CROSSROADS 2010 Johnny Winter with Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi Band and Warren Haynes

[xXxDriftingCowboyxXx]

Its funny.... I still prefer his worst days over everything they play on the radio

[1skullduggery]

i saw him rip it up at a small club in the mid 80's. he put down so many bad-ass licks and riffs with spot-on precision, phrasing, lightning-fast speed and perfect vocal prowess. the joint was jumpin' so hard, you'd think the roof was gonna give way any minute now. everyone was rokkin' and going nuts, and the more they did, the harder johnny wailed. he was diggin' the crowd and we were loving him right back. it was mutual frenzied adulation, like something right out of a kerouac novel. go, man!!

[realitywakeupslap]

hes been so sick latelt may God protect him... this is not Johnny its a very sick version him..

[DamnImhigh76]

He is obviously just too high on something, some of the licks he does proves that he still has it, he is just too high to realize how off he is playing. And he is still putting on good shows.

[DamnImhigh76]

@DamnImhigh76 And strokes to some pretty heavy damage to the mind, he is still a living legend

[ArdiYudas]

I was feel in heaven saw Johnny Winter was with his guitar. But, if you can not feel 'something' please type in "1970" at the end of his name, then click "search".

[exfed9]

He gave me many years of enjoyment in his music. I guess he has his good and bad days and this wasn't a good one. So cut the guy some slack. He wasn't the only performer there. So it wasn't like anyone didn't get their money's worth. I saw this guy when he was at the peak of his playing and he was awesome !!! Better than all of the "new" Alternative guitarists alive today.

[zelenious]

I was at this show and it was bad, the answers to his bad playing can be found in his biography raising cane. the guys backing him up were looking at each other like WTF, in a sad way. KNOWING the musical giant that Johnny IS. I'm not a hater I know full well what the blues is and was, this IS tragic...

[MrFootballman776]

Some of us are happy, nay, ecstatic he is still alive and playing. He gave so much to guitar music we will always be in debt and in awe. Haters should go back to listening to John Mayer - the extent of your blues knowledge. IDIOTS!

[bobdownunder1]

He's having better days than bad doesnt

Matter I'd still pay to see him even if he lost use of his arms

[youenjoy00myself]

Holy shit...is this "Johnny Winter shreds"?

[robin56]

beautiful!

[gristlepounder]

I feel vomit in the back of my throat!

[thehauntedvoice]

it's a sad time. I saw Johnny a couple of years ago after not seeing him since 1976. I was in shock at what I saw. Left me depressed for days. A real mortality check. We get old at some point and health declines. Unfortunately Johnny has more bad days than good now. I hope his being out touring at least is helping to keep him alive. The man is a guitar rock and blues legend.

[1TheTisim]

The Great Johnny Winter. Still great. Still going . Hey we all have bad days Ive seen younger artists than Johnny making a complete pigs ear of the session .Keep playing Johnny

[Retromantra]

Johhny has had a couple of strokes, he really should be dead, but he will always be remembered as a huge talent. Respect.

[ShredMaster79]

why not on the Dvd?

[blue57sky]

That was painful to watch! That being said, I saw him a couple of nights ago, and he was in great form. I have seen him three times over the last three or four years, and this may have been his best performance that I've seen. He stretched the show from his usual 1 hour to about 1 1/2 hours. He even played standing up toward the end. Can't explain his performance that day at Crossroads, but even with his health issues the guy can still play!

[fluffylambut]

johnny digs distortion....can you keep up with him?

[5jerry1]

The grandfather from "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" learns guitar!

I have always LOVED Johnny Winter, but this is really bad. Maybe he was drunk/high? I understand one slows down as they get older, but what is this, a musical Weekend At Bernies? Others say he was his old self before/after this, but man. This is embarrassing.

[Ironheads6509]

I was there and it was a bitch to watch. Thankfully it did not end up on the DVD. Barb and I felt so bad for him, and everyone else on stage. 

