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1 LAURIE ANDERSON September 13, Phoenix Just two days after the World
Trade Center disaster, New Yorker Anderson brought home the deep sense of
sorrow and loss with chilling effect.
2 OUTKAST July 22, Docks The only good thing about Moby’s disastrous
Area:1 festival. The Hotlanta space cowboys tore the roof off with a surreal
collision of hiphop and club music. Mayhem ensued.
3 MORENO VELOSO March 28, Rivoli The Brazilian upstart and his nimble
trio creaked through 90 minutes of 21st-century Tropicalia, shading their frail
pop with hints of hiphop and getting a backpack-wearing David Byrne to dance in
the process.
4 MOGWAI March 25, Opera House Punishingly loud, very slow and capped
by an apocalyptic 25-minute reading of a Hebrew prayer.
5 SIGUR RÕS May 4, Palais Royale The Icelandic orchestra started slow
but quickly built a wall of noise, playing virtually nothing from their
celebrated Agætis Byrjun disc and bringing up a choral singer for effect.
6 THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS November 16, Lee’s Palace Determined to make
up for their lacklustre Lee’s appearance in February, the Vancouver-based
supergroup cut loose with an exhilarating rip through Mass Romantic,
demonstrating what power pop is all about.
7 S.O.U.L. June 28, Una Mas When the members of legendary jazz-funk
combo S.O.U.L. showed up at Una Mas looking like they’d been separated from a
Cleveland tour group, there was some question whether these were the right
guys. But doubts evaporated as soon as flutist Gus Hawkins tore into Burning
Spear. A mind-blower.
8 THE STROKES October 2, Horseshoe With fans lined up down the block
for a free show seven hours before the band took the stage, this may have been
the hottest ticket of 2001. The New York thugs didn’t disappoint, playing an
airtight set that seemed as effortless as their three-minute pop songs.
9 PEACHES October 18, El Mocambo Grown women dressed like hookers
being super-erotic, gyrating to groovable beats and spreading sexually
empowering messages — how could you go wrong? Plus plastic nurse outfits and
panties with a penis.
10 LE TIGRE August 21, Lee’s Palace The
hot-pink-sequinned-spandex-clad Tigres — Kathleen Hanna, Johanna Fateman and
J.D. Samson — electrified the crowd, busting out choreographed dance routines,
leading shout-outs to feminist icons, even skipping rope. A sweaty, glorious,
grrl-powered jubilee.
