who surprised and who disappointed

SURPRISES:

Talking Heads: Reluctantly agreed to go with a friend to see them. After the show, I drove around NorCal to see their next three concerts.

Kings X: Every song, even those that miss on CD, is explosive live. Tightest band I've ever seen, they sound like one mind playing three instruments simultaneously.

Dylan: Once show a big surprise, another a big disappointment.

Springsteen in a stadium: He worked it like a small nightclub.

Eminem & Dr. Dre: Two of the most captivating performers I've ever seen. I like their recordings well enough, but in concert they blew the doors off!

Meat Puppets: Sleepy on the recordings, rippin' live.

Nels Cline Singers: Nels Cline is the most compelling, masterful musician I've ever seen.

Throwing Muses: Good recordings (especially "Limbo"), but amazing in concert.

Soundgarden: I saw them at a surprise gig at a small club. They sounded monolithic.

Primus: Used to see them do afternoon gigs at a little bar on Haight Street. They were far too big for the local circuit, and quickly proved to be.

Spin Doctors: Not what you'd expect to see at a little bar on 2nd Ave in NYC. Soon thereafter, they shot to fame.

DISAPPOINTMENTS:

Catherine Wheel: More energy & creativity on the recordings than live.

Milton Nascimento: A musical hero of mine, he sat on a stool the entire night. Boring.

I forgot to mention the band that surprised me the most, mainly because I'd never heard their music before seeing them perform: The Waterboys. They opened up for U2 on the "Unforgettable Fire" tour. They still had Karl Wallinger (who later started the band, World Party) on keyboards, and by the time they closed with the song, "This is the Sea", I was slack-jawed. Lucky for me, I saw them again the following night. They were absolutely mesmerizing, and 20+ years later, the album "This is the Sea" is still one of my desert island discs.

Thanks a lot, Marty. I'll have to see when they're coming our way.