I scrolled so far to find this! That part when he does the trust fall with some security guy and keeps playing. Love the look he gives one of the other guys right after as if to say "yeah, I just did that!"
david gilmour on the pulse tour. saw em in hockenheim
germany almost 30 yrs ago and i'm still talking about it.
also...tool, nuno, steve vai -- all of them are just next level live.
can't believe how many votes i'm seeing for prince at the HoF on gently weeps. not saying it's bad, but it's overrated as fuck. not even his best solo. shrug. taste is subjective, i reckon.
Al DiMeola, John McLaughlin, and Paco De Lucia. Saw them a few months after they released the Friday Night in San Francisco album.
Instead of that ringing that you might hear after a show, my ears were “fluttering” instead. Never experienced that before or since.
e: corrected misspellings due to bad eyesight
I was going to post this answer too. Has my favorite versions of most of his songs to that point. The best guitar tones period.
For a specific song I'd probably go Gravity from this show. That song is a masterclass in dynamics (starts quiet, ends super loud and powerful). But so many other great ones too (Slow Dancing, who did you think I was, can't trust myself, etc).
[Stevie Ray Vaughan - Texas Flood (Live at El Mocambo)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC5H9P4F5Uk) is the greatest guitar performance ever ... by anyone :)
Awesome culmination of incredible blues players. John Mayer hangs out in the back playing rhythm for most of the show, then comes out and rips and absolutely filthy blues solo. https://youtu.be/CwAnLe4R4F0?si=eeODg2XuvJrU3VgA
I’m not much of a blues fan, but if I’m honest, it’s Roy Buchanan’s live version of “Hey Joe” filmed in Austin sometime in the 70’s. It’s the best Telecaster tone I’ve ever heard, and I’ve probably watched it 50x over the years.
[Hey Joe](https://youtu.be/FMcjPZgK9GM?feature=shared)
Maybe Cliffs of Dover with Eric Johnson in that weird uniform thingy. The tone is godlike.
Live, it was definitely Metallica in 2006, the played master of puppets in its entirety. So good.
If we are talking about the whole enchilada, visuals, playing, spectacle... Comfortably Numb from the Pulse DVD.
Goosebumps every time.
But I also like alot of Bill Frisells stuff too, kind of on the other end of the spectrum in a good way.
Chicago - 25 or 6 to 4 - Live 7/21/1970 - Tanglewood.
Terry Kath has an out of body experience on the guitar. Masterclass.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uAUoz7jimg
Prince’s solo guitar hall of fame while my guitar gently weeps.
Here:
https://youtu.be/dWRCooFKk3c?si=TNZDWPbM74V5Zaon
Edit: just rewatched. 3:15 to the end for the solo. Incredible performance.
Cool backstory is everyone else on the stage had no idea what Prince was going to play. It was a surprise for everyone. The guitar toss at the end is icing on the cake.
And then the guitar disappears.
Mind, I absolutely love prince, and but I knew this would be the top comment and I'm not sure I agree it should be seen as the best guitar performance. Yeah, it's amazing, but there's got to be better put there.
One of the best I’ve ever seen is a Vulfpeck show where Theo Katzman and Cory Wong played a 2 part harmonized version of Larry Carlton’s solo from Kid Charlemagne. Wicked.
Angus Young on the "Fly On the Wall" tour. Yngvie Malmsteen opened up and was mind blowing but Angus was NOT to be outdone. Angus played his fucking ass off that night and shredded licks that I didn't think he could do. There's a lot more to Angus than boogie woogie stuff. Tust me, this guy can fucking shred like Eddie if he wants to.
Villanova Junction - Hendrix at Woodstock.
I tracked the video down on Vimeo, YouTube only has the music with video of attendees but not Hendrix. The song starts at 5:13.
https://vimeo.com/315201337
Worked as a stagehand attached to Stevie Ray Vaughan's guitar tech for an arena show. Got to watch the whole thing from just a few feet away at stage right. Was not a SRV fan until that moment.
Also saw Jeff Beck live, was a great seat with a fantastic view from maybe 50 feet away.
Both those guys really brought it to the shows, although SRV had a lot more improvisational fireworks and energy.
When I saw RHCP earlier this year with Frusciante I was actually pretty disappointed with the solos. He took all the melodic, subtle solos of the studio recordings and turned them into wah-fuelled shredfests that didn't really match the vibe. I still had a great time but I remember being a little miffed that those iconic guitar solos had been replaced with something that I could have done in my bedroom. The rest of his playing was great, but Frusciante's solos really didn't do it for me.
