who is your greatest performer/band of all time

[russtafa]

my loves are Bonnie Tyler,Rod Stewart,Fats Domino,Undertones,Yazoo

[theone1982]

Pink Floyd-Metallica-Slayer-Iron Maiden-Judas Priest-Black Sabbath

[robertlouis]

The Band

[kaientai]

Bruce Springsteen,Queen and Metallica

[Prospero]

Has to be Bob Dylan

[LibertyHarkness]

Muse

[GroobySteven]

The Who/The Stones/The Beatles/Pink Floyd/Bob Dylan/Leonard Cohen/Tom Waits

[iamdrgonzo]

Janes Addiction, Roger Waters, Radio Head, Aretha Franklin

[Quiet Reflections]

nofx,the Adolescents ,rise against, anti-flag, bad religion,propaghandi, 311,pennywise, clapton,tom petty,dead Kennedys, Reagan youth,the MISFITS, AFI, Operation Ivy, Flogging Molly, 7 seconds, the pogues,New York Dolls, Minor Threat, Fugazi, Descendants, Dropkick Murphys,GWAR, Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Leftover Crack, strike anywhere,Blink 182, Gorilla Biscuits,rancid, The dead milkmen,against me,Pantera, Iron Maiden, Metallica, GG allin,Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix,peter tosh,jimmy cliff, marvin gaye,boys 2 men,keller williams,ocms, kentucky thunder, the Pixies,etc,etc,etc

[Yvonne183]

It's a tie between Mylie Cyrus and Donny Osmond

[bassman2546]

RUSH - hands down the most talented band ever!

[Corven Ren]

Well my music collection contains all kinds of music ranging from Vivaldi to Pantera. My all time favourite band is KISS.

[Prospero]

It's a tie between Mylie Cyrus and Donny Osmond

How old are you Yvonne? Cute!

[Stavros]

Of Rock the best performances I recall were:

1. Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention (London c1970-72 cant recall the precise date) --Zappa, musically was far superior to his contemporaries.

2. Cream -I saw Cream about four times between 1967 and 1968 when they split, in retrospect I think the sad truth is that it was really Clapton we went to see and hear, and the farewell concert in the Royal Albert Hall was a disappointment.

3. Pink Floyd -lets face it, they did themed 'shows' before anyone else, and were never disappointing musically.

Jazz
I saw Miles Davis in London with a band that included Wayne Shorter, Jack deJohnette and Joe Zawinal, but it was post-In A Silent Way and memorable for Miles wandering on and off stage -I don't think he was a live performer by that time.

Sonny Rollins -I saw him at Ronnie Scott's in London with the band that had the jazz bagpipes, but the drummer was out of this world -Rollins by this time was a spent force.

Rahsaan Roland Kirk -the most accomplished Jazz musician I ever saw or heard, I saw him I think twice, the second time he was at Ronnie Scott's to play for two hours (at least) without pausing for breath -he insisted it wasn't a stunt and it wasn't -awesome!

Classical
Luckily I have seen, of conductors: Klemperer, Karajan, Bohm, Kempe, Solti, Giulini, Abbado, Muti, Gergiev; of singers Fischer-Diskau, Schwarzkopf, Sutherland, Milnes, Pavarotti, Domingo, Carreras, and so on and so on.

Most of these from the days when I lived in London, which for me has probably the best year-round opportunity to experience live music of all genres and in different settings from intimate clubs to the grand concert hall. I know other cities are also culturally blessed, but for some reason its the breadth of music in London that makes it so compelling.

[LeatherTGirlLover]

Little Feat, Miles Davis, Bob Dylan (got me wanting to be a songwriter myself), XTC, Nirvana

[Prospero]

Stavros - a serious challenge then.. If its singularly great concerts we're talking about then I think I was at that same miles dvis concert. Bruce Springsteen in concert at Hammersmith Odeon the year Born To Run came out. A performance of Spem in Alium by Thomas tallis last year at the Cadogan Hall. The B Minor Mass at Kings College Chapel in Cambridge in the late 1970s. The Stones at Eel Pie island (when i as very young (and so were they) and Simon and Garfunkel in Hyde Park about ten years ago. Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald and oscar peterson (and joe pass) at the Barbican, Evan Chrisopher and Dick Hyman in New York, John Sebastian free concert in Battersea park, Pink Floyd at UFO, , And as Stavros says... and so on..

