Niche Performances That Live in My Head Rent Free
If you have been reading my content for a bit now, you may know that I am absolutely obsessed with the 1997 Fleetwood Mac performance of Silver Springs. My obsession is so big that I wrote a whole post dedicated to that masterpiece, and you can read that here. However, while that performance is probably my most loved live performance to exist, there are still some other performances I continuously revisit and obsess over so I figured I would share them with you. Let’s get into it!
Patti Smith’s performance of Bob Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” at the 2016 Nobel Prize Award Ceremony
Starting out with probably the most moving performance, in my opinion, is Patti Smith’s tribute to Bob Dylan at the 2016 Nobel Prize Award Ceremony where she covered his song “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall.” In this performance, Patti Smith actually freezes up when performing and stumbles the lyrics, however, she stops the performance to apologize for the mess up and starts again to perform an emotional tribute. However, while her messing up in this performance is a big aspect about what makes it such a big deal, for me, it is the way she handles it and recovers that makes it so extraordinary. If you watch the video and look at the audience members, you will see that it is filled with so many prominent people, including royalty from different parts of the world. The thought of just being in that room is intimidating enough, I cannot imaging actually performing, let alone a tribute to one of the greatest poetic songwriters such as Bob Dylan. When she messes up she literally stops and says “ I apologize, I’m sorry, I am so nervous” and the way she says it with genuine grace and humility makes me want to wrap her up in a huge hug. This moment is just a pure example of human error and her response to her mistake makes the audience fall even more in love with her performance, not to mention the way she absolutely embodies the lyrics of such a heavy song in that moment too. Patti Smith aside, the entire orchestra and musician set up is phenomenal, especially the steel guitar. As a newer Patti Smith fan, this performance made me fall in love with her, not only as an artist, but as a person. Since then, Patti has been asked about this moment and my favorite of her responses is her saying “I hadn’t forgotten the words that were now a part of me. I was simply unable to draw them out. This strange phenomenon did not diminish or pass but stayed cruelly with me. I was obliged to stop and ask pardon and then attempt again while in this state and sang with all my being, yet still stumbling. It was not lost on me that the narrative of the song begins with the words “I stumbled alongside of twelve misty mountains,” and ends with the line “And I’ll know my song well before I start singing.” As I took my seat, I felt the humiliating sting of failure, but also the strange realization that I had somehow entered and truly lived the world of the lyrics." Overall, this performance is one of the most moving, beautiful, and emotional performances that makes me proud to be a human.
Lady Gaga’s Performance of “You and I” at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards
Before I dig into the details of this performance, it is absolutely not lost on me that pretty much any performance that Lady Gaga has done at an awards show has been phenomenal, however, this one happens to be my favorite of hers. This video starts off with Gaga performing a monologue from the point of view of an ex boyfriend of hers, while dressed up as a man. You can tell that this monologue is derived from stuff that men have actually said to her, while also still alluding to her success, giving quite the tongue-in-cheek moment. During the monologue, I love watching all the audience reactions, especially Brittney Spear’s because she is genuinely shocked but also loving it. The monologue is even more appreciated now that we have seen Lady Gaga win an Oscar for her role in “A Star is Born'“, proving that she really can act. The beginning of this performance gives me theater vibes in the best way. She then kicks into the performance of “You and I” while staying in her costume as a man and starting out at the piano before breaking into a choreographed dance with other dancers dressed just like her. However, the performance is taken up a notch when she announces Queen’s Brian May on the electric guitar. I especially love Dave Grohl’s reaction in the crowd to Brian May coming out. This collaboration is made even more special when you realize that Lady Gaga got her name from Queen’s song “Radio Gaga”, creating a full circle moment for her. While Brian May is rocking out, Gaga cracks open a beer and starts spewing it everywhere while performing on top of the piano, making the moment even more rock and roll than we thought it could get. At this point in her career, Gaga was already labeled a weirdo and people knew to expect the unexpected from Gaga, but you can tell they definitely didn’t expect her to come out looking like some Italian New Yorker dude. This entire performance shows the many layers to Gaga’s talent and artistry, making me swell with pride from being a day one Lady Gaga fan. That woman knows how to perform the hell out of an award show performance!
Sturgill Simpson’s 2013 performance of “Water in a Well” at Sun King Brewery
Sturgill Simpson is another artist that I am proud to be a day one fan of. His album Metamodern Sounds in Country Music is one of my absolute favorite albums and truly has no skips. And while I adore that album, my favorite performance of his has to be his performance of “Water in a Well” in 2013 at the Sun King Brewery. “Water in a Well” is a song from his first album, High Top Mountain, but the album version cannot even compare to this Sun King Brewery version. For starters, this song is a very emotional and heartfelt song about lost love and this performance does the best job of getting you to really feel that pain. I love to see Sturgill’s emotions expressed on his face while he sings these lyrics because you can really tell he has felt these feelings. I also respect the control he has over his voice and it is very well portrayed in this video. Something else that makes this performance so special is the band backing him. Although a group of pretty young fellas, but boy can these guys play! Especially that lead guitarist, he truly takes this song up a notch and gives it that extra pizzazz a good heartbreak song occasionally needs. This entire performance is a wonderful example that there is still real and honest country artists out there. Truly, this performance is so clean, crisp, and emotional, making it one of my most revisited YouTube videos.
Heart’s 2012 Performance of “Stairway to Heaven” at the Kennedy Center Honors
The last performance on this list, but certainly not the least, is Heart’s tribute to Led Zeppelin at the Kennedy Center Honors. When I first came across this performance, I was blown away for many reasons. The most obvious is simply how well Ann and Nancy Wilson perform this song. Ann Wilson’s voice almost feels like this song was made for her and she was the best person to sing this song as a tribute. Not to mention, Ann is in her early 60s in this video and her voice sounds outstanding. Nancy Wilson accompanies her so well on guitar and I love how into it she gets, especially with the kicks she does while playing. Aside from the Wilson sisters, the entire band and choir deliver such an outstanding performance. The choir makes this song sound like the gates of heaven are opening up on stage, making it very fitting for this song. I also really appreciate how Jason Bonham is on the drums, considering he is the son of the late John Bonham, who played the drums for Led Zeppelin before his death. I especially love how at the end of the performance, Jason points at Robert Plant and taps his heart, followed by Robert Plant doing the same in return. I also want to point out that the man on the electric guitar, Shane Fontayne, absolutely nails his solo and you can see the approval from Jimmy Page himself. I think the best part about this performance is truly the reactions from Robert Plant and Jimmy Page. Jimmy Page is so overjoyed during the entire performance and you can see his face light up every time the camera pans to him. On the other hand, Robert Plant seems so focused during the performance but you can see towards the end how he has tears in his eyes as he watches such a magnificent tribute. I can only image how it felt to see a song they made so iconic performed for them in such a way that respects everything they have contributed to music. I also enjoy seeing all the famous people in the crowd rocking out, such as the Obamas and Bonnie Raitt. This entire tribute defines rock and roll! With the insane talent that Ann Wilson delivers in her vocals, the entire ensemble, and a standing ovation from the members of Led Zeppelin, there is no way you can deny that this performance acts as a true tribute to not only Zeppelin, but rock and roll in general.
It is always such a joy to come across a performance that gives you chills or leaves you feeling all sorts of emotions. I know there are so many other performances out there that are equally as powerful or moving as these and I am always looking for more to obsess over. Let me know what performances live rent free in your head!
