the last time you saw a live act that knew how to work a crowd. like, REALLY knew how to work a crowd.

like, star time razzle dazzle. palm of their hand. they OWN your ass. like, i'm gonna go over here and then go over there and you are gonna follow my every move. gonna bring you up and i MIGHT bring you down if i feel like it. that kinda thing. band, solo, dj, whatever. curious. seems rarer now? studied indifference and "i should really be home right now doing this i don't know how i got up on this stage please forgive me" seems more common unless its vegas spectacle pop shows or country shows or towel-waving rap shows.

though i suppose you could be indifferent AND own a crowd.

Probably Nick Cave a few years ago.

Probably Ween or Richard Thompson, both mid/late 90s.

i've enjoyed live concerts and stage banter but i don't know if i've ever been in the palm of anyone's hand. though i hear it was like that a lot in the good old days.

Fred Schneider had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand when i saw the B-52s. he didn't even have to do much, he'd like strike a funny pose and hold it for 30 seconds, and then people would go nuts when he finally moved.

Jonathan Richman also a total pro about keeping people riveted without making a big deal out of it

prince is still prince or at least was when i saw him five or so years ago

sharon jones last year. feel like people want this kind of experience just as much these days but they're too conceited to admit it, thanks to twitter.

Andrew WK in 2008. Also Nardwuar the Human Serviette fronting the Evaporators on the same night.

I remember being thoroughly entertained by the Afghan Whigs and Rocket From The Crypt in the late '90s early '00s but I almost hesitate to bring them up cuz a) I was young and b) it sounds like we're talking about something ever more holy shit

Springsteen is pretty great at this. Knows how to get the crowd worked up JUST enough without losing them, knows just how long to talk, does enough interaction with the front row to pull the back rows all the way into the show...not everyone's bag, but I love watching him work

like, are we talking about people who put on a show or transcendent figures who work the crowd like marionettes with Don McLean crying on the side of the stage in horror

the hilarious thing about going to Cure shows is that Robert Smith has no fucking idea of how to work a crowd but so many people in the audience are worshiping his every move* that it doesn't matter; he basically can stand still, close his eyes and awkwardly flutter his hands and thousands of people will go apeshit

* had something much crasser here initially

I don't see all that many non-local live bands lately, and I don't know if this is what you're looking for, but they're the antithesis of studied indifference, for sure:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcGPoD-P8kE

RFTC can work a crowd imo

Joe McPhee

gira did this at the last swans show

actually I do have a real answer for this: M.I.A.

recently, Grinderman/Cave

I have to say that...despite my reservations about U2 in general, i got some tix to a show a couple years ago and damn Bono can do the whole stadium jesus thing, he really can.

Joe McPhee

― Funky Mustard (People It's Bad) (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Thursday, April 14, 2011 1:54 PM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

tarfumes, mcphee is going to be playing in mpls at a festival this spring to promote his new album with chris corsano!

within the last 10 years or so - Prince, Japanese band Gasoline, the Dirtbombs, definitely Jonathan Richman

and yeah definitely Andrew WK on the I Get Wet tour

public enemy come to mind immediately

Serious answer: Juicboxxx

juice, even

Oh but that doesn't compare to Kris Kristofferson, holy shit, the charisma.

http://studio100.info/o/mega-mindy-ik-ben.jpg

God, I am old. I saw this chick cause my girls love her.

My kids will never ever believe I used to listen to Painkiller.

tarfumes, mcphee is going to be playing in mpls at a festival this spring to promote his new album with chris corsano!

Cool! I saw the two of them with trombonist J Starpoli and the PHENOMENAL bassist Andy Crespo in Western Mass about a month ago. Killed, they did.

yeah, that was hot. andy's playing behind john sinclair. this week? soon.

