In 6th place with 6 points - The Black Crowes - No Speak No Slave (1992)
A few people picked the first song of a concert, which makes sense since most acts come out of the gates strong. And this one’s no exception. A good rock song, good performance, and a good light show to top it off. I’m not sure why someone’s dad is playing drums, but that’s OK. Hard rock (or whatever this is) isn’t really my wheelhouse, but I still enjoyed this.
In 5th place with 7 points - Pink Floyd - On the Turning Away (Remastered) (1988)
The bass is REALLY loud and distracting, but it gets better when the lead guitar comes in. I’m not sure what’s with these sound techs and blasting bass lines. The chorus vocals at 4:15 is a highlight, and of course the subsequent solo is epic. Not breaking any new waves with Pink Floyd, but it’s a classic for a reason and a fun listen.
The trick to a good Walrus performance is dedicating your entire forum life to the game so that you remember 20 or 30 submissions by each host…
Judging by the judging so far Cassette is really going to hate my last two entries
In 4th place with 8 points - Can – Halleluwah (1971)
A somewhat standard jam band opening two minutes in picks up in the second half. The psychedelic videography has some pros and cons. It’s different than each other submission, which makes it interesting right there, but it also makes it a little tougher to watch the actual performance. But the sound is pretty good and that alone is a real treat for an early 70s recording like this one. Add in the rest of the period ephemera and this is a pretty cool time capsule. I first heard Can a few Walruses back and have been playing them a bit since. I’m not quite a can stan yet, but this is an example of what might get me there.
One of pyat’s.
You had a chance and you blew it!
Some rate them as the best “rock” band of all time.
That’s what my submission said, I think it’s true most of the time.
I tend to agree. The Experience/Stones/Zep run them close sometimes but there’s an enormous inherent musicality to their playing.
Jal and pyat are going to hate this next one 
The bronze medal and 9 points goes to . . . Pendulum – The Tempest * (unknown date)
I normally hate stuff like this, but come on 1:30-2:00 is pretty fuckin’ good. The dance music-y bit in the final section makes an old man like me a little uncomfortable, but they do it well. I’m REALLY glad he didn’t start rapping at 5:45. I was worried there for a second. I’m not sure I’ll listen to much more of this, but this is cool and something different. I couldn’t find out much about the band from poking around online, but they must be pretty big given the crowd. This is surprisingly good.
The silver medal and 10 points goes to . . . Johnny Cash - San Quentin
Johnny at San Quentin is one of the great live performance stories. Can you imagine this happening today? It’s a shame the audio isn’t properly synched to the video, a minor flaw that makes the experience less than it might be. Still, a great track, great story, and great live performance. I imagine the Walrusees will be angry for ranking what might be an obvious pick so highly, but I don’t care. This is great.
Oops
I actually picked that video instead of a better quality one because it included the opening scene where he kinda berates the guards. I can’t imagine a better audio version would have won so I won’t beat myself over that.
The gold medal and 11 points goes to . . . Cat Power - Nude as the News
I love her and haven’t seen this before. A good combo. I see how someone might think the performance is a bit dull, but for me it’s a good match to the mood and the performer. Chan is notoriously shy and that comes across in an endearing way here. As mentioned, I’m also a sucker for talkshow performances. It’s a great environment for a live performance and that’s true here as well. Thanks for this. I hadn’t seen it before.
