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Best and Worst Performances

walking Bass

walking Bass

May 24, 2005
674
1,506
Northern California
#1
After years of concerts there are some that truly stand out. Here are my best:

1. Lou Rawls - saw his act in Las Vegas and it felt like he was talking directly to you during the whole concert. Smooth and perfect.
2. James Brown - saw him in Minneapolis in the late 60s - perfect band and unrivaled energy.
3. Richie Havens - saw him twice in tiny venues - Cambridge, Mass and Redwood City, CA - it felt like you got a great big hug.
4. Yo Yo Ma - many times with the SF Symphony - the greatest and most joyous musician I've ever seen or heard.
5. (Nigel) Kennedy - Played the Brahm's violin concerto with SF Symphony - a revelation. I never liked the piece until he played it.
6. Richard Thompson - saw him at the Mountain Winery - charisma and unmatched guitar talent.
7. Big Brother and Holding Co. w/ Janis Joplin - wow, everyone wanted to have sex with Janis just to have part of that energy.
8. BB King - great band and a wonderful guy.
9. Milton Nascimento - Brazil with a little jazz and joy.
10. Neville Brothers - they just keep cooking - funk and N.O. with a mellow soul.


The worst:

1. Bob Dylan - wouldn't let his band play and was dull and awkward.
2. Joni Mitchell - only sang new stuff, audience wanted her best, resulting in boos.
3. Van Morrison - gnome-like with no personality.
4. Eric Clapton - mailed in mediocrity.
5. Etta James - saw her twice - once in small SF club with pick-up band that sucked and once at a big SF hall where she came on late and played really slow ballads. Most people walked out.
 
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#2
The great shows I've seen would take 5 pages to list. Started my concert going in 1970.
Besides "concerts", I too have seen unbelievably good, entertaining shows in clubs, and even Las Vegas lounges. Sometimes by folks that nobody's ever heard of.
Quick answer:
Best .... Alice Cooper. Seen him 6 or 7 times from original band right up to about 2 years ago.
He just refuses to phone it in. ALWAYS delivers. 👍
Disappointing... Johnny Winter...but it wasn't his fault.
As a HUGE fan, I wanted the white haired demon jumping around and tearing the guts out of a Tbird!
What I got was a frail guy, setting in a chair, playing that damn little Razor.
I just waited to long. 🙁
 
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#3
walking Bass said:
After years of concerts there are some that truly stand out. Here are my best:

1. Lou Rawls - saw his act in Las Vegas and it felt like he was talking directly to you during the whole concert. Smooth and perfect.
2. James Brown - saw him in Minneapolis in the late 60s - perfect band and unrivaled energy.
3. Richie Havens - saw him twice in tiny venues - Cambridge, Mass and Redwood City, CA - it felt like you got a great big hug.
4. Yo Yo Ma - many times with the SF Symphony - the greatest and most joyous musician I've ever seen or heard.
5. (Nigel) Kennedy - Played the Brahm's violin concerto with SF Symphony - a revelation. I never liked the piece until he played it.
6. Richard Thompson - saw him at the Mountain Winery - charisma and unmatched guitar talent.
7. Big Brother and Holding Co. w/ Janis Joplin - wow, everyone wanted to have sex with Janis just to have part of that energy.
8. BB King - great band and a wonderful guy.
9. Milton Nascimento - Brazil with a little jazz and joy.
10. Neville Brothers - they just keep cooking - funk and N.O. with a mellow soul.


The worst:

1. Bob Dylan - wouldn't let his band play and was dull and awkward.
2. Joni Mitchell - only sang new stuff, audience wanted her best, resulting in boos.
3. Van Morrison - gnome-like with no personality.
4. Eric Clapton - mailed in mediocrity.
5. Etta James - saw her twice - once in small SF club with pick-up band that sucked and once at a big SF hall where she came on late and played really slow ballads. Most people walked out.
Click to expand...

Interiesting question This may sound crazy, but when I go to a show I go into hyper analytic mode so deep I totally miss the entertainment value. It would be similar me to paying some manufacturer $100 to check the quality control of his production line. Needless to say, I’ve gone to very few concerts. In my ice.
 
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#4
walking Bass said:
After years of concerts there are some that truly stand out. Here are my best:

1. Lou Rawls - saw his act in Las Vegas and it felt like he was talking directly to you during the whole concert. Smooth and perfect.
2. James Brown - saw him in Minneapolis in the late 60s - perfect band and unrivaled energy.
3. Richie Havens - saw him twice in tiny venues - Cambridge, Mass and Redwood City, CA - it felt like you got a great big hug.
4. Yo Yo Ma - many times with the SF Symphony - the greatest and most joyous musician I've ever seen or heard.
5. (Nigel) Kennedy - Played the Brahm's violin concerto with SF Symphony - a revelation. I never liked the piece until he played it.
6. Richard Thompson - saw him at the Mountain Winery - charisma and unmatched guitar talent.
7. Big Brother and Holding Co. w/ Janis Joplin - wow, everyone wanted to have sex with Janis just to have part of that energy.
8. BB King - great band and a wonderful guy.
9. Milton Nascimento - Brazil with a little jazz and joy.
10. Neville Brothers - they just keep cooking - funk and N.O. with a mellow soul.


