00:07Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the Top 10 Single Greatest Musical Performances given by
00:13iconic artists in the 1980s.
00:40Following the exit of David Lee Roth from their lineup, Van Halen managed to nail their tricky transition to Sammy
00:46Hagar with the live album, Live Without a Net.
00:48They filmed the live release across several dates at the New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
00:53The guitar magic of Eddie Van Halen remained at the forefront of everything they did, but Hagar deserves some serious
00:59credit for bringing his own unique spark to proceedings.
01:02The performance reinforced their status as premier live entertainers, and validated the lineup change to some of their more skeptical
01:09fans.
01:10Change isn't always welcome, but in this case, they pulled it off.
01:19Number 9. ACDC at Donington Park.
01:22Deciding to continue on as a band despite the death of their lead singer, Bon Scott, was a gutsy move.
01:33Somehow, someway, they managed to achieve an even greater level of success with their new leader, Brian Johnson.
01:38The Back in Black album was a true sensation, catapulting them even further into the mainstream eye.
01:44The fact that they were a truly unmissable live act certainly didn't hurt things either.
01:48The band's 1984 Monsters of Rock show at Donington Park saw them headline one of the most unmissable one-day
01:54hard rock festivals in music history.
01:56To say that they brought the house down would be the understatement of the century.
02:01ACDC achieved one of their best moments of the decade with this one.
02:10The career comeback that Tina Turner pulled off in the 1980s was undeniably something special.
02:16An unforeseen second win that elevated her legacy to a different level.
02:19Despite being a star of the 1960s, she eventually overcame her split from her husband, Ike Turner,
02:25and enjoyed a major return to form in the 1980s.
02:33Her seminal concert in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in front of a massive crowd, felt like a well-earned victory
02:39lap.
02:39Her powerful voice and stage presence had truly never been in a better place.
02:44And she pulled out every veteran performance trick in the book to deliver an all-time great show.
02:56Number 7. Bruce Springsteen at the Parc de la Courneuve
02:59The raw power of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at their peak
03:03was best understood by watching their live performances.
03:13For our money, their Born in the USA era performance at Parc de la Courneuve
03:17combined everything that made Bruce such a hero to music fans across the world.
03:21He did not hold back when it came to the set list either,
03:24bringing us a career-spanning set that rarely slowed down in its momentum.
03:28Then I got Mary pregnant
03:32The man that was all she ruled
03:37Then for my 19th birthday
03:40I got a union card and a wedding coat
03:44At a period in time when he was enjoying quite a lot of commercial success,
03:48this show marked his transformation from American icon to global superstar.
03:52Springsteen's music was undeniably American,
03:55but it remained as universally enjoyable as can be.
04:06Number 6. Talking Heads at the Pantages Theater
04:09There's a reason why Stop Making Sense is considered one of,
04:13if not the single best concert film of all time.
04:16Anyone who was lucky enough to catch Talking Heads
04:18during the three nights they played at the Pantages Theater
04:20saw a stage show as ambitious as anything of its time.
04:28David Byrne set the tone immediately,
04:30coming out solo for a stripped-down version of Psycho Killer,
04:33accompanied by a cassette player.
04:35One by one, he is joined by the band's members
04:38and their touring musicians,
04:39culminating in an elaborate stage show
04:42and a generous helping of their biggest hits.
04:50From the giant suit to the infectious dance moves,
04:54this concert experience is the perfect balance
04:56of quirky performance art and tight musicianship.
05:04Number 5. Prince at the Syracuse Carrier Dome
05:15Seeing Prince during the 1980s
05:18was the type of experience that was unlike
05:19any other concert experience.
05:21At his very best, he combined insane showmanship
05:24with masterful vocal and guitar skills,
05:27tied together with one of the strongest catalogs
05:29of material around.
05:31His 1985 show at the Syracuse Carrier Dome
05:34was perhaps the finest example
05:35of his theatrical genius ever captured on film.
05:38The songs all just seemed to have
05:40an extra electricity to them during this gig,
05:42and Prince and his band could tell
05:44just how on-form they sounded.
05:45In many ways, this is the ultimate live experience
05:49when it comes to this iconic funk, pop, and rock artist.
