Live acts: which ones consistantly scale the heights of genius?

dindude

Heartfeltdawn said:

dindude said:

Probably the most memorable gigs for me were The Flaming Lips c. Soft Bullitin / Yoshimi (I.e. When they approached near commercialism for them) - they really did know how to turn a gig into one big party.

Clouds Taste Metallic through to Yoshimi was a stupendous era. The CTM era with Ronald Jones applying the guitar effects... wowzers. Loud but not horrible loud like MBV, and Jones is one of the great cult guitarists ever. The best concert I've been to was in 2000 when they played the RFH in London. I went alone, utterly amazed by the entire thing, had planned to sleep rough but stayed awake all night writing and thinking about possibilities. Now they're a bit different. Nothing will top the Bulletin period. 

In terms of consistency, Super Furry Animals are up there. I've seen them be brilliant in the early indie toilet days, some of the bigger stages, and actually make their music work on the festival stage, something not all bands can do. 

Yeah, I stumbled into a tent a bit worse for wear with them playing the Bulletin stuff at Glastonbury in 2000 (ish), and it was an other-worldly moment, just enchanting. 

A a few years later I was making sock puppets to attend gigs with, I can safely say no other live band has had that effect on me!

Alnico

Bucket said:

bluechargeboy said:

DEVIN TOWNSEND, consistently amazing and I am not easy to please with live bands. Saw him perform with the flu and still rocked it.

Yes, yes yes yes yes, yes yes yes.

I was at this gig and it was just staggering.



He has the most awe-inspiring voice of any singer I've ever seen live - his half-singing-half-screaming kind of delivery that you hear from 6:38 is just SO loud and powerful, I could feel it ringing through my ears even with earplugs in. Not to mention that his range is seemingly limitless. And his guitar playing is wonderful, his tone is massive, his band sounded killer and were insanely tight, and he's really funny and charming too - a brilliant performer as well as musician. With amazing material.

He played three songs in a row from the end of his first solo album, Ocean Machine: Biomech, which collectively form my favourite half-hour of music in existence. The third track, The Death of Music, was performed live for the very first time that night (having been recorded nearly 20 years earlier). It's a spine-chilling piece of music on record, and live it was just something else. I was moved.

That show remains up there with the all-time best, as far as I'm concerned. Can't imagine many gigs beating it.

Ok so humour me then.......

I have never (Somehow) heard a single note he's played or sung. I wouldn't know it if it jumped up and shagged me.

Where do i start and what do i need?

HAL9000

Top of my list is definitely Pink Floyd who I was lucky enough to see on the DSOTM tour. Stunning.

Next is probably Clapton. I've seen him several times now and will be first to agree that he has good nights and off nights. But catch him on a good night and there's not many who can touch him.

Peter Green - Pitch perfect bends, great articulation, and beautiful phrasing. And that was after his well-publicised problems. I wish I'd seen him back in the day when it was generally accepted that he was at least the equal of Clapton.

mike_l

Maiden, no punches pulled. Every single time.

For sheer intensity, SLayer are (were) hard to beat. Saw them twice, with the King/Hannemann guitar duo. 

Metallica are always good live, even if Kirk isn't the guitarist he was, and Lars isn't the greatest drummist in the world, they do work hard. James is also very, very hard to beat as a combined rhythm guitarist & frontman.

Heartfeltdawn

dindude said:

Yeah, I stumbled into a tent a bit worse for wear with them playing the Bulletin stuff at Glastonbury in 2000 (ish), and it was an other-worldly moment, just enchanting. 

A a few years later I was making sock puppets to attend gigs with, I can safely say no other live band has had that effect on me!

At the RFH gig, it was the gong which grabbed me. I'd just finished uni, a horrible three year experience. Going to London and crossing Westminster Bridge, I felt the sheer scope of the world around me for the first time. Wayne smacking the crap out of that gong was like primal scream therapy by proxy for me. Utterly wonderful. 

