This year, I didn’t break ‘em, down by individual performances as in the past. Otherwise, Sasquatch would have accounted for the bulk of my top 5.

1. Stevie Wonder (Aug. 31, Chateau Ste Michele, Woodinville): The living legend hadn’t played the Seattle market for more than two decades, and it felt like seeing the Beatles must have. I literally got goose bumps during “Living for the City.” But seeing Burberry-clad yuppies shaking their money makers with the wild abandon of Soul Train dancers was a bit weird, though.

2. Sasquatch Festival (May 26 to 28, Gorge Amphitheatre, George): The Beastie Boys and Bjork would have vied for top performance in a Wonder-less year. The Arcade Fire’s set was quite a rush, too, especially during a life-affirming sing-along to “Wake Up.” But one of the most enduring images for me was seeing Seattle singer-songwriter Jesse Sykes strum her way through melancholy numbers from her moving, new album “Like, Love, Lust & the Open Halls of the Soul” as blustery winds whipped through her raven-black tresses.

3. Chris Cornell (Oct. 3, Paramount Theatre, Seattle): Recently liberated from Audioslavery, Cornell was free to serve up the heaping helping of grunge goodness that his fans have been craving all these years. “Outshined” and “Jesus Christ Pose” were chock full of stoner metal goodness, while “Seasons” was the prettiest ballad I heard all year. His solo stuff wasn’t bad, either. But about that Soundgarden reunion tour; exactly why hasn’t that happened, again?

4. The Roots (Feb. 3, The Showbox, Seattle): I already knew to expect a few curves from hip-hop’s greatest live band, a group that’s thrown covers of Guns N’ Roses and Nirvana into its set in the past. But I wasn’t prepared me for a weird but ultimately satisfying arrangement of Bob Dylan’s “Master of War” that featured guitar, drums and tuba, and guitarist Kirk Douglas (yes, that’s his name) singing lead. A mid-set tribute to the late, great James Brown was just icing on the cake.

5. Bumbershoot 2007 (Sept. 1 to 3, Seattle Center): The Wu-Tang Clan showed up something like 80 deep on the main stage. But the real action was on the smaller stages where Andrew Bird , Lyrics Born and the Diesel Truckers stood out, among others. And the recently reunited Seaweed rocked Experience Music Project.

6. Queens of the Stone Age (Dec. 18, Paramount Theatre): The most consistently awesome band of the last decade didn’t disappoint with a set that showcased stripped down sounds from this year’s “Era Vulgaris.” I was especially happy that they included “You Think I Ain’t Worth a Dollar, But I Feel Like a Millionaire” in their set, a song that had been shelved for a while since the departure of the band’s lead screamer, Nick Oliveri.

7. M.I.A. (Nov. 15, Roseland Theatre, Portland): I was out of town for the Seattle show, but made a point to catch M.I.A. down in Stumptown. You never know when pop provocateur Maya Arulpragasam, the group’s leader, will be denied her next U.S. work visa, the downfall of several U.S. shows already. And from the booming bass of opener “Bamboo Banger” to a death defying leap into the balcony for “Bucky Done Gun,” M.I.A. put on one hell of a show.

8. The Hold Steady, Art Brut (Nov. 4, University of Washington HUB Ballroom): My most embarrassing omission from my best albums omission of 2006 list was the Hold Steady’s “Boys & Girls in America.” But I’ve loved these guys since I got on board last spring. And the sterile venue aside, they lived up to the hype. The best part: They treated fans to two new songs, “Magazines” and “Joke about Jamaica.”

9. Justin Timberlake (Sept. 8, Tacoma Dome): There have been several contenders for the title of King of Pop since Michael Jackson went all bat-crap crazy on us. And if this show wasn’t proof of who the frontrunner is, I don’t know what would be. As an added bonus, he performed that song from "Saturday Night Live." You know, the one.

10. Devo (Sept. 21, Puyallup Fair & Events Center): Did Devo sell out by playing the fair, or did it fit in with their master plan of exposing “de-evolution” in all its forms? Maybe a little bit of both:

“How many people tonight think that de-evolution is real?” lead singer Mark Mothersbaugh inquired at one point. “You don’t have to look far for the evidence.”

“Gut Feeling” and “Jocko Homo” were highlights. And Mothersbaugh donned that creepy Booji Boy outfit for “Beautiful World,” pausing to acknowledge the aroma of krusty pups wafting over the crowd.- “that’s good American cooking,” he said, in falsetto - before he reached into his pants and hurling what seemed like hundreds of super balls into the crowd.

According to unconfirmed rumor, band members reportedly dropped in for an after party at the Varsity Grill but were largely ignored by fans that apparently didn’t recognize them, sans energy domes. Funny.

Coming soon: Best albums.