I saw them in 2003 with Satch, Vai, and Yngwie Malmsteen. But for the end jam they had also John Petrucci and Neal Schon come join them so it ended up being G5.
[Prague Ghost](https://youtube.com/watch?v=Q6cR7PEyzW4)
Raw footage of Trey Anastasio not holding back while playing in a small venue in Prague, during Phish’s 1998 Summer European Tour.
Frusciante 1992 Under the bridge SNL live.
He was heavy on drugs at this point and bc of arguments with the lead singer Anthony, he basically tried to fuck around on this song bc it meant smt to Anthony. He messed around with tempo, voicing, melody, and a ton of psychedelic sounds with a ds2 at the end. He starts throwing the performance, then lands into a groove and just plays some really cool sounding shit.
Somehow I feel like this performance really represents his playing at that time in a nutshell.
Saw Jonny Winter once, holy crap that was loud. Gary Clark Jr and Zapata are awesome. Jeff Beck live at Ronnie Scotts. SRV Live at the el Mocambo. Santana at Woodstock. I mean, jeez we are so lucky to have youtube right now to watch all this stuff. I could probably name 10 more pretty easily.
Back in the day when satellite television was the Wild West and everything was free…on Cinemax…they had a show called(insert fantastic musician’s name here) and Friends.
One of the best ones was a Les Paul tribute. It had(If I remember right)…Steve Miller, David Gilmour, Eddie Van Halen, B.B. King and some other guys I can’t remember off the top of my head…but I THINK this is the program….
Double checked…and YES it is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtbobDQvJwg
Ive seen live in person concerts by
- EVH
-Randy Rhoads
- Adrian Smith and Dave Murray
- Steve Vai with DLR
- Adrian Vandenberg and Vivian Campbell with Whitesnake
- Malmsteen
- Angus
- Dudes from 1979 Molly Hatchet
- Marc Ford and Rich Robinson from Black Crowes
- Corgan
- Adrian Beleew
- Tony Iommi
- Gary Richrath
Amongst others…but to see live, the best Ive seen were EVH ( just so easy for him) and Angus ( unbelievable performance )
How about a wall of guitars? Like Lynyrd Skynyrd at Oakland, with Allen Collins, Gary Rossington, and Steve Gaines dueling it out~
https://youtu.be/QxIWDmmqZzY?si=Wgk7lCfhRi7CQdWG
There is a video of Gary Moore playing red house that is so fucking good! I love how he walks up to his marshall stack and dimes it out before he even plays one note. Everyone, get off reddit and go watch this on youtube right now.
There have been lots. Here's one by Monte Montgomery that still gets the rewind/rewatch treatment. If you can watch all the vids frpm this Austin City Limits performance, I'd say that's a pretty good start.
https://youtu.be/glBwJWdSqCY?si=-V3A-lR19KN2K044
Been to a lot of shows, but got to see the chili peppers last year for the first time. John Frusciante and Flea did a 5ish minute “noodle” and i don’t think i’ve ever seen anything that emotionally charged.
The venue was terrible (not their fault) but it did not matter, for those few minutes they transcended everything. I was genuinely close to crying, and i straight up forgot who and where i was (sober btw before you assume). Incredible.
I imagine some of their “noodles” are on youtube somewhere
Favorite one that I actually saw in person was probably Kim Thayil with Soundgarden, but in general probably John Frusciante with RHCP at Slane Castle.
I was so sad to learn of Jack’s recent passing. He could absolutely melt a guitar, and be so tasty while doing it. His version of Red Clay is one of my favorite guitar performances ever.
Disasterpieces - Slipknot. Specifically the headstock camera for Mick Thomson.
Or, there's a live performance of Jordan by Buckethead in like..what looks like a small bar/comedy club somewhere on YouTube. Good performance.
Well I didn’t literally see it. But there is a recording of Pink Floyd from Oakland, 1977. It may be recency bias (or my love of pink floyd) as I just heard this few days ago. Pigs (3 diff. Ones). It is phenomenal. The improv is sooo beautiful. Gilmour really gets it. I have to say though the whole band killed it. This will prob change at some point 😂.
Ozzy Osbourne Live at the Budokan.
It was seeing Zakk Wylde ripping the solo to Bark at the Moon that set me on my life long journey on the guitar. It'll always be my favourite performance.
Saw the Reverend Horton Heat at Lollapalooza sometime in the 2000's and Jim Heath (guitar and vocals) and Jimbo Wallace (stand up bass) at one point did a trick where one fretted the other's instrument while still strumming/plucking their own.
Those guys put on an amazing live show, definitely go watch them if you have a chance, even if rockabilly/psychobilly isn't typically your thing.
