5. Timbaland, Nelly Furtado, Justin Timberlake, Keri Hilson, – Medley
The whole medly thing is one of the most overused gimmicks for award shows and by and large are extrememly mediocre due to a variety of factors not the least of which are lack of cohesion and a lack of a compelling reason to medly the songs in the medly. And corny interludes. What makes this medly different and the best medly ever performed on televsion is that A. The flow between songs is impeccable. B. The first three songs are by three different artists but they are all produced by Timberland and the last song is a song that featured all three artists. Very cool concept.
Oh and there no corny interludes. If you are wondering, all interludes are corny.
4. Prince – Musicology Acoustic set (MTV)
Prince is the greatest live performer ever. Ever. Well, maybe not ever, I mean maybe Mozart was an absolute demon on stage, I don’t know. He’s definately the best of this era though. The great tragedy of it though is that Prince has not had too many great TV performances during his prime. He had a really good one on the 1984 Grammys and while it was very very good, it still couldn’t touch any of the concert footage I have seen of him. Recently he has had a handful of really cool ones like the Superbowl performance or the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame performance. Ultimately I chose this set a lot because it really shows a cool playful side of Prince that we rarely see. It is also a true testament to how great of a performer he is in that he can aschew all of the dancing and stage theatrics and confine himself to a chair and still be absolutely electric.
3. Michael Jackson – Billie Jean (Motown’s 25th Anniversary Show)
This made Michael the king of pop. Outside of maybe Elvis’s 69′ Comeback Special, the most significant televised musical performance.
2. The Ronettes – Be My Baby/Shout (Sha Na Na?)
This might be due to recording technology back then being unable to properly filter out crowd noises, but the crowd is INSANE in this performance. And Ronnie Spector is super, super adorable.
1. The Time – Jerk Out
This performance has almost no significance whatsoever. There are two huge technical errors in the beginning. Almost nobody has even seen it. The only reason it is the greatest televised performance ever is because it’s just that good.
“Re-Inventing the Wheel” 9/5-9/19 @ The ARTery
Opening Reception: September 5th 6:00-10:00 PM
Closing Reception: September 19th 6:00-10:00 PM
The ARTery Gallery @ The LAB
2930 Bristol St, Costa Mesa, Ca
Located Behind Urban Outfitters
Day 19 (Top Ten Televised Performances Part 1)
Day 25 (Only Sexy People Apply)
Day 26 (Composition in Blue and Orange)
Day 29 (Guess Who’s Lotioning Up For My Show?)
Day 30 (Re-Inventing the Wheel)
I’m gonna switch it up and start a series of Top Ten lists
10. David Bowie – The Man Who Sold the World (SNL)
This performance is one of the most genuinely avante guarde performances of a song on TV. A great and highly artistic moment that rarely ever happens. Klaus Nomi’s backing vocals really put this song on another level. That dude is super weird btw, but he’s great too.
9. T. Rex – Bang a Gong (Top of the Pops)
A very cool performance by one of the coolest frontmen ever in Marc Bolan. Extremely important in that this performance essentially birthed glitter rock. It might be one the most singularly important performances in rock history.
8. TI, Rihanna – Whatever You Like/Live Your Life (VMAs)
T.I. feat. Rihanna - VMA Live - MyVideo
Rihanna rising up from a cloud of smoke out of nowhere at the end of “Whatever You Like” might be the single coolest entrance in the history of performance. TI going from performance on video screens to being live on stage while changing clothes mid run might be the coolest transition ever. Showmanship at its absolute finest.
7. Justin Timberlake – My Love/Sexyback (VMAs)
An incredibly well danced performance that offers up everything that makes Justin Timberlake, Justin Timberlake. It’s tightly choreographed when it should be and loose and improvisational when it should be and the flow back and forth between the two styles is perfectly timed. It’s cut off a little. My blog is too skinny, but it looks fly. Just. Like. Me.
6. Nirvana – Where did you Sleep Last Night (MTV Unplugged)
Probably the most powerful vocal performance by a rock singer.
“Re-Inventing the Wheel” 9/5-9/18 @ The ARTery
Opening Reception: September 5th 6:00-10:00 PM
Closing Reception: September 19th 6:00-10:00 PM
The ARTery Gallery @ The LAB
2930 Bristol St, Costa Mesa, Ca
Located Behind Urban Outfitters
Day 25 (Only Sexy People Apply)
Day 26 (Composition in Blue and Orange)
Day 29 (Guess Who’s Lotioning Up For My Show?)
Day 30 (Re-Inventing the Wheel)
