Well, here we are again with another year in the books. Music, for one, certainly had its ups and downs throughout 2025. There was Kendrick Lamar’s iconic Super Bowl halftime show, the long-awaited return of Britpop legends Oasis and of course the death of Ozzy Osbourne two weeks after performing for the final time that sent shockwaves across the world. Along with those moments, we witnessed quite a few of our own. Whether it was taking in the closest thing to a Rage Against the Machine show you can see these days, The Prodigy tearing down the house for their first North American headline date since 2017, an evening with Primus that was chock full of surprises, My Morning Jacket’s epic return to Red Rocks, one of the summer’s best co-headline tours with The Flaming Lips and Modest Mouse both sharing the stage and Lord Huron’s ascent to newly minted arena act, there was plenty to celebrate and remember over the last 12 months.
But with another year down and 2026 right around the corner, it’s time for us to reveal our annual “Best of” lists as we have done since this blog started more than a decade ago (see our 2024 picks here). As we always say, we will be the first to confess we didn’t attend every show or spin every album that was issued in 2025, but reflecting on the year that was remains just as fun and challenging as when we first started doing this yearly exercise.
So, without further ado, Showbams presents The Bam Team’s five favorite shows, albums and songs from 2025.
Listen to The Bam Team’s favorite songs of 2025:
Josh Herwitt // Los Angeles
Top 5 Shows of 2025
1. Nine Inch Nails at Kia Forum – Los Angeles, CA – September 18th-19th
When these Hall of Famers announced their “Peel It Back Tour” almost a year ago, we had a pretty good feeling that new music would be on the way. What we didn’t know is that it would for the new “Tron” movie that arrived in the fall. And while permanent members Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross showcased only the soundtrack’s lone single on this run, it was the production featuring a two-stage setup and reimagining of older songs — particularly on the “B Stage” with Boys Noize as Nine Inch Noize — in addition to the unexpected return of former touring drummer Josh Freese that had me thinking about these final two shows of the tour for weeks. That’s what live music can do when an unforgettable performance sticks with you, which was even more remarkable considering Reznor entered his seventh decade just earlier this year.
2. My Morning Jacket at Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Morrison, CO – August 15th-16th
3. Queens of the Stone Age at Arlington Theatre – Santa Barbara, CA – November 8th
4. Jack White at Hollywood Palladium – Los Angeles, CA – May 12th-13th
5. Primus at Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA – August 6th
Honorable Mention: The Prodigy at The Warfield – San Francisco, CA – April 13th
Top 5 Albums of 2025
1. Geese – Getting Killed
Let me just say first and foremost that this was not my favorite year for albums. That said, there were several that stuck out and the fourth full length from these NYC indie rockers stood squarely at the top. From the sonic chaos that greets us during “Trinidad” and the groovy, Sly Stoned-flavored “100 Horses” (which is apropos given his death in June) to lead single “Taxes” that’s one of its best and the frenetic finale “Long Island City Here I Come”, the variety of sounds being explored on Getting Killed is almost unparalleled. Geese shouldn’t be considered new kids on the block at this point, but there’s a legitimate reason why they were one of the year’s hottest bands and I am still kicking myself for missing their sold-out show at The Fonda Theatre in late October (resale tickets were going for as much as $800 and that was while the Dodgers were in the World Series no less). Well, fingers crossed for my first one in 2026.
2. Clipse – Let God Sort Em Out
3. The Mars Volta – Lucro Sucio; Los Ojos del Vacio
4. Lord Huron – The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1
5. Ty Segall – Possession
Honorable Mention: Lady Gaga – Mayhem
Top 5 Songs of 2025
1. Nine Inch Nails – “As Alive as You Need Me to Be”
I have no problem admitting that I am a sucker for any new NIN music. As one of my favorite bands all time, the industrial rockers had not released a proper album in more than a decade and we’re not sure if the “Tron: Ares” soundtrack technically counts in our book either. But we love it when Reznor leans into the electronic side of the project, and “As Alive as You Need Me to Be” with additional production from Boys Noize scratches that itch for us. While numbers don’t always tell the full story, the fact that it was our top played song on Spotify does mean something when you look back on all of the music we got to consume in 2025. Better yet, Trent and Atticus still making music of this caliber speaks volumes to their craft and talent as true professionals.
