Your top 3 most EMOTIONALLY intense live concerts, and top 3 EMOTIONALLY intense records.


PICK THE FIRST THAT COME TO MIND.

Live:
Bob Dylan - Rolling Thunder
Against Me! - 2008
White Stripes - (warming up for Garbage in 2002).

Recordings:
Graham Parker - Stick to Me
Patti Smith - Easter (Kate Bush came to mind too).
Guns N Roses - Use Your Illusion I&2
plaw

Showing 7 responses by bdp24

I passed Steve Martin as he was coming out of the Classical Annex, musta been in the late-90’s. When our eyes met he smiled, with a "Yeah, it’s really me" look on his face. When I didn’t react, the look turned into one of embarrassment ;-) .

Has everone heard the one about Brian Wilson in the Pop store? I’m not sure what year it was, but I’m thinking the early-80’s. He asked to use the restroom, and when told there wasn’t one for customer use (c’mon man, it’s Brian!) he walked over to an end cap and whipped it out, peeing right there in the store. Kookoo!
@plaw: Nope, didn't see EC. As you probably know, Dylan played five nights at The Pantages, every night with a different opening artist. The night I went it was Beck.

I did see EC in Amoeba Records one afternoon in 2015. The thing about L.A. is that celebrities are so common, they are left alone to shop like normal people. Woulda been interesting to see what he bought, ay?
Whatta ya mean? It’s only 51 years ago .-) . I remember events that took place before I could speak. Sitting in a high chair in the kitchen, sucking on a bottle and watching my mom iron (on one of those ironing boards that folded down and out from behind a little "door" in the wall). I realize this sounds like bs, but I remember the parents discussing the results of my circumcision. At what age is that procedure done?
@ericsch: I’m gonna guess your name is Eric. Cool name ;-)

Hey, do you remember when towards the end of The Kinks' set, Ray said to the audience: "Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like you to give a warm round of applause for Mr. Van Dyke Parks", pointing to the back wall of Winterland. As audience members turned and looked back, Ray ambled over to Mick Avory’s drum riser, laughing to himself. Good one, Ray!

Can't leave out:

- "Lies" by The Knickerbockers. Amazing! At least as good as early Beatles (maybe better).

- "Shakin' All Over" by The Guess Who (pre-Burton Cummings). The version by The Who (complete with hoary vocals by Roger Daltrey), um, sucks.

- "Waterloo Sunset" by The Kinks. Which reminds me that I should have included them in my live band list above, seen and heard at The Fillmore/Winterland (who remembers?) in 1970. So, so great. And SO loud (louder than The Who), the sound of Ray's telecaster unbearably bright and piercing. Like a metal-dome tweeter ;-) .

Songs:

- "Train Kept A Rollin" by The Rock ’n’ Roll Trio (Johnny Burnette). The version by The Yardbirds (my introduction to the song) is pretty good, the version by Aerosmith terrible.

- " Like A Rolling Stone" by BD.

- "God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys.

- "I Wanna Hold Your Hand", "Nowhere Man", The Beatles.

- "What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted" by Jimmy Ruffin (as well as the live version by Joan Osborne).

- "The Weight" by The Band.

- "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down", any live version by The Band.

- "I Hear You Knocking" by Dave Edmunds.

- "Shake Some Action" by The Flamin’ Groovies (production by Dave Edmunds).

- "I’m On Fire" by The Dwight Twilley Band.

" "Want You To Feel Good Too" by NRBQ.

- "No Time To Cry" by Iris Dement. If this doesn’t make you, check you’re pulse.

- "Liptick Sunset" by John Hiatt (time-stopping guitar solo by Ry Cooder).

- "Shake You Hips", live by Joan Osborne.

Thousands of others. I am first and foremost a song lover.

For album-length music, J.S. Bach. All of it.



- The Beach Boys at The San Jose Civic, Summer of 1964 (you never forget your first ;-) . Brian Wilson on Fender bass and falsetto vocals, Mike Love on obnoxiousness.