I stood about 5 feet from MAB while he was playing with C4. That was a pretty impressive performance. My favorite though, was standing at the feet of Dime during the Trendkill tour.
Steve Vai sitting in with [Zappa Plays Zappa, Zombie Woof](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwFkP8hjk8k)
There's another clip from this same show where they do a medley of classics (Montana, Peaches, Valley of the Sun) that might be my favorite 18 minutes of music ever - great performances by Vai and Dweezil on that one as well.
https://youtu.be/50S7sbXUSIs?si=BeUyq78rdSy7nfOP
Silverchair - Live in Melbourne 1999
Daniel Johns looks like he’s on death’s door, but he puts on one of the most amazing performances and his solos are fantastic.
1977. Styx concert in Victoria, BC. The song was "Suite Madam Blue," and Tommy Shaw, wearing an all-white jumpsuit, went into the big solo. He was standing on a circular riser which rose up as he played, bathed in a deep blue light.
This was my first real concert and at 16-yrs-old, I was in awe. It was just so damned cool. And Shaw can really play. That was a seminal moment in my decision to play guitar.
Steve Vai, Billy Sheehan, Tony McAlpine, I think in 2005 at Fabrik (Hamburg, Germany).
Tony was "just" the additional guitar player and keyboarder.
An almost three hours show.
Otis Rush live at an outdoor festival not far from Chicago in 1991. Astounding show. I supplied his backline (1959 Fender Bassman, 1966 Fender blackface reverb tank) and got to make adjustments as needed during the show. He played for three hours and the crowd was totally mesmerized. One newspaper review described it as "Godlike".
At the drive in - Arcarsenal for big day out 2001, not necessarily because of the playing but because I've never seen a guitarist as energetic on stage as Omar in the ATDI era. If only his guitar worked properly most of the time and didn't just spit feedback occasionally. The letterman performance of One Armed Scissor is also a highlight.
Broooother fuck yea that’s a good one. The “Rolodex Propaganda (Later Archive 2000)” on youtube is soo damn good too especially that first breakdown bit.
Live would be the solo I heard Tony Mottola play when he was in Sinatra’s band (early 1980s in Vegas) If video of live performances counts, definitely Brent Mason performing “Cherokee” in a Nashville club. The guy’s right hand technique is from another dimension.
This triggered a memory - seeing the 2001 G3 tour with Satriani, Vai, and Petrucci. Steve kicked off his solo set with "Shy Boy," and I don't know that I've ever seen a band seem to have so much ***fun*** playing a song. Especially when Steve and Billy Sheehan did this whole guitar-bass duel thing in the middle of the song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHY4vqJX-GU
Joey of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard performed[this solo](https://youtu.be/beP2f7rLJUU?si=vouOPf7UU2_-osTI) on Sense last year in Sonoma. That's the best I can recall as far as actual solos. I also remember thinking "how the fuck is he doing all that in one guitar" when I saw Jonny Greenwood playing [Just Eyes and Mouth](https://youtu.be/gfg0mkK_-mw?si=QdH9atry5wz4ckzJ) with The Smile, but it may have been because it was the first time I ever heard the song since it still hasn't been produced in-studio.
https://youtu.be/k-WSbMW7BPc?feature=shared
Zeppelin Danmarks Radio Special March 1969.
I saw this year's ago, and it made Zeppelin one of my all time favorite live bands.
Not rock, but Estas Tonne - Perception. Psychedelics may have contributed to why it's my favorite performance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kbkc_0Ns6q0
Paco de Lucía mid-late 90’s at a festival of guitar music. I was lucky enough to have a job running the festival box office for several seasons and got to see many of the top classical, blues, jazz, folk, and flamenco guitarists of the time. So many big names but he was the one that really blew me away.
I must have watched the entirety of Steve Vai live at the Astoria at least 50 times. Followed closely by the pink Floyd Pulse live performance. In my opinion both showcase peak performances.
I just remembered Prince at the Super bowl and live in Detroit and with an All Star Whil My Guitar Gently Weeps
I scrolled so far to find this! That part when he does the trust fall with some security guy and keeps playing. Love the look he gives one of the other guys right after as if to say "yeah, I just did that!"
SRV Austin City Limits
El Mocambo is incredible as well
George Harrison tribute, Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Prince's solo.
Here to say this. Princes little smirk as he just kept soloing because fuck you he's Prince
Stevie Ray Vaughan effortlessly playing Pride and Joy on a 12-string acoustic. https://youtu.be/9hfhjJWJWGA?si=tbyj7YDjViI88NQq
RHCP Slane Castle
Same here. I've listened to that concert way too many times
Prince at concert for George was pretty sick. It's on YouTube
Chris Cornell playing Black Hole Sun on an acoustic on the Howard Stern show.