[talcaraz100]

Does Anyone Know If This Came Out On The DVD ???

[millionyearstar]

What are you a doctor or some crap ??? I would not had cared if he had turned the thing upside and backwards and took a pee with it - i'd still had paid the same to see him do it. thats johnny " go**man" winter - who are you ??? wish they would let me post my first response to your lame diagnosis

[wallomarshall]

I listen to him every day, no one knows the circumstances of that day , it takes a lot of courage to get up there with all those other guys , he had a bad gig but he did just fine the 3 times i saw him , the man is hands down the best slide player that ever lived not to mention that fact that he can sing his balls off while doing so, thank you very much and thank you Johnny Winter !!

[wallomarshall]

Anybody who know's anything about this national treasure knows he has suffered with stage fright ,health issue's , and everybody get's old! ,. I've seen 3 times in a small club and it's makes me want to study everything he has ever recorded , Dave

[beeroosterm]

@wallomarshall Then you should listen to his recordings. This is beyond an abomination.

[bobrat]

yo Johnny these comenters B the folks you sang about in Mean Town Blues,

sorry for not being perfect enough for y'all.

[HotRodSixString]

This wasn't about the listener this was about honoring the artist . And certainly Johnny Winter deserves the honor and respect he was given that night .

[hansjalv]

This is really painful to watch... I was hoping to catch Johnny in September but after this I really don't know...

[2010georgian1]

GO JOHNNY GO!!! Im Coming with you pall, Be fine forever!!! You nkow better than me, that blues never gives up!!!

I LOVE YOU JOHNNY...

[MaxOrbit]

This is sad, but trust me, I saw him last night (3-30-11) in Denver. He's back from wherever he was here.

[EdFugg]

What th'? Something's wrong all right. It's not old age. Reference the Les Paul videos -- he was 90. Johnny's showing a loss of motor control here, like with MS or Parkinson's, not drugs. How come he hasn't bowed out? Struggling to make money anyway? His website says he's working on a new album, March 2011.

[brewjake]

@EdFugg prob some sort of Last Man Standing from Jerry Lee//// and Lewis' album became AWESOME.

[beeroosterm]

@EdFugg This "performance" is drug-fueled, pure and simple, not MS or Parkinson's. Johnny was taking methadone and washing it down with vodka. Read his autobiography to see what drugs he took on a regular basis. The methadone with vodka chaser was a daily occurrence for 40 years!

[EdFugg]

@beeroosterm I doubt it. I have an uncle who did very similarly for even longer, a drunk before Johnny Winter was even born. He was an incoherent mess by age 60 but he could still play his butt off on the piano and this gigantic church organ. They lined up for a mile at his funeral.

[beeroosterm]

@EdFugg I suspected Parkinsons when I first saw him in this condition in around 2000 (not nearly as bad, by the way), but I am firmly convinced his problems were related to very long term drug/alcohol/benzodiazipine abuse. He was completely blitzed off his ass on this day. I would not have let him on the stage. Goes to show you how little his manager cared for his image. This is beyond embarrassing...

[KazLovesMusic]

go Johnny go....keep doing what ya love

[TheGuitarjerry1126]

The man is a legend and has played top notch among other legends living or dead.

We all get old brothers. like it or not. This man has been on the scene how many years?? I'd like to see some of the guit-fiddlers of today last as long as Johnny has lasted. I've seen him play in his prime and you can't take that away from him. Walk a mile in another mans shoes before you judge a mans performance issues...young or old.

Peace and happiness, always....Jerry

[dspreis]

Painful indeed, considering what a great musician he is (was). When he was at his peak, he was so amazing..

[frannchesco1]

sorry to see this,he is still one of my favorites.we can enjoy him for a little bit longer,l hope

[sampletekk]

So very, very sad....

[arnaldolocoselli]

this is really sad to watch... He just did a show in São Paulo and he haven't played bad! He played so well...... Johnny will be Winter forever...

[krum03]

really?

[MoveThatgroove]

This is so sad !!!!.

