Thoughts on Live Performances

Those who know me or have ever read anything I've written, probably know about my Steve Goodman obsession. For those who don't know, Steve Goodman was a Chicago-born singer-songwriter, best known today for penning the tune played after every Chicago Cubs home victory, "Go, Cubs, Go". He also wrote classic songs such as "City of New Orleans", "Banana Republics", and "You Never Even Call Me By My Name". He died of leukemia in 1984.

Why am I bringing up Steve Goodman in my blog today (considering that I have spoke of him so much...yeah you probably get it, I love the guy's music)? Because I happened over this:

http://www.wolfgangsvault.com/steve-goodman/concerts/bottom-line-march-30-1977-early-show.html

First off, Wolfgang's Vault is an incredible website that allows you to stream, free I might add, many a classic concert, by many a classic artist. It's a pretty incredible site (giving away free stuff is the way to go these days, I've said it once, I'll say it again). Two Steve Goodman concerts, recorded on the same day in New York in March of 1977, when I was just 2 months old, are featured here. Being a Goodman fan, I lept at the opportunity to hear one of his live performances.

The thing about Steve Goodman, is he was for all intents and purposes, a commercial failure. He was INCREDIBLY talented, but poorly marketed and really his albums were way over-produced. But live...wow! I'd heard a couple of live performances and own the one live concert dvd that is available for purchase, which is really what hooked me on his music. The man was a true performer in every sense of the word. His voice had such amazing range, being able to handle gentle ballads, the soulful and bluesy, folk sing-a-long tunes, and just about anything else. His guitar playing was astounding. I've really never, ever heard a style like his--one which covers the rhtythm and lead parts all in one, while also providing at times, a distinctly percussive element. And his stage presence was electric. He was a master storyteller with a quick wit. Listen to the concert and you'll hear it all.

There are a couple of things that you hear in Goodman's performance that you just don't hear with anyone around these days. First of all, incredible phrasing. Phrasing isn't really something you hear a lot of people talk about, and really when it comes to most pop and rock, it's not an issue. The lyrics of most popular songs tend to be fairly basic and are thus set to the, usually pretty standard 4/4 time signature, in a fairly comfortable, easily digestable way. But to me, a master at phrasing can make an enormous difference. Phrasing is often times a term reserved for jazz, which makes sense, I suppose, because generally speaking the rhtyhms are more varied and arrangements are more complex, so naturally this lends better for either interesting vocal or instrumental phrasing. People like Ella Fitzgerald were masters at taking lyrics and making them float and dance in ways you never thought possible. For pop/rock purposes, Bob Dylan is quite adept at phrasing. You sort of have to know what you're doing phrasing-wise when you have lyrics like this:

"While preachers preach of evil fates
Teachers teach that knowledge waits
Can lead to hundred-dollar plates
Goodness hides behind its gates
But even the president of the United States
Sometimes must have
To stand naked. "--from It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)

Alright, so I'm a Dylan fan, too and don't mind extolling my love for his music every chance I get either. But lyrics like that don't necessary flow easily into a pop song structure. A little creative phrasing is needed and Dylan, along with Steve Goodman if you take a listen, are masters of this.

Another quality of Steve Goodman, which once again fits with Dylan (surprise, surprise), is his ability to take a song and make it into something completely different from the version you hear on the record. I know some people are more than content to hear a band play a song exactly like they're used to, but what's the point? Artists who have the ability to make a live performance into a true unique experience, are few and far between. We live in times where so many artists lip synch to an auto tune version of themselves to make them sound perfect at every performance. But why, I ask? Why am I going to pay ridiculously high prices to see you live, when I could hear the same thing sitting at home away from sweaty drunk dudes who are constantly bumping into me who are shouting along to every lyric, making it difficult to even hear your oh-so-perfect performance? To be in your presence? That's cool for a minute or two, but gets old real fast when I know how this whole show is going to go down by the time you lauch into your third song.

I think the beauty of live music is its unpredictability, its "in-the-moment" quality, it's potential to both fall apart and to transcend at the same time. I saw Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers around '94 or '95, and Petty, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer that he is, accidentally repeated a verse in the song "Into the Great Wide Open", which wasn't supposed to be repeated. Oh well. It happens. It didn't take anything away from the show, which stands as one of the best concerts I've ever been to. It almost enhanced it in a strange way. Now to know this about the Goodman concert, you'd have to be familiar with his albums, but trust me, he takes what's on there and makes it into something right for the moment in time. And Goodman has a cold during this performance, but he keeps right with it and makes it into a one-of-a-kind experience that was most certainly different from his previous show and the one he would do after this one. That's what artists and performers do (right?).

And okay, maybe some of Goodman's material sounds a little cheesy for our "oh-so-serious" sensibilities. He sung folk songs, yes, but he sung a lot more too. Can I ever see someone being taken seriously these days opening a show with "Red, Red Robin" or having a song called "Chicken Cordon Blues"? Maybe on the folk circuit, yes, but not on a mainstream level. You may now be shaking your head in embarrassment, but stay with me if you will. I don't care who you are or how deep and/or serious your music tastes are, listen to this concert and you will find something that you enjoy within it. Not only was Goodman one hell of a musician, he played with joy, to make people laugh, smile, have a good time. I like a ton of indie rock, but I sometimes feel like so much of it is stripped of pure joy. And yes, there's something maybe a little old-fashioned (the title of one of Goodman's songs, by the way) or corny about a lot of his music, but I don't see one thing wrong with that. Aren't we allowed to like the artsy along with the plain ol' fun?

Sure, music tastes are subjective, no doubt about it. Maybe you'll listen and just won't like it. And that's fine, even though you're obviously wrong. But at the same time, you have to respect what the man did within a live setting. He was a genuine, all-around showman. He could engage a live audience like none other. I can think of no one around these days who can lay such a claim. Not even the aforementioned Mr. Dylan. My advice to artists these days would be to consider what it means for someone to buy a ticket to see you live. Someone is taking their hard earned money, which is even harder to come by in times like these, and paying you for a memorable, enjoyable performance. Even with a local band, who you pay less for, you still are forking over some cash with hopes of an EXPERIENCE. I never got the chance to see Steve Goodman play live as he died when I was just seven years old, but from hearing from others who did see him, I've only heard rave things about being witness to one of his incredible shows. Imagine that for a minute. Twenty-five years after the man left this earth, people still talk about the greatness of his shows! Some of that was raw talent, of course, but some of that was learning the craft of not only being a musician, but an all around performer who takes risks night in and night out. Give me an imperfect, yet energized performance any day! Today's performers, take heed!