Embarassing Grammy Performance

[michelej1]

What are they talking about in this Bob Dylan article by Slate Magazine? I didn't think the 1997 performance was bad and I was glad they did Rhiannon instead of Dreams. Yes, I am sad it was just a nostalgic medley, but . . . I didn't think it was embarassing. I'm not saying the band has never embarassed me. I'm not sure what was going on with them on the Jay Leno show, for instance. They looked liked they'd never been on tv before, but I thought the Grammys went ok.

http://www.slate.com/id/1855/

Dylan got bad, but he never got stale. His constant reinvention and his constant touring saved him from rock geezerhood. If you go to a Rolling Stones or Eagles concert--and I strongly advise against it--three-quarters of the crowd will be paunchy baby boomers reliving their glory days. They'll sing along to 30-year-old songs performed exactly as they were 30 years ago. Were there any more embarrassing five minutes during the Grammies than Fleetwood Mac's performance? Bloated, sloppy, and greedy, the band regurgitated a medley of '70s hits to vast applause. But Dylan has been touring nonstop since 1988, winning over an entire generation of fans to his music (both new and old). America may be waxing nostalgic over Dylan, but there has never been a musician less concerned with nostalgia.

[mylittledemon]

Originally Posted by michelej1

What are they talking about in this Bob Dylan article by Slate Magazine? I didn't think the 1997 performance was bad and I was glad they did Rhiannon instead of Dreams. Yes, I am sad it was just a nostalgic medley, but . . . I didn't think it was embarassing. I'm not saying the band has never embarassed me. I'm not sure what was going on with them on the Jay Leno show, for instance. They looked liked they'd never been on tv before, but I thought the Grammys went ok.

http://www.slate.com/id/1855/

Dylan got bad, but he never got stale. His constant reinvention and his constant touring saved him from rock geezerhood. If you go to a Rolling Stones or Eagles concert--and I strongly advise against it--three-quarters of the crowd will be paunchy baby boomers reliving their glory days. They'll sing along to 30-year-old songs performed exactly as they were 30 years ago. Were there any more embarrassing five minutes during the Grammies than Fleetwood Mac's performance? Bloated, sloppy, and greedy, the band regurgitated a medley of '70s hits to vast applause. But Dylan has been touring nonstop since 1988, winning over an entire generation of fans to his music (both new and old). America may be waxing nostalgic over Dylan, but there has never been a musician less concerned with nostalgia.

I remember watching that on TV. I thought Stevie sounded great...Lindsey sounded bad but his guitar was rockin...and Dont Stop sounded alright. They should've done "The Chain" or "Silver Springs" though...

[Villavic]

Originally Posted by mylittledemon

They should've done "The Chain" or "Silver Springs" though...

I agree.. I didn't find it embarrasing, but didn't like it anyway. It was like.. Ok, let's don't fight and the 3 of us will sing a part of its song.. or something like that, or just wanted to perform populars hits, I don't know.. The Chain would have resulted cooler.

[michelej1]

Well, I tend to hate a medley no matter what. If it sounds good it only leaves you wanting more and if it doesn't sound good, then what's the point? So, I didn't like that aspect of it, but I don't think they were bloated, dottering idiots or anything.

Michele

[danax6]

Stevie did complain about how tough it was to cram their stuff into a 5 minute performance, seeing the Grammy commity was so strict when it came to time. Not a second longer was allowed. Personally, I didn't like how rushed and amateurish it sounded. If they wanted to do a medley, they could have found a better way to blend the songs together.

But hey, any performance that has Lindsey wearing that sexy coat is fine.by.me.

[strandinthewind]

The med. was okay, but inappropriate IMO. I say SS was the hit of The Dance and it was a "new song." Therefore, they should have done SS. Interestingly, Landslide was in many ways a larger hit than SS in that it is still played way more on the radio to this day.

I think they are a band and they needed to act as such instead of placating the egos with the medley. I would even venture to go so far as to say CM and La Nicks would have played another's song and been happy with it. LB, I'm not so sure about.

[jmn3]

If I'm not mistaken (and I could be - it's almost 10 yrs), I recall from interviews with Lindsey and Stevie after the grammys that the Grammy people (committee, producers, whatever they are) insisted that they do the medley. Not to say that the Mac couldn't have stood up and demanded one song...but I'm almost positive the medley approach was pushed on the band.

Silver Springs or The Chain would have indeed been better choices. They always try to get Go Your Own Way in (and rightfully so, because it's awesomeness is unparalelled) but the problem with that song is it never works in one-off performances. It's almost as if it belongs at the end of the set because the band needs to be warmed up and firing on all cylinders before playing it. For an example of what I'm rambling about, the 2003 Today Show performance which opened with GYOW (Lindsey starts Peacekeeper at first, etc)...it just didn't work without the appropriate warm-up. Silver Springs and Landslide were the big hits of the '97 Mac, so my opinion remains that SS would have probably been the best choice.

[aleuzzi]

Originally Posted by jmn3

If I'm not mistaken (and I could be - it's almost 10 yrs), I recall from interviews with Lindsey and Stevie after the grammys that the Grammy people (committee, producers, whatever they are) insisted that they do the medley. Not to say that the Mac couldn't have stood up and demanded one song...but I'm almost positive the medley approach was pushed on the band.
.

You are correct. However, I also felt that FM should have stood their ground and said "our way or no way." They certainly had enough cache with the industry to pull that off.

