I didn't see so many concerts in the 1980s and 1990s. Probably saw more 1969-1975 than 1976-1999 but who knows. Here in any event are the best concerts I can remember seeing 1980-1999. I don't have a complete list, so I'm missing some. All concerts were in Minneapolis-St. Paul unless otherwise indicated.
1. Paul Simon, Target Center, 1991. This would be the Rhythm of the Saints tour as opposed to the Graceland tour, but it was still in his "African" period. But what was truly remarkable was the incredibly intricate arrangements and the incredible sound quality. There were about 20 musicians on stage and you could hear every single instrument through the mix, including Simon's acoustic guitar. The songs were of course from both records and putting it all together, this was a truly monumental achievement, the songs, the arrangements, the musicianship, the cohesiveness, the sound, everything. I said at the time that it was the greatest concert I had ever heard.
2. Iris DeMent, the Fine Line, 1997. We had Iris' 3rd record, The Way I Should, and really loved it. Still, we didn't know what to expect. What we didn't expect was that she would deliver such incredible heart-felt vocals that made you feel every emotion in every song. Merle Haggard once said that Iris is the best singer he has ever heard. I don't know if I would go that far, but she is incredible.
3. Dire Straits, St. Paul Civic Theater, 1985. This was right after Brothers in Arms. And combine Knopfler's wonderful songs, his incredible guitar arrangements and execution, and the really terrific ensemble playing, and this was an all-timer. They finished up with Coming Home from Local Hero, what a beautiful, powerful song.
4. Bela Fleck and the Acoustic Sessions, Orpheum Theater, 1999. I love Bela Fleck's more or less "straight" bluegrass/new grass playing best of all, but of course it's not "straight" bluegrass or new grass at all. It is always wonderfully bent. This tour came on the heels of his Bluegrass Sessions: Tales from the Acoustic Planet, Vol. 2, and featured most of the players and many of the songs from that record. Jerry Douglas was there, of course. Sam Bush. Mark Schatz. Stuart Duncan. Not quite Strength in Numbers, but probably Bela's 2nd best supporting cast ever. Terrific performances all around.
5. Steve Forbert, the Union Bar, 1980. This was Forbert's rock 'n roll period. Little Stevie Orbit had just come out. Shayne Fontayne played guitar. And they rocked out. I ain't no human vein,' I'm an automobile. The Visitor. Get Well Soon. When Stevie bent his harmonica reeds too hard and they blew out, he threw it into the crowd, and I caught it. My buddy took a photo of Steve and the band and sent it off to him for an autograph. Best of luck and all, it said. I still have it, framed, above my CD shelves.
6. Neil Finn with Tim Finn, the Orpheum Theater, 1991. It wasn't Crowded House, it was Crowded House-plus. Tim Finn singing backup to little brother Neil. And trust me, they sang the most beautiful vocal harmonies I have ever heard. And the music was mostly from the 1987 album (Something So Strong, The World Where You Live, Now We're Getting Somewhere) and 1988's Temple of Low Men (When You Come, Into Temptation). Great songs, greater vocals.
7. Prince, St. Paul Civic Center, 1984. He played about a 20 minute version of Purple Rain with an incredible extended guitar solo. That on top of everything else. He more than lived up to the hype.
8. Pat Metheny Group, Orpheum Theater, 1982. I remember it was about 90 degrees, just hotter than hell in the hall. But this band was hotter yet, and so incredibly tight, and so original, so inventive. Across the Heartland. The Search. Do You Want to Go With Me? I miss that Pat Metheny.
9. Bruce Cockburn, Guthrie Theater, 1988. The Guthrie had fallen into disuse as a rock/pop music hall. This may have been my 1st Guthrie concert in 13 years. For a moment, it was like the good old days and Cockburn basically did his greatest hits, well, except by this time he had way too many of them for just 1 show.
10. Steve Goodman, Orpheum Theater. I'm not sure when this was but I have to tell you that after Frank Zappa I mourned Steve Goodman's untimely death as much as anybody's, and given all of the fallen rock stars, that's saying something. But I loved Steve Goodman's humor. I mean, the guy was hilarious. Chicken Cordon Blues, Watching Joey Glow, Where's the Party, Talk Backwards. But more than that, even, was his sensitivity. Spoon River, The Dutchman, The One That Got Away. And then there's this: I miss my old man tonight, I can almost see his face. He was always trying to watch his weight, but his heart only made it to 58. For the first time since he died, late last night I cried. I wondered when I was gonna do that, for my old man.
11. David Grisman (and group), Ordway Theater, 1986, and the Minnesota Zoo, sometime in the '90s. 1st time it was more or less a straight bluegrass band, though they didn't play straight bluegrass. Not as bent as Bela Fleck's, but pretty creative stuff. The 2nd time it was his Latin band. Both times, pure poetry, without the words.
12. Los Lobos. We've seen Los Lobos maybe 5-6 times: 1st time was at First Avenue, then there were at least a couple maybe 3 at the Minnesota Zoo, and we saw them at the Ordway, and I'm sure there was somebody else. The only problem is that with a repertoire of several hundred songs, the likelihood that I'm going to hear my particular favorites is pretty small. Please play something from Will the Wolf Survive! Please play Mas y Mas! Please, play any damn thing you want, just play!
13. Little Village, Orpheum Theater, 1992. I saw Ry Cooder! I saw Ry Cooder! I had figured I would never get the chance, but he came to town with this temporary ensemble including John Hiatt, Nick Lowe and Jim Keltner. I remember that they pretty much played the Little Village disk, including the slightly bent blues Don't Think About Her When You're Trying to Drive. Thank goodness, I saw Ry Cooder!
14. Bonnie Raitt, Northrop Auditorium, 1989. We saw Bonnie probably 4, maybe 5 times, but this is the one that I am sure about in terms of where and when. It was the Nick of Time tour. They said she had made a comeback. From where? Bonnie Raitt was never away as far as I was concerned. Still the #1 female rock/pop musician...OK, still the #2 remale rock/pop musician of my lifetime (after Aimee Mann).
15. k.d. lang, Orpheum Theater, 1992. Great, great singer, though her increasingly histrionic approach wore out much earlier than it should have.
16. Chris Whitley, Guthrie Theater, 1991. The mercurial Chris Whitley. He must have made 4-5 CDs so somebody was listening. But based on what I think of as his 1st CD, Living with the Law, in 1991, I thought he was going to be the biggest thing since, well, I dunno, Springsteen? The guy was totally original but well within the blues tradition and performed with huge intensity. Phone Call from Leavenworth: They hold me here much longer, probably go mad all by myself. Now I really need somebody, said I really need somebody's help. Why does the man up in the judgment chair, got his ass and God's right arm in some double pair, all right.
16. Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, the Minnesota Zoo. Not sure exactly when this was, but mainly I remember Jeff Coffin just rippin' it up something fierce.
17. John Prine. I've seen John Prine twice. The 1st time, Steve Goodman opened for him and Steve Goodman was so much better than John Prine it was just silly. I heard later that Prine had a problem with alcohol and that he had played drunk. That might explain it. The 2nd time, Prine opened for the Cowboy Junkies, and he was much better than the Cowboy Junkies. This was at the time of the LP Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings, which is a real masterpiece.
18. Alison Krauss and Union Station, O'Shaughnessy Auditorium, 1996.
19. Phil Collins, Northrop Auditorium, 1981? This was at the time of In the Air Tonight. He put on a pretty good show.
20. Neil Young. We saw Neil Young twice in a period of about 4 months, probably in 1990 and 1991. 1st at Target Center with Crazy Horse and, frankly, the sound was so bad that it spoiled it. I remember Crime in the City was the highlight and that the song was more or less new at the time. The 2nd was probably at the Orpheum, and it was a 1 man show. Harvest Moon was one of the highlights. Pretty good the 2nd time.
21. Willie & the Bees, Mears Park, 1983. It was a summer outdoor concert and Supermarket was the big feature. Great band.
22. Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Northrop Auditorium. This was after Graceland but before Rhythm of the Saints, so perhaps 1988 or 1989. It was certainly a unique experience.
23. Shawn Colvin, O'Shaughnessy Auditorium, 1998.
24. Gillian Welch, Fitzgerald Theater. Might have been 1999 but it might have been after Y2K.
25. Ray Charles. I don't remember when or where I saw Ray but I know I saw him and it was a little underwhelming.
26. Marshall Crenshaw, First Avenue, 1982. His 1st record was new at the time. Great songs but not a great live performer, at least not at that time.
27. Jerry Jeff Walker, the Fine Line. Probably around 1994 or 1995. I remember that he had a really great lead guitarist.
28. Willie Nelson, Minnesota State Fair. Probably in the early 1980s. Kind of a mess.
29. Stray Cats, Orpheum Theater. Early 1980s.
30. Cowboy Junkies, Orpheum Theater. Early 1990s. A little too laid back.
During this period we also saw Springsteen again, Zappa again, Gordon Lightfoot and Bonnie Raitt again, Dylan again...but their earlier concerts had been so far and away the better ones that I frankly don't remember the rest well at all, and so they're not included in this list.
The Worst
Actually the worst concert was Dylan and the Grateful Dead at the Metrodome, I have no idea what year that was. But the sound was so bad that I didn't know what songs the artists had played until I read some of them in the newspaper the next day.
Best Band
That would pretty much mirror Best Concert but not entirely. Dire Straits, Bela Fleck and the Acoustic Sessions, Paul Simon's band, Pat Metheny Group, Los Lobos, Union Station, Little Village, David Grisman's band(s), Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Willie and the Bees.
Best Artist
Paul Simon, Iris DeMent, Mark Knopfler, Bela Fleck, Prince, Pat Metheny, Steve Goodman, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Cockburn, Chris Whitley.
Best Vocals
Iris DeMent, Neil and Tim Finn, k.d. lang, Ray Charles, Bonnie Raitt, Alison Krauss, Prince, John Hiatt, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Steve Forbert.
Best Guitar
Mark Knopfler, Pat Metheny, Prince, David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas, Ron Block, Ray Phiri, Shayne Fontayne, Bonnie Raitt, Steve Goodman, Chris Whitley.
Best Keyboards
Lyle Mays, Alan Clark, Ray Charles, Willie Murphy.
Best Rhythm
Conrad Lozano and Louis Perez, Steve Rodby and Paul Wertico, Victor Wootten and Future Man, Baghiti and Vusi Khumalo, John Illsley, Mark Schatz, Barry Bales, Nick Lowe and Jim Keltner.
Best Other Instrument
Bela Fleck (banjo), Jerry Douglas (dobro), David Grisman (mandolin), Sam Bush (mandolin), Stuart Duncan (fiddle), Jeff Coffin (saxophone).
Best Songs
Paul Simon, Neil Young, Iris DeMent, Bruce Cockburn, Steve Goodman, John Prine, David Hidalgo, Prince, Shawn Colvin, Steve Forbert.
Monday, April 1, 2013
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Best Concerts of the 1970s
I started going to music concerts, rock 'n roll concerts in earnest in 1969 and the golden age of rock 'n roll concerts (and rock 'n roll generally) was the 1970s. I went to a lot of concerts in the 1970s. After that, not so many, as working and other responsibilities crowded them out to some extent.
The other day I just happened across a list of the best concerts of 1969 and then of the 1970s. There were some there I would not have remembered if I had concocted a new list. So here's what's on the list. And when I say Best Concerts of the 1970s, I mean 1969-1979.
Best Concerts 1969-1979
1A. Bruce Springsteen, Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis, 1975. For those of you who don't know, the Guthrie Theater is (or was) about a 1,500 seat theater, home to one of the best theatrical troupes in America. It's where people go for their Shakespeare fix and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf and stuff like that. From the late 1960s to the mid-1970s, they also routinely had the greatest emerging acts in rock 'n pop music there, and as you read through the following list, see how many of the best concerts of the 1970s were there. Lots of 'em. Most of 'em. It's a remarkable list. We were so incredibly lucky to have it/them.
Anyway, the best concert I ever saw there was Bruce. It was the opening night of the Born to Run Tour. He was just breaking in a big way. You know, cover of Time, cover of Newsweek. I had had his 1st 2 LPs and especially loved Greetings from Asbury Park and It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City. Still I had no clue what we (me and my girlfriend at the time, now my wife) were in for. Bruce blew everybody completely away with that powerful voice and then on top of that there was Clarence and the E Street Band and of course they played for hours. Totally awesome. My girlfriend (we had been together, well, probably a whole year by that time) thought I must be the coolest guy ever to have known about such a concert and to have gotten us there to see and hear it.
1B. Bruce Springsteen, Toledo Sports Arena, 1977. 2 years later we were living in Bowling Green, OH, where I went to graduate school, and we saw Bruce again in Toledo. We were like 10th row main floor and she was working as a reporter/photographer. Bruce came down into the audience and was not 5 feet away and she got some great photos which are still framed and on display in our house. Oh, and the music was great, again, too.
2. Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, Circle Star Theater, San Carlos, CA, 1974. My wife (to be) and I traveled to California to visit some friends. We had only been dating for a couple of months at this point. And we were lucky enough that Frank Zappa was playing in the vicinity of San Jose, where her college roommate had settled down for the time being. But not only that, he was at the Circle Star Theater, which featured a circular rotating stage. I kid you not. The stage rotated. So here came Frank, moving into view clockwise from the right. Then there he went out of view off to the left or, well, out to where you'd see his backside and other band members came into view in the foreground. And, then, here comes Frank again. And on top of all of that, this was his best band ever, IMHO. Napoleon Murphy Brock on vocals, George Duke on keys and vocals, Tom Fowler and Chester Thompson and Ruth Underwood on rhythm and percussion. And this fellow we'd never heard of opened. Tom Waits! What a night.
3. Steely Dan, St. Paul Civic Center, 1974. This was my wife (to be) and my 1st date. Steely Dan headlined a 3-band show. Dr. Hook was 1 and I've forgotten who the other band was. But I loved Steely Dan's 1st 2 records, which were out at this time. Reelin' in the Years, Change of the Guard. Eventually I loved all their records. And they did not disappoint, great, great show.
4. Jethro Tull, Guthrie Theater, 1971. Aqualung had just come out, and just imagine hearing pretty much the entire record in a 1,500 seat theater. Incredible.
5. Allman Brothers Band, Labor Temple, 1970. The Labor Temple was a small hall in Minneapolis with open seating, you would just go in and sit on the floor or stand and dance or whatever. There were Sunday night shows there pretty much weekly for a couple of years during my 1st and 2nd or maybe 2nd and 3rd years of college. The Allman Brothers 1st record had just come out like a week before, and nobody knew much about them except that there was a terrific buzz. But the concert was the Sunday after New Year's Day, school was still out, and I went to the 2nd show. There was hardly anybody there--maybe 50 people. And basically the band played their 1st record through from start to finish and then went into some jams like Mountain Jam. Just blew everybody away. I mean, the 2 drummers. The 2 guitars. The singing, the playing. Just awesome. We left thinking this was the greatest band ever and I'm not sure today that that wasn't right.
6. Yes, Berkeley Municipal Theater, 1972. I was visiting friends in the San Francisco area in 1972 and Yes happened to be in town. I loved their atmospherics but wasn't convinced they could pull it off in concert. But they did, recreating the most incredibly intricate music on stage pretty much note for note. And no, I don't mean that it was cold or lacking in soul or anything. It was bee-you-ti-ful.
7. Bob Dylan, Centennial Hall, University of Toledo, 1978. I like Dylan's records but I've never been much for his live concerts or live records. I remember seeing him live one time and finding out what songs he played by reading about them in the newspaper the next day. Seriously. But this was different. This was the Live at Budokan band and tour, and these were by far the best arrangements and the best execution live that Dylan has ever achieved. And we saw it.
8. Gordon Lightfoot, Guthrie Theater, 1971. I know that Gordo is regarded as hopelessly passé, as not just lightfoot but decidedly lightweight. His biggest hit ever was probably If You Could Read My Mind and, yeah, it's a little bit sappy. But listen to his '60s stuff before you right him off. And his early '70s stuff is really terrific, too. The Minstrel of the Dawn and Sit Down, Young Stranger are as good a reflection of how it felt to be alive in the early '70s as the best Joni Mitchell or Paul Simon. I also remember that a buddy of mine had tickets for this concert and then couldn't use 'em. He stopped over at my house, which I shared with 5 of my closest friends, to offer them. I wasn't home and my roommates all wanted to go, so they put everybody's name in a bag and pulled out a pair of winners. Then somebody got a conscience and said, hey, we should call Sunny and ask him if he wants to be in. So they did. I said, sure. So they waved off the 1st drawing, held another, and I won.
9. Led Zeppelin, Milwaukee Pop Festival, 1969.
10. Blind Faith, Milwaukee Pop Festival, 1969.
A bunch of us guys drove from Minneapolis to Milwaukee to see, get this, Blind Faith close the Friday night show, Led Zeppelin closed on Saturday night, and Johnny Winter on Sunday at the height of Winter-mania. Well, I don't need to tell you how that worked out, the results are right there up above. Zeppelin blew everybody away, never seen anything like it. Plant and Page. Who was wailing harder and hotter? Dazed and Confused. You Shook Me. Squeeze my lemon til the juice runs down my leg. My gawd.
Blind Faith was just the opposite. The epitome of cool. Clapton and Winwood, together. Fulfilling many a youthful dream. But still, cool. Not hot. Not super engaging. Not as good as Zep.
As we were leaving the grounds Sunday night, people were there handing out handbills for another festival that was coming up out in New York. Something called...oh, yeah, Woodstock? What's that?
11. The Who, Guthrie Theater, 1969. It was in the spring of 1969, my girlfriend at the time had just moved up to the Twin Cities and I was in heaven. I took her to see the Who at the Guthrie. Tommy had just come out, and they played the entire thing. I had never seen Townsend's windmills or Daltrey swinging his microphone around or Keith Moon just being Keith Moon. Incredible. Still something wasn't right. It should have been the most incredible night of my life. But, no. My girlfriend dumped me the next week.
12. The Rolling Stones, the Met Center, 1972. I was always a Beatles guy and you couldn't be both a Beatles guy and a Stones guy, just like you couldn't be a Ford guy and a Chevy guy or a Coke and a Pepsi guy. I was a Beatles guy. Still I couldn't pass up on a chance to see The Greatest Rock 'n Roll Band in the World at the peak of their powers in 1972. And it was good.
13A and 13B. Jethro Tull, the Met Center 1972 and 1973. They were never ever gonna be as good as doing Aqualung at the Guthrie, but still they were terrific doing Thick As A Brick and then A Passion Play at the Met Center the following 2 years. The Met Center was the North Stars hockey arena, it was huge and the sound wasn't great. Tull made the most of it.
14. Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, St. Paul Civic Center, 1975 and 1976. I think it was right around Thanksgiving both years and they billed it as the Turkey Trot.
15. The Beach Boys, St. Paul Civic Center, 1975. Yeah, I know, passé, lightweight. Wrong. Before the Beatles and during the early hey days of the Beatles, the Beach Boys did the most sophisticated music this side of Broadway. But youthful, heartfelt, inspiring. But then Brian Wilson had that breakdown and you wouldn't see them live. But wait, here they come, with Brian in tow. He only sang 1 or 2 songs, but everybody else was there, the spirit was alive and it was a real rave-up.
16. The Band, Guthrie Theater, 1970. At the peak of their powers the Band came to the mecca for Twin Cities rock 'n roll and put on a memorable show. Now here of course is a band that indeed seems passé today, just over the top with all the keyboard histrionics and the faux historicism and all. But thre was a time when they were hot, or cool, and that is when we saw them.
17A and B. Joe Cocker and the Grease Band, the Prison and the Milwaukee Pop Festival, both 1969. Talk about over the top, this took the cake for overstatement of every kind, not least of all of course Joe Cocker's twitchy but soulful singing. Overrated at the time but absolutely a sign of the times.
18. Wings, St. Paul Civic Center, 1976. OK, they were a little light in their loafers. But, hey, it was Paul McCartney! And they put on a good show. And you know, Band on the Run had some good songs.
19A & 19B. Allman Brothers Band, Midway Stadium, 1971 and Berkeley Theater, 1972. The fire had already kinda gone out in the summer of 1971 and then it had really gone out by the summer of 1972, after Duane died in October 1971. I mean, yeah, they were still better than most but compared to that 1st show in 1970, the spark just wasn't there. I guess there was just no way they could live up to my expectations at that point.
20. Elton John, Guthrie Theater, 1970. His 1st record had just come out and he put on just a very high energy show. And of course he had the benefit of playing in the best venue anywhere.
21. Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, Guthrie Theater, 1969. Opened for the Steve Miller Band and just totally stole the show. If you don't know, they played the original Death Cab for Cutie. The put on an energetic vaudeville type show and were absolutely hilarious. Much better at this stage than Frank and the Mothers, who I saw at this same venue this same year.
22. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, St. Paul Civic Theater, 1973. Not to be confused with the Civic Center or the Civic Center Arena, where Wings and the Beach Boys and Steely Dan played, the Theater was a terrific little venue where an outfit called Stone Bleu put on a series of shows for a year or two. This was their best. I will never forget a lovely harmonica lead on an instrumental version of I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free. I think this show included Black Oak Arkansas and Jesse Colin Young.
23. Mark-Almond, St. Paul Civic Theater, also 1973. Mark-Almond played the most heartbreaking songs and played them so beautifully. What Am I Living For?, indeed. Mark was Jon Mark, who had played with John Mayall. A fabulous band.
24. Bonnie Raitt and Dave Ray, St. Cloud, MN, 1976. This was in the old movie theater, I don't know that it had a name or anything, but the artists were up on this high stage way up above our heads. Dave Ray had produced Bonnie's 1st record, and now he opened for her. This was probably the 1st time we saw Bonnie, whom we eventually saw maybe 5 times. She matured well as a performer, she was so shy and a little tentative at this time. But still the voice was there, it was so sweet. Later she learned to growl and stuff. And Dave Ray, a Minnesota boys who was one of the great white blues singers ever, just had an incredible feel for the music and this terrific blues voice.
25. Emerson Lake and Palmer, Guthrie Theater, 1971. I always wished I had seen the original King Crimson. In the Court of the Crimson King, 20th Century Schizoid Man. Well, this had to be the 2nd best thing. Greg Lake was of course the bassist and singer for both, and Keith Emerson was the heaviest keyboard dude this side of Rick Wakeman. Heavy, man.
26A, B, C. Gordon Lightfoot. We saw Gordon at least 3 more times, maybe running into the 1980s. He used to play Northrop Auditorium at the U of M pretty much every year and was always terrific. But the only time (after the Guthrie in 1971) that I'm positive about when and where was actually O'Shaughnessy Auditorium at St. Thomas University in 1972.
27. Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, Guthrie Theater, 1969. This was not Frank at his best. I remember Jimmy Carl Black and I think this band was about to break up. Still, it was my 1st time to see Frank. Alice Cooper opened.
28. Santana, Magoo's, 1969. Magoo's was just a little dance club where you'd see local acts, but very briefly they brought in some national acts and this was the highlight of that. Their 1st record had just come out and they played it with great energy and passion.
29. Pacific Gas & Electric, Milwaukee Pop Festival, 1969. The best act at the Fest not named Led Zep or Blind Faith or Joe Cocker. I don't remember anything about them other than that they were terrific.
30. Blodwyn Pig, the Depot, 1969. The Depot later became First Avenue. Blodwyn Pig was the band of Jethro Tull's 1st and former guitarist Mick Abrahams, who teamed with saxophonist Jack Lancaster, whose claim to fame was playing 2 saxes at the same time. Big big sound and really straight-ahead, kick-ass rock 'n roll.
31. Cat Stevens, Guthrie Theater, 1971. I'm a little embarrassed about this but people forget just how hot Cat Stevens was in the FM radio world at the time. We dug him.
32. Mahavishnu Orchestra, Guthrie Theater, 1973. Intense. Loud and intense.
33. Pink Floyd, Cleveland Municipal Stadium, 1977. OK, I'm a little embarrassed about this one, too. But the concert just fell flat. My expectations were probably just too high. But Cleveland Stadium held like 80,000 people and it was like watching a movie or a TV show or something. It hardly seemed like there were actually musicians way way way way way down there actually playing live music. Also, it was the Animals tour and that was never one of my favorite records of theirs.
34. Linda Ronstadt and Jackson Browne, Guthrie Theater, 1974. I admired both of these artists but the concert came off a little bit soulless to me.
35A, B, C. Tom Waits, Circle Star Theater, 1974, and Hole Coffeehouse, 1974 and 1975. First saw Tom in San Carlos, CA (see Zappa review above in #3), then came home and told all our friends about him. A few months later he showed up in the Hole Coffeehouse at the University of Minnesota, and again the following year. We took a big group of friends out to see him and I remember people being pretty impressed.
36. Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, Anderson Arena, Bowling Green State U, 1977. Don't remember much about this, dunno why. It was at the peak of his popularity and just down the road apiece from his hometown. He was basically God at the time. I don't remember him being bad, I just don't remember him being great.
37. Yes, St. Paul Civic Center, 1976. Another one where I guess it's just never as good as the 1st time.
38. Darryl Hall and John Oates, Toledo Sports Arena, 1976. Another one from our Ohio days. We had always loved Abandoned Luncheonette. They were good, not great.
39. Al Stewart, Halenbeck Hall, St. Cloud State U, 1975. We loved Al's moody records and his band was solid, especially guitarist Tim Renwick.
40. Asleep at the Wheel, Halenbeck Hall, St. Cloud State U, 1976. We were so ignorant, we didn't even know that the Wheel was basically schlepping Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys stuff, but we enjoyed it then and we enjoy it now.
41. Randy Newman, Guthrie Theater, 1971. Let's drop the big one, and see what happens.
42. The Moody Blues, Met Center, 1972. I'm sure they woulda blown me away a couple years earlier. By now they were passé. Still, that mellotron was one of rock's signature sounds.
43. Little Feat, St. Paul Civic Center, 1975. Opened for Frank Zappa, believe it or not, and I hadn't yet come to appreciate Little Feat appropriately.
44. Murray McLauchlan, Hole Coffeehouse, 1975. A vastly underappreciated artist. Sweeping the Spotlight Away (album) was a masterpiece.
