who surprised and who disappointed

In every case when I have had the opprotunity to hear live someone I have on recording and then go home and listen to their recording, the recording has always won, no question. While I have a great system, i think it has more to do with the PA that is omnipresent in most concert halls today. Th e exception is when I attend my local symohony orchestra which is unamplified- a rairity today except in the better halls.

The Grateful Dead! I didn't understand what the big deal was until I went to a show. Even if I hadn't eaten a bag of mushrooms and spent much of the time wandering around the bathroom trying to find my way back to my friends and our blanket I think it would still have been one of my most favorite experiences. Really.

Haha Kublakhan - that's funny. But I agree with you. And there is a great streaming archive of live Grateful Dead concerts at:

http://www.archive.org/details/GratefulDead

Over 3000 concerts to choose from - make sure you listen to the good ones! Cheers, Peter

David Byrne is mesmerizing live. At the time I saw him last he was into his
Brazilian stuff, which didn't really float my boat. On stage he grabbed the
audience and didn't let go, start to finish. I had terrible seats up in the back
of the balcony too...and it was blazing hot as I recall. In spite of all that I had
a great time and walked out of there energized.

Gillian Welch, with her very talented acompaniest, David Rawlings...I wasn't
expecting to enjoy, as much as I did, this acoustic set with only the two on
stage the entire performance, with music of a rather somber tone. I was
skeptical, though I do love her music, that I'd enjoy it for two hours. I was
way wrong. Absolutely rivetting...both of them.

I think what those performances/performers have in common is their
tremendous passion for their music and for sharing it. It occured to me there
was nothing 'routine' about these performances. It was as if it was the very
first and last time the artists were performing them. I've seen Rory Block
perform twice and she had that quality as well, but it was not a surprise to me
in those cases.

Dissapointments...hmm...a friend took me to see Pearl Jam at one of those
horrible mega-venue's that double as sports arenas. I like some of their
stuff, but I wouldn't call myself a fan. I went to be with my friend. It was so
bad we walked out half way through it. Also walked out on Dave Matthews at
another larger-than-life (this time outdoor) venue. Like his recorded stuff....
real hohum live...definitely got the sense there that this was concert 126 out
of 198 they'd be doing that year.

Absolute worst disappointment: Beck at Benaroya hall with the Flaming Lips
opening. Love Beck...saw him do an outdoor gig that was very
memorable...what a great, charismatic talent! This was to be a performance
of mostly material from his Sea Change album, which I like very much. But
this show was overamplified in a hall that really needs no amplification at all.
The sound was enough to make me run screaming from the place...and I
think I actually did! My wife endured, while I waited in the lobby. In the time
I spent in the concert hall I couldn't distinguish anything remotely musical
between the overamplified music and the standing, screaming fans all
around. Flaming lips were even worse still (don't care for their music in the
first place, so this was like dental work without novocaine!).

Marco

A little embarrassed to admit it, but Tina Turner and Madonna are two performers who were tremendous live, and from whom I didn't expect much. Energy, energy, energy...

Big disappointments...and in one case perhaps sacrilege to say...Ray Charles and Van Halen. They both suffered from terrible sound mixes, and Van Halen was just flat out boring (two years ago).