Month: August 2021

Emoni Bates has been considered one of the best up-and-coming talents in basketball for the last few years. The 6’9″, 201-pound Bates is considered by many to be the second best player in the 2022 class, as the first player to ever when the Gatorade National Boy’s Player of the Year award as a sophomore, and might be a future No. 1 overall pick.

Bates, however, has decided to reclassify and will either enroll in college this fall and play for one of Michigan State, Oregon or Memphis, or join the NBA G League Ignite squad. Stadium’s Jeff Goodman broke the news on Wednesday:

The kicker here is that, because Bates (who is currently 17) will not turn 19 until early 2023, he is not eligible for next year’s 2022 NBA Draft. As a result, he is likely to spend two years wherever he decides to play next, be it the G League or in college.

Bates, with the new NCAA name, image and likeness rules, is in a prime position to profit off of his name is he decides to go to college. And if he goes to the G League, he can draw endorsements on top of a salary while playing with other top prospects like Sterling “Scoot” Henderson (who also reclassified) and Michael Foster with the Ignite. So, even though he’s still two years away from the NBA, he maximizes his earning potential either through NIL deals as a college athlete or getting paid and getting sponsorships in the G League.

Bates’ situation feels similar to Ohio State quarterback Quinn Ewers, who also recently reclassified in order to pick up what is reported to be 7-figures in NIL deals in Columbus.

This also could be a fascinating experience for Bates and for fans to watch unfold. If he goes the college route, Bates would likely be one of the few highly recruited players to stay in school for more than a year. It could, at least for a high level prospect, play a part in changing the way some players approach going to college now that they are able to profit off of their own name and likeness.

On any given week, you can still see plenty of music on television. An indie band on a late-night talk show. A pop star on Saturday Night Live. A rapper or a country singer at a halftime show of a major sporting event. But if I can be nostalgic for a quick moment: I miss when live music performances on television mattered.

That special energy that makes a performance on TV feel like an event seems mostly gone. That energy now takes place online — on TikTok, of course, and also via the myriad YouTube clips shared on other social media platforms. That’s where nobodies become stars now. And that’s great… but it’s not the same as the communal feeling you get from watching the greatest music moments on TV.

I refer to common touchstones like Prince at the Super Bowl or Beyoncé’s iconic MTV Video Music Awards spots. Or even Lana Del Rey’s controversial (but actually kind of underrated) SNL appearance, which became instant watercooler fodder in 2011.

In order to make my case, I’ve compiled 40 of the most memorable music performances on TV from the 21st century. I’ve done this to clear the decks of all the classic all-time moments we’ve all heard about a million times — The Beatles on Ed Sullivan, the Michael Jackson moonwalk, etc. — and also to show that TV still was capable of uniting us under one groove in the not-to-distant past.

My criteria is simple: All of these performances aired on actual TV shows. I know that in many cases they became well-known via YouTube after their initial airing. But as long as they originated on television, they’re fair game. (I also stuck with American television, because I’m a hopelessly myopic Yankee.)

Now, let’s watch some TV!

40. The Vines on The Late Show With David Letterman (2002)

Ninety-nine percent of the time, when an artist or band performs on a TV show, the final result is presented in a professional, cooly efficient manner. This ensures a “good,” if not an especially memorable, appearance. That’s why, purely for the sake of novelty, a good trainwreck can be preferable to the usual workmanlike consistency. One of the great trainwrecks in the history of 21st century TV music performances has to be this clip of snotty Australian garage-pop power trio The Vines doing a spectacularly screechy take of their early aughts hit, “Get Free.” At the time, The Vines were a hot commodity, eventually hailed on the cover of Rolling Stone as rock saviors. But frontman Craig Nicholls was a volatile presence with a habit of lashing out on stage. (A few years later, he announced that he was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome.) On Letterman, he starts screaming the hooky “Get Free” from the jump and doesn’t let up. He then throws himself to the floor and demolishes his drummer’s kit. It’s all very Petulant Rock Star 101. Later that year, The Vines were prohibited from performing on The Tonight Show after Nicholls pulled the same stunt in rehearsal. Thankfully, he did it for the cameras on The Late Show.

39. Deerhunter on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon (2013)

A decade later Deerhunter performed what could be described as a prefabricated trainwreck on Fallon’s old Late Night. From Bradford Cox’s shaggy black wig and bandaged finger to his extended exit into the hallways of 30 Rock (which winds up, hilariously, at an elevator that never seems to show up), it’s clear that the chaos of “Monomania” is orchestrated. But it still looks pretty amazing. (Bonus points to Cox for taking a swig out of some rando’s paper cup on the way to the elevator.) Plus, the studio audience’s stunned reaction suggests that those there in person at least had no idea what the hell was going on.

38. The Strokes on Saturday Night Live (2011)

A contrarian choice, perhaps, given that The Strokes performed on SNL during their Is This It prime 10 years before this. And there are numerous Letterman and Conan O’Brien appearances you can find on YouTube where they really rip it up while looking exquisitely hungover. (Shout-out to this especially tasty performance of “Reptilia” on Conan from 2003.) But again I must profess my preference for drama over musical consistency by giving the nod to The Strokes’ somewhat depressing but nevertheless compelling stint on SNL during the Angles era, particularly their performance of “Life Is Simple In The Moonlight.” I remember seeing this live and assuming that The Strokes would never play together on TV again. The vibes are heavy and weary; I’m pretty sure Julian Casablancas forgets the final verse and just makes sounds in the place of lyrics. But in true Strokes fashion, they teeter on the brink of collapse with incredible panache. And then they kept on going.

37. Alabama Shakes on Saturday Night Live (2013)

Right about now, we could probably use some regular old straight-forward musical excellence on this list. Alabama Shakes are an example of a band that would appear on talk shows in the early 2010s and routinely kill it, which no doubt hastened their rise as one of the decade’s most popular rock bands. It’s not as if a band like this was going to benefit from any other form of hype — their path to stardom was to show up on TV as a band that most viewers likely weren’t familiar with, and then proceed to burn the house down for four and a half minutes. This performance of “Always Alright” is their finest house-burning.

