This year was a little on the hectic side for me, and as I looked at the CDs that I had bought in 2003 that actually came out in 2003, I noticed I didnt end up buying that many records.  New records, at least.  So I decided to only pick five.  In no particular order:

Outkast - "Hey Ya" (from Speakerboxxx/The Love Below)  [Capitol]
I find that I am often only listening to the Outkast CD to get to this song.  Best fucking song Ive heard all year. 

Jay Clifford at The Berkely Caf in Raleigh NC - 1/31/03
This was Jay from Jump, Little Childrens second-ever solo show, and it was really nice to hear these songs stripped down to just guitar and vocals (and sometimes a boombox with phat beats).  One of my favorite singers and some of my favorite songs. 

Mike Doughty at  Alley Katz in Richmond VA - 3/15/03
I saw Mike twice in 2003, and the shows were basically identical, so I picked this one on the basis that a) the crowd was less obnoxious that the one in Charlottesville on February 28, and b) some random girl Id never met bought me a $20 t-shirt because I took the setlist off the stage and gave it to her.  Also, she was really drunk.  The Soul Coughing songs work a lot better than youd think they would without Yuvl, Mark, and Sebastian making squeaks and beats, and his new stuff is really good, too.

Remover at Jammin Java in Vienna VA - 6/8/03
Theyve now changed their name to Hotel Lights, but this is what Darren Jessees new band was calling itself then.  And, in 2003, Darren ends up on my favorite shows list.  I cant wait to get a full length from them in 2004.  The songs are just really great who would have thought that the best songwriter in Ben Folds Five was not actually Ben Folds?

R.E.M. at The Patriot Center in Fairfax VA - 10/8/03
Okay, theyve been my favorite band since I was 12 or 13.  The first record that I ever really listened to, until it was a part of my DNA, was Out of Time.  And Id never seen them.  This was the best show I saw this year, hands down and Im tempted to say its the best show Ive seen ever.  But that is probably just the geek talking.  Peter Buck plays guitar the way Ive always wanted to play guitar.  And Michael had the most stage presence of anyone Ive ever seen, skittering across the stage, and now I have a big crush on him.  Even without Bill, it was so great to finally see them.  Of course, if Id traveled to NC two nights later like I was so tempted to, I would have been able to see them with Bill.  But its okay.  I mean, they played four songs from Document, for petes sake.  And Begin the Begin!  AND Life & How To Live It!!  There was no Country Feedback, but as my girlfriend explained to me as we left, they could have played every single song they have twice and it still wouldnt have been enough.  So, so true.

Toad the Wet Sprocket  at The Norva in Norfolk VA - 3/9/03
Reviews Ive read said they were all sick, but Ive never seen musicians so obviously going through the motions before.  They were once one of my favorite bands, but Ive come to realize that Glen Phillips is actually a lot better solo.  I think that hes realized this too, as hes publicly put the kibosh on future tours.  His two-song solo set was pretty much the highlight of the show for me.