By: David Schultz

Give or take a couple days, this article pretty much marks my third anniversary with Earvolution. Over those three years, I’ve seen a whole host of shows and been part of audiences who walked away from them with a wide range of feelings and opinions. As for the artists, regardless of the size of the venue or the composition of the crowd, once the show is done, they’re usually off to do it again in another city for a different audience. Outside of the expansion of the musical horizons of the fans in attendance, one thing all these shows have in common is that no matter what transpired, very little changed in the macrocosm; in the long run, a single show rarely has much of an effect on the world.

As great a personal thrill as it may be to hear a phenomenal band for the first time at South By Southwest, to see the growth and increasing popularity of favorites like Tea Leaf Green, U-Melt and Grace Potter & The Nocturnals or simply to be in the room while My Morning Jacket kills at Radio City Music Hall, it takes a very rare performance to resonate outside of the range of the venue where it took place and affect more people than those who happened to be in attendance. That’s not to say it doesn’t happen.

What follows, in no particular order, isn’t a list of the best live concerts ever staged. That would be a somewhat academic exercise, populated as it would be with large scale efforts like Woodstock and Live Aid. Rather, this list – which in the spirit of Spinal Tap goes to 11 – consists of a group of performances that had relevance beyond the notes that were played and resonated well beyond the time and place of their occurrence.

U2 – Live Aid (Wembley Stadium), July 13, 1985

When U2 took to the Wembley Stadium stage as part of the London half of Live Aid, they really weren’t that big of a deal. Once they were done with their 20 minute set, the world – which was watching – had a sense that Bono wasn’t your average run-of-the-mill lead singer and that U2 were head and shoulders above their new wave brethren. Looking as if he’d been awake for the last three days, Bono led U2 through a torrid and inspired “Sunday Bloody Sunday” but it was their unforgettable version of “Bad” that proved lastingly memorable. Halfway into the song, Bono made his way from the monstrous stage down to the massive sea of people on the stadium floor and plucked a female fan from the audience onto the scaffolding. With The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr. playing on, Bono held the girl in his arms and danced with her while she unsuccessfully tried to stave off hysterics. Running back onto the stage, Bono riffed on Lou Reed’s “Walk On The Wild Side” and The Rolling Stones’ “Ruby Tuesday” and “Sympathy For The Devil” and by the time they wound up the song, hadn’t left enough time to finish their planned set. At the time, U2 believed they had blown their opportunity; it turned out to be a defining moment for a band that's had many. The BBC may have been partial to Queen’s performance and the image of Pete Townshend and Paul McCartney carrying Bob Geldof on their shoulders might be the event’s defining image but everyone who saw U2 steal the show at Live Aid recalls it as their first step on the path to becoming one of the most important bands in the world.

Michael Jackson – Motown 25: Yesterday, Today & Forever, March 25, 1983

Madonna notwithstanding, Michael Jackson is the defining superstar of the 80s and his coronation to becoming the self-proclaimed King of Pop began with the performance of a single song. To commemorate Motown Records’ 25th anniversary, many of the label’s most revered performers, including Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and Diana Ross gathered together for an NBC TV special. As part of the show, Michael Jackson, who with Off The Wall had established himself as a solo act, reunited with his brothers as the Jackson 5 for a medley of hits including “I Want You Back,” “Never Can Say Goodbye” and “I’ll Be There.” After completing the mini-set, Jackson remained alone on stage and spoke about the magic moments of the past. For as much he liked the old songs, he also liked the new, which at the time meant those on the recently released Thriller. With an off screen band playing Quincy Jones’ super-funky rhythm, Jackson picked up a black fedora from the floor and proceeded to deliver the performance of his career – a blistering version of “Billie Jean” that included the debut of the moonwalk. It’s hard to explain the impact of those three backwards steps but for weeks after NBC aired the special, kids would spend hours trying to duplicate Jackson’s mindboggling moves. Propelled by that one performance, the video for “Billie Jean” went on to shatter MTV’s then impenetrable color barrier and Thriller went on to become an International phenomenon. Dancing like he’s floating above the stage, this - not the ashen, surgically disfigured subject of child molestation allegations - is the Michael Jackson that most of us prefer to remember. Even if the performance seems a little dated twenty-five years after the fact, it contained everything set Michael Jackson apart and launched him to the highest stratosphere of superstardom.

