Unplugged Debate

Pearl Jam with a second close Alice In Chains

LloydXmas wrote:

10000 maniacs.

+ 1

I would like to add Stone Temple Pilots as well as some of the KEXP unplugged in studio performances such as The Avett Brothers and The National.

brianlux wrote:

LloydXmas wrote:

10000 maniacs. Stockton gala Days

Great number! Isn't that the one where some guy yells out, "NATALIE!" at the end. I get how he feels!

No but the crowd goes absolutely bonkers at the end of it.

I agree about the Nirvana cover of that song. That being said. I feel that the Pearl Jam and Nirvana shows were great and for the opposite reason. Pearl Jam totally rocked the shit out of it, while a couple of years later Nirvana took it down about a hundred notches.

I loved AIC, too, but I watched the DVD relatively recently and Layne looked flat out bored. I actually wonder if that one could have been better.

I also recall that Live did one, but I don't think it was released on CD. That was pretty damn good, too.

Then again now that I think about it, Eric Clapton's was effing legendary...

I'm not a massive Nirvana fan in fact I think they are overrated but I loved their unplugged set. At the end where they play 'Where Did You Sleep Last Night?" and he looks up with those painful blue eyes, chilling! Definitely my favourite with Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam second and Stone Temple Pilots third.

The band that did the acoustic number in the bar scene in the movie "Repo Man"-- now there's a band I'd like to have seen do an entire Unplugged set!

ceska wrote:

I think PJ's Unplugged show is the least interesting of all the acoustic sets they've done.... And I agree about Nirvana being the best Unplugged show. Clapton's set was good too. Alberta/San Francisco Bay Blues, just awesome...

I think PJ acoustic, in general, is a pretty underwhelming experience. Most great bands really try to rework their tunes or have stuff that translates very well to the format. PJ has some stuff that works, but the way they construct setlists it works within the framework of a normal show without needing to bring out the stools and having a powwow. None of the PJ performances are particularly bad, but none are one the level of some of the great Unplugged performances.

Nirvana's is probably the greatest, most notorious Unplugged ever, along with Clapton.
AIC, for having such heavy layered music, really translate spectacularly to the Unplugged format. Just an epic performance.
Page and Plant will always be a favorite of mine.