[tvkim]

Norman Brown... the best jazz guitarist ever!!

http://s2.postimage.org/nmwr484ej/0016e98f_medium.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/)


Oh and this guy was pretty good too!


http://s4.postimage.org/vf16ui07x/cock.png (http://www.postimage.org/)

[Stavros]

Prospero -It was the London Jazz Festival at the Hammersmith Apollo -I think it was 1971, but although I remember it I also recall being disappointed, perhaps Miles was better in a club, but his earlier quintet with McCoy Tyner, John Williams, Wayne Shorter and Ron Carter for me is his best period.

Kirk was such a great performer; but the greatest Jazz musician I have never seen is Ornette Coleman.

No Zappa fans here?

[kaientai]

Zappa was great i just don't get the lack of love for Bruce and the E street band around these parts ;-)

[hwbs]

not sure greatest of all time for me but cant wait to see my boys the Deftones next month...also love me some Morrissey

[amberskyi]

not sure greatest of all time for me but cant wait to see my boys the Deftones next month...also love me some Morrissey

im hating you right now.want a date? lol

[amberskyi]

YouTube - A Perfect Circle - 3 Libras (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9MAg9E5K3w)
YouTube - David Bowie and Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) Hurt live on the Outside Tour USA 1995 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L20KEdOaPng)

[bte]

Acid Bath

[Moogleman03]

My first concert was in 1977 (at age 11)... KISS at Madison Square Garden... great great show

Other live concerts that were great were Metallica in 85, Madonna in 90, Aerosmith in Germany in 93 and I really enjoyed the Black Eyed Peas last March... a lot of fun!

[morim]

Deep Purple!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Prospero]

Never saw Zappa. Admired him a lot but felt he lacked any real emotional content. Dexterous to the extreme and wickedly funny. But there was a part that was screwed on wrong somehow.

And there is passion for bruce here. A heroic performer.

But how can you number great concerts. Somehow they are often great when you're there. i recall seeing Beefheart and John Cale at Cambridge. magical cos it was in a tiny place.

[traLika]

My best gig memories: Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Pink Floyd, UK/Brand-X, Led Zeppelin, Frank Zappa (three times), Pat Metheny Group, Anthony Braxton, Ali Akbar Khan, Allan Holdsworth, Ivo Papasov & His Bulgarian Wedding Band (unbelievable gig!) and, um, loads of others I've completely forgotten about!

[Corven Ren]

I've only been to a handful of concerts in my time. Say Kiss on their Hot in the Shade tour. Which was the last tour Eric Carr performed on before he passed. I saw what was billed as the Clash of the Titans which was Slayer, Anthrax and Megadeth with Alice in Chains opening up. Then I saw Metallica when they were touring by themselves.I went to Lolapalooza 1 year when Pear
Jam, Soundgarden, Ice Cube and Red Hot Chili Peppers were there and the last concert I saw was Motley Crue during their Generation Swine tour.

[seamonkey]

Little Feat
Los Lobos
Goose Creek Symphony

[onmyknees]

Prospero -It was the London Jazz Festival at the Hammersmith Apollo -I think it was 1971, but although I remember it I also recall being disappointed, perhaps Miles was better in a club, but his earlier quintet with McCoy Tyner, John Williams, Wayne Shorter and Ron Carter for me is his best period.

Kirk was such a great performer; but the greatest Jazz musician I have never seen is Ornette Coleman.

No Zappa fans here?

Yes to Zappa...and the yellow snow. Truly talented, but his style wasn't condusive to mass popularity...which seemed to suit him ( and me) just fine. Blue Oyster Cult another very talented band, as was Deep Purple ( early) Clapton was not a great live performer...just my opinion but I always thought he had a touch of stage fright unless it was the smack ...

I saw Duane Allman with Albert King and it was blistering blues gutiar work. The Who were a very tight band for a very long time.

They're not for everybody...but in thier day...there was nowhere where the drugs were better than Dead shows !!

Stevie Ray Vaughan and Joe Satriani amoung the best ever, but if we're talking stricly about live performances ...there is no one who can and will play 4 hour shows with regularity like Springsteen. He's blown the roof off every venue ( large and small) that I've ever seen him.

[fred41]

YouTube - A Perfect Circle - 3 Libras (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9MAg9E5K3w)
YouTube - David Bowie and Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) Hurt live on the Outside Tour USA 1995 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L20KEdOaPng)

Ahhh yes....going to see Perfect Circle at the Hammerstein Ballroom in July.

[tsnajwa]

YouTube - A Perfect Circle - 3 Libras (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9MAg9E5K3w)
YouTube - David Bowie and Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) Hurt live on the Outside Tour USA 1995 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L20KEdOaPng)

omg amber you have amazing taste in music.. its like pure audible sex
xx

[savannah]

Widespread Panic is my top pick!!!!!!!!!!! the Greatful Dead is # 2.......... then well theirs everyone else.... 2 of the most spititual bands of all time......

