Verses on Verses | Ranking the shows I saw in the first half of 2023

by LE Francis

With the end of June, we wrapped the first six months of the year & in the first half of 2023, I’d already gone out to seven shows. While I still have one more review column to write, we’re on the precipice of fall & I’m already preparing for the grind at the end of the year. With that in mind, I decided to take some time this week to put together a ranking of the shows I saw in the first 6 months of the year – January through June. That way I have a bit of a running tally as I continue hurtling toward my end of the year list.

Before I get into the details, here are the shows I saw in that period:

The way I rank has always been based on my personal experience & how much fun I had at that show which takes a lot of things into consideration, including how much I personally liked the bands involved, how the show hit as a lineup, & what the venue situation was.

So, let’s start at the absolute bottom. Since that’s an easy call.

#7 Matchbox Twenty & Matt Nathanson

Admittedly, a good amount of the blame here lands square on the shoulders of the venue & the fact that I am a hater when it comes to most amphitheater shows — but I wrote an entire column about that already.

But also, I just personally like both of these acts less than everything else I saw this year. I don’t actively dislike either & I’ll put on a Matchbox Twenty song occasionally to soak in the nostalgia, but if it wasn’t for my cousin inviting me, I wouldn’t have even considered going.

#6 Meute & DJ Julie Herrera

I would say that 80% of this ranking falls on me being hungover from having to be shitty drunk the night previous to float the whole Matchbox Twenty experience. The other 20% is just because, while I love Meute & they are a writing playlist staple, I saw so many banger shows this year that I just can’t place them any higher.

Meute & DJ Julie Herrera both put on amazing, high energy shows & the crowd was insane, but I was hovering in the back of the bar nursing a headache, aware that I still had a three-hour drive home ahead of me & it put a bit of a pall on it.

All that said, I will always go out to see them & would encourage anyone to give this unique techno marching band act a try.

#5 Wage War, nothing.nowhere, & Spite

I faltered a bit on this one, picks 5-3 were definitely my mid-tier picks but this boils down to a few things – I went in knowing Spite wasn’t for me; I didn’t actually know a lot of Wage War’s discography before the show & feel like I missed out/fumbled. I wanted to hear more of nothing.nowhere’s more emo tracks. Though I had a blast & overall loved this show, I just can’t place it above the next two for those reasons.

If I was to redo this show I’d arrive maybe even a little later & spend a little more time with Wage War’s earlier albums because they’re worth it & I would have loved to have had my favorites picked out before.

#4 Spiritbox, After the Burial, & Intervals

This was also a hard call that came down to a few positives: I love Spiritbox’s whole discography, Courtney LaPlante is one of my favorite vocalists, they put on an amazing show, & Intervals was a chill act to settle in on.

& a few negatives: Sold out, actually seemed oversold for this venue & it was annoying just to find a place to be, & the singer from After the Burial’s banter was obnoxious.

#3 Hot Mulligan, The Wonder Years, & Carly Cosgrove

I was so tired from the 6-hour drive into Portland & ending up coming in late & leaving early for this show & I regret it so much.

At the same time, all three of these bands are absolute fire live. I didn’t know shit about shit when it came to The Wonder Years when I went into this show but as I’m writing this, “The Hum Goes on Forever” is in heavy rotation for me. & I am slowly sinking into “The Greatest Generation” in prep for their fall run, but definitely regret ducking out of that show early.

But I consider myself so goddamn lucky to be able to be catching both Hot Mulligan & The Wonder Years again this fall so at least I get a bit of a do-over.

#2 The Sound of Animals Fighting & Korine

This is a controversial second-place pick as both an Anthony Green & RX Bandits fangirl. & if I could strike July from memory, this would have been the best day I had all year overall — there were no negatives to this show or the day around it.

After a pretty gnarly morning, I actively decided that I was going to have an amazing second half of the day. & I ended up finding a really awesome candy store, my brother got to say hi to Anthony Green in the bar, & we got the last seats in the house which was a huge relief because we spent most of the day walking. The show itself was almost indescribably good & I was so hard on the Apeshit EP at that point I think I cried a couple of times hearing it live. It absolutely wasn’t lost on me that TSOAF are not a band that tours frequently & I felt incredibly lucky to be there.

#1 Thrice & Holy Fawn

& this is a controversial first pick as I hadn’t seriously listened to anything from either of these bands prior to maybe April of this year & I was just going because my brother’s friend ended up not being able to go with him.

But it only took me a few plays to connect with “The Artist in the Ambulance” & I quickly sunk deeply into both the OG recording & the 2023 reboot. & I loved these songs so much that when the rest of the sold-out crowd went misty-eyed with nostalgia & connection, I was there with them – at least with the connection part. I had all of my favorite songs & lines picked out just like everyone else.

Also, I fucking love Holy Fawn & they’re amazing live.

Verses on Verses is a weekly music column from the perspective of a poet. Inquiries can be directed to LE Francis, lefrancis@sagecigarettes.com.

LE Francis (she/her) is the managing editor of Sage Cigarettes Magazine; a columnist & staff artist for Cream Scene Carnival Magazine; co-host & staff editor of A Ghost in the Magazine & The Annegirls Podcast; & the author of THIS SPELL OF SONG & STAR available through Bottlecap Press. She is a writer, musician, & visual artist living in the rainshadow of the Washington Cascades. Find her online at nocturnical.com.