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tuco:

Hands down the best live band I've ever seen. Sorry, that's not much consolation is it?

Ditto, no other band quite like the E Street Band with Bruce in front of them.  Easily the best live act ever.

Unrepentant:

Ditto, no other band quite like the E Street Band with Bruce in front of them.  Easily the best live act ever.

This is an interesting point.  On what can we base the judgement?  Gut reaction, minutes on stage divided by cost of ticket, gross ticket sales of a tour, rarity of tickets, some other factor? 

 I saw Bruce at Old Trafford recently, and it was up to his usual high standard (perhaps the best I've seen him...). I left happy.  A month before, I'd seen Jason and the Scorchers - a band I'd long since resigned myself to never seeing.  They blew me away, I was at the front at a very small venue - I grinned from start to finish.  I left ecstatic.

After the dust has settled, I'd say the Scorchers show is my all-time favourite (will The Bangles on Friday top it...?).  Having said that....We saw Steve in the states on our honeymoon, so adding that to the equation could bump that to the top.........

 
Anyone?  Any failsafe rule-of-thumb on how we can be certain which our favourite show has been??

Confused of Leeds
 

Gut reaction I would say. I saw Bruce at Old Trafford for the first time but I was blown away by a) the songs he played ('Adam Raised A Cain' in particular) b) the level of musicianship on display c) the length of time the band played (closing in on two and a half hours) d) the sheer infectious energy of the man himself.

Prior to this, I would say the best gig I've seen was Neil Young with Booker T & The MGs. This was partly because a) it was Neil Young b) I've never, ever heard anybody play guitar like that c) he was on stage with Booker T, Steve Cropper and Duck Dunn d) great choice of songs e) a nice, long set.

So, what seperates the two? Gut reaction, the E Street Band was just a better show overall.

That said, the one moment that stands out to me, from any gig I've been to, is seeing Dylan play an acoustic 'Senor'. There's no empirical way to prove it was better than any other musician playing any other song, but I can still recall that song as clear as day, several years after the fact

kmb117:

Despite what Rich says, Springsteen is not the best live act ever. In fact, there's no such thing.

OK, in my opinion.  I have never seen a better live act.  However Kyle, you need to get off this "no such thing as good or bad" thing you keep on about as there is a difference.  Personal opinions to one side, there are different technical and musical levels.  Some musicians are technically brilliant, but musically weak (and vise-versa).  Some people are naturally gifted, some others have to work hard to get to it. Others try, and fail.

Why do you choose the same car mechanic, restuarant, plumber or anything in life? Because they are better than the rest you have used....

Its what makes the world turn around Kyle, otherwise it would be a boring place to live!

Unrepentant:

OK, in my opinion.  I have never seen a better live act.

Now was that so hard? 

Unrepentant:

However Kyle, you need to get off this "no such thing as good or bad" thing you keep on about as there is a difference.  Personal opinions to one side, there are different technical and musical levels.  Some musicians are technically brilliant, but musically weak (and vise-versa).  Some people are naturally gifted, some others have to work hard to get to it. Others try, and fail.

Errr... what?

Unrepentant:

Why do you choose the same car mechanic, restuarant, plumber or anything in life? Because they are better than the rest you have used....

Its what makes the world turn around Kyle, otherwise it would be a boring place to live!

I think we look at the world in markedly different ways Rich. I don't really quantify things like that. And I'm certainly not bored.

You have said about "There's no such thing as crap music" but really Kyle, there is. Thats what i meant by technically good and musically good.  For example, Dylan is musically brillaint, but technically not so good.  Hendrix is the other way. That goes beyond personal opinion.

We are two very different people.  In honesty, i am sure if we ever met, we could go out, have a few beers and have a great evening disagreeing all night but get along with it as well!

Now, is there any chance you could stop digging at me?!! ( with a pint in hand klinking it at yours....)

You just don't get it.

There is no such thing as crap music.

I'll admit that one's ability to play an instrument can be quantified, but beyond that it's a crapshoot. What is "musically good" anyway? You can't just peg people up on a chart and place one above another. It's all too subjective. I mean, what are the checks and balances? Records sold? Musicians influenced? Popular opinion? Hendrix being less "musically good" than Dylan is, whether you like it or not, a subjective opinion. 

In fact I don't even consider Britney Spears to be "crap". Overcommercialized and bland maybe, but that's just my opinion. It isn't an objective thing at all. There are plenty of people out there who enjoy that music and think it's the best ever. Who am I to say they are wrong? And who are you to say they're wrong? BRITNEY SPEARS IS AS GOOD AS BOB DYLAN!

kmb117:

You just don't get it.

There is no such thing as crap music.

