Best ‘all round’ live performance by a guitarist you’ve seen live.

Redlester

‘All round’= someone who just did it all the night you saw them- solos, rhythm, riffs, holding the band together and generally putting on a show. 

They just played Alone Again Or by Love on the radio, and it reminded me of when I saw Arthur Lee and an iteration of Love years ago. He’d toured with a small string section a year pr so earlier, them came back with a band. That was the tour I saw. The guitarist was great. He played through a loud Twin cranked up, rode the volume pot, and basically played all the string parts, horn solos and so on off the record. It was the same tunes with same arrangements but a harder feel. Great gig, and he earned his money that night. 

Who have you seen who showed the full range of chops? 

Deadman

I'm a bit jealous you saw Arthur Lee. I 'love' Love.

For me it was John Frusciante at Leeds Festival 1999. He'd just returned to the mix and he was simply incredible in introducing Californication to these shores, let alone all the classics. I was 20 feet from him. It was pretty special.

TheMadMick

Adrien Moignard. Took a notion to go see one of a series named something like 'Django tribute".  I was gob smacked at how he seemed to get feeling into each note whilst playing very quickly. Got me into gypsy jazz.

He also played a rather unusual guitar. Slotted head stock, 12 frets to the flat topped body which had F holes and a Selmer type bridge and tail stock. Di Mauro if I have the spelling correct.

merlin

Wilko Johnson. Mick Green. Andy Partridge. Bill Nelson. 

merlin

Chaz Jankel 

mudslide73

For me it's Jeff Beck. I saw him from approx row four at the NIA in 2006. Seeing him do what he does up so close completely blew my mind. It's a different instrument in his hands. 

DesVegas

Yer man out of Reef was pretty special

vasselmeyer

I say Gary Moore on his "Scars" tour. Utterly in command of whatever guitar he used. If I lived for another 100 years I couldn't play like that.

pintspiller

Albert Lee. Generally a knockout show (wish he wouldn't do those keyboard bits, and the last time I saw Hogan's Heroes was under par - new bassist and new pianist).

Last time I saw him was with his new band. His guitar was playing up and he used a borrowed Tele for the second half.

fretmeister

Prince.

Danny1969

There's been a few. Gilmour in 88 at Wembly and again at Koko a few years ago. Gary Moore on the Still got the blues tour. Buddy Whittingham at 2 tiny venues. Greg Koch last year in Guilford 

Always wanted to see Jeff Beck, must have watched that Ronnie Scott's show on YT a hundred times 

Nitefly

Jon Herrington in Steely Dan on the Left Bank tour, 2009. 

Donald Fagen gave him a special call-out for doing all the horns and keys charts, as well as all the Larry Carlton etc guitar parts - magic!

kennedydream1980

Probably Lukather the 2 times I’ve seen Toto. First time at Hammersmith Apollo then Newcastle Civic. Just an absolute master at note choice and his tone was godly. To hear that live was something I’ll never forget.

bbill335

James Petralli from White Denim

Danny1969

kennedydream1980 said:

Probably Lukather the 2 times I’ve seen Toto. First time at Hammersmith Apollo then Newcastle Civic. Just an absolute master at note choice and his tone was godly. To hear that live was something I’ll never forget.

I forgot about him. I saw him in the tiny Southampton venue The Brook about 6 or 7 years ago. Jaw droppingly good player and great character. I've just finished his book, it's a good read. 

Whitecat

Keith Scott (sideman to BA obviously). The perfect example of the guy who plays exactly what needs to be played and looks like he’s having a great time doing it. Not a note out of place. 

TheMarlin

Dave Navarro, Jane’s Addiction, Birminghsm Hummingbird,.... about 1990. 

Probably the best gig I’ve ever been to. And I’ve been to hundreds of not thousands of gigs.  

Springywheel

I haven’t been to a tonne of gigs but Paul Gilbert in Reading last year (or year before?) was pretty impressive. Great band too. 

rivercider

I've not seen many bands with decent guitarists live, but Vernon Reid from Living Colour was the best. Saw them twice in Bristol, 1988/90 ish.
Sadly I narrowly missed out on seeing Stevie Ray in Manchester in 88, or I strongly suspect that would be my top shout.

Cols

In a band context, Nuno Bettencourt of Extreme.  Jaw-droppingly good and absolutely flawless, with the one exception of throwing a hissy fit during More Than Words and flinging his acoustic to the floor.  Possibly it was the end of a long tour and he’d had quite enough of playing acoustic ballads night after night.  But everything else - funky riffs, soaring solos and covering backing vocals while doing so - was spot on.

As a solo act, Nick Harper.  He’s unfairly talented and creative.

chromatuna

I was fortunate to see John Schofield close up in a small club in the 1980’s, two hours of outright guitar mastery

i could mention so many others but a couple of honourable mentions to the late Micky Jones of Man and Mike Outram who you can catch when gigs finally resume