Who are/were The Greatest LIVE Band ever

[Wendigo]

Iron Maiden - they give it their all every time. At the Wembley gig last year even fans with seats, like me, stood up through the whole concert. They have a great rapport with the audience and that makes a lot of difference to how great a gig is.
And to close in style what else but...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28GaKoCuobU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PieS0zG228A&feature=related

[anklebiter]

The almighty- KISS
Great stage shows, Paul can work a crowd like no other, zillions of good songs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoLx8RsHN0A&feature=PlayList&p=3DC3CE9F6E40AE37&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=2

[cuminmyass]

...if someone had a gun to my head and I had to choose only one....


IRON MAIDEN

[slumdog]

Oh Come On, Its Always & Only going to be-THE ROLLING STONES-!

[imtrying]

I think I have to go with anklebiter on this one. I've seen some awesome shows in my day. I've been going to concerts since the summer of '76 (I was 11). I've seen KISS three times ('76, '78 and '98). All three times it was with the original line-up and they always gave the fans their money's worth. I'd give runner-up to Alice Cooper.

[sillyBus]

It has to be a band you have actually seen. Also, maybe a band that is actually good and not some cartoon group where the lead singer still can't play the guitar despite wearing it for the last 30 years. I am looking at you Paul Stanley.

The Rolling Stones are the best with U2 a close second.

[anklebiter]

I think I have to go with anklebiter on this one. I've seen some awesome shows in my day. I've been going to concerts since the summer of '76 (I was 11). I've seen KISS three times ('76, '78 and '98). All three times it was with the original line-up and they always gave the fans their money's worth. I'd give runner-up to Alice Cooper.

That's funny-I was going to say Alice cooper also, but decided to stick to just Kiss.
Going to see Alice August 2nd :)

[FlyStrat]

My vote goes to Judas Priest

[butterball]

Obviously limited to the bands I've actually seen........but the best of them was Blue Oyster Cult. Good show. (honorable mention to KISS and Lynyrd Skynyrd.)

[Estreeter]

Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band, no contest,
Long shows, packing out and mostly selling out stadiums and arenas from the 70's to this day,
No gimmicks required during the shows, just plays good rock music,

http://thumbnails4.imagebam.com/4288/e6d0b442873285.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/e6d0b442873285)

The Rolling Stones and U2 would both be a close second:)

[MrKinkade]

There's no time frame on this I'll go for 70's Led Zep/The Who and also from the same era Santana seeesh sounds like woodstock btw I've never seen these bands live only on film. U2 I have seen live and that was back in the early 80's they were tight but I dont think the best.Infact,bono was an arrogant twat on stage then.

[kananga]

This may surprise some, given the nature of many of my other music posts, but I'd cite Ike and Tina around '75 as one of the best live shows I've ever seen.
Coincidentally Tina was at her hottest then, wearing that torn leather dress :)
I saw them at an oudoor venue on a perfectly still Summers day, and we were able to position ourselves centre front of the stage.

The act began with the core band doing a few long complex instrumental pieces with a lot of percussion, not at all unlike Santana, before Ike and the Ikettes took the stage for a selection of oldies.
Tina took the stage last for a very long energetic show.
Covers ranged from Alice Cooper to Sly and the Family Stone.
The sound was impossible to improve upon, you could clearly hear the bell? or triangle on 'Nutbush City Limits' and the band was as tight as a touring band with their long history could possibly be.

Sadly I've never heard a disc or record that comes close to this performance.

[Wendigo]

The almighty- KISS
Great stage shows, Paul can work a crowd like no other, zillions of good songs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoLx8RsHN0A&feature=PlayList&p=3DC3CE9F6E40AE37&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=2

If I had have chosen two bands then KISS would have been my second. I've only seen them live twice but they were brilliant on both occasions. I even managed to have a chat with Gene Simmons before the show, kudos to him for that.

[avidfan]

prince and the revolution, the time (called the tightest funkiest band in america) and thunder! oh and prince with whichever backing band hes got at the time, the lovesexy tour in '88 (i think-im getting old) was just sublime!

[fredfox44]

Pink Floyd best I have ever seen live, but for sheer lunacy Rick Wakeman performing the six wives of henry viii on ice

[parrabol]

i think that rush has to be top five at least. when they were first starting out, they got their reputation from being a really good band live. and thirty years later they still have it, although they are a little slower than they used to be :) cheers.

[jb.nyc]

I've been to hundreds of shows, maybe close to or even over a thousand... almost 25 years in the music industry can offer you that kinda perk! I don't think there's a single band that I've seen multiple times that has been great every time... Even the likes of Springsteen & Prince who can stun live, have left me cold on occasion.

Some shows though will stay with me forever...

