Top 10 live concerts in Chicago in 2023: Springsteen rocked, Chance returned and yes, Taylor Swift lived up to the hype

Take a bow, Chicago. You rocked out in 2023. You packed stadiums, arenas, halls, parks, bars and practically every space in between. You sat, stood, screamed. And you took advantage of one of the busiest, most robust concert schedules this city has ever witnessed.

Though other entertainment sectors continue to struggle to fill seats to the level they did before the pandemic, popular music is experiencing no such difficulties. The seemingly limitless demand for live shows was reflected by the regular occurrence of capacity crowds. Another telling indicator: The hundreds-deep lines in which fans waited to purchase merchandise — and the premiums they paid for shirts, sweatshirts and various souvenirs that confirmed they were “there.”

Several marquee events — Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Lollapalooza among them — drew the lion’s share of attention, partly because of the jolts they gave the local economy. Those destination draws are part of a larger story that unfolded in sites ranging from venerable clubs to parking lots and sports venues.

The most memorable aspect of the concert year? Whether due to motivation, obligation, happenstance or a combination of related factors, many musicians delivered in ways that left audiences in awe. Especially, from my perspective, at these 10 performances.

Best rebound from loss

Depeche Mode at United Center, April 5: Given the group’s affinity for dour matters and bleak moods, the course of action Depeche Mode would pursue onstage after the unexpected death in May 2022 of cofounding member Andrew Fletcher seemed all but a foregone conclusion. Not so fast. The veteran English collective spent two hours chasing liberation, finding solace and having a blast. Steeped in sensuality and sophistication, Depeche Mode played with a fervency that linked the sage meanings of older songs with contemporary times. Moving as if he’d just spent a season studying with a ballet company, fleet-footed singer David Gahan logged a performance for the ages. His extroverted dance maneuvers channeled a defiant combination of freedom, determination and lust for life no amount of bad news could arrest.

Best living up to the hype

Taylor Swift at Soldier Field, June 2: Swift called Soldier Field home for three nights. The public’s insatiable appetite for tickets suggested she could’ve booked a full week and filled every seat. Her groundbreaking presentation — a nearly 3½-hour extravaganza involving nine separate sets connected to thematically related scenery, props and choreography — both justified the buildup and established new production standards. Offering an epic journey punctuated with no-limits ambition and imagination, the phenom smartly played off her rhetorical “Who’s Taylor Swift anyway?” lyric and proved she contained multitudes. Importantly, Swift remembered key fundamentals learned at a young age albeit compromised in adulthood: sincerity, warmth, gratitude. Anyone seeking explanations of her appeal needn’t look further.

Best inclusivity

Beyoncé at Soldier Field, July 22: Remove the parade of snazzy costumes, Broadway-style props and futuristic fantasies from Beyoncé's two-night “Renaissance” stand at Soldier Field, and the singer’s potent messages still would have resonated. Her powerhouse vocals, provocative swagger and large ensemble all but guaranteed it. In welcoming diversity, encouraging pleasure, empowering women and amplifying Black identity, the vocalist transformed the lakefront setting into a safe space for everyone — particularly, oft-marginalized communities. She invited physical interaction via dance-forward material laden with funky rhythms, R&B dynamics, Afrobeat percussion and disco grooves. Along with an exuberance that evoked the carefree vibes of a summer block party, the songs also paid tribute to Chicago-bred house music and its subcultures. (The opening line of my Tribune review stated “It’s Beyoncé's house.”) In early December, she released a new track. The title? “My House.”

Best statement

Bruce Springsteen at Wrigley Field, Aug. 9: Before peptic ulcer disease forced him postpone his tour, Springsteen and the E Street Band served notice that rock ‘n’ roll is here to stay — as long as they’re on watch. Though the then-73-year-old singer-guitarist has long been renowned for stamina and conviction, his opening salvo at the Friendly Confines pushed beyond those parameters. Continuing an ongoing conversation the Boss started more than 50 years ago, the inspired three-hour affair concerned the lasting bonds of friendship; the spoils of hard work; the refusal to back down; the chemistry gleaned from thousands of hours of playing together; the expertise of knowing inside-out the sounds of different styles and eras; and the responsibility, trust and faith that stem from realizing how life-affirming music can move people like nothing else on Earth.