45. The Band, Midway Stadium, 1971. Already becoming passé.
46. Johnny Winter, Milwaukee Pop Festival, 1969, and the Labor Temple, 1970. Always a let-down, he was just plain overrated.
47. John Hammond, Labor Temple, 1970. Underrated, underappreciated but, still, he was just one guy with a very loud foot.
48. Steve Miller Band, Guthrie Theater, 1969. Boz Scaggs and Jim Peterman had just left the band and they were newly a trio, so they really couldn't replicate the sound of their records. And they were vastly overshadowed by the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band.
49. Miles Davis, Guthrie Theater, 1970. Didn't understand a word.
50. Argent, Guthrie Theater, 1972. Not great unless you're talking about Rod Argent on the keyboard.
Honorable Mention
Koerner Ray and Glover
Buffy St. Marie
Paul Butterfield Blues Band
Podipto
Poco
John Sebastien
John Baldry
Steve Wonder
Leon Russell
Jesse Colin Young
Muddy Waters
Let Down
MC5
Steppenwolf
Faces
It's A Beautiful Day
Mott the Hoople
Little Richard
Delaney & Bonnie & Friends
Al Kooper
Edgar Winter
Savoy Brown
Jerry Lee Lewis
Melissa Manchester
Charlie Daniels Band
Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes
Buddy Rich Orcheestra
Crow
The Worst
Fleetwood Mac. I adored Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac. But by the time I saw Fleetwood Mac, Peter Green had left. Their manager put together a Fleetwood Mac band that was a total fraud and that was the band that I saw. After Peter Green. Before Lindsay Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. Fleetwood Fraud.
Best Band
That would pretty much mirror Best Concert but not entirely. So Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band was #1 but Jethro Tull, the Allman Brothers, Led Zeppelin, the Who and the Rolling Stones follow. With some of the others, their high ranking is due to things like great songs, great vocals, a great show, and so on. Still, rounding out the top 10 would be Zappa and the Mothers (circa 1974), Steely Dan, Dylan's 1978 touring band (Live at Budokan) and Yes.
Best Artist
Bruce Springsteen, Ian Anderson, Frank Zappa, Bob Dylan, Jimmy Page, Gordon Lightfoot, Duane Allman, Paul McCartney, Bonnie Raitt, Robert Plant.
Best Vocals
Bruce Springsteen, Gordon Lightfoot, Bonnie Raitt, Robert Plant, Beach Boys, Napoleon Murphy Brock, Dave Ray, Linda Ronstadt, Joe Cocker, Paul McCartney.
Best Guitar
Duane Allman, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards and Ron Wood, Dickie Betts, David Gilmour, Steve Howe, Carlos Santana, John McLaughlin.
Best Keyboards
Rick Wakeman, Garth Hudson, Rod Argent, George Duke, Roy Bittan and Danny Federici, Chris Stainton, Keith Jarrett, Randy Newman, Elton John, Greg Rolie.
Best Bass Guitar
Jon Entwhistle, Chris Squire, John Paul Jones, Wolfgang Melz, Berry Oakley, Gary Tallent, Tom Fowler, Paul McCartney, Lonnie Turner, Rick Danko,
Best Drums
Ginger Baker, Jack DeJohnette, Keith Moon, Dannie Richmond, John Bonham, Chester Thompson, Charlie Watts, Buddy Rich, Butch Trucks, Max Weinberg.
Best Other Instrument
Clarence Cleamons (saxophone), Ian Anderson (flute), Miles Davis (trumpet), David Mansfield (violin), Paul Butterfield (harmonica), Jack Lancaster (saxophones), Ruth Underwood (vibraphone), Johnny Almond (saxophone), David LaFlamme (violin).
Best Songs
Bruce Springsteen, Gordon Ligthtfoot, Frank Zappa, Jon Mark, Bob Dylan, Elton John, Walter Becker-Donald Fagen, Jimmy Page-Robert Plant, Brian Wilson, Tom Waits.
The other day I just happened across a list of the best concerts of 1969 and then of the 1970s. There were some there I would not have remembered if I had concocted a new list. So here's what's on the list. And when I say Best Concerts of the 1970s, I mean 1969-1979.
Best Concerts 1969-1979
1A. Bruce Springsteen, Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis, 1975. For those of you who don't know, the Guthrie Theater is (or was) about a 1,500 seat theater, home to one of the best theatrical troupes in America. It's where people go for their Shakespeare fix and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf and stuff like that. From the late 1960s to the mid-1970s, they also routinely had the greatest emerging acts in rock 'n pop music there, and as you read through the following list, see how many of the best concerts of the 1970s were there. Lots of 'em. Most of 'em. It's a remarkable list. We were so incredibly lucky to have it/them.
Anyway, the best concert I ever saw there was Bruce. It was the opening night of the Born to Run Tour. He was just breaking in a big way. You know, cover of Time, cover of Newsweek. I had had his 1st 2 LPs and especially loved Greetings from Asbury Park and It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City. Still I had no clue what we (me and my girlfriend at the time, now my wife) were in for. Bruce blew everybody completely away with that powerful voice and then on top of that there was Clarence and the E Street Band and of course they played for hours. Totally awesome. My girlfriend (we had been together, well, probably a whole year by that time) thought I must be the coolest guy ever to have known about such a concert and to have gotten us there to see and hear it.
1B. Bruce Springsteen, Toledo Sports Arena, 1977. 2 years later we were living in Bowling Green, OH, where I went to graduate school, and we saw Bruce again in Toledo. We were like 10th row main floor and she was working as a reporter/photographer. Bruce came down into the audience and was not 5 feet away and she got some great photos which are still framed and on display in our house. Oh, and the music was great, again, too.
2. Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, Circle Star Theater, San Carlos, CA, 1974. My wife (to be) and I traveled to California to visit some friends. We had only been dating for a couple of months at this point. And we were lucky enough that Frank Zappa was playing in the vicinity of San Jose, where her college roommate had settled down for the time being. But not only that, he was at the Circle Star Theater, which featured a circular rotating stage. I kid you not. The stage rotated. So here came Frank, moving into view clockwise from the right. Then there he went out of view off to the left or, well, out to where you'd see his backside and other band members came into view in the foreground. And, then, here comes Frank again. And on top of all of that, this was his best band ever, IMHO. Napoleon Murphy Brock on vocals, George Duke on keys and vocals, Tom Fowler and Chester Thompson and Ruth Underwood on rhythm and percussion. And this fellow we'd never heard of opened. Tom Waits! What a night.
3. Steely Dan, St. Paul Civic Center, 1974. This was my wife (to be) and my 1st date. Steely Dan headlined a 3-band show. Dr. Hook was 1 and I've forgotten who the other band was. But I loved Steely Dan's 1st 2 records, which were out at this time. Reelin' in the Years, Change of the Guard. Eventually I loved all their records. And they did not disappoint, great, great show.
4. Jethro Tull, Guthrie Theater, 1971. Aqualung had just come out, and just imagine hearing pretty much the entire record in a 1,500 seat theater. Incredible.
5. Allman Brothers Band, Labor Temple, 1970. The Labor Temple was a small hall in Minneapolis with open seating, you would just go in and sit on the floor or stand and dance or whatever. There were Sunday night shows there pretty much weekly for a couple of years during my 1st and 2nd or maybe 2nd and 3rd years of college. The Allman Brothers 1st record had just come out like a week before, and nobody knew much about them except that there was a terrific buzz. But the concert was the Sunday after New Year's Day, school was still out, and I went to the 2nd show. There was hardly anybody there--maybe 50 people. And basically the band played their 1st record through from start to finish and then went into some jams like Mountain Jam. Just blew everybody away. I mean, the 2 drummers. The 2 guitars. The singing, the playing. Just awesome. We left thinking this was the greatest band ever and I'm not sure today that that wasn't right.
6. Yes, Berkeley Municipal Theater, 1972. I was visiting friends in the San Francisco area in 1972 and Yes happened to be in town. I loved their atmospherics but wasn't convinced they could pull it off in concert. But they did, recreating the most incredibly intricate music on stage pretty much note for note. And no, I don't mean that it was cold or lacking in soul or anything. It was bee-you-ti-ful.
7. Bob Dylan, Centennial Hall, University of Toledo, 1978. I like Dylan's records but I've never been much for his live concerts or live records. I remember seeing him live one time and finding out what songs he played by reading about them in the newspaper the next day. Seriously. But this was different. This was the Live at Budokan band and tour, and these were by far the best arrangements and the best execution live that Dylan has ever achieved. And we saw it.
8. Gordon Lightfoot, Guthrie Theater, 1971. I know that Gordo is regarded as hopelessly passé, as not just lightfoot but decidedly lightweight. His biggest hit ever was probably If You Could Read My Mind and, yeah, it's a little bit sappy. But listen to his '60s stuff before you right him off. And his early '70s stuff is really terrific, too. The Minstrel of the Dawn and Sit Down, Young Stranger are as good a reflection of how it felt to be alive in the early '70s as the best Joni Mitchell or Paul Simon. I also remember that a buddy of mine had tickets for this concert and then couldn't use 'em. He stopped over at my house, which I shared with 5 of my closest friends, to offer them. I wasn't home and my roommates all wanted to go, so they put everybody's name in a bag and pulled out a pair of winners. Then somebody got a conscience and said, hey, we should call Sunny and ask him if he wants to be in. So they did. I said, sure. So they waved off the 1st drawing, held another, and I won.
9. Led Zeppelin, Milwaukee Pop Festival, 1969.
10. Blind Faith, Milwaukee Pop Festival, 1969.
A bunch of us guys drove from Minneapolis to Milwaukee to see, get this, Blind Faith close the Friday night show, Led Zeppelin closed on Saturday night, and Johnny Winter on Sunday at the height of Winter-mania. Well, I don't need to tell you how that worked out, the results are right there up above. Zeppelin blew everybody away, never seen anything like it. Plant and Page. Who was wailing harder and hotter? Dazed and Confused. You Shook Me. Squeeze my lemon til the juice runs down my leg. My gawd.
Blind Faith was just the opposite. The epitome of cool. Clapton and Winwood, together. Fulfilling many a youthful dream. But still, cool. Not hot. Not super engaging. Not as good as Zep.
As we were leaving the grounds Sunday night, people were there handing out handbills for another festival that was coming up out in New York. Something called...oh, yeah, Woodstock? What's that?
11. The Who, Guthrie Theater, 1969. It was in the spring of 1969, my girlfriend at the time had just moved up to the Twin Cities and I was in heaven. I took her to see the Who at the Guthrie. Tommy had just come out, and they played the entire thing. I had never seen Townsend's windmills or Daltrey swinging his microphone around or Keith Moon just being Keith Moon. Incredible. Still something wasn't right. It should have been the most incredible night of my life. But, no. My girlfriend dumped me the next week.
12. The Rolling Stones, the Met Center, 1972. I was always a Beatles guy and you couldn't be both a Beatles guy and a Stones guy, just like you couldn't be a Ford guy and a Chevy guy or a Coke and a Pepsi guy. I was a Beatles guy. Still I couldn't pass up on a chance to see The Greatest Rock 'n Roll Band in the World at the peak of their powers in 1972. And it was good.
13A and 13B. Jethro Tull, the Met Center 1972 and 1973. They were never ever gonna be as good as doing Aqualung at the Guthrie, but still they were terrific doing Thick As A Brick and then A Passion Play at the Met Center the following 2 years. The Met Center was the North Stars hockey arena, it was huge and the sound wasn't great. Tull made the most of it.
14. Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, St. Paul Civic Center, 1975 and 1976. I think it was right around Thanksgiving both years and they billed it as the Turkey Trot.
15. The Beach Boys, St. Paul Civic Center, 1975. Yeah, I know, passé, lightweight. Wrong. Before the Beatles and during the early hey days of the Beatles, the Beach Boys did the most sophisticated music this side of Broadway. But youthful, heartfelt, inspiring. But then Brian Wilson had that breakdown and you wouldn't see them live. But wait, here they come, with Brian in tow. He only sang 1 or 2 songs, but everybody else was there, the spirit was alive and it was a real rave-up.
16. The Band, Guthrie Theater, 1970. At the peak of their powers the Band came to the mecca for Twin Cities rock 'n roll and put on a memorable show. Now here of course is a band that indeed seems passé today, just over the top with all the keyboard histrionics and the faux historicism and all. But thre was a time when they were hot, or cool, and that is when we saw them.
17A and B. Joe Cocker and the Grease Band, the Prison and the Milwaukee Pop Festival, both 1969. Talk about over the top, this took the cake for overstatement of every kind, not least of all of course Joe Cocker's twitchy but soulful singing. Overrated at the time but absolutely a sign of the times.
18. Wings, St. Paul Civic Center, 1976. OK, they were a little light in their loafers. But, hey, it was Paul McCartney! And they put on a good show. And you know, Band on the Run had some good songs.
19A & 19B. Allman Brothers Band, Midway Stadium, 1971 and Berkeley Theater, 1972. The fire had already kinda gone out in the summer of 1971 and then it had really gone out by the summer of 1972, after Duane died in October 1971. I mean, yeah, they were still better than most but compared to that 1st show in 1970, the spark just wasn't there. I guess there was just no way they could live up to my expectations at that point.
20. Elton John, Guthrie Theater, 1970. His 1st record had just come out and he put on just a very high energy show. And of course he had the benefit of playing in the best venue anywhere.
21. Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, Guthrie Theater, 1969. Opened for the Steve Miller Band and just totally stole the show. If you don't know, they played the original Death Cab for Cutie. The put on an energetic vaudeville type show and were absolutely hilarious. Much better at this stage than Frank and the Mothers, who I saw at this same venue this same year.
22. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, St. Paul Civic Theater, 1973. Not to be confused with the Civic Center or the Civic Center Arena, where Wings and the Beach Boys and Steely Dan played, the Theater was a terrific little venue where an outfit called Stone Bleu put on a series of shows for a year or two. This was their best. I will never forget a lovely harmonica lead on an instrumental version of I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free. I think this show included Black Oak Arkansas and Jesse Colin Young.
23. Mark-Almond, St. Paul Civic Theater, also 1973. Mark-Almond played the most heartbreaking songs and played them so beautifully. What Am I Living For?, indeed. Mark was Jon Mark, who had played with John Mayall. A fabulous band.
24. Bonnie Raitt and Dave Ray, St. Cloud, MN, 1976. This was in the old movie theater, I don't know that it had a name or anything, but the artists were up on this high stage way up above our heads. Dave Ray had produced Bonnie's 1st record, and now he opened for her. This was probably the 1st time we saw Bonnie, whom we eventually saw maybe 5 times. She matured well as a performer, she was so shy and a little tentative at this time. But still the voice was there, it was so sweet. Later she learned to growl and stuff. And Dave Ray, a Minnesota boys who was one of the great white blues singers ever, just had an incredible feel for the music and this terrific blues voice.
25. Emerson Lake and Palmer, Guthrie Theater, 1971. I always wished I had seen the original King Crimson. In the Court of the Crimson King, 20th Century Schizoid Man. Well, this had to be the 2nd best thing. Greg Lake was of course the bassist and singer for both, and Keith Emerson was the heaviest keyboard dude this side of Rick Wakeman. Heavy, man.
26A, B, C. Gordon Lightfoot. We saw Gordon at least 3 more times, maybe running into the 1980s. He used to play Northrop Auditorium at the U of M pretty much every year and was always terrific. But the only time (after the Guthrie in 1971) that I'm positive about when and where was actually O'Shaughnessy Auditorium at St. Thomas University in 1972.
27. Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, Guthrie Theater, 1969. This was not Frank at his best. I remember Jimmy Carl Black and I think this band was about to break up. Still, it was my 1st time to see Frank. Alice Cooper opened.
28. Santana, Magoo's, 1969. Magoo's was just a little dance club where you'd see local acts, but very briefly they brought in some national acts and this was the highlight of that. Their 1st record had just come out and they played it with great energy and passion.
30. Blodwyn Pig, the Depot, 1969. The Depot later became First Avenue. Blodwyn Pig was the band of Jethro Tull's 1st and former guitarist Mick Abrahams, who teamed with saxophonist Jack Lancaster, whose claim to fame was playing 2 saxes at the same time. Big big sound and really straight-ahead, kick-ass rock 'n roll.
31. Cat Stevens, Guthrie Theater, 1971. I'm a little embarrassed about this but people forget just how hot Cat Stevens was in the FM radio world at the time. We dug him.
32. Mahavishnu Orchestra, Guthrie Theater, 1973. Intense. Loud and intense.
33. Pink Floyd, Cleveland Municipal Stadium, 1977. OK, I'm a little embarrassed about this one, too. But the concert just fell flat. My expectations were probably just too high. But Cleveland Stadium held like 80,000 people and it was like watching a movie or a TV show or something. It hardly seemed like there were actually musicians way way way way way down there actually playing live music. Also, it was the Animals tour and that was never one of my favorite records of theirs.
34. Linda Ronstadt and Jackson Browne, Guthrie Theater, 1974. I admired both of these artists but the concert came off a little bit soulless to me.
35A, B, C. Tom Waits, Circle Star Theater, 1974, and Hole Coffeehouse, 1974 and 1975. First saw Tom in San Carlos, CA (see Zappa review above in #3), then came home and told all our friends about him. A few months later he showed up in the Hole Coffeehouse at the University of Minnesota, and again the following year. We took a big group of friends out to see him and I remember people being pretty impressed.
36. Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, Anderson Arena, Bowling Green State U, 1977. Don't remember much about this, dunno why. It was at the peak of his popularity and just down the road apiece from his hometown. He was basically God at the time. I don't remember him being bad, I just don't remember him being great.
37. Yes, St. Paul Civic Center, 1976. Another one where I guess it's just never as good as the 1st time.
38. Darryl Hall and John Oates, Toledo Sports Arena, 1976. Another one from our Ohio days. We had always loved Abandoned Luncheonette. They were good, not great.
39. Al Stewart, Halenbeck Hall, St. Cloud State U, 1975. We loved Al's moody records and his band was solid, especially guitarist Tim Renwick.
40. Asleep at the Wheel, Halenbeck Hall, St. Cloud State U, 1976. We were so ignorant, we didn't even know that the Wheel was basically schlepping Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys stuff, but we enjoyed it then and we enjoy it now.
41. Randy Newman, Guthrie Theater, 1971. Let's drop the big one, and see what happens.
42. The Moody Blues, Met Center, 1972. I'm sure they woulda blown me away a couple years earlier. By now they were passé. Still, that mellotron was one of rock's signature sounds.
43. Little Feat, St. Paul Civic Center, 1975. Opened for Frank Zappa, believe it or not, and I hadn't yet come to appreciate Little Feat appropriately.
44. Murray McLauchlan, Hole Coffeehouse, 1975. A vastly underappreciated artist. Sweeping the Spotlight Away (album) was a masterpiece.
45. The Band, Midway Stadium, 1971. Already becoming passé.
46. Johnny Winter, Milwaukee Pop Festival, 1969, and the Labor Temple, 1970. Always a let-down, he was just plain overrated.
47. John Hammond, Labor Temple, 1970. Underrated, underappreciated but, still, he was just one guy with a very loud foot.
48. Steve Miller Band, Guthrie Theater, 1969. Boz Scaggs and Jim Peterman had just left the band and they were newly a trio, so they really couldn't replicate the sound of their records. And they were vastly overshadowed by the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band.
49. Miles Davis, Guthrie Theater, 1970. Didn't understand a word.
50. Argent, Guthrie Theater, 1972. Not great unless you're talking about Rod Argent on the keyboard.
Honorable Mention
Koerner Ray and Glover
Buffy St. Marie
Paul Butterfield Blues Band
Podipto
Poco
John Sebastien
John Baldry
Steve Wonder
Leon Russell
Jesse Colin Young
Muddy Waters
Let Down
MC5
Steppenwolf
Faces
It's A Beautiful Day
Mott the Hoople
Little Richard
Delaney & Bonnie & Friends
Al Kooper
Edgar Winter
Savoy Brown
Jerry Lee Lewis
Melissa Manchester
Charlie Daniels Band
Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes
Buddy Rich Orcheestra
Crow
The Worst
Fleetwood Mac. I adored Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac. But by the time I saw Fleetwood Mac, Peter Green had left. Their manager put together a Fleetwood Mac band that was a total fraud and that was the band that I saw. After Peter Green. Before Lindsay Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. Fleetwood Fraud.
Best Band
That would pretty much mirror Best Concert but not entirely. So Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band was #1 but Jethro Tull, the Allman Brothers, Led Zeppelin, the Who and the Rolling Stones follow. With some of the others, their high ranking is due to things like great songs, great vocals, a great show, and so on. Still, rounding out the top 10 would be Zappa and the Mothers (circa 1974), Steely Dan, Dylan's 1978 touring band (Live at Budokan) and Yes.
Best Artist
Bruce Springsteen, Ian Anderson, Frank Zappa, Bob Dylan, Jimmy Page, Gordon Lightfoot, Duane Allman, Paul McCartney, Bonnie Raitt, Robert Plant.
Best Vocals
Bruce Springsteen, Gordon Lightfoot, Bonnie Raitt, Robert Plant, Beach Boys, Napoleon Murphy Brock, Dave Ray, Linda Ronstadt, Joe Cocker, Paul McCartney.
Best Guitar
Duane Allman, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards and Ron Wood, Dickie Betts, David Gilmour, Steve Howe, Carlos Santana, John McLaughlin.
Best Keyboards
Rick Wakeman, Garth Hudson, Rod Argent, George Duke, Roy Bittan and Danny Federici, Chris Stainton, Keith Jarrett, Randy Newman, Elton John, Greg Rolie.
Best Bass Guitar
Jon Entwhistle, Chris Squire, John Paul Jones, Wolfgang Melz, Berry Oakley, Gary Tallent, Tom Fowler, Paul McCartney, Lonnie Turner, Rick Danko,
Best Drums
Ginger Baker, Jack DeJohnette, Keith Moon, Dannie Richmond, John Bonham, Chester Thompson, Charlie Watts, Buddy Rich, Butch Trucks, Max Weinberg.
Best Other Instrument
Clarence Cleamons (saxophone), Ian Anderson (flute), Miles Davis (trumpet), David Mansfield (violin), Paul Butterfield (harmonica), Jack Lancaster (saxophones), Ruth Underwood (vibraphone), Johnny Almond (saxophone), David LaFlamme (violin).
Best Songs
Bruce Springsteen, Gordon Ligthtfoot, Frank Zappa, Jon Mark, Bob Dylan, Elton John, Walter Becker-Donald Fagen, Jimmy Page-Robert Plant, Brian Wilson, Tom Waits.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Top 50 Boomer Rock Artists of the 21st Century (So Far)
Top 50 Artists of the 21C So Far
Updated April 23, 2012
Updated May 12, 2012 new #17
Updated June 6, 2012
Updated Septembert 7, 2012
1. Arcade Fire--3 fabulous records and 10 years worth of kick-ass live shows--not rated in my top 45 until now, they've arrived with a bang, you could say. See my review of Arcade Fire on this blog.
2. Sufjan Stevens--fun, unexpected, a true original
3. Jerry Douglas--reinforces the point that rock and country/bluegrass overlap more than not; Best Kept Secret is an all-timer
4. Rufus Wainwright--4 great records and 2 superb concert performances (that I saw), a real gem
5. Bill Frisell--too prolific, lots of flotsam, but his best (Good Dog Happy Man, The Willies, All We Are Saying) are just too gorgeous for words
6. Aimee Mann--several great records and 2, well, so-so, concerts. Concerts are not her thing. Really smart songs are her thing.
7. Tift Merritt--3 great records, 1 pretty good record (this year's Traveling Alone) and solid concert performances; her songwriting is just terrific and she sings 'em just so, kind of a country-fied Aimee Mann
8. Hem--a poppy band with a nostalgic, old-timey, throwback appeal; beautiful songs, terrific instrumental arrangements, and superbly sung by Sally Ellyson. This is the golden age of women singers, btw.
9. Auto Body Experience--a local Twin Cities (Minnesota) band; Zappaesque; funny, totally original; Scott Yoho is a genius
10. Leonard Cohen--hasn't recorded anything near his best LPs, but each one tends to contain 1 or 2 instant classics, a la "Alexandra Leaving" and "We Will Go No More a-Roving," and his concert was an all-timer
11. Ry Cooder--Cohen and Cooder have had better decades but, seriously, their 21C output would be a career for most artists,
12. Zappa Plays Zappa--Dweezil is a genius, too, on the guitar--he's made himself a better guitarist than his daddy, though he would probably disagree
13. Sarah Borges--great singer-songwriterwith lots of energy, and she put on a great live show
14. Natalie MacMaster--terrific fiddler, has a great recorded output from trad to modern; live she's modern all the way with rock band instrumentation and very high energy
15. Black Keys--prolific and with El Camino you have to say that their best stuff is, well, among the best music of their time
16. Alison Krauss & Union Station including the incomparable Jerry Douglas
17. Los Lobos--keep plugging along. Their performance of "Mas y Mas" on Clapton's Crossroads is classic.
18. James McMurtry--"We Can't Make It Here Anymore" is probably the greatest political/social commentary of the 21C so far
19. Ray LaMontagne--his best stuff is totally gorgeuous, i.e. "Trouble" and "Shelter"
20. Travis--3 great LPs
21. Jeff Beck--also stellar on Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Fest
22. Bruce Springsteen--just keeps pluggin' along, broke the mold with The Seeger Sessions and "We Are Alive" is an all-timer
23. The Hold Steady/Craig Finn--as much as I love(d) Hold Steady, Finn's solo is just as good--different, but good
25. Bright Eyes/Conor Oberst--I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning is one of the top 3 or 4 LPs of the 21C
26. Steve Earle--his LP with Del McCoury Band is his best work ever
42. Bon Iver
43. Whiskeytown
46. The Flaming Lips
47. Kathleen Edwards
48. Halloween Alaska
49. The Lumineers
50. Jolie Holland
Best Vocals--Sally Ellison (Hem), Ray LaMontagne, Alison Krauss, Raul Malo (The Mavericks), Tift Merritt, Rufus Wainwright, Win Butler (Arcade Fire), Aimee Mann, Iris DeMent, Sarah Borges, Tina Dico (solo and with Zero7), Dwight Yoakum, Vince Gill, Nate Reuss (fun.), Glenn Healey (Travis), Eliza Gilkyson
Best Instrumentalist--Jerry Douglas, Bill Frisell, Natalie MacMaster, Dan Auerbach (Black Keys), Jeff Beck, Aly Bain, Ry Cooder, Dweezil Zappa, Bela Fleck, Robert Cray, Pat Donahue, Ron Block (Union Station), Vince Gill, Alison Brown, Sonny Landreth
Best Songs--Win Butler and Arcade Fire, Sufjan Stevens, Aimee Mann, Tift Merritt, Ry Cooder, Steve Earle, James McMurtry, Rufus Wainwright, Ray LaMontagne, Leonard Cohen, Conor Oberst, James Mercer (The Shins), Sarah Borges, Jeff Tweedy, David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas (Los Lobos)
Top "Artists" redefined as individuals (no groups)--Win Butler, Sufjan Stevens, Rufus Wainwright, Jerry Douglas, Bill Frisell, Aimee Mann, Tift Merritt, Ry Cooder, Dweezil Zappa, Sarah Borges, Ray LaMontagne, Alison Krauss, Natalie MacMaster, Craig Finn, James McMurtry
Updated April 23, 2012
Updated May 12, 2012 new #17
Updated June 6, 2012
Updated Septembert 7, 2012
1. Arcade Fire--3 fabulous records and 10 years worth of kick-ass live shows--not rated in my top 45 until now, they've arrived with a bang, you could say. See my review of Arcade Fire on this blog.