2. Clipse – “Chains & Whips” feat. Kendrick Lamar
3. My Morning Jacket – “Beginning from the Ending”
4. DARKSIDE – “One Last Nothing”
5. Lord Huron – “Bag of Bones”
Favorite Soundtrack of 2025: Nine Inch Nails – Tron: Ares
Andrew Pohl // San Francisco
Top 5 Shows of 2025
1. Home Front at Thee Parkside – San Francisco, CA – November 21st
Having caught Home Front last year in SF at Bottom of the Hill I know going into this concert that Home Front was going to absolutely crush it, but man oh man did they completely outdo themselves. Opening act False Flowers warmed up the crowd in spectacular fashion, and The Government did an excellent job as main support. The overly packed room was VERY ready to receive what Home Front was about to give them, and the band destroyed the place inside and out. Sonically crisp and very tight, the band has built a reputation of being a superb live act and it fully lived up to that at this show, playing much of the material from their new album Watch It Die along with material from their previous efforts and a Cock Sparrer cover to end the set.
2. Pile at Rickshaw Stop – San Francisco, CA – September 10th
3. Pixies with Blonde Redhead, Spoon at Greek Theatre Berkeley – Berkeley, CA – August 28th
4. Deep Sea Diver with Byland at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – April 8th
5. Dance Hall Crashers at Great American Music Hall – San Francisco, CA – June 7th
Top 5 Albums of 2025
1. Deftones – private music
For a band that has produced as much quality output as Deftones has over the years, it’s nice to see them outdo themselves like they did on this album. I wouldn’t qualify it as a “return to form” since it has much of the sonic familiarity throughout the rest of their catalog, but the songs themselves are just really strong and stick to your bones more than most of their other recent material. They sound like a unit that came into recording this with confidence and intention. The material also feels like it would translate well live, and based on how footage of their concerts this year looked, I stand correct. This is the album that I kept coming back to over and over again in 2025, which didn’t surprise me given my love for these guys.
2. Momma – Welcome to My Blue Sky
3. Home Front – Watch It Die
4. Deep Sea Diver – Billboard Heart
5. Viagra Boys – Viagr Aboys
Top 5 Songs of 2025
1. Viagra Boys – “Man Made of Meat”
This is such a perfect way to open Viagra Boys’ new album. Right off the bat you get that level of sass and weirdness that we have come accustomed to from the Swedish post-punk band. From the perfectly timed belch in the opening verse to the breakdown where frontman Sebastian Murphy brings up the idea of subscribing “to your mom’s Only Fans,” the song is a buffet of ridiculousness. The chorus is catchy as all get out, and the song as a whole is that perfect mix of accessible and clever. What a fun way for them to get things started.
2. Deftones – “Locked Club”
3. Preoccupations – “Ill at Ease”
4. Home Front – “Light Sleeper”
5. Momma – “New Friend”
Rochelle Shipman // Los Angeles
Top 5 Shows of 2025
1. Kendrick Lamar and SZA at SoFi Stadium – Inglewood, CA – May 24th
It’s hard to imagine anything other than a killer Kendrick show after the run he’s had this past year, but the Grand National Tour went above and beyond and around again. It was one set with songs from both artists’ catalogs being seamlessly interwoven before they came back onstage to perform a few of their hits together. Kendrick was riding his deserved high, while SZA was angelic (literally suspended above the crowd wearing wings) and somehow made it feel like we were watching two Beyoncés. The power and craft on that stage was something so special to witness.
