There are a million ways to measure success. One of mine, for example, relates to the number of ticket stubs added to a dresser drawer. This year, I had the good fortune of taking in a lot of music, and in the process, racking up loads of memories with my main squeeze and paper mementos to add to the drawer. Here are a few highlights.

January: Prince at the Dakota. An absolutely unforgettable night. The runner-up? A masterful and marvelous Martha Reeves.

February: Eric Burdon at the Medina Entertainment Center. My favorite show of the entire year, without a doubt.  (PSA: He’s coming back in February and, last I checked, tickets are still available!)

April: I went to see Fleetwood Mac, Toots and Lynn Anderson this month, but Johnny Rivers at Treasure Island wins out as the most memorable of them all. (No offense, Stevie.)

May: Road-tripping with friends to the Surf Ballroom to see Willie play (and meeting Paul English before the show) was a definite highlight of the year, despite my bitch-face below. Runner-up: Front-row seats to see my queen, Loretta Lynn.

June: Happening upon Dale Watson at The Continental Club stands out as the highlight of June. What a dreamboat.

July: Braving the drizzle to take in Brian Wilson and Al Jardine at the Minnesota Zoo. Honored to be in the general vicinity of such a genius.

August: Driving up to St. Cloud to see Bobby Bare at Rollie’s the day after returning home from our summer road trip. Tiring, but worth it 100-percent.

October: Savoring fall weather and tons of delicious beer at Indeed’s Hullabaloo. I truly enjoyed all of the acts, but Sonny Knight and the Lakers was by far my favorite. Love this man, and his band, like a lot.

November: Going to see Allen Toussaint for the second time was also pretty special. Below’s a video of him playing piano on “Working in a Coal Mine,” a song he wrote, with vocal support from Irma Thomas and Dolly Parton (seen both of those gals too!) and Dr. John. Too funny not to share.

December: Last but certainly not least, I’ve been loving watching my honey get back to playing music, including a show at Palmer’s earlier this month. He’s the best, and I can’t wait to keep being his no. 1 fan in 2014.

What music made your most-memorable list in 2013? Any acts I should keep my eyes open for?

xoxo,

Meghan