I remember thinking it was a bit embarassing but not because the performances were sloppy; on the contrary, everything was pretty well performed. I just felt they were milking a 20 year old cow. If they had to do a medley, how about a mix of the four new tunes from Dance--all of which could have done well. Or at least "Temporary One" and "My Little Demon" blended with "Silver Springs."

James Taylor didn't deserve the grammy that year, but neither did the Mac for recycling hits. Say You Will was much more deserving of industry recognition.

By the way, most of the time I can't stomach Dylan: HIS lack of respect for women artists other than Joni Mitchell is more embarassing than any greatest hits medley could ever be.

[David]

Originally Posted by aleuzzi

You are correct. However, I also felt that FM should have stood their ground and said "our way or no way." They certainly had enough cache with the industry to pull that off.

I agree. Why did the band capitulate? Were they afraid that if they said NO they would have been stripped of their one or two nominations? I mean, who cares? So what? The idea that this revered group, which was so successful thirty years after being formed, was being told what to play, when all the pipsqueaks on the bill were doing exactly as they pleased, was the most embarrassing thing. The band sold 4 million albums that year--they should have been telling the fickin' SUITS what to do, not the other way around.

I remember thinking it was a bit embarassing but not because the performances were sloppy; on the contrary, everything was pretty well performed.

I thought it was sloppy & energetic (Fleetwood Mac is usually energetic when it's sloppy). It wasn't really the performance itself that was the problem. It was the sound. Something was ... weird. But besides that, the "medley" wasn't a well-constructed medley, or even much of a medley at all. When one song just stops & the other picks up, I'm hard-pressed to call it a medley. Rhiannon just stops, & GYOW starts abruptly after a second's pause. Likewise with Don't Stop. That's no medley--that's a super-obvious cramming of material together in a last-minute, poorly-thought-out way. It was unbecoming for this band, which should have used the opportunity to play a single, whole song: to do exactly what it was being lauded for that year, which was musicianship. Remember how all the pipsqueak bands attended The Dance or a tour gig & later said how amazed they were at the high quality of musicianship--a feature they assumed was mostly gone from the music scene by then? Fleetwood Mac emphasized craftsmanship that year--to the astonishment of many (like the MTV guy who said, "I had no idea they could really play")--& that was precisely what this faux-medley didn't show.

[jmn3]

You are right David, there is nothing medley-ish about this performance.

This band with it's great catalog of music, has always had an ability to make some of the most reserved and bizzare choices in what they play live - especially when it comes to television appearances. This Grammy performance being a perfect example. But there are others - I already mentioned the Today Show....GYOW, Peacekeeper, Say You Will, Rhiannon? BORING. You are promoting your brand new album - if you are doing four songs, why not come out with three new ones and then pull out GYOW or GDW for the fourth? Rhiannon is so boring in it's shortened form these days and even moreso when it's further shortened for the TV appearance. The Tonight Show and Letterman apperances have had odd choices as well. I don't know...great band, but just some very weird choices over the years.

[CADreaming]

Say You Will was much more deserving of industry recognition.

Thank you. I think it's an awesome cd. Why does it get so 'dissed?

[Chrislit18]

Originally Posted by aleuzzi

I remember thinking it was a bit embarassing but not because the performances were sloppy; on the contrary, everything was pretty well performed. I just felt they were milking a 30 year old cow. If they had to do a medley, how about a mix of the four new tunes from Tango--all of which could have done well. Or at least "Temporary One" and "My Little Demon" blended with "Silver Springs."

hmm...I'm intregiued. Tango medley eh?
What songs would you be thinking? that could work really well.

And substitute MLD for BTLH and you got a deal there!
I strongly prefer BTLH to MLD. Plus it would have worked better with TO and SS.

I was 5 the year of the grammies, so I watched the clip on youtube a while ago [i vaguely remember it truth be told], and I seriously looked like this when it was over. I was all 'wtf? is this!!'

I just thought the idea was bad, and the way they blended. blah.

[aleuzzi]

Originally Posted by Chrislit18

hmm...I'm intregiued. Tango medley eh?
What songs would you be thinking? that could work really well.

And substitute MLD for BTLH and you got a deal there!
I strongly prefer BTLH to MLD. Plus it would have worked better with TO and SS.

I was 5 the year of the grammies, so I watched the clip on youtube a while ago [i vaguely remember it truth be told], and I seriously looked like this when it was over. I was all 'wtf? is this!!'

I just thought the idea was bad, and the way they blended. blah.

I meant Dance medley! I corrected my mistake above. I had tango/dance theme in my head.

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by David

I agree. Why did the band capitulate? Were they afraid that if they said NO they would have been stripped of their one or two nominations? I mean, who cares? So what? The idea that this revered group, which was so successful thirty years after being formed, was being told what to play, when all the pipsqueaks on the bill were doing exactly as they pleased, was the most embarrassing thing.

This reminds me of Destiny Rules. They were on pins and needles just hoping that the record execs would like their music and give them the green light. It made my heart a little heavy. Nervousness is good, because it gives you energy. But they were more than nervous. They were in the position of needing approval. It made me feel sad and awkward like if Laurence Olivier was still alive and some director said, "Well, I'm considering you for the role, but first I need to see you audition. Here, read this!"

Michele

[buckymcnix]

what i find embarassing is what the grammys have become.
to even suggest a medly to fleetwood mac in this case was just inane on their part. It isn't about the music, just presentation.

it should have been silver springs (it was current) or chris's say you love me.
they could have done it (say u love me) standing across the front of the stage like they did on the dance and it has lots for everyone to do.

i also agree the three songs smashed togethr isn't the same as a proper medly, we just got ripped off and didn't get to hear a complete song.