My Top 20 Live Shows of 2024
I saw 102 live shows in 2024! Everything from theater, concerts, dance, opera, stand-up, improv and sketch, & immersive experiences. Some may have opened prior to 2024, but this was the year I saw them. These were my favorites!
1. MADONNA: THE CELEBRATION TOUR
Of course, if Madonna is touring chances are she’ll be on the list since I am a huge fan. But not always would she be at number one. This tour was a standout. She performed one hit after another to celebrate her 40-year-plus career. She is still provocative, pushing buttons, and remaining surprisingly grounded when it comes to her art. This tour broke records for most people attending a concert at one time. 1.6 million people came to the final show of the tour in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
2. OH, MARY!
The comedic play written by and starring Cole Escola is sure to be the hit of the Tony Awards this year. A sharp farce reimagining the life of Abraham Lincoln’s wife Mary. The absurd meets history is the most iconic way. All she wants to do is be in a cabaret. If only Lincoln had listened.
3. ILLINOISE
This was the best musical of 2024 to me. Even though other shows got more attention. With music and lyrics by Sufjan Stevens, the story revolves around a teen from Illinois who moves to the big city. He is continuously pulled back to the small town life he came from, with drastic consequences. This ensemble dance piece was moving in all the right ways.
4. ANDREA BOCCELLI IN CONCERT
The opera icon came to Madison Square Garden in NYC to two sold-out shows. He sang through his hits flawlessly with many special guests. Andrea also added a few holiday staples since this happened in the middle of the holiday season. The show is emotional and brings together other art forms on stage to add to the spectacle. Here is a trailer for the 30th anniversary concert, which is what most of the MSG concert was comprised from.
5. KYLIE MINOGUE: MORE THAN JUST A RESIDENCY
This Las Vegas residency was sexy, in vogue, and I totally can’t get it out of my head. Kylie performed hits from her almost 40 years of being a pop sensation. Having the biggest hit of 2024 “Padam Padam” in her catalog, she was fun, engaging, and created an all-around party at The Venetian in Vegas.
6. STEREOPHONIC
The winner of Best New Play at the 2024 Tony Awards proved why it garnered so much praise, gathering the most nominations ever for a play. The story is unofficially based on Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mack. It is about a band whose internal struggles make it difficult to record a rock album in the 70s. Here’s a video from the show.
7. BERNADETTE PETERS
The musical theater legend Bernadette Peters came to Los Angeles showcasing her decades being beloved by theater audiences. She sang through many of her hits and sprinkled in a few surprises. She can still capture your heart through her vocal talents and lyric interpretation like no other.
8. KATHY GRIFFN: MY LIFE ON THE PTSD-LIST
Kathy Griffin is back with a brand-new stand-up tour after being off the stage for six long years. The show is hilarious and digs deep into her years of dealing with depression and substance abuse. The take on her story is heartfelt and utterly funny.
9. MJ: THE MUSICAL
I had heard a lot about this show. Not sure why I put it off for so long. Maybe it’s because jukebox musicals that deal with the singer’s life is not my favs. But this one blew me away. Smartly grounding itself during MJ’s 1992-1993 Dangerous World Tour, makes it so the flashbacks into his life are directly connected to the action in the present. The music is perfection and the performances splendid.
10. LOST FREQUENCIES
The Belgium DJ Felix de Laet, known as Lost Frequencies dazzled L.A.’s Hollywood Palladium. The concert was filled with tintillating drumbeats accompanied by visuals that stretched onto the ceiling creating an immersive experience that I’ll remember forever. And in the end, it’s all about the music and how good it is. There’s no teaser available to the show, but here’s one of his latest singles.
11. APPROPRIATE
Sarah Pulson led the cast of this award-winning play. Pulson herself won the Tony for Best Actress in a Play and the show Best Revival of a Play. The show is about a family that returns to a plantation in Arkansas to dispute over the inheritance left by the death of a family member. It’s an all-out battle with a fiery script that actors would fight to get their hands on.
12. SUNSET BOULEVARD
This revival of this musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton is the surprise of the season for me. Under the direction of Jamie Loyd, the show has a dangerous sexy grip over you. Nicole Scherzinger, who played Norma, made me give a standing ovation before the show was even done. I couldn’t help but to let it creep in under my skin.
13. OMEGA MART BY MEOW WOLF
This all-immersive interactive experience created by Meow Wolf in Las Vegas is an out-of-this-world installation. At first you are in a supermarket, but suddenly you may open a fridge and before you know, you are transported to another dimension. With art contributions from over 300 artists, this installation is fun, encompasses all senses, and dazzles the mind.
14. & JULIET
This jukebox musical features the many hits of Swedish pop producer and songwriter Max Martin. His catalog is incredible. Every single song a major hit. The story finds its footing by taking us on a what-if trip over what would have happened if neither Romeo or Juliet had died. Smart and funny, it will certainly be running for years to come.
15. HEDDA LETTUCE
The drag queen extravagant sensation made my stomach hurt from laughter in Fire Island. Her stand-up is vicious, intelligently crafted, and as witty as they come. Making fun of as many people in the audience as she could, while placing yourself as the butt of the joke is not an easy feat. But she did it effortlessly to the gay summer crowd in Fire Island. You can see many of her jokes in her Instagram account.
16. PATTI LUPONE: A LIFE IN NOTES
Musical theater queen Patti Lupone creates a one-woman show picking apart moments in her own life. She shines fresh insight into her world alongside her favorite songs growing up, the hits that made her a theater icon, and music that inspires her to keep going. The result is both dramatically captivating and comedically enticing. The singing is perfection!
17. DEATH BECOMES HER
This new Broadway musical has a book by Marco Pennette and music and lyrics by Julia Mattison and Noel Carey. Starring Megan Hilty, Jennifer Simmard, and Christopher Sieber, it is based on the 1992 film of the same name about a potion that promises eternal youth with dire consequences.
18. SHIT. MEET. FAN
This off-Broadway comedy written by Robert O’Hara had an all-star cast comprised of Neil Patrick Harris, Jane Krakowski, Debra Messing, Constance Wu, and many others. When guests arrive at a party, they decide to play a game where all their phones are put on a table. Any texts that come in are read out loud and any phone calls are to be put on speaker. Secrets come out and so do the laughs.
19. SUFFS
This empowering musical written by Shaina Taub grabbed my by the balls and showed me what it’s like to fight for the right to vote. Some battles in life are longterm. The true story of the women that led the suffrage movement to earn women the right to vote is told in a timely, engaging way. Not a moment wasted. The show had my undivided attention. Great cast, book, and music.
20. HELL’S KITCHEN
Featuring music and lyrics by Alicia Keys, this Broadway musical was nominated for 12 Tonys. It is a semi-auto-biographical account of Keys’ life and upbringing in the sizzling Manhattan neighborhood called Hell’s Kitchen. It’s a very well-produced NY show that will have audiences “falling in and out of love” for years to come.