36. Future Islands on The Late Show With David Letterman (2014)

The quintessential TV appearance in the modern era that seriously moved the needle for a mid-level indie band, near the end of a time when that was still possible. (Though most people, even in the moment, probably saw this on YouTube via some culture website that aggregated it.) It all hinges on an extremely hammy and theatrical performance by lead singer Samuel T. Herring, a Bob Hoskins lookalike who is mesmerizing whenever he does that odd little dance, looking like a person who has just been beat on the head with a 2×4 and is wobbling to stay on his feet. He’s less a conventional frontman than an office drone suddenly liberated on karaoke night. It’s this very everyman quality that made the Letterman clip a viral hit. It’s so memorable that I’m sure many would argue that this should be ranked higher. But the strike against Future Islands is that they basically peaked here. It’s not so much a star-making performance as it was a snapshot of a shooting star.

35. Guided By Voices on Reverb (2001)

An unfortunate side effect of the internet is that modern TV shows have largely given up on spotlighting artists from the fringes of popular music. While it’s nice that essentially every musician can reach an audience on their own via social media and YouTube, it’s sad that you can longer find a show like Reverb on a major cable channel. A weekly series produced by HBO from 1997 to 2001, Reverb regularly showcased the era’s best and hippest indie acts. Even better, they filmed them not on a sterile soundstage, but in clubs and theaters around the country. Which is how they were able to capture Guided By Voices in their beer-soaked and cigarette-stinky natural habitat while on tour in Philadelphia in the early aughts.

34. Three 6 Mafia on The Academy Awards (2006)

You know what the opposite of a smoky club is? The Academy Awards. Traditionally the stuffiest showcase for music on TV, the Oscars temporarily removed the extremely large stick from its behind to welcome this long-running Memphis hip-hop institution for a performance of its nominated (and eventual trophy-winning) song from Hustle & Flow. The only thing missing are shots from of the scandalized audience, who immediately went back to Disney-sanctioned power ballads after this.

33. Joanna Newsom on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon (2010)

Years before he was installed as the host of The Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon’s Late Night carried on a tradition established by predecessors David Letterman and Conan O’Brien by regularly hosting hip musical up-and-comers. That includes the brilliant and mercurial talent Joanna Newsom, who made a rare appearance in 2010 to perform a cut from her sprawling triple-album opus, Have One On Me. Everything about this feels perfectly conceived, presented, and executed — so much so that it’s a shame Fallon didn’t just let Newsom play a mini concert on the program.

32. Jay Z and Kanye West on the MTV Video Music Awards (2011)

From the moment it dropped, opinion was divided on Jay and Ye’s superstar collaboration Watch The Throne. Many felt it was an overblown indulgence by two hubristic rappers drunk on their own fame and wealth. I can’t argue with that, though I happen to enjoy the overblown indulgence of it all. These are after all two of the most charismatic stars of the past two decades, and seeing them on stage trying to constantly one-up each other while pyrotechnics flame and the American flag unfurls is pretty thrilling all these years later. From this vantage point, it looks like rap’s hair metal period. (Watch for Justin Bieber’s nonplussed reaction at 2:39.)

31. Phoebe Bridgers on Saturday Night Live (2021)

In an uncertain and constantly changing world, it’s nice to know that smashing a guitar on national television still has the power to trigger people. Of course, it’s the very people who claim that smashing a guitar is passé that seemed to get the most upset at Phoebe Bridgers’ provocation at the climax of her Punisher highlight, “I Know The End,” on SNL. But isn’t that just another way of shaking your fist at youngsters for being senselessly destructive, which is precisely the reaction that smashing a guitar was always meant to engender? Either way, I’m a fan of enduring forms of rock theater, even when they’re carried off with a post-modern smirk by the always witty and playful Bridgers.

30. Arcade Fire on Saturday Night Live (2006)

I place this instance of guitar smashing on SNL one spot higher than Phoebe Bridgers only because Win Butler actually succeeded in annihilating his ax. Note to future generations of guitar smashers on SNL: It’s easier to smash an acoustic than an electric. It also helps to be 6-foot-4.

29. Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Dave Grohl, and Steven Van Zandt on The Grammys (2003)

“Music’s Biggest Night” has produced precious few genuinely memorable performances this century. Which makes this unique assemblage of classic-rock dude talent all the more special. It’s a standard Grammys trick to group a bunch of musicians together in order to pay homage to another musician. Most of the time, these combinations read like unintentionally hilarious Mad-Libs. (“And now to honor electronic music, here’s Foo Fighters, Deadmau5, and Lil Wayne!”) But bringing these guys together to play The Clash’s “London Calling” as a salute to the late Joe Strummer was inspired. Each one of them plays his role to a hilt: Bruce’s neck bulges to new extremes, Elvis’ vocal is as pointed as ever, Little Steven drawls in a fake British accent. And Dave Grohl does his bombastic nice-guy routine. Call them the Pummeling Wilburys.

28. A Tribe Called Quest on Saturday Night Live (2016)

It’s a shame that the most discussed music moment from SNL‘s first post-Trump episode was Kate McKinnon singing Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” as Hilary Clinton. Because musically speaking, that episode should belong entirely to A Tribe Called Quest. As host Dave Chappelle notes in his introduction, it took far too long for one of the best rap groups of all time to make it on SNL. But when their opportunity finally arrived — sadly without Phife Dawg, who passed away eight months prior — their timing seemed weirdly perfect for a moment in need of something pitched between a wake and a rally.

27. Kanye West on Saturday Night Live (2013)

We are far enough away from Kanye’s “everything he does is incredibly important and fascinating” era that his multiple appearances on this list might warrant an explanation. All I can say is watch this clip and try to imagine any pop star today attempting something so angry, strange, and insightful in a forum that most artists simply use as a promotional tool. Even if he wears the MAGA hat for the rest of his life, we’ll still have “New Slaves” on SNL.

26. Björk on The Late Show With David Letterman (2001)

I think it’s fair to say that this is the first and last time in television history that an idiosyncratic indie singer, songwriter, and producer performed on a talk show backed by a harpist, an Inuit women’s choir, the electronic duo Matmos, and an enormous freaking music box. Even if this sounded like a pack of dogs wrestling in a burlap sack it would warrant inclusion on this list. But the fact that Björk melded these elements in a live setting in service of a ferociously intense love song elevates it all the more.

