When I hear "Commander", only Ian McKaye comes to mind.

How about the "poser" angle? (Avenged Sevenfold, Trivium, Atreyu, B4MV). Come across as metal, but in reality you're barely hard rock.

Awww you suck Gerard Way is not a spazz. Except in music videos, his face looks like it's on crack cocaine. xD But I love Gerard.

Dallas is definatley a chatterbox but it's an amazing quality. it makes the shows seem that much more intimate and interactive. hes such a great guy.

Thom Yorke is a prime example of the stoic? really? Every time I have seen him play he is out of control jumping around flailing his limbs around in a fashion that made me question if they kept him in a cage before the show started. Sure he isn't overly chatty and can be somber during some songs, but overall his boundless energy is one of the reasons Radiohead shows are amazing

Cool article go stumble!

Ingrid Michaelson is a chatterbox. I saw her at the Recher in MD and she stopped between each song and explained the story behind it or interacted with the audience in some way. At one point she started a round. :]

Thom Yorke does seem like a Stoic, he may come across as one, but he does include crowd interaction. For example, at one of the Radiohead concerts I went to:

Thom: "Okay, everybody say 'Yeah'."
Crowd: "YEEEAAAAHHHHH!"
Thom: "Whoa, holy shit, that worked."

Also, just a suggestion in the Commander class: Corey Taylor from Slipknot. The second he says ANYTHING, the crowd goes ballistic.

All in all, good list. I can see where you got most of it from.

Another great commander is David Draiman, his control over the audience is awe inspiring.

Thom Yorke is probably THE most intense and involved singer I can think of live... and in my opinion the most emotive. Just a terrible example of a stoic, good article otherwise.

Uhm, what U2 concert have you been to? It was $99 to go to their last show... I know, I went. Robbie Williams in the same venue, Sting and The Police, same venue chared almost $200 a ticket to go...

the arctic monkeys will never rock my socks

hes stoic because he knows he sucks

Placing Thom Yorke as a STOIC is ridiculous. Have you not seen Radiohead live??!?! They always show they love playing live!

Liam gallagher's new song, I'M OUTTA TIME, which is on the new album DIG OUT YOUR SOUL is going to be bigger than Wonderwall. it's amazing.

The MEss has always worked for us.

JT
www.FireMe.To/udi

I can actually think of one front man that is every category on that list...

Eddie Vedder

The Mess - Always has a bottle of wine on stage

The Spaz - Watch him whenever they play porch

The Eccentric - Fuck Chris Martin, Eddie Vedder was the original sharpie skin art artist...

Psuedo Diva - I'm sure there are stories

The Stoic - Yes

The Commander - A bit of a cheat because every fan already know all of the words. Too bad he can't command fans not to trample each other at rock concerts.

The Politico - When someone champions more causes than they can keep track of, they call it the "Vedder Syndrome". Eddie Vedder now wants to hold a benefit concert for Vedder Syndrome Patients...

Trendsetting Fashionista - Who didn't have a flannel shirt in the early 90's

The Stuntman - Just watch the video for alive. He once climbed to the lighting scaffolds using only a mic cable. That almost sounds like a setup for a Chuck Norris joke.

The Chatterbox - Only Eddie Vedder could spin a yarn that touches on surfing, President Bush, weeding your garden, driving a car, sign language, NAFTA, and deer repelants... Too bad nobody understands a single fucking word he says...

Dave Matthews is all of them rolled into one that is why he is gods voice. Yep Yep. Why do they always leave you out Mr. Matthews you are only the biggest artist in the world right? Or maybe I'm just Crazy? maybe we are all a little crazy......

"When I hear "Commander", only Ian McKaye comes to mind."

first thing that came into my mind as well
'two steps back'

Bruce Dickinson is definitely a Commander. A great great frontman.

