While we’re arguing in the Lana Del Ray thread about whether it’s one of the worst performances seen on SNL, I decided to go in a more positive route. What’s the best performance on TV you’ve seen by a band or singer? I’ll start things off with the infamous Elvis Costello appearance on SNL in 1977. Short story: the producer wanted Elvis to do a song called “Less Than Zero”. After a long fight Elvis agrees to do the song…but stops seconds into it and does another song. (BTW, why did they want him to do “Less Than Zero”? Seems an odd choice.)
There are three, all from Austin City Limits:
Danny Gatton (this video’s not the best quality, but the performance is fantastic), Albert Collins (coincidentally, from the same episode that Danny Gatton played on), and the Allman Brothers (playing “Back Where It All Begins”).
I could add Stevie Ray Vaughan too, also on Austin City Limits. But the three I mentioned are my favorites.
I just have to compliment installLSC’s choice.
I was going to say Stevie Ray Vaughan’s performance on Austin City Limits. 
This performance on Letterman has stayed with me for years and years. It starts off jokey, but boy, can Mandy Patinkin sell a tune! Almost had tears in my eyes by the end of it.
Mandy Patinkin - Brother, Can you spare a dime?
Ok – I know people will laugh at this choice but, anyway. Like many of you I am not a fan of ‘American Idol’. I only watched it the year of the TV writer’s strike – away from family, not much to do, not many shows to watch. David Cook won. He hasn’t become very famous or anything, but really is a fantastic singer & performer. Anyway, his last performance as a competitor was really special, considering the enormous pressure he was under, and that Simon Cowell had basically been telling him all night that he wasn’t good enough to win. Here is it, a cover of Collective Soul’s “The World I Know”
Me too, but I will be more specific. I have seen two, one from 1983 or 1984, which was just OK. The second, from 1989, after he got clean and sober, was awesome.
This was posted here a few years ago, the day after it aired(Don’t remember by who).
Nicole Atkins on Letterman. I like the posters Intro-Roy Orbison as a chick, fronting a band of elves. 
I’ll either get laughed at or flamed for this.
A few years back on the finale of America’s Got Talent (yeah, like I’m the only frickin’ person who watched it) they had the** Blue Man Group** perform the Who’s Baba O’Riley.
I went from, “Well this’ll be stupid”, to “Hey this isn’t too shabby” to “Goddam, they knocked that out of the park.”
Maybe not the all-time greatest TV performance but one that caught me totally by surprise.
You can see it here and judge for yourself.
I vote for Howlin’ Wolf on “Shindig” !!! Or the Beatles on Ed Sullivan 
Another vote for Mandy Patinkin on Letterman, but for a different song. I remember seeing the beginning of Somewhere Over the Rainbow and reaching for the remote. But it drew me in. Note especially the emotion he brings around the 2:30 mark. Having watched the Wizard of Oz countless times as a kid, I never really thought of it as a song of frustration, but it’s all there in the lyrics.
I generally hate TV performances, with the exception of Austin City Limits. I caught part of Arcade Fire last Saturday and what I saw was pretty amazing.
K T Tunstall’s debut performance on Later with Jools Holland I love the way she builds the song in parts using a loop pedal. Totally blew me away when I first saw it.
Here’s a better link that goes right to the start of her performance.
Interesting that two people have brought up Mandy Patinkin, because the first thing that came to my mind was his performance of Honey Bun from South Pacific on Boston Pops. It was seriously a lot of fun to watch. If he’s so talented, why is he only known as Inigo Montoya? Does he spend most of his time doing live performance?
Susan Boyle’s first performance on America’s Got Talent was really just a lovely, simple rendition of a song, but in context it was electrifying and still brings tears to my eyes when I watch it.
And then there is Mary Margaret O’Hara singing Dark Dear Heart on some TV special no one ever saw–but it’s on YouTube. I want an MP3 of this, dangit!
:eek: OMG! I have that on a videotape somewhere! (I used to tape David Letterman at night and watch it the next morning.) F’ing AMAZING!
The best one I’ve ever seen? I’d have to think longer about that one. The most memorable one right now, however, is Straight No Chaser’s 50s medley from their latest PBS special. (This is somewhat different from the 50s medley from their recent concerts, as recorded on YouTube.)
I have to admit Adam Lambert on American Idol, “Mad World”.
(And David Cook, “Billie Jean”. Something about David Cook reaches right into my heart and gives it a little twist.)
Maybe it’s only because I haven’t been able to find a video to re-watch, so I’m remembering through rose-colored earbuds, but around 2003-4, there was a Grammy performance that blew me away: Outkast + Earth Wind & Fire + P-Funk, doing a medley of several songs. Thinking back, it was probably way cheesier than it should have been, but it was just so… funky. And happy. Made you just want to get up and dance…
It may not have been the best televised performance I’ve ever seen, (that was probably the 1989 Stevie Ray Vaughn Austin City Limits mentioned above,) but I seriously enjoyed it.