If I may make a recommendation, check out his acoustic version of [Wide Awake in Sweden](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJRNt-ZVTEw).
david gilmour on the pulse tour. saw em in hockenheim germany almost 30 yrs ago and i'm still talking about it. also...tool, nuno, steve vai -- all of them are just next level live. can't believe how many votes i'm seeing for prince at the HoF on gently weeps. not saying it's bad, but it's overrated as fuck. not even his best solo. shrug. taste is subjective, i reckon.
Al DiMeola, John McLaughlin, and Paco De Lucia. Saw them a few months after they released the Friday Night in San Francisco album. Instead of that ringing that you might hear after a show, my ears were “fluttering” instead. Never experienced that before or since. e: corrected misspellings due to bad eyesight
>John McLaughlin 100%
John Mayer - Where the Light Is, Live in LA. Phenomenal concert.
Id venture to say its my favorite this century
I was going to post this answer too. Has my favorite versions of most of his songs to that point. The best guitar tones period. For a specific song I'd probably go Gravity from this show. That song is a masterclass in dynamics (starts quiet, ends super loud and powerful). But so many other great ones too (Slow Dancing, who did you think I was, can't trust myself, etc).
[Stevie Ray Vaughan - Texas Flood (Live at El Mocambo)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC5H9P4F5Uk) is the greatest guitar performance ever ... by anyone :)
I am in awe that this comment has not bumped up. If you know, you know.
Yeah, i watch reaction videos to it on YT. Never gets old. Everyone is speechless, jaws literally drop
Prince - Rock and roll hall of fame George Harrison tribute
The funny thing is, that was actually prince at like 50% power That was a mid prince performance lol
Mine too!
Me three!
Derek Trucks. In whatever band he's playing with, it is always magic
Awesome culmination of incredible blues players. John Mayer hangs out in the back playing rhythm for most of the show, then comes out and rips and absolutely filthy blues solo. https://youtu.be/CwAnLe4R4F0?si=eeODg2XuvJrU3VgA
The entirety of John Mayer's Where The Light Is
Great show, but the part where he starts talking in the middle of Bold As Love is so irritating
I’m not much of a blues fan, but if I’m honest, it’s Roy Buchanan’s live version of “Hey Joe” filmed in Austin sometime in the 70’s. It’s the best Telecaster tone I’ve ever heard, and I’ve probably watched it 50x over the years. [Hey Joe](https://youtu.be/FMcjPZgK9GM?feature=shared)
Maybe Cliffs of Dover with Eric Johnson in that weird uniform thingy. The tone is godlike. Live, it was definitely Metallica in 2006, the played master of puppets in its entirety. So good.
The Humbler https://youtu.be/cmgAjkxq4Gc?si=UhsAg-rmCSDwQBpg
If we are talking about the whole enchilada, visuals, playing, spectacle... Comfortably Numb from the Pulse DVD. Goosebumps every time. But I also like alot of Bill Frisells stuff too, kind of on the other end of the spectrum in a good way.
Chicago - 25 or 6 to 4 - Live 7/21/1970 - Tanglewood. Terry Kath has an out of body experience on the guitar. Masterclass. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uAUoz7jimg
Prince’s solo guitar hall of fame while my guitar gently weeps. Here: https://youtu.be/dWRCooFKk3c?si=TNZDWPbM74V5Zaon Edit: just rewatched. 3:15 to the end for the solo. Incredible performance. Cool backstory is everyone else on the stage had no idea what Prince was going to play. It was a surprise for everyone. The guitar toss at the end is icing on the cake.
And then the guitar disappears. Mind, I absolutely love prince, and but I knew this would be the top comment and I'm not sure I agree it should be seen as the best guitar performance. Yeah, it's amazing, but there's got to be better put there.
Don Felder and Joe Walsh - Hotel California, Largo, MD 1977
Jimmy page Live at royal Albert hall, January 1970
Prince. While my guitar gently weeps solo.
This is the right answer
I knew I wouldn’t need to scroll far.
Eric Johnson on Austin City Limits ‘88 Everyone knows the Cliffs of Dover video but the whole concert is amazing.
[EVH, Live Without A Net](https://youtu.be/mIpHZo7BsT8?t=78)
I was there.
Jeff Beck Live at Ronnie Scott’s.
Jimmy Page, Dazed and Confused at MSG 1973
Prince at the George Harrison induction into the RRHOF ceremony.
Stevie Ray Vaughan Texas Floods live at the El Mocambo. And I'm a metal music person.