2. Sufjan Stevens--fun, unexpected, a true original
3. Jerry Douglas--reinforces the point that rock and country/bluegrass overlap more than not; Best Kept Secret is an all-timer
4. Rufus Wainwright--4 great records and 2 superb concert performances (that I saw), a real gem
5. Bill Frisell--too prolific, lots of flotsam, but his best (Good Dog Happy Man, The Willies, All We Are Saying) are just too gorgeous for words
6. Aimee Mann--several great records and 2, well, so-so, concerts. Concerts are not her thing. Really smart songs are her thing.
7. Tift Merritt--3 great records, 1 pretty good record (this year's Traveling Alone) and solid concert performances; her songwriting is just terrific and she sings 'em just so, kind of a country-fied Aimee Mann
8. Hem--a poppy band with a nostalgic, old-timey, throwback appeal; beautiful songs, terrific instrumental arrangements, and superbly sung by Sally Ellyson. This is the golden age of women singers, btw.
9. Auto Body Experience--a local Twin Cities (Minnesota) band; Zappaesque; funny, totally original; Scott Yoho is a genius
11. Ry Cooder--Cohen and Cooder have had better decades but, seriously, their 21C output would be a career for most artists,
12. Zappa Plays Zappa--Dweezil is a genius, too, on the guitar--he's made himself a better guitarist than his daddy, though he would probably disagree
13. Sarah Borges--great singer-songwriterwith lots of energy, and she put on a great live show
14. Natalie MacMaster--terrific fiddler, has a great recorded output from trad to modern; live she's modern all the way with rock band instrumentation and very high energy
15. Black Keys--prolific and with El Camino you have to say that their best stuff is, well, among the best music of their time
16. Alison Krauss & Union Station including the incomparable Jerry Douglas
17. Los Lobos--keep plugging along. Their performance of "Mas y Mas" on Clapton's Crossroads is classic.
18. James McMurtry--"We Can't Make It Here Anymore" is probably the greatest political/social commentary of the 21C so far
19. Ray LaMontagne--his best stuff is totally gorgeuous, i.e. "Trouble" and "Shelter"
20. Travis--3 great LPs
21. Jeff Beck--also stellar on Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Fest
22. Bruce Springsteen--just keeps pluggin' along, broke the mold with The Seeger Sessions and "We Are Alive" is an all-timer
23. The Hold Steady/Craig Finn--as much as I love(d) Hold Steady, Finn's solo is just as good--different, but good
24. Zero7
26. Steve Earle--his LP with Del McCoury Band is his best work ever
27. Aly Bain
28. The National
29. The Shins
28. The National
29. The Shins
30. Calexico
31. Iris DeMent
32. Fantastic Merlins
33. The Gourds
34. Kings of Leon
35. Bob Dylan
38. Dwight Yoakum
39. Shawn Colvin
31. Iris DeMent
32. Fantastic Merlins
33. The Gourds
34. Kings of Leon
35. Bob Dylan
36. Kasey Chambers
37. Vince Gill38. Dwight Yoakum
39. Shawn Colvin
40. fun.
41. Wilco42. Bon Iver
43. Whiskeytown
44. Alison Brown
45. Pat Donahue46. The Flaming Lips
47. Kathleen Edwards
48. Halloween Alaska
49. The Lumineers
50. Jolie Holland
Best Vocals--Sally Ellison (Hem), Ray LaMontagne, Alison Krauss, Raul Malo (The Mavericks), Tift Merritt, Rufus Wainwright, Win Butler (Arcade Fire), Aimee Mann, Iris DeMent, Sarah Borges, Tina Dico (solo and with Zero7), Dwight Yoakum, Vince Gill, Nate Reuss (fun.), Glenn Healey (Travis), Eliza Gilkyson
Best Instrumentalist--Jerry Douglas, Bill Frisell, Natalie MacMaster, Dan Auerbach (Black Keys), Jeff Beck, Aly Bain, Ry Cooder, Dweezil Zappa, Bela Fleck, Robert Cray, Pat Donahue, Ron Block (Union Station), Vince Gill, Alison Brown, Sonny Landreth
Best Songs--Win Butler and Arcade Fire, Sufjan Stevens, Aimee Mann, Tift Merritt, Ry Cooder, Steve Earle, James McMurtry, Rufus Wainwright, Ray LaMontagne, Leonard Cohen, Conor Oberst, James Mercer (The Shins), Sarah Borges, Jeff Tweedy, David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas (Los Lobos)
Top "Artists" redefined as individuals (no groups)--Win Butler, Sufjan Stevens, Rufus Wainwright, Jerry Douglas, Bill Frisell, Aimee Mann, Tift Merritt, Ry Cooder, Dweezil Zappa, Sarah Borges, Ray LaMontagne, Alison Krauss, Natalie MacMaster, Craig Finn, James McMurtry
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
A fun. time at Roy Wilkins Auditorium, St. Paul, January 23, 2013.
fun. rehearsed for 5 days at Paisley Park, Prince's home-studio, we were told, then played what vocalist Nate Reuss said was "the biggest hall we've ever played in our lives." That would be the Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul, MN, on Wednesday night, January 23, 2013.
And they were, well, fun.
And seeing them live, the paradox was resolved.
fun. opened the proceedings with "Out on the Town," which I happen to think is their best song, and "One Foot," both from the current LP Some Nights; "All the Pretty Girls," a great song from Aim and Ignite; and "Why Am I the One," also from Some Nights. This was all arena-pop at its very best. Simple, direct. You could hear and understand the vocals. You could sing along, easily, and the crowd sang along, loudly.
Then came the most perfect fun. song title, if not song: "At Least I'm Not As Sad (As I Used to Be"! This is fun?
The show lagged a bit through the middle sections, frankly. Many of their songs are mid-tempo and slower, but more than that Reuss' voice started getting lost in the mix. At his best, at their best, they are a vocal band, the music is supportive, almost incidental. And he came through loud and clear in the early going. But these songs give Reuss a workout, and maybe his voice got tired. The vocal chord is a muscle, and muscles get tired from strenous use. Or maybe the band got a little louder as time went by.
But this is hair-splitting. In the end, fun. came back to its strongest material and closed strong with "All Alright," then "Some Nights" and "Stars" as an encore.
And don't get me wrong about the music. It was solid. Andrew Dost stepped forward and played some engaging piano leads, while Jack Antonoff did the same with some occasional Van Halen guitar. But the music was background, accompaniment, meant to show off the vocals, and that's what they do.
Multi-instrumentalist Emily Moore stood out on the occasional vocal duet and on saxophone on "One Foot," but mostly contributed guitar and keyboards. As you know, fun. likes the drums far forward in the mix; now and again on Some Nights it sounds like there's an army of drummers. Will Noon successfully played the whole damn army. Bassist Nate Harold, well, played bass. I can't ever remember actually noticing what he was doing.
fun. promises their fans fun music, a fun time. And they deliver with bright, cheery, upbeat, energetic music, and they delivered Wednesday night with a bright, cheery, upbeat, energetic show. Their fans, who filled the 5,000 seat auditorium to the rafters--and you can trust me on this, because I was in the rafters--seemed to have a good time. (Understatement alert.)
But, then there's their lyrics. There's enough angst there to stop a fan in his or her tracks. This feeling that they sing about, I've had it, and it ain't fun. "Why am I the one/Always packing up my stuff?" Why don't my relationships last? "There's nothing left inside of my chest/But it's all alright." That's alright? Whoa. "There's no one to keep me warm." I'm starting to see a pattern here.
But seeing them live, it came to me. "We Are Young," they sang. Of course they're uncertain. Of course they don't know what they want. They don't know whether they've done right, whether they're on the path to happiness, or not. They're young. But they're not gonna let it get them down. They're still gonna manage to have, well, fun. They're gonna be "all alright."
Wednesday night they were better than all right. They were terrific. I can easily imagine that many in the crowd, which probably averaged under 20 years of age and ranged down to 6 and 7 years of age, thought this was the best concert they'd ever seen. A fun. time.
And they were, well, fun.
And seeing them live, the paradox was resolved.
fun. opened the proceedings with "Out on the Town," which I happen to think is their best song, and "One Foot," both from the current LP Some Nights; "All the Pretty Girls," a great song from Aim and Ignite; and "Why Am I the One," also from Some Nights. This was all arena-pop at its very best. Simple, direct. You could hear and understand the vocals. You could sing along, easily, and the crowd sang along, loudly.
Then came the most perfect fun. song title, if not song: "At Least I'm Not As Sad (As I Used to Be"! This is fun?
The show lagged a bit through the middle sections, frankly. Many of their songs are mid-tempo and slower, but more than that Reuss' voice started getting lost in the mix. At his best, at their best, they are a vocal band, the music is supportive, almost incidental. And he came through loud and clear in the early going. But these songs give Reuss a workout, and maybe his voice got tired. The vocal chord is a muscle, and muscles get tired from strenous use. Or maybe the band got a little louder as time went by.
But this is hair-splitting. In the end, fun. came back to its strongest material and closed strong with "All Alright," then "Some Nights" and "Stars" as an encore.
And don't get me wrong about the music. It was solid. Andrew Dost stepped forward and played some engaging piano leads, while Jack Antonoff did the same with some occasional Van Halen guitar. But the music was background, accompaniment, meant to show off the vocals, and that's what they do.
Multi-instrumentalist Emily Moore stood out on the occasional vocal duet and on saxophone on "One Foot," but mostly contributed guitar and keyboards. As you know, fun. likes the drums far forward in the mix; now and again on Some Nights it sounds like there's an army of drummers. Will Noon successfully played the whole damn army. Bassist Nate Harold, well, played bass. I can't ever remember actually noticing what he was doing.
fun. promises their fans fun music, a fun time. And they deliver with bright, cheery, upbeat, energetic music, and they delivered Wednesday night with a bright, cheery, upbeat, energetic show. Their fans, who filled the 5,000 seat auditorium to the rafters--and you can trust me on this, because I was in the rafters--seemed to have a good time. (Understatement alert.)
But, then there's their lyrics. There's enough angst there to stop a fan in his or her tracks. This feeling that they sing about, I've had it, and it ain't fun. "Why am I the one/Always packing up my stuff?" Why don't my relationships last? "There's nothing left inside of my chest/But it's all alright." That's alright? Whoa. "There's no one to keep me warm." I'm starting to see a pattern here.
But seeing them live, it came to me. "We Are Young," they sang. Of course they're uncertain. Of course they don't know what they want. They don't know whether they've done right, whether they're on the path to happiness, or not. They're young. But they're not gonna let it get them down. They're still gonna manage to have, well, fun. They're gonna be "all alright."
Wednesday night they were better than all right. They were terrific. I can easily imagine that many in the crowd, which probably averaged under 20 years of age and ranged down to 6 and 7 years of age, thought this was the best concert they'd ever seen. A fun. time.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Best Concerts of the 21st Century UPDATE October 2016
I vaguely remember seeing Zappa (about 5 times?), Springsteen, Steely Dan, Jethro Tull, Led Zeppelin. Those would be among the best concerts I've ever seen. But they were all 25 years ago or more. I may try to list the best concerts someday but it won't be easy.
Even the past 12 years is tough enough. But with memory at least a little fresher I'm going to give the best concerts of the 21st century a go. Most were seen in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, unless otherwise noted.
NOTE: Edited September 2016.
1. Leonard Cohen, Orpheum, 2009. I've written about this elsewhere (a post titled Songs of Love and Hate).
2. The Mavericks, Minnesota State Fair, Summer 2012; and Pantages Theatre, 2014. A great, great live show featuring Raul Malo's amazing vocals. But more than that, this is a crack band with a clever lead guitarist in Eddie Gomez and a great little (2-man) horn section.
3. Rufus Wainwright, Orpheum, 2008. Charismatic, with strong vocals and a piano that filled the auditorium as surely as a full band. Opened with "The Art Teacher." In other words, tossed off his best song as if it were but an hors d'oeuvre.