Bob Dylan – Newport Folk Festival, July 25, 1965

This is the famous “Dylan Goes Electric” performance that angered the traditionalist folkies and left Dylan vilified in certain circles for daring to plug in his guitar and play electrified blues. Backed by Paul Bloomfield, Al Kooper and other members of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Dylan’s heavily debated set consisted of only three songs, including “Maggie’s Farm” and “Like A Rolling Stone,” and was booed lustily throughout by a stunned crowd that felt betrayed by Dylan’s rejection of the folk ideal. At least that is how the myth goes; to this day, there is no clear consensus as to the reasons behind the crowd’s reaction. In contrast to the widely held belief that the crowd immediately turned on Dylan for plugging in, people who were there claim the poor sound system, not the music, provoked the heated response while others believe that the boos were directed at host Peter Yarrow for cutting the set short. If the latter is correct, Yarrow caught a raw deal as Dylan and his band had only rehearsed three songs. Whatever the crowd’s motivation, Dylan going electric sent shockwaves amongst the folk community who treated Dylan like he was a traitor to their cause. The anger would dog Dylan for months, most famously at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester – a show incorrectly attributed to having occurred at the “Royal Albert Hall” – where he was greeted with catcalls and proclaimed “Judas” by a vocal fan. In his typical fashion, Dylan remained unfazed by the whole controversy but decades later, his Newport Folk Festival set still provokes discussion over its significance and meaning.

The Rolling Stones – Altamont Speedway Free Festival, December 6, 1969

Don McLean proclaimed the day Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper perished in a plane crash to be the day the music died. In that vein, The Rolling Stones’ 1969 performance at the Altamont Speedway is the day the Sixties died. As documented in Gimme Shelter, The Stones’ dream of a Woodstock on the west coast was a doomed effort from the start. Poorly organized, shoddily executed and marred by random outbursts of violence, The Rolling Stones took the stage well behind schedule and when they did, faced a hostile and restless crowd. By the time Hells Angel Alan Passaro, a member of Altamont’s “security” crew, stabbed and killed Meredith Hunter at the front of the stage while the Stones played “Under My Thumb” – not “Sympathy For The Devil” as legend would have you believe – the hippie ideals of the 60s had been exposed and for all intents and purposes the Woodstock generation was dead. From a performance standpoint, Altamont is far from the Stones’ best, quite possibly their worst as they spent an inordinate amount of time trying to keep the unruly crowd from rioting and had to often stop midsong to attempt to restore order. Aware that someone in the audience had been knifed by their security, The Stones considered aborting the show. Fearing the mayhem that might have occurred had they stopped, they soldiered on and presided over the end of an era. Four months after Woodstock galvanized an entire generation, Altamont threw away all the goodwill; an impressive legacy for a single performance.

The Beatles – The Ed Sullivan Show, February 9, 1964

Given the ease with which a video or live performance can be accessed on Youtube, it’s hard to recall an era where visual images of the artists you heard on the radio weren’t widely and immediately accessible. Part of the allure of the early days of MTV – back when they weren’t a reality TV channel - was the sheer fact that you could see what the band looked like and, depending on the video, watch them perform. Prior to The Beatles appearance on the Ed Sullivan show, America had only caught limited glimpses of The Fab Four on news broadcasts documenting the overseas growth of Beatlemania. With the possible exception of Elvis Presley’s appearance on the same show years earlier, The Beatles’ appearance on Ed Sullivan was the most anticipated television performance in the history of music. More than 73 million people watched as The Beatles played “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” “All My Loving,” She Loves You,” “I Saw Her Standing There” and “Till There Was You.” The Beatles appearance, the first of three consecutive performances on the Sullivan show, officially launched Beatlemania in America, changed how a generation viewed the new wave of rock and roll musicians and inspired a legion of rock stars to pick up guitars and begin their own career. It is one of the defining moments in rock and roll history.

Phish – Newport State Airport (Coventry), August 14 & 15, 2004

It wasn’t a secret; the three day destination event was going to be the last performance of Phish before they went on an indefinite hiatus and every able bodied Phish phan with the ways and means to get to Coventry hopped in their renovated VW bus and made their way to Vermont. Given the logistical difficulties presented by the weather and the overwhelmingly sentimental emotions brought out by the event, Coventry’s mystique has grown to epic proportions. Phish attracted tens of thousands to the campgrounds for their own Woodstock style bon voyage. However, poor weather turned the grounds into a disaster area and if you hadn’t made it to the campgrounds early, you were being advised not even make the effort. Leaving their vehicles where they could, fans trekked as far as 30 miles by foot to be there for the band’s final shows. Visibly emotional, Anastasio gave away their signature trampolines, wandered out to perform in front of the stage and prompted possibly the largest glow stick war ever battled. Phish finished six sets over two nights with “The Curtain” and from the moment they took a group bow, fans have been clamoring for a reunion. At this year’s Jammy Awards, Trey Anastasio, Mike Gordon, Page McConnell and Jon Fishman caused a modest amount of excitement just by appearing together on the same stage for the first time since Coventry. Given recent statements by various members of the band, rumors are flying that the long awaited Phish reunion may become a reality.