My honest answer to this: In fall I saw a CMJ showcase built around poppy hip-hop (like, Cataracs), with an out-of-place Mayer-like singer-songwriter tossed in the middle. The singer-songwriter spend about 15 minutes REALLY failing to engage the crowd. Then he gave up, improvised a cover of "Juicy," and spent about 10 minutes freestyling -- basically stand-up jokes about a couple in the crowd. Nothing about this guy or his act was good, but he was pretty much straight-up HEROIC at rolling with the punches, figuring out what would entertain the crowd, and finding a way to provide it, on the spot.

feel it only right to mention that tarfumes had me in the palm of HIS hand when he was on stage not that long ago. i was in heaven.

oh and speaking of owning the crowd, yet ANOTHER ilxor stunned me with his crowd control about two years ago. very impressive. and i'm just glad that he uses his powers for good instead of evil.

yeah, that was hot. andy's playing behind john sinclair. this week? soon.

― scott seward, Thursday, April 14, 2011 3:18 PM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark

I KNOW AND I'M PISSED THAT I HAVE TO MISS IT. Can only be rad, though.

xp thanks for the kind words!

Vicente Fernández.

actually I do have a real answer for this: M.I.A.

M.I.A. (January '06 vintage) is one of the 100 or so worst shows, with among the very least stage presence, I have ever seen

I have skipped seeing her for free since, it was so weak

tarfumes what is yr band?

One who surprised me was Jay-Z at Bonnaroo last year. I'd never seen him before, so didn't know what to expect from him onstage. Especially since he wasn't quite in his element, in front of 50,000-plus Bonnaroo kids who were probably for the most part more excited about Dave Matthews the next night than Jay-Z. Not made easier for him by the fact that he was following Stevie Wonder, who had lit the place up. But jeeeeezus. Total, amazing showman. Had everybody from the go, and just built and built this huge amount of goodwill with the crowd -- talking about how cool it was to be at Bonnaroo, bringing a girl up on stage to sing "happy birthday" to her, and just pounding out the hits. I got the feeling some of the crowd surprised themselves by knowing all the words. It's really something to see someone just take charge of a crowd that big. I was there with some 40-something friends who are pretty indifferent to hip-hop, and they were amazed by it. They still talk about it.

Glenn Tilbrook

xp

This gives some of the vibe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqZ3mfy6DAw

Trouble Funk & Public Enemy (not on the same bill, unfortunately) 87/88

Yeah P.E. was awesome. I saw them in England in I guess '90. Funny to see them working a non-American crowd, but they had everybody jumping up and down on the seats at the Manchester Apollo.

Never seen em personally, but rly seems like half the reason for going to a Flaming Lips show is to get jazzed about whatever Wayne Coyne happens to be doing minute to minute
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgsAah2cAm0

How on earth has no one said GBV?
GBV. Bob Pollard is a SHOW MAN.

Glenn Tilbrook

― Beggar On A Beach Of Shite. (PaulTMA), Thursday, April 14, 2011 10:44 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

good call, saw Squeeze a few years ago and was kinda surprised at how totally commanding he is as a singer and guitarist

Pollard has like 2 or 3 'moves' he does over and over that were all copped from Roger Daltrey imo

I am not talking about physical moves, I just mean engaging the audience, talking to them, creating a feeling of mutual zing. I've seen GBV a bunch of times, and Pollard always has an outsized sense of how big the show is. He acts like Springsteen. I'm not blown away by his originality so much as multiple decades of consistency.

actually I do have a real answer for this: M.I.A.

― fat fat fat fat Usher (DJP), Thursday, April 14, 2011 6:57 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

reiterating what sic said, seen her 3 times and was disappointed every time with indifferent company telling me they were actively repelled, no interest in seeing her again tbh

The last time I was just in awe of a performer was seeing Richard & Alan Bishop a few years back on their Brother Unconnected tour, playing Sun City Girls material from the span of their career. The banter was perfect, the song selection and execution were exciting and more than satisfying.

Same tour:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2Fd08usHm0

Making 9/11 jokes to an NYC crowd, smoking indoors when the audience can't... love those sons of bitches.

It helped, it really did, that there was a selection of Charlie's films in place of an opening band. You know everyone in that crowd was so pleased to be there, wouldn't be anywhere else for the world.

Jens Lekman circa late 2007. He closed his set by playing "Pocketful of Money" solo after a really remarkable full-band set and everyone sang the Calvin Johnson sample alongside him with no instruction or prompting whatsoever. It just sort of happened in a way that felt completely and totally organic.

And yeah, Jonathan Richman.