[hwbs]

im hating you right now.want a date? lol


i actually didn't get tix in NYC cause the radio stations take them all...so settling to see in conn...i actually just printed the ticket the other day....bought them like 2 months ago...

[Stavros]

I could never get into The Grateful Dead, it did nothing for me, same for The Band (although the song The Weight is a classic) -I had an American friend who was at Madison who thought Robbie Robertson the 'best poet' [sic] in America (!).

I notice nobody (yet) has mentioned David Bowie who, along with Elton John has never done anything of interest to me. Clapton I think got to the point where his improvisation was bordering on Jazz, but I think he once complained that it got so cerebral the audience had no idea if what he was doing was any good. I guess the question is, has that quality of musicianship gone now?

Prospero -yes, just too many concerts to list, it would be boring for everyone except me.

[amberskyi]

Ahhh yes....going to see Perfect Circle at the Hammerstein Ballroom in July.

im sooo bad a keeping track of tour dates so i always miss out.my summer is going to be filled with seeing local bands play which is cool with me (better chances of fucking the musicians ;))

[maaarc]

Luciano Pavarotti
Jussi Bjorling
Jimi Hendrix
sly and the family stone
stan getz

best musical performance ever -
the subway kittens :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aD3y6DAeK_A

[amberskyi]

omg amber you have amazing taste in music.. its like pure audible sex
xx

i cant tell you how many times i got fucked a perfect circle or tool.a couple of times i pretended it was maynard fucking me...:jerkoff lol

[fred41]

im sooo bad a keeping track of tour dates so i always miss out.my summer is going to be filled with seeing local bands play which is cool with me (better chances of fucking the musicians ;))

if you don't mind tribute bands...this one's local and very good....and they play a lot: http://schismbandnyc.com/Home_Page.html

[Ben]

Who is the greatest performer??? Wow! Tough one.
What about: who has been the most impactful. Of course the usual array: The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Beach Boys etc.... And I'd argue Madonna. Obviously she has had an effect on music, on culture. Is she the greatest? That's debatable. Maybe we shouldn't even personalize. And just say: a whole variety of musicians are great.
But this vid/song did shake the culture up -- even though I can barely remember it. A bit young at the time:

YouTube - MADONNA Erotica HD (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQ0JXPSoNf4)

[theone1982]

Who is the greatest performer??? Wow! Tough one.
What about: who has been the most impactful. Of course the usual array: The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Beach Boys etc.... And I'd argue Madonna. Obviously she has had an effect on music, on culture. Is she the greatest? That's debatable. Maybe we shouldn't even personalize. And just say: a whole variety of musicians are great.
But this vid/song did shake the culture up -- even though I can barely remember it. A bit young at the time:

YouTube - MADONNA Erotica HD (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQ0JXPSoNf4)

I love that video!:cheers:

[Ben]

I love that video!:cheers:
That video was great. But this one was even greater -- :)

YouTube - madonna erotica (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DP0xZPEWNeI&feature=channel_video_title)

[Ben]

And of course with her gender bending and flirtations with lesbianism, well, she garners a lot of attention:

YouTube - Britney, Madonna, Christina - KISS!!! - HD (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01k-Jvy46Bw)

[onmyknees]

And of course with her gender bending and flirtations with lesbianism, well, she garners a lot of attention:

YouTube - Britney, Madonna, Christina - KISS!!! - HD (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01k-Jvy46Bw)


Ben you're a decent guy, but you're a one trick pony . No matter what the question...your answer is always "Madonna" ! LMAO

I think she's provocative...but wouldn't associate her with musicians.

Now we all like what we like, and that's cool...but I think the poster was more interested in the music not the shock effect of girl/girl kisses on stage..but I could be wrong.

[Yvonne183]

My real choices

Stranglers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFmGV_UY548

Joy Division

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHYOXyy1ToI

And my favorite Siouxsie with an added bonus of Robert Smith.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vltPrtmnA8c

[theone1982]

My real choices

Stranglers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFmGV_UY548

Joy Division

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHYOXyy1ToI

And my favorite Siouxsie with an added bonus of Robert Smith.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vltPrtmnA8c

Joy Division are great!:Bowdown: I really like this song.
YouTube - Joy Division - She's Lost Control (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVc29bYIvCM&feature=related)

[southern81]

OZZY/ Black Sabbath Greatest hard rock groups ever

[robertlouis]

Muse

Of the current crop, that's a damn fine call, Libby.