4. Zappa Plays Zappa, Orpheum, 2006. The video, though not shot in Minneapolis, documents what we saw, which was nothing less than spectacularly wonderful.
5. Dracula, Philip Glass and the Kronos Quartet, 2000. This was on Halloween night with Glass and Kronos playing live accompaniment to the 1930s version of the film.
6. Rufus Wainwright, Minnesota Zoo, Summer 2012. Actually there's a separate review of this.
7. Iris DeMent, Cedar Cultural Center, 2013. On the heels of Sing the Delta, her 1st record of new material in 16 years, an older Iris. Didn't hit the high notes so hard, but still rips out every ounce of emotion from what are already very emotional songs. Still electrifying.
8. Blood on the Tracks, Orpheum, 2004. A bunch of Minneapolis session men (Billy Berg, Greg Inhofer, Jimmy Johnson, Cris Webber and others) played on Dylan's Blood on the Tracks without credit. Here they reunited with a variety of guest vocalists to recreate each song from that terrific record.
9. Sarah Borges, The Turf Club, 2007. We were among a dozen or so people to catch the show but Borges just totally ripped it up as if playing before tens of thousands. Fabulous.
10. Natalie MacMaster, Cambridge Center for the Performing Arts, 2005. Great fiddler, great entertainer, great show.
11. Auto Body Experience, here and there, 2007-2012. Since discovering this Twin Cities band in 2007, we have now seen them at least 8 times, maybe more. True originals.
12. Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra, 2016. At Chicago's Millennium Park. There's a separate review of 2016 concerts.
13. The Mavericks, 2015. Pantages Theater, Minneapolis.
14. Marty Stuart, 2016. At the Minnesota State Fair.
15. Jeff Beck, Orpheum, 2009(?). I had forgotten about this one. It was great and also a little disappointing. He blew me away so totally with his set on Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Fest, this wasn't quite that great. No Vinnie Colauita, no Tal Wilkenfeld, for 2 reasons. Still it was very much worth seeing. Hey, I saw Jeff Beck!
16. Vince Gill, Paramount Theatre, Cedar Rapids, IA, 2016. I had forgotten how poppy his big hits were but since his singles run appears to be over, he's been more free to sing more traditional types of songs--both actual chestnuts and originals with that old-time, George Jones-type of feel. This had its high points, to be sure, but overall it was too much pop and not enough old-time country music.
17. Alison Krauss, O'Shaghnessy Auditorium, 2000. We've seen her maybe 3 times, this was just the most recent, and we expect to see her later in 2012. Great vocalist, of course, but what stands out even more is this incredible band of hers including the great Jerry Douglas.
18. Hem, Varsity Theater, 2006. Great songs, nice singer in Sally Elkyson, a little laid back.
19. Los Lobos, Minnesota Zoo, 2012. Los Lobos played too briefly and did not play anything from Will the Wolf Survive.
20. Tift Merritt, Fine Line, 2005. Great songwriter, excellent singer.
21. Mark Knopfler, Orpheum, 2001. Great great artist.
22. fun. Roy Wilkins Auditorium, January 2013, at their peak, a few weeks before their appearance on the Grammies. And they were fun.
23. Roger Waters, Xcel Energy Center, 2007. I dunno, a creature of another time.
24. New Standards Holiday Show, 2015.
25. Richard Thompson and Bonnie Raitt, 2016. At Ravinia Park near Chicago.
26. Bill Frisell, Cedar Cultural Center, 2000. Trio with Tony Scherer and Kenny Wolleson, I think.
27. Robben Ford, Mears Park, 2013. Great showman, great guitarist, surprisingly good vocals.
28. The Butanes, Shaw's Bar, Minneapolis, 2014. A local 4-piece band with a Hammond B3 and Leslie speaker. A great blues band who did Booker T's "Time Is Tight" better than Booker T did it a year-and-a-half later. Then they brought up the great Twin Cities vocalist Maurice Jacox who totally knocked "When Something Is Wrong With My Baby" out of the park.
28. Aimee Mann. We've seen her twice and, frankly, she's not a great live performer. She seems uncomfortable on stage. But great voice, great songs, great career.
29. Alison Krauss with Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas, Biltmore, Asheville, NC, Summer 2012.
30. The Gourds, Cedar Cultural Center, 2012. Overshadowed the guy we went to see, James McMurtry. Great energetic show, very entertaining.
31. Polka Floyd, Octoberfest, downtown Toledo, OH, September 2013. Pink Floyd cover/tribute band with more schtick than you can shake a...well, never mind. They play 'em polka style. Very highly recommended.
32. Zappa Plays Zappa, First Avenue. Maybe 2009? Way funkier than the 2006 show.
33. The New Standards, Mears Park, Summer 2014; Paradise Center for the Arts, Faribault, MN, winter 2015. A fiendishly original and clever band consisting of just acoustic piano, vibraphone and stand-up bass. Great covers of rock "standards."
34. Pat Donahue, The Fitzgerald Theater, 2007.
35. Benny Golson, Chicago, 2016. Legendary jazz saxophone.
36. Steve Earle, Minnesota Zoo, 2012. I love Steve Earle but it was 95 degrees and just not a great setting.
37. Blood on the Tracks, 2013 and 2015 (?). Local Twin Cities musicians paying tribute to Bob Dylan.
38. Booker T. and the MGs, 2016, Mears Park.
39. Michael Nesmith, Fitzgerald Theater, 2013. Not great, but solid. The guy has had more of a career than you think.
40. C.J. Chenier, Mears Park, St. Paul, 2013. OK, it was rainin' and it was freezin' cold. These guys would rate higher under better circumstances. But seriously, you could hear that there was something special goin' on.
41. James McMurtry, 400 Bar, 2008; Cedar Cultural Center, 2012. A little disappointing.
42. Wilco, Orpheum, 2002. Disappointing.
43. Buckwheat Zydeco, 2014, Minnesota State Fair. Totally disappointing.
44. Jolie Holland, Varsity Theater, 2007. Totally underwhelming compared to her great record, Springtime Can Kill You.
45. Halloween Alaska, 400 Bar, 2007. Very disappointing.
46. The Shins, Orpheum Theater, 2012. Very disappointing.
Even the past 12 years is tough enough. But with memory at least a little fresher I'm going to give the best concerts of the 21st century a go. Most were seen in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, unless otherwise noted.
NOTE: Edited September 2016.
1. Leonard Cohen, Orpheum, 2009. I've written about this elsewhere (a post titled Songs of Love and Hate).
2. The Mavericks, Minnesota State Fair, Summer 2012; and Pantages Theatre, 2014. A great, great live show featuring Raul Malo's amazing vocals. But more than that, this is a crack band with a clever lead guitarist in Eddie Gomez and a great little (2-man) horn section.
4. Zappa Plays Zappa, Orpheum, 2006. The video, though not shot in Minneapolis, documents what we saw, which was nothing less than spectacularly wonderful.
5. Dracula, Philip Glass and the Kronos Quartet, 2000. This was on Halloween night with Glass and Kronos playing live accompaniment to the 1930s version of the film.
6. Rufus Wainwright, Minnesota Zoo, Summer 2012. Actually there's a separate review of this.
7. Iris DeMent, Cedar Cultural Center, 2013. On the heels of Sing the Delta, her 1st record of new material in 16 years, an older Iris. Didn't hit the high notes so hard, but still rips out every ounce of emotion from what are already very emotional songs. Still electrifying.
8. Blood on the Tracks, Orpheum, 2004. A bunch of Minneapolis session men (Billy Berg, Greg Inhofer, Jimmy Johnson, Cris Webber and others) played on Dylan's Blood on the Tracks without credit. Here they reunited with a variety of guest vocalists to recreate each song from that terrific record.
9. Sarah Borges, The Turf Club, 2007. We were among a dozen or so people to catch the show but Borges just totally ripped it up as if playing before tens of thousands. Fabulous.
10. Natalie MacMaster, Cambridge Center for the Performing Arts, 2005. Great fiddler, great entertainer, great show.
11. Auto Body Experience, here and there, 2007-2012. Since discovering this Twin Cities band in 2007, we have now seen them at least 8 times, maybe more. True originals.
12. Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra, 2016. At Chicago's Millennium Park. There's a separate review of 2016 concerts.
13. The Mavericks, 2015. Pantages Theater, Minneapolis.
14. Marty Stuart, 2016. At the Minnesota State Fair.
15. Jeff Beck, Orpheum, 2009(?). I had forgotten about this one. It was great and also a little disappointing. He blew me away so totally with his set on Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Fest, this wasn't quite that great. No Vinnie Colauita, no Tal Wilkenfeld, for 2 reasons. Still it was very much worth seeing. Hey, I saw Jeff Beck!
16. Vince Gill, Paramount Theatre, Cedar Rapids, IA, 2016. I had forgotten how poppy his big hits were but since his singles run appears to be over, he's been more free to sing more traditional types of songs--both actual chestnuts and originals with that old-time, George Jones-type of feel. This had its high points, to be sure, but overall it was too much pop and not enough old-time country music.
17. Alison Krauss, O'Shaghnessy Auditorium, 2000. We've seen her maybe 3 times, this was just the most recent, and we expect to see her later in 2012. Great vocalist, of course, but what stands out even more is this incredible band of hers including the great Jerry Douglas.
18. Hem, Varsity Theater, 2006. Great songs, nice singer in Sally Elkyson, a little laid back.
19. Los Lobos, Minnesota Zoo, 2012. Los Lobos played too briefly and did not play anything from Will the Wolf Survive.
20. Tift Merritt, Fine Line, 2005. Great songwriter, excellent singer.
21. Mark Knopfler, Orpheum, 2001. Great great artist.
22. fun. Roy Wilkins Auditorium, January 2013, at their peak, a few weeks before their appearance on the Grammies. And they were fun.
23. Roger Waters, Xcel Energy Center, 2007. I dunno, a creature of another time.
25. Richard Thompson and Bonnie Raitt, 2016. At Ravinia Park near Chicago.
26. Bill Frisell, Cedar Cultural Center, 2000. Trio with Tony Scherer and Kenny Wolleson, I think.
28. The Butanes, Shaw's Bar, Minneapolis, 2014. A local 4-piece band with a Hammond B3 and Leslie speaker. A great blues band who did Booker T's "Time Is Tight" better than Booker T did it a year-and-a-half later. Then they brought up the great Twin Cities vocalist Maurice Jacox who totally knocked "When Something Is Wrong With My Baby" out of the park.
28. Aimee Mann. We've seen her twice and, frankly, she's not a great live performer. She seems uncomfortable on stage. But great voice, great songs, great career.
29. Alison Krauss with Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas, Biltmore, Asheville, NC, Summer 2012.
30. The Gourds, Cedar Cultural Center, 2012. Overshadowed the guy we went to see, James McMurtry. Great energetic show, very entertaining.
31. Polka Floyd, Octoberfest, downtown Toledo, OH, September 2013. Pink Floyd cover/tribute band with more schtick than you can shake a...well, never mind. They play 'em polka style. Very highly recommended.
32. Zappa Plays Zappa, First Avenue. Maybe 2009? Way funkier than the 2006 show.
33. The New Standards, Mears Park, Summer 2014; Paradise Center for the Arts, Faribault, MN, winter 2015. A fiendishly original and clever band consisting of just acoustic piano, vibraphone and stand-up bass. Great covers of rock "standards."
34. Pat Donahue, The Fitzgerald Theater, 2007.
35. Benny Golson, Chicago, 2016. Legendary jazz saxophone.
36. Steve Earle, Minnesota Zoo, 2012. I love Steve Earle but it was 95 degrees and just not a great setting.
37. Blood on the Tracks, 2013 and 2015 (?). Local Twin Cities musicians paying tribute to Bob Dylan.
38. Booker T. and the MGs, 2016, Mears Park.
39. Michael Nesmith, Fitzgerald Theater, 2013. Not great, but solid. The guy has had more of a career than you think.
40. C.J. Chenier, Mears Park, St. Paul, 2013. OK, it was rainin' and it was freezin' cold. These guys would rate higher under better circumstances. But seriously, you could hear that there was something special goin' on.
41. James McMurtry, 400 Bar, 2008; Cedar Cultural Center, 2012. A little disappointing.
42. Wilco, Orpheum, 2002. Disappointing.
43. Buckwheat Zydeco, 2014, Minnesota State Fair. Totally disappointing.
44. Jolie Holland, Varsity Theater, 2007. Totally underwhelming compared to her great record, Springtime Can Kill You.
45. Halloween Alaska, 400 Bar, 2007. Very disappointing.
46. The Shins, Orpheum Theater, 2012. Very disappointing.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Fun and The Lumineers: One is Record of the Year, but Which One?
Some Nights by Fun was released in February 2012; The Lumineers about a month later. Yet, somehow I managed to remain oblivious to them until recently when they started popping up on a good many Best of 2012 lists and the like--enough of 'em that I decided I should hear what they sound like.
And, indeed, I now know that one of them is Album of the Year. I just can't decide which one.
The two records sound nothing alike. Fun are pop-rockers whose signature is massive vocal harmonies (think "Bohemian Rhapsody") over pounding drums, with everything else mixed deep into the background. Along with Queen, there are hints of Broadway show tunes and of the Beach Boys and...well, of lots and lots of other influences. They're electric, they're eclectic, they're in fact quite unique, and it all works thanks to catchy melodies and terrific singing by Nate Reuss and the whole band. They sound like they're having, er, fun, until you listen to the lyrics.
