I saw 71 concerts in 2023, not including shows at our two multi-day music festivals (Treefort Music Fest and Flipside Fest) where I saw more than 120 performances. This Top Ten list is a mix of big names and no-names at nine different local venues sorted chronologically.
The Beaches / April 25, The Shredder (Boise)
Ticket price: 2 for $25
Opening Act: Finish Ticket
I became aware of The Beaches, an all-female Canadian rock band, when digital ads started invading my social media feeds promoting this show. I did a little research and was blown away by the quality of their songs. Here is a good introduction and backstory.
They were playing one of Boise’s finest dive stages, The Shredder, which I found a little surprising because everything I’d seen from The Beaches was professional and polished. Obviously, there is some money behind this band, and The Shredder has a grit to it and regularly books metal bands that use awful fonts on their merch.
Anyway, we got to the venue and saw that the famed Metalworks studio from Toronto (yes, the studio founded by Triumph drummer Gil Moore) was running the sound instead of the normal house sound. Big time. Clearly, these young women are getting the support of their backers.
The show was great, taken in by about 40 people. They played 19 songs and here is a minute-ish video taken from the show. Since this April gig, The Beaches released a new album and single, which shot up the Alt Nation charts. They’ve played Lollapalooza, and I know they are destined for the next level of stardom.
Matt Nathanson / June 4, Idaho Center Amphitheater (Nampa, Idaho)
Ticket price: $70
Headline Act: Matchbox 20
My wife is a huge Matt Nathanson fan, so she bought tickets for us to go to this rescheduled 2020 Matchbox 20 show mainly to see him. If you aren’t familiar with Matt Nathanson, he’s a singer/songwriter who women adore, and he loves all things heavy metal. He appeared on The Tonight Show wearing a “That Metal Show” T-shirt, which instantly got him on the set with Eddie Trunk when that show was still a thing.
His EP of Def Leppard covers Pyro-Mattia is fantastic. Here’s my favorite track.
We attended a solo show of his in 2022, including the pre-show meet-n-greet, which was a great experience. During that event, he mentioned his love of early Metallica. At that moment, a light bulb popped over my head. What would a Matt Nathanson cover record of Metallica songs be called? Kill’em Matt!
I made a poor design of the album cover and a friend with better Photoshop skills than I possess fixed up a bit. He sent me a T-shirt with the album cover on it.
Fast forward to the June concert, and two of our friends had floor seats up close. I gave them the T-shirt and asked them to get it to Matt. Here’s how that unfolded.
It was cool to have that moment captured. The rest of his show was good, but this moment is what made it a top show for me.
IMARHAN
Imarhan / August 2, Boise Centre on the Grove Plaza
Ticket price: Free
Opening Act: Moon Owl’s Mages
Imarhan describes itself as a desert rock band from Algeria. It headlined an Alive After Five show in Downtown Boise that is a free event. They were fantastic and captivated a crowd with their rhythms and vibe. Here’s one of their videos to give you an idea of the sound.
GWAR / August 21. The Knitting Factory (Boise)
Ticket Price: $35
Opening Act: Nonpoint
I’d never experienced a GWAR show prior to this one. What stood out was the showmanship and the passion of the crowd hoping to get coated in the colored dye that gets spewed from the stage. The biggest surprise was the music was actually decent, which I didn’t expect. Here’s a mashup of some video I shot from the side of the stage, barely out of reach of the liquid projectiles. I recommend seeing GWAR once.
Peter Bruntnell / September 26. The Shrine Social Club (Boise)
Ticket Price: $33
Headline Act: Son Volt
This Englishman is a super songwriter, performer and storyteller. I thoroughly enjoyed his set opening for Son Volt. His catalog is worth checking out. Here is one of the songs he played at this show.
Billy Strings / September 27. The Idaho Center (Nampa, Idaho)
Ticket Price: $75
Opening Act: None
Wow. Billy Strings played more than three hours to an audience of more than 8,000. We stood in the pit in front of the stage, and to see these guys do their thing was pretty remarkable. My feet were aching from standing on the concrete for so long, but there was no way we were moving to open seats in the upper deck to rest. No percussion, just banjo, fiddle, stand-up bass and mandolin. Straight-up bluegrass. He even played this song.
The Cult / October 12. Revolution Concert House (Garden City, Idaho)
Ticket Price: $20 (4-for-$80 special)
Opening Act: Cold Cave
I hadn’t seen The Cult since 2001 and the band continues to sound amazing, even in a less-than-stellar venue for sound. It didn’t bother me, but people were angry that “Fire Woman” was left off the set list. My only complaint about this show was the venue – it’s not the best place to see jam-packed concerts, which this was.
Sitting On Stacy / October 19, The Shredder (Boise).
Ticket price: $25
Headline Act: Mustard Service
This Los Angeles punk/alternative band has been around for 10 years. They had a record deal, lost the record deal and now are striving to make it on their own terms. I had never heard of them prior to seeing the show. They served as opener for Miami-based Mustard Service. I thought they bill should have been flipped after seeing both sets. Here is a minute-or-so video taken from the very fun show.
MIESHA & THE SPANKS (w/ Nick, left)
Miesha & The Spanks / October 21, The Shrine Basement (Boise)
Ticket Price: $15
Opening Act: Bone Haus
This two-piece Canadian band packs quite the punch. I felt bad when they played to six people in the very intimate Shrine Basement, and four of the audience were the opening band. It didn’t stop them from performing like they were headlining Madison Square Garden. I met the band, purchased their ridiculously good CD Unconditional Love in Hi-Fi and found out it was their final night of the tour. Here’s a live performance of one of their fantastic songs.
Jonathan Bree / November 1. The Neurolux (Boise)
Ticket Price: $20
Opening Act: Marion Raw
This New Zealand native captivated a small crowd with his mellow, groovy tunes and stage presence. I found this performance fascinating, and classify it as dark-wave lounge music. Something about being there in the moment made this a memorable show. Here’s a short video from the set.
Jeff Rosenstock / December 8, Treefort Music Hall (Boise)
Ticket Price: $23
Opening Acts: Georgia Maq, Small Crush
I’d never heard of Jeff Rosenstock prior to attending this show. By the end of the nearly two-hour set, I was singing along to songs I was hearing for the first time. He’s a high-energy performer who engages with the audience, much in the way Andy Frasco does. Here’s one of his music videos.
Nick Jezierny is a graduate of Ohio University and a former newspaper journalist who worked at papers in Connecticut, Ohio, Texas and Idaho. He resides in Garden City, Idaho, and is fascinated by all things music, mostly because he has zero musical skills minus his spot-on karaoke version of Tommy Tutone.