Iamnobody

HAL9000 said:

Peter Green - Pitch perfect bends, great articulation, and beautiful phrasing. And that was after his well-publicised problems. I wish I'd seen him back in the day when it was generally accepted that he was at least the equal of Clapton.

Are we talking PG in the last ten years or so?

I've seen him 2 or 3 times - Splinter Group and with the othe guy leading the band who's name escapes me. Didn't think he should have been there to be honest and felt pretty sad.

In the late 60's though PG's FM were probably unrivalled as a live act.

As for my opinion on live acts - hard to beat Nick Cave & TBS. For me he is one of the best frontmen around and the seeds nail it. Would have liked to see the earlier lineups though as I think they were probably better. Quite a few changes of personnel and Warren Ellis obviously influencing the current overall sound a lot.

They have new album out in a couple of weeks that I'm looking forward to.

The Richard Hawley band know how to put on a show as well...

Bucket

Alnico said:

Ok so humour me then.......

I have never (Somehow) heard a single note he's played or sung. I wouldn't know it if it jumped up and shagged me.

Where do i start and what do i need?

I started with his first solo album, Ocean Machine: Biomech, from 1997. That was definitely what got me into him - it remains my favourite album of all time. Nice mix of catchy stuff (Life) heavy-ish-but-not-too-heavy stuff (Seventh Wave, Regulator), calmer stuff (Sister, 3am, Things Beyond Things) and downright epic stuff (Funeral, Bastard, The Death of Music). Almost a microcosm of his future solo work, I suppose. Funeral was the first song of his that I heard, and I loved it instantly. It's still my favourite song of his, and quite possibly my favourite song ever - I've heard it hundreds of times but I never tire of it, nor could I imagine ever doing so.



Since then, the best albums (depending on what you like, because he's recorded loads of stuff in some pretty disparate genres) are probably Accelerated Evolution, Ki, Addicted and Epicloud.

If you like extreme stuff, his old band Strapping Young Lad had some great stuff too. City is my favourite album of theirs.

And the Steve Vai album with him singing (at the age of 21 or so!) is worth a listen too. Some great vocal moments on there.

Alnico

^Brilliant thanks man !
That's my Saturday listening then.

Which Vai album did he sing on?
I've got 'Passion and Warfare' and 'Sex and Religion' ?

Thanks i will give all of that a good listen and let you know.

Sorry i hijacked the thread.

ICBM

Neil Young

Ally

Also from me,
David Rawlings and Gillian Welch. 

HAL9000

Iamnobody said:

HAL9000 said:

Peter Green - Pitch perfect bends, great articulation, and beautiful phrasing. And that was after his well-publicised problems. I wish I'd seen him back in the day when it was generally accepted that he was at least the equal of Clapton.

Are we talking PG in the last ten years or so?

I've seen him 2 or 3 times - Splinter Group and with the othe guy leading the band who's name escapes me. Didn't think he should have been there to be honest and felt pretty sad.

Yes, Probably about seven years ago now. I do know what you mean - to be honest he did look pretty vulnerable and not comfortable on stage. Giving it a bit more thought, he probably wasn't consistent (so fails to meet the criteria for this thread) over the course of the evening but had his moments. However, those moments were jaw-droppingly good.

The other guy whose name escapes you I guess was Nigel Watson. I'm sure I've heard since that Nigel Watson was pretty much using (abusing?) Peter Green as a means to benefit himself (allegedly).

Bucket

Alnico said:

^Brilliant thanks man !
That's my Saturday listening then.

Which Vai album did he sing on?
I've got 'Passion and Warfare' and 'Sex and Religion' ?

He's on Sex and Religion!

Let me know how you find it - hope you enjoy at least some of it.

Alnico

Bucket said:

Alnico said:

^Brilliant thanks man !
That's my Saturday listening then.

Which Vai album did he sing on?
I've got 'Passion and Warfare' and 'Sex and Religion' ?

