Paid Members waters44 Posted May 13, 2020 Paid Members Share Posted May 13, 2020 (edited) If you had a magical time machine and could go anywhere in time and see something live what would it be? Absolutely anything, historical event, sporting moment, family event etc, the more obscure the better I will start and ruin the thread already. Obviously seeing the pyramids being built or hob knobbing with King Henry VIII would be cool but mine would be to go back to 1996 to be in attendance at the Alice In Chains Unplugged. A bit of background to explain this to people who may not be aware - lead singer Layne Staley's life was wrecked by depression and drug abuse, particularly heroin, and you can hear his pain and torment in the lyrics of numerous AIC songs. The band would have many hiatuses due to Staley's drug use throughout the years and didn't perform live much in the early to mid 90s, they even released an album in 1995 but couldn't tour it due to Staley's struggles. After many discussions the band finally agreed to perform an MTV Unplugged session in April 1996, two and a half years after their last live performance. Staley is still clearly struggling badly with his heroin addiction and the rest of the band didn't even know if he would show until he turned up just before the show was due to start. To make matters even worse, Jerry Cantrell, the lead guitarist and co vocalist, has a dodgy hotdog hours before the show and can't stop throwing up, forcing him to take a bucket on stage with him. On paper the performance should turn into a shitshow, but its magical. The band open with Nutshell, Layne walks out and delivers such a beautiful and tender performance for the next few hours. The songs work great in acoustic form and the band are perfect, including Layne (I know he forgot a few lyrics so had to restart a few songs but who cares). Layne looks so vulnerable, in so much pain physically and mentally but he pulls it off. There are so many moments in this that make it special, there's a moment in one song where Layne turns around to Jerry for some reassurance and Jerry smiles back, its hard to write into words but its such a touching moment. If you get a chance its all on YouTube, but in particular check out "Would?" if you only have a spare few minutes. Its my favourite live album / performance ever. Layne Staley would only appear with AIC again a few times. He fell into deep depression over the next few years, became somewhat of a recluse and would die of a drug overdose in 2002, but leaves behind one hell of an impact on me and countless others.   Edited May 13, 2020 by waters44 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Chest Rockwell Posted May 13, 2020 Moderators Share Posted May 13, 2020 I've never watched it and didn't knows any of the back story, but it's one of but favourite albums anyway. Will have to give it a watch some time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Cod Eye Posted May 13, 2020 Paid Members Share Posted May 13, 2020 Keeping on the music theme, I'd have loved to be at Live Aid! It would have ben worth sittin through the crap just to see Freddy Mercury's famous performance and the Simon Le Bon "yodal" etc... I also wish I could have gone to the cinema in 1973 to watch The Exorcist's first theatrical run to see how different the film felt. The stories of people cracking up during it and the presence of nuns and other members of the clergy picketing the showing would have definatly added to the overall atmosphere and experiance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awards Moderator HarmonicGenerator Posted May 13, 2020 Awards Moderator Share Posted May 13, 2020 For a musical one, I wouldn't half love to go back to the early 70s and see Led Zeppelin live at their peak. More generally, I think first stop for me has to be 1851 to see the Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace. I'm continually fascinated by the sheer size and scope of it, and I know it was essentially a celebration of the British Empire, but it still sounds spectacular and something I'd love to have been able to wander round and experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members wandshogun09 Posted May 13, 2020 Paid Members Share Posted May 13, 2020 Ali vs Foreman. Zaire, 1974. ‘The Rumble In The Jungle’. The atmosphere there that night must’ve been incredible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidB6937 Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 Seeing Queen live would've been amazing. Live Aid, Wembley Stadium, anything really. The closest I came was seeing 5ive cover We Will Rock You in Hyde Park.. Seeing legends like The Beatles or Elvis at their peaks would've been amazing too. Even Michael Jackson despite everything. Seeing Psycho at the cinema. Maybe even the opening of Disney Land. Just to meet Walt Disney. And plenty of epic wrestling moments that would've been incredible to see live. I do wish I could've gone to the London Olympics 2012Â in some capacity for something in the main stadium. I fucking loved that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gaffer Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 It's such a boring answer, but I'm always crap with hypothetical situations like this. I don't particularly feel the tug of any great historical events, a desire to be a fly on the wall of the studio sessions for one of my favourite albums etc. Like most people virtually all of my interests and culture are from like the sixties on, and I've always liked my view from the cheap seats of looking back through time. So I'd probably do something really shit like get into the crowd at WrestleMania 14 so I can actually blow into the sensory reality of this artefact I've watched about a hundred times on tape growing up. Really I'd just go for the stuff I'm most nostalgic about but never got to experience at the time. So loads of nondescript gigs, wrestling shows and DJ sets mostly from the 90s that are of no importance to most other people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members waters44 Posted May 13, 2020 Author Paid Members Share Posted May 13, 2020 1 hour ago, Chest Rockwell said: I've never watched it and didn't knows any of the back story, but it's one of but favourite albums anyway. Will have to give it a watch some time... Yeah please do watch it! The more you know about the situation the more you get from it as well. I’d love to hear your thoughts about it if you do get around to watching it  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gaffer Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 Yeah Staley's a haunting visual in that performance. It works so much better with the visual element. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Coconut Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 Queen at Live Aid is the right answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobra_gordo Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 I've made my peace with some of the amazing bands I had the chance to see live, didn't go and then they split up or one of them died but if I had one time travel wish it would be to see Billy Connolly at the Albert Hall in 1987. Billy and Albert was a video that I found in a drawer aged 7 or 8 and watched relentlessly despite it being massively inappropriate. That and An Audience With Billy Connolly (which I would watch around the same aged, taped off ITV) are two absolute masterpieces of standup, the man could do no wrong. I got a Billy Connolly video or DVD most Christmases until 2010. I had the chance to see him a few years back on what would be his last UK tour but I turned the opportunity down. I remember watching one of his later live DVDs (it may have been live in New York) and seeing this old man making weird noises just felt wrong. I was scared to death of seeing him past his prime or a parody so I turned down a front row ticket and still regret it massively. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Astro Hollywood Posted May 13, 2020 Moderators Share Posted May 13, 2020 (edited) I'd go back to any of the classic Nessie sightings and see what's up, or anything of that ilk. Make a big list of weird shit that's been reported and watch from the bushes to see if it really happened. Or those first League of Gentlemen shows where they were doing new material every week in the Canal Cafe Theatre. Edited May 13, 2020 by Astro Hollywood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members ElCece Posted May 13, 2020 Paid Members Share Posted May 13, 2020 Just now, Astro Hollywood said: I'd go back to any of the classic Nessie sightings and see what's up, or anything of that ilk. Make a big list of weird shit that's been reported and watch from the bushes to see if it really happened. I would love to scope out the JFK assassination just to see if any fucker was on the grassy knoll . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Coconut Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 Wouldn't it be shit when you saw the truth though? Leave it be, I say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lars85 Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 Â 3 minutes ago, Astro Hollywood said: I'd go back to any of the classic Nessie sightings and see what's up, or anything of that ilk. Make a big list of weird shit that's been reported and watch from the bushes to see if it really happened. Or those first League of Gentlemen shows where they were doing new material every week in the Canal Cafe Theatre. I was thinking of something like this. So I'm going to go for Bluff Creek 1967 at the time of the Patterson Gimlin film. Hide behind a log and see if it's a guy in a suit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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