The Lumineers, meanwhile, are folkie-rockers, Americana artists, Appalachians, as acoustic as Fun is electric. And singer Wesley Schultz is as laconic as Reuss is loud and intense and showy. (Think Mumford & Sons, only better and, well, American.) The angst is right there on the surface.
The two bands could not sound more different and yet both build on a similar foundation, and that is simplicity. The Lumineers, of course, carry simplicity throughout. "Anyone who can play an instrument can play a Lumineers song," says multi-instrumentalist Jeremiah Fraites. Fun? Not so much. But both bands begin with short, simple, even minimalist, but catchy-as-hell vocal melodies. Fun layers the sound on top, creating an anthemic, arena-rock sound. (Credits for Some Nights include 55 musicians in addition to the 3 official band members, Reuss, Jack Antonoff and Andrew Dost.)
The Lumineers just let the vocal lines unfold. In addition to the 3 official band members--Schultz, Fraites and multi-instrumentalist Neyla Pekarek--"their Friends" are credited with group vocals, hand claps and stomps on "The Big Parade."No orchestra, no chorus, just the pure, unvarnished truth.
But, again, the bands have all of those "Best of" lists in common, too, and on December 5 both were Grammy-nominated--Fun 6 times and the Lumineers twice. They'll square off in the category of Best New Artist, also against Alabama Shakes, Hunter Hayes and Frank Ocean. Both are up for Album of the Year awards, and here both could be winners. Fun is nominated in the general or overall category, where they face the Black Keys, Mumford, Ocean and Jack White. The Lumineers are in the Americana category along with the Avett Brothers, John Fulbright, Mumford and Bonnie Raitt.
(Wait a minute! Mumford & Sons was nominated in the Americana category? WTF? But I digress.)
Fun
The difference is that Fun's single "We Are Young" was nominated for Record, Song and Group Performance, while no individual song from the Lumineers was recognized. "We Are Young" spent 6 weeks atop the Billboard pop charts, while the 2nd single, "Some Nights," topped out at #3, also spending 6 weeks at that position. But let's be honest. "Some Nights" is a better song. "We Are Young" features a slower, some (OK, I) might say, ponderous, rhythm, whereas "Some Nights" soars.
But "Out on the Town" is the best song on Some Nights. It's a break-up song:
"I set all my regrets on fire/Cause I know I'll never take the time/To unpack my missteps/Or call all of our friends/I figured they would take your side.... I make the bed/just not that well/Your name comes up a lot/When I talk to my mom/Oh I think she can tell."
For a band named Fun, there's a lot of loneliness and angst and doubt and uncertainty and regret here, but it's buried deep beneath the jaunty rhythms and boisterous singing. They're just pretending that everything is "All Alright," but in reality, "I got nothin' left inside of my chest (but it's all alright)."In "Some Nights," Reuss sings "I still wake up, I still see your ghost." Then there's, "I feel so all alone/No one's gonna fix me when I'm broke."
But getting back to "Out on the Town," well, it's simpler--guitar, keyboards, vocal--with less bravado and more vulnerability, it's more human, more approachable, more like the Lumineers. Not so much veneer.
And yet, it's that veneer and that bravado that make Fun Fun. But a little break is nice, too.
The Lumineers
No bravado, no veneer, just the pure unvarnished truth. "Ho Hey" made #1 on the U.S. alt and rock charts (only #8 on the pop charts, where Fun lives.) The musical accompaniment sounds like just one guitar, or maybe there's a ukelele, too, here and there, plus the continuous chant of "Ho Hey Ho Hey...."
"(Ho) I don't think you're right for him/(Hey) Think of what it might have been."
On the second single, "Stubborn Love," Schultz sings, "She'll lie and steal and cheat, and beg you from her knees/Make you think she means it this time/She'll tear a hole in you, the one you can't repair/But I still love her I don't really care."
But while The Lumineers have charted 7 songs from their eponymous 1st LP, like Fun, they have yet to chart their very best tune, "The Big Parade." It's 5-and-a half minutes of jaunty, up-tempo folk-rock with hand claps and half-spoken lyrics, describing a "Big Parade" of failures--the political candidate, the fighter, the Catholic priest "in crisis, the rock 'n roll star with his one night stands: "All the girls with the room keys/They all know his words by heart/By heart and they all sing."
But now the rock 'n roll star breaks the cycle, finding truth and love and happiness (and success): "Lovely girl, won't you stay/Won't you stay, stay with me/All my life I was blind/I was blind, but now I see.... Oh my my, oh hey hey/Here she comes, my saving grace."
Amongst all the Appalachian angst, a ray of hope.
But in the end, only time will tell whose vocal melodies remain catchy and engaging longer, who stands the test of time--Fun, or the Lumineers? But, for now, both are just hopelessly engaging. One is the Record of the Year. It might be some time before I figure out which one.
And, indeed, I now know that one of them is Album of the Year. I just can't decide which one.
The two records sound nothing alike. Fun are pop-rockers whose signature is massive vocal harmonies (think "Bohemian Rhapsody") over pounding drums, with everything else mixed deep into the background. Along with Queen, there are hints of Broadway show tunes and of the Beach Boys and...well, of lots and lots of other influences. They're electric, they're eclectic, they're in fact quite unique, and it all works thanks to catchy melodies and terrific singing by Nate Reuss and the whole band. They sound like they're having, er, fun, until you listen to the lyrics.
The Lumineers, meanwhile, are folkie-rockers, Americana artists, Appalachians, as acoustic as Fun is electric. And singer Wesley Schultz is as laconic as Reuss is loud and intense and showy. (Think Mumford & Sons, only better and, well, American.) The angst is right there on the surface.
The two bands could not sound more different and yet both build on a similar foundation, and that is simplicity. The Lumineers, of course, carry simplicity throughout. "Anyone who can play an instrument can play a Lumineers song," says multi-instrumentalist Jeremiah Fraites. Fun? Not so much. But both bands begin with short, simple, even minimalist, but catchy-as-hell vocal melodies. Fun layers the sound on top, creating an anthemic, arena-rock sound. (Credits for Some Nights include 55 musicians in addition to the 3 official band members, Reuss, Jack Antonoff and Andrew Dost.)
The Lumineers just let the vocal lines unfold. In addition to the 3 official band members--Schultz, Fraites and multi-instrumentalist Neyla Pekarek--"their Friends" are credited with group vocals, hand claps and stomps on "The Big Parade."No orchestra, no chorus, just the pure, unvarnished truth.
But, again, the bands have all of those "Best of" lists in common, too, and on December 5 both were Grammy-nominated--Fun 6 times and the Lumineers twice. They'll square off in the category of Best New Artist, also against Alabama Shakes, Hunter Hayes and Frank Ocean. Both are up for Album of the Year awards, and here both could be winners. Fun is nominated in the general or overall category, where they face the Black Keys, Mumford, Ocean and Jack White. The Lumineers are in the Americana category along with the Avett Brothers, John Fulbright, Mumford and Bonnie Raitt.
(Wait a minute! Mumford & Sons was nominated in the Americana category? WTF? But I digress.)
Fun
The difference is that Fun's single "We Are Young" was nominated for Record, Song and Group Performance, while no individual song from the Lumineers was recognized. "We Are Young" spent 6 weeks atop the Billboard pop charts, while the 2nd single, "Some Nights," topped out at #3, also spending 6 weeks at that position. But let's be honest. "Some Nights" is a better song. "We Are Young" features a slower, some (OK, I) might say, ponderous, rhythm, whereas "Some Nights" soars.
But "Out on the Town" is the best song on Some Nights. It's a break-up song:
"I set all my regrets on fire/Cause I know I'll never take the time/To unpack my missteps/Or call all of our friends/I figured they would take your side.... I make the bed/just not that well/Your name comes up a lot/When I talk to my mom/Oh I think she can tell."
For a band named Fun, there's a lot of loneliness and angst and doubt and uncertainty and regret here, but it's buried deep beneath the jaunty rhythms and boisterous singing. They're just pretending that everything is "All Alright," but in reality, "I got nothin' left inside of my chest (but it's all alright)."In "Some Nights," Reuss sings "I still wake up, I still see your ghost." Then there's, "I feel so all alone/No one's gonna fix me when I'm broke."
But getting back to "Out on the Town," well, it's simpler--guitar, keyboards, vocal--with less bravado and more vulnerability, it's more human, more approachable, more like the Lumineers. Not so much veneer.
And yet, it's that veneer and that bravado that make Fun Fun. But a little break is nice, too.
The Lumineers
No bravado, no veneer, just the pure unvarnished truth. "Ho Hey" made #1 on the U.S. alt and rock charts (only #8 on the pop charts, where Fun lives.) The musical accompaniment sounds like just one guitar, or maybe there's a ukelele, too, here and there, plus the continuous chant of "Ho Hey Ho Hey...."
"(Ho) I don't think you're right for him/(Hey) Think of what it might have been."
On the second single, "Stubborn Love," Schultz sings, "She'll lie and steal and cheat, and beg you from her knees/Make you think she means it this time/She'll tear a hole in you, the one you can't repair/But I still love her I don't really care."
But while The Lumineers have charted 7 songs from their eponymous 1st LP, like Fun, they have yet to chart their very best tune, "The Big Parade." It's 5-and-a half minutes of jaunty, up-tempo folk-rock with hand claps and half-spoken lyrics, describing a "Big Parade" of failures--the political candidate, the fighter, the Catholic priest "in crisis, the rock 'n roll star with his one night stands: "All the girls with the room keys/They all know his words by heart/By heart and they all sing."
But now the rock 'n roll star breaks the cycle, finding truth and love and happiness (and success): "Lovely girl, won't you stay/Won't you stay, stay with me/All my life I was blind/I was blind, but now I see.... Oh my my, oh hey hey/Here she comes, my saving grace."
Amongst all the Appalachian angst, a ray of hope.
But in the end, only time will tell whose vocal melodies remain catchy and engaging longer, who stands the test of time--Fun, or the Lumineers? But, for now, both are just hopelessly engaging. One is the Record of the Year. It might be some time before I figure out which one.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Best Rock 'n Roll Band in the World
No, this is not an article about the Rolling Stones.
In fact, I was never a big Stones fan. I mean, I loved "Satisfaction" and a lot of their early blues-based stuff, and I loved Beggar's Banquet and Let It Bleed as much as the next guy. And, yeah, they played with a lot of energy live.
But they were never the best rock 'n roll band in the world. Well, wait, yes, they were the best rock 'n roll band in the world in 1970 and again in 1978.
But, initially there was the Beatles, and I was always a Beatles guy. And in between there--between 1969 and 1978, there was Jethro Tull and Pink Floyd and the Allman Brothers and Led Zeppelin and Steely Dan. I mean, there were a lot of great bands in those days. And the Stones, well, they were good but in a live setting they surely had nothin' on Bruce Springsteen.
Speaking of which, Bruce and the E Street Band is not on this list--they're not a band, they're a guy with backing. Sorry. That's how I see it. Otherwise they would be about #2 or #3.
