Way Back Wednesday: Electrifying Entertainers - The Lava Lizard

Apr

18

2012

Way Back Wednesday: Electrifying Entertainers

Written by TriniTrent | Filed under Beyonce,Janet Jackson,Lady GaGa,Madonna,Michael Jackson,Prince,Usher,Way Back Wednesday

Amazing entertainers Beyonce, Prince and Madonna.

In previous installments of Way Back Wednesday, we highlighted some of the best singers and dancers of our time but now it’s time for us to celebrate the few performers who have the ability to do both. These are the some of the most electrifying entertainers who leave us amazed in every way imaginable!

It takes a special type of talent to simultaneously sing, dance and engage an audience while remaining the centre of attention. Yet, artists such as Tina Turner, Prince and Beyonce prove that the feat is quite possible.

Watch some of the best live entertainers in action below:

Beyonce – ‘Deja Vu’

Bobby Brown – ‘My Prerogative’

Ike & Tina Turner – ‘Land of 1000 Dances’

James Brown – Medley

Janet Jackson – ‘Escapade’

Lady Gaga – ‘Bad Roman’/'Speechless’

Madonna – ‘Express Yourself’

Michael Jackson – Medley

Prince – ‘Get Off’

Usher – ‘U Remind Me’

Whenever there is an award show, people eagerly await the moment when a great allround entertainer hits steg stage to help raise the energy levels of the show. Yes, singers with powerful voices are always always a treat but there is no doubt that the conversations that follow the show always involve the names Beyonce, Lady Gaga or Usher, for instance.

However, as the industry continues to change, truly talented live performers are now rare. Artists now have the luxury of being called “great” because of their bright hair colours and catchy tunes that leave fans in such a deep trance that they don’t realise that they are being dazzled with nonsense.

Which of these performers is your favourite? Rank them in order of most impressive to least impressive! Also, should anybody else be on this shortlist?.

Thoughts?
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Keys: beyonce, bobby brown, ike and tina turner, james brown, janet jackson, lady gaga, madonna, michael jackson, prince, usher, way back wednesday
- Dreofficial
  
  Great Article Trent! All mentioned are indeed great live entertainers!
- Ugh
  
  I love you Michael!!! ♥
- Kendall
  
  People forget the genius of that Deja Vu performance. That was the first time anyone had heard it (a risk for an artist) and she engaged the audience like at a concert w/ a song they’ve known for yrs! A true entertainer!
- kingphoenix
  
  That Deja Vu performance changed the game!
- wonderLand19
  
  Would have liked to see Chris Brown in the list as i allways get excited when i hear he’s gonna perform. And 99% of the time people are saying how amazing of a performer he is after wards.I remember his performances. Also,Bobby was AMAZINGGGGGGGGGGGG!
  Loved this weeks WBW. Thanks Trent!
- @ItsDonavonFOOLS
  
  I know EVERY note & move to Beyoncé’s Deja Vu performance!
  Everybody was great here but my favourite is Beyoncé. That performance is FLAWLESS
- iamdiego
  
  My list goes something like this….. Michael Jackson>Beyonce>Tina Turner >Bobby Brown>Janet Jackson> Lady GaGa>Madonna>Prince>Usher. they are all great live performers who can sing and dance live.. im guessing thats why Chris Brown wasnt in the artical lol he’s good but he is LAZY when it come to working on anything with the voice. this is coming from a chris brown supporter btw
- Dani
  
  Love this post! I am all for the full out performers and entertainers! There are many different type of performers. I don’t think you have to be able to sing AND dance to be a compelling performer and entertainer, but I have such respect for those who do both well.
  
  That Beyonce performance is her best live performance on an awards show ever. It’s also my personal favorite of hers. From the costume to, to the hair, to the way she was whipping it (lol), to the live band! Everything was just on point! She’s dynamic on stage. She comes alive!
  
  MJ..well..yeah, he’s the best! He learned from the best though (James Brown). And I’m glad that you included James Brown in this post.
  
  I am most impressed with that Janet performance. I have seen Janet live recently and I understand why she is the greatest female perfomer (she’s known as one of the best). To be able to sing and dance simultaneously live is one of the hardest things to do. It really has a lot to do with discipline in order to be great. A lot of ppl who try today CAN’T do both because they haven’t put in the work to be able to still sound good with doing choreography! The fact that Janet, who has a soft, mellow voice, can do such hard choreography (sweating everything out) and then still stay on key and sound beautiful is just amazing to me! If you have a powerful voice..the task is a bit easier.
  
  Which is why when ppl compare Janet to Ciara, I kind of think….wait..no! They both dance. They both sing. But from a performance standpoint…Ciara cannot do both on stage and still sound good. No offense…she just is not at that level!
  
  But great post!
- lostluv224
  
  That beyonce performance was indeed a game changer for the new generation.
- http://www.RonaldMatters.com RONALDMATTERS.COM
  
  BEYONCE LIP-SYNCHED THAT WHOLE PERFORMANCE!
  