In the Slipknot concert DVD when he gets everyone to sit down and then "jump" is example of the Commander. The whole time the singer is handling the crowd like he is a Marine Corp Seargent mind controlling them. It is very strange. Good work on the article.

Cool list. Although have you ever seen Arctic Monkeys live? Alex Turner is no stoic. He gave some of the best banter between and during songs probably out of any band I've ever seen last time I went.

Nice examples!

Thom Yorke is a stoic? Search Fake Plastic Trees Glastonbury 2003 on youtube. If that's not interaction i dont know what is.

Paul Stanley is the embodiment of the Chatterbox. Anyone who's got an entire mp3 (floating around somewhere out there on the Internets) of his collected banter definitely deserves enshrinement.

"The Wanker," as in Stephen Merritt. The man can write an awesome song, but he is such a DICK in concert.

Trent and Josh are definitely commanders. Great list, nice one :)

I saw radiohead a few days ago (2nd time). Thom Yorke is definitely not stoic. He's talkative, he interacts with the crowd, and he dances like a maniac. He's definitely having a good time. I'd say he's probably a spaz.

Well, you missed the obvious one: Alpha Male sex fiend. Robert Plant, Bon Scott, Jim Morrison, etc, etc, etc.

why not "the pandering shithead"?

MJ seems to have a comanding presence on stage from bits iv seen of him...but who knows.
and what about Prince - surely his own category of stage god is required...christ can that little man tear up an arena, no matter what size; intimate or hugely epic.

Yey , Awesome list :D

on radiohead's recent tour i'd actually call Thom a Spaz more than anything. during the slow songs he's got a grin on his face and during the faster ones he flailing about like an epileptic. at all points i saw people walking away trying to mimic his unique dancing style. he's also def a politico. tibetan flags were displayed on stage but never addressed.

Ummmm, I just went and saw jesse lacey solo about approx. two weeks ago and there were no restrictions with cameras. I think it prolly has something to do with Brand New's management because I was in the front row of his solo show and I took videos galore thank jesu.

I love Dallas. Such a wonderful man. <3

and thus Freddie Mercury is unique. He is legend and there is no one that can touch him!

If you ever go to 'pop' band concert, you'll recognize the Techie front man. I mean, with the high def tvs, fireworks, rising stages, ect, you can barely focus on the music!

Then there are the hybrids. David Lee Roth is half chatterbox, half psuedo diva.

Interesting take.

I don't know if Thom Yorke is pinned right. He's the Stoic when he first gets on stage, yeah, but after a while when he really gets into it he's a complete Spaz. And I don't think he's anywhere close to being as preachy as any of the other Politicos. Other than that, pretty good stuff.

Hey, the Stoic frontman is the best type of frontman. The Arctic Monkeys is one of the best bands around today and Alex Turner definitely brings an energy.
Then there is the legendary Liam Gallagher. All he does is stand there, in his own unique stance, and your eyes are immediately drawn to him.

You forgot pretty much every extreme metal frontman (and most thrashers as well) as Commanders and Stuntmen- Anders Friden from In Flames and Randy Blythe from Lamb of God respectively.

gerard way is lame as hell

After seeing Radiohead live, I have to say that Thom Yorke is definitely not a stoic band leader. He spoke to us and made some jokes and had a great time. He danced around and did some fun stuff.

So yeah.

You were wrong.

On the internet.

Oh dear lord.

About John Mayer:

1] He rocks that guitar like it "ain't no thang." Truly a great musician!

2] It was so great having the concert almost personalized by his commentary!

He just puts on an enjoyable show all around. The appreciation he shows for his band-mates, fans, and musical career is nothing short of awesome.

Kevin Barnes, lead singer of Of Montreal is definitely an "Eccentric".