He's on Sex and Religion!

Let me know how you find it - hope you enjoy at least some of it.

Is he on all of it?

I listen to 'Still my bleeding heart' all the time and always liked the vocals, maybe with the exception of the bit where he hits his finger with a hammer at the end !

I will give it all a fair listen tomorrow.
I'm sure Maiden will allow me just one day playing someone else's music.

Bucket

Alnico said:

Is he on all of it?

I listen to 'Still my bleeding heart' all the time and always liked the vocals, maybe with the exception of the bit where he hits his finger with a hammer at the end !

All except a couple of tracks.

I love "Still My Bleeding Heart"  

Iamnobody

HAL9000 said:

Iamnobody said:

HAL9000 said:

Peter Green - Pitch perfect bends, great articulation, and beautiful phrasing. And that was after his well-publicised problems. I wish I'd seen him back in the day when it was generally accepted that he was at least the equal of Clapton.

Are we talking PG in the last ten years or so?

I've seen him 2 or 3 times - Splinter Group and with the othe guy leading the band who's name escapes me. Didn't think he should have been there to be honest and felt pretty sad.

Yes, Probably about seven years ago now. I do know what you mean - to be honest he did look pretty vulnerable and not comfortable on stage. Giving it a bit more thought, he probably wasn't consistent (so fails to meet the criteria for this thread) over the course of the evening but had his moments. However, those moments were jaw-droppingly good.

The other guy whose name escapes you I guess was Nigel Watson. I'm sure I've heard since that Nigel Watson was pretty much using (abusing?) Peter Green as a means to benefit himself (allegedly).

It wasn't Nigel Watson - the bloke he hooked up with after the Splinter Group. They were billed as PG and friends...

Alnico

Sitting here this morning i can recall another one.

Del Amitri.
I saw them live in the very late 90's in London.
Man they were tight, i mean really perfect. All their own songs were done brilliantly and Justin Curry is a very good songwriter but then at pre planned intervals they would wheel on stage this old 'Tombola' machine and a huge list would come down on a drape behind the drummer with a list of cover versions, numbered 1 - 10.

They played 'Miserlou' by Dick Dale (Brilliantly) while the machine ran for a minute or so and then a ball wold be drawn and they played that corresponding cover version.

There were some cracking songs on that list but the standout memory is Justin handing the lead mic over to the guitarist and watching him adjust it right up into the air, tilt it back down and the band played 'The Ace of Spades' (Perfectly).

I honestly didn't know what to expect before the gig but it's a great memory.

Do they still tour?
I hope JC is still writing or involved in the MI somehow.

hugbot

I saw nin a couple years back and the way they'd integrated tech into their set on that tourwas pretty spectacular.

shame this is one of their shittiest songs but it's a good example

RocknRollDave

You may not like their music, but Status Quo are a very reliable live act.

equalsql

As a performer. B.B.King... he was extraordinary. He was so much more that just a guitarist.
The most complete showman I have ever seen. That was his legend.

iain.reverb

PolarityMan said:

bluechargeboy said:

DEVIN TOWNSEND, consistently amazing and I am not easy to please with live bands. Saw him perform with the flu and still rocked it.

This, seen him acoustic and 3 times with the full band. Every time absolutely spectacular.

I remember doing an instore event with him in conjunction with Peavey (remember them !!)  several years ago. It was all very last minute rushed etc and was scheduled for a damp Wednesday afternoon in Autumn. Thinking it was going to be a terrible turnout/event due to those factors, Devin shows up with guitar and amp in hand. Close to 250 people came out to see him! Store was absolutely rammed.Queues formed down the street. Devin played phenomenally for best part of three hours, taking questions from everyone no matter how off topic. Incredibly gracious and funny guy one of the best instore events I've done. Spent loads of time after signing everything his tour manager had to drag him away as he was late for soundcheck. CLass act all round.