I was at this show in St Paul. It was a tv studio .very small .. only about 30 of us were there. It was the same night The last MASH episode was on. It also snowed heavily that night. Remember driving slowly home.

Probably the greatest 12 string guitarist of all time! The Twin Cities own Leo Kottke!

I'm a little late on this, but he blew out his right hand in the early 80's. He had to change his approach and technique completely. It is one thing to learn a craft and perfect it. Another to have the guts to start all over again. His playing now, is more enjoyable than back in the 60's and 70's. More harmony, nuance, texture. A courageous S.O.B.......

This is more than a great performance . In spite of Kottkes stoic face, something very deep and dark and powerful emerges. Totally breathtaking.

you can't imagine how much fun we had listening to him live in the 70th....and he's still unique!!

What a master of his instrument. Jedi quality. Love the syncopation on the stuff around 4-6 min mark. The definition of Leo throughout the whole hand cramping 9 mins.

And he did all that without doing a 'moon walk', no Whitesnake pyrotechnics killing many, remained fully clothed throughout the performance, no vulgar or crude song lyrics, no political ranting and, no spandex costumes. Leo just does the job better than anyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The only song that makes me shiver after all these decades - and therefore also my all-time-favourite.

30 years later, it's still excellent and beautiful and will always be !

Beautiful. I could listen to this guy for hours. His talent is extraordinary.

Are you kidding, what a guitar playing machine!!! Oh, I forgot to thank for this video, Thank-You!!!

I'd love to hang around with him for a month. Imagine the storeis and the tips you could learn. lol. Love Leo. Interestingly 1974 was the year a friend turned me on to him. I have a lot of vinyl and no disrespect to CDs or iTunes, I truly miss the packaging with all the information. I miss albums. How would I have ever known the story of smiling feet? The man's a machine!

My favourite Kottke video so far!

one of my top 3 guitar heroes , a powerful inspiration.♥️love and peace to him.

Just awesome! Perfect instrument and player to interpret the motion and commotion of steam locomotion at speed!

Thanks for uploading....just close your eyes and marvel at the precision and beauty.

Two years ago I started playing guitar again and started with last steam engine train. It’s one thing to play it well as I can after two years - but I’m playing it on a six string. I just started learning Stealing and in two more years I figure I’ll have it down. At about one tenth of the speed Leo does. And on a six string. Billy strings Mike Dawes tommy Emmanuel barney kessel doc Grier man they’re all fantastic. Fantastic. But imho this guy’s the Babe Ruth of guitar. He changed it all. Listen to Easter. He strikes a harmonic then bends the string- behind the nut! OMG

I remember recording this clip on an audio tape during the early 1980s, when it aired on public TV; unfortunately, it was a cheap tape that broke after a year or so. THANK YOU for bringing this back.

Thanks for posting this since the 1974 video is cut. Stealing in its several variations is my alltime favorite Kottke piece.

Wow, I didn’t realize he played Last Steam Engine Train on 12-string.

Leo likes to harras and tickle those strings what a finger picker,saw him in1974 my home town, Spartanburg sc.

I've seen him three times. First two were extraordinary. Last time (three years ago) he had a bad night... really off.

inhumanly good. better than machines.

Are you kidding, what a guitar playing machine!!!

I do not remember ever hearing this guy before. I cant imagine why, he is great. You have collected some really good music on your channel.

this is also fantastic but in the 1974 version you posted jpiir he really tears it up ! :)

Rockin the fuck outta that shit.

thanks for posting

9 minutes of this virtuoso picking, are really exhausting, even for a master like him.

It boggles the mind that he plays this with such precision on 12-string!

Leo at his best !

What a beautiful vicious attack on a 12 string guitar!!!!

What could a self respecting person do with himself for claiming to be a music connoisseur and just this very moment having found this artist and song? I am so lost right now. How did this happen?

I hate this guy. He's just too damn good.

Bless you! Thanks so much for sharing this.. been looking to hear "Stealing" again! (um...my copy is on vinyl, and here's me with a turntable that drew its last breath in ...1996?)

If God played guitar, he would play like Leo.

This take is from 1981 (Night times varieties).

Great stuff, I agree totally with the grandmaster comment - very few people can get so many notes out of an acoustic. Looks like an E or B broke early on near the bridge, you can see it waving around from the nut end at 6:10 and flashing near 7:30 and 8:26

wow he opened up the throttle at 5:55 and really started shredding. One for the ages....

agreed!

Divine? Monumental? I'm struggling for words to describe this playing.

UNMATCHED!!!!

Surgical and Soulful. Everlasting Leo!

The tendonitis got him in the following year - 1984.

Hey jpiir How come I never get to see his greatest Wake Up in the morning song called Buckaroo on any of these vids???? Toad Hall from KDKB fm in Phoenix used to get me up every morning in 1973 by playing it...I 'd put on my fatigues and drive to Luke AFB and protect my sector of the world.

John Fahey is great, but I wouldn't stretch it to say he was the father of Leo's talent!

Ahhh...So this is the Robot Monster Don Ross wrote a song about....That explains a lot of things...

It happens, man. Take it from a so-called guitar fan who just discovered David Rawlings, Misaake Kishibe and Ewan Dobson.

Great addition jpir. Didn't know he could still play like this in '83. When did the tendonitis get him?

Leo took Fahey's ideas into the next universe.

That man has never missed a note - not even once ! Fahey did that all the time - but Fahey is the Godfather of what came to be labeled "Primitive American Guitar" - "primitive" in another meaning of that word. When Kottke came on the scene - Fahey got a boost : "All of a sudden I was forced to learn how to play fast" ! he later told.

ask Leo....

WHAT PLANET IS THIS MAN FROM ????????

who knows!!!

Probably a Gibson B-45.

Pourquoi jouer ça à fond la caisse ? C'est trop rapide.

Sorry, you are right: From 1983 ("1974" is worse...).

No, you're thinking of Doc Watson.

Fucking hero, it's like he's done over-dubs there's so much going on.* *Please don't reply, I know he actually hasn't.

Anyone else notice that he broke a string? Also, does anyone know what the purpose of that white piece of plastic wedged into his strings behind the nut of his guitar is for?

Is he blind? I've never heard of this guy since like an hour ago.

Drugs