S04E01, Part 1 of 2 – The Encore: Wrapping Up 2025’s Live Music Scene

Welcome to the second annual Seeing Them Live Year End Concert Review show, where a panel of returning guests shares their favorite live music experiences from 2025. Host Charles brings together an eclectic group of music enthusiasts including award-winning documentary filmmaker Eric Green, podcast host Jessica Catena, nurse practitioner Summer, antique shop owner Art Gregg, executive assistant Dawn Fontaine, accountant Steve Pothel, high school teacher Andy, and producer Doug Flozak to discuss the concerts that defined their year.Eric Green kicks off the discussion with an impressive lineup that showcased both legendary side projects and emerging talent. His year began with Close Enemies featuring Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton at City Winery Boston, followed by Kim Deal's solo tour at the Wilbur Theater. He caught Benmont Tench of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers fame doing an intimate VH1 Storytellers-style performance, and witnessed Shane Hawkins honoring his late father Taylor Hawkins with Chevy Metal at Brighton Music Hall. Eric also saw the Joe Perry Project's supergroup lineup featuring Chris Robinson and Robert DeLeo, enjoyed a nostalgic double bill of Billy Idol and Joan Jett at the Xfinity Center, caught the rising stars Wet Leg at a packed Roadrunner Boston show, experienced Jeff Tweedy's multigenerational band at Royale, and closed out his year with Throwing Muses at the new Racket venue in New York City.Jessica Catena attended three memorable indoor concerts that kept her dry after previous years of rain-soaked shows. She saw young jazz sensation Samara Joy at the newly renovated Ridgefield Playhouse in Connecticut with her uncle, experienced the Broadway spectacle of Moulin Rouge featuring Wayne Brady and Taye Diggs with updated contemporary songs, and capped off her year at iHeartRadio's Jingle Ball at Madison Square Garden, where she saw Ed Sheeran, Laufey, and a diverse lineup of pop and folk artists while dealing with some challenging sightlines.Summer's concert year included the intimate Metro show with Bridget Calls Me Baby where her son met the bass player's parents, a record-breaking night at Lollapalooza featuring Olivia Rodrigo's surprise Weezer collaboration, an energetic Yungblud performance at the Riviera that included some crowd drama, and a unique operatic interpretation of Smashing Pumpkins' Melancholy and the Infinite Sadness at the Lyric Opera of Chicago during a snowstorm.Art Gregg had a remarkable year highlighted by three unforgettable shows. He saw childhood hero Burton Cummings of The Guess Who at the North Shore Center for Performing Arts after accidentally meeting him in the lobby without recognizing him, caught Michael Schenker's 50 Years with UFO celebration at the Desplaines Theater, and scored a last-minute ninth-row ticket to see Robert Plant at the intimate Vic Theatre, where the Led Zeppelin legend performed six classic songs including an electrifying version of Ramble On that earned a rare standing ovation.Charles rounds out the discussion by mentioning his own concert experiences at new Chicago venues including Space in Evanston where he saw Mdou Moctar and The Old 97s, the female-focused Motoblot festival at Beat Kitchen, an incredible Buddy Guy performance at the Rialto Square Theater where the 89-year-old blues legend walked through the aisles playing guitar, shows at the new Garcia's venue and City Winery, and his anticipation for an upcoming Iron Maiden show. The episode concludes with a teaser for part two, which will feature Dawn's private jet experience with the Rolling Stones, Andy's Bonnaroo adventure, and Steve's concert highlights.BANDS: Aerosmith, Alex Warren, Bachman Turner Overdrive, Belly, Benmont Tench, Billy Idol, Black Crows, Black Sabbath, Bob Dylan, Bridget Calls Me Baby, Burton Cummings, Chapel Rowan, Chevy Metal, Close Enemies, DJO, Dogs in a Pile, Ed Sheeran, Elastica, Elastica, Elvis, Foo Fighters, Foghat, Foster the People, Gary Newman, Generation X, Gigi Perez, Guns N Roses, Iron Maiden, Jeff Tweedy, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Joe Perry Project, Johnny Cash, K-pop band Monsta X, Katy Perry, Kim Deal, King Gizzard, Laufey, Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin 2, Liz Fair, Mdou Moctar, Metallica, Michael Shanker, Miles Smith, Ministry, Neil Young, Nelly, Nine Inch Nails, Olivia Rodrigo, Ozzy Osborne, Pixies, Psychedelic Furs, Radiohead, Robert Plant, Rolling Stones, Runaways, Samara Joy, Sarah Larson, Shonen Knife, Smashing Pumpkins, Soraia, Stone Temple Pilots, Taylor Hawkins, The Babies, The Beatles, The Black Crows, The Boudines, The Breeders, The Guess Who, The Old 97s, The Police, The Scorpions, The Velvet Underground, Throwing Muses, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, UFO, Van Halen, Walk the Moon, Wayne Brady, Weezer, Wet Leg, Wilco, Wrought Iron Soul, Yungblud.VENUES: Aragon Ballroom, Barclays, Beat Kitchen, Box Center Wang Theater (Boston), Brighton Music Hall (Boston), City Winery (Boston), City Winery (Chicago), Credit Union One Amphitheater, Desplaines Theater, Garcia's, Grant Park, Great Woods (Xfinity Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts), House of Blues, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Madison Square Garden, Metro, North Shore Center for Performing Arts (Skokie, Illinois), Penn Station, Racket (New York City/Chelsea), Ravinia, Rialto Square Theater, Ridgefield Playhouse, Riviera, Roadrunner Boston, Royale (Boston), Salt Shed (Chicago), Sonia (Cambridge, Massachusetts), Space (Evanston, Illinois), Thalia Hall, Tweeter Center, Vic Theatre (Chicago), Wilbur Theater (Boston), Wrigley Field, Xfinity Center (Mansfield, Massachusetts). 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