Best and Worst Live Guitar Solos

[Dr. Hollywood]

Take this prompt however you want: personal concert experiences or moments witnessed through recordings.


For worst, I would have to think Vinnie Vincent's 2022 appearance at Creatures Fest--where he was already on stage soloing as the audience was allowed in, and continued for around 15 minutes--ranks high.

For best: I really enjoyed the dueling between Doug Aldrich and Reb Beach during the late 2000s / early 2010s Whitesnake shows. Clearly it was to give Coverdale a break, but both guitarists are great and have their own style, and it kept it from being just one guy noodling around for five minutes.

[diablomozart]

i nominate slayer for both...on their albums i thought it was random noise...then i saw them live and they did the solos note for note...i'm still scratching my head over what to make of that..d.m.

[Thrasherfan17]

I"m partial to what inspired me as a player when I was younger and these are shows I saw live:

Jake E Lee's solo on both the BATM and Ultimate Sin tours were incredible! The first Badlands tour too.
Ronnie Le Tekro when TNT opened for Stryper and Loudness. I went to see Akira Takasaki but Ronnie smoked him imo.
Zakks solos on the NRFTW and NMT tours were great!
Joe Holmes (criminally underrated imho) on the Ozzfest tours where he did a Sabbath and Ozzy medley of songs Ozzy hasn't sung in years.
Nuno: Any time I saw him, he killed it.
EVH on the 5150 tour which was the first time I saw him.

There's a bunch more but those are the first I thought of.

The two best overrall guitar players I've ever seen live were Steve Morse and Shawn Lane. Morse can play more styles at a world class level (classical, rock, jazz, country, fusion) than anyone I ever saw. And Shawn Lane was the most terrifying guitar player I've ever seen.

I unfortuantely never saw Gary Moore.
I saw Michael Schenker once and he was amazing but didn't do an extended live solo but played a bunch of killer solos. He played after Lynch and smoked him imo.
I only saw John Sykes play two songs since his show was rained out with Blue Murder.

[Hair I Go Again]

Off the top of my head, the two worst I can remember seeing live were EVH on the reunion tour with Hagar (when he was apparently bombed out of his mind), and Ace Frehley's abortion at Dodger Stadium in 1998 (which is presented in all its non-glory on one of the Kissology DVD sets).

The former was disappointing and concerning, the latter painful.

[HueyRamone]

Off the top of my head, the two worst I can remember seeing live were EVH on the reunion tour with Hagar (when he was apparently bombed out of his mind), and Ace Frehley's abortion at Dodger Stadium in 1998 (which is presented in all its non-glory on one of the Kissology DVD sets).

The former was disappointing and concerning, the latter painful.

I was at that Dodger Stadium show I'll have to look at it. I dont remember the Ace solo being that bad, though it marked me saying "That show was ok, but nothing I ever need to see live again".... and I never did!

[FreddyFender]

ass: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9uGqw6TiNw

class: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aWd88rs6JE

[HueyRamone]

ass: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9uGqw6TiNw

That was fucking ballsack! The worst part was the comment section praising it!

[RaceFan3]

Does Feldog qualify for both the best AND the worst? Or just the worst?

[diablomozart]

Does Feldog qualify for both the best AND the worst? Or just the worst?

i'm not sure what universe that would be the best in, but it's a universe i don't want to live in...d.m.

[FreddyFender]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNDMSXrCTXc

Berdoo > Vandenberg

[Fat_Elvis]

I like Ace Frehley's solo in "Makin' Love" off of ALIVE II

Some of the worst are Paul Stanley's noodling on Animlaized Live Uncensored and his nonsense with Tommy on the EOTR tour.

[HueyRamone]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNDMSXrCTXc

Berdoo > Vandenberg

I dont even have to question if Jedi Guitarist Berdoo is in the best or worst column... of course it's best.

It's upsetting one of rock's most major acts hasnt posted a new clip in over 3 years!

[Love_Industry]

ass: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9uGqw6TiNw

That was fucking ballsack! The worst part was the comment section praising it!

Yeah, Vandy blows as a soloist. And songwriter. Idiots in the comments praise him for not shredding when that's the only thing he does well. I have no idea how he pulled off the guitars on the 70s sounding Manic Eden album, that seems way out of his league and he never played that way before or after.

Mick Mars's solo spots on the ToP (or was it GGG, or both) tours were atrocious. Karl Logan's in Manowar weren't much better, more technically skilled but not much more than spewing notes at top speed. Vinnie Vincent would wipe the floor with Logan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkBjv7SFOp0

[SeniorGrande]

WORST: Anytime Kirk Hammet and Monkey Man do a "noodle"

[Wednesday 13 Fan]

CC DeVille on Swallow This has got to be one of the worst.

[HueyRamone]

Mick Mars's solo spots on the ToP (or was it GGG, or both) tours were atrocious.

I dunno about GGG, but I saw TOP and i was like 13. I didnt know anything about lead guitar, really, like if someone told me Jay Jay French was one of the best, I would have went with it, but I knew that Mick's solo spot was the absolute worst thing i'd ever ever heard in metal.

[Ryan81]

ass: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9uGqw6TiNw

That was fucking ballsack! The worst part was the comment section praising it!

LOL! What the fuck was that? I thought Vandenberg was supposed to be a guitar hero?

Anyways, since Whitesnake has come up a couple times I've always liked this one from Doug.

https://youtu.be/ZZ2ztWGrvPs?si=-A138lxVCFL-iG6P

As was stated in a post above, it was always cool when him and Reb would do their solo duel. Two pretty different styles for sure.

Also, I never have seen it mentioned once, but I think Six String Sting from World Wide Live (Matthias Jabs - Scorpions) is a solid solo.

Probably my all time favorite is Eddie's Live...Without A Net solo. I've watched it at least 500 times and I'm still not tired of it at all. I also like watching peoples' reaction to it on YouTube.

[FreddyFender]

Vandenberg is alright, but that was always the problem. He's just alright. He's trying to imitate Jeff Beck in the solo I posted.... but Jeff Beck he ain't.

To be fair to him, here he is shredding back when soloing was cool. The upbeat part, kind of a Hot for Teacher ripoff, is cool enough. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHRQ3NNApuI

Doug was the man, killer solo. Brought Whitesnake back to life. Hokestra's Amazing Grace solo was pretty cool too.

[risingfarce]

The worst: The pitiful, but laughable shit that Mick Mars was "playing" on the KISS/Motley Shit tour. Horrible. Such a shit "band".

The best: I've seen great solos from Rik Emmett, Brian May, Bruce Kulick, Jake E Lee, Nuno Bettencourt, Paul Gilbert, Alex Lifeson.

[EzyRider]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNDMSXrCTXc

Berdoo > Vandenberg

I couldn't make it through the whole thing.

I almost bailed after 1 min of squeaking noises, seemed like something might happen, but couldn't stand it after maybe 1.5 min tops?

Is he trolling?

[HueyRamone]

Is he trolling?

You shut your whore mouth!

8 albums 5000 shows everywhere since 1985 to present 2025 supporting new 8th album "American Scars" also brand-new remix mastered on very first album titled "85" on Made in USA Metal Records Summer Tour stay tuned

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Question to our USA President Trump?
Can I JC Berdoo use old closed abandoned Military Bases for the new Space Force Rocks USA Military Vets Rolling Concert Tour Events going across the USA with local bands Bazillions of them performing and putting Military Vets men and women to work as it should be. No Bs No Politics No Haters Just Red, White and Blue and Rock and Roll


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