Johnny was one of the best blues guitarist ever, terrible it have to end this way.

[Lookup2Wakeup]

Really the other band members should have helped him out, the engineer to fade him out of the mix & play on, to cover for him - not left him to hang out to dry.

[Rareenergy]

@Lookup2Wakeup You never ever "fade out" a rock and roll legend, it is their own honor to choose when they stop playing. Johnny still tours all over the world (which is sad) but please, we don't want to fade him out. He has given so many years of quality music....too many to take away the one thing he loves.

BUT AS IM SURE WE ALL AGREE, IT IS SUPER SAD TO SEE THIS.

[MrBlindfinger]

He did so much to the Blues.... Remember his work with Muddy in the 70ies. I played a show with him and, yeah I am, I am sorry for him. BB KIng is 84 and he plays the Blues, oh yeah!, but Johnny should give up or learn some guitar lessons...

[Kozakaiya]

in '69-70, Johnny Winter was maybe the only American guitarist of Jimi Hendrix's generation who could keep up with him. He was an innovator and a master, and nothing about this embarrassment should diminish his genius then.

All I can think watching is that Hendrix (who'd be 68 this year) might have sounded just as bad, if he'd taken the kind of drugs Winter has and survived it. Drugs took Jimi from us all at once; they took Johnny away a piece at a time. I wonder which is really more tragic.

[beeroosterm]

@Kozakaiya Jimi was a space alien compared to Johnny...hell, to anybody. You are correct about this not diminishing Johnny's genius, though. That being said, his manager should be fired for letting Johnny play in this condition. Johnny was obviously out of his mind; either he's becoming senile or he was so stoned he could not function. Either way, he should not have been allowed out on that stage. Time to hand up the thumbpick, Johnny...you've been hanging on for the last 10 years...

[stomcat4]

For ever how painful it is to watch Johnny have this forgettable performance - all is forgiven. My very first concert was Johnny at NYC Felt Forum in 1974. Since 1974 I have seen Johnny about 30 times all around the country - I have been playing guitar for 40 years and Johnny has been my inspiration and guitar hero. I love the guy unconditionally. For all the joy he has given me and millions of others - he is allowed to have a clunker. I thank the Lord he is still with us.No worries Johnny

[itstonyc]

You people are just miserable, angry and confused. I know Johnny very personally and have spent hours with him along talking about the Blues, his career, etc. No-one should crawl up in a ball and fade away, especially Johnny Winter. This clip is an unfortunate circumstance. Johnny will never have the speed he had back in the 70's but if you've seen any of his recent shows, you'd know that all the riffs are there, his voice is strong and he's having fun.

[beeroosterm]

@itstonyc Johnny has been hanging on for 10 years too long - no chance of him fading away. But if there was ever a more perfect example of a guitar player who should hang it up, I haven't seen it. The riffs are gone, his voice is shaky, and it ain't no fun for anybody here. If Paul Nelson can't tell him the truth, I guess he doesn't really love him, does he? Fuck you, Paul - the gravy train is over. Johnny's too senile to make a decision. Make it for him.

R.I.P. Johnny Winter.

[beeroosterm]

@itstonyc Classic symptoms of denial. You can love somebody but still tell the truth - without making excuses. My guess is that he was so loaded up on methadone and vodka that is was a miracle he could even walk. If he wasn't, then he is obviously suffering from brain damage. Yes, I've seen recent stuff where he is minimally functional - always while playing slide. But nothing as a picker. JW is strictly Special Olympics now: we can applaud his tenacity, but inwardly we feel sorry for him. RIP.

[JRNYNEXT]

Crossroads is consistentently a showcase for blues oreinted gutarists. However

Neal Schon would of better served the fans than Johnnys' tired Red House or

Out House and that tired Highway 61. Neal was asked by Clapton to Join his

band back in the day. It would of been great to hear some Piranna blues or Now Your on your own.

