2014 BEST CONCERTS

Out of the roughly 200-odd musical performances I was fortunate enough witness over the last 12 months, it became clear early on that finding a singular moment — could be just a song, could be the entire night — was going to be a tricky proposition.

So much live music, at least at the level I’m regularly consuming, is built around so much emptiness that it becomes tough to gear up for another 90-minute cacophony of flashing lights, a battalion of dancers and an audience more concerned with making sure their Instagram game is on point than actually absorbing what’s happening — the musical equivalent of going to a museum just to take selfies in front of the art.

Still, there were enough instances of truly memorable live performances to compile a list of the 10 matchless nights I spent watching musicians do what they do best — elevate us all with little more than words and music.

Here are my top 10 concerts for 2014:

1. George Strait at AT&T Stadium (June 7)

Even without setting the record for the largest indoor concert in North America, George Strait’s star-studded farewell to touring — the finale to his two-year “Cowboy Rides Away” tour — was a big deal. Over more than three hours and 40-plus songs, Strait displayed the same sturdy consistency that’s been the key to his lauded career and status as a country-music legend. Trying to find a dry eye in the house as he sang Troubadour or the final tune of the night, The Cowboy Rides Away, was an exercise in futility. A truly once in a lifetime experience. (Original review.)

2. Janelle Monae at South by Southwest (March 13)

Austin and South by Southwest were still reeling from the spasm of violence that ultimately claimed four lives (including a young man from Fort Worth) as R&B dynamo Janelle Monae took the stage inside what was once Antone’s on the festival’s third night this year. For roughly an hour, Monae, pulling from her two superb LPs, including last year’s The Electric Lady, made those gathered inside lose themselves in the music — and that was before she threw open a side door during her set’s climax, leading everyone on a gleeful chase through the streets, reclaiming them from sadness. (Original review.)

3. John Fullbright at Kessler Theater (May 14)

You could’ve cut the silence with a knife — so fixed was the audience’s attention upon this remarkable young Oklahoman troubadour. Touring behind his equally impressive new album, Songs, Fullbright showcased a wisdom beyond his years, holding court in one of DFW’s finest listening rooms for a fortunate few. Appreciative, attentive crowds aren’t unusual at the Kessler, but nights like this one tend to stick with you long after the lights have come up. (Original review.)

4. The Mavericks at Main St. Fort Worth Arts Festival and Granada Theater (April 12 and July 19)

Yeah, it’s a bit of a cheat to include two different concerts — a mere three months apart — but sue me: I’m a giant, slobbering Mavericks fan, and I don’t care who knows it. Riding Raul Malo’s bourbon-smooth baritone like a rocket to the moon, the Mavericks gave North Texas audiences a double shot of their particular brand of musical magic. There’s nothing like hearing the crack collective sinking its teeth into Dance the Night Away or any other killer cut from its formidable catalog. They’re coming back in March, and yeah, I’m already planning to be there. (Original reviews: Main Street Fort Worth Arts Festival and Granada Theater.)

5. Nine Inch Nails and Soundgarden at Gexa Energy Pavilion (Aug. 17)

Seeing bands you admired in your youth can sometimes be a trap. Nostalgia has a way of heightening expectations, and often, bands either can’t or won’t live up to what you’re expecting. But, if you’re lucky, you’ll see a performance far outstripping anything you ever could’ve hoped for. Trent Reznor and his Nine Inch Nails bandmates aren’t remotely interested in becoming museum pieces, just as Chris Cornell and his Soundgarden brethren were all too happy to tear through much of Superunknown, scarcely a trace of its 20th anniversary evident. (Original review.)

6. Beyonce and Jay Z at AT&T Stadium (July 22)

America’s reigning musical royalty descended upon Arlington for what was unquestionably one of the summer’s most anticipated concerts, a joint appearance stretching nearly three hours and piling hit atop hit until they overtook that massive video screen hovering over everything. Masters of brand management and acutely image-conscious, the night unfolded like a fashionable fantasia — “This is not real life,” blared the giant video board before the show — that almost felt like you were living someone else’s life. (Original review.)

7. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at March Madness Music Festival (April 6)

The weather was far from ideal for enjoying an outdoor concert when The Boss came to town earlier this year. Spitting rain and frigid temperatures meant, sadly, that a far smaller crowd than might’ve otherwise turned out to see Springsteen and the gang was on hand in downtown Dallas as he ripped through classics and fresh tunes alike. Still, there’s little else in rock music like watching the man at work — like some kind of holy revival, everyone in attendance was washed clean, even though the rain had long since dissipated. (Original review.)

8. Kacey Musgraves at Granada Theater (Oct. 1)

One of country music’s ascendant talents tucked herself and her willful, whip-smart songs into a space in no way reflective of her burgeoning superstar status. Musgraves joked around, knocked out some A-plus covers and conducted herself as the conquering hometown heroine she is. Those jammed into the club on Greenville should cherish the experience — it’s going to be quite a while before she’s playing anywhere that intimate again. (Original review.)

9. Morrissey at Majestic Theatre (May 22)

It took a couple tries, and a few scrapped shows, to get Moz back to Dallas, but this year it finally happened — and on his 55th birthday, no less. Not that the man born Steven Patrick Morrissey was in any mood to celebrate, mind you — this is the Pope of Mope, after all. But what he did provide was a magnanimous gift of a show, 90 electrifying minutes showcasing precisely why he engenders such fierce loyalty. (Original review.)

10. Sturgill Simpson at Club Dada (Nov. 15)

Much like the Kacey Musgraves show, this was an opportunity to see an act that, his last time through town just one year prior, was playing to an audience of maybe 10 people. This year, thanks to his critically adored sophomore album Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, Simpson headlined not one, but two shows on the same night in Deep Ellum . It was a quicksilver moment of seeing the right act in the right room at the right time. (Original review.)

This story was originally published December 24, 2014 at 7:33 AM with the headline "2014 BEST CONCERTS."