OT - What is your greatest musical performance of all time? | The Boneyard

OT - What is your greatest musical performance of all time?

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DogWarden

DogWarden

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Mine is:

"My Back Pages" from the Bob Dylan 30th university concert performed in 1992 at Madison Square Garden. This concert had one of the most impressive lineups in the history of rock. Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Tom Petty, Eric Clapton, Neil Young and Roger McGuinn contributed to this song.

Link below:

 
triaddukefan said:
My greatest musical performance of all time was probably my violin solo at church back in 10th grade.... either that or at a piano recital in 4th grade.
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Well--if we are going there: It's the kid in front of me in line that Sister Mary Joseph swatted on the behind with a pointer---he hit HIGH C for over two minutes straight. Amazing performance, by both him and the Nun.
 
For my orchestra: the opening night of Nixon in China at BAM is tied with the Carnegie Hall Opera performance in Spring 83 (if I'm not mistaken) of Handel's Semele with Horne, Ramey, the night Kathy Battle became a superstar. The most amazing, insane audience I can ever remember in NY.

For me personally: A Schubert 5th I conducted when I was 17 at a music camp in Lake Placid, so much youthful ardor and emotion is tied with a mixed Baroque concert in the pouring rain at old Caramoor (protection only on the sides) in which we invited the soaked audience to share the stage with us and proceeded to beat the crap out of the Bach 1st Suite to their enthusiastic delight.
 
Speaking of Tool, they are a live performance that never fails to disappoint, along with Tori Amos (and Radiohead, and Willie Nelson, and...).

 
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In the late 80's a friend of mine asked me if I wanted to go to a local bar with him in New Haven called Toad's Place to see a local band. I'd heard of Toad's but had never been there. Luckily we arrived early and were surprised to see that there were already a lot of people there (several hundred). We bought tickets which cost 3 or $4 just before they were sold out and thought the band, that I never heard of, must be pretty good.

The band was ok, but nothing great. They were playing their own compositions. It was a bit puzzling that all these people in this little place to see this band?

After what seemed like 20 minutes, the MC came out and said something like this: Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a special treat for you tonight - The Rolling Stones.
 
msf22b said:
For my orchestra: the opening night of Nixon in China at BAM is tied with the Carnegie Hall Opera performance in Spring 83 (if I'm not mistaken) of Handel's Semele with Horne, Ramey, the night Kathy Battle became a superstar. The most amazing, insane audience I can ever remember in NY.

For me personally: A Schubert 5th I conducted when I was 17 at a music camp in Lake Placid, so much youthful ardor and emotion is tied with a mixed Baroque concert in the pouring rain at old Caramoor (protection only on the sides) in which we invited the soaked audience to share the stage with us and proceeded to beat the crap out of the Bach 1st Suite to their enthusiastic delight.
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For me personally, it was playing the Verdi Requiem in the square of Spoleto live on Eurovision with Thomas Schippers conducting. As a listener, it was hearing Gotterdamerung at the Staatsoper in Vienna.
 
At a moose hunting camp in New Brunswick, I played lead guitar at a country music hoedown, mostly Hank Williams songs.
 
Bestiarius said:
In the late 80's a friend of mine asked me if I wanted to go to a local bar with him in New Haven called Toad's Place to see a local band. I'd heard of Toad's but had never been there. Luckily we arrived early and were surprised to see that there were already a lot of people there (several hundred). We bought tickets which cost 3 or $4 just before they were sold out and thought the band, that I never heard of, must be pretty good.

The band was ok, but nothing great. They were playing their own compositions. It was a bit puzzling that all these people in this little place to see this band?

After what seemed like 20 minutes, the MC came out and said something like this: Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a special treat for you tonight - The Rolling Stones.
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Very cool! I'm envious. They used to keep a house in Washington, CT (Litchfield County) to rehearse for tours, and do a "dress rehearsal" at Toads.
 
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Bliss said:
As a grade schooler I bugled taps, an emotional task following the 21-gun salute, at several military funerals.
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Bravo Zulu. Based upon results disparity, I quickly learned to appreciate a musician, like you, who nevertheless performed well; all the more, if so young. Always emotive, it became evocative when a distant second bugler provided an “echo.” Hopefully you got feedback. As someone addressing that family while presenting the flag, invariably the profound appreciation of the family made clear - for at least that moment -any other “performance” or service we provide our community seemed utterly trivial.



