To hear it – and indeed see it – played out before my eyes while the film loomed over the Sydney Symphony Orchestra was an emotional experience. Gladiator is a flick I hold dear to my heart, and in large part owed to the sublime score crafted by Hans Zimmer. This was my opportunity, and it was a quite magical experience. No.3 Gladiator and Sydney Symphony Sydney Opera House, Sydney NSW, 3 AprilĮver since seeing a documentary about John Williams conducting a live performance of E.T‘s score for the movie’s 25th anniversary, I’ve always wanted to watch a film with the soundtrack performed live while I view. Even the security staff were cool, the beer was amazing, and Austin’s convoy of fabulous food trucks kept the energy levels tip-top. There was more, but all you need to know was this festival was the dog’s nuts. I saw so many bands I couldn’t list them all here, but highlights included Poliça from side of stage (thanks Craig), a blissful Broken Bells set, the best Phantogram performance I’ve witnessed with Sarah Barthel sexier than ever, an introduction to the insanely infection Avett Brothers, running from Skrillex to Eminem and struggling to believe I was on planet Earth, A supercharged Lorde set and, of course, another flawless Pearl Jam show to close an epic weekend. Austin City Limits proved to be one of the best music festivals I’ve ever attended. I wrote at the time about my affection for this weekend. No.2 Austin City Limits Zilker Park, Austin TX, 11-12 October It’s an absolute lifetime highlight, a memory that will always burn bright and never be a fading ember. I cannot put into words the brilliance of this show. The Birds acted as the first stanza of a build-up to a tremendous crescendo, including Grounds For Divorce and, of course, another unforgettable encore of One Day Like This. The Night Will Always Win showcased Guy Garvey’s stunning vocals like never before, highlighting a central core of down-tempo loveliness to melt the toughest of hearts. The pace of the show was perfect, Charge kicking things off just enough to get toes tapping, with The Bones Of You doing much the same. I’ve seen Elbow in every conceivable setting, from small club to festival, but the majestic Sydney Opera House could be the ideal venue for one of Britain’s best musical exports. In fact it brought me close to tears a number of times. How could it fail to impress me? Answer: it didn’t. No.1 Elbow Sydney Opera House, Sydney NSW, 26 OctoberĪ simple equation here: one of my favourite bands of all time plays one of my favourite venues of all time. Here is my top five, a summary of the next best, and the full list of gigs attended. All up, almost 30 dates, including three festivals and a multitude of artists. It was another packed live music schedule in 2014 for me.

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