Led Zeppelin @ Knebworth 79
The Rolling Stones @ the 100 Club 81 and The Enmore Theater, Sydney 2003
Guns n Roses (the original line up, Axl, Slash, Izzy, Duff & Steven Adler) @ The Marquee '87
The Clash @ Hammersmith Odeon 79
U2 @ Madison Sq Garden 2005
Prince @ aftershow party London 1988, and Madison Square Garden, Paris 87 & Madison Square Garden 2004
Springsteen (with E Street Band) @ Giants Stadium 2008 & Wembley Stadium 1985
Springsteen (with The Seeger Sessions Band) @ Madison Sq Garden 2006
Public Enemy @ Brixton Acadamy 1989
ZZ Top @ The Marquee 1983
Queen @ Hammersmith Odeon 79
Oasis @ The Astoria 94
Jane's Addiction @ The Borderline 1988
KISS @ Wembley Arena 1980
AC/DC @ Hammersmith (with Bon Scott) 79
The Who @ Kiburn 1977

[mr_tibbs]

Jethro Tull

Emerson Lake & Palmer

[Penetration Guru]

Queen

Saw then at the NEC in 1984 and Wembley / Knebworth in 1986.

Fantastic ! !

[MLS]

kiss

[Leprechaun]

Iron Maiden

[inflamez]

At least one of the craziest.
http://img1.pixhost.org/thumbs/90/500725_dillingervid108.jpg (http://www.pixhost.org/show/90/500725_dillingervid108.jpg)

[billybunter]

The Who

[graftzig]

I'm not a major KISS fan, but their live act is second to none, you have to admit it!

[melies]

For my money it has to be Slade.
The best rock band ever with the best rock singer ever.

AC/DC come pretty close, along with Jethro Tull.
Franz Ferdinand and Blur rate highly from the 'newer' crop (and yes, I know Blur have been around for a long time now)

[molokkoplus]

REM

the studio albums are not my cup of tea but live a brilliant band

[Sam Spade]

It can only be The Strolling Bones ......errr, i mean...

:DThe Rolling Stones:D

http://img41.imagevenue.com/loc59/th_67678_the_rolling_stones_dv_122_59lo.jpg (http://img41.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=67678_the_rolling_stones_dv_122_59lo .jpg)



I have seen the Stones twice, once during their Voodoo Lounge tour, and once during the Bridges To Babylon tour, both times at the old Wembley Stadium, the whole experience was incredible, arriving at the stadium at 09:00 knowing that the doors would not open until 16:30, with the show not due to start until 20:30, both days were sweltering hot, but once inside the stadium we were hosed down by the staff :D to prevent heatstroke.

The first gig opened with "Not Fade Away", with Charlie kicking things off and Mick skipping onto the stage, right in front of me :cool:, (i was hanging on to the barrier at the front of the stage), Keef and Ronnie covered every inch of the stage during the show and all the classics were reeled off....(i went on July 16th)


Mick was joined in a duet with a woman called Lisa Fischer, an incredible singer who really proved an equal to Mick, and who got a huge ovation when she finished, if the Stones come to a town near you, go see 'em, they can't last forever. :D
.

[Sam Spade]

For my money it has to be Slade.
The best rock band ever with the best rock singer ever.




Noddy must have the best rock voice of all time,


Cum On Feel The Noize (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLsw668PVyY)

Gudbye To Jane (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFKZNo-mmpg&feature=related)

Everyday (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1A5pWg2rtNc&feature=related)


Bangin' Man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvuYrtDzPto)

[tamsmith]

The first Ten years or so of the Rolling Stones when they were amazing to watch. Followed closely by The Who.

Both were copied by so many of those that followed.

[maxedout]

Best bands/performers I've seen - in no particular order.

For the stage show -
Hawkwind in the mid to late 70's - Atomhenge was far better than Rainbow's computer controlled rainbow & at a fraction of the cost plus Bob Calvert was an insane front man.
the Stones (of course).
ZZ Top - it always makes the gig better when the band are enjoying it as much as the audience.
Jethro Tull - for the same reason - pure fun from start to finish.

For the music -
Rory Gallagher - no nonsense blues from a man who only cared about the music & always gave 110%.
Neil Young - another one who cares about the music above everything else.
B.B. King - he's getting on in years but still a true artist & a joy to hear.
Frankie Miller - like Rory Gallagher, no nonsense, just great music. Plus the best tour t-shirt ever, black with "Frankie who?" in small yellow type on the front. On the back, in much larger type,

"FRANKIE FUCKING MILLER THAT'S WHO"

stylish eh?

[imtrying]

The single best show I ever saw was the Ronnie Lane ARMS benefit at the Forum. Check out this line-up: Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Paul Rodgers, Joe Cocker, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts, Kenny Jones, Andy Fairweather-Low, Ray Cooper and Ronnie. It was the first time Page had played in the States since Zep's split. When the lights went down, and the first few chords of "Stairway to Heaven" rang out, it was the loudest cheer I've ever heard at any show.

[MLS]

Saw them (Stones) twice at Fenway Park. Awesome show, Mick is the man. But still second for me!

[almeidaCTU]

http://www.buzzine.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/depeche_mode_20090531a.jpg

Depeche Mode (http://www.depechemode.com/)

[Davemetalhead]

AC/DC.

I'd give up my left testicle to be able to go back in time and watch them with the almighty Bon Scott.