Will Sheff from Okkervil River. The last time I saw them I was transfixed by him the whole evening, he could not put a foot wrong.

Last show I saw was Blue Oyster Cult. In front of a small old tired crowd in an strange rotating round theater with almost no PA, surprise bass player Rudy Sarzo (Quiet Riot, Ozzy, Whitesnake)impressed the hell out of me.

Eric Bloom was sick and barely noticeable on keyboards only and background vocals, and Buck Dharma was good, but Rudy and the younger guy (Richie something) they've had for years (on everything) acted beyond pro. Working the crowd, playing their asses off. Waking us up. Salvaged the evening and made me a fan (of Rudy Sarzo). I was already a BOC fan.

I couldn't really hear a note he was playing, just a rumble, but I was close enough to see his fingers and he danced and talked and made eye contact, and never showed an ounce of disappointment or embarrassment.

There's an LA band that one of my friends is in called AK and the Kalishnakovs that just fucking kill it in a way that I wouldn't have expected gypsy jazz to do, and a lot of that is because the singer, Alyssa, is just amazingly magnetic.

The best bands prior to that that I remember are Mountain Goats and Fucked Up. I'd never seen the Goats before, caught 'em at the FYF, and even with a short set, John was just on point with the banter and the pacing.

Outside of that, rap as a genre really focuses on MC as MC, y'know — even Vast Aire and other backpack dudes can pull a crowd with them in a flash, let alone GOATs like J-Z. That was one of the reasons I never missed a Subterraneous/Binary Star show — those guys straight work on stage.

The Sultans of Ping FC.

(I know, I know...)

Most recently, the Jim Jones Revue - actually rather reminiscent of RFTC, given honorable mention upthread

I saw Lungfish about 7 years ago and Daniel Higgs was completely mesmerising in his stage performance. It really made them click for me.

The Flaming Lips live show is pretty damn good the first few times. Unfortunately it really starts to grate on subsequent occasions. They've basically been doing the same thing for a decade now.

Last act that really knew how to work a crowd, probably Dizzee Rascal last year, proper palm-of-hand stuff. Jay-Z is amazing at this too. It's kind of a basic requirement for rappers.

In rock music, Springsteen is terrific for this, ditto Jack White. Most surprising - Leonard Cohen. Such presence, he barely moved on stage and all he needed to do was doff his hat and the crowd went mad.

I know people don't care for them that much these days, but I saw the Hives last summer (I hadn't even realized they were still at it) in a huge field, and by the end of the set the previously indifferent crowd was all up at the front - it was pretty fun to watch.

Last act that really knew how to work a crowd, probably Dizzee Rascal last year, proper palm-of-hand stuff.

skipped Dizzee free this year too, bcz he was so couldn't-be-arsed in 2008 :(

tarfumes what is yr band?

― the zing cheese incident (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Thursday, April 14, 2011 10:27 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

I play drums in the Albany Sonic Arts/SoundBarn coagulation that occasionally plays Rhys Chatham's "Guitar Trio" (which is the show Scott was referencing).

Not the last (possibly one of the first, but:)

General Saint and Clint Eastwood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rP1CTfQlfGQ

daft punk just absolutely murdered the crowd both times i saw them--the sets were almost identical so i suppose you could argue it was just that the crowd was asking for it. but man! people went crazzzzy

It's OK if you laugh but in 2003 I saw The Killers open up for Stellastarr at a club in London. That was my first exposure to them and I remember saying, God, that front man is amazing - these guys are going to be big.

Glenn Tilbrook

― Beggar On A Beach Of Shite. (PaulTMA), Thursday, April 14, 2011 10:44 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

good call, saw Squeeze a few years ago and was kinda surprised at how totally commanding he is as a singer and guitarist

― some dude, Friday, April 15, 2011 12:27 AM (2 days ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

OK so are Squeeze still worth seeing live because I love them something fierce and have never seen them but sort of thought maybe it wasn't worth it at this point.

holy shit @ circle/pharaoh overlord

xpost I was referring to Glenn solo acoustic, but the recent Squeeze gigs have all been worthwhile. I saw them a few weeks ago at The Albert Hall and they chose this occasion to bring back Vicky Verky, Tongue Like A Knife, What The Butler Saw and Vanity Fair for the first time - with a full orchestra as well. They trampled all over Some Fantastic Place but by that point it hardly mattered. Go and see them!

