storymilo

This thread is already shaping up to be quite awesome. Unfortunately I don't know of many bassists (my fault I never learn peoples names) but I will definitely be keeping up with this.

Mojo

For me a good bass player always shines the most on a live stage. If i go to see a band in a small, fairly intimate venue and the bass isnt making the ground beneath my feet and the walls shake then i'm likely to feel somewhat let down by this.

Anyway, I know it's an obvious and fairly common response to this question but I feel The Ox needs a mention. When I first bought this DVD I was only just really getting into The Who, beyond a handfull of famous singles and John Entwistle blew my mind. This clip is arguably a little unneccessary but bollocks, why should guitarists get all the glory?




I also really dig the bass in the fantastic Death From Above 1979. Admittedly this probably has a lot to do with the fact that DFA1979 were a bass and drums duo writing big, meaty basslines to almost act as lead guitar parts but these guys sound amazing in a club or through some real quality speakers.

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Violent & Funky

This is a great discussion. I love this topic because most of my musical tastes center around the electric bass. I've got a bunch of favorites you have either already mentioned--Flea, Justin Chancellor--or have already heard of like Les Claypool and Tim Commerford (Rage Against the Machine). Here's a sampling:



Yes, this is the guy in Metallica now. Rob Trujillo joined up with Suicidal Tendencies a couple of albums into their career and influenced their front man, Mike Muir, so much that they started a side project, the Infectious Grooves, to release their funky feelings.



I've only just started listening to Fishbone but Norwood Fisher plays that funky SoCal 80s style on the bass.



Most people who know Incubus don't think of the funky outfit from the late 90s that some of us heard on Fungus Amongus and S.C.I.E.N.C.E. But Dirk Lance was one badass bass man before he left the band.



This guy is a legend if you follow Flea's musical progression. For me, Mike Watt was the original bass legend of rock and the beginning of a beautiful following of bass playing.



And finally a guy who often gets buried because his band is not so heralded these days. But there is no denying P-Nut's nastiness on the bass. If you want to hear the best of the funky side of 311 you have to get yourself Grassroots. Awesome album.

Astronomer

So true, and one of the reasons why I love playing bass and listening to bass is that wicked vibration you get... it really gives me a huge buzz.

And I was actually going to mention John Entwistle! That vid is great.

I think Incubus are a highly underrated band, especially during Fungus Amongus and S.C.I.E.N.C.E.. Incubus and Dirk Lance in particular have been a huge influence on me when it comes to bass. And although current Incubus has kind-of gone downhill IMO and lost my attention, I also believe that Ben Kenney (current bassist) isn't really that all bad and I do enjoy lots of his basslines. I also saw them live last year and bass-wise it was highly enjoyable and very funky! They did a lot of freestyle-jam type stuff. So yeah, although Incubus are a little under-appreciated (on this forum anyway) they definitely have had an effect on me when it comes to bass guitar.

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Astronomer

So this entry is going to be incredibly corny, but I don't care!

One thing I love about music is when you actually get to meet the amazing musicians you idolize. I have to say I'm always disappointed when I meet musicians I admire only to find out that they are complete assholes - it doesn't make me enjoy their music any less - it's just disappointing. However, I love it when you meet famous musicians and find out that they are equally amazing people as well. Fans are basically what support the music industry, fans are the ones who gives musicians amazing live concerts and record sales and everything else that encompasses are successful career in music. So I absolutely love it when huge musicians try to connect with their fans on a personal level.

In fact, there are a few pretty amazing moments I've witnessed through one way or another that have really made me respect certain musicians for their efforts to connect with, involve themselves with, and support their fans. I am not a huge fan of most of these guys' music but I will share them nonetheless.

Beyonce sings to Chelsea
During her tour in Australia this year, Beyonce saw a little girl in the crowd and told security she wanted that little girl to come on stage with her. Chelsea has been battling acute Leukemia for the past 6 years of her life:



The next day Beyonce called Chelsea to thank her for coming on stage with her and to tell her that she had a beautiful singing voice.

Pink visits the Melbourne Royal Children's Hospital
Again, I'm not a fan of Pink, but I followed this story earlier this year for one of my journalism assignments. Pink and her husband, Carey Heart, visited Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital (Australia) to meet some of their most special fans.



Green Day pull fans on stage to play songs
I wasn't at this particular concert, but when I saw Green Day many, many years ago they did the exact same thing and my best friend got to play guitar! Basically, when they play their Operation Ivy cover they ask fans who can play instruments (and who are hopefully not lying) to come on stage and play the song with them.



Coldplay get up close and personal
Again, I wasn't at this particular concert but when I saw Coldplay earlier this year, I thought it was fantastic when they left the stage to play a small acoustic set at the very back of the stadium amongst their fans.



So yeah, that is basically all I can think of right now! I know that myself and many people on the forum aren't huge fans of these musicians but I thought I'd post these examples because I just love moments like these in music.

Please add more if there are any you can think of, or share any stories about when you have personally met or come across any of your music idols!

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Double X

It was more out of emergency rather than friendliness, but there was that concert where Keith Moon passed out and they took some hobo drummer out of the audience.

khfreek

I love the small concerts where the artist can just strike up a chat with the audience (if they're friendly enough to do so).

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Astronomer

I wasn't even aware that this had ever happened, but that is awesome.

Yep, those are the gigs that I love. The small, intimate ones that really capture the essence of the artist and connect with the people who are there. That was a cool vid too, btw!

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dac

I saw Circulatory System last week and a couple of the members walked into the middle of the audience playing their instruments mid song... pretty awesome if I do say so myself. I met most of the band members and they were all super nice (and a wee bit eccentric). I spent about $40 on Merch from them that night just because I felt that they deserved it.

Great thread Kate, hit me up on AIM or something sometime. I try to get on here every so often but just don't have the motivation due to work.

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Bulldog

^ Warms the cockles of my heart every time Skip to about 5:30 and see what I mean.