Music-loving staff picks favorite concerts of 2003

Other Deseret Morning News staffers who reviewed pop-music concerts chime in with their favorites of 2003:

Best Red Butte show: Lucinda Williams. She arrived late, played quite awhile after venue officials asked her to end the show, spit in the face of a no-profanity request and alienated a small group of audience members with an anti-George Bush tirade.

Least disappointing Red Butte show: Norah Jones. She came into Red Butte as one of the summer's hottest draws. Despite those significant expectations, Jones' performance lived up to the hype, with relaxing, perfectly crafted jazz songs that had enough innovation to indicate that she will continue to be an A-list musician.

Most surprising Red Butte show: Susan Tedeschi. By the end of the night, her barroom boogies, soulful ballads and extended jams — some with husband and jam-band guitar hero Derek Trucks — had convinced the crowd that predictable and half-hearted are not part of her repertoire. —Josh Loftin

Concert of the year: 1. Metallica, 2. Shania Twain

Best country concert: Shania Twain

Best rock concert: Foo Fighters

Most welcome reunion: Toad the Wet Sprocket

Best reason for hair-band tours: Poison

Best reason for hair bands to get day jobs: Vince Neil

Best concert venue: USANA Amphitheater

Biggest traffic headache: USANA

Biggest security headache: McKay Events Center and/or E Center

Best small venue: Zephyr (RIP), Harry O's

Worst small venue: Bricks

Was that really a necessary moment: Goldfinger drummer Darrin Pfeiffer shaking his thonged booty to a crowd of 12- to 13-year olds during a show at the E Center. —Pat Reavy

1. James Taylor: For the most songs played (23), the tightest band and best backup singers, JT was hands down the best.

2. Dave Gahan (Depeche Mode frontman): Lots of energy, passion, raw emotion, laying out all the songs from his "Paper Monsters" solo debut and eliciting screams from Mode diehards with lots of their favorites.

3. k.d. lang: If not the best concert of the year, then certainly the best vocalist performance. Near flawless renditions of everything she offered. She'd have been No. 1 if Red Butte let acts play longer.