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Originally Posted by Andy Baker
Cory, you need to see more concerts. While I agree that Avril's music sucks, you are way wrong with the first sentence... you just need to see the right artist at the right time. Sometimes, it's a crap shoot and you don't know what you are getting, while other times I have been amazed.
For instance, I was really excited to see Van Halen (with Hagar) in the early 90's, but they were not good. On the other hand, I had tickets to see Elton John in the mid-nineties and was entirely blown away. His music was waay better live compared to what his albums put out.
Also, the Cure and Motley Crue had better music live compared to their album stuff. It really depends on the artist, their experience, and their ability to put on a show. My wife likes Steve Earle, and he is much better live.
I suppose that if an artist is younger, their stage show may lack skill, just because they need more experience.
for what that was worth, which isn't much,
Andy B.
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I'm definitely with Andy on this one. Done right, there is nothing like a good live show. The energy level you pick up from a good live performance is virtually impossible to capture on a recording. When the audience really gets into it, and gives good feedback to the artist, the performance quality can go through the roof. Whether they sit in one place and just belt out the tunes with a lot more soul (like when I saw B.B. King) or practically blow up the whole stage (AC/DC) is almost a secondary concern - in either case, the quality of the music was what mattered to me.
That said, the thing that you really have to look for is the basic capability of the artist. If they have legitimate talent, and you really like their music, then you are almost certain to like them in a live performance. If they are basically talentless posers (hhmmm ... Avril Levigne on a skateboard in her first video - all she could do was go in a straight line), then you should have a good indication of what they will be like during a live show. You just need to recognize the difference between Ray Charles and Milli Vanilli.
Also, don't expect that only big-name, big-money bands will always give the best shows. After the Southern California regional on Friday night, a few of us went over to the House of Blues in L.A. and saw
Eek-A-Mouse. The next night we saw
Leftover Salmon at The Knitting Factory. These are not groups that you are likely to see any time soon on MTV. But both of them turned out to be absolutely great small-venue shows that really pulled in the audience without assuming that cheezy tricks, massive pyrotechnics or flying surfboards (take that, David Lee Roth!) were all they needed. Both of these bands were mature and experienced enough to know how to work with the audience, and get them involved with the performance. They were able to show, once again, that a talented band with an appreciative audience is virtually impossible to beat!
Other bands that were much better live than on their albums:
- AC/DC
- Doobie Brothers
- Eagles
- Elvis Costello
- Metallica
- Concrete Blonde
- Elton John (again, Andy is right on this one)
- Chicago
- John Fogerty
- Arlo Guthrie and John Prine
- Preservation Hall Jazz Band
- Grateful Dead
- Rush
-dave