Now we're not talking vocalists here...or this list might take a different form. I'm talking about the five performers who I've seen in concert who were most able to get a crowd involved in a show...The ones who made the biggest impression, whether on a stadium stage or in a small club.
#5: David Bowie-I first saw David Bowie on the Diamond Dogs Tour at Radio City Music Hall..and several times after that...and the thing that always made an impression on me...Bowie always drew the best looking girls...and their propensity to remove their shirts when Mr. Bowie sang. I gotta tell you, I saw more boobies at David Bowie shows than all the other shows I saw put together.
#4: Dee Snider- I ALWAYS get grief over this pick. Perhaps it's my Long Island bias showing, but Dee is incredible on stage. And especially in the Twister Sister club "daze," if you weren't participating in the show as a fan...Dee would single you out from the stage, and MAKE you participate...or you'd be subjected to non-stop abuse from the SMF fans of Twisted Sister. Dee still works his ass off on stage.
#3: Iggy Pop-Iggy is another front man like Dee Snider...Not exactly traditional, but with an ability to make you focus on THEM, to the exclusion of everyone else on stage. And the first guy I ever saw who flung himself into the crowd. I think Iggy invented that, and the 90's kids copped it.
#2: Roger Daltrey-The epitome of a "Rock God," with Daltrey it's the whole package, the voice, the hair, the mike swing, the aggression, and the interaction with Pete Townshend. Daltrey, whether solo, or with The Who is the best at creating "atmosphere"
(Photo courtesy of Wikipedia)
#1: Freddie Mercury My favorite guitarist is Queen's Brian May, and when it comes to front men, Freddie Mercury is the top of the food chain. No formal musical training, yet the man was born to be on stage. Freddie didn't always hit the high notes in concert like on the records, but no one was sexier, more commanding, and able to get an audience involved in the show. After seeing Queen the first time in 1974 open for Mott the Hoople, I knew I was seeing the next "big thing," and Freddie and Queen never disappointed, as I saw them in small theaters, arenas and stadiums...Best Queen show, probably 1977, Nassau Coliseum with Thin Lizzy opening.
So who's your favorite front man/woman?
Comments