Aaron Weiss, lead singer of mewithoutYou is a total "Spaz"

You could expand nicely on this!
"The Rebel", who knows his audience is 12 and 13, but curses and talks about sex just to piss off their parents. See also: Peter Wentz, Gabe Saporta, all of All Time Low. "The Babysitter", same audience age but the guy who keeps it G rated and makes his set fun for kids. See also: Luis Dubuc. "The FauxRocker". The guy that tries to be hardcore, or a real rockstar, but really just falls short and amused everyone. See also: that guy from A7X, I don't even know his name.

I. Love. This. List.

i think that thom yorke would be more of a spaz than a stoic. have you seen him dance?

Stephen Jenkins of Third Eye Blind is a chatterbox. I saw him at UMD last year and he really put on a good show. A Commander too. He had the whole crowd singing the guitar solo in Jumper. Really blew my mind. I'll let you know how The Fratelli's are later. I got tickets to them for October down at the 9:30 club in DC.

Author has obviously never seen The Mars Volta live.

LOL great post. Entertaining pictures too!

What about The Nerd? The kind of guys who are more interested in twiddling with knobs and faders than even looking at the crowd - think Orbital et al. Great music, but almost zero crowd interaction.

Have to back up the previous commenters here -- Thom Yorke is definitely not a Stoic. He's pretty much the poster boy for Spaz.

Oh, and Tori Amos -- she's half Chatterbox and half Eccentric in one slightly manic package.

I think Lydon (Rotten Sex Pistols) would be a cross between many of these catagories:
1.The Spaz-Man just can't seem to stay still
2.The ecentric-Recently wore a leafy suit on stage
3.The Pseudo Diva-Wants what he wants when he wants it
4.The commander-Easily leads a crowd
5.Chatterbox-Just loooves to talk

Great list!

I can see Thom Yorke as a stoic and as not. I saw Radiohead twice this year and first show he was all over the place but the 2nd show I saw he kinda stayed stationary and really didnt talk with the crowd, but then again he mentioned he was a bit jet lagged so that may be the reasoning behind it.

A suggestion for a chatterbox is Jeff Tweedy of Wilco. He is constantly talking with the crowd telling stories or getting song requests, especially during his solo acoustic shows where he even made fun of himself for talking too much

Eccentric: Peter Gabriel when he was in Genesis

" "When I hear "Commander", only Ian McKaye comes to mind."

first thing that came into my mind as well
'two steps back' "

me too!!!!! i love ian! & i love henry rollins :]

i think perry farrel can be all at times.

Yes I have to agree with Joe.

Dude you can't say shit about Thom Yorke Or you'll have the whole fucking internet breathing down your throat because us Radiohead fans are everywhere

and as far as stage performers go I would say Thom Yorke is a commander because though he doesn't have his fans constantly jumping through hoops he has millions of people that would take a bullet for him in a heart beat

a better example you could you for a stoic would be Robert Smith (the prince of darkness haha) when the Cure played Sasquach I'm fairly sure the only word that came out of Robert smith's mouth mouth was "Kay"

You should put Aaron Barret of Reel Big Fish under the chatterbox list

#2 is not a picture of dave grohl

@sean: Yeah, I see what you mean! :P For the record I am a huge Radiohead fan and have seen them live seven or eight times - almost every show I've been at he's been minimally chatty, uttering only a few words here and there. That's what I based my description of "stoic" on.

But yes, he's also a commander in a way, and yes, when they play "Idioteque", he's a spaz too. So he's a hybrid of many styles!!

Not sure if Ed Robertson or Steve Page is the front man for Barenaked Ladies, but they are the consummate chatterboxes. They are the "you've got to see them live" band, because the stuff between the songs, with improv rap, anecdotes, spur of the moment covers, jokes, impromptu contests ("I dare anyone to find me a better beard than that guy right there.") Not full of themselves at all. Full of coke evidently, but not full of themselves.

julian casablancas = stioc+the mess,

serj tankian = the poltico+the spaz,

corey taylor = the commander+the eccentric,

aaron barret = the chatter box.

myself, i'm a chatter box + spaz + politico.

how about what about Red hot chili peppers front man Anthony Kiedis, Spaz? or Frontman?