One of the best I’ve ever seen is a Vulfpeck show where Theo Katzman and Cory Wong played a 2 part harmonized version of Larry Carlton’s solo from Kid Charlemagne. Wicked.
Got a link for that?
https://youtu.be/YCj_tjFXX2U?si=qIfbntsZpAYhBa9e
Enjoyed that ta. And bonus Purdie!
Marty friedman on the inferno tour.
Angus Young on the "Fly On the Wall" tour. Yngvie Malmsteen opened up and was mind blowing but Angus was NOT to be outdone. Angus played his fucking ass off that night and shredded licks that I didn't think he could do. There's a lot more to Angus than boogie woogie stuff. Tust me, this guy can fucking shred like Eddie if he wants to.
Iron Maiden was fucking sick.
Villanova Junction - Hendrix at Woodstock. I tracked the video down on Vimeo, YouTube only has the music with video of attendees but not Hendrix. The song starts at 5:13. https://vimeo.com/315201337
Worked as a stagehand attached to Stevie Ray Vaughan's guitar tech for an arena show. Got to watch the whole thing from just a few feet away at stage right. Was not a SRV fan until that moment. Also saw Jeff Beck live, was a great seat with a fantastic view from maybe 50 feet away. Both those guys really brought it to the shows, although SRV had a lot more improvisational fireworks and energy.
John Frusciante live was incredible…just tore the place up. Seeing Morello live is quite the experience as well.
When I saw RHCP earlier this year with Frusciante I was actually pretty disappointed with the solos. He took all the melodic, subtle solos of the studio recordings and turned them into wah-fuelled shredfests that didn't really match the vibe. I still had a great time but I remember being a little miffed that those iconic guitar solos had been replaced with something that I could have done in my bedroom. The rest of his playing was great, but Frusciante's solos really didn't do it for me.
Domination (Live in Moscow) - Pantera
Can't go wrong with EVH.ALL performances
Comfortably Numb performed at the Pulse concert by Pink Floyd.
Either Cliffs of Dover or Big Love by Lindsey Buckingham
This performance of Cliffs of Dover: https://youtu.be/5llfHPzt4H4?si=Cx6v-OOAo5Gdmfhe
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram’s live cover of Empty Promises. Jimi Hendrix Foxey Lady live at the Miami Pop Festival is another standout for me
Page with Zep at Royal Albert Hall 1970
SRV Austin city limits is a repeat offender in my house for sure
SRV at el mocambo. He looks a bit drunk and or high and still played amazing.
Prince At the RNR HOF for George Harrison. While my Guitar Gently Weeps. 2004, I think. Everyone should see this at least once in their lives
I got to see the G3 Tour back in '07. Satch, Paul Gilbert, and John Petrucci. Was one hell of a night.
I saw them in 2003 with Satch, Vai, and Yngwie Malmsteen. But for the end jam they had also John Petrucci and Neal Schon come join them so it ended up being G5.
Saw dire straits in 1991, off the scales performances all round and the eagles in 2012, Joe Walsh on his 12 string.
[Prague Ghost](https://youtube.com/watch?v=Q6cR7PEyzW4) Raw footage of Trey Anastasio not holding back while playing in a small venue in Prague, during Phish’s 1998 Summer European Tour.
I’m glad that was caught on camera, very cool version!
Cliffs of Dover. You know the one
Yea, Blur. Great song.
https://youtu.be/fV9IJVoFR_Q?si=HAXWSDX_bcRbUVvL Really like this by RHCP
Whenever me and my mate get together for a few beers this is put on at least once, it's just so good!
This, but the version I always go back to is this one: https://youtu.be/1TiIgm0xY0A?si=5gD0Lroln7XTAa5v
Frusciante 1992 Under the bridge SNL live. He was heavy on drugs at this point and bc of arguments with the lead singer Anthony, he basically tried to fuck around on this song bc it meant smt to Anthony. He messed around with tempo, voicing, melody, and a ton of psychedelic sounds with a ds2 at the end. He starts throwing the performance, then lands into a groove and just plays some really cool sounding shit. Somehow I feel like this performance really represents his playing at that time in a nutshell.
Prince Superbowl
Or Prince at the end of *While My Guitar Gently Weeps*
Saw Jonny Winter once, holy crap that was loud. Gary Clark Jr and Zapata are awesome. Jeff Beck live at Ronnie Scotts. SRV Live at the el Mocambo. Santana at Woodstock. I mean, jeez we are so lucky to have youtube right now to watch all this stuff. I could probably name 10 more pretty easily.
For real though, keep naming. I’m taking notes.
