but two live moments stick out and they both involve old blokes on guitar

Jeff Beck with Imelda May at the Roundhouse on St Patricks Night. This was a bloody brilliant gig and Jeff coming on to play some mean guitar on one of my favourite songs was the old tin lid on a great evening. Imelda sang her boom boom off that night

the second involved the loudest, most intense packed roar I have ever heard from an audience. The last Black Crowes UK gig for the time being and at the encore, Jimmy Page wanders on unannounced and the place goes spare. The band do a ragged but right blast through Shake Your Moneymaker

It was lovely to see Roddy Frame playing and enjoying himself like it was still 1983, a superb gig.

A poignant evening watching Glen Campbell, a true legend bravely putting on an excellent show despite his well documented illness, "Ghost On The Canvas" candidate (from this contributor at least) for album of the year.

However, the gig of the year and for quite some time has to go to Roger Waters for "The Wall" at Manchester in May, I defy anyone to have a dry eye watching this particular piece at 0:40 (actual footage, it got very dusty)

But a clear winner for me was Kristin Hersh at the Bloomsbury Theatre in January with her Paradoxical Undressing show.

Special mentions to Wilco at the Roundhouse and the Handsome Family at Norwich Arts Centre.

George Clinton & Farliament-Funkadelic, starting their European tour in Berlin.
There were aliens, mummies and a dozen musicians on stage (plus Sir Nose-P!!), and they celebrated the funk for nearly 4 hours: this was truly amazing - Mr. Clinton (without his rainbow-coloured hair, he's now looking like the black Count Basie) directing/conducting his troupe through long sections of funk-based chants, intricate arrangements and brilliant solos. From a long 'space' intro to a 20-minute "Maggot Brain" (with spine-tingling wah-wah/fuzz/psych guitar solo) to the usual "One Nation Under A Groove", "Flashlight" and "Atomic Dog" and a closing "Mothership Connection", this was the gig of a lifetime. They grooved as hell, they'd got the funk, they were funny, surreal and serious at the same time - live music as it should be.

...John Grant at the Pheonix in Exeter in March. This was simply one of the most affecting performances I've seen in 45 years of gig going.

Supposedly 'secret' gig on the Park Stage.

Perhaps you had to be there. I was, right at the front. Intimate, despite the outdoor nature of th gig and Jarvis on top form. Rest of the band tight as a gnat's chuff. All the hits and some surprises. And me, singing along like a soft get to Common People at the top of my voice.

Possibly the best gig I've ever been to, come to think of it.

Honourable mentions to:

Big Audio Dynamite in Liverpool
Orchestral Manouvres at Latitude
The Hold Steady at Manchester Ritz (easily the loudest gig of the year)
Richard Thompson in Milton Keynes

Oh, and The Silver Seas in That London. As much for the company as the band.

I went to see the reformed S*M*A*S*H play in a tiny room above a pub in Welwyn Garden City, of all places, their home town. They were one of my favourite bands when I was sixteen and inspired me to pick up a guitar and start a band, but in 1995 they just sudddenly disappeared. It turned out that the band refused to play with the singer until he's sorted out his drug problems, rather than facilitate them.

Ed, the singer, finally overcame his struggle with drugs a few years ago and so the band have begun to play again. To see them joyously rip through their back catalogue, glowing with pride, still doing the scissor kicks, with even more intensity if anything, was unexpectedly thrilling. The audience knew every word to every song and many of them were personal friends of the band who presumably had helped them through the difficult years. Everyone, including the band, were beaming with pride, it was a real celebration. What gave it even more poignancy was the proximity to the multi story car park where Ed's friend took his life years ago, an incident which inspired several of their songs.

Many people say that they're close to tears at gigs, but it's not something that often happens to me. It did once when I was watching Bjorn Again at Glastonbury, but I'd been up for a few days and was 'emotional'. In Welwyn Garden City, in that room, almost everyone was moved to years.

It was an incredible night.

but I have been really enjoying the two euphonium players who parp away contentedly on Cornmarket Street in Oxford. My favourite moments are when they spot a toddler coming towards them and go into a rockin' version of Bob the Builder or Old MacDonald Had a Farm.

Anyone who doesn't like the sound of the euphonium must be insane.

As well as four festivals, and, as I've posted before, I've never been such a happy gig goer. For years, going to gigs seemed to consist of putting up with mediocre sound and being grateful for a few titbits of classic songs after wading through less interesting new stuff.

Now, sound is excellent. The beer is usually better too. But most importantly, I don't care about the set list, 'cause nowadays I can utterly trust the artist's repertoire, new and old.

For the record, I came away from the Imagined Village's headliner at Shrewsbury with no doubt that it was the most enjoyable gig I had ever been too. (For another record, a Julian Cope gig previously held that crown.) If someone had told me in my twenties that it would all still feel this good on the cusp of my fifties, I would have found it very reassuring.

Nils Lofgren at Robin 2 - the guy is a wonderful guitar player and I really like his voice too.

For the live experience and sheer exuberance Alabama 3 this week.

However most memorable moment was seeing Chip Taylor, John Platania and Kendel Carson in a hotel bar in Austin at the SXSW festival. It was shortly after the devastating earthquake in Japan. They had just come back from a Japanese tour and for the final song of the night Chip dedicated it to all of his friends in Japan. They were all okay but devastated he said after calling them to check. Anyway the song was called Tokyo Rose, it was beautiful beyond words and Chip and the others were visibly moved. It was one of the most poignant live moments I have ever seen.

had me leaping around like it was 20 years ago. Really great, as was the acoustic show they did with half a band and Jock Scot at the Lexington.

Apart from that, Eels were the stand-out at Latitude. The Aidan Moffatt/Malcolm Middleton double header in Sheffield was great too. And 65daysofstatic's live sountrack to Silent Running was very fine.

Best gigs this year have been
1 Elvis Costello
2 Jethro Tull
3 Alison Krauss

The beloved entertainer was playing solo and very well he played. His singing was very strong throughout - every word could be clearly heard. Altough he may not be the most technicaly gifted of guitarists, those little hands of concrete were very effective as he played a range of guitars, mostly acoustic with pick-up.

Highlights -a chilling 'Watching the Detectives', a poignant 'Last Boat Leaving' and an atmospheric 'I Want You'. He played songs from throughout his long career from 'Alison' to Jimmy Standing At The Sation'. Even my son pronounced it one of the best gigs he had ever been at. Looking forward to seeing him again next year.

on the Thames must be worthy of mention

in rough order of enjoyment. Mind you, I enjoyed them all.

1. Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Cirkus, Stockholm
2. Philip Glass & Tim Fain, UKK, Uppsala
3. Jonas Knutsson & Johan Norberg, UKK, Uppsala
4. Bill Frisell, UKK, Uppsala
5. Fleet Foxes, Annexet, Stockholm
6. P.J. Harvey, Filadelfiakyrkan, Stockholm
7. M. Ward, Dramaten, Stockholm

It's not the final list for 2011, though. There are two more concerts booked in before the end of the year:

This lady (Angela Hewitt)

... and this gentleman, whom I've never seen live before

Wilco at the Palau de la Musica,Barcelona