[Taraalcar]

I play better than this when I'm drunk. It makes me wonder if hes relapsed or if hes just getting old.

[bimwopbarn]

@Taraalcar old

[GeoJ]

This is sad to watch. People, stop defending this. It's not "in the wrong key". It's not "they tuned his guitar wrong", and it's CERTAINLY not "playing with a jazz feeing", "brilliant" or playing with "harmonic complexity" and "fluent". It's a goddamn train wreck. Period.

Nobody likes to see their "guitar heroes" or influences lose the ability to play. But it just might be time for him to hang it up. He's a legend with nothing to prove. Thanks for all the great music, Johnny .

[beeroosterm]

@GeoJ I've been saying the same thing for 10 years. He started losing it in about 1998-99. I saw him twice a year for both of those years and something was definitely happening, as each show was worse than the next. By 2000, he was doddering; I started crying the last time I saw him, even through my antidepressants. Johnny should retire and lie back on his laurels. He does indeed have nothing to prove. This is just awful - I don't understand this at all.

[yepheth]

@GeoJ I couldn't agree more with you. I just attended to his show a 3 years ago and was quite sad but not the patetic way that video roughly displays. Like watching a relic... Hes a legetd, that's true. But maybe he doesn't care to die as a guitar legend (and that's pure, true rock'n'roll attitude).He probably just want to struggle till the end by keeping doing usual things he loves, . Or - and that could be the saddest thing - he just need money to restore the wreckage.

[rebelbylaw]

Hey folks, I don’t understand your criticism. In this tune, Johnny Winter is playing the blues with a jazz feeling, thus leaving behind the minor pentatonic scale in which other guitar players including Eric Clapton have been stuck since their thirteenth birthday. That’s not senile, that’s brilliant. Note that despite the harmonic complexity of the scales being used he is still playing very fluently, I admire him for that. The guitar is not out of tune; listen carefully to the short lick at 0:38

[GeoJ]

@rebelbylaw Are you serious or being facetious? I'm not being a wise-ass ...honest question ...

[carlfia56]

Sounds like a Swankemote/Mark Roy/ STEELKAGE jam!!

[robertdeprato12]

Poor Johnny is getting old! Such a shame!

[cablefreak1]

they didnt tune his guitar correctly

[cablefreak1]

they tuned his guitar wrong DUH ppl are such dumb shitz...

[carlfia56]

sounds like the guys on The Gear page

[TryErousa]

holy shit this is the worst performance I've ever seen.

[JRNYNEXT]

@TryErousa Paul Nelson his manager should of pulled his

amp cord and start playing second guitar all the time. He is not doing

Johnny any favors. Johnny says he wants to play just blues.

His set lists have sucked for the last 25 years. How about

love her with a feeling, Stranger, Come on in my kitchen, goin

down slow, Its my own fault. Nelson could inspire johnny filling

in on the blues from J dawson Winter III used to get to susan winter request Sweet Papa when he did the wristwatch#

[bones8081]

Your right about Paul Nelson! Not only is Paul second guitar he is also the the manager? All he gives a shit about is the money. I love Johnny as a player i have been a fan for over twenty years and will always be a fan. But your right in that there has to be some sort of quality for the fans.

[JRNYNEXT]

@bones8081 Thanks for the message of support for my "Paul Nelson needs to play with johnny and

revamp the setlist" Johnny muddy albums he produced were his favorite realblues at his zenith watching him and Muddy pbs Soundstage. Never saw him play les Paul

unbeleavable fluidity. He could pull off Walkin thru the park, Deep down Florida and Im a man.

His ego wont allow him to share with a second guitar. listen to him with Floyd Radford,

new Deringer at Filmore, he out classes and/and live

[xkecoupe]

well,after drugs,nicotine,alcohol,broken wrist,etc. it is still a wonder that Paul Nelson could bring him back to life and onstage.His life was over betw. 1998-2003.Beleive me he still can play,on his very usual way-i.e you feel his unmistakable impact and perfect guitarplaying but as he is almost blind,half-deaf and invalide and altogether very fragile he got used to play with his own band behind him.Just check out his last vid. from BB King's in New York here on You Tube.

