The Bandsintown Team Shares Their Favorite Concerts of 2025
Since the holiday break, the Bandsintown office has been abuzz with conversation around the team’s favorite concerts in 2025. We thought we’d share those with you, dear readers. Enjoy!
Sarah Lee, Designer (Bandsintown)
My favorite live music moment of 2025 was RAYE’s NFL London Game halftime performance. I’ve always appreciated her music, but seeing her live at that scale was something else. Despite the size of the stadium, the performance felt intimate and emotionally captivating. With minimal stage production, she let her voice speak for itself — an artist fully in her element. It was truly inspiring. I couldn’t stop rewatching it.
Justin Dietrich, Growth Marketing Lead (Bandsintown)
My favorite concert of 2025 was Plague Vendor, 4 dudes from LA that remind you of how cool raw rock n’ roll can be. I’ve been trying to catch them ever since they released their Rougher than Rough E.P. in 2024. Every track on that release has been my favorite song at one time or another, so it was awesome to finally hear them live. Their lead singer, Brandon Blaine, had moments where he appeared to be channeling Iggy Pop himself and the whole set had tons of energy. Funny enough, they were actually the opener and definitely left the crowd wanting more.
Perrick Gaudin, Full-Stack Developer (Tonefuse)
The best concert I attended this year was hands-down Oasis in Toronto. I have to admit I was a little skeptical about the new Rogers Stadium venue, built from the ground up in just nine months. But as soon as the Manchester lads took the stage, everyone forgot we were standing on an airport runway an hour away from downtown. As expected, it was hit after hit, and the crowd was on fire. To top it all off, the weather turned halfway through, adding to the atmosphere; hearing ‘Slide Away’ and ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ under pouring rain was legendary. I am truly glad the Gallaghers not only managed to set aside their grudges but also put together a show of this magnitude for their return. It was biblical.
Bruce Houghton, Founder/Editor (Hypebot)
My favorite show of 2025 was Amos Lee at The Jefferson Center in Roanoke, VA. In addition to performing the hits and showcasing his considerable talents, he did a masterful job of highlighting each band member in unique ways. A favorite was letting several take the lead on their own unique versions of some of Lee’s most familiar songs.
Karim Kourany, Full-Stack Developer (Tonefuse)
I wanted to share my favorite live music moment of 2025 , seeing the Syrian singer Lena Chamamyan perform at Place des Arts. As one of my dreams to see her live, the experience was truly unforgettable, as I consider her one of the best voices in the world. Every song she performed felt deeply connected to a memory or story, and her voice was incredibly inspiring, calming, and powerful—so much so that when a technical issue caused her microphone to disconnect, she continued singing, revealing a natural voice that was even more magical than the speakers. Her unique mix of Oriental Arabic music with modern international touches kept the audience captivated for three hours. The night ended on a high note with a nostalgic medley of songs by legendary Arabic singers that had the entire hall singing, dancing, and simply getting lost in the vibes.
Charles Bassey, Back End Developer (Bandsintown)
My favorite concert of the year was Asake’s Red Bull Symphonic. For one, he’s my favourite artist. Secondly his music has always been uplifting for me because he blends traditional Yoruba afro beat, fuji and amapiano with a choir. At this concert he had a 33-piece orchestra. He also debuted a new song which was a gospel song. It was beautiful. I didn’t go to the concert in person but I was moved by it either way.
Noah Padawer-Curry, Sr Account Manager for Artist & Labels (Bandsintown)
It’s a bit difficult to answer given the sheer number of concerts I’ve been to this year, but I’d say it’s an even split between Geese’s show at Banker’s Anchor, Cindy Lee’s show at Brooklyn Paramount, Adrianne Lenker’s show at King’s Theatre, and probably Stereolab’s show at Knockdown Center. Overall, the year was filled with great music and some incredible live shows, and it really drove home, at least for me, that New York City is my favorite place to engage with culture of all varieties, especially music.
Jeremy Young, Editor (Hypebot)
“By far the most innovative, exciting, and enveloping concert I saw this year was by a Lebanese supergroup of sorts called SANAM, based in Beirut. The sextet released an album this year and has been touring the world for the better part of the last three years, their sound is dense and chaotic and their stage presence is incredibly powerful and raw. The group combines Arabic lyrics and poetry with psych-rock and free-jazz inspired instrumental arrangements. When I wasn’t dancing and sweating with a packed crowd on the dance floor, my jaw was on the floor as I struggled to keep up with what all the musicians were doing in each and every song.”
Abi Balingit, Project Coordinator (Bandsintown)
In 2025, my partner took me to a Doobie Brothers show at Jones Beach Theater and it was the first time I’ve been to that venue in years. I forgot how beautiful the sunset is when you see the ocean wrap around the stage. It gets more stunning as the night goes on because the moonlight shines on everyone in the crowd. It was such a gorgeous summer evening experiencing the band’s 50th anniversary tour.
Francois Nepveu-Salem, Business Development Lead, Artist & Labels (Bandsintown)
My best concert for 2025 was DARKSIDE. On a very rainy winter sunday of march in Montreal, I bought a last minute ticket to Darkside in the afternoon. Their latest album was not was not what I was used to but I felt like the album was only the tip of the iceberg that Nico and Dave were showing us. I went alone on a wet 20 minute walk to MTelus. The venue was 50% sold out but the mood was electric. I did not know what to expect of it. It only took two songs to convince me that each track played onstage was just a 12 minute as truly coordinated freestyle of their latest record. This was my favorite concert of 2025 because it all came down to pure musical talent. Minimal lighting, no screens, Nico never spoke on the mic, no one had their cellphone out. It was just a crowd of Gen Z and a few millennials dancing awkwardly like they used to in high school. When the concert ended, the rain had stopped, I walked home and felt like the sins of participating in this over marketed hyped MMW that I going to the next day were washed away.
Shannon Byrne, Content Marketing Lead (Bandsintown)
You know those moments when you find yourself blissfully dumbstruck, then you look around and think, “There really should be more people here listening to this.”? That was my experience watching London, UK band Good Sad Happy Bad perform at Green Man Festival in Wales last August. Despite the four of them each seemingly existing in their own universe on stage, their dynamic is tight. This made more sense when I learned who the members are. If I have to label them with a genre, I guess it’d be avant-garde dream pop. While executed with precision, these songs were born from improvisation and experimentation, creating an effect when played live that had me spellbound, occasionally bringing me back to earth with their touching, intimate lyrics and eerie harmonies dolled out sparingly – at just the right times. It also probably helped that Green Man is one of the best fests in a stunning setting.