I'll call you and raise you PJ Harvey. :)

[robertlouis]

I could never get into The Grateful Dead, it did nothing for me, same for The Band (although the song The Weight is a classic) -I had an American friend who was at Madison who thought Robbie Robertson the 'best poet' [sic] in America (!).

I notice nobody (yet) has mentioned David Bowie who, along with Elton John has never done anything of interest to me. Clapton I think got to the point where his improvisation was bordering on Jazz, but I think he once complained that it got so cerebral the audience had no idea if what he was doing was any good. I guess the question is, has that quality of musicianship gone now?

Prospero -yes, just too many concerts to list, it would be boring for everyone except me.


I nominated The Band for several reasons - they changed the direction of music in the late 60's; they essentially invented the genre we now call Americana; there's never been a tighter quintet in rock or a better drummer than Levon Helm; and finally, Robbie Robertson wrote songs that speak to American history and the American experience in a way that few have done before or since. I'm a songwriter by trade and I know that I wouldn't be doing this now if I hadn't got into King Harvest, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down and Acadian Driftwood. The joke, of course, is that there was only ever one American in The Band (Levon) - all the others were Canadian.

[Quiet Reflections]

Prince and Janet Jackson put on great live shows

[theone1982]

Prince and Janet Jackson put on great live shows

I'm pretty sure Prince can't be very mobile anymore. He needs hip replacements, but won't get them because of religious reasons.

[Quiet Reflections]

I'm pretty sure Prince can't be very mobile anymore. He needs hip replacements, but won't get them because of religious reasons.
His live shows were still great before Crystal Ball

[Ben]

Ben you're a decent guy, but you're a one trick pony . No matter what the question...your answer is always "Madonna" ! LMAO

I think she's provocative...but wouldn't associate her with musicians.

Now we all like what we like, and that's cool...but I think the poster was more interested in the music not the shock effect of girl/girl kisses on stage..but I could be wrong.

My answer isn't always Madonna. Sometimes it's Britney -- ha! ha! ha!
But I take performer to mean, well, entertainer and something done on stage. (Is Madonna the greatest musician? No. Not by a long shot. I mean, well, for that you'd have to look far back at, say, Bach or Beethoven. To be really serious about it. But I'm not really into classical music. But one can understand the raw talent of Bach.) Great musicians extend to the likes of Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. I mean, bordering on genius. Um, John Lennon etc... But Madonna is a great entertainer. To me. It's all subjective, ain't it??? :)

[tsdvdman]

It's hard to narrow it down to just one...but here's a few whose music spans many generations

Tower of Power
Parliament/Funkadelic
and "The hardest working man in show business"

[Jackal]

One heck of a performance:


YouTube - Alizée - J'en Ai Marre (Live) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCz8R25hlFI)

[Yvonne183]

Love that video Jackal, here's some of my French favorites


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiWM5MwSMJk



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmwCAwaLSmc


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mseyVZ0JNOM

[onmyknees]

My answer isn't always Madonna. Sometimes it's Britney -- ha! ha! ha!
But I take performer to mean, well, entertainer and something done on stage. (Is Madonna the greatest musician? No. Not by a long shot. I mean, well, for that you'd have to look far back at, say, Bach or Beethoven. To be really serious about it. But I'm not really into classical music. But one can understand the raw talent of Bach.) Great musicians extend to the likes of Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. I mean, bordering on genius. Um, John Lennon etc... But Madonna is a great entertainer. To me. It's all subjective, ain't it??? :)


I suppose yes...it is all subjective. You're a hard guy to get annoyed with...trust me I've tried LMAO ! I'd like to drill Madonna in an Itilian villa for about 3 days straight, as long as we didn't play any of her music during the entire encounter ! So yes...she certainly could entertain me..but not musically.

BTW...this isn't my kind of music obviously but is it me or is Lady Gaga becomming a cheap rip off of Madonna? I see her latest album has a song where she attempts to shock us with her love of Judus. I think we've seen the original some years ago.

[kilakali]

Van Halen, AC/DC ,Jimi Hendrix, and Judas Priest. I hate to admit this group because I never really liked them but, they did put on a great show and thats Duran Duran...

[theone1982]

Van Halen, AC/DC ,Jimi Hendrix, and Judas Priest. I hate to admit this group because I never really liked them but, they did put on a great show and thats Duran Duran...

