Performers you wish you had seen in concert

[Bona Drag]

What is this, Masterpiece f***in' Theatre? Just kidding; koji -

Has anyone said the original Dolls yet? Just thought of that one cuz Thunders came up in S&D. Near the top of my list...

 

[von Rothbart]

Originally Posted by aportnoy

Alexander Gudanov

It was high drama, much better than on stage.

Godunov defected to US during the Bolshoi tour in NYC in 1979. After his announcement to defect, Soviet officials quickly put his wife who's also a Bolshoi member on the plane back to Moscow. But State Department officials ordered the plane blocked on the runway pending investigation whether she's leaving on her own will as she and more than 50 passengers continued to sit on the airliner for 3 days. It became major diplomatic incident between the US and the Soviet Union. American officials wanted to interview her in private and away form the plane but the interview was conducted on the plane in a private area instead. After 3 days of high level negotiation that involved Carter and Brezhnev, the plane was finally allowed to take off. She came back to Moscow as a heroine.

His defection was the first ever by a Bolshoi dancer. Nureyev, Misha and Makarova were with Kirov at the time of their defection.

At first he wanted to join NYCB but was turned downed as Mr. B felt he's more suited to ABT which he danced as a principal until 1982 when he had a falling-out with Misha. He turned to Hollywood after his departure from ABT. I believe he died of OD several years ago.

 

[dkzzzz]

I have heard that Barishnikov did not give him enough parts. Godunov was a very good dancer and had much more dramatic presence on stage than Barishnikov himslef.

 

[Connemara]

Originally Posted by Thracozaag

[bio fragment]...


I've been incredibly fortunate to have played with many great musicians, but I can say without any reservation that Misha has been the greatest artist that I've had the privilege, honour and pleasure to work and perform with.

koji

That's really just too cool, Koji.

 

[gorgekko]

Sergei Rachmaninov
Frank Sinatra
Jimi Hendrix
The Beatles
Late 1960s The Who

 

[Baron]

Yeah - Sinatra. I've been listening to a live recording from the Sands in 1966 (not sure exactly what it is, a friend burned it for me) with the Count Basie Orchestra. Wow - both he and the band are so good and so loose (I think he may be a little toasted) and his stage banter is sprikled with off-color jokes. A great recording.

I wouldn't mind seeing Elvis in Vegas. If you could cherry pick the best shows, I bet he was really on a few times.

Michael Jackson, early Thriller era. I saw an interview with Jimmy Jam once and he was commenting on Prince as a live performer. He said he was the second best he'd ever seen. After Michael. His tone suggested that, yes, Prince is very special, but Michael is something else entirely.

Some of the coolest shows I've seen:
The Replacements at the Coach House in OC

Pharoah Sanders at a tiny bar in Oakland - The Bird Cage

Jane's Addiction - a bunch of early shows at tiny clubs (these might be the best shows I've ever seen - they were playing full fledged arena rock in tiny little rooms - overwhelming ****)

Jeff Buckley on the Grace tour in a small bar in Dallas. This show was so poorly promoted that reps from Sony were out in the street giving tickets away to passers by. When I told them I'd bought my ticket weeks ago, they took my address and sent me a bunch of promotional materials and a CD in gratitude. They ended up filling the club with a bunch of Mexican dishwashers and businessmen and frat guys that were wandering around Deep Ellum. There were about 15 actual fans (including Eric Stoltz, who was shooting a movie in Dallas) near the stage and about 75 of these randoms talking loudly in the back. Buckley and his band came out and set up on stage amid the general chaos and inattention. He was so ******* cool - his hair was hanging down into his eyes. he was wearing a long fur coat and he looked totally high. He walked up to the mic, he shrugged the coat off his shoulders and if fell down to the floor, and he started singing the first verse of Mojo Pin a cappella with most of the crowd making a racket and ignoring the stage. By the end of the verse, the whole bar was totally silent and staring at the stage, jaws agape. That was the most unreal demonstration of stage presence I've ever seen.

 

[Bona Drag]

Originally Posted by Baron

The Replacements at the Coach House in OC


I can only imagine - was Bob still in the band?

I saw Paul on his last tour, and it was one of the loosest, most fun shows I've ever seen; just a bunch of aging punks clowning and having a blast playing old hits and goofy covers.

 

[The Deacon]

Thelonius Monk
Charles Mingus
Cannonball Adderley
Cab Calloway
Louis Jordan
Louis Prima
June Christy in her prime
Oliver Nelson-Blues and the Abstract Truth
Albert King
The Man in Black
Jaco Patorius
Nancy Wilson
Jean Carne
Eddie Hazell
Eddie Harris
Jackie Wilson
Chuck Berry 50's-80's
Santana-missed a chance to work back stage at his show at UMASS Amherst and have regretted it since.
Bob Marley- Was scheduled to come to UMASS but his cancer progressed.

 

[A Y]

Originally Posted by von Rothbart

The Theme & Variations he did with Kirkland I saw on tape was just beyond description.

A friend of mine just gave me a copy of this, and it's pretty incredible. Baryshnikov's said that this is the most physically difficult piece he's ever danced. Funny thing about Balanchine choreography is how simple the basic steps are, yet the combination, repetition, and timing of them makes it so hard.

Are you talking about the one with Makarova? God, that performance was literally out of this world.

I'm not sure who the ballerina was --- it was an excerpt from a Great Performances broadcast. I've seen the out-of-print video of his and Markarova's Giselle though. That ought to be re-released on DVD.

Speaking of great partnerships, have you seen Alina Cojocaru and Johan Kobborg, especially in Giselle? That's one pair everyone ought to see before it's too late.

--Andre

 

[Bona Drag]

Also, Baron, I didn't read your whole Buckley thing until now. That has to be one of the best "I saw them when..." stories I've ever heard.

I spent a little time in Dallas - which place in Deep Ellum?

 

[Baron]

Originally Posted by Bona Drag

I can only imagine - was Bob still in the band?
No - he had just left and some guy they called Memphis Slim was playing guitar. I don't know why I remember that.

Originally Posted by Bona Drag

Also, Baron, I didn't read your whole Buckley thing until now. That has to be one of the best "I saw them when..." stories I've ever heard.

I spent a little time in Dallas - which place in Deep Ellum?

It was some place called the Main Bar - I don't think it's been called that for a long time now. It was the only time I'd ever been there. It was a strange place to have a show.

 

[sho'nuff]

i would love to have seen Chopin at work frustratingly composing his etudes and such.

Franz Liszt of course.

 

[Tokyo Slim]

I wish I'd seen Jenna Jameson dance live when she was 18... and maybe Eva Angelina before she got her implants.

 

[LabelKing]

Originally Posted by Tokyo Slim

I wish I'd seen Jenna Jameson dance live when she was 18... and maybe Eva Angelina before she got her implants.

I'd like to have seen Blaze Starr dance. They used to call her Miss Spontaneous Combustion.

 

[The Deacon]

Paul Robeson
Satin Doll if that counts!