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MBADC Performance
Coach
by Randi Reed
In articles on MusicBizAdvice.com I often give
examples of performers (sometimes specific performances) to demonstrate
stage presence, how to make cover song your own, and other aspects of
performing live. Here are some of our favorite examples, and why.
(The latest added videos are at the top; the rest are in alphabetical order
by artist.)
MusicBizAdvice.com's YouTube user name is
MusicBizAdvice1.
Latest added:
Trace Adkins "You're Gonna Miss This" (as
performed on CBS's "The Young and the Restless")
This is a good example of how to approach a performance when the setting may
have the potential to make your performance look sappy or overly
sentimental. How to approach it? Keep it simple: hold onto the lyric, do
your thing, and just sing. That's exactly what Trace Adkins did here,
turning what could have been soapy sap into a great performance. Kudos to
Trace Adkins and his guitarists for this beautifully done acoustic version,
and to Y&R producers for letting them keep it simple. This particular
clip made me fall in love with this song.
Live Performance:
Bon
Jovi "Hallelujah" live (from VH1 Unplugged):
This performance is a master class on how to make a cover
your own (i.e., arrangement and vocal phrasing), and how to sing a lyric
like you wrote it. It's also a master class in breath control: the slow
build up to the "marble arch"/"victory march" line, then quieting down,
then building up again to where Jon spits out "and every breath.." To do
that live, with performance adrenaline, ain't easy kids...but Jon Bon Jovi makes
it look easy here.
Jon Bon Jovi and Richie
Sambora "Bridge Over Troubled Water" live acoustic (from MTV / VH1's
Lifebeat AIDS awareness event, 1996): A textbook example
of how to sing harmony live (i.e., the line "sailing right behind" through
the following chorus), how to trade lines with a partner, and of how to make
a cover song your own. One of my all-time favorite performances by these
guys.
Keith Urban live "You'll Think of
Me": This performance is an excellent example of
singing emotion into a lyric. Watch his face, and listen to the expression
in his voice as he conveys sadness, anger, resignation, and determination at
various points in the lyrics. (I especially like the anger he puts into the
bridge, when he sings part of it through gritted teeth.) There's no
mistaking exactly how he feels, and even someone who didn't speak English
would understand and connect with the meaning of the lyrics. That connection
is what it's all about.
Shania Twain Medley (Live at Superbowl XXXVII)
This performance is an excellent example of stage presence, how to use body
language to project out to the crowd, and how to cover a large stage. She
doesn't just walk, she strides confidently. She doesn't just point, or
glance at a section; she turns her whole body and gestures broadly to
connect with people far from the stage and bring them in.
That's your goal as a performer: to bring every member of the
audience into your world.
Other Video:
Soul
Asylum "Runaway Train" (music video) "Runaway Train" Soul Asylum (album
version)
An excellent example of how to use a music video for good
while tying it into the lyrics--many of the missing kids featured in the
video were found. It's also a great song: great melody, and the
lyrics are amazing...the metaphors are clever but easy to grab onto.
Excellent production on this version, too...love the sound of the guitars,
and the arrangement, and the mix on the vocals. And the way David Pirner
sings it breaks your heart.
Material posted here is for educational
purposes and commentary only, as defined in the Fair Use agreement of the
U.S. Copyright law. Inclusion of an artist in this section does not
constitute, nor is intended to imply endorsement of MusicBizAdvice.com by
these artists or vice-versa, nor of nor by the legal copyright holders of
posted material. If an artist or legal copyright owner of posted material
objects to being included, contact the Editor at muzbizadvc(at)aol.com, and
we'll happily remove it.
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