For anyone who wondered if Snohomish County could draw sell-out crowds and big-name acts, 2008 provided an answer.
Comcast Arena attracted thousands in the winter and autumn. Its concert schedule dried up during the summer months and was also marked by the cancellation of an Avril Lavigne show, but Tulalip Amphitheatre filled that gap with an admirable list of nostalgia acts.
Everett Theatre even staked its claim on the calendar, pulling off an unlikely but successful hip-hop show in October that drew hundreds to the financially beleaguered venue.
Here, we look back at some of the biggest and best shows of the past year.
Neil Young with Death Cab for Cutie
One is a rock icon. The other could become one, someday.
Neil Young’s October show at Comcast Arena found the sexagenarian playing with a ferocity contrary to his 63 years. The set mixed classic rock hits (“My My, Hey Hey (Into the Blue)”) with newer material (“Spirit Road”) and a terrific cover of the Beatles’ “A Day in the Life.”
Earlier, Death Cab for Cutie, a Seattle group, shot through a tight, 12 song set, balancing material from their recent Billboard-topping album, “Narrow Stairs,” with older material from past albums “Transatlanticism” and “Plans.”
George Thorogood with Buddy Guy
Thorogood hammed it up for a sold-out crowd in July at Tulalip Ampitheatre, telling them he was ready to go to jail for rock ‘n’ roll that very night. His show ended up being within legal parameters, as he strutted and preened during a set filled with his blues rock hits.
Earlier, one of Thorogood’s inspirations, the famed blues guitarist Buddy Guy, seemed to win over new fans. About halfway through his set, he left the stage to walk through the audience, pausing for cell phone pictures and ripping out guitar solos in a crowd-pleasing stunt.
Jonas Brothers
In February, right when they started grabbing national headlines, the Jonas Brothers played a kinetic set at Comcast Arena. The crowd, mostly made up of tween and teenage girls, went into near-hysterics for the pin-up trio with constant screams of “Marry me!” The racket from the fans nearly overwhelmed the Jonas Brothers, but in the end the band’s admirable, cleanly brushed pop rock won out.
Rock Band Live Tour
Panic at the Disco closed the show during this co-headlining performance in October at Comcast Arena, but Dashboard Confessional claimed the spotlight. The emo rockers played a satisfying set that folded in early material (“Screaming Infidelities”) an of-the-moment cover (Pink’s “So What”) and modern rock radio hits (“Hands Down,” to name one).
Blue Scholars with Common Market
In a bid to draw a younger crowd, the Everett Theatre booked two of Seattle’s most buzzed about hip-hop acts for an October show. More than 500 came to the small venue, putting the concert into the financial black. The show was a success, but not just because of the critically acclaimed headliners. A small group of youthful volunteers, mainly in their 20s, helped book the acts and then hit the streets, sometimes in the rain, to put up posters and hand out fliers.
Reporter Andy Rathbun: arathbun@heraldnet.com or 425-339-3455
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