25. Britney Spears on the MTV Video Music Awards (2001)

For all of the talk about #freebritney, it’s easy to forget that this woman once strode across the most watched stages on television with a damn snake perched atop her shoulders. She promised to be a slave for you — sorry, 4 you — but in those moments she was the master of every set of eyeballs in the vicinity. Perhaps a 20th anniversary celebration of this iconic performance would be a good excuse to bring the snake back?

24. The White Stripes on Late Night With Conan O’Brien (2003)

There’s isn’t a more fruitful relationship between a band and a TV show in the modern era than the White Stripes and Late Night With Conan O’Brien. The duo played Conan numerous times, including a week-long residency in 2003 to promote their classic LP, Elephant. It’s hard to track down all of those performances online, but there’s a good reason why this apocalyptic medley of “Let’s Build A Home,” “Goin’ Back To Memphis,” and “John The Revelator” has stuck around. This is Jack and Meg at their loudest and wildest. The stage literally can’t hold them at the performance’s peak, when Jack extemporaneously stalks over to Conan’s desk to pound out a violent slide guitar solo.

23. Jack White on Saturday Night Live (2020)

The most critical relationship in Jack White’s musical life is with his drummers. But it wasn’t until he hired Daru Jones for his solo band that he found a timekeeper who drove him like Meg did. Their combustible dynamic absolutely drives this killer performance from SNL in the shadow of Covid, when the interpolation of the gospel standard “Jesus Is Coming Soon” into Beyoncé’s “Don’t Hurt Yourself” and The White Stripes’ “Ball And Biscuit” felt eerily appropriate. But honestly, this is just an excuse to watch a natural born rock star tear it up over a backbeat that swings like the hammer of the gods.

22. OutKast at the American Music Awards (2003)

In the early aughts, OutKast was the most universally adored group on the planet. And then they broke up… sort of. And they also stayed together… sort of. The oddness of Andre 3000 and Big Boi’s arrangement on Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, where they packaged two solo albums together under the OutKast banner, comes through on this performance from the American Music Awards. And somehow, just as it worked on the record, it also works on the AMAs. After an extremely awkward introduction by Justin Timberlake, Andre 3000 does his psych-soul shaman flourishes with “Hey Ya,” and then Big Boi plays the smooth balladeer on “The Way You Move.” It was an imperfect arrangement, but then again, how great would it be if contemporary award shows could promise two consecutive OutKast performances?

21. My Morning Jacket on Late Night With Conan O’Brien (2003)

So much hair, so much headbanging. I can’t decide which is more impressive: That Jim James can catch his breath to sing after thrashing around so much, or that Jim James can catch his breath to sing after thrashing so much through that tangle of sandy blonde locks. As it is, I think this appearance provides a good lesson for young bands: If by chance you do end up television, treat it you like you’re playing an encore at Bonnaroo.

20. Father John Misty on The Late Show With David Letterman (2015)

Whether you love FJM or find him obnoxious will inform how you view his most famous TV appearance. This conceptual rendition of “Bored In The U.S.A.,” which set the stage for his 2015 breakthrough I Love You Honeybear, is a goof on the conventions of talk show music performances. The piano he plays is actually playing itself, he delivers the lyric with a shrug, and a laugh track intercedes on the song’s emotional climax. When the performance is over, you hear something you’re never allowed to experience on a late night comedy show — one second of baffled silence.

19. Lana Del Rey on Saturday Night Live (2012)

This is remembered as one of the biggest disasters in the history of Saturday Night Live, and it’s surely one of the most discussed and analyzed TV music performances of the century. These facts alone warrant its inclusion here. But then you rewatch it and realize … it’s actually pretty good! What viewers responded to in 2012, either positively or (more often) negatively, was LDR’s oddly magnetic stage presence, in which she comes off like the ghost of a dead 1950s starlet. (SNL‘s notoriously awful sound mix doesn’t help matters.) But we’ve now had a decade to get used to her persona, which makes her SNL appearance seem a lot less weird.

18. Frank Ocean at The Grammys (2013)

Another entry in the “I can’t believe this is happening in this context” category. Anyone who sets out to confound this many members of Recording Academy is a genius in my book. Also, Earl Sweatshirt proves to be a true friend by being one of the few people to give Frank a well-deserved standing ovation.

17. U2 at the Super Bowl (2002)

Responses to Sept. 11 are the toughest kinds of music performances to judge decades after the fact. Gestures that felt uplifting then can easily come off as corny outside of the context of national grief. So, yes, seeing Bono scream “America!” at the Super Bowl while flashing an American flag sewn into his jacket might inspire some cheap guffaws in 2021. But I remember watching this in a bar and let me tell you: I can’t pretend to be cynical in retrospect about hearing “Where The Streets Have No Name” as the names of 9/11 victims flashed on a big white screen behind U2. On the contrary, it’s one of the few times when the Super Bowl halftime show actually felt important as a virtual town square where people go to feel less alone.

16. The National on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon (2010)

Most artists hope to approximate the power of their recorded work when they play a new song on a TV show. The National’s performance of “Terrible Love” — which predated the release of High Violet by several months — is the rare example of a TV appearance outshining the take that was eventually put on the LP. On Fallon, “Terrible Love” instantly established itself as one of The National’s most thrilling live vehicles, an unabashed anthem that rises to an intense emotional climax. On the album, however, the band hemmed and hawed over the track, eventually landing a less dynamic arrangement that deliberately played down the song’s dynamism. After playing “Terrible Love” on Fallon, it dawned on The National that this might have been a mistake, singer Matt Berninger later admitted. A re-recorded “Terrible Love” similar to the Fallon version later appeared on a deluxe edition of High Violet.

15. Janelle Monae on The Late Show With David Letterman (2010)

For starters, I must apologize for not including Monae’s second Letterman appearance from 2013, which peaks with Janelle climbing Dave’s desk and doing some James Brown moves. However, I must give the slight edge to her 2010 debut, if only because it has that “holy shit this person is a superstar!” quality. Also: “Now shut up!” One more also: The James Brown cape. Actually, this performance has at least a dozen “also” moments.

