Nick Mitchell: My gig of 2009

David Byrne, Glasgow Concert Hall
31 March

No grassroots event this, but Dumbarton-born David Byrne's show in the classical setting of the Glasgow Concert Hall was at least a pseudo-Scottish event.

And frankly I'd be telling a lie if I chose any other gig as the best I witnessed this year.

Why? Part of it must have been that strange feeling of collective awe when a roomful of lifelong fans is finally sat face-to-face with one of their musical idols - even if it was from a distant balcony seat in my case.

Byrne restricted the scope of the gig to his work with Brian Eno, but seeing as the famed studio boffin produced three of Talking Heads' best albums, that certainly didn't make for a defiantly obscure song selection.

Byrne has always conducted himself as a multi-faceted artist, a New York Renaissance Man, so the appearance of a trio of modern ballet dancers wasn't exactly a shock (it actually worked well as a visual accoutrement).

What was more surprising was just how great an entertainer the silver-haired Byrne still is at the age of 56, and the entire crowd of fanboys and girls defied the conventions of the venue and were off their seats for the latter portion of the night, when Byrne & band blazed through songs like Burning Down the House and Crosseyed & Painless.

I don't meant to dismiss the exploits of Scotland's younger generation by picking a middle-aged Manhattanite as my live performer of the year, but Byrne was clearly still proud of his roots, and - for what's it's worth - he would no doubt be impressed by the music scene if he still lived here.

(For the record, my favourite smaller gigs of the year included The Japanese War Effort supporting Meursault at The Bowery, We Were Promised Jetpacks and Findo Gask's triumphant sets at T in the Park, the mesmerising Rob St John at Edinburgh's Retreat all-dayer, and an early Dupec show at Sneaky Pete's.)

What was your gig of 2009? Let us know below...