Why nine, you ask? I'm number nine in my family, and it's a pretty great number. Top 10 are overdone, and the Nostalgia Critic has the whole Top 11 thing all sewn up. So here we go!
#9 Joseph Gordon-Levitt covers Nirvana's "Lithium" (language warning)
Watch for the interlude at 2:46 where Joseph takes time to share his true feelings on Kurt Cobain.
#8 Lauren Heeley covers Of Monsters and Men's "Empire"
#7 Warren Zevon's "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner"
While this is technically not "live," Snubby J gets a pass because it's wildly difficult to clone yourself in front of an audience. I firmly believe performing music is a transcendental experience where the performer puts a part of himself into music that gets shared with the audience, and Snubby proves my point. Watch his grins as the band comes together; heck, watch all his facial expressions. Nobody can watch this without knowing this kid loves what he does.
Wesley Schutlz's trademark humility introduces this catchy and heart-plucking single from the same-named album.
The camera devotes a surprising amount of screentime to drummer Jeremiah Fraites. Drummers are often overlooked members of the band, but Jeremiah is one of the masterminds behind the Lumineers and writes music to the lyrics frontman Wesley Schultz pens (when he's not getting set straight by Elton John).
Neyla Pekarek's ethereal and plaintive backup vocals add a touching feminine wreath to this ballad, which is both mournful and full of life lived with no regrets. The raw emotion that gets delivered here--both in music and in performance--brings tears to your eyes. The stunning final chord feels like the thrum of a heartbeat felt through the womb. Feel free to get up and dance at 2:24.
#4 Rob Paravonian's "Pushing Band Candy"
Surprised to see a stand-up comedian in this list? Don't be. When a performer's bio styles him as a "intelligent and unique performer, it's usually codswallop, but with Rob it's actually true. Known most for his "Pachelbel Rant," Rob's got a long list of great songs. A musical comedian, Rob raps about his days selling candy bars to raise funds for the school band. From start to finish his material is timed perfectly, the facial expressions are spot-on, and the jokes are surprisingly high-brow for a cafe laughman--and therein lies the genius that includes him in this list.
Rob manages to compare school-of-hard-knocks drug dealing with upper-middle-class school band fundraising, and it's hilariously accurate. As he parodies gangsta rap, he slips in references to Scarface, Adam Smith, and B.I.G. It's difficult to pay homage to the poster child of cocaine and the father of modern economics, but Rob pulls it off.
A few kudos are owed to the speed and length of his strumming. For more than four minutes he keeps a blistering tempo as he plays the song's hook with lightning repetivity. And when he finally runs out of breath, he turns it into a crowd-stirring punchline.
#3 Foster the People's "Pumped Up Kicks"
Drummer Mark Pontius starts off a driving drumbeat that doesn't let up, and watch how happy he is. I want a wife that looks at me the way Pontius looks at his drums. Cubbie Fink's interminable bass line ceaselessly keeps us wanting to dance and the man gets points for playing the same nine notes for more than seven minutes.
This is what fans want from a show. Foster gets right into his head-bopping groove, tosses the crowd a solo, gets them geared up to fever pitch at 4:02, and shares a quick little story about New Orleans. It's a fun performance. It's interactive, not a painting to be stared at.
If I could give an Oscar for Best Cinematography, this video would win it. It's beautifully shot, the camera captures real individual fans enjoying the music, not the just the presence of people. However, the real winner of "I give it all" is the maracas player from 3:44-4:00. You're right up there with the cowbell, man.
#2: No Doubt's "Don't Speak"
The crowd interaction is terrific. Gwen drops half the first verse to the audience and if that lamentatious look at 1:13 doesn't do something to you, you're dead inside. Gwen surrenders to the music and really sings her heart out during the last 90 seconds of the song. Hang in there for the bitter end; the final coda and crowd response is the perfect outro to this performance.
As a side note, "Don't Speak" was the top single from the Tragic Kingdom album, which is solely responsible for bringing the 3rd era of ska back into the spotlight.
#1: Green Day's "¿Viva La Gloria?" at Webster Hall
This is Green Day at their best. Some bands can hack it in a studio and fail in front of an audience. Green Day has proved time and time again they're much better in person. After a raucous and, well, Green Dayesque chorus, Billie Joe spends the second verse glad-handing fans like the Pope of Punk he is, before snapping back into power-chord chorusing glory.
First off, not a lot of millionaire songwriters are man enough to hand a solo off to the second guitarist, so Billie Joe gets props for that. Second of all, it's pretty cool he again goes out and lets the audience get into touching distance of his guitar (well, if they hadn't all been filming the show on their iPhones). Although, that may not be a problem for a guy who's been known to take a flying kick at a heckler. Thirdly, remember how Green Day almost didn't make it out of the '90s because of Billie Joe's power-grabbing selfishness? Here we are, 10 years later, and he's content to let Mike Dirnt take center stage during the crux of their rock opera. (Tre just keeps being Tre.) This is a band that has time and time again shown themselves capable of changing to remain current and functional while also staying relevant. Crank up the volume and rock out with them all the way to the music-box like wind down and explosive ending.
There you have it. The next time someone says a band is "better live," you weigh them against these performers.