  Lawd! I love Beyonce to NO end but iRefuse to let y’all give her credit for this. Y’all probably believe her ‘Get Me Bodied’ performance at BET was live too? So sad…
  
  My girl is just a DAMN good lip-syncer. iGuess she takes the crown for that.
- baf
  
  mj=bey>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
- sha syl
  
  Beyonce and lady gaga should be class with the others… it’s a big difference between Gimmicks(lip-syncing) and Electrifying Entertainers(real singing the others did).
- sha syl
  
  Beyonce and lady gaga should NOT be class with the others… it’s a big difference between Gimmicks(lip-syncing) and Electrifying Entertainers(real singing the others did).
- baf
  
  @sha syl STFU
- Thefame
  
  i still say this is one of if not the best performance by Beyonce she killed this show and this B-Day era so far was her best musically to me…..
- sam
  
  Prince is the QUEEN! No one can touch her!
- Stoney-Brie
  
  Again brother and sister Michael and Janet are at the top! all
- …
  
  Yesssssssssssss. Michael motherfucking Jackson is grandmaster, the king, forever slays all. Your fave could never ever. He is an entertainer in every sense of the word. Entertainer is him. The end. Yh the others are alright
- …
  
  Gaga’s dancing will forever be awkward as fuck. The theatrics do a lot for her performances. If she were to just sing and dance without the wacky costumes and over the top sets, she won’t impress. She is a good entertainer but I don’t think she deserves to be on this list.
  
  1)King MJ
  2)James Brown
  3)Tina Turner
  4)Beyonce
  5)Prince
  6)Bobby Brown
  7)Janet
  8)Usher
  9)Madonna
  10)Gaga
- Terrence
  
  1.MJ
  2.James Brown
  3.Janet
  4.Tina Turner
  5.Prince
  6.Bobby Brown
  7.Usher
  8.Gaga
  9.Beyonce
  10. Madonna
  
  You can tell all the poeple who dont know much are the ones who’d put Beyonce in the top 5
- Terrence
  
  Infact I’ll put James Brown ahead of MJ, cause James also directed the band while performing.
- EbbieD
  
  Beyonce fans are delusional! I actually forgot that she opened the 06 BET awards!!!
- EbbieD
  
  Oh yeah! I remember now. I remember thinking that Beyonce was imitating Tina Turner. That performance didn’t change SHIT!!! SMH @ Bey stans!!
- DOMOdotSCORE
  
  Great post!
  1. James
  2. MJ
  3. Tina
  4. Prince
  5. Janet
  6. Madonna
  7. Usher
  8. Beyonce
  9. Bobby Brown
  10. Lady Gaga
- Beyonce Mariah Carey & Brandy Lover
  
  1) Mj
  2) James Brown
  3) Prince
  4) Beyonce = Tina Turner
  5) Janet Jackson
  6) Lady Gaga
  7) Usher
  10) Madonna
- bob
  
  pink needs a mention mannnnnn!!!!
- SparkD
  
  I see you Beyonce, when you first started to jack Ciara moves and do that J.Lo/Flashdance ode. Great performance, but I see your litter “inspirations.”
- SparkD
  
  I see you Beyonce, when you first started to jack SHAKIRA moves and do that J.Lo/Flashdance ode. Great performance, but I see your litter “inspirations.”
  
  Excuse me! Yes, the SHAKIRA jacking began there.
- SparkD
  
  James wins! Michael wins!
  
  The precision in Janet moves and the perfect pitch! Cold!
  
  And Tina is slangin! I see why others get inspired! And why did I watch Madonna after Gaga! Child please!
  
  I can’t see Prince’s video…but I know he served
- sha syl
  
  @ baf you just can’t handle the truth….barf barf
- http://niiaflah rahna
  
  why is it wrong if ppl put bey in top 5 obviously ppl have different tastes, some ppl r soo dumb how do u expect everyone to have ur opinion smh
- FAB IT
  
  @shasyl lmfao i don t even want to argue with u like @rahna said pple have diff taste that s all u don t need to be shady
- Stoney-Brie
  
  Beyonce is just caught up in thinkin that she’s Tina Turner mixed with a little Janet and Michael Jackson… so she can’t be at the top of those three! she has said a number of times that they inspired her a great deal, which is good! but u always have to find your own in this business, she is doing very well no doubt, but she’s never been an OG
- Ni
  
  Great piece Trent… 1. JB, 2. Tina Turner 3. Michael 4. Prince, 5. Janet… Always have to give it up to the man and woman who started the electrifying performance. Love me some Prince who else can dance in 4 to 5 inch heels do a split and jump off the podium still continue playing the guitar. Only his highness. Seen him in concert the man oozes Sexiness.
- Ni
  
  It’s amazing every time I see MJ Grammy performance. Just Awesome and now since Chris Brown did the BET performance it is just uncanny how much he looks up to him dance style. There will never be another Michael and no one can ever touch Chris Brown tribute to Michael. I can see what Michael saw in Chris.
- Mindset212
  
  Beyonce is a great performer the best all around entertainer of THIS generation honestly. The funny thing is Im sure most of the industry agrees. Great post Trent!
- JohnnyBoi
  
  People talk about Ciara as a dancer but she has YET to show true versatility. Ciara Crumps, does the James Brown Shuffle, Backbends, and does and occasional split. That doesnt make her a great dancer. That means shes athletic; hence her masculine physique. And even with all that she still cant sing live or captivate an audience the way the entertainers mentioned do. Great post Trent.
- KillBill92
  
  My Queen has came and slayed, No back-up dancers needed, Mic, Band, Light thats all.
- Ron
  
  @KillBill92 dont forget them pre recorded vocals, she couldnt’ve done that mediocre performance without that
- Ink.
  
  WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW Beyonce!!! She’s such a BEAST on stage!!!
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