deebee
Who would you rate as the best guitarist, who completely rocked your socks off, whilst watching him or her playing. For me it was Ritchie Blackmore with Deep Purple. I saw them in a little town hall, when they were rated as the loudest band in the world, and believe me, whoever did the rating was spot on. I left a great deal of my hearing behind in that hall. I had no hearing for the next 3 days, BUT - I was in rock and roll heaven. A 20 minute +- version of Child in Time was truely unforgettable.
Bob-Dubery
I think that the experience that you have when you go to see the player or the band with the player in is not necessarily all about the player. Sad but true. It might have been the vocalist or the deeply meaningful lyrics that blew your socks off, or a combination of things. Who knows?
I'm supposed to say "Richard Thompson" but really, as regards live shows, I have to say Martin Carthy though I'm not sure how much of the whole power of that performance was about the guitar playing. Not that Carthy isn't a very fine and quite unique player, but, there's more to what he does than guitar playing. I felt a huge emotional wallop (a good wallop, but a pretty strong one) and his guitar playing and some seductive components of what he does with the guitar had something to do with that, but there was the way that he could pull the story out of whatever song he was singing and deliver that story to you and make you BELIEVE. Wow. Really... it was a remarkable experience.
I do know that in this case it wasn't anybody else in the band because it was a solo show, nor any kind of sensory overload because it wasn't loud (very small venue) and there wasn't anything worth calling a light show. None of that mattered, his performance was riveting.
I wasn't alone in thinking this. Mrs X-Rated can knit through most kinds of entertainment - and does. However two songs into Carthy's first set she put the needles down and leaned forward a little and got completely caught up in the performance.
DaFiz
He duzzent necessarily knock your socks off with vocal skills,
but as a kid (I had heroes in the form of Jimmy Page, Carlos Santana, Peter Green, David Gilmour among others)
a young Eric Clapton blew me away completely.
Cream, Blind Faith, Bluesbreakers...? A hundred notes per second could not impress me more than old Slowhand himself... 8)
Bob-Dubery
A special mention should go to the late Kenny Henson who was the first guitarist I sat and watched with a real sense of wonderment.
Keira-WitherKay
i have NOT seen him except on dvd, and you tube............ but i am currently been blown away by jim campilongo, a new york telecaster player , and will in the near future ....... travel to new york for no other reason than to watch him live...... no date set but thats a short term goal i have set for myself , , in the last 15 yrs i have never been so influenced/impressed/infatuated (musically ) by someone talent as i am by his...... and he talks my language musically ,