I'll admit that one's ability to play an instrument can be quantified, but beyond that it's a crapshoot. What is "musically good" anyway? You can't just peg people up on a chart and place one above another. It's all too subjective. I mean, what are the checks and balances? Records sold? Musicians influenced? Popular opinion? Hendrix being less "musically good" than Dylan is, whether you like it or not, a subjective opinion. 

In fact I don't even consider Britney Spears to be "crap". Overcommercialized and bland maybe, but that's just my opinion. It isn't an objective thing at all. There are plenty of people out there who enjoy that music and think it's the best ever. Who am I to say they are wrong? And who are you to say they're wrong? BRITNEY SPEARS IS AS GOOD AS BOB DYLAN!

In that case Kyle, I'm afraid you SERIOUSLY just don't get it.  Even the great Steve Earle said on many occasion "There are 2 types of music. Good music, and Bad music".  He is absolutely right.  But if thats what you believe then fine.   You are happy, I'm happy, moving on....

OK, I have to say it...Britney Spears sucks....she is a performer, not an artist.  Big difference.  Yeah, we are all entitled to our opinions, ...I totally agree with Steve's statement about there being good music and bad music, have heard him say this too.  Have seen plenty of both.  He's right.  It is also a true statement that there are musical artists and then there are simply performers who sing whatever is shoved at them, whether it is good music or bad.  They sing it because they want a job/stardom/glory/whatever motivation it is.  That's the commercial music industry today for the most part.  Thank God for renegades like Steve keeping the craft and art alive and keeping it honest for the rest of us.... Again, this is my opinion too...but it's my story and I'm stickin' to it....

Dylan put on good shows back in the 60's and 70's and if I had not seen him then, I might think he still did...except I have seen him in recent tours as well and sadly his voice is really totally gone.  Impossible to understand the words so you had better hope you know the songs yourself.   I would rather see Steve any day, hands down.    

Happy trails.... 

kmb117:

 

There is no such thing as crap music.

 

Kyle, you have obviously never heard James Blunt.

I knew the Britney remark would get at least someone else talkin'!

I will let the whole thing drop once someone tells me how to objectively define "crap". Once someone does that, I will shut up and leave it alone. I bet you $5 (Canadian) you can't do it.
 

If comparisons are odious, what is the Dylan vs Brittney comparison?  Wow, a whole new dimension of "odiosity."

I have sworn to keep my Inner Critic at bay, resist the temptation to imitate the Rolling Stone-esque cutesy descriptions - folk/jazz/carribean/rural/urban/ragtime, etc - that serve to pigeonhole artists. In that way, I am agreeing with kmb.  I have described Steve Earle's music as a country Springsteen and regret it - Springsteen's music does not hit me anythng like Earle's.

I am so uncritical about any live music these days, enjoy serious artists who have something to say in a setting where you can hear what's going on.

Professional musicians, and all artists, can be brutal regarding other genres and competing styles, tend to be all-or-nothing in their critcisms, in my experience - that's cool, the are out there, exposing themselves to rejection and unkind comments all the time.

I will pick up the Canadian gauntlet(It is the 4th of July, after all) thrown down by kmb - not to shut you up, as I like reading your posts - but to put forth my definition of "crap" : music intellectually or emotionally dishonest.., takes no chances, cynically panders to a cynical audience.

Of course, that is always our judgement, I tend to give musicians the benefit of the doubt, unless until demonstrated guilty of cynicism.  At the risk of sounding naive, I believe most artists are out to do good things, music is such a subjective experience -  the best stuff hits you in the gut, or in the soul.  I don't listen to music to be intellectually stimulated, it is an emotional experience for me, so when I attempt to intellectualize music, it is usually an exercise in futility - like discussing Springsteen on Steve Earle's website.  Hell, it's music, sometimes it is just to get you up on the dancefloor or remind you of a lost love.

chrisdavis:

will The Bangles on Friday top it...?

Well...not quite - there were 'sound problems', don't think the band could hear much through their monitors.  All round though it was a really good show.
Eternal Flame, acoustic - with trademark harmonies was my fave.

 Wading into the crap music debate......  As long as there a market for a particular artist/sound/genre - and people are buying the cd's and going to see the shows, then it can't be crap to them.   Maybe other people think it's crap. There is a big difference between I don't like it, and it's crap.  There may be people on a Lynyrd Skynyrd message board right now saying how crap Steve Earle is.  He may be to them (I'm not saying his name - in case he pops up like Beetlejuice), but not to us.  It's horses for courses.

I don't like Pre-Raphaelite paintings, but they certainly aren't crap.

Cheers,

Chris. 

To quote the genius that was Frank Zappa:

"Talking about music is like dancing about architecture."

And yes I am aware of the irony in posting a quote like that on a message board devoted to a man and his musi