OT: Best Vocalist You've Seen Live

[Excalibur]

Grohl is the best frontman in the business, saw the Foo Fighters last summer at Fenway and Wrigley, then saw Pearl Jam later in the summer at Wrigley and the Foo Fighters blew them out of the water.

Saw Foo Fighters at the House of Blues in Orlando in 2000. Amazing show in a small venue.

 

[Hugo]

Ray Charles
Roy Orbison
Tony Bennett
and my all time favorite concert with Andrea Bocelli at Boston TD Garden,

 

[RichZ]

Etta James
Brook Benton
Al Hibbler Well past his retirement. I think it was the early 80s. Not on the bill, but came on stage at a Richard Nader oldies concert at MSG's Felt Forum and sang Unchained Melody. Still sounded like Al Hibbler, and made you forget every other version of that song that you had ever heard.
Nate Nelson

 

[8893]

I'm aware, that's exactly what stuck out me. It seems like the overwhelming majority of boneyarders haven't seen any black singers live.

That's an odd conclusion to draw. I've seen dozens of black singers live. Many greats, including most of those named in this thread.

The OP queried the "best" vocalist so I chose the one who I think is the best singer who also delivered the best quality live vocal performances I've seen, and that happened to be a white guy (who was mostly inspired by black blues and soul singers). The fact that I didn't chose a black singer hardly means I haven't seen any. Raphael Sadiiq, Aaron Neville, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Mavis Staples, Irma Thomas, Etta James, Al Green, John Boutte and Taj Mahal would probably all be in the running if I chose more than one.

As for Van, I was trying to count the number of times I have seen him live and I got to at least 15+ in a wide variety venues from coast to coast over the past 30 years. I am well aware that he can be an ornery bastard and can put on a crap show when he is in a particularly pissy mood. I saw him twice in New Orleans in the late 90s--once during a daytime Jazz Fest set and once during a nighttime Fest concert at UNO where he shared the bill with Buddy Guy. Those were hands down the most uninspired live shows I've seen from him; he still had a crack band and was in great voice, but he was just going through the motions. The other dozen-plus times I've seen him have ranged from very good to great to truly transcendent and possessed. It's the chance of seeing the latter again that will alway bring me back, but these days I know it's more likely to be simply very good--which is good enough for me to be happy I went.

As for playing with your back to the audience, I saw Miles Davis live only once, but I lucked into a front row seat. He literally played with his back to the audience for 99% of the show, with the highlight being when he turned sideways because I was sitting close enough to read "Miles" written on the side of his red trumpet, which appeared to be glowing. He didn't interact with the audience at all, but I knew I was in the presence of greatness and it was still a very transporting experience for me.

 

[HuskyHawk]

This list is really strange, it's a list of the greatest vocalists people have ever seen and there has been close to 100 white singers named and about 10 or so black singers named. Something is seriously out of whack.

Haven’t seen very many black artists. A few jazz and blues singers who’s names I don’t know. I’m a rock and roll guy and Phil Lynott died before I got a chance. Never saw Hootie and the Blowfish either. Who am I missing? I wish I could say I saw Marvin Gaye or Nat King Cole, but I didn’t. Missed Bob Marley too.

I suppose I could mention Nadira Shakoor who sings with Jimmy Buffett.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Absolutely that can be it, it just stuck out to me. It's just weird in a long thread of the best vocalists people have ever seen we've got names like Buffett, Adam Levine, Dylan, Billy Joel etc. and hardly any of the million or so amazing black singers.

Most people when they think of the greatest singers they don't think of a bunch of old white guys.

Now that I don’t agree with. I think a quick list for most people would start with Sinatra, Elvis, Bing Crosby, Tom Jones, and similar guys. Plenty of black and white guys and gals. For women Ella Fitzgerald is my favorite but people like Judy Garland were amazing too.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

dang, wheres my brain.... michael Jackson at msg just before 9/11. wiki says this 'On September 11, 2001, Jackson along with his personal assistant Frank Cascio was scheduled for a meeting at the World Trade Center, to return a "two million" dollar watch Jackson used for the concert, and a diamond necklace for Elizabeth Taylor, but overslept and did not make it.' whooa, more mj weirdorama.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Spoiler Alert: This post will add zero to the OP content.