[rotobott]

For sheer entertainment.The Tubes White Punks on Dope late seventies tour.banned at most British venues,but an amazing spectacle.

This video does not do it justice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kP8nGNbk7oQ

[Glennw61]

Best bands/performers I've seen - in no particular order.

Frankie Miller - like Rory Gallagher, no nonsense, just great music. Plus the best tour t-shirt ever, black with "Frankie who?" in small yellow type on the front. On the back, in much larger type,

"FRANKIE FUCKING MILLER THAT'S WHO"



I have to agree whole heartedly with that one Frankie is the man, he has one of the best voices ever. I remember seeing him live a couple of times around 1980, Superb! I also read somewhere that the tit Rod Stewart stated that Frankie had the best singing voice he had ever heard too in some rag mag awhile ago!

[jb.nyc]

For my money it has to be Slade.
The best rock band ever with the best rock singer ever.

First band I ever saw... Earls Court 1973... I was eight... amazing.

Also saw them (amongst other times) at Donnington in 1981... pissing down with rain... in AUGUST... getting 80,000 people to sing 'Merry Xmas Everybody'!! Classic!

[jb.nyc]

I'm not a major KISS fan, but their live act is second to none, you have to admit it!

I'm kind of over 'em now... and the show NEVER changes any more... fireworks blah blah blah... firebreathing blah blah blah... spitting blood blah blah blah... The first time I saw them in 1980, I was dumbstruck & I've seen & enjoyed them with make-up and without... However I saw them (twice) on the double bill with Aerosmith & they got blown off the stage each night. I might take my 8 year old if they play NYC this year... He'll dig it.

The best Kiss show I saw in the last 20 years was Paul Stanley solo at Irving Plaza (a small venue - about 1000 capacity)... no production, no Simmons... just a great rock'n'roll show.

[kananga]

Reading mcspurs original post again makes me lament the fact that I never saw Jimi Hendrix live.
Aside from the stellar 'Band of Gypsies' recordings he left some truly great live material behind, including a live performance of 'Little Wing' that, in my humble opinion, surpasses the studio version on 'Axis Bold As Love' :(

[crazybikerme]

Seen 'em 7 times. Still as great now as when they started 40 years ago!!

http://img223.imagevenue.com/loc250/th_33222_acdc3_123_250lo.jpg (http://img223.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=33222_acdc3_123_250lo.jpg)http://img31.imagevenue.com/loc996/th_33224_200695104747_Ac-Dc_123_996lo.jpg (http://img31.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=33224_200695104747_Ac-Dc_123_996lo.jpg)http://img265.imagevenue.com/loc18/th_33230_ac-dc-pic_123_18lo.jpg (http://img265.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=33230_ac-dc-pic_123_18lo.jpg)http://img265.imagevenue.com/loc6/th_33231_ac-dc-20060607-135406_123_6lo.jpg (http://img265.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=33231_ac-dc-20060607-135406_123_6lo.jpg) http://img260.imagevenue.com/loc189/th_33232_ac-dc-767774_123_189lo.jpg (http://img260.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=33232_ac-dc-767774_123_189lo.jpg)http://img214.imagevenue.com/loc72/th_33233_acdc_biloxi_123_72lo.jpg (http://img214.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=33233_acdc_biloxi_123_72lo.jpg)http://img206.imagevenue.com/loc193/th_33238_AC-DC-3_123_193lo.jpg (http://img206.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=33238_AC-DC-3_123_193lo.jpg) http://img120.imagevenue.com/loc700/th_33240_AC-DC-Wallpaper-Tits_123_700lo.jpg (http://img120.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=33240_AC-DC-Wallpaper-Tits_123_700lo.jpg)http://img186.imagevenue.com/loc4/th_33246_ac-dc_123_4lo.jpg (http://img186.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=33246_ac-dc_123_4lo.jpg)http://img105.imagevenue.com/loc18/th_33248_AC-DC_l_123_18lo.jpg (http://img105.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=33248_AC-DC_l_123_18lo.jpg)

:p :p :p

[tabler]

Hilts, just to let you know mate Brian Johnson from AC/DC is the 'Star in a reasonably priced car' on Top Gear tonight!:cool:

[crazybikerme]

Hilts, just to let you know mate Brian Johnson from AC/DC is the 'Star in a reasonably priced car' on Top Gear tonight!:cool:

Mate!!! Tabs boy, I'm outta here gotta go see 'Big Bri'. That's a large beer I owe ya Tabss!!!!! :)

[jb.nyc]

Seen 'em 7 times. Still as great now as when they started 40 years ago!!

I love(d) Accadacca...I was fortunate enough to see 'em with Bon Scott back in the day and on the first couple of tours with Beano, all of which were great,. I met the guys backsatge several times & they're all diamond fellas... but I have to admit the last couple of times I saw 'em I walked after an hour... The only things that change are the size of the cannon & Angus' hair-line...

I know the old 'if it ain't broke...' adage and shit, lots of people still love to bits, but they (like KISS) kinda bore me nowadays...

