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

Neill

Moe_Zambeek said:

Reeves Gabrels at the Hug & Pint in Glasgow a couple of years ago. 3 piece band, just absolutely incredible. 

Marc Ford with TBC in the 90s - awesome, especially considering there’s a fair chance he was totally off his tree at the time. 

Kenwyn House with Reef, couple of gigs at the Barrowlands in the 90s. Unbelievable energy. Great great gigs.

Chuck Prophet every single time I’ve seen him. He’s just a force of nature. Never a disappointing gig. 

Chuck Prophet is definitely one of those guys I feel I should have spent more time listening to.  And with that old Squier - it's a lesson to all of us who spend far too much time lusting after expensive rigs.

viz

Just breaking ranks for a sec, I was once passing through St Pancras and I caught the INCREDIBLE Valentina Lisitsa playing Liszt’s most difficult piece ever that nobody attempts, on a street piano in the cold! She said it was fine to post it so here you are

https://youtu.be/vn-KEbvCckg

joeW

I would have to say Pat Martino - went to see him a few years ago at Ronnie Scotts.  A 1hr 40min improvisation master class and when he was comping it was killer too.  A machine gun of straight 8th high tempo that was note perfect and with immaculate time.  My friends I dragged along complained of headaches for days after haha

Jaycee

viz said:

Just breaking ranks for a sec, I was once passing through St Pancras and I caught the INCREDIBLE Valentina Lisitsa playing Liszt’s most difficult piece ever that nobody attempts, on a street piano in the cold! She said it was fine to post it so here you are

https://youtu.be/vn-KEbvCckg

Loved that,  I can just imagine the conversation with one of her orchestra friends  "I think I'll nip down the station for a quick practise before tonights performance"

the_jaffa

viz said:

Just breaking ranks for a sec, I was once passing through St Pancras and I caught the INCREDIBLE Valentina Lisitsa playing Liszt’s most difficult piece ever that nobody attempts, on a street piano in the cold! She said it was fine to post it so here you are

https://youtu.be/vn-KEbvCckg

That was incredible. Wow

joeW

viz said:

Just breaking ranks for a sec, I was once passing through St Pancras and I caught the INCREDIBLE Valentina Lisitsa playing Liszt’s most difficult piece ever that nobody attempts, on a street piano in the cold! She said it was fine to post it so here you are

https://youtu.be/vn-KEbvCckg

What a privilege to see that live, there something wonderful about seeing a performance in a non concert hall setting - I'll never complain about awkward chord Voicings again, my tendons are sore watching that

Gizmo

Going to have to list 2 here (or 3 guitarists)

First was John Petrucci with Dream Threater back in 93 (Setlist FM) at the Old JB's in Dudley (top church back of pathfinders) this was before they'ed pretty much gotten any exposure & Images and Words had been out under a year and it was the first time they tour'ed in the UK, got to meet all the guys before they played as they were all just walking around and hangging out with ppl

From the first to last notes (and there were a lot of notes) they totally killed it, i came away with that inspired yet demoralised

feeling you get after such a show....ive seen DT a few times since but without kevin moore they aren't the same

Second would be Jeff Loomis & Chris Broderick with Nevermore at JB's Dudley (bottom church near the Zoo)

That was on "This Godless Endeavor" tour in 2005, it was a total shred feast from start to finish, both guys had that One up you thing going on on pretty much every song and solo but it was done in great fun, there's some stuff from other shows on YT durning that tour that shows the kind of guitar dueling that was going on, not everyones bag but i was blown away!

Hick81

Curtis Eller. Old timey Americana. The guy was like a one man circus act. Utterly brilliant. 

EricTheWeary

Gizmo said:

Going to have to list 2 here (or 3 guitarists)

First was John Petrucci with Dream Threater back in 93 (Setlist FM) at the Old JB's in Dudley (top church back of pathfinders) this was before they'ed pretty much gotten any exposure & Images and Words had been out under a year and it was the first time they tour'ed in the UK, got to meet all the guys before they played as they were all just walking around and hangging out with ppl

From the first to last notes (and there were a lot of notes) they totally killed it, i came away with that inspired yet demoralised

feeling you get after such a show....ive seen DT a few times since but without kevin moore they aren't the same

Second would be Jeff Loomis & Chris Broderick with Nevermore at JB's Dudley (bottom church near the Zoo)

That was on "This Godless Endeavor" tour in 2005, it was a total shred feast from start to finish, both guys had that One up you thing going on on pretty much every song and solo but it was done in great fun, there's some stuff from other shows on YT durning that tour that shows the kind of guitar dueling that was going on, not everyones bag but i was blown away!

Dream Theatre playing JBs gets a wow. 

There's a story that Frank Sidebottom said his best ever big was playing JBs, there were so few people in that they just had a game of 5 aside football whilst he played. 