When someone, in introducing a musician to him, remarked, ‘This man is a good musician,’ he said, ‘And in this country of ours that man there rates as a good soup-maker,’ thus implying that there was no distinction between giving pleasure through the sound of instruments and giving it through the preparation of appetizing foods and soup.
Cleomenes of Sparta. Sayings of Spartans: Plutarch, Moralia, English translation by Frank Cole Babbitt, Cambridge, MA.
 
There have been several over the years because I am a professional musician and I spent 33 years as a band director.

But the best of all time was when I was a high school marching band director. It was our second year in competition, in EMBA I think, and the competition was at our football rival's field.

Our routine was going very well, I thought, when we can to the closer. The entire band was in two circles on the 50, with our best mellophone player in the center. The band went down on one knee and she started playing "Send in the Clowns." The entire stadium went silent! The band slowly stood and formed a double company front and brought it to the stands - horns to the box!

The crowd went wild!!!!!!! When the kids came off the field they were sky high foe they new they had nailed it. That feeling of excitement and joy has never left me!

BTW - we came in second in our division that night.
 
Outlaws, Green Grass and High Tides, saw them in '78(?) San Diego Sports arena. Best song ever heard live. This was from that era.
 
Doc Severinsen came to campus to perform with the student orchestra when I was in college. All popular stuff. He just overpowered the horn all night.

Second would be the Chicago Symphony, also on campus my freshman year, playing Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra. It doesn't get much better.
 
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Great OT thread...

I have several musical experiences that I will never forget.

1967: When I was in high school marching band, I played a three minute jazz drum solo bracketed by Nat Adderly's "The Work Song." One of my friends did the trumpet lead, and another twirled a fire baton around the riser-stage I was playing on. People recalled that halftime show and talked about that night (especially to my parents) for years.

About the same time, I was playing in a (B-) garage band that was the opener on a three band bill that was topped by Eric Burdon and War.

A couple of years ago, I won a charity auction that handed me the baton to conduct a local symphonic orchestra for one number. I chose Johann Strauss senior's "Radetsky March." That was a blast.
 
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I guess the best band I saw in person while they were at the top of their game was Talking Heads during their "Stop Making Sense" Tour at the Agora Ballroom in West Hartford in 1982.
 
Waquoit said:
I guess the best band I saw in person while they were at the top of their game was Talking Heads during their "Stop Making Sense" Tour at the Agora Ballroom in West Hartford in 1982.
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Jonathan Demme's film of that tour was incredible. (He later did Silence of the Lambs and Philadelphia)
 
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I got three.
1. Return to Forever played a little auditorium at Russel Sage College while I was a student at RPI in the 70's. Off the charts musicianship with Chick Corea, Al Dimeola, Stanley Clarke and Lenny White.
2. Also in the 70's the NY Philharmonic played Stravinsky's Rite of Spring at the Troy Music Hall which is world renowned for it's great acoustics. It was a requirement for the music elective I was taking.
3. Grateful Dead, Boston Music Hall, 1976. My GF and sat front row center and Jerry was basically standing right in front of me.
 
meyers7 said:
Considered by many to be the best performance ever.

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It's right up there for sure. Freddie was a consummate performer.

For the full version, plus a bonus, here it is. Skip to the 16-minute mark if you want their dual anthem:

 
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July 20, 1969. Singing and playing rock and roll in a smokey bar in Cortland NY. Small room, filled, everyone standing, no dancing. At about 11 PM from the bar side comes in waving his arms, yelling, 'STOP Armstrong is about to set foot on the moon!', was my friend Ronnie James Dio. Went into the next room and watched and listened having a drink with Ronnie.
 
Greatest of all time. Wow! Pretty hard to pick one musical performance, but because it was during my youth and because I was a member of the Woodstock generation I'd suggest...



Michael Shrieve's solo kicks in around the 2:42 mark. The amazing thing about this performance is that Shrieve was a virtually unknown 19 year old at the time.
 
hoopingcrane said:
Fillmore East, September 1970, Allman Brothers doing Whipping Post, the loooooonnnngggg version.
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One of favorite Allman Brothers songs. Saw them live with my GF (now wife) at the old Paramount Theatre (I think it was the Paramount) in Springfield just after Duane died in a motorcycle accident (October 71). BTW, they were awful, Greg was clearly higher than a kite and Dicky Betts did a 25 minute guitar solo in an attempt to save the concert.
 
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