[imtrying]

The problem with KISS nowadays is that it's more of a tribute band than the real deal. It's Gene, Paul and two guys made up to look like Peter and Ace. It'd be one thing if the new guys had their own characters or if they just did away with the make-up completely. But as it stands now, it just seems lame, like they're trying to fool people.

[Jamfortea]

For sheer entertainment.The Tubes White Punks on Dope late seventies tour.banned at most British venues,but an amazing spectacle.

This video does not do it justice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kP8nGNbk7oQ


I agree. I saw The Tubes in 1981 and their stage show was years ahead of it's time. I have seen them on TV and video, and have to say that they don't show how good they were live.

[dmcdaniel19780]

Only one answer: The Ramones

[maxedout]

I always thought Kiss were crap but they were the subject of the best grafitti I ever saw.
It was on one of the side doors of the Liverpool Empire in the late 70's. Not 100% sure of the exact wording but it went something like...

GENE SIMMONS IS GOD
ACE FREHLEY IS ACE
PAUL STANLEY IS PERFECT
PETER CRISS IS AVERAGE

[guitarboy]

For me in no particular order

Lynyrd Skynyrd
AC/DC
Iron Maiden
W.A.S.P
Rolling Stones
Eric Clapton
Wilko Johnson
Fun Lovin Criminals

and not forgetting the Mighty Status Quo!!!

[anklebiter]

I saw Foreigner last night.I like some songs, but have never considered myself a "fan".I must say they sounded better than any band I've ever heard live.Every note crystal clear, I mean like CD quality-and it was outside to boot.
Still not a superfan,but I have a new standard on sound quality.Amazing!

[brianwp]

I saw Jeff Beck in Houston a few years ago, and it was just the best concert I've ever been to. I've seen the Stones live, but as much as I love them, sometimes they just suck. I love Procol Harum, too, but they weren't the best live band, either. They were always good, but kinda like listening to the record. Beck just doesn't stop growing, always something new.

[brianwp]

Then again, when the Stones are good, they're good! I hate watching guys like Liam Gallagher, always standing there with his hands behind his back, twisting and squirming around like he's spazzed out. I'd rather watch an old lady push a walker around. I've played in a lot of bands over the years, and you have to project. A little showmanship does a lot for a live performance. Beck does it, so does Keef. He's a master. Nowadays they have so much backup, he does more moves than riffs. But they're classic. And the Mick, come on! He's amazing! Still, at his age, running around the stage, up and down scaffold stairs, dancing, and still having enough breath left over to sing! He could wear out a kid half his age. He could run circles around Gallagher. Now that, ladies and gentlemen..is a showman. And let's face it..he's been the prototype of the classic rock singer that many, many others have emulated. Yeah, the boys are classic, you might even say...legends.

[AlBundy]

Grteful Dead

[donnalangtonukmode]

Saw RUSH Twice in Glasgow and they where just amazing.

But seeing my fave punk band ever, 999 who played at
some uni in glasgow was the best ever. Me and my mate
got back stage and met the band and I got to chat with
John Watson the bass player.

So :thumbsup: up to my mate john who dragged me down to their
dressing room and because we where last in the que to see
them, we got to chat with them longer than everyone else.....

So turn up late when meeting your heros:D

[benedictus]

http://img266.imagevenue.com/loc249/th_45875_Rory-Gallagher-1-big_122_249lo.jpg (http://img266.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=45875_Rory-Gallagher-1-big_122_249lo.jpg)

1979 in Montreaux

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIO4z7Z4nq4

And the same song about 15 years later somewhere in France, ravaged by his liver disease - but still a great performance!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsUKWFkmRu0

One of the best guitar players ever. RIP Rory!

[Clarisworkz]

There's only one band who perform live that can't be matched (imho) ... :cool:

Pink Floyd ... and the concert was "P•U●L•S•E" ... (aka "The Division Bell Tour")

And here's why .... :thumbsup:


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(http://img237.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=59545_pf_pulse_0040_122_436lo.jpg) http://img186.imagevenue.com/loc162/th_59559_pf_pulse_0041_122_162lo.jpg (http://img186.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=59559_pf_pulse_0041_122_162lo.jpg)ht tp://img217.imagevenue.com/loc1043/th_59571_pf_pulse_0042_122_1043lo.jpg (http://img217.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=59571_pf_pulse_0042_122_1043lo.jpg)h ttp://img24.imagevenue.com/loc258/th_59587_pf_pulse_0043_122_258lo.jpg (http://img24.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=59587_pf_pulse_0043_122_258lo.jpg) http://img205.imagevenue.com/loc437/th_59598_pf_pulse_0044_122_437lo.jpg (http://img205.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=59598_pf_pulse_0044_122_437lo.jpg)ht tp://img11.imagevenue.com/loc448/th_59609_pf_pulse_0045_122_448lo.jpg (http://img11.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=59609_pf_pulse_0045_122_448lo.jpg)ht tp://img240.imagevenue.com/loc230/th_58979_pf_pulse_0046_122_230lo.jpg (http://img240.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=58979_pf_pulse_0046_122_230lo.jpg)

Simply brilliant!!

