Who did you see at a small club gig that blew you away?

[Jonny D]

For me, it was Ron Thompson (who apparently worked with John Lee Hooker for many years).

This guy belted it out for 4 hours on slide and standard tuning using only a Strat and a Peavey Delta Blues...I could not sleep until 7am because my mind was racing.

 

[Shredtrash]

Ian Moore in '96. One of the best shows I've ever seen to this day.

 

[Guitar Dave T]

Eric Johnson with The Electromagnets, cir 1978 in a small Houston club. We just happened on the club when a regular haunt across the street that night was closed.

Stevie Vaughan multiple times over the next couple years at Crossroads in Nacogdoches, then in larger clubs in Dallas, Houston and Austin.

Bugs Henderson cir 1975-76 at Ma' Blues and The Abbey Inn in Dallas.

Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Crossroads, Nacogdoches, '78 and '79.

Freddie King multiple times at Ma' Blues in '75 and '76.

Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee, 1977, Crossroads, Nacogdoches.

Zorro and The Blue Footballs, '78-'80, Crossroads in Nacogdoches, Whiskey River in Dallas.

Albert Collins, Poor David's Pub, Dallas, 1985.

All of these guys just friggin' KILLED in small clubs.

 

[louderock]

Cry Of Love at The Cotton Club in Atlanta

 

[Revpolar]

Roy Buchanan

 

[loudboy]

Eric Johnson - Ah Via Musicom Tour

Steve Earle - Just an American Boy Tour

Jools Holland - 1st solo tour, in about a 50-seater in Toronto, Pino Palladino on bass.

Nils Lofgren

John Hiatt - Slow Turning Tour

Iggy Pop

Rick Danko/Levon Helm

Dave Edmunds w/most of Rockpile (no Nick Lowe)

Bill Kirchen

 

[27sauce]

El Vez
Junior Brown
Marc Ford
Pete Anderson
Red Elvises
Cannibal Corpse
John Sykes (with Thin Lizzy)

 

[tabdog]

Levon Helm used to do shows and just
show up and jam at White Water Tavern
in LR, AR. I played there several times
myself,

Tabdog

 

[Robertito]

Hah! About 15 years ago, my girlfriend said "Say, let's go hear Sonny Landreth today." I thought she was mistaken, but he played - solo - at a little coffee shop in Royal Oak, MI. He had a Strat and a small Fender practice amp. It was sublime.

There were maybe 10 people there.

 

[chill]

Kings X, Gretchen tour at the Thirsty Whale just outside of Chicago.

 

[Frank Prince]

Jim Campilongo w/Bobby Black and Scott Amendola
Robben Ford
Steve Morse (SM band twice and Dixie Dregs Reunion once)
Eric Johnson
Robin Trower
Steve Vai
Joe Bonamassa
King's X
Johnny Winter

All were stellar performances in small clubs with no more that 150 people or so.

 

[kcb]

The Tubes.

 

[Oppressed]

the Jesus Lizard

Soundgarden
​

Red Hot Chili Peppers

a couple small theatre shows probably 1k capacity
Metallica
Jane's Addiction (opened for Iggy Pop)
Ministry

 

[dhodgeh]

Dick Dale at the Florida Theater in St. Petersburg, FL

 

[cram]

queens of the stoneage on a snowstorm thinned out crowd some time in '99.

bela fleck - I think in '00. I couldn't sleep. I bailed on my date and went to my apartment solo and played through the morning.

GLove & Special Sauce - There was an amazing show. This was more of the affected crowd. It was surreal to see. Good times.

Tower of Power

 

[PatrickE_FenderADV]

Chris Duarte and I was like seven feet from him too.

Big Head Todd & the Monsters... Second row right in front of Todd.

 

[B Money]

Brother Cane in a small dingy rock club in Syracuse called 'The Lost Horizon'. It's not a big place, but they brought in an entire lighting rig and a real big concert feel. Plus, the played great and had good songs.
It's too bad they never really caught on with the general public. Wrong band at the wrong time I guess.

 

[cram]

Brother Cane in a small dingy rock club in Syracuse called 'The Lost Horizon'. It's not a big place, but they brought in an entire lighting rig and a real big concert feel. Plus, the played great and had good songs.
It's too bad they never really caught on with the general public. Wrong band at the wrong time I guess.

I saw them once and they were great. their last tune was a kickass version of whipping post.

 

[A-Bone]

One show that stands out for me in this regard was Aimee Mann and Michael Penn at a small club in SF. Patton Oswalt was the opener, and I ended up sitting at a table adjacent to Chris Isaak.

 

[Neer]

Chaka Khan