14. Kendrick Lamar on the MTV Video Music Awards (2017)

Kendrick Lamar was such a powerful presence on TV shows in the mid-’10s that he started handicapping himself. Would Kendrick be less compelling if you paired him with Imagine Dragons? Nope! Would you be distracted from looking at Kendrick if you put him next to a swordsman who’s been set on fire? Surprisingly no! If by some chance Kendrick Lamar is reading this: We need you back! A new album would be awesome, but in lieu of that could you just show up on an awards show and do this again?

13. Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds on Austin City Limits (2014)

Even if you know the “whisper to a scream” structure of this mesmerizing story song by alt-rock’s Prince Of Darkness, it’s still bracing to watch The Bad Seeds build from a soulful glower to an all-out sonic assault over the course of about seven minutes. All the while Nick Cave swaggers from one end of the stage to the other, taunting stunned Texans. And then he sits at his piano to play a quick lick, and then he goes back to swaggering. But what really sells this performance is the fact that the band found an actual blonde vampire to dance in the front row. That fan is practically the star of the show as everything goes to hell.

12. Jay-Z on MTV Unplugged (2001)

MTV Unplugged by and large is a ’90s phenomenon, but Jay-Z backed by The Roots can go toe to toe with the most iconic installments of the series from any era. If you haven’t seen this. go directly to the 19:17 mark of this video and then ask yourself why Jaguar Wright didn’t immediately become a huge star after this aired.

11. Sturgill Simpson on Saturday Night Live (2017)

On his fourth album, 2019’s Sound And Fury, Simpson supposedly came out as a rock star. But anyone who witnessed him on SNL two years earlier could see that he already was one. Though instead of the stoner-metal riffs of Sound And Fury, Simpson utilized a horn section and his own highly excitable band. The result on “Call To Arms” feels like Sturgill does Springsteen, in which he attempts to “prove it all night” for the people of 30 Rock in the space of four minutes and 39 seconds.

10. Beyoncé at the MTV Video Music Awards (2016)

How big of a deal was Beyoncé in the mid-’10s? For a while there, the VMAs made it a semi-annual tradition to just hand over about 15 minutes for Beyoncé to perform a medley. In 2014, it was a collection of hits. Two years later, she performed a suite from her landmark album Lemonade. Honestly, this is pretty much unprecedented: Michael Jackson, Prince, or Madonna never got this sort of treatment in their primes. But when you watch the Lemonade medley, you can see that Beyoncé mastered the art of presenting her music visually. Even in an award show environment — which is naturally chaotic and a ripe environment for technical flubs — she had the ability to deliver perfection.

9. At The Drive-In on The Late Show With David Letterman (2000)

Whereas Beyoncé kept the chaos of live TV at bay, At The Drive-In leaned into it on Letterman while promoting Relationship Of Command. You know you’re watching a band go for broke when the lead singer starts humping the floor during the first verse. You might assume that there’s nowhere to go from there. But this post-hardcore institution just keeps on leaping and yelping and humping while playing with incredible force. We can argue about whether At The Drive-In was the best band in the world in the year 2000. But not while watching this clip.

8. The Walkmen on Late Night With Conan O’Brien (2004)

Can someone check in on Walkmen drummer Matt Barrick to see if his arms still hurt 17 years later?

7. Radiohead on Saturday Night Live (2000)

By the time they showed up on SNL, Radiohead’s most polarizing album, Kid A, had only been out for a few weeks. While the LP in time came to be viewed as a classic, opinions were still divided in October of 2000. But if Radiohead was concerned about public acceptance, they certainly didn’t show it on SNL. Rather than stick with their new album’s most “Radiohead-esque” numbers like “Optimistic” or “How To Disappear Completely,” they front-loaded two of their most challenging tracks, “The National Anthem” and “Idioteque.” On the latter number especially, Radiohead barely resembles a rock band at all, with their lead guitarist Jonny Greenwood instead playing an ancient synthesizer that looks like a phone switchboard from the 1960s.

6. Tyler The Creator and Hodgy Beats on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon (2011)

The members of Odd Future have been such a huge part of popular music for the past decade that you can almost forget how dangerous they seemed back in 2011. But apparently some people at the Fallon show were bracing for the worst. “Once I realized who was coming to Late Night, I immediately went to The Roots’ dressing room,” Questlove recalled in a 2021 Rolling Stone interview, “and I was like, ‘I can see what’s about to happen. We’re all about to lose our jobs.’” At the time, they were the most notorious crew in hip-hop, with a penchant for shocking lyrics about murder and assault. But the impression you get from the Late Night clip now is of very young guys — Tyler was 19 and Hodgy was 20 — taking a fun-loving, pranksterish spirit to national TV with irrepressible joy. By the end, when Tyler wraps his lanky legs around Fallon for an impromptu piggyback ride, Odd Future seemed almost cuddly.

5. TV On The Radio on The Late Show With David Letterman (2006)

Shoutout to TV On The Radio for inspiring this list. The YouTube algorithm pointed me to this clip several weeks ago. It had been years since I had seen it, but revisiting it in 2021 made me come to two conclusions: 1) TV On The Radio performing “Wolf Like Me” on Letterman is at least a top five TV music performance of the early 21st century; 2) I really want a TV On The Radio-issance. Because nobody right now is doing this as well they do it.

4. Kanye West ft. Pusha T on Saturday Night Live (2010)

Let’s raise a toast to “Runaway,” the most visually striking SNL music performance ever, in which Kanye dons Eddie Murphy’s red leather suit from Raw and roasts himself as a douchebag and a scumbag against an all-white backdrop accented with ballet dancers. I realize this makes no sense in print but as a visual and musical experience it is sublime.