1. Weird. I can't think of a single concert I've ever attended where my lasting memory is the lead singer's voice. Not one.
2. The Eric Clapton doesn't interact with the crowd thing. Never went to a concert hoping the singer/band was interacting with the crowd. I'm perfectly fine with a concert where they just do their thing. Saw Clapton at the Carrier Dome in Spring 1990 and he did a 2.5-3 hour set. No opening act. I don't recall if he interacted with the crowd. I do remember it being a top 3 concert of all time for me.
3. Old white dude centric content. Depends. Lots of these old white dudes were young at some point in time and maybe people liked their voice early on in their careers but saw them later on. I definitely remember a Robert Cray concert and thought he held up pretty well.
4. Like me some Foo Fighters and think Dave Grohl is a tremendous talent. Cripes he did his first Foo Fighter album all by himself and then found band mates so he could tour. But, no way do I think he has a great voice.

 

[dennismenace]

Best I have seen live were Lou Rawls and Donna Summers (a very powerful voice).

 

[ToolzieFan]

Spoiler Alert: This post will add zero to the OP content.

1. Weird. I can't think of a single concert I've ever attended where my lasting memory is the lead singer's voice. Not one.
2. The Eric Clapton doesn't interact with the crowd thing. Never went to a concert hoping the singer/band was interacting with the crowd. I'm perfectly fine with a concert where they just do their thing. Saw Clapton at the Carrier Dome in Spring 1990 and he did a 2.5-3 hour set. No opening act. I don't recall if he interacted with the crowd. I do remember it being a top 3 concert of all time for me.
3. Old white dude centric content. Depends. Lots of these old white dudes were young at some point in time and maybe people liked their voice early on in their careers but saw them later on. I definitely remember a Robert Cray concert and thought he held up pretty well.
4. Like me some Foo Fighters and think Dave Grohl is a tremendous talent. Cripes he did his first Foo Fighter album all by himself and then found band mates so he could tour. But, no way do I think he has a great voice.

2. I agree that while I enjoy band/crown interaction at some shows, it is far from a prerequisite for me to enjoy a show. I'm glad I saw Clapton in 2017, and though it wasn't one of the top few shows I've ever seen, it wasn't because he didn't talk to the crowd much.

4. Foo Fighters are a weird band for me. I like most of their songs, but I never go out of my way to listen to them, and I don't feel a strong desire to see them live. One reason is probably because, while I think Grohl is a good enough vocalist, I just find his voice average compared to my favorite bands of the era. It's not like they're a band that tears is up with spectacular lead guitar work, either. But Grohl seems like a good dude, and I'm happy he's had such a long and successful career after Nirvana ended prematurely.

 

[tentoes4rings]

Spoiler Alert: This post will add zero to the OP content.

1. Weird. I can't think of a single concert I've ever attended where my lasting memory is the lead singer's voice. Not one.
2. The Eric Clapton doesn't interact with the crowd thing. Never went to a concert hoping the singer/band was interacting with the crowd. I'm perfectly fine with a concert where they just do their thing. Saw Clapton at the Carrier Dome in Spring 1990 and he did a 2.5-3 hour set. No opening act. I don't recall if he interacted with the crowd. I do remember it being a top 3 concert of all time for me.
3. Old white dude centric content. Depends. Lots of these old white dudes were young at some point in time and maybe people liked their voice early on in their careers but saw them later on. I definitely remember a Robert Cray concert and thought he held up pretty well.
4. Like me some Foo Fighters and think Dave Grohl is a tremendous talent. Cripes he did his first Foo Fighter album all by himself and then found band mates so he could tour. But, no way do I think he has a great voice.

Very fair post, I love Clapton and consider myself fortunate to see him finally in 2017. It was billed as his final US shows ever though. Considering it was at MSG, I hoped he’d have a bunch of special guests to commemorate his “final shows” so it was disappointing when he didn’t have anyone join him and trotted out the same tired setlist he’d played for years. I guess the complete lack of interaction with fans was just sort of the cherry on top of the disappointment cake.

Some of these artists are so gifted that I feel some like him and Eddie Van Halen are savantlike in that they play an incredible guitar but don’t have any ability to storytell and would rather let their guitars speak for them.

Artists that interact well with the crowd like Tom Petty, Dave Matthews, Bono, Grohl and many others just make for a more enjoyable and memorable experience in my opinion.

 

[superjohn]

That's an odd conclusion to draw. I've seen dozens of black singers live. Many greats, including most of those named in this thread.

The OP queried the "best" vocalist so I chose the one who I think is the best singer who also delivered the best quality live vocal performances I've seen, and that happened to be a white guy (who was mostly inspired by black blues and soul singers). The fact that I didn't chose a black singer hardly means I haven't seen any. Raphael Sadiiq, Aaron Neville, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Mavis Staples, Irma Thomas, Etta James, Al Green, John Boutte and Taj Mahal would probably all be in the running if I chose more than one.