The worst:

1. Bob Dylan - wouldn't let his band play and was dull and awkward.
2. Joni Mitchell - only sang new stuff, audience wanted her best, resulting in boos.
3. Van Morrison - gnome-like with no personality.
4. Eric Clapton - mailed in mediocrity.
5. Etta James - saw her twice - once in small SF club with pick-up band that sucked and once at a big SF hall where she came on late and played really slow ballads. Most people walked out.
Click to expand...
Clapton's "Tears In Heaven" was the only tear I ever shed at a pop/rock show. And that was in a stadium.

Best, best, best... hmmm
Pink Floyd Division Bell in Yankee Stadium made a dent.

Worst. A local Allan Holdsworth show blew out my ears and patience to my surprise. Left mid-way.
 
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#5
Yo Yo Ma (nailed it, OP) live solo on a seat for almost 2 hours was absolutely mind shaking. Passion for days.

Jesus and Mary Chain, Gang of Four and Sonic Youth are among the worst live music experiences of my life and I like all them on recordings.
 
#6
No particular order.

Best

Elton John- strong, tight, like a great band with a great keyboard/vocalist(it was).
Boz Scaggs, just last year. Only had to drop a half step on 2 songs. And Willie Weeks was there.
Triumph-epic 3 piece show.
Thom Yorke-just himself and 2 guys on laptops.
Heart-rockin'.
Moody Blues-underrated, great show with orchestra.

Worst-

Pretenders- Martin Chambers was gone by then, loose band, Chrissie was directing traffic up there a lot, didn't look happy to be there. Iggy Pop opened, should have switched.
James Brown-he was older then, understandably no splits, his band spent way too much time with a trumpet player scatting jazz. Gtr player had a Tele on the back pickup, dry and earbleed loud.
Eddie Money-kinda messed up, couldn't remember words or how to play a sax.
 
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#9
Best:
Iron Maiden (Book of Souls and Legacy of the Beast tours)
Judas Priest (Firepower, 50th, and Invincible Shield tours)
Queensryche (2022, support for Priest)
Sammy Hagar/Michael Anthony/Jason Bonham/Joe Satriani (Best of All Worlds Tour)
Robert Cray Band (Nothin' But Love Tour)
Jimmie Vaughan & Tilt a Whirl Band (BB & F Tour)
Glenn Hughes (2023 Tour co-headlining with Yngwie Malmsteen)
Robin Trower (Where You Are Going To Tour)

Worst:
Bob Dylan (2005) (seriously this was the show)
Metallica (St. Anger Tour) (honestly, Godsmack's opening set was energetically and musically superior)
Yngwie Malmsteen (2023 Tour co-headlining with Glenn Hughes) (I love Yngwie but good god this was a comedy of errors, especially in comparison to Glenn Hughes' set)


There's a bunch that fall in the middle. I saw Van Halen in 04 on what was, by all accounts, a disaster tour, but they had a decent night and it was early in the tour.
 
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#12
Best:
  • Presidents of the United States of America, Tallahasee, FL. The most fun I've ever seen anyone have on a stage.
  • Torche, Miami, FL. The second most fun I've ever seen anyone have on a stage, and an incredible band/audience vibe at a hometown show at a little bar in Miami.
  • Tom Waits, Atlanta, GA. Seeing him live was a lifetime bucket list item, and he delivered everything I could have asked for. His voice seemed powerful enough to wreck a PA.
  • Bjork, Miami, FL. Another bucket list item and another all-time voice that is just as good live as on any record.
  • Rammstein, outside Vienna, Austria. This is as much based upon the moment as the show, but seeing Rammstein with a German-speaking crowd back when they basically never came to America was an amazing experience. Also completes the live-voice trifecta with a guy who probably moved the (gigantic, outdoor auditorium) speakers more with his voice than the bass guitar or bass drum did.
Worst:
  • Marilyn Manson, Orlando, FL. Felt very phoned in, and it was even worse with him sharing the bill with Rob Zombie, who always puts on a great show and has limitless energy.
Some bands I have seen multiple time and who are always great, but I can't point to one single show as being the most memorable, include Metallica, Opeth, Mastodon, and The Aristocrats.
 
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#13
I wanna play...

Best:

Rush R40/Vapor Trails tours, toss up
Violent Femmes '94
Pig Destroyer '07
Cave In/Coalesce '11
Botch '23
IDLES '23

Worst:

Hall & Oates '17. I'm a fan and I had never seen them before. They played with Daryl's TV house band. And they sounded like a cover band doing H&O songs, with a bad medley at the end, to boot. One of my biggest disappointments. Tears for Fears was incredible, though.

