Kevin Bronson on December 27th, 2011

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In 2011, I saw more than 500 bands perform live over 265-plus days of show-going, and still I feel as if I missed a lot. Plenty of what I did see remains etched in my memory, though, from festival adventures big and small (SXSW, Coachella and FYF to the Silverlake Jubilee, the substitute Sunset Junction soiree, Lobsterfest and more) to club shows that reminded me that up-close-and-personal is best. Below, my favorite 15 live moments of 2011 (with a previously unpublished photo gallery by Laurie Scavo from No. 8, Eastern Conference Champions’ album-release show):

Nos. 1 through 15, after the jump:

1. Bon Iver and Other Lives at Gibson Amphitheatre, Sept. 20 – Even as lukewarm as I was about the second album from indie messiah Justin Vernon, Bon Iver’s performance was so layered and beautiful and ultimately uplifting it was almost beyond description. Funny thing, too: The opening set by Oklahoma’s Other Lives was every bit as good. [Photo: Debi Del Grande]

2. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers at Cal State Northridge’s Plaza Del Sol Performance Hall, Oct. 30 – Seeing Hall of Famers still at the top of their game in a 500-seat theater? Yeah, Petty’s benefit show for radio station KCSN was an all-timer.

3. Jackson Browne with Dawes and Jonathan Wilson at the Satellite, July 6 – Never thought that I would be revisiting the artist I saw at my very first concert this many years later, in this cozy a venue.

4. The National at the Hollywood Bowl, Sept. 11 – On the 10-year anniversary of 9/11, Matt Berninger and band did not disappoint. [Photo: Nick Carranza]

5. M83 at the Music Box, Nov. 9 – A full-on aural assault from the opening bit with Zola Jesus (above) to the finish.

6. Explosions in the Sky at FYF Fest, Sept. 3 – A Coachella moment in downtown Los Angeles, and an exclamation point at the end of a very smooth FYF Fest.

7. Arcade Fire at Coachella, April 17 – Because it was Arcade Fire. At Coachella.

8. Eastern Conference Champions, the Echo, April 22 – The underrated indie-rock trio was firing on all cylinders at their record-release show for “Speak-Ahh,” and the opening sets from Hands and Hot As Sun were excellent as well.

9. Vanaprasta residency finale at the Satellite, Nov. 28 – An arena-rock performance missing only an arena. Searing, exhilarating and as technically proficient a set as you will see in a small club.

10. Grouplove and Milo Greene at the Hammer Museum, July 21 – At the best-attended of the four shows in this year’s Also I Like to Rock series, these two local quintets filled the museum’s courtyard with good vibrations. [Photo: Laurie Scavo]

11. Richard Swift at the Satellite, Feb. 28 – Playing a stripped-down set to open one of Red Cortez’s residency nights, the Oregon-based singer-pianist (and producer and now a member of the Shins) soldiered through 30 minutes of gorgeous songs in front of an impossibly chatty and impolite crowd. Swift then stood up, as if finished, but instead grabbed the microphone, came to the front edge of the stage and, in his inimitable falsetto, delivered an a cappella rendition of his song “Lady Luck.” Positively jaw-dropping.

12. TV on the Radio at the 98.7 Penthouse, May 16 – I’d seen TVOTR full-on at SXSW, but it was a treat to catch them at one of the Los Angeles rock station’s rooftop shows, even if only for four or five not-fully-plugged-in songs.

13. Fitz & the Tantrums at the Music Box, July 22 – Fitz put on the miles touring this year, so the band’s packed-to-the-gills show felt like a warm homecoming embrace. So many sing-alongs, so little time.

14. Everest at the Echo, Oct. 25 – Few bands in these parts can touch Everest for its emotional veracity and live ferocity, and on the night Buzz Bands LA celebrated its three-year anniversary, the L.A. quintet was in pristine form.

15. Radical Face at Buzz Bands LA’s SecondTuesday at Lot 1 Cafe, Aug. 9 – Our monthly songwriter series saw plenty of warm-and-fuzzy moments in 2011, but perhaps none as compelling as the visit by Florida’s Ben Cooper (aka Radical Face) to Echo Park. Even with his voice a little worse for the wear.