10 Favorite 2023 Concerts

A look back at my 10 favorite concert experiences from an epic year of shows

Along with a few local tribute shows and specialty events like Twisted Sister’s brief reunion at the Heavy Metal Hall of Fame induction, your humble cameraman attended more than 44 shows in 27 cities and seven countries during 2023. For fans of live rock ’n roll it was an epic year by any standard.

There were other special moments perpetuated by the magic of music and friendship that made many of the shows on my tour special. From crazy travel and partying with Hardcore Superstar in Mexico City to pit beef with pals before Kix and quality time hanging with Chez Kane and company on Rock the Boat, there were so many great times. I finally even had a private birthday concert courtesy of Shotgun Superstars, which was a blast. I tried to separate the extra-curricular fun from the performances when assembling this list, however.

Feeding a concert addiction to this degree is gratifying, but it does present a considerable challenge to sort through all those shows and pick 10 favorites of the year. Ultimately festivals and shows that featured several artists gained an edge over shows with just one or two bands, but there were exceptions to that rule as well. For subscribers to my YouTube channel, it should be clear which shows meant a lot, as they spawned lots of content, some of which will provide highlights of the year below.

Oddly, the first two shows on the list don’t feature my video highlights for very different reasons, but they were great shows nonetheless. That said, let’s take a trip back through 2023’s standout shows…

10. Bryan Adams • Amalie Arena • Tampa, Florida

As a young rocker listening to anything that didn’t feature loud, distorted guitars wasn’t even a consideration. However, being around in the ’80s it was impossible to ignore the output of Bryan Adams. I don’t own any of his records, and his tunes aren’t something that I crank in the car, but I decided on a whim to go see his So Happy It Hurts tour as it rolled through Tampa. Simply put it was an amazing show filled with real, live rock ’n roll and so many familiar tunes. Even the newer material that I didn’t know worked in the live setting, and I walked away with an even greater respect for the man. Sadly, his management team had all my videos of the show yanked from YouTube, so I can’t share those here, but you can get an idea of the vibe from his official videos below…

9. Metallica M72 Tour • AT&T Stadium • Arlington, Texas

Seeing Metallica on the And Justice For All tour still resonates to this day among my favorite shows, so checking out the band’s ambitious No-Repeat Weekend inside the Dallas Cowboys football palace in Arlington, Texas, was a moment I looked forward to. Sporting a strong lineup, highlighted by openers Mammoth MVH and the Pantera tribute, the show did not disappoint. The openers put on great shows, and Metallica delivered like they always do. Watching the band from the floor on Friday night, the in-the-round experience was less than ideal, as there were stretches where no one was performing in my section, so I didn’t even try to film the show. This was the No-Repeat Weekend that was also shown in movie theaters, and I would imagine that view was tough to beat, but there is still nothing like being there in person. On Sunday I made it into the Snakepit thanks to the generosity of friends, and that view was amazing, but I simply basked in the moment of seeing the metal titans deliver a completely different set.

8. H.e.a.t & Eclipse • Backstage Munchen • Munich, Germany

For more than a decade I have followed a movement of European bands delivering melodic hard rock that picks up where many of the US bands left off in the early ’90s. Among those bands, are H.e.a.t and Eclipse, so the opportunity to see two shows in Germany on their co-headling tour was a special treat. This is an ideal pair of two powerful live bands delivering song after song of hook-filled hard rock. Both shows were outstanding and full of energy, but the venue and stage in Munich were far more favorable to the bands delivering a big show, and they both took advantage of that opportunity. With any luck, these bands will tour together again soon.

7.  Summer Indoor • Markthalle • Hamburg, Germany

When it comes to festivals, I prefer the more intimate gatherings, and Summer Indoor proved one of the most consistent intermediate festivals in Europe over the past several years. Gathering a collection of international and European AOR, hard rock, and sleaze, this fest in Hamburg is sadly on hiatus until 2025, but the 2023 version kept its tradition of impressive lineups on track. I arrived a bit late on Friday, but the highlights included an impressive set from Art Nation, which was accented by incendiary fretwork from guitarist Christoffer Borg. However, it was a rousing set from Swedish sleaze merchants Confess that stole the day. That theme continued on Saturday as The Cruel Intentions and Hardcore Superstar dominated the day.

6. Ultimate Rockfest • Brinova Arena • Karlskrona, Sweden

When a one-day festival packs four of my favorite current bands into one action-packed day and a crew of like-minded music maniacs are up for the trip, you book a flight to Copenhagen, Denmark, and make a long drive to Karlskrona, Sweden. It was worth every hour of travel to be front row on the rail for Crashdiet, H.e.a.t, Hardcore Superstar, and The Cruel Intentions as they all delivered rousing sets. The Ultimate Rockfest was a test of wills to survive the rowdy crowds there for the other bands that attempted to muscle me out of my prime filming spot, but I survived thanks to my brave rail-mates, and it was worth a few bumps and bruises to document the proceedings. I am gutted I can’t make next year’s installment, which moved to September, but it has another promising lineup, so get there if you can.