2. Little Simz at Fox Theatre Oakland – Oakland, CA – November 17th
3. Clipse at The Novo – Los Angeles, CA – August 23rd
4. Bright Eyes at The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA – February 7th
5. Doechii at Gallagher Square (Petco Park) – San Diego, CA – November 5th
Honorable Mention: NxWorries at Hollywood Palladium – Los Angeles, CA – October 19th
Top 5 Albums of 2025
1. Clipse – Let God Sort Em Out
After a false start with Def Jam that resulted in a seven-figure buyout, Clipse finally found a home at Roc Nation for their newest album in 15 years over the summer — and now it’s hard to imagine it happening any other way. The brothers Thornton reunited to educate the kids on what a proper album rollout used to entail, the whole time sharing their experiences and emotions surrounding their parents’ deaths to a degree most men would never dream of doing. The beats and bars hit so hard all the way through they even make some of Pharrell’s cringeworthy moments sound catchy. There’s no question Mom and Dad are proud of them after laying down this masterpiece.
2. Little Simz – Lotus
3. Backxwash – Only Dust Remains
4. Landlady – Make Up / Lost Time
5. Panda Bear – Sinister Grift
Top 5 Songs of 2025
1. Little Simz – “Thief”
Opening her sixth studio album with an intro track that’s as intense as it is eloquent, the London rapper continues to prove she’s not the one to fuck with. Marking the first of a few songs on Lotus that artfully skewers her former musical counterpart Inflo of Sault, “Thief” leaves Simz’s broken heart totally bare against a compelling musical backdrop. It’s never fun to watch close friends have a falling out, but we would be damned if Little Simz didn’t make it sound so good.
2. Clipse – “The Birds Don’t Sing”
3. AJ Tracey feat. Jorja Smith – “Crush”
4. Casey Dienel (fka White Hinterland) – “Your Girl’s Upstairs”
5. Doechii – “Nosebleeds”
Michael Silver // Orange County
Top 5 Shows of 2025
1. Jack White at The Grove of Anaheim – Anaheim, CA – January 25th
The millennial guitar GOAT went on a generational run in 2025. A master of gorilla marketing and last-minute ticket announcements, White commenced his “No Name” tour with an intimate OC performance. The Internet gods were kind to me as I scored front-row access to see the Detroit native blitzed through a 21-song set spanning White Stripes cult favorites (“The Hardest Button to Button”) to The Raconteurs’ gems (“Broken Boy Soldier”) all while mixing in new joints (“Old Scratch Blues” followed by “That’s How I’m Feeling”). Between playing music halls and theaters as well as NFL stadiums with Eminem in front of a national TV audience on Thanksgiving, the virtuoso and ambassador for all things vinyl was officially inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The White Stripes this year and has carved out his own lane in rock history.
2. Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist at The Observatory – Santa Ana, CA – October 27th
3. The Eagles at Sphere – Las Vegas, NV – October 10th
4. Wu-Tang Clan at Crypto.com Arena – Los Angeles, CA – June 22nd
5. The Used at House of Blues Anaheim – Anaheim, CA – October 11th
Top 5 Albums of 2025
1. Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist – Alfredo 2
Following up on 2020’s Grammy-nominated collaboration, the Indiana rapper and California producer created a soulful, translucent vibe of hip-hop bravado. The opening guitar licks on “1995” showcase a new era of creativity by The Alchemist, while Gibbs provides a hypnotic and downright maniacal flow. “Mar-a-Lago” and “Lemon Pepper Steppers” define these sophisticated raps, with the emcee in total control painting a visual storyboard.
2. Deftones – private music
3. Turnstile – Never Enough
4. Clipse – Let God Sort Em Out
5. Joey Bada$$ – Lonely at the Top
Top 5 Songs of 2025
1. Turnstile – “Birds”
Has there ever been a more fitting rock anthem to take over the airwaves? Soaring in at 2:27 long, the Baltimore collective blasted into our collective conscience. With high-profile fans like Billie Eilish, Elton John and Hayley Williams singing their praise, it wasn’t long before mainstream radio added them into their rotations. To wrap up a wild press campaign, lead singer Brendan Yates performed the first-ever stage dive at NPR’s Tiny Desk series with “Birds” as his soundtrack.
2. Deftones – “Milk of the Madonna”
3. Diplo – “Flashlight” feat. Project Pat & Juicy J
4. GELO – “Tweaker”
5. Sublime – “Ensenada”
Favorite Soundtrack of 2025: Nine Inch Nails – Tron: Ares
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