- The Beatles at The Cow Palace in S. San Francisco, Summer of 1965. Not a very good live band. Honest ;-) . I was standing about ten yards from John Lennon. Only fifteen years and a few months later he was shot dead in NYC.

- The Electric Tingle Guild (Mark Loomis’ and Gary Andrijesivich’s post-The Chocolate Watchband group. The Watchband are the legendary Garage Band you see in Riot On Sunset Strip), at The Wutzit Club (a "Teen Center") in San Jose, 1968.

- The Electric Flag (with Mike Bloomfield, Buddy Miles, and Mark Naftalin), at The Santa Clara County Folk/Rock Festival, Summer of ’68. The Doors had to follow them ;-( . Open act that day was a local group named Fritz (you know who their two front-persons were, right?).

- The Who at The Avalon Ballroom in SF (or was it The Fillmore?), 1968. They performed the "A Quick One" Suite for their first set, returning to do individual songs and then blow up everything. Wow.

- The Jeff Beck Group at The Fillmore, 1968. At that time, my favorite guitarist (I hadn’t yet heard Ry Cooder ;-) . At one point in the show, Jeff mocked Rod Stewart.

- The Who at Winterland in ’69, performing Tommy. Jealous yet? ;-)

- The Band at The Berkeley Community Theater, 1970. If I have to tell you why, you wouldn’t understand ;-) .

- The Beat (Paul Collins, not the U.K. group) at The Whiskey Au Go Go in late 1979. A master Power Pop group, as dynamic as The Who. Their debut album is essential listening.

- Rockpile at The Country Club in Reseda, CA, late-1980. One of the very best bands in Rock ’n’ Roll history, headed by Dave Edmunds and Nick Lowe.

- Squeeze at The Roundhouse in London, December of ’81. It was fun seeing this great Pop Group surrounded by their countrymen.

- Dave Edmunds at The Ritz in NYC, 1982. Rock ’n’ freakin’ Roll, baby!

- Marshall Crenshaw and his 4-piece band (with Graham Maby on Fender 6 bass and harmony vocals), The Ritz in 1982. Fantastic Power Pop.

- Big Joe Turner backed by The Blasters, Club Lingerie on Sunset Blvd, mid-80’s. Big Joe, one of the last Rock ’n’ Roll originators to go (Jerry Lee Lewis is the last man standing). In The Blasters at that point in time was Little Richards’ original tenor sax man, Lee Allen. For you younger fellas, guitarist in The Blasters was Dave Alvin, his big brother Phil on lead vocals and sweating.

- Foster & Lloyd, the Country (Foster) / Rock (Lloyd) duo, at The Roxy Theater on Sunset, mid-80’s. I don’t know who was in their band, but they were really good.

- Sometime in the 80’s I went to see The Plimsouls (Peter Case’s Power Pop group) at a little hole-in-the-wall Punk club on Ventura Blvd. in the Valley. They were the headliners, with an opening act whose name I was not familiar with. Can you imagine my surprise when Los Lobos started performing?! OMG, they were GREAT!

- Little Village on a sound stage in Burbank, 1992. THE Supergroup: John Hiatt, Ry Cooder, Nick Lowe, and Jim Keltner. Their sole album isn’t great, but live they were.

- NRBQ at The Roxy in Hollywood, a coupla times in the 90’s. Grossly under-acknowledged and appreciated band (not by hipper musicians, such as Dave Edmunds, Nick Lowe, John Hiatt, Richard Thompson, Costello, Bonnie Raitt, etc.).

- Iris Dement, twice at The Troubadour in W. Hollywood in the 90’s, once at The Egyptian Theater in Portland, Oregon, 2020. My favorite singer/songwriter. Of all time.

- Bob Dylan at The Pantages Theater on Hollywood Blvd. (a great Deco-style theater), early 2000’s. Really really good, unlike the last time I had seen him (outside at The Greek Theater) in the early-90’s. Terr-i-ble.

Yes, I know.....many more than three. But this is the last time I’m doing this, so I thought I’d get it all down ;-) .