Personally, though, I rarely share in that excitement. I'm not much for outdoor concerts held in deserts and I'm generally not that interested in the long list of indie bands playing on the various stages. Heck, I never even know who most of these bands are!
Besides, no outdoor festival concert will ever match the dream concert I've created in my head. Oh yeah... don't think I don't have one of my three genie-in-a-bottle wishes already reserved for this one! And when I finally get the chance to make that wish, you'll all be on the invite list.
In the meantime, let me give you an idea of how mind-blowingly, ear-splittingly, get-you-up-off-your-feet-and-dancingly awesome this once-in-a-lifetime show would be with this sample of some of my favorite live performances EVER! Here is a listing of my TOP 10 LIVE PERFORMANCES, or the Mod Male Dream Concert:
1. Of course, I'd open the show with a group of guys who know how to lay out an intro. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Jerry Jermont, Bernard Purdie, Cornell Dupree, Truman Thomas, Warren Smith, and King Curtis!
2. Alright, let's bust in with a dose of country soul & rock'n'roll with Delaney and Bonnie & Friends! Now, you can spend the next 30 minutes digging on this whole show here, but if you want the tune that represents, click on over to the 15:30 mark! (Oh, and really... as if you needed another reason to love Bonnie Bramlett.)
3. We're just getting started now, y'know. Gotta give a nod to a certain fan fave. Of course, I'd have my genie pluck this guy out of his prime to give a little homage to another fan favorite out there. PW, take it away!
4. (Oh, I know: "But Mod Male, where are the Small Faces?" Hey, this show ain't over yet!) In the meantime, let's amp up the stage charisma with a little Junior Wells action. Seriously... THIS is R&B!
5. You know who else knew how to put on a great show with a fantastic stage presence? The Animals! Let these guys work you up in a frenzy... fave moment at the 2:55 mark!
6. Alright, time to bring this down a bit. Perfect time for a mellow instrumental interlude with Dave Pike, Volker Kriegel, Ingfriend Hoffmann, Hans Rettenbacher, and Peter Baumeister. Wait, did I say 'mellow'?
7. Wait, who's this coming up on stage? Aw dang, it's Etta James! Wait, who's that on organ? Aw dang, it's Dr. John!
8. Whew! Alright, alright let's steer this show into funky territory for a bit. Donny Hathaway, show 'em how it's done! (Unfortunately, he can't really show you, so you're going to have to use your imagination.) Audience participation is welcome!
7. Well, unfortunately, I can't embed the next performance, so you're going to have to use your imagination once more. See, I'd follow Donny Hathaway with a set by The Faces. Oh yeah! And they'd be joined by The Memphis Horns for a cover of The Temptations' 'I Wish It Would Rain.' But wait, what's this?? Is that Steve Marriott getting up there too? Whoa, folks... looks like my dream concert would include a Small Faces reunion!
8. Still with me? See... every concert needs a moment to slow things down with a good, mellow tune. Small Faces rocked you out mellow, but let's get a good, sweet vibe going with a performance from Curtis Mayfield.
9. Okay, let's pick up the tempo as we head toward tonight's conclusion. Time to ramp up your adrenaline! Hope you got a bottle of water with you... you're gonna need it! Ladies and gentlemen, this is what you get when you cross Welsh blue-eyed soul and American blue-eyed soul: Tom Jones & Janis Joplin!
10. How do you follow up a performance like that? Psshhh... you get the soul duo template in there. Alright folks, let's end this show with a super-soulful performance by one of THEE BEST SOUL ACTS EVER!
CLAP!! CLAP!! CLAP!! CLAP!! CLAP!! CLAP!! CLAP!! CLAP!! CLAP!! CLAP!! CLAP!! CLAP!!
11. You know who I feel bad for? All those people who just left thinking this was over. Come on... you didn't think I'd end this show without an encore, do you? Please... there's only one way to end a concert like this: you give 'em one showstopper of an encore! And there's only one man who can cap this night off with power!
That's it for me. I'm out! And yes, I know I left a lot of great performances out today. But if you were my genie, you KNOW you'd be droppin' more wishes on me after this one!
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That Junior Wells performance! Totally out of keeping with the way I've imagined his performances to be. Brilliant. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI fell in love with that Junior Wells clip! Paul Anderson first posted it on the Facebook page for his upcoming book.
DeleteThe shoes Wells is wearing in this clip... whoa! (And Tom Jones info updated.)
Yeah! I meant to say about those shoes! Outasight.
ReplyDeletePeople don't know who the Stone Roses (or Blur) are??
ReplyDeleteHaha! I loved that link. Heck, I'll be honest... I get the Stone Roses confused with the Happy Mondays all the time.
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