The Doors – Dinner Key Auditorium, March 1, 1969

Even hardcore fans as well as their staunchest apologists would be hard pressed to refute the fact that Jim Morrison’s performance at the Dinner Key Auditorium in Miami, Florida marked the beginning of the end of The Doors. By most accounts, Morrison showed up the show drunk and belligerent and his demeanor didn’t improve once the band took the stage. For nearly an hour, Morrison alternated between singing verses of the songs and berating and inciting the audience. He then drifted on to the topic of love and nakedness before allegedly exposing himself to the crowd. In hindsight, whether Morrison actually showed the audience his Lizard King is irrelevant: everything went down hill for The Doors from this point on. The controversy over what by all means was reported as an erratic and substandard show erupted a couple days later when the Dade County police issued a warrant for Morrison’s arrest, charging him with indecent exposure and public profanity. In the avalanche of negative publicity that followed the incident and its resulting legal morass, venues cancelled shows on The Doors’ upcoming tour, radio stations dropped the band from their playlists and in the 18 months before Morrison’s case went to trial, The Doors immediate popularity waned considerably. The incident would help perpetuate the rebel shaman myth surrounding Morrison and time would restore The Doors to their proper place in the classic rock echelon. Although Morrison lost his legal battle while he was alive, fans refuse to give up his fight. To this day, Doors fans continue to pester Florida congressmen to posthumously pardon Morrison. In the end though, The Doors at the Dinner Key is the exception to the adage that one bad show won’t kill a band.

Nirvana – Sony Studios (MTV Unplugged), November 19, 1993

When Nirvana performed before an intimate audience and MTV’s cameras at Sony Studios in New York City, no one ever imagined that they were playing the set that would ultimately serve as the public eulogy for Kurt Cobain. Wanting to go against the grain of the increasingly stale Unplugged formula of playing acoustic versions of a band’s greatest hits, Cobain, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic learned a few eclectic covers to go along with select numbers from Nevermind and their recently released In Utero. Cobain didn’t approach the acoustic performance lightly, characteristically butting heads with producers who didn’t like the setlist and steadfastly refusing to give an inch. This distressed MTV who wanted a rowdy unplugged rendition of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” instead of a guest appearance by the Kirkwood brothers to perform three engrossing covers from the Meat Puppets catalog. When the show aired in December of 1993, it was well received but not hailed as visionary or transcendent . . . until April of 2004 when the show, especially Cobain’s haunting rendition of “All Apologies,” served as a final and enduring reminder of Cobain’s troubled soul.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Monterey Pop Festival, June 18, 1967

There was once a time when the world, or in this case America, didn’t acknowledge Jimi Hendrix as the most innovative guitarist of his time and he needed a showcase to establish himself as the preeminent talent of his time. With Otis Redding, The Who and Janis Joplin and Big Brother & The Holding Company making their first major American appearances, it took an iconic performance from Jimi Hendrix to overshadow all that came before. At the insistence of Pete Townshend, Hendrix headlined the last night of the festival and responded by giving the performance for which he will always be remembers. Playing his guitar behind his head and with his teeth, Hendrix pulled out every stage trick in his arsenal before setting his guitar on fire, worshipping reverently before the flames before picking it up and smashing it along with the band’s equipment. Often confused with his Monday morning performance at Woodstock, the Monterey set, which includes “Purple Haze,” “Hey Joe” and covers of “Like A Rolling Stone” and “Wild Thing” is the iconic Jimi Hendrix set; it’s been the focus of a D.A. Pennebaker documentary and Jimi Plays Monterey is one of the many posthumous Hendrix releases. Jimi at Monterey is permanently ingrained in the collective unconscious of classic rock fans and it is the 45 minute set by which all others will ever be measured.

Janet Jackson & Justin Timberlake – Reliant Stadium (Super Bowl XXXVIII), Texas, February 1, 2004

This seemingly innocuous little halftime show between halves of the New England Patriots/Carolina Panthers Super Bowl affected the world more than any other performance on this list. Possibly trying to mimic Mick Jagger’s de-skirting of Tina Turner at Live Aid, Justin Timberlake exposed Janet Jackson’s right breast and the resulting “wardrobe malfunction” changed how live music is presented on the public airwaves. The ill-advised publicity stunt, timed to correspond with the line in “Rock Your Body” where Timberlake proclaims he’ll have you naked by the end of this song, not only gave birth to the delightfully inaccurate term “wardrobe malfunction,” it riled up the FCC who levied enormous fines on CBS and caused a Puritan-quality overreaction of rampant censorship throughout the entire broadcasting industry. Certain ABC affiliates refused to show Saving Private Ryan on Veteran’s Day due to concerns over FCC fines, networks enacted time delays on any live musical performance, Howard Stern left terrestrial radio for the unrestricted airwaves of Sirius Satellite Radio and two years later, the NFL censored certain words from The Rolling Stones’ performance of “Start Me Up” and “Rough Justice.” Timberlake emerged relatively unscathed: although he did bow to pressure to act contrite and gave a penitent apology at that year’s Grammy Awards. Jackson wasn’t so lucky and this little exploit ankled her career, which was already in need of resuscitation. An impressive legacy for a performance that lasted less than ninety seconds.

James Brown, Boston Garden, April 5, 1968