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SONIC YOUTH, AWESOME COLOR
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) If I can whittle down an entire lifetime of rock obsession to one single memory, it would be Thurston Moore dry-humping an amp with his guitar in a swirling sea of feedback. Witnessing this scene has been a constant occurrence in my life—I have three shirts from the Dirty tour, all purchased on my 13th birthday, to prove it—and a staple of the Sonic Youth live experience. Even if this year's The Eternal is no Daydream Nation (or Rather Ripped, for that matter), and the mere act of peering at Thurston and Kim reminds you of your fragile mortality, Sonic Youth just might be the most important band of my lifetime. They survived New York in the '80s, the burst/bloom/collapse of the '90s alt-rock scene, and even an extended stay from Jim O'Rourke—thus proving that no matter what else happens in this world, Sonic Youth are forever.

Not only are they forever, they are here tonight. And, yes, the Roseland does have air conditioning, you big sweaty baby.