Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers at the Royal Albert Hall

Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
Jonathan Wilson
Royal Albert Hall, 18 June 2012

Although I've been a fan of Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers since I was a kid (one of my few musical loves that actually outdates my Fleetwood Mac obsession), in all my years of being a fan I only got to see them live twice in 1999 (two absolutely stunning back-to-back shows at the Shepherd's Bush Empire) and they haven't been back since.

Best gigs of 2011

Looking back at my list of gigs for this year I feel more uncool than ever because so few would ever grace the pages of NME and a good many are actually in their 50s and 60s. Not that I care anymore because I can say without doubt it's an honour to see some of the legends I've had the pleasure of seeing for the first time this year. Plus I got to see a few exciting up-and-comers too, so I'm not completely without hope in the cool stakes! Anyway, here's my annual list of my 10 favourite gigs of the year.

10. Janis Ian at Cadogan Hall and Judy Collins at Leicester Square Theatre

(Sorry, I can't decide between these two!)

9. Emmylou Harris at the Royal Festival Hall

8. Laura Cantrell at Mondo Water Rats

7. Gillian Welch & David Rawlings at Hammersmith Apollo

6. The Twilight Singers at Concrete

5. My Brightest Diamond at St Giles In The Field

4. Jonathan Wilson, Dawes & Jackson Browne at The Borderline

3. Marianne Faithfull at the Barbican

2. Patti Smith at St Giles In The Field

1. Sufjan Stevens at the Royal Festival Hall

Jonathan Wilson, Dawes and Jackson Browne at The Borderline

Jonathan Wilson with special guest Jackson Browne

Dawes

The Borderline, 20 July 2011

After years of going to gigs sometimes you think you've seen it all and then something happens to totally surprise you. Like going to see two largely unknown artists in a tiny club for just seven quid and having a rock legend, who you paid £50 to see in a huge venue a couple of years ago, turn up and turn a great gig into one of the best shows of the year. Thanks to the appearance of the legendary Jackson Browne about halfway through this is one gig I won't be forgetting soon.