Live music was firing on all cylinders in 2023.
Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Ed Sheeran, Karol G, Dead & Company and other megastars filled massive stadiums. The arena and amphitheater circuit thrived thanks to high-profile tours from Pink, Kane Brown, Doja Cat, Offspring and other top performers.
And the smaller venues continued to draw sizable crowds to see the Dandy Warhols, ABC, Cowboy Junkies and other longtime favorites as well as newer acts like Morgan Wade, Palo Alto’s Molly Tuttle, J.I.D and Smino.
In other words, 2023 was an absolute blast for fans living in the Bay Area. Not only did we have the opportunity to experience all that was mentioned above, but we also got to enjoy some of the best music festivals in the world.
We loved so much of what we saw and heard in 2023. Yet, it’s now time for us to play favorites and look back at the very best from the past 12 months. Here are our picks for the Top 10 Bay Area Concerts of 2023.
1. SZA
When & Where: March 14, Oakland Arena
Watching SZA wow a capacity crowd with one wonderfully soulful song after another, during a concert that just kept growing better and more meaningful as it progressed, it was easy to wonder if any other show in 2023 would be able to top what we were witnessing in Oakland on this magic night in mid-March? A little more than nine months later, we’d know that the answer would be, well, no. Indeed, with the exception of the one that comes in at No. 2 on our list, no other Bay Area concert really came close to reaching the heights of SZA’s roadshow in support of “SOS,” the singer’s sophomore full-length that came out in late 2022 and remained a huge seller throughout 2023. The stage production itself was visually and thematically stunning, powerfully resonating with the crowd from start to finish. It was matched step for step by SZA’s towering vocal work and stage presence, as well as the feeling that we were watching, in real time, an artist power her career to an even higher level.
Read the full SZA concert review here.
Singer SZA performs in concert at the Oakland Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, March. 14, 2023. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
2. Taylor Swift
When & Where: July 28, Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara
It was Taylor’s year, in a fashion that few other superstars have ever experienced. Think back to Prince in 1984 or U2 in 1987. And then multiple it probably tenfold. Yet, Swift was still able rise up from the endless sea of soundbites, social media chatter and nonstop hype to deliver a stadium tour that somehow not only lived up to expectations — it surpassed them. The concert on July 28 (the first of two sold-out shows at the venue) was nothing short of an epic, as the biggest star in the pop music universe — with seemingly nothing left to prove — went above and beyond the call of duty and delivered a curfew-shattering 3½-hour performance that featured nearly four dozen songs. Fans who missed seeing the action in person, or simply need another dose of Taylor, should check out the great “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” concert film.
Read the full Taylor Swift concert review here.
3. Phish
When & Where: April 17, UC Greek Theatre, Berkeley
The first set would’ve been a career highlight for most groups, yet it was only a pedestrian offering by Phish’s own lofty standards. Then the second set arrived and the Vermont quartet showed why it owns the title of the world’s greatest jam band. Starting out with a fairly concise version of Clifton Chenier’s “My Soul,” Phish then took its own “Tweezer” into deep space, twisting and turning the song in a myriad of directions for some 44 awe-inspiring minutes. The foursome then followed up with a 20-minute version of “Simple” that kept the party chugging along in high gear. After playing just three songs in roughly 70 minutes, Phish closed the second set in triumphant fashion with its rip-roaring take on the Velvet Underground’s “Rock & Roll.”
Read the full Phish concert review here.
Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio performs at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, Calif., on Monday, April 17, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
4. Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
When & Where: May 27, BottleRock Napa Valley
In a lineup filled with such multiplatinum-selling mega-acts as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Post Malone, Lizzo, Sheryl Crow and Duran Duran, it turned out to be a relatively still-unknown 20-something from Clarksdale, Mississippi who stole the show at the 2023 BottleRock Napa Valley. Yeah, Ingram is just that good — a blues guitarist of the highest order, whose admirers range from old-school blues aficionados to newcomers who (unfortunately) don’t yet know their Freddie King from their B.B. King. Ingram’s head-turning BottleRock set was filled with one lengthy electric guitar part after another, yet every single note mattered. The buzz quickly spread throughout the festival grounds, as people shared the news that they had just seen a guitarist for the ages.
Read the full Christone “Kingfish” Ingram BottleRock concert review here.
