Most Memorable Cover Performances

Bad Gopher

A Loner, A Rebel
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Andrew Zimmern had a great Twitter solicitation yesterday:


So, what are everyone's favorite or most memorable live covers you saw in person? I'll start. I've witnessed so many great shows and cover songs, so it's hard to know where to begin, but these are the most memorable, including the circumstances.

Billy Joel, Target Center--March 10, 1994
He told a great story about himself from 1967, the year of so much great music and culture. He talked about the Doors' debut and, of course, Sgt. Peppers. They assigned him summer school to get his credits/grades up or whatever, and he said he thought about it and concluded, "Bleep it--this is the summer of love!" Then he ripped into "Good Times, Bad Times" (Led Zeppelin), which was a dead ringer for the album recording, including Joel's vocals sounding amazingly like Plant's.

Sheryl Crow, State Theatre--March 27, 1994
Not long after seeing Billy Joel, Sheryl Crow came to town touring in support of Tuesday Night Music Club, her first big success. Later in the show, she played "I've Got A Feeling" (The Beatles). It was such a groovy version: instantly recognizable and true to the original, but she still made it her own.

The Verve Pipe, First Avenue--April 19, 1997
Supporting their smash LP "Villains," they really impressed with their showmanship and faithfulness to the album recording. Then they came out for the most memorable encore. They played the opening riff from "FNT" (Semisonic), and the next thing you know, Dan Wilson and John Munson were onstage playing it with them. I was like, WHAT IS GOING ON. I hadn't noticed those guys were in the room, but obviously they were. After that, "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" with Dan and John still playing, and that was the show. Afterwards, I and the friend who I attended with hung around for a while in the afterglow of a great concert, and suddenly they were projecting the KARE 11 news on the big screen, showing downtown Grand Forks on fire. That was the night the flooded Grand Forks burned. It was surreal to say the least. We just sat there and watched it happen.
 

not my fave bands, but there are 2 covers that immediately come to mind.
Lovemongers cover of the Battle of Evermore (essentially Heart) on the Singles soundtrack. Incredible vocals.
Edie Brickell cover of Hard Rains Gonna Fall on Born on the 4th of July soundtrack.
 

Favorite live cover song...that's a tough one. Obviously lots of favorite recorded covers, but I don't really have a favorite live cover. The only one that comes to mind is Sharon Jones doing This Land is Your Land. She tied it to both her Native American and African American heritage.

Wasn't at this show, but found this:

 

Favorite live cover song...that's a tough one. Obviously lots of favorite recorded covers, but I don't really have a favorite live cover. The only one that comes to mind is Sharon Jones doing This Land is Your Land. She tied it to both her Native American and African American heritage.

Wasn't at this show, but found this:

Dude. DUUUUDE. This Land is your land? Ugh. I will stop there.
 



I saw a memorable Billy Joel one too when he sang Highway to Hell with Axl Rose at Target Field a couple years ago.

Best cover ever:
 






For years, Springsteen used to close his concerts with the "Detroit Medley," where he played a mash-up of "Devil with the Blue Dress," "C.C. Rider," and "Good Golly, Miss Molly." He also used to play "It's My Life" by the Animals a lot.
 

The Faces doing McCartney's Maybe I'm Amazed. Just straight up incredible with a great mix of vocals from both Ronnie Lane and Rod Stewart. Also, Zimmern is right on about Townshend's cover of The English Beat. Both the original and the cover are terrific.

 


 
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not my fave bands, but there are 2 covers that immediately come to mind.
Lovemongers cover of the Battle of Evermore (essentially Heart) on the Singles soundtrack. Incredible vocals.

Great soundtrack. 'Drown' by the Smashing Pumpkins is a great song. As for favourite covers....I've got to go with Johnny Cash's cover of Nine Inch Nail's song, 'Hurt'.


[MEDIA]
 

Local music -- hailing from Duluth and Lutsen are "Pushing Chain"

 

From the guy who posted Heart doing Battle of Evermore. :sick:
I was going to let this go, but this gem just popped into my twitter feed. This is why I have a problem with your choice. Nothing to do with musical tastes:
 

I was going to let this go, but this gem just popped into my twitter feed. This is why I have a problem with your choice. Nothing to do with musical tastes:
I don't even like the song. I just couldn't think of any other memorable live cover I've seen. SJ&TDK can make any song sound good.