I should add that Pink Floyd's music live is astonishing, with David Gilmour improvising on every track and Nick and Richard doing the same. And the other band members all perform brilliantly too. I think the light and film show enhances the music and the experience, because you don't need to see the musicians on giant video screens ... just the images and lights and sound.

:D

(I captured these images from my original PULSE DVD)

[karloschaos]

Gotta say Hawkwind. From the first time I saw them in 1984 I've clocked in 49 gigs & still they captivate me. Went to the 40th anniversary party in London this year & despite the fact there was hardly any stage show at all, no fancy lights, no laser show or anything like that, just a band on stage playing real music, they were awesome as ever. Dave Brock deserves a Knighthood for what he represents in terms of being a true one off in the music industry.

[welderman]

For Entertainment..
The Tubes..Birmingham Odeon..1983
AC/DC..Birmingham Odeon..1979
Rolling Stones..Rotterdam..1982


For Musical genius..
The Allman Brothers...Rainbow Theatre..London..1980
Grateful Dead...Rainbow Theatre..London..1981
Santana..NEC.. Birmingham 1982
Genesis..NEC..Birmingham..1981

[al_the_bundy]

As musician he's one of, if not the finest, composing modern music. Many are those who attended at concerts in the 70's and cherrish that memory. Elton John gave a consert in Stockholm feb.6th 1979 together with Ray Cooper. Piano and percusion, an odd combination but their showmanship turned it to an ultimate show. There's a video cassette to see when the two visited Russia later that year for what was the first western rockshow there. It's a documantary with some clips from the stage. Unforgetable.

[jazper]

Gotta be Queen at Wembley in 86, although Van Halen blew me away at the Odeon in 84

[whiskymick]

AC/DC l last saw them at the MEN arena just after the bombings fantastic night !!

[dbailey]

Pink Floyd, Knebworth 1975 or 76 I forget.

Genesis 1976, 78, 81

Jethro Tull, 1981

Marillion 1981

Red Hot Chili Peppers, Stadium Arcadium tour , Ricoh Stadium Coventry supported by The Dirty Pretty Things......one hell of a night. I didnt get home until 3.30am and was up for work at 6.00am

Flamming lips, always a good laugh

The Eels, always a better laugh

Two Gallants, up close and personal in a basement in Leeds 2 years ago.

Ocean Colour Scene, always put on a great night.

Lindisfarne, to see them live at Newcastle City Hall is like eating a coal stottie, and ya cant get anymore Geordie than that.

Yes famous line up reunion tour at Liverpool about 4 years ago, terrific. Wakeman, Anderson, Howe, Squire, White

Edit

Can I add that THE worst gig I ever went to was when Yes were in freefall collapse and they kindo of merged with THE BUGGLES and were known as the Yeggles by us diehard fans. They played at City Hall in Newcastle and Tevor Horn could not hit a single Anderson note and in th end Chris Squire sang the vocals

[Soft Pillow]

Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band, no contest,

I couldn't agree more on this one since Bruce was just dynamite! The Stones? A very tired band existing on their 60's image which Brian Jones created. Is Alice Cooper still playing with his pet snakes? The very best in terms of live rock bands are no longer in existence for the most part although Bruce has far surpassed Dylan... :D:D:D

[kananga]

I agree. I saw The Tubes in 1981 and their stage show was years ahead of it's time. I have seen them on TV and video, and have to say that they don't show how good they were live.

I bought a copy of the "Now (http://www.amazon.com/Now-Tubes/dp/B0002GLTAW)" album cheap, when it was released on Vinyl.
Blew me away. Great version of the Beefheart classic "My Head is My Only House, Unless it Rains". Years later Al Di Meola covered the instrumental the percussionist had written on his "Electric Rendevous (http://www.amazon.com/Electric-Rendezvous-Al-Di-Meola/dp/B0000025OT)" album (Fans of Jeff Beck should check out the title track of Al's record!).. anyway Al used the same percussionist on his version of "God Bird Change".

People who claim to listen to only serious music, shouldn't totally rule this out.
Yes. I would have liked to have seen them "Live". :thumbsup:

[bmg]

Yes, I saw the Tubes a few times - they had a sexy woman with them to help things along. The show would get pretty risque for the time.
I must say The Clash were a great live band - their stand at Bonds in NYC in the early 80's was very good - even though Joe Strummer was very late for the first show.
He made up for it though by signing my t-shirt and being a very nice guy...

[Ace1965]

I can only speak about who I've seen before. I've probably been to over 30 concerts and just about all of them have been heavy metal or hard rock because that is what I listen to.

I was too young to have seen KISS during the 70's but I've seen them over 10 times since they re-united and I would say that the shows on the first reunion tour of 1996 were fantastic. It was everything I thought it would be.

I would also rank the Metallica shows from the Black Album Tour as some of the best I've ever seen. They were incredibly loud and the band still had their long hair so it was a true metal fest.

