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Concerts that surprised you

#41
I remember going to see Phish around '91 and there was another band playing when we went in - it was Col. Bruce Hampton & the Aquarium Rescue Unit! My band played a version of Compared to What and so did the ARU but their version was insane! My first exposure to Oteil Burbridge, Jimmy Herring etc. - I went to see them a bunch of times after that, they were one of my all-time favorite bands.

My band would also play a few Allman Bros. songs like Southbound, In Memory of Elizabeth Reed, etc. But I was really impressed when I saw them live - maybe around '92? Not sure what I was expecting but they had the oil and water thing up on the screen and they played great - I was familiar with At Fillmore East from 1971, it was like that but updated for the '90s - in a good way! I even got to see Allen Woody playing the giant 18-string Modulus on Whipping Post!
 
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#42
Around ‘94 or ‘95 I went to a Live (the band Live) concert. I had only ever heard one song that their opening act did, and didn’t think much of it (something about a big fish and a little fish swimming in the water). From almost the first song PJ Harvey and her band put on one of the best rock shows I have ever attended. She not only far exceeded my expectations, but clearly outclassed the headliner.
 
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#43
Steve Jordan should be on every bass player's radar imo.
Bruford should be on money.

Mugre said:
Two stand out as surprising. King Crimson during the Bruford, Levin, Belew years. I like the records and I think "In the court of the crimson king" is a milestone record but I expected more tedious noodling. I was pleasantly surprised by how tightly paced the show was. I was also of course reminded that Bruford simply works at a level that most drummer can't even imagine let alone execute. That guy Levin is okay too.

I'm not a huge Stones fan even after seeing them twice. A Friend invited me to see a Richards/Fabulous Winos show. Such an incredible purist rock set. It introduced me to Steve Jordan and I realized the parts I don't like about the Stones is Mick Jagger.


mugre
Click to expand...
 
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#47
In the mid 60's, when I was about 15, I worked as a busboy at a nightclub called The Three Rivers Inn. It was summer, no school, and I could work weekdays as well as weekends, generally 5 pm to about 2 am. I was underage for a job like that, but in those days things slipped through the cracks, as they say. The usual deal was that each act would do two shows per night, running for 5 days. I was a budding rock guitarist at the time, and thought I knew a thing or two about music.

So, in that context, I saw The Ray Charles Revue, Buddy Greco, Bobby Darrin, Billy Preston, Mike Douglas, Frankie Lane, Dominic Meduglio, The Lennon Sisters, and some others I can't remember at the moment. It was a huge exposure to a world I had no idea existed. All the acts were very good, the dancing girls were practically nude and all legs and feathers, and the coffee was free. There was a house band made up of Calvin Custer, the Syracuse Symphony Director, on bass, Carl Mayno on guitar, and about 5 or 6 other musicians who were hard core pros.

I'd seen/heard many of these performers, on radio and TV; big difference seeing them live. I'd wrongly believed that mainstream entertainers were pretty lame, and it was a revelation.

Tom
 
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#48
One more: Slayer.

Saw them about 3 years ago in Silverspring, Maryland. I was never really a Slayer fan growing up, but my buddy loves them so I went with him. I was expecting an over the hill 80s metal band, but I was very impressed with the show they put on. The sound was very professional, very clear. Also, while they were loud, they weren't over the top deafening; they were just loud enough for the venue. Tom Araya's bass was pure thunder.
 
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#49
RUSH did a mini tour for Exit Stage Left in '83 I believe.
Now, for me this was the time to catch these guys at their apex. They were just about to release Signals, which would be the portal into the next epoch. But here they were, riding the huge crest of a wave that Moving Pictures was, but with the success of Permanent Waves not so distant. This was the peak of the guitar / bass / drums centric band (imho of course).

