I saw My Bloody Valentine in the spring. Martel had told me about how you needed earplugs, but it turned out it kind of depended on the venue. Either that or my hearing’s already taken a few body blows. MBV opened up with I Only Said, and I remember walking down the aisle to my friends during that song thinking “I never thought I’d hear that guitar riff live.”

I saw The Avett Brothers in the summer. Four times, in a row — first in Telluride Colorado, then in Steamboat Springs, then in Boulder, then in Denver. Telluride and Boulder were my favorite shows, and while it didn’t top the visceral My Bloody Valentine set, following a band like that (I’d never followed a band before) felt good. There was little overlap between the shows, which made it feel like the band knew there were people following them out there. The Avett’s country-folk-rock stuff aren’t in my top-10-bands-of-all-time or anything, and the four days with ‘em gave me a whole new raft of favorite songs to appreciate.

So, what say you?