As for Van, I was trying to count the number of times I have seen him live and I got to at least 15+ in a wide variety venues from coast to coast over the past 25+ years. I am well aware that he can be an ornery bastard and can put on a crap show when he is in a particularly pissy mood. I saw him twice in New Orleans in the late 90s--once during a daytime Jazz Fest set and once during a nighttime Fest concert at UNO where he shared the bill with Buddy Guy. Those were hands down the most uninspired live shows I've seen from him; he still had a crack band and was in great voice, but he was just going through the motions. The other dozen-plus times I've seen him have ranged from very good to great to truly transcendent and possessed. It's the chance of seeing the latter again that will also bring me back, but these days I know it's more likely to be simply very good--which is good enough for me to be happy I went.

As for playing with your back to the audience, I saw Miles Davis live only once, but I lucked into a front row seat. He literally played with his back to the audience for 99% of the show, with the highlight being when he turned sideways because I was sitting close enough to read "Miles" written on the side of his red trumpet, which appeared to be glowing. He didn't interact with the audience at all, but I knew I was in the presence of greatness and it was still a very transporting experience for me.

My conclusion was there were like 80 to 100 white artists named and around 10 black artists named, which I found strange. Other posters pointed out it's probably because the majority of boneyarders are older white guys and they haven't been exposed to many black artists. I'm guessing that explains most of the discrepancy because as we know most people when they think of great voices they don't usually think of mostly white guys as our greatest singers.

Before reading the thread I assumed I would be seeing names like Curtis Mayfield, Al Green, Whitney Houston, Marvin Gaye, Gladys Knight, David Ruffin, Aretha, BB King, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Bobby Womack, Anita Baker, Philip Bailey, Luther Vandross, Levi Stubbs, Dennis Edwards, Lauryn Hill, Alicia Keys, Chaka Khan, Ray Charles, Smokey, Bill Withers, Nina Simone, Michael Jackson, James Ingram, Edwin Starr, Lionel Richie, Patti Labelle, Diana Ross etc. Guys like Otis and Sam Cooke died so long ago so I could see many not being around to see them.

I would assume lack of exposure to many black artists is probably the main reason the overwhelming majority of artists named are white.

 

[willie99]

I think most of the best voices I've heard live are lesser known names on Broadway, I always think they're amazing

A couple of females I've seen have great voices, Pat Benatar and Marie Osmond. Yes, Marie Osmond, saw her sans Donnie in Vegas and was very impressed with her voice and her endless range of genres (even opera)

Seen scores of rock n roll bands and country western artists, don't think any of their "voices" made me say "wow". Maybe Carrie Underwood

 

[HuskyHawk]

My conclusion was there were like 80 to 100 white artists named and around 10 black artists named, which I found strange. Other posters pointed out it's probably because the majority of boneyarders are older white guys and they haven't been exposed to many black artists. I'm guessing that explains most of the discrepancy because as we know most people when they think of great voices they don't usually think of mostly white guys as our greatest singers.

Before reading the thread I assumed I would be seeing names like Curtis Mayfield, Al Green, Whitney Houston, Marvin Gaye, Gladys Knight, David Ruffin, Aretha, BB King, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Bobby Womack, Anita Baker, Philip Bailey, Luther Vandross, Levi Stubbs, Dennis Edwards, Lauryn Hill, Alicia Keys, Chaka Khan, Ray Charles, Smokey, Bill Withers, Nina Simone, Michael Jackson, James Ingram, Edwin Starr, Lionel Richie, Patti Labelle, Diana Ross etc. Guys like Otis and Sam Cooke died so long ago so I could see many not being around to see them.

I would assume lack of exposure to many black artists is probably the main reason the overwhelming majority of artists named are white.

I’ve heard music from almost all of those names (not all). I like some of them (several others I don’t care for the music). But have seen none of them live. I’m a rock guy, those are the shows I go to 95% of the time. None of those people are Rock singers.

I’m not sure it’s lack of exposure. Everybody knows Aretha, Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson, Ray Charles, Lionel Ritchie and others. But from what I’ve seen the overwhelming majority of people here are Rock music fans. From your list the people I’d have any interest in seeing is pretty short (if alive) BB King, Muddy Waters, Bill Withers, Marvin, Ray, Smokey, John Lee Hooker, Gladys Knight. I loved the Drifters, wish I saw them. You missed a bunch like Donna Summer, Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald.

 

[bazz&boujee]

chris webby

 

[8893]

I would assume lack of exposure to many black artists is probably the main reason the overwhelming majority of artists named are white.

I would have expected that my post would have disabused you of that notion.

Oh yeah, I’ve seen John Lee Hooker live, too. And he’s also one of Van’s biggest influences (and was a frequent collaborator). If you think he’s a better vocalist I would assume you don’t have ears.

 

[whaler11]

Spoiler Alert: This post will add zero to the OP content.