Not many more major disappointments. There were bad shows, but they were always still fun.
 
#15
MCS4 said:
Best:
  • Presidents of the United States of America, Tallahasee, FL. The most fun I've ever seen anyone have on a stage.
  • Torche, Miami, FL. The second most fun I've ever seen anyone have on a stage, and an incredible band/audience vibe at a hometown show at a little bar in Miami.
  • Tom Waits, Atlanta, GA. Seeing him live was a lifetime bucket list item, and he delivered everything I could have asked for. His voice seemed powerful enough to wreck a PA.
  • Bjork, Miami, FL. Another bucket list item and another all-time voice that is just as good live as on any record.
  • Rammstein, outside Vienna, Austria. This is as much based upon the moment as the show, but seeing Rammstein with a German-speaking crowd back when they basically never came to America was an amazing experience. Also completes the live-voice trifecta with a guy who probably moved the (gigantic, outdoor auditorium) speakers more with his voice than the bass guitar or bass drum did.
Worst:
  • Marilyn Manson, Orlando, FL. Felt very phoned in, and it was even worse with him sharing the bill with Rob Zombie, who always puts on a great show and has limitless energy.
Some bands I have seen multiple time and who are always great, but I can't point to one single show as being the most memorable, include Metallica, Opeth, Mastodon, and The Aristocrats.
Click to expand...
Love Torche and love them live. I think I've seen them at least half a dozen times in different states and they are always a blast. And LOUD. Saw them in Nashville with Converge, maybe '11? That should be on my list l, too.
 
#16
Bob Dylan was bad. He hated the audience singing along so he changed all of his famous hooks to contorted abominations. I was like dude, why not bask a little in the adulation? But that is not Bob Dylan, is it?

I will say I enjoyed watching and listening to his great band follow him with calm through dropped beats and dropped bars. They were unflappable! My non-musician friend that I went with didn’t notice any of the mistakes.
 
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#17
The Best - RUSH ( every gig I saw ) , Brian Ferry (1st solo tour) , Kool and the Gang ( Hollywood Swingin Tour 1975) , David Bowie (Let's Dance) , too many more to mention . The Worst - Happy The Man at The Cellar Door in Washington , DC after first record released . :vomit:
 
#18
The best: Muddy Waters, James Brown, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Hall and Oates, Albert Collins, Tyrone Davis.
The worst: Captain Beefheart, Cheap Trick, The Soft Machine, Sun Ra, Kansas, Deep Purple.
 
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#19
Bests....

Emmanuel Axe solo piano recital, front row seats about 20 feet back. Absolutely spellbinding.

Toots Thielemans with Kenny Werner, Ray Drummond, and Billy Hart in a small club in Boston years ago. Again, simply an unbelievable experience.

Gino Vanelli at the Syracuse Jazz Fest years ago, again very near the stage. Extra points because Gino saw the the "VIP" section near the stage was vacant, so he opened it up to everyone and that's how we got there. He was incredible. I could have sworn his stuff wouldn't transfer well to live performance, given the amount of studio production used on is recorded works. I was wrong. VERY wrong.

Worsts...

Pretty much ANY local band covering classic, metal, prog, or whatever rock styles who try to cover up their amazing mediocrity with additional volume. I truly dread the phrase "Live Music Tonight" at local establishments, and usually plan on walking out if the band's playing, unless it's jazz or funk played by people I know personally.

Honorable mention for "worst" to...

Ladysmith Black Mombaza. Not because they performed poorly; they had a great sound and were personable. Unfortunately, and maybe it's just my unfamiliarity with their styles, but everything sounded so much alike to me that 2 hours of it seemed much, MUCH longer.

Arturo Sandoval. While I enjoyed his work w Paquito D'Rivera, he's sort of become a trumpet-playing caricature, a la Kenny G. A bunch of self-flagellating adolescent BS....and way too loud for the hall, to boot.
 
#20
MCS4 said:
Worst:
  • Marilyn Manson, Orlando, FL. Felt very phoned in, and it was even worse with him sharing the bill with Rob Zombie, who always puts on a great show and has limitless energy.
Click to expand...

It really depends on the era for each. Manson and Zombie each have spots on my Best and Worst lists. I saw Manson at a moderate sized venue in the 96/97 Antichrist era and it was electric. I also saw him tour with Alice Cooper and he was a mess and got schooled by Alice. I’ve seen Zombie when he can only sing about 1/3 of the lyrics and hit the “yeah” parts. But I’ve also seen him bring it and blow me away.

Best has to include any of a number of Mike Doughty shows. I saw him several times after he left Soul Coughing when he was touring with just an acoustic guitar. He was unreal. I would’ve died to be in the crowd for the Smofe + Smang recording.

Worst one in recent memory was Lords of Acid. Definitely past their prime. Lots of credit for having fun on stage, but they were not good.
 
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