Geoff Carter

5. Gorillaz (September 17, Life Is Beautiful) The Damon Albarn-led, Jamie Hewlett-drawn cartoon supergroup’s second Life Is Beautiful appearance was superior to its first in every way. The setlist was stronger, the guest stars more impressive (Bootie Brown! JPEGMafia!), and Albarn himself was a playful, crowd-pleasing delight.

4. Orville Peck (April 22, House of Blues) The masked crooner rode into town busy—he was between Coachella performances and amid a breakneck tour schedule—but that didn’t prevent him from delivering a high-energy set of rollicking country bops.

3. Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra (March 11, 24 Oxford) Turns out the Jurassic Park star and Wes Anderson ensemble player is a solid jazz piano man. His 24 Oxford set was a loose, chatty and a flat-out fun affair, thanks to his talented ensemble and guest vocalist Melody Sweets. He should consider a Vegas residency.

2. St. Vincent (October 1, the Pearl) This publication has gone on record saying Las Vegas needs a St. Vincent residency. We offer her musically impeccable, down-and-dirty rock-and-roll set at the Pearl as proof of concept.

1. Kendrick Lamar (September 9, T-Mobile Arena) Epic in vision, theatrical in scope and packed with crowd-pleasing hits, Kendrick’s Big Steppers Tour show was a masterclass in how to hold a stadium full of fans rapt.

CASE KEEFER

5. Soul Blind (April 13, Eagle Aerie Hall) The riffs and atmosphere overtook the room as this up-and-coming band of hardcore veterans caught everyone off guard with their Deftones- and Hum-indebted sound opening a punkier bill of touring bands.

4. Jeromes Dream (November 4, Rockstar Bar) Las Vegas was lucky to land an ultra-rare tour date with the reunited screamo pioneers who opened for Pianos Become the Teeth and stole the show with a nonstop 30-minute attack of noise and aggression.

3. Gojira (April 22, the Chelsea) The Cosmopolitan has never experienced anything nearly as heavy as the French progressive metal band serving in a direct support slot to Deftones with crunchy riffs that made the floor feel like it was about to cave in.

2. Metallica (February 25, Allegiant Stadium) Our blackened young stadium didn’t feel fully christened until Raiders superfan James Hetfield guided his bandmates through one of their only American performances of the year in front of a jam-packed crowd of 65,000.

1. Turnstile (November 8, Brooklyn Bowl) Turnstile’s live show is the top reason the Baltimore band has become quite possibly the most commercially successful hardcore act ever. On this night, the group brought the same intensity it used to bring to DIY venues a decade ago to a much-larger, sold-out space.

Spencer Patterson

5. Om (October 11, Brooklyn Bowl) The first Vegas appearance by Sleep bassist/vocalist Al Cisneros’ “other” project was as hazy and hypnotic as I’d dreamed it would be. Wait, was it a dream?

4. Amenra (August 21, Psycho Las Vegas) Kicking off a festival’s third day is never easy, but the Belgians’ atmospheric metal peeled off my exhaustion and pulled me ever closer to the stage nonetheless.

3. The Shins (July 22, the Joint) Nostalgia is powerful, sure, but so are the songs that together form Oh, Inverted World, reborn to emotional effect for its 21st anniversary.

2. Beach House (September 18, Life Is Beautiful) The Bacardi Stage’s sound let Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally down a bit, but tunes like “Myth” and “New Romance” found a way to tickle spines nonetheless, and the “Over and Over” finale might have been the best single number I witnessed in 2022.

1. Warpaint (August 19, Psycho Las Vegas) I wouldn’t have expected LA’s indie foursome to win metal-heavy Psycho for me, to say nothing of 2022 as a whole, but it happened, by way of musical teamwork, contagious charisma and, oh yeah, killer songs.

AMBER SAMPSON

5. My Chemical Romance (October 7, T-Mobile Arena) Gerard Way left not a dry emo eye in the house when he concluded this long-awaited set. Following a six-year hiatus, MCR quenched the crowd with a rip-roaring reunion filled with time-tested anthems and rock opera theatrics.

4. Carly Rae Jepsen (October 15, the Theater at Virgin) Jepsen delivered a euphoric set so on point with her dance fever catalog, folks filled the aisles to flaunt their moves—and she invited many of them onstage to join her. Spirits were lifted, voices were raised and pop was righteously celebrated.

3. Phoebe Bridgers (May 13, the Amp at Craig Ranch) Bridgers’ Las Vegas solo debut crackled with her biting wit, a vocal range that rivaled her studio recordings and a wicked performance of “I Know the End,” featuring live violins, trumpets and apocalyptic staging she left in shambles by the end of her scream into the void.

2. Omar Apollo (April 19, Brooklyn Bowl) Apollo moved up on our list of internet boyfriends with his charming stage presences. He pirouetted around the stage, sipped beers with his band while singing Spanish tunes and kept a close eye on the crowd: “Everything OK, darling?” Apollo asked an overheated fan after passing her a water bottle. Cue the collective swoon.

1. Tyler, the Creator (February 12, Michelob Ultra Arena) We were whisked away during these theatrical 90 minutes, set among the coastal sands of Tyler’s Call Me If You Get Lost. Between the visual grandiosity (a boat! a vacation home! a Rolls Royce!) and the headliner’s persona-switching between the debonair Tyler Baudelaire and the earnest Igor, it was a night to remember.

Click HERE to subscribe for free to the Weekly Fix, the digital edition of Las Vegas Weekly! Stay up to date with the latest on Las Vegas concerts, shows, restaurants, bars and more, sent directly to your inbox!