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by Julian Spivey My favorite way to spend an evening is with my wife, Aprille, listening to an amazing band or singer-songwriter live in concert and losing ourselves among a crowd of folks who share a common interest of being entranced by the words and sounds of a particular musician. I attended 15 wonderful shows in 2023 but these were my five favorites. 5. The Mavericks – Thursday, May 18 at Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet, Ill.  There were bands and artists I saw this year that I enjoy more in general than The Mavericks and I’ve had the pleasure of seeing multiple times like American Aquarium, Dawes and Hayes Carll that put on terrific concerts where I knew the majority of the words and screamed along but seeing The Mavericks randomly while on vacation in Illinois at one of the most beautiful venues I’ve ever attended a concert in was too cool of a moment to pass on. I’ve always wanted to see The Mavericks and their unique style of Latin-infused country and Americana music since I bought their terrific 2013 album In Time. The thing that most interested me is the stellar voice of frontman Raul Malo and seeing him live is worth the price of admission alone. Hearing songs like “Come Unto Me” and “All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down” live was a moment I won’t forget. Read the full review HERE. 4. Jason Boland & the Stragglers – Friday, March 10 at The Revolution Room in Little Rock, Ark.  Something I don’t think I’d ever done before this year was see the same artist twice in a year, but I saw Jason Boland & the Stragglers twice in Little Rock this year. Both times were amazing shows but the one I want to focus on here was the most unique one of the two – when Jason Boland & the Stragglers played an all-acoustic set at The Revolution Room, one of my favorite local venues, in Little Rock on Friday, March 10. This is almost hard for me to believe but in all of my years attending concerts, in which I’ve now seen well into the triple digits of shows, I’d never seen an all-acoustic concert until this one. I’ve seen Boland and the Stragglers more than any other artist at this point in my life – and still believe they’re ridiculously underrated – and seeing them perform my favorites in a different manner made for a wonderful night of music. The great thing is the intensity of the group was still there despite not being plugged in. Read the full review HERE. 3. Turnpike Troubadours – Friday, February 24 at Simmons Bank Arena in Little Rock, Ark.  This show was truly a glorious night for both my wife and me as there were times we didn’t think we’d ever see the Turnpike Troubadours, one of our favorite bands, in concert again after the band went on hiatus in 2019. They reunited for a few shows in 2022 and began touring again full-time this year with their first Arkansas show on Friday, February 24 being a co-headlining event with The Avett Brothers, who I’d never really gotten into before but sure were fun to see live. Despite being a glorious night of music, it was a bit weird seeing the Troubadours, a band we’d seen from the front of the stage at a small one-room club many times from a great distance. The hiatus did wonders for the band’s ever-growing fan base. I don’t think we’ll ever get that up-close experience with these guys again – which kind of sucks, to be honest – but they’re always going to give us fantastic performances. Read full review HERE. 2. James McMurtry – Thursday, October 5 at White Water Tavern in Little Rock, Ark.  The White Water Tavern in Little Rock, Ark. has become my favorite venue to see shows at. It’s an incredibly intimate and small one-room bar in seemingly the middle of nowhere within the city but provides the most magical concert experiences. I’d seen James McMurtry, one of Americana’s finest singer-songwriters, open for Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit at Robinson Center in Little Rock before but it wasn’t the greatest showcase for his music as a short opening set. I’d wanted to see him perform at White Water before but tickets for his shows, even when he does two-night stands, sell quickly at the venue. I got lucky this time and saw tickets were available on the venue’s website before they advertised them and got to see McMurtry on the second night of his stand. I was late to McMurtry’s music but when I heard “You Got to Me” and “Copper Canteen,” still my two favorite songs of his, from his 2015 release Complicated Game I became entranced by his songwriting. His 2021 release The Horses and the Hounds wound up being my favorite from that year with nearly every song on the album being a slice of Americana perfection. It was a wonderful night hearing just about every McMurtry song I could hope to hear live. Read the full review HERE. 1. Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band – Saturday, February 18 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.  Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band are my all-time favorite band. So, pretty much any time I have the honor of seeing them live in concert – and February of 2023 was the third such chance I’ve gotten – it’s going to be my favorite show of the year. There’s always something special about seeing Springsteen and E Street in concert and the third time was no different with special moments including seeing “Backstreets,” off the classic Born to Run album, for the first time live, as well as seeing the amazing “Badlands,” “Thunder Road,” “Born to Run” and “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)” all played in succession – I don’t think there’s any possible song grouping played in a row like that by any artist that could top that. It was magical and the thing about a Springsteen show is you can feel everyone in attendance experiencing the magic at the same time. Read the full review HERE.
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