Watching Geddy from about 20 feet away was like taking a master's class. I had been playing bass, mostly learning Rush, Yes, and Zep for only a couple of years and it was a humbling experience that I wish I could've distilled into an elixer and then taken a sip from every decade or so to be freshly imbued with the wonder of it all.

good show
 
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#50
about 10 years ago, saw Lyle Lovett and his large band at the summer pavilion tent theater in Baltimore. Was a casual fan, only knew a handful of songs, but always like to hear live music. For his summer tours he would take out studio musicians as his band. As he was introducing them, I reconized many names I remembered from the back of record albums in the 70s and 80s. The only one I can recall today is Russ Kunkel the drummer. His show was fantastic, the band was tight and they put on a fantastic show.
 
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#51
Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra

“Sure, that’ll be nice...”


Super tight group, everyone was top notch, Wynton seemed so gracious and humble about the whole thing (he played 3rd trumpet on a few tunes)... the encore was Wynton playing an improv solo for what seemed like 10 minutes with just the drummer and bassist and it was one of the most pure musical expressions I’ve ever heard.
 
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#53
I visited a friend in Cincinnati in 1998 and he surprised me with tickets to see a new-ish band of "pretty well known guys" play jazz covers of a rock band. It was a total mystery, he wouldn't divulge anything. Halfway to the gig, he said they'd be all Greatful Dead covers. I'm a Dead fan, so it sounded interesting. Tiny venue, we were right up front, and out walks Billy Cobham. Then Jimmy Herring. Then Alfonso freakin' Johnson. I was dumbfounded beyond words. I was having a fit. Cobham noticed me and was cracking up. Jazz Is Dead. Holy moley, what a stupendous band and stupendous show. They crushed every second of that show.
 
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#54
It’s a toss up. In the late 70s, I saw Little Feat twice before the passing of Lowell George. Absolutely the best R&R/ Americana band I’ve ever heard. Amazing rhythm section of Ritchie Hayward, Kenny Gradney and Sam Clayton. I had heard their recordings because a girl I was dating was a fan, and she insisted that I go with her to see them live. Absolutely killer bee live shows.

Fast forward to the mid 80s, and Paul Simon came to town after the release of Graceland and Rhythm of the Saints. It was my introduction to World Music. I counted 17 musicians on that stage, from Africa and South America, making wonderful music together. Totally blew me away and changed my musical tastes forever. A huge influence on me, and probably why I play cajon, congas and djembe today.
 
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#55
wraub said:
Back in the day I saw Journey, with support from The Babys, who were better in every way.

The next time they came through, half of The Babys were in Journey. :D
Click to expand...

I loved the first two Journey Albums and remain a giant Greg Rolie fan both in Santana and Journey. I saw them live at this time and it was bloody awful. Horrible sound, wild jamming/soloing over each other. I left halfway through.

Who besides Jonathan Cain was in the Babys? The Babys are playing or recently played here in LA. I don't know who is actually playing. I don't care enough.
 
#56
Surprised good:
1980s: Grace Jones, Kraftwerk, The Clash. All incredible live and totally converted me to being a fan.
2000s: my wife always liked Rickie Lee Jones, but I wasn’t really familiar with her work. We went and saw her live and she was amazing. It felt like she was living inside every song and every performance, like improvisation!

Surprised bad:
The same month we saw Rickie Lee Jones, I took my wife to see Cassandra Wilson. I liked her records and this concert was a big one, part of a jazz festival. Boring! The only performer who improvised was the guest harmonica player! A by-the-numbers walk-through of her material.
 
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#60
Bad surprise(s):

Joe Cocker and Peter Green, both in '83. Yawn.

Jose Feliciano around the same time, who decided to end the concert after 35 minutes or so and was consequently booed to no end, something that I've never seen before or after.

Deep Purple in '87 when Gillan's voice was shot, and Blackmore was playing for himself the entire night, leaving the stage in the middle of "Smoke On The Water"...

Good surprise(s):

Lionel Hampton in '79 or thereabouts. I was simply floored with the amount of positive energy coming from the stage.

Freddie Hubbard around the same time. Completely changed my perception of music altogether.

Andre Navarra in a small 14th century church in '80 or '81. His cello sounded like it had sucked in the energy of the entire universe. Absolutely mind-blowing.

I've seen my fair share of good concerts over the past 40 years but these were the truly surprising experiences.
 
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