[MrStomcat4]

My first concert was at The Felt Forum in NYC - Johnny Winter - West,Bruce,and Laing and Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush - I have been playing guitar for 40 years - Johnny has been my favorite guitarist all these years - I feel like crying seeing him play this awful. I can't believe he sounds like he just started playing guitar last week - as if he was tone deaf. I don't want to remember Johnny like this - In his day, he blew everyone away - This is totally horrific for Johnny fans.

[Angler747747]

@MrStomcat4 Yes I agree! This is so sad for Winter fans. If you listen to the riffs on "Be careful with a Fool" from the 60's, we appreciate the expert technique, speed, and finesse which we associate with Johnny. Nobody at that time could match those guitar riffs. As E. Clapton once said in an interview "It is absolutely normal to lose some of your playing faculties with age" That is the bitter truth of life. Despite this unfortunate Winter performance I will always respect his former works.

[beeroosterm]

@MrStomcat4 You got that right, brother. Johnny was my first love on guitar and he deserves all the accolades he's received over the years. That said, the political correctness surrounding Johnny these days is frightening concerning his playing ability. He lost it around 1998 and never recovered. It was time to retire 12 years ago; this is pitiful and it angers me that those in his inner circle continue to exploit him, as this is embarrassing.

[itstonyc]

Obviously Johnny was playing in the wrong key. I was just with him the week before at BB Kings in NYC and he was playing the best I'd ever seen. I was blown away at his performance. His voice, his riffs, all screamed! This is not a good representation of the current JW.

[beeroosterm]

@itstonyc You're fucking confused. It's PC people such as yourself who continue to pay to see Johnny embarrass himself that should be beaten. This is pathetic.

[thewarninglabel]

After seeing him at the last Crossroads I thought we were in for another kick ass performance, but I was very VERY wrong. What a shame

[rpriest500]

Very sad! With at least two of the CURRENT best guitar players behind him you are put thru this. Let Warren, Derek, Susan....... just jam.

[highdb1]

I saw JW for the first time in '97. Never thought it could've been worse. Well, this is worse. By far. Is he back on drugs? And I am a huge Johnny fan!

[JRNYNEXT]

@highdb1 Me too thought "those days" were behind him I remember one night in

Boston they played Live in NYC 23 times finally @ 1:40 we got word he wasnt comming off his bus. I feel so bad and embarrassed for Johnny but I cant see and

pay for any more shows like this. Did Teddy Slattus embezzle Johnny's soc. sec. disablity as well. He should of stayed on the bus for red house. If manager wont play 2nd guitar for his whole set its time for johnny to hang it up and man Im tired of HWY 61

[EnzoTorino]

This was painful to watch...I feel bad for Johnny Winter but obviously his health has declined to the point where he should no longer be allowed onstage.

[majoneski]

@EnzoTorino I agree. 

[JRNYNEXT]

@majoneski Where was Paul nelson he is supposed to

get Johnny Going 2nd Guitar. He's been taking us fans for

granted since the Jon Paris days He is at his Best with

a Rick Derringer or Floyd Radford. He says these Albums

werent Blues check out rick and Jonny on Its my own fault

Floyd and Johnny on Sweet papa John, Stranger

Bull Crap its some of the best blues johnny ever performed he

wrote and arranged two songs there as well. I used to back door him

and make requests to susan winter

[maenasliveshots]

Check out Johnny Winter a week before the 2010 crossroads festival on Brazilian TV (on youtube) playing fantastically with his band for 40 mill. viewers. It seems one only need to see Johnny play "red house" at shows after crossroads 2010 (posted on youtube), to put this whole controversy to rest.

[ThomasBCullen]

@EnzoTorino or he loves music so much that he still wants to share it with people

[micoluce]

this sounds like a st sanders video...johnny winter shreds