Who is the greatest live performer ever? I have been thinking about this for some time and have finally concluded that Michael Jackson may just indeed be the most talented performer to ever grace a stage. Sure these days he may not be able to sing half as good as he used to or even pull of his famous 'moonwalk' dance but back in the day he was incredible. Check out some of these performances..






[Edited 9/18/08 1:03am]

James Brown was the best liver performer without a doubt

Piiijiii said:

TAWK!!!

James Brown was #2 on my list. I just think MJ is (or was) more of a natural overall performer because he incorporates so many styles where as James Brown is mostly known for his footwork. Also, as a singer obviously MJ wins that hands down. As a dancer its difficult to say who is the absolute best, but as an overall performer i would personally have to go with MJ.

yes, if you stand MJ allone on a stage he 's better than anyone ever.

The best shows as a whole does Madonna imo.

rsggamer said:

Depends if you like your soul singers to sing like men. James Brown kills Michael vocally in my opinion and generally all round. No JB, no MJ simple as that really. you ever hear 'Down and out in New York city' or 'Cold Sweat? James Brown had an AMAZING voice. Almost not human at times.

Don't get me wrong, love MJ but let's get real.

Marrk said:

I think MJ is the performer I most enjoy watching, but greatest live performer ever? Let's not get carried away.

James, Prince..The Stone during the 60s-70s, the Clash, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Marley, U2 and many others.. but not the so-called "kop".

at his peak MJ was the best ever imo

Annika said:

Well who else would you say really?

LightOfArt said:

Agreed. Sure there may be better singers or dancers or more charasmatic people but as for performing overall and actually combining the three together I can't think of anyone better. And add to that he was so good looking, thats so rare.

Arnotts said:

who in pop music dances better???

one negative aspect is that he was never so much a audience participation artist. On eh destiny tour people were were supposed to sing Blame It On The Boogie, but snce then...

At his peak, he was easily in the top spot, but now that the dust has settled, I would say:

1a)-Prince (still continues to churn out great live shows. His shows in the 1980's and were events and recent work live -RRHOF and SB 41, reminds us why))
1b)-MJ (despite being MIA for almost a decade, he still looms large).

Honorabe mention:

Bowie (combined high and low art to the rock atmosphere/concert through his many personas, especially in th 1970's)

Jimi-(what else needs to be said?)

James Brown-(the blueprint for MJ & Prince, even in the 1970's, dude killed it live)

yes he's definitely one of them and happens to be my favourite too

One of them but not the best. Like others have said, at his peak, yeah. Overall, probably James Brown. Today, it's Prince.

Prince gives a better show, even though at their prime, with just a mic and their two feet, I go with mike. There wouldn't be P or MJ without James Brown though.

lilgish said:

Where have you been, lilgish? Haven´t seen you in a while over here.

Anyways, I love watching Mike onstage. He´s hypnotizing. Even though Prince is great, too. And I´ve seen James live a month before his death and his still managed to dance us to death. Yeah, they´re all great.

And thanks for posting that first clip of Jam. That was great. I haven´t seen it yet.
[Edited 9/18/08 7:26am]

im a big fan of mike but what makes him a great live performer?
there people who can sing just as good or better, but to compare someone to michael at his peak is unfair to almost anybody. i find michael to be better at his peak but james brown was more consistant , i also think that stevie wonder is a great live performer he still is great.

Marrk said:

James was known more for his dancing and showmanship than for his singing. He could dance, but would you really consider his vocal skills above Michael's. Especially when Michael was at his peak? I don't think so.

I'd have to say Prince and/or James Brown. Michael loses points for lipsynching but he'd be in the top 5.

Yes. His stage presence is unmatched.
The HIStory tour is stll the biggest tour ever excluding free tickets. 4.5 million people attended, only 82 shows were done and the only place he toured in the US was Honolulu.

I think Stevie Nicks is awesome live. Her vocals are amazing. Never heard anyone else sing like her. She's fantastic

Yes.

Why do people keep saying without James Brown there would be no Prince or Michael? Ok, so what? We all know that. He is the main inspiration for the two. But does that make him BETTER? No. Sure he was the blueprint for them, but someone came along and surpassed him. That's like saying the first Mercedes-Benz is the greatest car to ever come out, because it is the first car, and everyone got their inspiration from it. Well it's not.
This:

is not better than this:


And not to take anything away from James Brown, but Prince and Michael Jackson both surpassed him.

JackieBlue said:

Agreed.

Come on now, how can you ask that question on a Prince site?! lol. Anyway, I believe as of today Prince is the greatest living performer, but at MJ's prime, I believe that he couldn't be touched and was the best. Lip synching and sticking to the same boring, routines on his tours have done some damage to his rep as a performer. I liked how spontaneous of a performer he used to be when he was with his brothers, but everything became too rehearsed when he became a solo artist and the lip synching was downright embarrassing, especially for such a talented vocalist like Michael. The lip synching is why I hardly ever watch the "History Tour". I feel like if you can't sing live then don't even bother performing. There's no excuse for lip synching almost an entire show.

Like I said though, at his peak, he was the greatest-at least to me anyway.
[Edited 9/18/08 10:31am]

Did you join the Org just to post that question?

DiamondGlove said:

This couldn't be more far from the truth. You little picturesque analogy is a gross distortion. Brown was the most energizing of all performers, everyone who has seen all Prince, Jackson and Brown perform at their peak would confirm that James Brown was indeed the greatest live performer ever. Jacko and Prince would agree with that.

MrSoulpower said:

Looking at those videos now, I find them.....boring. Sure 40 years ago, it was amazing. But now, it doesn't do anything for me. Nothing in those videos impressed or moved me. His performances have not aged well. To be honest, I never really liked James Brown. I can see where Prince and Michael Jackson and others got their inspiration from, but it doesn't mean they haven't surpassed him.
I can't stand people that tell me these old acts are better, when they do absolutely nothing for me.
[Edited 9/18/08 11:05am]