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1st live bassists that stood out.

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DavidEdenAria

Dec 13, 2013
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On a Hill
#1
Not necessarily the best chops but what bassist made a huge impression early on in a live musical context?

For me, the 1st was John Glascock with Jethro Tull 'Too old to rock and roll, too young to die' tour... no real idea why and i realize his bass parts were composed by others but he was really standout that night...i think 1975 at Arrowhead stadium with Trower, Rundgren and Rory Gallagher....he died soon after sadly.

Next was Rush on the '2112' tour with Nugent headlining....mind was blown completely, Geddy Lee had complete command and crazy stage presence...about 6 rows back on the floor January of 1976 i believe.

After seeing many great bands that became huge between 1976 and 1980, i saw Bruce Springsteen & the E street band on 'The River' tour and Gary Tallent really stood out...again i dont know why, i think he was playing a StingRay but at the time bass guitar was really not on my radar.....I was not into Springsteen much at all but that show was convincing to say the least.

As far as bands in general the bassists that early on 'grabbed me' were Paul McCartney and Chris Squire....of course many to follow in different genres!
 
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#2
The first bassist that stood out to me was when I was in about 3rd or 4th grade, and the middle school had come over to play for us, jazz band included. So the bass player is setting up, and he doesn’t realize his amp is cranked so he drops a low E to check it and I tell you, I felt that note in my stomach…it was hook line and sinker from there. Started playing bass a few years later and now I’m going on 22 years.

As far as a performance by a pro, had to be my first Esperanza Spalding concert. When the drums and bass kicked in it was like I was hit by pure musical energy. I remember it vividly, great experience.
 
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#3
While, as a tyke, I was enthralled by Paul Revere and the Raiders, with Phil “Fang” Volk, always on TV and loved all those killer rocker hits, by the time I was finally allowed to go to a rock show, he had moved on. A guy named Charlie Coe had replaced him, but as it was my first time attending such an event, it was still exciting. It was somewhat late in the day for their original run, music was rapidly changing, and this could have been one of the last Dick Clark multi-act tours, already a relic concept. He was solid, the band delivered the goods, but one of the lead-up acts really got my attention. An all-female band called The Chips. Aside from the then-novelty, and any pubescent interest on my part, they were great and rocked it. The bass player had a Telecaster bass which really stood out. They must not have made it far past that…


My next two shows were the final Eric Burdon and the Animals tour, then the Jimi Hendrix Experience. All that I remember about Redding was that he looked like he didn’t want to be there, and within 6 months he was gone anyway.
 
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#7
My first major concert was The Who at Shea Stadium in 1982...so there you go. The next bassist who blew my mind live was Tony Levin with King Crimson in 1984. Then came Flea in late 1989 on the Mother's Milk tour, in a small venue in Philly. To this day, that's the best show I've ever seen, rivaled only by Prince and The Who's 1997 Quadrophenia tour.

But the coolest may have been Juan Alderete with The Mars Volta, early 2000s. Everything was spectacular, and the highlight was a ripping overdriven solo on a fretless J-bass.
 
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#9
tbh, it was some anonymous guy playing in a GB band at my father's cousin's wedding when I was 13 years old.

This would've been circa 1974 I think. I'd been playing guitar for a couple years, had just gotten my first electric guitar several months earlier, and had played a bandmate's bass just enough to know I was intrigued by that instrument. So I was captivated by this wedding band's guitarist (who iirc was playing a tobacco-burst Gibson Les Paul Deluxe) and parked myself at a table near the bandstand so I could check him out during cocktail hour.

And then at one point between songs he puts his Les Paul down and picks up this gorgeous bright cherry-red Gibson EB-3 bass. I was smitten. The look...and that sound! I think that's when I realized that dabbling on my bandmate's bass wasn't just something to do for the occasional song where she wanted to play guitar; it was something that I really wanted to pursue seriously.
 
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#14
It'd have to be John Entwistle.

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#18
I could be forgetting someone, but right now I think the first bassist who really got my attention in concert was Phil Lesh at the Watkins Glen festival in July 1973. The Dead had their Wall of Sound, and the bass sound was fantastic-- huge, warm and crystal clear. He sounded like a force of nature-- a thunderstorm, or massive waves rolling in.
Around the same time (different concert), it was Lamar Williams with the Allman Brothers Band... aggressively clicky, crunchy, percussive attack with a pick on a Jazz Bass with flatwounds. That really got my attention.
 
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#19
I had seen some big-name groups before but the one that made the biggest impression on me was Metallica at The Stone. It was Cliff's 2nd show and Dave Mustaine was still in the band. I was front of stage 5 feet from Cliff when I saw him do a bass solo like I had never seen. That was impressive to a young rocker.
 
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#20
Kenny Gradney with Little Feat in 1977-78. I saw them twice and each time Kenny was so in the pocket with Richie Hayward and Sam Clayton and had such a great tone. I was mesmerized by this guy who wasn’t flashy, just in the groove and on time. Honestly, it was the first time I paid attention to the BP and not the LG. I switched from guitar to bass after I saw those shows.
 
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