OK - challenge here - you get to see three musicians play. But the HAVE to be dead.

[Taverner]

However, if your guy is the only dead guy in the band (John Bonham) you get that band.

Me? Joy Division with Ian Curtis

The Doors with Jim Morrison

Velvet Underground with Sterling Morrison

[petronius]

1. You know, I don't think any dead musician would put on a very good show

[pipi_k]

2. Definitely

Led Zeppelin (John Bonham)

Elvis

Boston (Brad Delp). I did see them in 1978, but would gladly see them again.

[Taverner]

7. Which Elvis? Tupelo or Vegas Elvis?

[pipi_k]

23. The Tupelo one

I didn't care all that much for the Vegas one

[TwilightGardener]

3. Layne Staley (Alice In Chains)

Kurt Cobain/Nirvana

John Bonham/Led Zeppelin

[Taverner]

5. I almost chose Nirvana

But in the end - I had already seen them, before they released Nevermind but with Dave Grohl.

Great show!

[ceile]

56. Ian Curtis, Joe Strummer, Curt Cobain n/t

[rug]

4. Easy.

The Crickets.

The Beates.

The Greatfu Dead.

[Taverner]

6. I thought about the Beatles

But they weren't really a live band...

Grateful Dead, I am happy to say I saw many times, once with Bob Dylan and Jerry on Pedal Steel. Wow.

[Art_from_Ark]

14. The Beatles were a live band for the first several years of their existence

They started out as The Quarrymen in 1957, and played live regularly until 1966, with their last live performance made in 1969 (the famous "rooftop concert" where John quips, "I'd like to thank you on behalf of the group and ourselves. I hope we passed the audition". Here is a list of their live performances from 1961 to 1966:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_Beatles'_live_performances

[MiddleFingerMom]

13. Louis Armstrong, Michael Hedges, Rainer Ptacek

.
.
.
.
.
Louis Armstrong... actually, I'd love to just spend an evening drinking some beers with the man. He
seemed to simultaneously be immensely sad and immensely joyous. And I BET he'd be a very fun
and very nice man to hang out with.
.

.
.
.
.
.
Michael Hedges -- I have a great (and still disappointing) story about how I missed seeing him by
just THIS much, but I'll save it for another time.
.

.
.
.
.
.
Rainer Ptacek -- a Tucson legend who died in 1997... one year before I moved here. He was MUCH
beloved here -- a common thread I noticed when people spoke of him was that he was one of the
most beautiful examples of a human being that they had ever known.
.
From Wikipedia: Rainer Ptacek (June 7, 1951 – November 12, 1997) was a Tucson, Arizona-based
guitarist and singer-songwriter. His guitar technique, which incorporated slide, finger-picking, tape
loops and electronic manipulation, earned him admiration of some notable musicians such as Robert
Plant and Billy Gibbons. A tribute album to Ptacek, The Inner Flame, included contributions by Plant,
Jimmy Page, PJ Harvey, Emmylou Harris and others, and was indicative of his reputation as a
"musician's musician". He was diagnosed with a brain tumor in early 1996 and died nearly two years
later after the illness recurred.
.

.
.
.
.
.

[Lucinda]

19. Thanks for the Ptacek video. Loved it.

[MiddleFingerMom]

62. You're welcome... I heard often from people whom I respect about what a wonderful human being he was

.
.
.
... that I know I missed meeting someone very special. People would both cry AND smile
as they told me about Rainer.
.
And he was known to everyone simply by his first name, Rainer (rye'-ner).
.
.
.

[bluesbassman]

8. Little Feat with Lowell George.

Feat's drummer Richie Hayward just recently passed, so I'd want him too.

Thin Lizzie with Phil Lynott.

Humble Pie with Steve Marriott.

[MiddleFingerMom]

64. I saw Bonnie Raitt in the 80's backed up by this AMAZING band called "Chicken Legs"...

.
.
.
... and I didn't find out 'til AFTER the show that it was Little Feat after the death of
Lowell George and before they started their comeback career.
.
Maybe the BEST show I've seen EVER!!!
.
.
.

[bluesbassman]

65. Oh man, what a great show that must've been.

I've seen some clips of Bonnie & Lowell playing together, just sheer magic.

