rsggamer said:

I think you mean number one dancer...performer? doubtful.

midnightmover said:

yes, and springsteen is one of the few who can do it simply by playing rock music. He doesn't exactly dance, and there's no great visual element to the sho. His performing comes from a different place, but is no less amazing than Prince who does a million things onstage and has lasers & lights.

namepeace said:

When you do something that phenomenal, that is POWERFUL!

NDRU said:

There is no substitute for substance. No substitute for having something to say and..... CARING! That's an element that's totally missing with P and MJ. What do these guys stand for? Who do they represent? No one really. They are pop stars. Entertainers. Nothing wrong with that, but there's more to life than that. There's some real struggles going on out there. Bruce understands that and takes you right inside it. There's an emotional power that comes from that which P and MJ just don't have.

This thread is laughable.

midnightmover said:

This is why I think it's unrealistiv to compare artists like Prince/MJ/James Brown to ones like Springsteen. They bring such totally different things to the table that there really is no basis for a fair comparison.

midnightmover said:

I don't know how he can keep playing those old songs as if he wrote them yesterday. The one time Prince comes close to that (though he's better than Bruce in other areas of course) is when he does Purple Rain. Every time I think "not again," and every time he brings new life & new intensity to the song.

I don't think I could call him the greatest, but he is one of the greats...definitely top 5. Prince would be above MJ for me. Tina Turner would also definitely be in my Top 5. Tina don't play...she goes out there to do work.



Betta recognize!

midnightmover said:

What a bunch of pretentious baloney.

Oh, Graycap23 I think people realise you dislike Jackson and his family. You like to comment on threads about them with your meaningless one liners thinking you are clever but you're not.

curioso said:

Lol.....I dig Mj, but 2 suggest that he is the greatest live performer is borderline insanity.
[Edited 9/18/08 14:15pm]

Michael Jackson is the Greatest ever live performer. I've seen all his solo tours, but the 1988 leg of Bad Tour is Michael Jackson at his peak. And I was lucky enough to have attended his legendary concerts at Wembley Stadium.

Michael Jackson and Prince were both touring the UK at more a less the same time in the summer of 1988. That has to be the greatest ever summer as far as live music goes.
[Edited 9/18/08 14:19pm]

BenS71 said:

agree

curioso said:

Welcome to the Org, but slow your roll, newbie.

You gotta know friend from foe before you walk in guns blazing.

 

IMO MJ is the greatest live solo performer there has been, he was on top from 1977 to 1992 (up until the first molestation charges intrestingly), that's 15 years which is enough to be considered the greatest live performer just like mohammed ali and bruce lee are in a legaue of their own. No one could touch him during that period not even prince at his peak. The various tour records set told part of the story and his legacy as the ultimate showman lives to this day.

kash said:

"How many dudes you know who could say they're jammin' in Bucharest?" -- Martin Lawrence on Michael Jackson.



MJ can make a good case, he was Bad.

But there were mind-blowing performers before 1977.

Plus, Prince can make his case too.

This is odd. I was just having this "Who's the best live performer?" debate with a friend the other day.

I have to say, I've always thought Michael Jackson is an overrated live solo performer. He's a great video artist, however. Even Motown 25 is a glorified music video. He's so contrived when he's by himself. With that said, he's an excellent front man. When he's with his brothers, I find his performances to be more interesting. Even at the 30th anniversary, I was ready to turn it off when it got to his solo stuff. I'd rather watch the videos.

My favorites are Prince, Tina Turner, and James Brown. I prefer rawness, I guess.

at his peak yes he was the greatest even on the HIStory tour he set record which are yet to be broken but that was 10yrs ago whether he should still be considered the best live performer still is questionable considering how long it has been since he was on a stage performing

if he tours again it will be make or break, i dont think he would have any problem selling tickets even people i know who dont really like his music still wanna go and see him cos in their own words he is a legend but the question is when they are leaving the stadium/arena after the show are they gonna be leaving satisfied?

dag said:

MJ is my favorite, and I like watching better than anyone else?

He did his last tour almost entirely by lipsyncing, and the Dangerous and Bad tours had large portions of the same thing as well. So you really can't say in that respect that he would be the greatest live performer ever.Sure I can sympathize on him for the fans expecting for him to dance non-stop for two hours and him having problems with his health, but you can't overlook that aspect.

The early shows during the Bad tour - then you'd have a case.

LightOfArt said:

"Best ever" is so...unpredictable. What's "best ever" today is "eh" tomorrow.

MJ is of course ONE OF the best but unless there's a definitive BEST of ALL then this discussion will never end (as it hasn't so far).

Personally, MJ is a lot more charismatic/entertaining/etc in his videos where he doesn't have to worry about anything but the dancing.

Besides Billie Jean at Motown there hasn't been one performance of MJ's that really STOOD OUT as amazing or jaw dropping. Of course I've never seen him live..
[Edited 9/19/08 1:09am]

purplesweat said:

I don't know... if I'd saw MJ on stage and he was doing the same thing he did during the DANGEROUS and HISTORY tours, I'd probably would've been like I was when watching it on TV.

im sorry but all these people making negative comments about mj have obviously never seen him live.. its one thing to see someone live and comment and another to see a 3 inch video on youtube with bad quality.

to say mj has only had one stand out performance is quite simply criminal...people have such short memories.

yeah sure the prince shows from the 02 last year were fantasstic..but comparing it to mj singing who's lovin you or the Bad/Dangerous tours at Wembley are laughable.

FunkyBrotha said:

I'm mad MJ never sung that during his adult tours.

Timmy84 said:

if he would like to impress people , he should sing such a song, a mic and a stage and just sing ( if he is able too)

Timmy84 said:

What do you mean, he never sang? He has? This is especially true on his 30th anniversary concert, I was there. While there have been times where he has lip-synced, while overseas, one has to look at the situation. His fans overseas are more interested in seeing the man himself, his dance moves, as well as his music. If you have ever seen film of him overseas, the crowds are in such a frenzy, one can hardly hear themselves think. He probably knows this and figures, "Why should I waste my voice", when just seeing me is enough for them". Unlike his fans here, who are NOT as accepting of him, his fans across the water seem to really care about Michael the person as well as Michael the artist.

shorttrini said:

He said he's mad Michael never sung 'Who's Loving You' as an adult on tour
[Edited 9/19/08 3:01am]

FunkyBrotha said:

I've seen him live. Of course I only found out later when the show was broadcast on television that only about half of it was live. Yeah sure, trying to sing on pitch on a large stadium with the crowd constantly screaming must be incredibly hard (especially if you are changing position all the time). But seriously... it's just a show, not really a live gig.

NDRU said:

Yeah, "Purple Rain" never grows old. I just remembered another cool thing about the Springsteen gig was the way it started. No fanfare, no intro, no nothing. They literally just walked out there, picked up their instruments, Bruce said something, and they started playing. When they first walked out I assumed they were roadies just checking the equipment. I love that lack of bullshit.

curioso said:

I knew when I typed that out that MJ fans wouldn't really understand it. Maybe if I'd read it fifteen years ago I might not have understood it myself. People can only assess things according to their level of experience and awareness. I have no doubt my post will have gone over the heads of most MJ fans.
[Edited 9/19/08 6:36am]