3. Warren Zevon on The Late Show With David Letterman (2002)

It almost feels unfair to lump this in with even the best TV music performances which, in nearly every case, are basically commercials. Meanwhile Warren Zevon’s final appearance on Letterman on October 30, 2002 is nothing less than a man saying goodbye to the world, and in the process imparting some wisdom about how to confront your own mortality. Appearing not long after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer, Zevon was gifted an entire episode by long-time fan Letterman, “the best friend my music has ever had,” in Zevon’s estimation. When he sat for an interview, Letterman asked him directly how his diagnosis affected his perspective on life; Zevon responded with what became the singer-songwriter’s most famous maxim, “‘Enjoy every sandwich.” The performances of “Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner,” “Genius,” and “Mutineer” register as heroic, given his apparent lack of strength, and they’re unbearably poignant. After the show, Zevon returned Letterman’s favor by giving him his guitar. “And I just started sobbing,” Letterman recalled in 2008. “He was giving me the guitar that he always used on the show. I felt like, ‘I can’t be in this movie, I didn’t get my lines.’ That was very tough.” Zevon died the following September.

2. Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Steve Winwood, and Prince at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Of Fame (2004)

I buried the lede by putting Prince last. When we talk about this performance of “When My Guitar Gently Weeps,” all anybody cares about is Prince and that guitar solo. Without that solo, this is merely a perfectly fine Beatles cover. With that solo, you have one of the most rewatched TV music performances of the modern era.

In true Prince fashion, he just shows up at the 3:27 mark, out of thin air, already wailing away. As the band keeps returning the chorus, it seems like a cue to wrap up. But Prince just keeps going. At one point, he appears to almost fall into the audience. But Prince just keeps going. Now it looks like Tom Petty is willing him to continue. (“I remember I leaned out at him at one point and gave him a ‘This is going great!’ kind of look,” Petty later recalled.) The only thing that stops Prince is him finally throwing his guitar in the air. That ax, like Prince himself, was not meant to stay on this planet.

1. Prince at the Super Bowl (2007)

What Queen at Live Aid is to late 20th century TV music performances, Prince’s Super Bowl halftime show is to the early 21st century. It’s the moment when a world class entertainer is put at the center of our attention, and he leans into absolutely being the larger-than-life figure who deserves that astronomical number of eyeballs. Also like Queen, Prince’s performance has an element of fate — when it actually rains during a Prince halftime show, you can only conclude that God is acting as his stage manager. Ultimately, that rain makes his singing and guitar playing (all while in high heels!) all the more awe-inspiring.

But it’s the communal nature of this halftime show that makes it feel so profound. So much of what we watch on a grand scale feels like empty spectacle. But Prince at the Super Bowl might very well be the only musical performance of modern times that everybody has seen by now. How wonderful is it that it also happens to be the best?

LaMarcus Aldridge retired during the middle of last season due to heart concerns after discovering an irregular heartbeat. At the time, Aldridge had joined the Brooklyn Nets after having his contract bought out by the Spurs and was expected to play a role in the team’s quest for a title.

Now, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Aldridge is considering trying to make a return to the NBA. Per Wojnarowski, Aldridge has not made a firm decision about returning and would need to receive medical clearance from a team that would sign him, but is exploring the possibilities.

On one hand,Aldridge had a 15-year NBA career and made over $200 million. He’s accomplished more than most NBA players ever will. It also just seems as if it would take a lot for him to return. The situations are different, but consider how difficult is was for Chris Bosh to attempt an NBA return after he left the Miami Heat during the 2016 season due to blood clots. Bosh tried to come back on multiple occasions, but it was ultimately too much to come all the way back considering the health risks. Aldridge, at 36 years old, would surely have to go through a lot to have even a chance to play in the NBA again.

But on the other hand, you can see why Aldridge would want to return. In that 15-year career where made seven All-Star games and made the playoffs nine times (five times with the Portland Trail Blazers and four times with the Spurs), he never made the NBA Finals or had a real shot at a title. Going to Brooklyn was his chance to do that, but it was taken out of his hands. If he is cleared, perhaps the Nets or the Lakers or some other contender could find a role for him.

Beyond even chasing a championship, Aldridge has to feel like he didn’t get the chance to end his NBA story on his terms, and that, maybe more than anything, makes this even more difficult. Hopefully Aldridge can get the clarity on his future he craves and protect his longterm health with whatever decision he comes to regarding a return to basketball.

Gin, tonic, and a twist of lime. One part gin (or more if you’re a juniper and booze fan) to three parts tonic. Add a squeeze and a wedge of lime and you have the makings of one of the simplest and most refreshing summertime cocktails ever conceived.

The history of the gin and tonic, like many classic cocktails, is shrouded in mystery. It’s believed by many that, while refreshing, the cocktail wasn’t created to fight off thirst on a hot summer’s day but to treat malaria. In the 1800s, members of the British East India Company were required to ingest quinine to keep themselves safe from the disease. To make their medicine go down smoothly, they mixed it with gin, water, lime, and sugar.

You may not be worried about malaria in 2021, but this simple gin-based highball endures. And it’s downright perfect for August weather if you have the right gin. You can’t just crack open a plastic handle of bottom-shelf gin and expect your cocktail to be refreshing and flavorful.

To pick the best gins for a classic g & t, we set up another blind taste test. But instead of simply sampling a handful of gins and picking the best to mix into the iconic drink, I literally whipped up cocktails for each taste. Check the results below!

Part 1: The Taste

I selected eight well-known, highly respected brands. My recipe was the same for every bottle — two ounces of gin to four ounces of Fever Tree Tonic and a lime wedge (squeezed over the drink and dropped in the glass). Here’s the lineup:

• Hendrick’s Gin
• Monkey 47 Gin
• The Botanist Islay Dry Gin
• Plymouth Gin
• Tanqueray London Dry Gin
• Beefeater London Dry Gin
• Sipsmith London Dry Gin
• Bombay Sapphire Dry Gin

Let’s do this thing!

Taste 1:

Tasting Notes:

This is a floral, herbal gin and it’s obvious in the cocktail’s nose. There’s also plenty of citrus peels (the lime is responsible for part of that) and various spices. The juniper is definitely there on the palate, but it doesn’t sit at the center and, in this case, that’s okay. The floral, spice, and citrus make this a really well-rounded cocktail.

Taste 2:

Tasting Notes:

This smells like a gin that was designed to be mixed with. It’s very floral, filled with citrus notes, and has the right amount of juniper aroma. Sipping it revealed more floral flavor as well as lemon peel, pine, coriander, and a nice “freshness” that can’t be pinpointed.