5. Wildfest • De Spiraal • Geraardsbergen, Belgium

Surprisingly, this was my first adventure to the storied Wildfest in Belgium, but main man Jan De Greve put together a lineup that could not be denied. With perennial favorites Eclipse atop the card, and a chance to reunite with Chez Kane just weeks after seeing her for the first time on MORC, it was enough. However, the opportunity to check both Confess and South of Salem off my bucket list was all I needed to hop across the pond. The aforementioned bands all crushed it, as did some of the undercard, including Junkyard Drive, Hell In The Club, Blackrain, and Degreed. In all, it was an outstanding weekend of rock ’n roll in an intimate, welcoming environment. The 2024 lineup looks promising as well, so if you like beer, French fries, chocolate, and rock ’n roll, consider putting Wildfest on your 2024 calendar.

4. Kix • Merriweather Post Pavillion • Columbia, Maryland

This one hit harder than I expected. Admittedly Kix wasn’t in regular rotation for me during their heyday, but after seeing them command the stage at Rocklahoma, I was along for the ride ever since. During that run, I saw the band countless times at M3, on MORC, and more. So, when they announced a final show, I jumped on the tickets even though it was on a Sunday night right after a long run of rock ’n roll travel — and I am so glad I did. The band destroyed a packed Merriweather Post Pavillion, where they regularly dominated the M3 festival, one last time. They sounded so good, that you wondered why they had to stop. That said, vocalist Steve Whiteman seemed at peace with the decision, and seeing them close things out on a big stage with the level of production they never really enjoyed was a great way to Blow My Fuse one last time.

3. Eddie Trunk 40th Anniversary • House of Blues • Las Vegas

A polarizing figure among rock fans, Eddie Trunk remains one of the few national voices for the genre. He celebrated an impressive 40 years in radio with a tribute show at the intimate House of Blues in Las Vegas, Nevada, and yours truly was one of 800 or so lucky fans to score a ticket. My side balcony spot was terrible for filming, but that didn’t deter me from loving every second of the show. The performances weren’t perfect, but the vibe in the building was amazing. Moreover, the songs performed that night by a wide range of artists — ranging from Geezer Butler and Alice Cooper to Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony to Stephen Pearcy and Sebastian Bach — laid out the soundtrack of my youth. Hearing Kevin Cronin rip through two REO classics with the likes of Kip Winger, Jay Buchanon, and Robert Mason on backing vocals was a particularly magical moment. Plus the last two songs the Winery Dogs are likely to perform for a while brought things right into the present. It was a magical night full of combinations of performers who might not ever share the stage again, and I am crossing my fingers for a 45th Anniversary show!

2. Monsters of Rock Cruise • Independence of the Seas • The Caribbean

In the post-pandemic era, there are too many shows to break down individual festival or cruise performances so these events have an innate advantage by packing in several loved artists on one lineup. In most years it is tough to compete with the Monsters of Rock Cruise for my concert heart, as promotor Larry Morand learned the art of mixing in fresher international artists with US standouts to create an environment that engages the most enthusiastic fans with their favorites and helps grow the audience for rock music by expanding the horizons of those who may never have considered leaving their nostalgic comfort zones.

This year’s lineup was a dream come true for me, with US standouts like Extreme, Telsa, Queensryche, Winger, and Vain paired with an international roster that was unmatched. Those bands included Chez Kane, Eclipse, Nestor, Hardcore Superstar, Reckless Love, Shiraz Lane, The Cruel Intentions, and WigWam. The only thing that could rain on this awesome parade was questionable scheduling. That did rear its ugly head, so there were some tough choices to be made, but I did get to see all of my targeted bands at least once. While they all put on great shows, Chez Kane, Reckless Love, and The Cruel Intentions made standout first impressions, which should see them eventually returning to the boat. I already can’t wait for the 2024 cruise, but the teased promise of young talent on the 2025 voyage already has me hyped.

1. Marvelous 3 • The Tabernacle • Atlanta, Georgia

From the moment Butch Walker’s socials started mentioning Marvelous 3, I couldn’t believe it. This was a moment I dreamed would happen, but I never actually expected it to. Butch seemed to have left the band in the past with only the occasional mini-reunion during his solo sets. I fell for the band nearly too late. By the time I was a huge fan, I had yet to see them play live and they announced a final show at Centennial Olympic Park. I was there. It was special, but it wasn’t enough.

Fast forward to 2023 and the band announced they were briefly reuniting for a string of three shows in their hometown of Atlanta and two more in Chicago the following week. I had to be there and worked it out to make four of the five shows, including all three in Atlanta. There is nothing like a hometown show, and despite the weight of all the expectations, the band exceeded them at every show, performing a few tracks from their reunion album IV alongside a set of songs that leaned heavily on their second and third records, Hey! Album and Ready Sex Go.

Peppered with guest appearances and covers, the shows were a tour de force of rock ’n roll energy that only left me longing for longer sets and more shows. I hope this becomes an annual reunion, but these four shows were a surprise gift that I won’t soon forget.

I can only hope that 2024 will approach this level of concert insanity, but until then, thanks for reading my recap of standout shows. Looking back on the year that was is always special, and it is fun to share it with anyone who shares the same passion for live music.