Priest! Priest! Priest!:rock2

[Nivek]

The best show I've ever been to was a Nine inch nails show in 1994 @ websterhall, Marilyn Manson opened up as well as Fem2Fem... Anyone remember them? the only thing greater than the band was the awesome crowd. Although more recently, Rammstien @ MSG was amazing with pyro techniques.. That was a great experience.

[fred41]

The best show I've ever been to was a Nine inch nails show in 1994 @ websterhall, Marilyn Manson opened up as well as Fem2Fem... Anyone remember them? the only thing greater than the band was the awesome crowd. Although more recently, Rammstien @ MSG was amazing with pyro techniques.. That was a great experience.

..was at that Rammstein show...will see them again in Jersey in 2 weeks..great show...they give you your moneys worth, that's for sure.

[south ov da border]

YouTube - Steely Dan plays "Black Cow" live (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fY_FI9J1poQ)
YouTube - Steely Dan live plays "Babylon sisters" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McGPwPDcY4Y&feature=related)
YouTube - Steely Dan live plays "The Caves of Altamira" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBCa9WPHlWI&feature=related)
YouTube - Steely Dan live plays "Kid Charlemagne" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbS9lTBn0kk&feature=related)

...

[phobun]

radiohead

[Merkurie]

James Brown
The Rolling Stones
Led Zeppelin
Parliment/Funkadelic
Prince and the Revolution
Nirvana
Creed
Smashing Pumpkins (Corgan, Iha, D'arcy)

I cant pick just one.

[theone1982]

I suppose yes...it is all subjective. You're a hard guy to get annoyed with...trust me I've tried LMAO ! I'd like to drill Madonna in an Itilian villa for about 3 days straight, as long as we didn't play any of her music during the entire encounter ! So yes...she certainly could entertain me..but not musically.

BTW...this isn't my kind of music obviously but is it me or is Lady Gaga becomming a cheap rip off of Madonna? I see her latest album has a song where she attempts to shock us with her love of Judus. I think we've seen the original some years ago.

Yeah, Gaga's ripping off KISS! Check it out!:)
YouTube - Lady GaGa's Judas and Kiss's I Was Made for Loving U (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taDGeBpTDlU)

[icarus2112]

Classic favorites
Rush, Pink Floyd, older Scorpions, Judas Priest, Rainbow, Boston, UFO, and so many more

Contemporary favorites
A Perfect Circle, Tool, Slash, Alice In Chains, Chicken Foot, Sound Garden.

[Ben]

I suppose yes...it is all subjective. You're a hard guy to get annoyed with...trust me I've tried LMAO ! I'd like to drill Madonna in an Itilian villa for about 3 days straight, as long as we didn't play any of her music during the entire encounter ! So yes...she certainly could entertain me..but not musically.

BTW...this isn't my kind of music obviously but is it me or is Lady Gaga becomming a cheap rip off of Madonna? I see her latest album has a song where she attempts to shock us with her love of Judus. I think we've seen the original some years ago.

Yep! It's subjective.
I think everyone wants to have sex with Madonna -- ha! ha! ha!
She was the ultimate sex symbol in the 90s. She still looks incredibly good. I admire her overall body. I like toned physiques. And she's the epitome of toned.
And 3 days of straight sex sounds exhausting -- ha! ha! Both physically and mentally. But a lot of people assume(d) Madonna is -- or was -- a nymphomaniac.
A close friend of mine assumes she's a sex fanatic. I doubt it. I mean, she's an entertainer, a performer. I mean, just because you're selling something doesn't mean you're addicted to it. That's like saying Jim Skinner, CEO of McDonald's, is addicted to, well, Big Macs.
I've always known her supposed super sex craving, as it were, was a facade. A facade to sell tickets and CDs and T-shirts and garner a whole lotta attention :) .... Nothin' more. She was always seen as a shrewd, cagey and intelligent businesswoman. And, yep, I think she is a good entertainer.
Lady Gaga and Britney Spears have been heavily influenced by Madonna. Britney Spears is essentially doing Madonna -- and doing Madonna on stage. To the point of dressing like her -- ha! ha!
But we all, to some extent, imitate the people we admire. I mean, celeb culture does have a profound impact on our overall culture. And I don't think this is necessarily a good thing.
I'd argue it's far more important to pay attention to politics (as politics does have a profound impact on our lives) as opposed to the silly misdoings of, say, Charlie Sheen or Lindsay Lohan. I think more of us should critique pop culture -- and kinda, well, pay less attention to it. (I'm also critiquing myself. I'm a victim of the culture we live in. I mean, I pay attention to the misdoings of old Charlie and Lindsay. I've been brainwashed by the mass media -- ha! ha! ha!)