Since all your other stoics are getting shot down, I'd like to recommend the best example: Ric Ocasek. Seriously, go to YouTube and check out live videos of the Cars. He just stands there, plays, and sings most of the time. It's quite amazing, actually.

Whether or not you like him, Billie Joe Armstrong from Green Day should so be under spaz. I mean, if you've ever seen any Green Day stuff live, then that's pretty fucking spazzy.

Also, Gerard Way is also a Commander. I've seen MCR in concert multiple times, and their "hardcore" fans worship Gerard like he's the second fucking coming, and do everything he says, because he is their "savoir'. Those are not my words, but the words of the teeny boppers at the shows.

Also, David Bowie should be under the Eccentric.

Dave Mustaine. Commander Supreme.

I've heard some insane stories of Dave and his incredible ability to control his personal army.

One particularly outstanding story i remember involved Dave noticing a banner hung up which he didn't agree with. He commanded his army to get rid of it and sure enough, a swarm of people run out and start scaling the wall and each other to rip it down.

Dave Mustaine is all mighty.

i'd like to suggest one mr. bert mccracken in 'the stuntman' category.

and one mr. adam lazzara to the 'chatterbox' category.

..and perhaps jimmy urine in the 'spaz'. perhaps.
that is all, i like it. :]

first off, no dissing Eddy Vedder allowed. i hear you can go to prison for that nowadays. secondly, i think your forgetting Bert McKracken (did i spell that right?) as a stuntman. ive seen him do some crasy stuff on warped tour.

NO AXL ROSE?

BLASPHEMY !

fuck that about brandon, he's the best preformer at the moment in the business so step back you brotha hatin emo!!!

Keith Murray and Chris Cain (We Are Scientists) fit into the Chatterbox category. They take a break every three songs or so to give a comedic commentary on whatever they're doing, have done, or are planning to do.

Case and point: In Indianapolis, they asked where the after party was. An audience member replied, "The quarry!" and it all went downhill from there.

Some of the pictures are wrong.

Gerard is too a spaz. in the best way possible. he's unpredictable on stage, you never know what he's going to do next. he never just stands there and sings. that's what is great about him.

You left out Adam Lazzara as a prime example of the stuntman. You know, when he's not being a spaz. I'm pretty sure hanging from the rafters and knocking your bassist out with a microphone kind of counts as both...

Thom is a complete spaz and I've been to shows with crowd interaction. He can be really fun. Josh from QOTSA seemed stoic to me at the shows I've been to. But all else looks dead on. And Trent does command with an iron fist and it's lovelier each time.

Adam Lazzara definitely belongs in the stuntman category; I'm surprised he's not even listed under chatterbox.

And Gerard Way is an excellent spaz.

Where on earth is Morrissey in the Politico category?? I've never seen anyone put more politics in their music. Meat is Murder anyone?

And Isaac Brock (Modest Mouse) is definitely a chatterbox. He once stopped a song to talk about how he took tap dancing lessons when he was like six.

You pretty much really described Gerard in that Spaz category. He is amazing in concert, as well as the rest of the band. And stop bashing A7X guys. They've stated before that they've never considered themselves metal, they just play music that they like. Jeez, you can't have an article about music without people critiquing each other's favourites every five seconds.

Gerard Way is SO a spaz haha.
But he's also a good Commander. seriously, the crowd would jump off a cliff if he told them to. :D

jesse lacey isn't a diva. he doesn't want anyone bringing cameras into shows because he doesn't want anyone taping them. he wants the experience of the concerts to be between him and the people ACTUALLY there. do your research. you couldn't have gotten him more wrong.

don't be so blunt, you cant just lump all these people into categories without actually knowing them.
and you couldnt be more off about jesse lacey, he just doesnt like being photographed. venues restrict cameras, its not just the bands