[fleetwood77]

Grand Funk Railroad

[Samurai]

I've seen Journey about 14 times in the last 11 years. They always bring it. They know their fans expect the highest level, and they respond. I've always hated the fact that music magazines rip on Journey. They are talented, they write and perform good music, and they deserve more respect than they have received in the last few years. I'm a big fan.

[MrEnrich]

def PINK FLOYD...

in particular..

Animals North America Tour '77
Pulse World Tour '94
The Wall live '80-'81

[AlanF]

To me, The Clash were about as perfect as a live band you could get. Im talking 1978-82, the Topper Headon years. No light show, no fireworks, no gimmicks, just a band hell-bent on delivering the best they could to appease fans.
The Who in their heyday were also top notch.
KISS? Kiss my arse, mate!

[brianwp]

I couldn't agree more on this one since Bruce was just dynamite! The Stones? A very tired band existing on their 60's image which Brian Jones created. Is Alice Cooper still playing with his pet snakes? The very best in terms of live rock bands are no longer in existence for the most part although Bruce has far surpassed Dylan... :D:D:D

The Stones may be tired, but their fans aren't, according to the latest tour receipts. And as far as Bruce goes, yeah, he's great, but just how has he surpassed Dylan?

[Soft Pillow]

I loved Dylan's 60's stuff Brian which are in my collection but he never stayed true to his basic roots but Bruce certainly did. Dylan's last gigs here in Canada were so bad that people were walking out in large numbers. Bob Dylan influenced many artists but I would like to remember him as he was in 1966. :cool:

[Clouddancer]

For me the best were Queen, best in respect of sounding as good or better than their records.;)
I would say they were closely followed by Elton John ( not strictly a band I know, but he did have other musicians)
I also saw Madonna & Michael Jackson Perform at Roundhay Park In Leeds.
-( Not at the same time - I hasten to add ) Both shows were spectacular.:thumbsup:

[Soft Pillow]

There are several bands including Queen that must have been wonderful! I do remember when George Harrison played Canada in 1974 since his voice was rather hoarse from cigarettes at the time but he was quite a nice person then Paul & Wings in 1976 but I am sorry that I missed John Lennon in Toronto in 1969 from Varsity Stadium. He told Eric Clapton on the flight from Britain to Canada that The Beatles were finished. John was very nervous since he had not played live in 3 years. This gig was considered rather special at the time although the 60's lingered until about 1973. Old hippies never die... we just fade away. ;)

http://img121.imagevenue.com/loc106/th_24301_tumblr_kqc2bgpe8e1qzckizo1_1280_123_106lo .jpg (http://img121.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=24301_tumblr_kqc2bgpe8e1qzckizo1_128 0_123_106lo.jpg)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8FBBfdkBoQ

[Xexemedes]

I've been to a number of shows and for me two of them are tied at being the best live concert, I am weighing this with both sound quality and stage production:

Solo Peter Gabriel for his Secret World tour ("Us" was the album). I managed to get second row seats for my GF's birthday. I was sober through the entire show but when I left I was high for three days:cool:. My mind would just not shut off-it still gives me chills.

Solo Roger Waters for Radio K.A.O.S. blew me away-similar "mind high" as Peter Gabriel. It is the only show where I've seen a performer generate dead silence from an audience for a split second! :eek: He was far better than Pink Floyd sans Roger on the Learning to Fly tour, which to me seemed to be the boys with a lot of back up musicians and tons upon tons of gear trying to be Pink Floyd :mad:-some of their lights failed during the show and it became painfully obvious that without the cool effects the band had no real stage presence-I actually left feeling bad for the band. My then GF thought it was fantastic, it was her first concert ever. I have seen the DVD of the Pulse tour, however, and that was far superior to the live show I saw.

[Red Imp]

Pink Floyd & Fleetwood Mac

[dohupa]

The Stones? A very tired band existing on their 60's image which Brian Jones created.
Well, the lads are a remarkable proof of what protection genes means in biology. You may take a 10t truck full of drugs in your lifetime and still manage to jump around on stage in your sixties. :eek: :eek: :thumbsup:

Said it before in the music thread - first man I saw live was the late Rory Gallagher. Glad I caught him in one of the best gigs down here EVER. :)

http://img246.imagevenue.com/loc359/th_28290_rory-gallagher_122_359lo.jpg (http://img246.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=28290_rory-gallagher_122_359lo.jpg) http://img23.imagevenue.com/loc181/th_28291_Rory_Gallagher_-_Irish_Tour_-_Front_122_181lo.jpg (http://img23.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=28291_Rory_Gallagher_-_Irish_Tour_-_Front_122_181lo.jpg)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdkuHgSzNhg

[spectacles]

Roxy Music- Glasgow Apollo 76 Siren tour
I know Ferrys a posuer but Mackay Manzanera and Thompson were brilliant Musicians and together they were an astounding live band

http://img133.imagevenue.com/loc79/th_29717_roxy_123_79lo.jpg
The Blue Nile- crazy name, crazy act Tinsel Town in the Rain live was something else

[nevermind]

Deep Purple & Rainbow....

Not the best, but i like to see Ritchie Blackmore perform.

