SouthFlorida.com | City Link Magazine

Following is a look back at the five best and worst national touring concerts to hit South Florida. I attended most of them, for better or for worse. I missed a few, but in those cases the results were so notorious that anyone with a good memory and access to Google could tell you the same. And after a full year of concertgoing, I at least still have my Google.

The best

1. The Beastie Boys, Oct. 18, Office Depot Center: They may be getting old, but the Beasties are aging like fine wine. The "Intergalactic" and "Sabotage" encore, with a clever disappearing act in between -- all of which followed the house lights coming on and half the crowd leaving -- will long be remembered.

2. 103.5 FM's Beat Down, June 27, University of Miami Convocation Center: Kanye West, Fat Joe, Pitbull, Jadakiss, the Ying Yang Twins and on and on and on. I've seen plenty of hip-hop shows, but this was my first full-length hip-hop festival, and it left an impression.

3. Ultra Music Festival, March 6, Bayfront Park: Every big name in electronica, all in one 24-hour dance party. What could possibly be wrong about that?

4. Langerado Music Festival, March 6, Young Circle Park: Seeing Cake get pissy onstage knocked this one down a few notches. Other than that, it ruled. Cracker busted out a few old Camper Van Beethoven tunes, some hippies slipped me a hallucinogenic mickey, and every band I knew played my favorite songs.

5. Andrew WK, June 5, the Culture Room: Any concert that ends with the entire crowd bum-rushing the stage and overrunning the band, security and anything else in their way is A-OK in my book.

The worst

1. David Bowie, May 6, James L. Knight Center: The only South Florida concert this year to claim national headlines for its casualty. Opening act Stereophonics had just left the stage when local stagehand Wally Thomas, 44, fell 50 feet to his death. Bowie canceled his show and offered refunds. He announced in a statement that he was "deeply saddened," then reportedly rocked the house in Atlanta two days later.

2. The Vote for Change Tour featuring John Mellencamp and Babyface, Oct. 8, Jackie Gleason Theater: OK, admittedly, this show was canceled. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't continue to hammer this turkey. What promoter's hubris was so great that he actually thought people would pay any amount of money to see any combination of artists as long as it was under the anti-Bush flag?

3. Social Distortion, Oct. 9, Revolution: It was still a pretty new club, so we'll forgive Revolution's staff for being ignorant of the vagaries of South Florida weather. They took down the tent protecting the soundboard and, naturally, the sky dumped buckets of rain. The soundboard blew and, though Social Distortion gamely tried to do an acoustic set, it was all but impossible to hear.

4. MTV Video Music Awards, Aug. 29, American Airlines Arena: Yeah, just what overglitzed, overglammed, celebrity-glutted Miami Beach needs -- the most starfucking event of the year. Any normal person who attempted to go out on South Beach that night was attacked by roving gangs of bodyguards, with entourage members taking side bets on how long the poor schmuck would stay on his feet. It wasn't pretty.

5. Britney/Christina/any other canceled major name: No, you did not cancel the tour because of hurt vocal cords, knee injuries or any of that other crap. You canceled because ticket sales sucked. Just admit it already.