The band is well-known but not on the same level as U2 or R.E.M. or Pearl Jam. Up until this point, they have had exactly one Top 10 hit and none of their albums have ever cracked the Top 20. As the hours draw closer to the beginning of their performance, fans start to make their way in to the Sony Music Studios in New York City and claim their seats; some are here to see the band as their first priority, while others might think of being on a prime time televised concert as the primary motive for attending. This performance marks the first time a band has been on this show twice so the former may outweigh the latter.
The lead singer is a woman with a distinct and beautiful voice and is attractive in a very real sense and not in a lust-induced, fantasy sense. This quality is both disarming and commanding when she performs. Throughout the history of the band they have seen plenty of faces come and go, with many others filling in temporarily while replacements are found. On this particular night, twenty people will comprise the band–some faces are familiar, others are studio musicians called upon to add texture to the songs.
When the band takes the stage the focus invariably falls on the lead singer who, dressed in a simple one-piece, dark blue dress and sporting a cute, short haircut, is unaware as to how memorable this performance will be. When the band takes the stage some are aware that this will be one of the last performances that will include the lead singer but most are unaware of its impending finality. The performance officially commences when someone finally chimes in to the microphone, “Well, it’s time to start. Let’s say hi to, uh, Natalie and 10,000 Maniacs.”
Fifteen years ago today, 10,000 Maniacs performed live on MTV Unplugged. Nirvana’s Unplugged performance may have been more memorable (for obvious reasons) and possessed a better musical range but the 10,000 Maniacs performance was, I think, a better overall show as they weaved seamlessly between their biggest hits (“These Are Days,” “Candy Everybody Wants,” “Trouble Me”), overlooked gems (“Hey Jack Kerouac,” “What’s The Matter Here?” “Stockton Gala Days”), simply beautiful songs (“Don’t Talk,” “Gold Rush Brides”), and an indescribably great cover (“Because The Night”) that should forever stand the test of time.
Unplugged turned out to be an enormously popular show for MTV in the early and mid-’90′s but looking back it clearly suffered from the forces that ultimately create a fad. To be sure, there were some unbelievable moments throughout the show’s history—LL Cool J performing “Mama Said Knock You Out,” Pearl Jam’s version of “Porch,” the indelible version of “All Apologies,” and legends like Neil Young, Paul McCartney, Tony Bennett and Bob Dylan performing in an intimate live setting. For the most part, though, those performances were simply different versions of previous work. The Unplugged version of “Layla” was wildly popular but you would never rank it above the original and the same goes for an overwhelming portion of the performances: a lot of it was good but, at the end of the day, the original work almost always handily defeated the Unplugged counterparts when compared one-to-one.
The Unplugged performance by 10,000 Maniacs, on the other hand, was a performance in which these live songs were better than their studio efforts. There is an intangible variable at play here that makes “Trouble Me” sound so much better during this show than on Blind Man’s Zoo. MTV may have seen the success of Unplugged hinging on its ability to herd the big name musicians and artists (and rightfully so) but the show was made for a band like 10,000 Maniacs. The range of instruments and Merchant’s voice were perfect for this environment. With the exception of some Grateful Dead shows, 10,000 Maniacs MTV Unplugged is probably my favorite live album to listen to.
To a certain degree, if a band decides to release a live album it must make a statement like a debut album has to. The very logic of listening to a live album dictates that you were most likely not there for the performance as it happened so an energy must be felt through your speakers and stay in your mind for the show to be memorable. An average live show will make no everlasting imprint; a terrific live show will make you feel as if you are there or, better still, make you wish you were there. Two minutes and thirty two seconds into “Because The Night” there is an inflection (most likely unintended) in Merchant’s voice as she sings “Take me now,” the kind of thing that will never have a presence on a studio track. It is small and probably goes unnoticed but that minuscule change in her voice is one of the things I love about this performance and live shows in general—the unpredictability that can arise from a certain level of energy.
And fifteen years later I wish I had been there to see this show in person so that I could see more than just the TV footage that aired and have heard everything that did not make the CD (David Byrne joined the band for a few songs that were ultimately cut). Some people would do more with their music time machine if it was a reality. Me? I would visit some Dead shows between in 1972, 1973, and 1977[1] and the 10,000 Maniacs show fifteen years ago today.
[1] Specifically the show at Jahrhundert Halle in 1972, the show at Fairgrounds Arena in 1973, and the show at the Palladium in New York in 1977
[...] have already written about the 10,000 Maniacs Unplugged performance from a technical aspect in full so there is no real need to jump head first into that [...]