Iron Maiden rules...!!! :thumbsup:
But in the former arrangement:
Steve
Bruce
Nicko
Adrian
Dave

[Soft Pillow]

Rainbow? Ritchie Blackmore. I remember this band! Blackmore's Night is where RB is today...

http://img170.imagevenue.com/loc973/th_38784_cd-cover_123_973lo.jpg (http://img170.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=38784_cd-cover_123_973lo.jpg)

[tamsmith]

I saw Free at the Edinburgh Empire in 1972/3. It was during the miners strike power cuts. Edinburgh, like the rest of the country, was experiencing blackouts but as The Empire was on the same grid as the Royal Infirmary, it was guaranteed power.

The concert was the last of that British tour and Paul Kossoff's last one with Free. He died a few years later.

It was if the band knew it would be there last concert for the original members. They did the two obligatory encores. Then as we were all thinking of going home Simon Kirke came out and started to play on his own. Slowly the rest of the band came out and played three more songs.

After that Kossoff and Paul Rodgers left the stage but Kirke and Andy Fraser did not want to finish. So they played a song on there own until they were dragged off by their entourage.

A great night by a great Band who knew that things would never be the same after that night.

Kossoff left to be replaced by John "Rabbit" Bundrick and Tetsu Yamauchi. But the vibrant sound was gone.

The death of one of the greatest Progressive Rock bands Britain ever had. RIP.

[steve0001]

Pink Floyd - Division Bell Tour - Paris

Whitesnake - 1984, Coverdale is the BEST front man I've ever seen (and I've seen a lot)

Peter Gabriel on the '4' tour. The PA went down and the whole crowd sang Biko......stunning

[brianwp]

I loved Dylan's 60's stuff Brian which are in my collection but he never stayed true to his basic roots but Bruce certainly did. Dylan's last gigs here in Canada were so bad that people were walking out in large numbers. Bob Dylan influenced many artists but I would like to remember him as he was in 1966. :cool:

Dylan started out as a folk singer. He played acoustic, alone. Then he went electric with the then unknown members of "the Band", and was derided by folk enthusiasts for "leaving his roots". But he went on to make many great albums, Grammy winning albums. Springsteen didn't start out as an acoustic folk singer...he's still doing the same thing he always did, because that's what he chose to do. I'd bet that if you asked Bruce if Dylan left his "roots", he'd laugh in your face. Dylan just moved on with the times and expanded, he never left his roots. He still does acoustic albums, and his old songs. There's a lot of old bands that stayed "true to their roots" and simply died. Staying true to your roots doesn't mean you have to play the same stuff the same way over and over again. Jeff Beck moved from pop and blues into jazz rock and industrial, always progressing. But that don't mean he's lost his love for the blues. He has just, as a musician, ventured into new territory, in a constant quest to improve musically. In Dylan's case, he has actually gone forward, and then dropped back, to an old timey type of semi-acoustic band, to find his niche. So, what's wrong with that?

[porty]

Thin lizzy. An electric night, with big phil flashing his guitar at the girls in the audience. unforgettable. RIP phil...

or a more modern group, madness. a group that just loves to play for the sheer fun of the whole event and good to sing a long to.

i would like to have the experience of watching a Van Morrison gig but 30 seconds into his opening song someone threw a glass of beer at him and he stormed off, never to return. got our money back though i suppose....

[exxxd]

most memoable Bruce Springsteen's Born in the USA tour,1984

most disapointing Bob Dylan's 1978 tour just before being born again

[teabags]

i'd have to say the original Queen, Mr Mercury had stage presence and rapport with the audience unmatched and a great showman he was R.I.P Freddie

and Pink Floyd and Fleetwood mac and Thin Lizzy R.I.P Phil and Rolling Stones are/were good too

[funguyxxx]

I have seen AC/DC and Van Halen - I hate to say it and I know most will disagree but Van Halen rocks it like you would not believe!

[spoonfedmonkey]

Best live show I ever saw was Springsteen, and I'm not even a fan of Springsteen. But it was his Born in the USA tour, and that was the BIG EVENT, so I had to go. He played for three hours, then did an hour long encore of everything from Beatles and Stones and Little Richard...like a juke box. He had the crowd (80,000 people at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, TX) worked up into a frenzy.

If I could somehow get in a time machine, however, I'd go see the Beatles in Hamburg in 1962.

[Giacson]

I'm a fan of musicians, guys that can play as good on stage as they do in the studio and less concerned about apearances. The best concert I ever witnessed was Little Feat with special guest Jeff Healey (RIP). Truely gifted musicians. Toward the end of the show, some of the Little Feat guys had gathered close around Jeff as he let loose on his lead. Suddenly and without warning, Jeff jumps up out of his chair to finish off his performance, narrowly missing one of the guitarists with the neck of his guitar. The entire band (with big smiles) took a big step back to watch him fly. For those familiar with blind Jeff Healey, it was a rare treat. Of course, the crowd went nuts.

[kananga]

The Who were indeed a great live band.
As the "Live at Leeds" album will attest.
Although to be honest I'm thinking of the original limited vinyl release, not the expanded CD re-release.
Of that I'm not very familiar.