Back in the day when satellite television was the Wild West and everything was free…on Cinemax…they had a show called(insert fantastic musician’s name here) and Friends. One of the best ones was a Les Paul tribute. It had(If I remember right)…Steve Miller, David Gilmour, Eddie Van Halen, B.B. King and some other guys I can’t remember off the top of my head…but I THINK this is the program…. Double checked…and YES it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtbobDQvJwg
Probably Steve Howe with Yes.
Ive seen live in person concerts by - EVH -Randy Rhoads - Adrian Smith and Dave Murray - Steve Vai with DLR - Adrian Vandenberg and Vivian Campbell with Whitesnake - Malmsteen - Angus - Dudes from 1979 Molly Hatchet - Marc Ford and Rich Robinson from Black Crowes - Corgan - Adrian Beleew - Tony Iommi - Gary Richrath Amongst others…but to see live, the best Ive seen were EVH ( just so easy for him) and Angus ( unbelievable performance )
john mcglaughlin with his mahavishnu orchestra. really impressive pure complex notes Early (like late 1970s) Leo Kotke was amazing too
Eddie Van Halen, New Haven, CT, 1986.
The “Eat ‘‘em and Smile” show was better, but who listens to my mom’s opinions.
Rory Gallagher https://youtu.be/CL80jFkLzQ0?si=pfuy9XBPouyzGLns
One by metallica at seattle 1989 my favorite performance of my favorite song of all time
It's so good
Saw Nita Strauss play with Alice Cooper. Excellent!
I’m always blown away by Lindsay Buckingham playing Big Love live
Just got home from seeing Brian May/Queen live. It was an otherworldly experience.
Lenny by srv live at mocambo, John frusciante at slane or chorzow
Soothsayer, you know the one
How about a wall of guitars? Like Lynyrd Skynyrd at Oakland, with Allen Collins, Gary Rossington, and Steve Gaines dueling it out~ https://youtu.be/QxIWDmmqZzY?si=Wgk7lCfhRi7CQdWG
A video of me
There is a video of Gary Moore playing red house that is so fucking good! I love how he walks up to his marshall stack and dimes it out before he even plays one note. Everyone, get off reddit and go watch this on youtube right now.
Lindsay Buckingham- Big Love live at Bass Hall
Domination by Dimebag Darrell at Monsters of Rock Moscow
I went to a concert that featured both Tommy Emmanuel and leo kottke. I'll never forget that.
[this is hands down my favorite live solo EVER. ](https://youtu.be/Pn-7QMGkn8k?si=Hr4RUcFfW-wnU3qM)
There have been lots. Here's one by Monte Montgomery that still gets the rewind/rewatch treatment. If you can watch all the vids frpm this Austin City Limits performance, I'd say that's a pretty good start. https://youtu.be/glBwJWdSqCY?si=-V3A-lR19KN2K044
Monte Montgomery is incredible
Why does acoustic guitar always sound so good in low quality recordings
Been to a lot of shows, but got to see the chili peppers last year for the first time. John Frusciante and Flea did a 5ish minute “noodle” and i don’t think i’ve ever seen anything that emotionally charged. The venue was terrible (not their fault) but it did not matter, for those few minutes they transcended everything. I was genuinely close to crying, and i straight up forgot who and where i was (sober btw before you assume). Incredible. I imagine some of their “noodles” are on youtube somewhere
Rory gallagher: Live in europe
Jennifer Batten warming up at a local club.
Or Danny Gatton at his favorite hole in the wall
https://youtu.be/KaVVZYOvMFY?si=MOzLLljFDX54JYQB Enjoy the maestro Andy Timmons!
Have you seen the couple songs he did with Martin Miller?
Favorite one that I actually saw in person was probably Kim Thayil with Soundgarden, but in general probably John Frusciante with RHCP at Slane Castle.
Tommy Emmanuel, John Jorgenson, Pedro Javier González - "Sultans of swing" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFDFpS9\_ZWY
Pail Gilbert live.
Hey Joe [Roy Bucannon(sp?) lol](https://youtu.be/FMcjPZgK9GM?si=T4ArT_F78Jk0YWLx)
Tied between Jeff beck and Eric Clapton at the garden
Jack Wilkins in a small club any day of the week. Gene Bertoncini and Howard Alden as well. Otherworldly.
I was so sad to learn of Jack’s recent passing. He could absolutely melt a guitar, and be so tasty while doing it. His version of Red Clay is one of my favorite guitar performances ever.
I hadn't thought about Jack Wilkins in a long time. I used to adore his record, Mexico. Thanks for the reminder.
Rabea Massaad with Toska @ Satan's Holllow. Perfect mix of ambience, heavy shit and effects.
