Sort of a "desert island" thing, but w/ a time machine

[DaveX]

Having access to time machine, and all of the 20th century to visit, what musical event would you like to witness/participate in?

It's the question currently raging across three (count 'em!) blogs, and now you can participate as well. Aren't you glad you woke up today?

Originally answered at Musical Perceptions by Scott...

More thoughts from Caleb at Classical-Drone...

Given an additional push by yours truly at Startling Moniker.

So when would you go?

[Steve Layton]

I think the "Rite" premiere would have to be a big one in my book to. Though boy, I'd have liked to have been around at the premeire of "Einstein on the Beach"! And if somebody could have set me up with a whole subscription of visits to Schoenberg's Society for Private Musical Performances, that would have been magic.

[James Ross]

Joe, you mentioned quite a few of mine: Theater of Eternal Music, Monterey Pop, Coltrane and Ayler (well, any Coltrane or Ayler performance, really), and some others, too. But I might add the Paris 1968 premiere of Stockhausen's Stimmung; any of the run of shows the Mothers of Invention did at the Garrick Theater in NYC during 1967; the Cage 25 Year Retrospective at Town Hall in 1958 (at least we have the recording of that); and maybe, just for fun, the Grateful Dead's Feb. 14, 1968 show at the Carousel Ballroom in SF.

[Ingvar Loco Nordin]

I'd attend Dylan's recording sessions in Memphis, when he cut Blonde on Blonde, no doubt - even before the raging Rite (Riot) of Spring 1913 concert!

[Ingvar Loco Nordin]

Come to think of it, I attended a magic musical event just a few years ago, sitting on the floor in the Cologne studio when Stockhausen cut Stop und Start. In retrospect, the moment has even grown, especially when I listen to that particular recording!

[DaveX]

Might be kinda cool to pick up one of those Elvis "Louisiana Hayride" shows, too-- sounds like a blast. Then again, it might sound even better catching it live on AM radio out on some back road...

[Nigel Keay]

The "Rite" premiere for me too. The Théâtre des Champs-Élysées would have been new. I once saw a program on French TV where Stravinsky himself was recalling the event. "These stupid, ignorant people..." I'm sure he said about it. Was quite striking.

[John "Sparky" Prokop]

A few selected spots:

Any early Beatle performance at the Cavern Club, with Ringo sitting in

Any early Who performance

Any Major League ballgame in, say, 1905 when the sport was very much starting to establish itself

Dallas, TX, November 22, 1963, ca. 11:00 AM: How would I respond to what just happened?

Any Yankee ballgame: 1) Prior to 1920, before Babe Ruth's purchase from the Red Sox; 2) with Babe Ruth and Lou Gerhig in the lineup (1924-1934); 3) with Lou Gerhig and Joe DiMaggio in the lineup (1936-38); 4) 1941, at any point during DiMaggio's hitting streak; 5) with Yogi Berra in the lineup (great catcher, and he swung at everything!); 6) Don Larsen's World Series Perfect Game, 1956

First performance of Morton Feldman's Second String Quartet

Any early performance conducted by Igor Stravinsky

James Brown's Apollo gig, 1962 (or any other gig for that matter)

A Darmstadt performance in the 1950's

First performance of Pierrot Lunaire (or any ones soon after that as I doubt the sentiments would not have reversed that quickly)

[John "Sparky" Prokop]

Also: Clear Lake Ballroom, Clear Lake, IA, 2/3/59, just as Buddy Holly, Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens finished their performances, bidding the crowd goodnight and heading to the next gig in Fargo, ND

Seventh game of the 1934 World Series: Joe Medwick getting pelted by debris from the Tigers fans ("Why did they bring all that food to the ballpark to begin with?")

[DaveX]

And if you told them to avoid the plane, I'd never have to hear "American Pie" again-- BONUS!

[Ben.Harper]

DaveX beat me to the premiere of HPSCHD, which no amount of documentation could recreate. Like Caleb, I'd also want to see Expo 1970 at Osaka, but I'd be at the Pepsi Pavilion instead, for David Tudor's live electronic music.

What else? A visit to the Cedar Bar to see how many abstract expressionists and New York School types I could spot.

The 1973 performance of Celia and Louis Zukofsky's Masque / "A"-24, with a Q&A session with the author afterward.

A Birthday Party gig at the Crystal Ballroom in St Kilda.

My Beatles gig of choice: Wayville Showgrounds, Adelaide, 1964, to see just how crazy my mum got.

[Dennis Bathory-Kitsz]

They've mostly been covered, and some latter-day ones I wouldn't have thought of.

I'd put on my list "Rite", any Ayler show, "HPSCHD" (though I have the LP with the "KNOBS" printout), and the 1976 McCarter Theatre performance of "Einstein" that never happened (I was waiting for tickets to go on sale, but they never did...).

There were two I would have added to the list, except I was there for both: the premiere of Reich's "Music for 18 Musicians", and the installation of Xenakis's "Polytope" at Expo 1967.

[Mary Jane Leach]

1958 - The Phillips Pavillion - Poème Électronique with entry music by Xenakis

And while on the topic of site-specific works, Dufay's Nuper Rosarum Flores written for the dedication of the Florence Cathedral, which used its proportions to determine the rhythmic structure of his piece. Oops, didn't notice the 20th century limit - oh well, I'd still want to hear this.

And, of course, Rite.

Oh yeah, in a perverted way, I'd like to hear the resonant frequency that brought down the Oakland Bay Bridge in the 1988 earthquake.