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August 15, 2008
Best Live Shows I've Seen
As I explained to my friend Paul this morning via IM, an occupational hazard has tethered me to experiencing a hefty dose of really really bad live music in my day. This combined with a highly critical musical mind and has left the live music experience something I'm generally not too crazy about. Having said that, there have been times when it's incredible. And let me tell you, the ratio of good vs. bad is probably 1 to 500 (and that's probably a conservative estimate).
So I'm taking this opportunity to create a meme of sorts and also organize my thoughts about the best music I've heard with my own two ears.
In no particular order:
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion @ Spanky's Pool Hall (SLC, UT) 1993
One of my old bands, Swimpigs opened for these guys. I'd never heard of them before but I'd have to say that this night left a huge mark on me. I saw Russel Simmons play drums like I'd never seen anybody play drums. This was the beginning of who I have become as a drummer.
PJ Harvey @ The Warfield (San Francisco, CA) 1999
My good friend and musical colleague Joe Gore played with Polly on the tour before this and introduced me to her drummer Rob Ellis a few months earlier. Rob was in town playing with Laika (also a memorable show where I was in the opening band). Anyway, I recall calling Rob at his hotel to ask if he could get me in. Not only did he get me in, but I got the large hook up with the backstage passes and whatnot. After the show I met Polly where she gave me one of them show-biz kisses on the cheek. She left me with a big old lipstick smudge that I didn't wash off for a few days (kidding).
David Byrne @ The Triad Amphitheater (SLC, UT) 1992
This was the tour supporting his Uh-Oh album and had assembled a band from all over the globe. I believe that the band was called the "Ten Car Pile Up" and judging by their abilities, I'd have to say that it was far from a wreck. Special note: The Meters' George Porter Jr. played bass in the band and held it together only the way he could. Somewhere in my garage I have the VHS movie from this tour called Between The Teeth. I recall not being able to form sentences for at least an hour after this show.
David Byrne @ The Warfield (San Francisco, CA) 1998
The band was scaled way down for this show as he began employing a lot of electronics. He came out in a fuzzy pink suit and performed the Talkng Heads' classic "Life During Wartime". Everybody was on their feet and a standing ovation ensued. This video is from the same tour that aired on the PBS show Sessions at West 54th.
Snooks Eaglin @ The Rock N Bowl (New Orleans, LA) 1999
I was in town to play at the LMNOP festival and was with the editor of Bass Player magazine, Richard Johnston. He caught wind that George Porter Jr. was playing with Snooks and we immediately jumped into a cab (thank you expense account) to check it out. Highlight of the night was when the band broke out Stevie Wonder's classic Boogie On Reggae Woman, only slower and greasier and oh, so groovin'. I swear I was about 6" off the ground. To this day, I've never felt a groove like. Incredible.
Fishbone @ DV8 (SLC, UT) 1992
This was post Reality Of My Surroundings as the band was touring to prepare to record Give A Monkey A Brain. The band was still in tact (including the new guitar player) and was at their creative peak (in my opinion). I don't know that another band will ever do what these guys could do as they seemed to be able to play just about every genre of American music...and play it so well. As I've aged, the songs don't really hold up, but boy could they play.
Calexico @ Ego's (SLC, UT) 2005
Earlier in the evening Becca and I had dinner with a bunch of internet super-stars and I invited everyone to join me afterward to go see Calexico at a small-ish bar/club (one of the great side-effects of the Sundance Film Festival is that lots of great bands/musicians play little publicized warm up shows in SLC before heading up to Park City). Anyway, everybody passed in lieu of going to some other bar (except for Becca who went home to bed) and I went alone. Man, they missed out on something special.
Masada @ Yoshi's (Oakland, CA) 2000
I always have wondered what it would have been like to see the great jazz giants in their prime (Coltrane, Monk, Mingus, ect). I can only imagine that it would have been something like this as these four musicians absolutely tore it up. I got to see this group about four or five times and this one was the most memorable. Warning: video contains a drum solo, but it's really good I promise.
San Francisco Symphony @ Symphony Hall (San Francisco, CA) 2001
Every year the SF Symphony has a Stravinsky festival who as fate would have it, happens to be one of my favorite composers. When I lived in SF I always meant to go and then one year a friend of mine who had season tickets declared to me that she hated Stravinsky. I shook my head in disbelief at those words while I pocketed the tickets. They performed Petrushka in addition to The Firebird. I've listened to both of those works over and over again, but once I witnessed them conducted it opened up a whole new meaning as I could break down the composition. I was a inches off my chair for about two hours.
Honorable Mentions:
The Bulgarian Woman's Choir @ The Great American Music Hall (San Francisco, CA) 1999
Elvis Costello & The Imposters @ Kingsbury Hall (SLC, UT) 2006
Marc Ribot & Los Cubanos Postizos @ Cafe DuNord (San Francisco, CA) 1998 and also @ The Knitting Factory (NY, NY) 1999
Laika @ Slims (San Francisco, CA) 1997
Joseph Arthur @ The Knitting Factory (NY, NY) 1998
Medeski, Martin & Wood @ Bimbo's 365 (San Francisco, CA) 1996
So now, I'm tagging Paul to see his list.
Paul?
Posted by patatomic at August 15, 2008 11:21 AM
Comments
The best thing about this list is how many of these shows I was at as well. That David Byrne show when he was playing with an acoustic guitar for a song or two and then KABLOW!! the curtain dropped and the tightness of horns ablaze in glory and soul funk magesty swept over the crowd. Few shows have ever struck me like this one did.
Good times.
Posted by: blurb at August 15, 2008 11:32 PM
@ blurb: Too bad you missed out on the Calexico show.
Posted by: patatomic at August 18, 2008 09:32 AM