There is something about seeing really pro acts close up. I usually count seeing Magnum in a pub in Wolverhampton as one of my all time gigs. It was a warm up gig played to some biker gang, a friend of mine at the time his father was in the gang so I even got in free. I was stood six foot from the band, not even any kind of stage. Just magical. 

sammysaber

adampeter said:

Angus, seen countless times, as well as being a great guitarist, and i would argue a frontman, how he does what he does without oxygen is amazing, i doubt most could get around like he does without playing the guitar at the same time

Redlester said:

adampeter said:

Angus, seen countless times, as well as being a great guitarist, and i would argue a frontman, how he does what he does without oxygen is amazing, i doubt most could get around like he does without playing the guitar at the same time

Doesn't he/ didn't he smoke like a chimney? 

Must be pure adrenalin. 

First gig I ever went to was their For Those About to Rock tour - must have been 13/14 and neighbour who was doing security got me a place in the press area where you could see backstage and Angus did get an oxygen mask shot behind the stage. Shout out to Mr Muir for sorting a young teenager out.

Angus is a legend.

Also Lifeson - seen Rush quite a few times and he's been always great but their Clockwork Angels tour was extremely memorable. Amazing. 

Haych

Alex Lifeson, seen Rush quite a few times but I think the pinnacle for me was probably the R30 tour.  The performance from the whole band was electric.

Tedeschi Trucks was a really good gig too.  Derek Trucks' playing is sublime and quite transcendent.  Got a good look at the back of his head, too.

Teetonetal

The most captivated I've been was seeing Ben Howard at the Kaufleuten in Zürich... He is an extremely good player.

The other one would be Richard Thompson

Logie

Nuno Bettencourt at the Bristol O2 a couple of years ago. It's a small venue so very up close and he just nails everything. Makes it look effortless and entertaining as well when he's reining in Gary Cherone's LA excesses ( although I imagine that's all part of the performance )

fendergibson

Ryan Adams/ Nick McCabe/ Romeo Stodart and Prince. No particular order 

Vibetronic

Logie said:

Nuno Bettencourt at the Bristol O2 a couple of years ago. It's a small venue so very up close and he just nails everything. Makes it look effortless and entertaining as well when he's reining in Gary Cherone's LA excesses ( although I imagine that's all part of the performance )

I was at that gig too - he was amazing 

I have to add in the first time I saw Steve Vai at the Astoria...think it was in the very late 90s. I'd never seen him before, obviously been a fan for years, and it was fairly mind-blowing. 

bloodandtears

Lindsay Buckingham and Rob Caggiano have both left a mark on me..  the former was just epic with Fleetwood Mac both vocally and guitar wise especially during his solo spots...   the latter for Volbeat had an immense tone, cut through and brilliant.

Neill

As no-one else has mentioned him in this thread I think an honourable mention should go to John Etheridge.  I think because his heart really seems to be in the jazz world John has never really attained the status his skill deserves, and because he seems to prefer being a hired gun rather than being associated with a particular band he's not a name that springs to mind. 

But I saw him back in the early 70's when he was playing with the Global Village Trucking Company - a band that some of you will remember through misty eyes I'm sure - and he was just astonishing.  A group of us were there to see Gong, and Steve Hillage is another fave guitar player, but after the gig it was John Etheridge we were all talking about.  

jdgm

Etheridge is a truly great player and has been around for decades.

I've seen him a couple of times 'recently' - pre 2020. 

In Soft Machine, and in '6 Hands', the trio with classical guitarists John Williams (who is now 79) and Gary Ryan.

It surely doesn't get much better for a guitarist if you have John Williams playing rhythm guitar behind your solos!!

Logie

@Vibetronic

Logie said:

Nuno Bettencourt at the Bristol O2 a couple of years ago. It's a small venue so very up close and he just nails everything. Makes it look effortless and entertaining as well when he's reining in Gary Cherone's LA excesses ( although I imagine that's all part of the performance )

"I was at that gig too - he was amazing 

I have to add in the first time I saw Steve Vai at the Astoria...think it was in the very late 90s. I'd never seen him before, obviously been a fan for years, and it was fairly mind-blowing. "

I watched Steve Vai from 5 ft away when he did the main stage at a guitar show I went to. That was pretty special!

Another one I saw in Bristol was Paul Gilbert at The Fleece. Different music but similar sort of experience to Nuno. Absolutely blinding technique coupled with a real rapport with the crowd.

By the way, how do you copy and paste from a comment and make it go all shady? When I copy and paste it just comes out as text

not_the_dj

Logie said:

@Vibetronic

Logie said:

Nuno Bettencourt at the Bristol O2 a couple of years ago. It's a small venue so very up close and he just nails everything. Makes it look effortless and entertaining as well when he's reining in Gary Cherone's LA excesses ( although I imagine that's all part of the performance )

"I was at that gig too - he was amazing 

I have to add in the first time I saw Steve Vai at the Astoria...think it was in the very late 90s. I'd never seen him before, obviously been a fan for years, and it was fairly mind-blowing. "

I watched Steve Vai from 5 ft away when he did the main stage at a guitar show I went to. That was pretty special!

Another one I saw in Bristol was Paul Gilbert at The Fleece. Different music but similar sort of experience to Nuno. Absolutely blinding technique coupled with a real rapport with the crowd.

By the way, how do you copy and paste from a comment and make it go all shady? When I copy and paste it just comes out as text

Use the “quote” button on the relevant post. 

Is does sometimes go a bit weird, especially if you delete some text right back to the start of the new post