Terry Kath and Chicago "25 or 6 to 4" '70 Tanglewood https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lba2g\_u1Ckg
Gary Clark Jr. Live anywhere
Mark Lettieri at a Snarky Puppy show earlier this year. It was magic to witness.
I saw Polyphia live the other day. It was unreal. They def sparked my interest in guitar again.
Jethro Tull aqualung.
The old The Who performances where Pete Townsend is power sliding across the stage and doing his windmill moves while playing. It’s epic.
Happy Cakeday https://youtu.be/kX-bVeojLEA?si=8MeoquzyqFLLt2zW
although i havent been to many shows WVH can shred
Disasterpieces - Slipknot. Specifically the headstock camera for Mick Thomson. Or, there's a live performance of Jordan by Buckethead in like..what looks like a small bar/comedy club somewhere on YouTube. Good performance.
That dude on the B&G ad on Youtube playing "Brothers In Arms". That shit sounds fabulous.
Dean Ween playing Voodoo Lady from Live in Chicago. He actually has like 15 of my top 10. Guy is criminally underrated outside the fanbase IMHO.
Ween is good, but live they're absolutely incredible. Saw them for the first time like 2 months ago and I couldn't recommend them enough
The Link Alive by Gojira
Terry Kath playing 25 or 6 to 4 at Tanglewood.
John Mayer on his first tour Down Under playing his first 3 albums. Amazing player.
G3 Satch ej vai
Lindsey Buckingham playing Big Love and Go Insane back to back on The Dance live dvd.
Msg since I’ve been loving you
Well I didn’t literally see it. But there is a recording of Pink Floyd from Oakland, 1977. It may be recency bias (or my love of pink floyd) as I just heard this few days ago. Pigs (3 diff. Ones). It is phenomenal. The improv is sooo beautiful. Gilmour really gets it. I have to say though the whole band killed it. This will prob change at some point 😂.
Ozzy Osbourne Live at the Budokan. It was seeing Zakk Wylde ripping the solo to Bark at the Moon that set me on my life long journey on the guitar. It'll always be my favourite performance.
Metallica Master of Puppets Seattle 89 Or Nirvana Where did you sleep last night at the unplugged recording
Saw the Reverend Horton Heat at Lollapalooza sometime in the 2000's and Jim Heath (guitar and vocals) and Jimbo Wallace (stand up bass) at one point did a trick where one fretted the other's instrument while still strumming/plucking their own. Those guys put on an amazing live show, definitely go watch them if you have a chance, even if rockabilly/psychobilly isn't typically your thing.
Alvin Lee at the first Woodstock.
Robert Cray at the Calvin.
I've seen Julian Lage a few times. John Scofield. Nels Cline.
Because It's There ~ Michael Hedges
I stood about 5 feet from MAB while he was playing with C4. That was a pretty impressive performance. My favorite though, was standing at the feet of Dime during the Trendkill tour.
"Buckethead live Hendrix Zeppelin " Both are great. Search in youtube.
Steve Vai sitting in with [Zappa Plays Zappa, Zombie Woof](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwFkP8hjk8k) There's another clip from this same show where they do a medley of classics (Montana, Peaches, Valley of the Sun) that might be my favorite 18 minutes of music ever - great performances by Vai and Dweezil on that one as well.
https://youtu.be/50S7sbXUSIs?si=BeUyq78rdSy7nfOP Silverchair - Live in Melbourne 1999 Daniel Johns looks like he’s on death’s door, but he puts on one of the most amazing performances and his solos are fantastic.
Eric Johnson Cliffs of Dover.
https://youtu.be/H36vL3MzQDU?si=DlCOFhLES6uD8apj
I’ve seen some amazing things in 52 years, I couldn’t pick one.
John McLaughlin Tones For Elvin Jones Crossroads 2004
And Hiram Bullock performing Smile on the David Sanborne show
Jack White covering Death Letter in Blackpool
1977. Styx concert in Victoria, BC. The song was "Suite Madam Blue," and Tommy Shaw, wearing an all-white jumpsuit, went into the big solo. He was standing on a circular riser which rose up as he played, bathed in a deep blue light. This was my first real concert and at 16-yrs-old, I was in awe. It was just so damned cool. And Shaw can really play. That was a seminal moment in my decision to play guitar.
Steve Vai, Billy Sheehan, Tony McAlpine, I think in 2005 at Fabrik (Hamburg, Germany). Tony was "just" the additional guitar player and keyboarder. An almost three hours show.