BTW, what's your favorite Led Zeppelin song based on Lord of the Rings?
 

I don't even like the song. I just couldn't think of any other memorable live cover I've seen. SJ&TDK can make any song sound good.

BTW, what's your favorite Led Zeppelin song based on Lord of the Rings?
Haha!! Love you Nokomis. Believe it or not, I didn't even know that was a Led Zeppelin song when the Singles soundtrack first came out and I had never heard of Lord of the Rings at the time. Song is just ok, but the harmonies are incredible. If you don't love the voices of Nancy and Ann I would question your taste in all music.
I didn't listen to your link, I just have a visceral reaction to that song now knowing what it means and the fact that we were taught it in school by pinko lefty teachers. Makes me angry :)
 


Haha!! Love you Nokomis. Believe it or not, I didn't even know that was a Led Zeppelin song when the Singles soundtrack first came out and I had never heard of Lord of the Rings at the time. Song is just ok, but the harmonies are incredible. If you don't love the voices of Nancy and Ann I would question your taste in all music.
I didn't listen to your link, I just have a visceral reaction to that song now knowing what it means and the fact that we were taught it in school by pinko lefty teachers. Makes me angry :)
My dad used to sing me This Land as a bedtime song, so maybe that tells you something about my worldview. Though he also likes Heart. Maybe I just have a visceral reaction to any music my dad likes. He also likes The Eagles.

Huh...I guess I had you pegged as a LOTR guy. Besides the overt references in Misty Mountain Hop and Ramble On, you could pretty much tie any LZ song back to LOTR. I recently read Elvis Costello's autobiography. I found it funny when he said he wanted to move away from the trend of writing songs about dragons and wizards.
 

My dad used to sing me This Land as a bedtime song, so maybe that tells you something about my worldview. Though he also likes Heart. Maybe I just have a visceral reaction to any music my dad likes. He also likes The Eagles.

Huh...I guess I had you pegged as a LOTR guy. Besides the overt references in Misty Mountain Hop and Ramble On, you could pretty much tie any LZ song back to LOTR. I recently read Elvis Costello's autobiography. I found it funny when he said he wanted to move away from the trend of writing songs about dragons and wizards.
Yep, it does indeed tell me a lot. I was also raised by Libs :)

I’ve since read the books when the movies came out. Books are great. I was always a Rush fan. RIP Neil Peart. It’s funny that I never paid attention to the lyrics, and now they perfectly fit my worldview.
I love Elvis Costello too. 70s were pretty tough to beat for music even though I’m an 80s guy.
 

I don't even like the song. I just couldn't think of any other memorable live cover I've seen. SJ&TDK can make any song sound good.

BTW, what's your favorite Led Zeppelin song based on Lord of the Rings?

Over the Hills and Far Away. One of...if not my favourite LZ songs.
 



Yep, it does indeed tell me a lot. I was also raised by Libs :)

I’ve since read the books when the movies came out. Books are great. I was always a Rush fan. RIP Neil Peart. It’s funny that I never paid attention to the lyrics, and now they perfectly fit my worldview.
I love Elvis Costello too. 70s were pretty tough to beat for music even though I’m an 80s guy.
I like to pretend I base my worldview on Tom Waits' Rain Dogs, but it's probably closer to the Mary Poppins Returns soundtrack.
 

I like to pretend I base my worldview on Tom Waits' Rain Dogs, but it's probably closer to the Mary Poppins Returns soundtrack.
I like to think of Mpls based off of this song.
 

I haven't read Anthem, so I don't know how it ties in, but they literally state it in the liner notes.
If you have seen any of the 70s movies where individuals rebel against a soul sucking collective--Soylent Green, Logan's Run, Planet of the Apes--you get the gist of Anthem. Without Rand's usual desert dry prose.
 

I defy anyone to explain the lyrics for any Rush song. And I like Rush.

but I have no bleeping clue what "Bytor and the Snow Dog" means. And I don't care. I just like the way it sounds if played really loud while driving 75mph on the freeway.
 

I defy anyone to explain the lyrics for any Rush song. And I like Rush.

but I have no bleeping clue what "Bytor and the Snow Dog" means. And I don't care. I just like the way it sounds if played really loud while driving 75mph on the freeway.
Hell yes! I don't usually have much trouble understanding their lyrics. That one was literally about 2 dogs I think that were at their recording studio or something. And Neil just created a story around it.
 




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