These are the best live performers i've seen in my short life. Needless to say, i haven't seen that many shows, but i have seen some good ones. Here's my top 10.
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We are going to BLOW... YOUR... FACE... OUT! These are the best live performers i've seen in my short life. Needless to say, i haven't seen that many shows, but i have seen some good ones. Here's my top 10.
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1a) Steely Dan (summer of 2000 - Clarkston, MI) Absolutely amazing show - i was truly blown away. I've always been a big Steely Dan fan - i have all of their albums - and i knew it would be a pretty good show, but i didn't know how good. Becker & Fagen were in top form, and the guitarist they had with them, a guy called Jon Herington, was fucking brilliant. The highlight of the show, however, was when they broke into Dirty Work (my favorite SD song, by the way), and their female backup singers took turns on the verses. I pooped in my pants. 1b) The Who (twice in summer of 2000 - Detroit, MI & Pittsburgh, PA) Talk about pooping my pants. It's Hard not putting The Who as a definite #1, but for the first half of the first show i was just in awe of The Greatest Rock & Roll Band In The World. But seriously, they put on two spectacular shows when i saw them. They played all their greatest hits, which was fine since i had never seen them before, but they also played a few songs that i was surprised to hear. They might not be the greatest live act in rock & roll anymore & they may all be 80 (in fact, i think that John Entwistle is actually dead), but they are still great. 3) Ben Folds Five (fall of 1997- Ypsilanti, MI) I saw these guys on the campus of Eastern Michigan in a fairly small auditorium that they proceeded to destroy with rock & roll. Ben Folds is a master showman on the piano. They put on a entertaining, energetic & sometimes hilarious show, all the while playing great tunes. I'd recommend seeing them, but i think they're breaking up. 4) The Tragically Hip (winter of 1998 - Detroit, MI) For some reason or another, a lot of bands put on some of their best shows in Detroit and The Tragically Hip is one of them (two of their live albums have been recorded in Detroit). They put on quite a long show, but not once did it drag. At the time i went to see them i wasn't too familiar with much of their work, but i still loved the show. From what i hear, they put on another great show here again this summer. 5) J. Geils Band (summer of 1999 - Clarkston, MI) Another band that calls Detroit their home away from home (they had two live albums recorded here, also). They turned on the funk for this show, played all their classics & rocked the house. This had to be a good show cos i missed Dav-o Bringman's 4th of July party to see them. 6) George Thorogood & The Destroyers (seven times in the past 10 years) I first saw Thorogood when i was about 12 or 13, at Party In The Park in downtown Toledo. It was possibly then that my love for rock & roll started. I've seen them six times in the fast five years now & i just can't get enough. The attraction is that they are usually a pretty cheap ticket & they put on a great show every time. They play rock & roll the way it was meant to be played. 7) Jimmy Page & The Black Crowes (summer of 2000 - Pittsburgh, PA) When i first heard that Page was touring with the Crowes, & that they were doing mostly Led Zep tunes, i thought it was a strange mix. But after seeing them in action i realized that Chris Robinson is a perfect replacement for Robert Plant. They played a great set of Zeppelin songs with a few Crowes songs sprinkled in. And i was surprised to see the Page actually played pretty well. 8) Steve Miller Band (five times in the past five years) Even though Miller plays the same set every year, it's still a great set. No one wants to hear anything but the classics (evident in the middle of the show, when Miller breaks into some old blues standards & you can hear a collective yawn in the audience). But the energy is always there, he has a great band with him, & Miller is a very good guitarist. Always a good show. 9) Jimmy Buffet (1994 & 1996 - Cleveland, OH & Columbus, OH) I think i'm in a small minority of people who neither love nor hate Jimmy Buffet. It's usually one or the other. But he does put on really good live shows. To be honest, the first show i don't remember at all (which means it was a great show) & the second i actually remember hearing some music, which was actually quite good. 10) Squirrel Nut Zippers (summer of 1998 - Toledo, OH) Saw these guys downtown at Party In The Park with Keith, Jere & my friend Pete. Very good show, we had lots of fun. Some guy yelled at us for yelling. Go figure. I would be remise in talking about live shows without mentioning Party In The Park in downtown Toledo. In addition to seeing Thorogood & the SNZ there, i've seen bands like REO Speedwagon, Iron Butterfly, War, .38 Special, Jefferson Starship, Pat Benetar... etc, etc. I know what you're saying to yourself right now - these bands suck & are 90 years old. Well, that might be true, but Party In The Park isn't so much about the music as the people. Now, i'm not getting all blubbery here, talking about the camaraderie of an audience & being there with friends and that shit. I'm just saying that 90% of the people that go to PITP are totally fucked up. Everything from white trash to little preppies, ghetto scum to cool cats, go downtown to have a few beers & listen to some golden oldies. I love to go just to watch the people. And hey, if i get to listen to In A Gadda Da Vida while i'm doing it, then great. Back to THE Experience |