Best homecoming (tie)

Chance the Rapper at United Center, Aug. 19: After a prolonged absence, Chance the Rapper resurfaced this summer for a handful of shows commemorating the 10th anniversary of his “Acid Rap” mixtape. He treated the United Center date as both a celebration of and farewell to the past, dared to dream about a fair and peaceful world, and harnessed an energy and enthusiasm that made fans believe goodness could be possible. Overcome by the sight of family and friends before the finale, the local rapper broke down and cried. A better ending couldn’t have been scripted.

Liz Phair at Chicago Theatre, Nov. 18: Phair shed no tears at Chicago Theatre yet expressed similar happiness. Providing a cathartic track-by-track reading of her landmark “Exile in Guyville” album, the former Chicagoan gave voice to 30-year-old songs whose relevancy increased in lieu of the #MeToo movement and recent Supreme Court decisions. Moreover, Phair’s unshakable confidence and triumphant attitude stared down the double-standard doubts and expectations that followed her for decades.

Best surprise

Brandi Carlile at Ravinia, Aug. 31: In honor of her first headlining appearance at Ravinia, Brandi Carlile gave her support band the night off and got back to basics. Jovial and spontaneous, the 42-year-old reverted to the stripped-down approaches she embraced before becoming a star — namely, coming across as a vocal dynamo in step with her longtime mates, twins Tim and Phil Hanseroth. Together, they revisited their acoustic roots, blended gorgeous harmonies and spread the wealth. Among the highlights: a rousing cover of Queen’s “Fat Bottomed Girls”; a soulful duet with opener Brandy Clark; a sweet rendition of the Indigo Girls’ “Closer to Fine” with Carlile’s wife, Catherine; and a hootenanny with the singer’s brother and his children. The loose, charismatic results made a strong case for scrapping plans and relying on intuition.

Best insight

Nick Cave at Auditorium Theatre, Sept. 29: What does an arrangement sound like distilled to its core? Removed from an outer skin, how might lyrical connotations shift? What happens when words and melodies remain exposed? And, to quote Nick Cave at Auditorium Theatre, what does getting “to the soul of a song” entail? The Australian-born singer-songwriter probed such matters at a rare appearance without his Bad Seeds ensemble or wild-eyed collaborator Warren Ellis. Seated at a piano and accompanied by the sparse bass notes of Radiohead’s Colin Greenwood, Cave presided over a master class in quiet intensity, elegant intimacy and vocal subtlety. Lifting the lid on works imbued with devotion and vulnerability, beauty and ruin, tender compassion and implied violence, he enhanced the mystery and wonder of one of the richest catalogs in modern music.

Best sound and vision

Peter Gabriel at United Center, Sept. 30: Unlike many of his peers, Peter Gabriel isn’t ready to rest on his laurels. Challenging the audience and an extraordinary band anchored by bassist Tony Levin and drummer Manu Katché, the singer devoted a majority of his two-set concert at United Center to brand-new material that most people never heard. Not only did Gabriel accomplish the feat without sending fans scurrying to beer vendors and restrooms, he captured their attention with vibrant graphics designed by an array of global virtuosos and a crisp, perfectionist-minded sound system that rendered the songs with three-dimensional depth. Akin to the Grateful Dead’s famous mid-’70s setup and Metallica’s cutting-edge modeler system, Gabriel demonstrated what can transpire when artists sweat the details — and financially invest enough in the final product.

Best farewell

Kiss at Allstate Arena, Nov. 27: There’s something to be said for consistency and loyalty. Granted, Kiss trotted out a majority of the stunts and songs it performed at the fourth-to-last concert of its career countless times in the past, long before singer-guitarist Paul Stanley lost a chunk of his once-considerable range. But in terms of literal explosiveness, escapist bravado and pure fun — plus, classic rock ‘n’ roll that balanced pop hooks with gritty riffs, strutting beats and shout-out-loud choruses — Kiss’ farewell rang true to its legacy and legion of fans. For a band that viewed doing anything other than facing the crowd head-on as sacrilege, and that originated many of the creative concepts that evolved into norms at today’s high-profile shows, the blowout stood as a fitting send-off.

Bob Gendron is a freelance critic.