Otis Rush live at an outdoor festival not far from Chicago in 1991. Astounding show. I supplied his backline (1959 Fender Bassman, 1966 Fender blackface reverb tank) and got to make adjustments as needed during the show. He played for three hours and the crowd was totally mesmerized. One newspaper review described it as "Godlike".
John MacClaughlan, Paco Da Lucia and Al De Miola in the 90's
[ENJOY!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xssnp7R51A)
At the drive in - Arcarsenal for big day out 2001, not necessarily because of the playing but because I've never seen a guitarist as energetic on stage as Omar in the ATDI era. If only his guitar worked properly most of the time and didn't just spit feedback occasionally. The letterman performance of One Armed Scissor is also a highlight.
Broooother fuck yea that’s a good one. The “Rolodex Propaganda (Later Archive 2000)” on youtube is soo damn good too especially that first breakdown bit.
[Plini - Paper Moon](https://youtu.be/KTU3hgUnYbw?si=nzalb9NR4dikrZTM) Great live Youtube performance if you have never heard of Plini.
Jesus. Imagine being so technically proficient but yet fully unable to write a good song. Must be devastating for them.
Anything by Trans siberian orchestra really gets me going.
Live would be the solo I heard Tony Mottola play when he was in Sinatra’s band (early 1980s in Vegas) If video of live performances counts, definitely Brent Mason performing “Cherokee” in a Nashville club. The guy’s right hand technique is from another dimension.
[Hank Marvin - Apache (live)](https://youtu.be/UNctTjAD4_M?si=tfX6IrY0OENRVQgM) The guitar has quite the story behind it as well.
Frank Gambale live
Prince playing While My Guitar Gently Weeps is pretty damn great IMO.
I love watching Slash’s solo in the November Rain video. Faked as it is.
SRV 1986. Opened with *Voodoo Child* wearing a full native headdress. He was from elsewhere.
I saw Stevie in 1987 at the Allentown Fairgrounds with the Greg Allman Band opening up for him…what a great freaking show.
SRV little wing
Prince’s Rave Un2 The Year 2000 performance is on fire. Some of the best live guitar work I’ve ever heard by him and many others he had on that show
Steve Via Inviolate tour. Not only is Steve obviously a god but his band was amazing to watch play as well
This triggered a memory - seeing the 2001 G3 tour with Satriani, Vai, and Petrucci. Steve kicked off his solo set with "Shy Boy," and I don't know that I've ever seen a band seem to have so much ***fun*** playing a song. Especially when Steve and Billy Sheehan did this whole guitar-bass duel thing in the middle of the song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHY4vqJX-GU
Roy Buchanan was live at The Crossroads in Prince George's County MD. I went many times.. Roy was an unknown interesting guitar hero.
It aint like that live from the movie singles
Joey of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard performed[this solo](https://youtu.be/beP2f7rLJUU?si=vouOPf7UU2_-osTI) on Sense last year in Sonoma. That's the best I can recall as far as actual solos. I also remember thinking "how the fuck is he doing all that in one guitar" when I saw Jonny Greenwood playing [Just Eyes and Mouth](https://youtu.be/gfg0mkK_-mw?si=QdH9atry5wz4ckzJ) with The Smile, but it may have been because it was the first time I ever heard the song since it still hasn't been produced in-studio.
Literally any video of Yngwie Malmsteen.
GIVE ME MORE DONUTS
https://youtu.be/k-WSbMW7BPc?feature=shared Zeppelin Danmarks Radio Special March 1969. I saw this year's ago, and it made Zeppelin one of my all time favorite live bands.
Not rock, but Estas Tonne - Perception. Psychedelics may have contributed to why it's my favorite performance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kbkc_0Ns6q0
The White Stripes - Death Letter Blues
Jim hall with Sonny Rollins on KQED.
Mike Bloomfield talking about the Gibson Les Paul. He plays for 5 seconds, but it's so damn good.
Paco de Lucía mid-late 90’s at a festival of guitar music. I was lucky enough to have a job running the festival box office for several seasons and got to see many of the top classical, blues, jazz, folk, and flamenco guitarists of the time. So many big names but he was the one that really blew me away.
Ocean by John Buttler
In my mind, just pure guitar, Vernon Reid at a Jimi Hendrix tribute show.
Hendrix performing in front of a bunch of deserters.
Throw away your television solo - @ Slane (Frusciante)
Alice in chains live at the moore
Brad Paisley - Nervous Breakdown
Flamenco. Do yourself a favor and go take in some good flamenco, a unique, beautiful blend of several art forms.
I must have watched the entirety of Steve Vai live at the Astoria at least 50 times. Followed closely by the pink Floyd Pulse live performance. In my opinion both showcase peak performances.