Although Tilbrook stands in the middle now, Difford to the left. WTF FML.

shakes otm!: Dirtbombs were awesome live!~~

also really liked the Electric Six; singer kept on spouting nonsensical slogans. "You don't need to fear death with the Electric Six!"

kelpolaris i was at that Flaming Lips Glastonbury gig! easily in one of my Top 5 gigs of all time.

Yeah that Flaming Lips gig was a really special one, easily one of the most uplifting gigs I've ever been to. The first time I saw them was when The Soft Bulletin came out, I had only really heard Race For The Prize but I fell in love straight away and went and bought all the albums I could find the next day. The show at Glastonbury was just perfect and to be honest the blew away Radiohead who were on after.

The best gig I have seen was Dexys Midnight Runners in 2003. Kevin Rowland was so charismatic and entertaining, he gave the audience exactly what they wanted.

More recently I would say Art Brut really know how to put on a great show. I know they are band that really divide people but live they are pretty unstoppable.

Very jeolous of the people saying Jonathan Richman, he has to be at the top of my list of people to see.

Scissor Sisters. part of it is that i've only seen them in NYC and the Bay Area, where the crowds are infinitely more gay and obsessed fans come out in droves, but yeah. the other night was amazing.

Dan Deacon. Even though he's stopped his cute little crowd games, he's pretty amazing with the crowd. But I don't know if that's him or just his music. Cause Girl Talk doesn't do much but his shows are just as insane cause of the crowd per se.

77BOADRUM

lol - just noticed ^this was the 77th post - was that intentional, Shasta?

Haha, I was going to mention Circle though I've never seen him do that crowd control thing he's doing in the clip. Hilarious.

Also Ian Svenonius

I sort of think this whole concept is bullshit and can be explained by projection and the fact that crowds (especially if they paid for a show) will go along with just about anything the person with the mic says.

freestyle/improv might be the exception. but if its just "he talked to the audience" or "they told us to clap along!!" it can be fun but not really impressed.

"they told us to clap along" /= "everybody clapped along"

I think it's just the difference between the guy who plays some mindblowing guitar but he does it while sitting perfectly still on a stool, and the guy who also moves and talks and dresses in a way that's all a part of some unified performance that somehow enhances the music and makes the whole act captivating and entertaining.

"I sort of think this whole concept is bullshit and can be explained by projection and the fact that crowds (especially if they paid for a show) will go along with just about anything the person with the mic says."

i've witnessed people live who i had never heard of before seeing/hearing them who captivated me completely through talent, stagecraft, and charisma. live performance is actually an art!

or it can be when practiced by people who are really talented and good at it.

bnw you should go to a prince concert or something

OTM. (and a personal OTM re: Svenonius being mentioned up there. I was a kid watching a show full of bands I hadn't ever really heard of in a D.C. church in the early 90s when that guy came out in a suit with a pompadour, and I went from never-heard-a-note-from-these-guys to "I would join their cult tonight" and it was all because they were SO GODDAMNED COOL; they had the crowd in the palm of their hand).

He works the crowd before the show starts even. He was working the crowd at the fucking merch table when I saw him.

shakedown O to the T to the M to the pearls of love

Most recently, the Jim Jones Revue - actually rather reminiscent of RFTC, given honorable mention upthread

saw this lot last night, damn, they know how to put on a show.

fucking brilliant live.

and the support honkeyfinger, were very impressive with their distorted drones + psycho blues excess.

D'Angelo. You get that many white people to sing Africa or to go batshit crazy just teasing them with the opening sprinkle of piano to Untitled and yuh, you could be a cult leader, people were just that gone

Most recently, the Jim Jones Revue - actually rather reminiscent of RFTC, given honorable mention upthread

last few shows of the final tour aka 'the last hurrah',

saw them again at a sellout show in bristol last night, and the band are not going out on a wimper, the show was as intense as ever.

such a shame they are calling it quits.

beth ditto, circa '05, had supernatural powers onstage