Top 5 Bands (or thereabouts) Each Year
1963--Beach Boys
1964--Beatles, Beach Boys, Rolling Stones
1965--Beatles, Beach Boys, Byrds, Rolling Stones, Butterfield Blues Band
1966--Beatles, Beach Boys, Byrds, Rolling Stones, Butterfield Blues Band
1967--Beatles, Doors, Byrds, Rolling Stones, Procol Harum
1968--Beatles, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Rolling Stones, Doors, Byrds
1969--Beatles, Rolling Stones, Cream, Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, The Band
1970--Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, King Crimson, Allman Brothers, Jethro Tull
1971--Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, Jethro Tull, Youngbloods
1972--Allman Brothers, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Mark-Almond, Rolling Stones
1973--Pink Floyd, Steely Dan, Mark-Almond, Jethro Tull, Allman Brothers
1974--Yes, Steely Dan, Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, Jethro Tull
1975--Steely Dan, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Doobie Brothers, Rolling Stones
1976--Orleans, Rolling Stones, Eagles, Doobie Brothers, Pink Floyd
1977--Lynyrd Skynyrd, Little Feat, Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac
1978--Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Supertramp, Poco. Passport
1979--Pink Floyd, Talking Heads, Dire Straits, Bad Company, Supertramp
1980--Pink Floyd, Dire Straits, Pat Metheny Group, Talking Heads, Electric Light Orchestra
1981--Talking Heads, Dire Straits, Electric Light Orchestra, Pink Floyd, Pat Metheny Group
1982--Dire Straits, Pat Metheny Group, Talking Heads, Genesis, Jethro Tull
1983--Dire Straits, Los Lobos, Pat Metheny Group, Talking Heads, Pink Floyd
1984--Talking Heads, Los Lobos, Dire Straits
1985--Dire Straits, Talking Heads, Level 42, Los Lobos
1986--Los Lobos, BoDeans, Talking Heads, Dire Straits, UB40
1987--U2, Crowded House, Talking Heads, Dire Straits, Squeeze
1988--REM, Talking Heads, Til Tuesday, Crowded House, New Grass Revival
1989--Los Lobos, Dire Straits, Waterboys, Cowboy Junkies, 10,000 Maniacs
1990--Los Lobos, NRBQ, Gipsy Kings, Cowboy Junkies, Dire Straits
1991--Dire Straits, Los Lobos, Crowded House, Gipsy Kings
1992--Spin Doctors, Little Village, Los Lobos, Jayhawks, Sundays
1993--Los Lobos, Spin Doctors, Asleep at the Wheel, Flim & the BBs, Neville Brothers
1994--Los Lobos, Spin Doctors, Asleep at the Wheel, Freddy Jones Band, Sundays
1995--Wilco, del amitri, Dave Matthews Band, Los Lobos, Chieftans
1996--Wilco, Oasis, Subdudes, Chieftans, Gipsy Kings
1997--Radiohead, Wilco, Whiskeytown, Wallflowers, Chieftans
1998--Wilco, Los Lobos, Chieftans, Ed Palermo Big Band, Asleep at the Wheel
1999--Wilco, Los Lobos, Asleep at the Wheel, Whiskeytown, Wallflowers
2000--Wilco, Jayhawks, Los Lobos, Wallflowers, Radiohead
2001--Travis, Whiskeytown, Wallflowers, Wilco, Los Lobos
2002--Wilco, Los Lobos, Radiohead, Super Furry Animals
2003--Flaming Lips, Hem, Ween, Wilco, Los Lobos
2004--Arcade Fire, Zero7, Hem, Los Lobos, Black Keys
2005--Bright Eyes, Spoon, Fountains of Wayne, Hem, Wilco
2006--Halloween Alaska, Arcade Fire, Zero7, Bright Eyes, Hem
2007--Arcade Fire, Shins, Spoon, Black Keys, Kings of Leon
2008--Zappa Plays Zappa, Arcade Fire, Radiohead, Zero7, Nomo
2009--Hold Steady, Kings of Leon, Arcade Fire, Zero7, Black Keys
2010--Arcade Fire, The National, Mumford and Son, Black Keys, Hold Steady
2011--Black Keys, Wilco, Arcade Fire, The National, Kings of Leon
2012--Calexico, Black Keys, Lumineers, fun., Los Lobos
2013--Vampire Weekend, Black Keys, Mavericks, Dawes, The National
2014--New Standards, Hold Steady, High 48s, Communist Daughter, The Butanes
2015--Mavericks, Black Keys, New Standards, Calexico, High 48s
Best Rock 'n Roll Bands of All-Time
1. The Beatles
2. Pink Floyd
3. Dire Straits
4. Beach Boys
5. Arcade Fire
6. Jethro Tull
7. Talking Heads
8. Los Lobos
9. Rolling Stones
10. Radiohead
11. Wilco
12. Led Zeppelin
13. Steely Dan
14. The Doors
15. Allman Brothers Band
16. Black Keys
17. Byrds
18. Orleans
19. Pat Metheny Group
20. Jimi Hendrix Experience
21. Yes
22. Asleep at the Wheel
23. Hold Steady
24. Spin Doctors
25. Zero7
26. Hem
27. U2
28. The Mavericks
29. Mark-Almond
30. Crowded House
31. Travis
32. New Standards
33. REM
34. Lynyrd Skynyrd
35. Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac
36. Little Feat
37. Procol Harum
38. Kings of Leon
39. The Band
40. Zappa Plays Zappa
41. Calexico
42. The Shins
43. King Crimson
44. Vampire Weekend
45. Genesis
46. Eagles
47. Cream
48. Doobie Brothers
49. Paul Butterfield Blues Band
50. Youngbloods
51. New Grass Revival
52. ELO
53. The National
54. Waterboys
Among bands listed in the 1960s I saw the Beach Boys, the Stones and The Band live.
1970s--I never saw King Crimson, the Youngbloods, Orleans, Eagles, Poco, Passport, Bad Company and Supertramp. I saw everybody else. The Stones did put on the best show, but Steely Dan was right up there.
1980s--I saw Dire Straits, Pink Floyd, Pat Metheny Group, Tull, Los Lobos, Crowded House, Cowboy Junkies. Jethro Tull put on the best show, even Pink Floyd was not close.
1990s--I saw Los Lobos, Dire Straits, Cowboy Junkies, NRBQ, Crowded House, Little Village, Jayhawks, Asleep at the Wheel, Wilco, Wallflowers. The best show was not Crowded House but rather Neil and Tim Finn, but it was with the rest of the Crowded House band. Then there was Little Village with Ry Cooder and John Hiatt (and Nick Lowe and Jim Keltner), but no way was that a "working band."
21C-- I saw Wilco, Jayhawks, Wallflowers, Los Lobos, Hem, Bright Eyes, Halloween Alaska, Shins. None of 'em was great live. Then again, take a look at YouTube: Arcade Fire and Radiohead just kick ass. But I haven't seen a really great live rock 'n roll show since, well, Dire Straits back in the late '80s and early '90s.
Best Live Concerts (Rock 'n Roll Bands)
1. Jethro Tull
2. Led Zeppelin
3. Rolling Stones
4. Yes
5. Steely Dan
6. Allman Brothers
7. Dire Straits
8. Pink Floyd
9. Zappa Plays Zappa
10. The Band
11. Mark-Almond
12. Pat Metheny Group
In fact, I was never a big Stones fan. I mean, I loved "Satisfaction" and a lot of their early blues-based stuff, and I loved Beggar's Banquet and Let It Bleed as much as the next guy. And, yeah, they played with a lot of energy live.
But they were never the best rock 'n roll band in the world. Well, wait, yes, they were the best rock 'n roll band in the world in 1970 and again in 1978.
But, initially there was the Beatles, and I was always a Beatles guy. And in between there--between 1969 and 1978, there was Jethro Tull and Pink Floyd and the Allman Brothers and Led Zeppelin and Steely Dan. I mean, there were a lot of great bands in those days. And the Stones, well, they were good but in a live setting they surely had nothin' on Bruce Springsteen.
Speaking of which, Bruce and the E Street Band is not on this list--they're not a band, they're a guy with backing. Sorry. That's how I see it. Otherwise they would be about #2 or #3.
Top 5 Bands (or thereabouts) Each Year
1963--Beach Boys
1964--Beatles, Beach Boys, Rolling Stones
1965--Beatles, Beach Boys, Byrds, Rolling Stones, Butterfield Blues Band
1966--Beatles, Beach Boys, Byrds, Rolling Stones, Butterfield Blues Band
1967--Beatles, Doors, Byrds, Rolling Stones, Procol Harum
1968--Beatles, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Rolling Stones, Doors, Byrds
1969--Beatles, Rolling Stones, Cream, Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, The Band
1970--Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, King Crimson, Allman Brothers, Jethro Tull
1971--Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, Jethro Tull, Youngbloods
1972--Allman Brothers, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Mark-Almond, Rolling Stones
1973--Pink Floyd, Steely Dan, Mark-Almond, Jethro Tull, Allman Brothers
1974--Yes, Steely Dan, Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, Jethro Tull
1975--Steely Dan, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Doobie Brothers, Rolling Stones
1976--Orleans, Rolling Stones, Eagles, Doobie Brothers, Pink Floyd
1977--Lynyrd Skynyrd, Little Feat, Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac
1978--Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Supertramp, Poco. Passport
1979--Pink Floyd, Talking Heads, Dire Straits, Bad Company, Supertramp
1980--Pink Floyd, Dire Straits, Pat Metheny Group, Talking Heads, Electric Light Orchestra
1981--Talking Heads, Dire Straits, Electric Light Orchestra, Pink Floyd, Pat Metheny Group
1982--Dire Straits, Pat Metheny Group, Talking Heads, Genesis, Jethro Tull
1983--Dire Straits, Los Lobos, Pat Metheny Group, Talking Heads, Pink Floyd
1984--Talking Heads, Los Lobos, Dire Straits
1985--Dire Straits, Talking Heads, Level 42, Los Lobos
1986--Los Lobos, BoDeans, Talking Heads, Dire Straits, UB40
1987--U2, Crowded House, Talking Heads, Dire Straits, Squeeze
1988--REM, Talking Heads, Til Tuesday, Crowded House, New Grass Revival
1989--Los Lobos, Dire Straits, Waterboys, Cowboy Junkies, 10,000 Maniacs
1990--Los Lobos, NRBQ, Gipsy Kings, Cowboy Junkies, Dire Straits
1991--Dire Straits, Los Lobos, Crowded House, Gipsy Kings
1992--Spin Doctors, Little Village, Los Lobos, Jayhawks, Sundays
1993--Los Lobos, Spin Doctors, Asleep at the Wheel, Flim & the BBs, Neville Brothers
1994--Los Lobos, Spin Doctors, Asleep at the Wheel, Freddy Jones Band, Sundays
1995--Wilco, del amitri, Dave Matthews Band, Los Lobos, Chieftans
1996--Wilco, Oasis, Subdudes, Chieftans, Gipsy Kings
1997--Radiohead, Wilco, Whiskeytown, Wallflowers, Chieftans
1998--Wilco, Los Lobos, Chieftans, Ed Palermo Big Band, Asleep at the Wheel
1999--Wilco, Los Lobos, Asleep at the Wheel, Whiskeytown, Wallflowers
2000--Wilco, Jayhawks, Los Lobos, Wallflowers, Radiohead
2001--Travis, Whiskeytown, Wallflowers, Wilco, Los Lobos
2002--Wilco, Los Lobos, Radiohead, Super Furry Animals
2003--Flaming Lips, Hem, Ween, Wilco, Los Lobos
2004--Arcade Fire, Zero7, Hem, Los Lobos, Black Keys
2005--Bright Eyes, Spoon, Fountains of Wayne, Hem, Wilco
2006--Halloween Alaska, Arcade Fire, Zero7, Bright Eyes, Hem
2007--Arcade Fire, Shins, Spoon, Black Keys, Kings of Leon
2008--Zappa Plays Zappa, Arcade Fire, Radiohead, Zero7, Nomo
2009--Hold Steady, Kings of Leon, Arcade Fire, Zero7, Black Keys
2010--Arcade Fire, The National, Mumford and Son, Black Keys, Hold Steady
2011--Black Keys, Wilco, Arcade Fire, The National, Kings of Leon
2012--Calexico, Black Keys, Lumineers, fun., Los Lobos
2013--Vampire Weekend, Black Keys, Mavericks, Dawes, The National
2014--New Standards, Hold Steady, High 48s, Communist Daughter, The Butanes
2015--Mavericks, Black Keys, New Standards, Calexico, High 48s
Best Rock 'n Roll Bands of All-Time
1. The Beatles
2. Pink Floyd
3. Dire Straits
4. Beach Boys
5. Arcade Fire
6. Jethro Tull
7. Talking Heads
8. Los Lobos
9. Rolling Stones
10. Radiohead
11. Wilco
12. Led Zeppelin
13. Steely Dan
14. The Doors
15. Allman Brothers Band
16. Black Keys
17. Byrds
18. Orleans
19. Pat Metheny Group
20. Jimi Hendrix Experience
21. Yes
22. Asleep at the Wheel
23. Hold Steady
24. Spin Doctors
25. Zero7
26. Hem
27. U2
28. The Mavericks
29. Mark-Almond
30. Crowded House
31. Travis
32. New Standards
33. REM
34. Lynyrd Skynyrd
35. Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac
36. Little Feat
37. Procol Harum
38. Kings of Leon
39. The Band
40. Zappa Plays Zappa
41. Calexico
42. The Shins
43. King Crimson
44. Vampire Weekend
45. Genesis
46. Eagles
47. Cream
48. Doobie Brothers
49. Paul Butterfield Blues Band
50. Youngbloods
51. New Grass Revival
52. ELO
53. The National
54. Waterboys
Among bands listed in the 1960s I saw the Beach Boys, the Stones and The Band live.
1970s--I never saw King Crimson, the Youngbloods, Orleans, Eagles, Poco, Passport, Bad Company and Supertramp. I saw everybody else. The Stones did put on the best show, but Steely Dan was right up there.
1980s--I saw Dire Straits, Pink Floyd, Pat Metheny Group, Tull, Los Lobos, Crowded House, Cowboy Junkies. Jethro Tull put on the best show, even Pink Floyd was not close.
1990s--I saw Los Lobos, Dire Straits, Cowboy Junkies, NRBQ, Crowded House, Little Village, Jayhawks, Asleep at the Wheel, Wilco, Wallflowers. The best show was not Crowded House but rather Neil and Tim Finn, but it was with the rest of the Crowded House band. Then there was Little Village with Ry Cooder and John Hiatt (and Nick Lowe and Jim Keltner), but no way was that a "working band."
21C-- I saw Wilco, Jayhawks, Wallflowers, Los Lobos, Hem, Bright Eyes, Halloween Alaska, Shins. None of 'em was great live. Then again, take a look at YouTube: Arcade Fire and Radiohead just kick ass. But I haven't seen a really great live rock 'n roll show since, well, Dire Straits back in the late '80s and early '90s.
Best Live Concerts (Rock 'n Roll Bands)
1. Jethro Tull
2. Led Zeppelin
3. Rolling Stones
4. Yes
5. Steely Dan
6. Allman Brothers
7. Dire Straits
8. Pink Floyd
9. Zappa Plays Zappa
10. The Band
11. Mark-Almond
12. Pat Metheny Group
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