I have seen Bonnie live, she did a show a few years back with Bruce Hornsby opening for her. Bruce came on and did a few tunes with her. He was awesome too.

[DearHeart]

9. Elvis, Patsy Cline and Glenn Miller...

one more, INXS with Michael Hutchence

[cemaphonic]

10. Franz Liszt

He's probably in the middle of the pack as far as my favorite composers go, but he was by all accounts a spellbinding performer, and maintained a rockstar lifestyle in the early 19th century.

Zappa - I love a lot of his live performance albums, and I'm sure his shows would be quite memorable.

maybe Townes Van Zandt for the last. He's more a songwriter than performer, but I really love his performances on the "Live from the Old Quarter" album, and his knack for alternating real tearjerkers of songs with the corniest (but hilarious) deadpan jokes.

[mythology]

11. My three

AC/DC with Bon Scott

The Ramones

Queen with Freddy Mercury

Honorable mentions to Janis Joplin, Jimmy Hendrix and Harry Chapin.

[Up2Late]

17. Freddy Mercury -- Queen, Good Call!

Otis Redding and probably Jimi Hendrix.

[schmice]

12. Brian Jones, Keith Moon, Mitt Romney's Presidential hopes

[Art_from_Ark]

15. Ludwig van Beethoven

Either performing in the Great Concert of 1808, or conducting the debut of his 9th Symphony in 1824.

Johann Sebastian Bach, performing Tocatta and Fugue in d minor on the organ

John Lennon and the Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl

[Taverner]

30. Now now now you know Tocatta and Fugue in d minor is originally for Pedal Harpsichord...

Not sure when it was modified for Pipe Organ...

[Art_from_Ark]

37. Of course, Bach transcribed a lot of his own works

for various instruments. Concerto for Two Harpsichords in c, for example, was originally Concerto for Two Violins in d (or maybe it was the other way around).

At any rate, hearing Toccata and Fugue in d played by Bach on the pedal harpsichord would also be awesome

[Tsiyu]

16. Buddy Holly, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Robert Johnson

OR: Duane Allman, Koko Taylor and Jimi Hendrix

OR: So many good ones gone........

[Up2Late]

18. Otis Redding, Freddy Mercury (Queen) and Jimi Hendrix

Not sure who would open for who, but it would be a hell of a show.

[mikeytherat]

20. Les Paul, Jaco Pastorius, and Buddy Rich

mikey_the_rat

[whistler162]

21. Simple

Jim Croce

Mel Torme'

Benny Goodman with the band from the 1937 Carneige Hall concert!

[Iggo]

22. Chris Brown, Toby Keith, and Ted Nugent.

[Taverner]

31. No Charlie Daniels?

[Iggo]

35. Alas, I could only choose three.

[Codeine]

41. Nice.

[OriginalGeek]

51. Iggo you never fail

to be awesome.

[avebury]

24. Freddie Mercury (Queen), Glenn Miller, and Buddy Holly nt

[LynneSin]

25. Led Zeppelin (Bonham), Queen (Freddie Mercury), Pink Floyd (Syd Barrett or Richard Wright)

And if it's a 4th Joy Division (Ian Curtis) and 5th would be Sex Pistols (Sid Vicious)

[hobbit709]

26. Hendrix, Janis, and Mance Lipscomb.

[solara]

38. Wow you actually know who Mance Lipscomb was?

Wow..

I got to sing with him a hundred years ago in Oklahoma City at the Budhi

My three:

Jimi Hendrix
Jaco Pastorius
Thelonius Monk

(edited to add first name)

[hobbit709]

39. Got to see him play at the Armadillo when I worked there

[FSogol]

27. Can I watch Joe Strummer 3 times instead?

Honorable mentions:

Scott Joplin
Louis Armstrong
Joey Ramone
Stiv Bators

[geardaddy]

32. +1 on Strummer

[sadbear]

28. Jim Croce, Queen, AC/DC (Bon Scott)

[HopeHoops]

29. Woodie Herman, Charlie Parker, and Dizzy Gillespie

Easy choice question.

