I found many things “right” about this 1976 Fleetwood Mac performance of “Rhiannon,” which was passed along by a friend. I also found a few things annoyingly “wrong.” I’m curious to know where you stand on matters of right and wrong in this clip. Thank you.
THIS may be the elusive shortest Last Man Standing Ever! Your mission is simple: spot the instruments and performance schtick that are NOT employed in Beck‘s understated performance of David Bowie‘s “Sound + Vision.”
I didn’t know Paul Revere & The Raiders were allowed to be seen in public in anything but those stupid Revolutionary War outfits they’re known for wearing. Those things always bummed me out, even when I was a kid who couldn’t get enough of The Band‘s practically Civil War get-up. To this day, when I hear the music of Paul Revere & The Raiders I bob my head and think, These guys were good! These guys were underrated! As soon as I see them in costume, however, I discount their musical achievements.
Townsman diskojoe passed along this YouTube clip, two thirds of which is a 1969 televised lip-syncing performance from Where the Action Is. For the first time ever I get to see the band in groovy civilian clothing, and their music is so much more enjoyable to not only hear but watch. Better yet, as diskojoe pointed out, midway through “Out on the Road” (3:07 mark), Dan Ackroyd‘s Tom Snyder, Catherine O’Hara‘s Lola Heatherton, and an unidentified third go-go dancer storm the stage as if they were beamed in from that space hippie planet from Star Trek.
Watch this clip carefully and you won’t be disappointed in its wealth of intra-band knowing glances and grins. Those of you who know Townsman sethro, my close personal friend, longtime drummer, AND dentist, will recognize his patriotic father banging the skins!
Don’t forget Bowie blows Ronson.
We’re not talking about 1-time stage moves, like Jimi Hendrix setting his guitar on fire or Pete Townshend‘s slide across the stage in The Kids Are Alright‘s live performance of “Won’t Get Fooled Again.” We’re looking to determine—once and for all—Rock’s Most Iconic Recurring Stage Move. What are the go-to stage moves that rock fans can count on, and what is the most iconic of those go-to stage moves?
Is that clear?
Examples of these iconic recurring stage moves and the RTH People’s Poll follow the jump. Your job is to determine—once and for all—the clear-cut answer to settle all heated barroom debates on the subject!
It’s become commonplace now at giant events like Super Bowl halftime shows and awards shows to see an artist perform to an audience of a couple hundred beautiful, enthusiastic, coordinated fans-for-hire doing what I call cheer-syncing (or crowd-syncing), a term I propose adding to our RTH Glossary. Sometimes the camera pulls back to show the crowd rushing the stage as they are set free from their holding pen. In the case of The Rolling Stones’ 2006 halftime show the cheer-syncing professionals were actually enclosed in a pen within the band’s stage. Talk about a captive audience.
Everyone is beautiful. Everyone’s got their hand raised to the heavens, like they’re in a Pentecostal church. There can’t be that many Pentecostal churchgoers at televised rock performances, can there?
How far back does this practice of hiring an audience to crowd the foot of the stage and essentially pee their pants in unison does this practice go? Was this idea spawned after choreographed rock performances in Jesus Christ Superstar and Tommy? No one really cheers like that do they? How often does an audience actually rally around a performer the way they do on these televised spectacles?
Once and For All February continues with the goal of determining—once and for all—Rock’s Greatest Stage Name! This topic was suggested by Townsman cdm. As with all Once and For All February threads over the coming weeks, polls will be kept open through the rest of the month. Then, we will have determined—once and for all—all kinds of stuff that causes rock fanatics to yell at each other in a crowded bar.
No further arguments will be accepted, so plead your case in this thread!
The nominees and the RTH People’s Poll for Rock’s Greatest Stage name follow…after the jump!
After viewing this concert I can’t think of a band I’d feel more comfortable bringing home to meet my family than 1976-era ELO—and their equally polite audience. Excuse me, Jeff: please pass the salt when you’re done with it.
