Sometimes, live performances can be so legendary, so jaw-dropping, and so memorable that they actually save the careers of their makers. That was the case for these three unbelievable live sets that one could say had a hand in their artists’ enduring career success. Let’s take a walk through music history, shall we?
Bruce Springsteen at Harvard Square Theater, 1974
This was the first example that came to mind when I wrote this list. Back in the day, Bruce Springsteen’s career wasn’t exactly doing well. His first two records, Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. and The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle, didn’t crack the Top 40 in the US. But his live set in support of Bonnie Raitt, which took place on May 9, 1974, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, changed everything. Jon Landau of Rolling Stone famously said that this very performance “changed everything” and that he “saw rock and roll future and its name is Bruce Springsteen.” Big words, I’d say. The next year, Born To Run would drop, and the rest is history.
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Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison, 1968
Well, this one’s a shoo-in. Johnny Cash wasn’t exactly floundering in 1968. Though, his career was suffering a bit because of his struggle with addiction and declining album sales. So, he did something that few have done before. He put together a killer set list, headed to California, and performed in front of a live audience of inmates at Folsom State Prison. The insane concert was recorded and later released as At Folsom Prison. And that very album remains one of the most legendary live albums in music history. Following that, Cash’s career was on the up-and-up.
KISS on ‘MTV Unplugged’, 1995
By the time KISS had gotten together makeup-less to perform a surprisingly stripped-down set on MTV’s famed Unplugged program, the original lineup of the band hadn’t been together in years. In a pretty big way, this very set marked one of the biggest live performances of the 90s, and it saved the careers of the members. Following the overwhelming acclaim of the performance, the band launched an insanely successful reunion tour the following year. Who knows if we would have gotten that reunion if everyone wasn’t losing their minds over this MTV Unplugged performance?
Photo by Brian Rasic/Getty Images
More The List
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(MANDATORY CREDIT Koh Hasebe/Shinko Music/Getty Images) Roger Waters, Nick Mason, David Gilmour, Richard Wright of Pink Floyd, group portrait off stage at Hakone Aphrodite, Japan, 6th August 1971. (Photo by Koh Hasebe/Shinko Music/Getty Images) -
CIRCA 1955: Musician Little Richard poses for a portrait wearing a straw hat in circa 1955. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) -
UNITED KINGDOM – OCTOBER 27: Photo of HUMBLE PIE and Steve MARRIOTT; with Humble Pie, performing live onstage (Photo by David Redfern/Redferns) -
English musician Brian Jones (1942-1969) of The Rolling Stones plays a sitar during a performance by the band on the set of the Associated Rediffusion Television pop music television show Ready Steady Go! at Wembley Television Studios in London on 27th May 1966. The group would perform three tracks on this edition of the show, 'I Am Waiting', 'Under My Thumb' and 'Paint It Black'. (Photo by Ivan Keeman/Redferns) -
AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS: Jackson Browne performs live on stage in Amsterdam, Holland in 1974 (Photo by vCaem/Hanekroot/Redferns) -
IN CONCERT – Airdate: March 29, 1974. (Photo by ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images) REDBONE -
Wayne Fontana (white shirt) with his backing group The Mindbenders consisting of left to right: Eric Stewart, Bob Lang and Rick Rothwell, photographed before recording the ABC television show "Thank Your Lucky Stars". 3rd May 1964. (Photo by MSI/Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix via Getty Images)