Taste 3:

Tasting Notes:

The nose of this cocktail is very citrusy. There’s also a good amount of juniper and a nice herbal quality. The palate is more muted than I’d expect. There’s lemon, lime, and quinine, but the juniper and other herbs aren’t as bold as I prefer in a gin and tonic.

It’s… pretty bland, in all honesty.

Taste 4:

Tasting Notes:

The nose is like a double whammy of juniper and citrus zest. It’s a great start for a classic, crisp g & t. There are also noticeable spices, especially coriander and clove. Sipping it brings forward hints of juniper, pine needles, lemon zest, herbal flavors, and a nice, gentle kick of spice at the finish.

From my notes: “This one wowed me.”

Taste 5:

Tasting notes:

The nose is like a field of fresh flowers that evolves into citrus rinds, herbs, and a nice kick of juniper. The palate is juniper-centric with tangerine, lime, lemon, and light spice. All of these flavors work in unison with crisp tonic water.

Taste 6:

Tasting Notes:

I was knocked back by the heavy juniper aroma on this one. This was followed by slight spices and just a hint of very muted citrus. In fact, I felt that the only citrus I smelled was the lime I included in the drink. The flavor was more of the same with juniper taking center stage with a lot less citrus than I’d prefer. There also weren’t many other noticeable herbs and botanicals.

Taste 7:

Tasting Notes:

Nosing this cocktail revealed strong lemon, lime, quinine, slight spices, and just a hint of juniper. Once again, the juniper is more muted than I’d hoped — this time significantly so. The palate is filled with floral, spicy, citrus flavors, but not enough juniper presence to keep me interested.

Taste 8:

Tasting Notes:

One whiff of this drink makes me think that its base is a very complex, well-rounded gin. There are obvious notes of juniper, citrus, and a nice herbal, fresh quality. Drinking it brings me notes of lime, fresh mint, pine, and juniper berries. These flavors give the drink a very balanced flavor.

Part 2: The Ranking

Blind taste tests are a lot of fun. Most of the time, I’m sampling whiskey, gin, rum, or other spirits neat. What makes this one extra exciting is that the gin is already mixed into a cocktail. So not only do I not see the label, I have to sample it already mixed with tonic and lime. Surprises are bound to happen.

Which gin takes the top spot in my gin and tonic ranking? Keep reading to find out and click the prices if you want to buy a bottle of your own.

8) Beefeater London Dry Gin (Taste 3)

ABV: 45%
Average Price: $25

The Story:

Beefeater touts itself as the world’s most awarded gin. It makes sense, the brand has been around since the late 1800s. Its flagship gin is its London Dry. Made with nine simple ingredients including juniper, Seville orange, lemon peel, and a few other botanicals and herbs, it’s dry, crisp, and well-suited as a base for this classic cocktail.

Bottom Line:

No gin on this list is bad — I intentionally picked winners. It’s just that this one tastes a little… cheap. And it relies a little too much on the citrus components.

7) Tanqueray London Dry Gin (Taste 6)

ABV: 47.3%
Average Price: $28

The Story:

A popular choice among bartenders, this award-winning gin has been made the same way since its inception in the 1830s. It’s known for its well-balanced flavor that makes it a great base for your favorite gin-based cocktails. This absolutely includes the classic gin & tonic.

Bottom Line:

This isn’t a bad gin but it’s definitely gin for fans of heavy juniper and not much else. The floral berry pushes everything else to the wayside.

6) Bombay Sapphire Dry Gin (Taste 7)

ABV: 47%
Average Price: $30

The Story:

Bombay Sapphire is one of the most popular gins in the world for good reason. It’s made with juniper berries, licorice, coriander, cassia bark, lemon peel, orris, and a few other herbs and botanicals. Each is expertly selected to make this gin a proper base for your favorite gin-based cocktail.

Bottom Line:

Like many of the other lower-ranking gins, this expression wasn’t as balanced as I’d hoped. The juniper presence was a lot lower than I desire for a cocktail base.

5) Monkey 47 Gin (Taste 1)

ABV: 47%
Average Price: $50

The Story:

England and Scotland are some of the biggest gin producers in Europe. But these aren’t the only countries that make the spirit. Monkey 47 comes from Germany with its 47 ingredients (including bramble leaves, lingonberries, spruce, and angelica root) coming from the famed Black Forest.

Bottom Line:

The only thing stopping this gin from being ranked higher is the slightly muted juniper flavor. Everything else is there. It could just use a boost of juniper.

4) Hendrick’s Gin (Taste 2)

ABV: 44%
Average Price: $40

The Story:

Hendrick’s Gin is one of the most popular gin brands in the world and has been since its inception in 1999. While it’s made with eleven herbs and botanicals, the main flavors are cucumber and rose. This gives it a truly unique flavor that was formulated to be mixed into a cocktail.

Bottom Line:

This gin — with its citrus and floral qualities and the perfect amount of juniper — gave my cocktail a very fresh, thirst-quenching flavor that I won’t soon forget.

3) The Botanist Islay Gin (Taste 8)

ABV: 46%
Average Price: $40

The Story:

The Botanist Islay Gin is an interesting spirit. This extremely popular, reasonably new gin is made by Bruichladdich (well-known for its whisky) on an island known for Scotch. It’s made from 22 botanicals and herbs that were hand foraged in the Inner Hebrides.

Bottom Line:

This is a high-quality gin with a ton of ingredients for sure. Sometimes that can leave things muddled but this tested well with me. A gin & tonic is light enough to draw out the spirit’s many flavor notes without masking them.

2) Sipsmith London Dry Gin (Taste 5)

ABV: 41.6%
Average Price: $35

The Story:

Sipsmith is one of the newest gin brands around. Since its launch in 2009, it’s managed to make one of the most awarded London dry gins on the market. It’s dry, refreshing, filled with juniper and other botanicals, and quite lovely in a g & t.

Bottom Line:

Balance seems to be a top priority for me in gin & tonics. In all honestly, it’s hard to top the complexity and balance of this gin. It’s well-suited for the bite of a nice cocktail.