#onbrand

 

[superjohn]

Haven’t seen very many black artists. A few jazz and blues singers who’s names I don’t know. I’m a rock and roll guy and Phil Lynott died before I got a chance. Never saw Hootie and the Blowfish either. Who am I missing? I wish I could say I saw Marvin Gaye or Nat King Cole, but I didn’t. Missed Bob Marley too.

I suppose I could mention Nadira Shakoor who sings with Jimmy Buffett.

Named a few in the post above but so many more.

I would have expected that my post would have disabused you of that notion.

Oh yeah, I’ve seen John Lee Hooker live, too. And he’s also one of Van’s biggest influences (and was a frequent collaborator). If you think he’s a better vocalist I would assume you don’t have ears.

The overwhelming majority of the artists listed were white, most people listing like 4 or 5 artists who are all white. Three people have responded to my post saying the majority of the boneyard is older white guys who probably haven't been exposed to black artists.

I get it, Van Morrison is the best singer you've ever seen live. There are like 100 posts in this thread, the thread isn't all about you.

 

[Friarsnoop]

Best female singers I've seen live: Gladys Knight, Linda Ronstadt, Shakira, Dolly Parton, Sheena Easton, and Teena Marie.

Best male: Steve Winwood, Don Henley, Vince Gill, Sly Stone

Prince was probably the best vocalist, guitar, keyboard, and bass player I ever saw.

 

[8893]

Named a few in the post above but so many more.

The overwhelming majority of the artists listed were white, most people listing like 4 or 5 artists who are all white. Three people have responded to my post saying the majority of the boneyard is older white guys who probably haven't been exposed to black artists.

I get it, Van Morrison is the best singer you've ever seen live. There are like 100 posts in this thread, the thread isn't all about you.

A. It’s always all about me.

B. My point was that your assumption was wrong and you appear to have an odd tendency to think you have more insight about Black culture and arts than the other primarily white guys with whom you converse here.

 

[superjohn]

A. It’s always all about me.

B. My point was that your assumption was wrong and you appear to have an odd tendency to think you have more insight about Black culture and arts than the other primarily white guys with whom you converse here.

It was other posters assumption who responded to my post. I think there is validity to their assumption for some of the posters. Again, it's not about you and you seem personally offended.

 

[whaler11]

Drummxnd.

I’ve seen him live and I’ve heard him sing. Not at the same time mind you - but I’m ride or die.

 

[storrsroars]

I'm currently watching/listening to a woman named Cate LeBon, who's opening for Kurt Vile tonight. Sort of a cross between Debbie Harry, Chrissie Hynde and Niko Case. Sort of bizarre music but really interesting. While not the best vocalist I've heard, she's compelling. Plays a mean distorted fuzz guitar too.

 

[Northbound]

Very fair post, I love Clapton and consider myself fortunate to see him finally in 2017. It was billed as his final US shows ever though. Considering it was at MSG, I hoped he’d have a bunch of special guests to commemorate his “final shows” so it was disappointing when he didn’t have anyone join him and trotted out the same tired setlist he’d played for years. I guess the complete lack of interaction with fans was just sort of the cherry on top of the disappointment cake.

Some of these artists are so gifted that I feel some like him and Eddie Van Halen are savantlike in that they play an incredible guitar but don’t have any ability to storytell and would rather let their guitars speak for them.

Artists that interact well with the crowd like Tom Petty, Dave Matthews, Bono, Grohl and many others just make for a more enjoyable and memorable experience in my opinion.

Saw Clapton in 1985 at SPAC was great - his set list was:

Tulsa time
Mother's children have a hard time
I shot the sheriff
Same old blues
Tangled in love
White room
Steppin out
Wonderful tonight
She's waiting
She loves you
Badge
Let it rain
Double trouble
Cocaine
Layla
Forever man
Farther up the road

Not sure if it's the same basic set list you got 30 years later, but in 1985 it was pretty great.

 

[tentoes4rings]

Saw Clapton in 1985 at SPAC was great - his set list was:

Tulsa time
Mother's children have a hard time
I shot the sheriff
Same old blues
Tangled in love
White room
Steppin out
Wonderful tonight
She's waiting
She loves you
Badge
Let it rain
Double trouble
Cocaine
Layla
Forever man
Farther up the road

Not sure if it's the same basic set list you got 30 years later, but in 1985 it was pretty great.

No, very different. I didn’t mind his setlist per se, but nowadays we have access to all recent set lists so when he played an almost entirely same setlist as he’d done the previous two years for a show billed as one of his last 4 ever, it was a bit of a letdown. His guitar sounded amazing though. We snuck down to the back of the floor section for the encore, I’ve never heard a better tone in my life, and of course his playing was flawless.