*Check out 6!

Best of 2007:
By Scott Mervis, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Best pop concert: Stevie Wonder
Thursday, December 27, 2007

John Heller/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
It's been suggested by a certain idiotic Internet forum that begins with a "v" that I should be writing for AARP magazine. Considering my top three picks this year, I only have one question: Are they hiring?
The average age of the first three performers is about 58.5, which, in essence, means they had about 40 years to accumulate their set list. In these three cases, they were sublime.
Three out of the top four came in a fourth-quarter rally that finished 2007 on an up note. Earlier in the year, there was much grumbling over what was not coming here, and that's still a pretty deep list.
Here are a just few of the shows we did not get: The Police reunion (which, to be honest, didn't thrill me that much), Iggy Pop and the Stooges (that hurt), Neil Young, Morrissey, Van Morrison, Daft Punk, John Legend, Bright Eyes and the indie triumvirate of The Arcade Fire, Modest Mouse and the Shins. We didn't get the first leg of Van Halen, but fortunately, the tour has a second leg and we can only hope the band will still be on two legs by then.
In the interest of full disclosure, there are some shows I regret missing. Top of the list is The Hold Steady, all because Justin Timberlake decided to play the same night (thanks to WYEP, I got to see their in-studio session). Among the others: Lightning Bolt, Boris, Feist and Rush -- now, there's a combo.
Enough regrets. Here's a list of shows I look back on with a smile:
1. Stevie Wonder

Mellon Arena, Nov. 9
He hadn't been here in 27 years, so our only preparation for this was the occasional song he'd do on an awards show. What we got was Stevie sounding as potent and soulful as ever and playing almost all of "Innervisions," along with an endless stream of classics.
2. Bruce Springsteen

Mellon Arena, Nov. 14
Oh, the drama after this one. "Too short," "too political," "too much 'Magic,' " blah blah blah. The bottom line for me was that Springsteen, here with the E Street Band for the first time since the lame PNC Park show, came with a great set list and a sense of purpose, and the energy under the dome was electric.
3. Patti Smith

Carnegie Library Music Hall of Homestead, Aug. 1
The punk poet christened the hall with a concert that started politely, almost tentatively, and ended with Patti down to a sweat-soaked T-shirt shouting about "G-L-O-R-I-A!" She might be a 60-year-old Hall of Famer, but her fire still burns hot.
4. Wilco

Palumbo Center, Oct. 19
Jeff Tweedy has been here many times, but never in better spirits than he was in the Duquesne gym where he delivered a generous two-hour set that moved seamlessly through the Wilco catalog. Why the good mood? Better health, a great crowd and a guitarist by the name of Nels Cline powering the most versatile Wilco lineup yet.
5. TV On the Radio

Mr. Small's, Aug. 3
It was so hot it seemed like the old church was in some rung of Dante's Inferno. But the music was divine. Tunde Adebimpe, who grew up here, was a wild man on stage, leading a propulsive band that mixed African beats, electronic loops, buzzing guitars and soul-drenched vocals. The most intense hour of music I saw all year.


6. Patty Griffin/Blue Cheer

April 16, Byham and 31st Street Pub
Indulge me here. Back in the day I remember seeing both The Band and X on the same night, in different places. This reminded me of that. Griffin played her typically gorgeous set at the Byham; then, after a quick stop at Primanti's, it was off to the Pub, where the '60s power trio, playing here for the first time in more than 30 years, near blew out the walls. Monday nights don't get any better than this.

*See our blog for a full write-up of this concert!






7. The Meat Puppets

Mr. Small's, Aug. 28
What a thrill to see the brothers Kirkland back on stage together after a decade apart. Cris and drummer Ted Marcus gave Curt plenty of room to shred and on highlights like "Up on the Sun" and "Oh Me" you could actually feel Kirkwood's electricity and feedback in your shoes.
8. The Avett Brothers

Diesel, March 16, and Three Rivers Arts Festival, June 13
The Avetts -- singer-banjoist Scott and guitarist Seth -- came up from North Carolina twice to grace us with a high-energy blend of hillbilly, screamo and heavenly pop played with a fury that had strings breaking left and right. The TRAF show had the guest cellist, but the edge goes to the Diesel show for the encore of "Communication Breakdown."
9. Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals

Benedum Center, Sept. 14
Harper is a triple threat as a songwriter, master slide player and gospel-soul belter, and all three talents were in balance for this intimate theater tour promoting "Lifeline." One of the year's musical highlights was Harper stepping away from the mike and going a cappella on a church-style confessional climax to "Where Could I Go."
10. Genesis

Mellon Arena, Sept. 9
It wasn't the Peter Gabriel reunion that would have made this epic, but that little drummer guy did a pretty good job of holding down the fort, even dipping back to "Lamb Lies Down on Broadway." The musicianship was exquisite throughout and the industrial set was pure eye candy.
Honorable mention

Bob Dylan/Elvis Costello/Amos Lee; Ryan Adams; Queens of the Stone Age; Deerhunter; Lucinda Williams; Interpol.
Scott Mervis can be reached at smervis@post-gazette.com or 412-263-2576.
First published on December 27, 2007 at 12:00 am