NAPA, CALIFORNIA – May 28, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram shreds on the Allianz Stage during the BottleRock Napa Valley Music Festival on Sunday. (Chris Riley/Times-Herald)
5. Lauren Daigle, Victory Boyd
When & Where: Nov. 14, Golden 1 Center, Sacramento
Daigle was the headliner and definitely lived up to the job description as she delighted 10,000 fans with joyous new songs from her self-titled fourth full-length studio outing as well as longtime fan favorites from 2015’s “How Can It Be” and 2018’s “Look Up Child.” Yet, Boyd was just as impressive in the opening act role, commanding our attention with a glorious set of gospel, folk, country blues and spoken word from the new album “Glory Hour.” Both “Lauren Daigle” and “Glory Hour” rank among the best albums of 2023 — and their authors are two of the finest singers in the entire entire pop music industry — so it’s really no wonder that this show ended up being so enjoyable.
Read the full Lauren Daigle, Victory Boyd concert review here.
6. First Aid Kit
When & Where: May 15, Fox Theater, Oakland
The Swedish country-folk-rock-pop duo, consisting of Johanna and Klara Söderberg, kicked off its 2023 North American tour in awe-inspiring fashion in front of a sold-out crowd of some 2,800 fans at the ornate downtown Oakland venue. The two sisters mesmerized listeners with their glorious harmonies as they highlighted their fifth — and, quite possibly, best — studio album, “Palomino,” which was released in late 2022. Yet, the evening’s most memorable moment — of many — came when the Söderbergs blended their voices in tribute to the late Christine McVie, who died in 2019 at the age of 79, with a gorgeous version of the Fleetwood Mac classic “Songbird.”
Read the full First Aid Kit concert review here.
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7. Lana Del Rey
When & Where: Aug. 12, Outside Lands, San Francisco
Outside Lands delivered so much great music in its most recent three-day run, including fantastic sets by Canadian indie-rock outfit Alvvays and Texas dream-pop act Cigarettes After Sex. Yet, the single most memorable offering came courtesy of Del Rey, who delivered an absolutely intoxicating 80-minute headlining set on the Twin Peaks stage during Day 2 of the festival in Golden Gate Park. The stellar vocalist delivered one gem after another, as she touched upon at least seven of her studio offerings with a 16-song performance that resonated in such powerful fashion with the crowd. The amazing bond that Del Rey has formed with her fans — who approach Swift-ian heights — was on full display throughout.
Read the full Lana Del Rey concert review here.
8. REO Speedwagon
When & Where: Jan. 18, San Jose Civic
More than a half century into is multiplatinum-selling career, this Champaign, Illinois,-born band still acts like it has to prove itself each and every time it takes the stage. “We’re going to give you everything we’ve got,” vocalist Kevin Cronin promised fans, for what we can only guess must be about the 486,233rd time of his career. Yet — wow! — did Cronin and company ever deliver on that promise, running through “Take It On the Run,” “Can’t Fight This Feeling,” “Don’t Let Him Go” and other fan favorites during a 90-minute set that only furthered strengthened the view that REO Speedwagon deserves to be the in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Read the full REO Speedwagon concert review here.
9. The Offspring
When & Where: Aug. 5, Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View
It was the best pop-punk party of 2023 in the Bay Area, as 18,000 very exuberant fans showed up to bounce around and sing along with one of the genre’s all-time best. It turned out to be an 80-minute joyride for both the fans and the band, as the two sides found such mighty synergy in the midst of such adrenaline-rich rockers as “Self Esteem,” “Why Don’t You Get a Job?” and “Pretty Fly (for a White Guy).” “I can’t believe this,” vocalist Dexter Holland remarked of the response from the audience. “It’s volcanic!” Yet, the response was certainly fitting, given the equally explosive performance that the band put on.
Read the full Offspring concert review here.
10. TLC, En Vogue
When & Where: July 9, Toyota Pavilion, Concord
TLC was the main attraction and wowed fans with “Creep,” “Diggin’ on You,” “No Scrubs” and — what may well be the best pop song of ’90s — “Waterfalls.” Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas, the “T” and “C” in TLC, respectively, both sounded terrific, while recorded vocals of the late Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes (the “L” in the band name) were nicely woven into the mix. Oakland’s En Vogue also did not disappoint, impressing its hometown East Bay crowd with such favorites as “Hold On,” “Whatta Man” and “Free Your Mind.” TLC and En Vogue were the best reason for attending this Hot Summer Nights show, which (far less memorably) also featured “Beautiful Girls” singer Sean Kingston and Grammy-winning reggae-pop act Shaggy.
Read the full TLC, En Vogue concert review here.
Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas, of TLC, performs in the Hot Summer Nights concert featuring TLC, Shaggy, Sean Kingston and En Vogue at the Concord Pavilion in Concord, Calif., on Sunday, July 9, 2023. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