1) Plymouth Gin (Taste 4)

ABV: 41.2%
Average Price: $35

The Story:

Plymouth Gin is one of the most respected brands in the world. It’s made with seven, simple ingredients including juniper berries, coriander, orange peels, lemon peels, angelica root, cardamom, and orris root. It’s as classic as gin gets and well-suited for mixing.

Bottom Line:

This is the best gin on the list for a classic gin & tonic. It’s floral, citrusy, juniper-centric, and bold. It’s hard to beat the balance of flavors. I’ll definitely come back to this gin this summer.

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As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive a commission pursuant to certain items on this list.

The American public has recently learned an awful lot about the bathing habits of Hollywood’s most famous parents. There was Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher, who admitted they rarely bathe their kids, or themselves, only throwing them in the tub or the shower when “you can see the dirt on them.” That got a lot of reactions, but turns out they’re not the only ones.

On a recent episode of The View, Kristen Bell confessed that she and her husband, Dax Shepard, are also infrequent bathers of their two children. “I’m a big fan of waiting for the stink,” she said, laughing. “Once you catch a whiff, that’s biology’s way of letting you know you need to clean it up.”

She added, “There’s a red flag. Honestly, it’s just bacteria; once you get bacteria you gotta be like, ‘Get in the tub or the shower.’”

As it turns out, Kunis and Kutcher went public with their bathing habits on Armchair Expert, the podcast hosted by…Dax Shepard. Kunis said that “when I had children, I also didn’t wash them every day,” adding, “I wasn’t that parent that bathed my newborns — ever.”

Bell said she doesn’t “hate what they’re doing. I wait for the stink.”

Shepard also weighed in, saying, “We bathed our children every single night prior to bed as their routine, then somehow they just started going to sleep on their own without their routine and we had to start saying [to each other] like, ‘Hey, when was the last time you bathed them?’”

For what it’s worth, what they’re doing isn’t particularly unhygienic. The American Dermatology Association says children from 6 to 11 should have a bath once or twice a week. Given that Bell and Shepard’s kids fall into that category, it’s really not that weird.

(Via Page Six)

The same day Florida’s controversial governor Ron DeSantis stood defiant against Joe Biden, telling him that he, uh, won’t tolerate the president trying to save his constituents’ lives, another state leader took what was essentially the opposite stance. During a public appearance, New Jersey’s Phil Murphy singled out anti-vaxxers, admonishing them for their stubborn stupidity, even greeting them with an old-timey, PG-rated insult.

The governor was at Union City, where he formally signed into law a bill that extended eviction prevention and utility assistance for those struggling during a once-in-a-century public health crisis. Also in attendance were people helping ensure the pandemic remains a major concern: Anti-vaccine protesters, who were there with signs that read “No forced injections,” “Medical choice is a human right,” and more. Murphy noticed them, and he made sure to give them a piece of his mind.

After admitting that cases were “actually coming down a little bit,” Murphy reminded people that “we are still in the fight” against COVID. He then directly addressed the naysayers in the back.

These folks back there have lost their minds — you’ve lost your minds!” he shouted. “You are the ultimate knuckleheads, and because of what you are saying and standing for, people are losing their life.” He pleaded with them, not only to get vaccinated, but to “look in the mirror.”

Murphy’s address came a day after Bill de Blasio, mayor of neighboring New York City, announced proof of vaccination would be required for parts of the metropolis’ social life, including entrance to restaurants and gyms. The decision has angered many Republicans, some of whom, like DeSantis, haven’t let the fact that their followers overwhelmingly comprise the current number of COVID cases and related deaths.

But others gave the Jersey governor a lot of love.

(Via The Hill)

The NBA world has gotten intertwined in cryptocurrency in a number of ways in recent months, sometimes to disastrous results. NBA Top Shot got fans buzzing with an explosion of interest in non-fungible tokens, and a number of stars have invested or taken interest in diversifying their portfolios with decentralized finance.

But don’t expect to see Charles Barkley join that group of crypto enthusiasts anytime soon. In an interview with CNBC, Barkley said he’d looked into investing in things like Bitcoin but was told by his financial advisors it wasn’t worth the wild fluctuations the market had seen in recent months.

“My people do not believe in crypto,” Barkley tells CNBC Make It. “I got a couple of financial guys. One of them said, ‘If I ever put you in crypto, you should fire me on the spot.’”

“And listen, I know that [crypto] is all over the place, to be honest with you, but my people don’t believe in [it],” he says.

Barkley didn’t elaborate on exactly what has turned him off from the wide array of crypto that’s out there these days, but it’s an interesting way to address the marketplace that plenty of athletes have found enticing. Then again, Barkley summed up his best financial advice in a way that certainly applies here.

“Learn to say, no,” Barkley said. “And don’t feel bad about it.”

[via Benzinga]

The point guard class is the headliner of this year’s NBA free agency, and after the three veteran All-Stars at the top (Chris Paul, Kyle Lowry, and Mike Conley), Spencer Dinwiddie figured to garner the most interest as teams looked for a lead creator for their backcourt.

Dinwiddie had his breakout in 2018-19 and followed that up with an even better 2019-20 campaign, averaging 20.6 points and 6.8 assists for the Nets, and was hoping to show his value in a different role alongside Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant this past season. However, just three games in, Dinwiddie suffered a partially torn ACL that ended his season and saw the Nets go out and trade for James Harden.

As a result, Dinwiddie’s market was a bit muddled. There is obviously high upside, but coming off a knee injury teams had some trepidation about meeting his desires for a long term deal. As the first night of free agency came and went on Monday, the point guard market seemingly began drying up. The Bulls signed Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso to fill their needs, while the Pelicans replaced Ball with Devonte’ Graham. The Heat signed Kyle Lowry, and the Mavs seemed more interested in pursuing Goran Dragic from the Raptors than using their cap room to make a big pursuit of anyone left on the point guard market.

That left Dinwiddie with relatively few suitors, but one that many expected to be in the mix after the Russell Westbrook trade, the Washington Wizards, emerged just after midnight on the East coast, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

While Washington didn’t have cap space, they did suddenly have a number of movable contracts from the Westbrook trade to make a sign-and-trade happen, it was just a matter of working out the final contract number with Dinwiddie and a deal with the Nets. Per Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, the Wizards and Dinwiddie were approaching a compromise on a number at around $20 million per year for three years as their meeting in Los Angeles stretched into the night.

