A range of Edge writers round up their favourite live moment from 2014. The events run from Hyde Park riots, in the case of The Libertines, to Limp Bizkit’s triumphant UK tour that led a commited Edge writer to travel up to Scotland just to catch.
Lady Gaga – Lewis Taplin
Touring her number one album, ARTPOP, around the world for the majority of 2014, Lady Gaga lit up arenas everywhere with her the vibrant spectacle that was artRave, where she endeavoured to place art in pop culture and channelled her inner Goddess of Love. With lots of extravagant and picturesque costumes along with innovative staging and lucite runways, Gaga sung the hits as well as the majority of ARTPOP, with her most special moments being when she sat at the piano, making arenas filled with thousands of people feel like a small gig.
The Libertines – Jenny Simpson
The return of The Libertines was witnessed by 60,000 fans at Hyde Park this summer. But it was not without drama. Barely into their second song, the show was stopped due to safety concerns. Despite the bands efforts to calm the crowd (which included a version of ‘Build Me Up Buttercup’), the euphoria of seeing one of the greatest indie bands back together was too much! The riotous end to the reunion was finished with the ‘Hokey Kokey’ and Pete and Carl reciting ‘Suicide in the Trenches’ before hugging one another and graciously thanking their ever-loyal fans.
London Grammar – Hannah Mylrea
My live highlight of 2014 has to be London Grammar at the Bournemouth O2 Academy. An absolutely stunning set, with their jittering art-pop sounding even better live than on record. Hannah Reid’s voice shone with the wonderful acoustics of the venue, soaring above the bands perfectly rehearsed set – catch them live in 2015.
Bestival – Mollie Cohen
For me, the magic of Nile Rodgers ft. Chic epitomises the entire charm of the UK’s best festival – Bestival! The energy was palpable, and everyone in the crowd was grooving to hit after hit. Nile finished with the disco classic, and bass heavy hit, ‘Good Times’, whilst glitter canons shot out sparkly goodness into the crowd.
Arcade Fire – Josh McCormick
Concluding their worldwide Reflektor tour with fanfare, Arcade Fire pulled out all of the stops at this year’s British Summer Time. From the garage-rock scream of opener ‘Normal Person’ to the anthemic final sing-along of ‘Wake Up’, the stunning visuals and career-spanning set had the entire audience captivated.
Alt-J – Annabelle Asker
Personally, this year of live music was completed by the return of, perhaps, my favourite band, Alt-J. Although they lost a member shortly before beginning to write their sophmore album, their sound has not suffered. They have gone from strength the strength, from tiny venues to selling out Alexandra Palace and the O2, they are a force of music.
Limp Bizkit – Beth Lempriere
Flying to Glasgow to see Limp Bizkit proved to be worth the journey. The varying crowd loved every second; moshing and jumping at every given opportunity. The roof lifted when ‘Rollin’ came on, creating a phenomenal atmosphere. It just showed Fred Durst and co. have not lost it
