without breaking the bank. Charleston, SC has come a long way in the last twenty years to grow a live music scene and draw national acts to our little hamlet by the ocean. What were some of your memorable performances from 2021? Let us know by adding your comments below.

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