However, for the next 36 hours there was little reported on the Dinwiddie front as the focus shifted from contract negotiations to trade negotiations between the Nets, Wizards, and other teams, but Shams Charania of The Athletic broke word on Wednesday evening that Dinwiddie was indeed headed to Washington on a 3-year, $62 million deal, with the Nets getting a pick swap and a future second rounder in return.

Dinwiddie confirmed his new team with a cheeky tweet.

Adding Dinwiddie to Bradley Beal certainly gives the Wizards a potent offensive backcourt, and with Westbrook’s salary now in L.A. and getting Dinwiddie at just over $20 million per year, they are in position to have more to spend in building around those two in the future, should this be enough to keep Beal of the belief the franchise is on the right trajectory.

The Wizards had to send some salary out to make Dinwiddie’s new deal work, but the Nets obviously didn’t want to take on anything given their tax situation. As such, Chandler Hutchinson is headed to San Antonio, per Woj, who also detailed the pick details for the Nets. The deal will officially be a 5-teamer, as the Wizards deals with the Lakers and Pacers will all be folded into this one, massive trade when the league year officially opens.

That 2025 pick swap is not a first round swap but a second round swap, meaning Wizards fans concerned they had given up too much in this when the initial reporting emerged can enjoy a sigh of relief courtesy of ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.

The Nets get a second rounder and clear a big traded player exception with the deal that they could use, if they want, to add a significant addition at some point. For the Wizards, they manage to keep all of the players they got from the Westbrook trade and land Dinwiddie without having to give up any real draft assets and that has to feel like a significant win in the nation’s capital.

Eviction seemed imminent for Dasha Kelly, 32, and her three young daughters Sharron, 8; Kia, 6; and Imani, 5, on Monday. The eviction moratorium expired over the weekend and it looked like there was no way for them to avoid becoming homeless.

The former Las Vegas card dealer lost her job due to casino closures during the pandemic and needed $2,000 to cover her back rent. The mother of three couldn’t bear the thought of being put out of her apartment with three children in the scorching Nevada desert.

“I had no idea what we were going to do,” Kelly said, according to KOAT.

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But things changed for Kelly on Monday when she was featured in a CNN “Out Front” segment on the eviction moratorium. During the segment, she rummaged through her bare apartment. She was forced to sell her TV, laptop, and bed just to stay afloat.

She needed money so badly that she was donating blood plasma.

“You know it’s happening when we start talking about it… it’s bringing all of my emotions.”

Dasha Kelly is a sin… https://t.co/psGm6yCiPm

— OutFrontCNN (@OutFrontCNN)
1627948622.0

At the end of the segment, a reporter mentioned that Kelly had started a GoFundme page to raise $2,000 to cover the back rent she owed. “We owe $1,900 for rent alone not including utilities. I will figure out utilities by pawning a few things. As you all know it is entirely still too hot to be homeless,” she wrote.

In just 24 hours the campaign raised over $172,000 from more than 2,700 donors. As of the writing of this article the campaign has eclipsed $200,000.

CNN caught up with her on Tuesday and she couldn’t believe her good fortune. “I just want to tell everybody thank you so much,” Kelly said as tears ran down her face. “I’m still in denial.”

“Our bills will be paid now, and the landlord has been great to us, will now be paid off for the whole lease,” she wrote in a follow-up post on the GoFundme site. “My family can afford a vehicle again so I can return to work.”

She also opened a savings account for each child and hopes to pay some of it forward to help another family in need. “I just want to make sure I do the best that I can to help the next person that is in my same situation,” she said.

Dasha Kelly and Cori Bush on CNN’s Erin Burnett Outfront

www.youtube.com

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a new, “temporary” moratorium on evictions on Tuesday.

The new order, which continues until October 3, covers counties experiencing “substantial” or “high” levels of COVID-19 spread. A source familiar with the moratorium said that currently includes about 80% of U.S. counties, or 90% of the U.S. population.

“The emergence of the delta variant has led to a rapid acceleration of community transmission in the United States, putting more Americans at increased risk, especially if they are unvaccinated,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said. “This moratorium is the right thing to do to keep people in their homes and out of congregate settings where COVID-19 spreads.”

The thought of a 7-year-old being picked on is heartbreaking, but the way this incoming second-grader chose to respond to being bullied is filling hearts with joy.

Rowyn Montgomery of Tiverton, Rhode Island, has been making motivational videos for his classmates and even grownups are finding them inspiring.

The wisdom and positive attitude this kiddo exudes is just awesome. Watch the message he has for his class as they get ready to tackle the second grade:

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Tiverton 7-Year-Old Has a Motivational Message for his Classmates

www.youtube.com

“God knows how many grades there’s gonna be!” Holy hilarious, Batman. But Rowyn is right: “Believing in yourself is always the right thing to do.”

Rowyn’s mom, Michelle Montgomery told FUN 107 that the 7-year-old regularly has conversations beyond his years. “He’s so funny,” she said. “He’s an old soul. You can talk to him about such deep things.”

Check out Rowyn’s advice for kids who are being picked on.

“I have a unibrow and I used to be picked on because of it. But, I don’t care because I’m myself!” he says. “With bullies, it doesn’t matter what they think about you, it matters what you think about yourself and it’s good to embrace yourself and tell other people who you are.”

Right on, little man.

Embrace YOUrself!!

www.youtube.com

“When I make videos, it makes me feel happy that other people can watch them and feel happy,” Rowyn said, according to ABC 6. “If they’re getting picked on or if they’re shy or something, they can watch the videos.”

Dealing with bullying is hard for people at any age. To see such a young person not only internalize a message of self-worth and confidence, but also be able to so eloquently share it with others, is truly inspiring.

Rowyn’s mom works in the behavioral health field and Rowyn himself hopes to be a counselor one day so he can keep helping and motivating others. Judging by his videos, he’s got a bright future ahead of him.

Rowyn’s videos can be seen on his YouTube channel, Rollin’ with Rowyn.