06:00Number 4. Simon & Garfunkel at the concert in Central Park
06:03The excitement for Simon & Garfunkel's concert
06:15in New York City's Central Park
06:16was going through the roof by the time the night arrived.
06:18As one of the most important acts of the 1960s,
06:21they had each gone on to have successful solo careers,
06:24especially Paul Simon.
06:26So when the time came for these old friends to reunite,
06:29they put their differences aside
06:30and put on one of the best gigs of the decade.
06:33There were points in their initial run
06:35when it became clear that they were growing
06:36to hate one another,
06:37but they were undeniably born to sing together.
06:52In a career-spanning show
06:54that also featured a selection of Simon's solo hits,
06:57their harmonies were incredible,
06:58and the reviews reflected just how pleased everyone was.
07:02Number 3. Madonna at the MTV Video Music Awards
07:05Pop music was never the same
07:07after Madonna took to the stage at the 1984 VMAs
07:11to perform Like a Virgin.
07:20The song itself was risque enough for the time,
07:24but this would be a rendition
07:25that would make her a groundbreaking superstar.
07:28Like a virgin
07:31Touch for the very first time
07:34There was no heavily choreographed routine
07:39Madonna didn't need them to make her statement clearly.
07:42It was a boundary-pushing display
07:43of provocation and sensuality,
07:45one that caused some pretty major controversy afterwards.
07:48For her, that was the entire point.
07:51It displayed her masterful knack for media manipulation,
07:54ensuring that everybody would be talking about her
07:56in the days and weeks that followed.
07:58Can't you hear my heart beat
08:03For the very first time
08:06Number 2. Michael Jackson and the Jacksons at Motown 25
08:18This show was, in many ways,
08:20a collision of old and new.
08:22First, Michael Jackson joined his brothers
08:25to go through some of the biggest hits
08:26in the Jacksons' back catalogue.
08:28To say that they hadn't missed a step
08:30would be putting it lightly.
08:31However, the truly iconic moment of this gig
08:34would come when MJ was left alone
08:35to play his newer material.
08:37When those opening bars of Billie Jean hit,
08:39it became clear that we were about to see something special.
08:49Jackson's dance moves were front and center here,
08:51with his ever-evolving style
08:53showing him as a more mature and adult artist.
08:55The defining moment?
08:57Watching him bring the moonwalk
08:59into the mainstream eye.
09:00The world had never seen anything quite like this.
09:11Before we unveil our top pick,
09:13here are some honorable mentions.
09:15Dire Straits at the Hammersmith Odeon.
09:17Mark Knopfler and company nail the transition
09:20into arena rock gods.
09:30Guns N' Roses at the Ritz.
09:32The chaos and raw power of GNR
09:34at their absolute peak.
09:42Janet Jackson at the American Music Awards.
09:45Groundbreaking choreography
09:47that forecasts the future of pop music.
09:55The police, Talking Heads,
09:57and Fleetwood Mac at the U.S. Festival.
09:59New Wave and classic rock meet
10:00at a high-profile festival in California.
10:02And the memory is all that's left for you now.
10:08You see your gypsy.
10:11The Beastie Boys License to Ill Tour.
10:14The perfect blend of hip-hop and rock on stage.
10:17On the pedal never ever falls fertile.
10:19And you're running harder than a boy in the gentle.
10:21So job ain't a job, it's a damn good job.
10:32Before we continue,
10:33check out this single from Sound Mojo's Aria,
10:36Songs from Iran,
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10:40metal, and pop songs.
10:41Check out the full track and album below.
11:08What can really be said about Queen's performance at Live Aid
11:11that hasn't already been said?
11:17Despite it only offering a short snapshot
11:19into the full gig experience,
11:21Freddie Mercury and the band
11:22packed so much into the short space of time.
11:25From the opening notes of Bohemian Rhapsody
11:27to the closing sing-along of We Are The Champions,
11:30this was rock and roll perfection.
11:42Everything about this performance was a hit.
11:45The wardrobe choice,
11:46the acapella interlude,
11:48Freddie's insane enthusiasm from start to finish.
11:51There is an argument to be made
11:53that this was the single best performance
11:55in music history.
12:05What do you personally believe
12:07is the greatest performance of the 1980s?
12:09Let us know in the comments.
12:10All rise out...
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