[geardaddy]

33. Bob Marley

Jimi Hendrix
Janis Joplin

[bamacrat]

34. Easy...

Pink Floyd with Richard Wright
Beatles with John Lennon and George Harrison
Nirvana with Kurt Cobain
Jimi Hendrix - anything

I needed four.

[stevenleser]

36. Beethoven, Mozart, Enrico Caruso nt

[Codeine]

40. I'll cast another vote for Joy Division.

Also, Minutemen with D. Boon and The Clash with Joe Strummer.

[Tom Ripley]

42. I saw Sterling play with Moe Tucker ( A very nice man who insisted I play his guitar after the show)

[Tom Ripley]

43. John Coltrane Quartet, Velvet Underground, Led Zeppelin

[Arkansas Granny]

44. Jim Croce, John Denver and Ray Charles.

Those were the first 3 to pop into my mind. I've already thought of several more.

[NCarolinawoman]

61. John Denver--Yes! Does anybody sing about the out-of-doors

and the environment anymore? Anybody?

About eagles and mountains and dolphins and clear running water?.... I could go on and on.

[benld74]

45. Lennon, Joplin, Hendrix

[OriginalGeek]

46. Led Zeppelin

Death
John Coltrane


And I'd want to see Coltrane back in the day when men wore suits out to dinner and you could smoke in the lounge while the music was playing...and maybe while dinner was served...that would be cool....John Coltrane, steak dinner, an after dinner Manhattan or 3 and a cigar.

[GoneOffShore]

47. Do we have to kill them first?

[opiate69]

48. Randy Rhoads, John Bonham and Ronnie James Dio

Dio originally played bass back in Elf, IIRC, so he could nail down the bottom end and sing in my dream zombie band.

[hifiguy]

49. How's this for an All-Dead power trio?

Jimi, Jaco Pastorius on bass and John Bonham on drums.

[Taverner]

52. Or.....Jerry Garcia, Pigpen and Keith Moon

two of them dead in more ways than one

[hifiguy]

55. Hmm. Now I'm thinking of

Jimi, Jaco and Moony together. Pastorius and Moon would make for perhaps the most interesting and complex rhythm section in history.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

60. The entire Experience is now dead

Personally, I think Mitch Mitchell was hands down the greatest rock drummer of the era. His soulful, subtle, and articulate jazz chops added a great deal to Jimi's sound. Jimi called him "my own Elvin Jones".

[davsand]

50. Minnie Ripperton

She died WAY too young.

I'm holding out on the other two, but folks like Stevie Ray and John Lennon come to mind along with Edgar Winters or even Muddy Waters. So do Janis, Patsy Cline, Etta James, Valerie Wellington ... Too many to name, really.



Laura

[woodsprite]

53. Jim Croce, Peter/Paul/Mary, and Liberace n/t

[littlewolf]

54. Harry Chapin ... Jim Croce .... Peter/Paul/Mary .... nt

[Efilroft Sul]

57. Stevie Ray, James Brown, and Billie Holiday

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

58. Lenny Breau, Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass

Hard to choose because so many of the greats have left us.

[Spike89]

59. Beatles, Clash, Ramones and B-52s

The first two because they made music I could listen to for another 30 years and the Ramone's and B-52s because those would be the ulimate intimate party bands!

[tjwmason]

63. Jean Langlais

Blind from birth and trained as an organist, apparently this was far from unknown (particularly in France) where organ playing was heavily improvisational. I want to have this one twice, once with me in a place where I can listen and once where I can actually see him at the key-board.

Wanda Landowska, a major player in the harpsichord revival of the 20th century I've heard a couple of snippets of her playing...in many ways it's a million miles from what historically informed performance would suggest (metal-framed harpsichords!) but such performance wouldn't be where it is today without people like her.

J.S. Bach - playing just about any of his fugues, to this day they haven't been beaten as examples of that form.

[Hoyt]

66. George Harrison, Gene Clark, Hendrix.

[WilliamPitt]

67. Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker.

No doubt.

[cliffordu]

68. Ah, Mr.Pitt....

Something on which we wholeheartedly agree.

[Jetboy]

69. Frankie Lymon

Johnny Thunders

Elvis