How would they ever replace John Entwhistle?
Let alone Keith Moon. More than just a simple rythm section.

Maybe their next album should be called "Who's Left"?

[moreteavicar]

I caught The Specials recently on their tour and they were top notch. Prior to that The White Stripes were my favourite gig but saying that The Stranglers were pretty good too.

[haroldeye]

I've seen Roxy Music/Ferry loads of times and have always been excellent. The original Dr Hook and the Medecine Show were excellent but I went along to a Queen concert thinking them alright and came away a fan for life.

Freddie Mercury controlled an audience like nothing on earth.

[spoonfedmonkey]

Now, that brings something up: I truly would like to see the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, and I might have a chance in February...if the concert isn't sold out already. They sell out nearly all of their concerts here in Germany.

From the Youtube clips I'd said they ROCK. Entertainment of the finest quality. Thanks, crimpo.

[knobby109]

Nobody mentioned the Electric Light Orchestra yet?

[adampeter]

Has to be the mighty Pink Floyd, circa The Wall or Division Bell

[Davemetalhead]

I have seen AC/DC and Van Halen - I hate to say it and I know most will disagree but Van Halen rocks it like you would not believe!

I'd have loved to have seen Van Halen in their pomp in the late 70's. One of the greatest rock guitarists of all time, coupled with a born showman in David Lee Roth - OK, not a great singer but one hell of a front man.

[VallesMarineris]

not sure which was the best live band i have ever seen but -
i caught Van Halen twice on the 1984 tour. first time at Madison Square Garden, and then 1st row seats at the Meadowlands Arena, NJ.
incredible live show and i agree, Diamond Dave is one of the best front men for a band. and a ton of soul as a singer. plus he hosted one of the best radio shows a few years ago.

[kananga]

Going off topic again. Sorry to steal your heavy metal thunder boys ;).
I believe the second greatest show I ever saw was in the eighties at the Melbourne Entertainment Center when Stanley Clarke and Miloš Angelov performed as part of their world tour together.

I know that ain't a band. Two bassists - ? That ain't rock?
(it was a bit of everything, including tribal African percussion on four strings)
In keeping with the theme of this post and my new years resolution, this isn't Stanley either. :rolleyes:

Some chick covering "If This Bass Could Only Talk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V648NRbG7P8&feature=related) at home in a silly hat. :) Love that last note ROFL

The original recording featured an old school tap dancer, here she scats instead.
Now if she could learn to tap while doing this, I'd pay to see that!
Sadly Youtube doesn't have anything remotely like the duo I saw back then.

[Ace1965]

not sure which was the best live band i have ever seen but -
i caught Van Halen twice on the 1984 tour. first time at Madison Square Garden, and then 1st row seats at the Meadowlands Arena, NJ.
incredible live show and i agree, Diamond Dave is one of the best front men for a band. and a ton of soul as a singer. plus he hosted one of the best radio shows a few years ago.

I saw Van Halen only once with Dave and it was on the 1984 tour in Birmingham, AL. It was my second concert ever. He did put on quite the show.

[daisychain]

PINK FLOYD their wall show and pulse shows FANTASTIC

[donny1]

With Blondiefan here, going of the Prog Rock and Metal theme ;-)

In their prime, but in no particular order:

The Who
The Clash
The Specials
The Jam
The Smiths
The Stone Roses

[penfold007]

Tangerine Dream in about 1975, when it was still mostly improvised and they were using home-made electronics to sequence 'trons and the like, with the result that every night of a tour was very different from the previous one.

[topshelf]

I was at a concert a few years ago and overheard the people in the row behind me discussing music.

"The last concert I went to was Kiss. It was fantastic.
The effects were just amazing.
They had fireworks,smokebombs,girls and even flamethrowers, what a concert,how about you ?"

"Oh my last concert was Whitesnake,they had a balloon. It even bobbed into the crowd."

Oh well:)

[goonerkev]

Yeah, the gigs of old didn't use to put the National Grid in jeopardy :)

[calypsored]

Without a shadow of a doubt the Zeps at the O2 a couple of years ago. A truly international experience with a fantastic 'support' ensemble - will never forget it.

On flicking through this thread some great moments came flooding back through the mists of time....

Someone said Judas Priest and several others mentioned Iron Maiden - and it's hard to disagree with either. I was at the Hammy Odeon in the late seventies when Iron Maiden were fronted by Paul Di'Anno and were the support act to Priest. They came VERY close to upstaging Mr Halford and co, but imo were a better act then than with Bruce on vocals.

Also memorable were Blondie, The Clash, Rainbow and UFO.

But nothing beats the sight of Jimmy Page and Robert Plant belting out those timeless classics in a fantastic modern venue with thousands of people from all over the world watching. Awesome.:thumbsup:

[donny1]

Madstock - Madness

http://www.*******.com/show/0/7ba394de7c430fde7903cc4c7fddbb94/3/thumb3.jpg (http://www.*******.com/show/0/7ba394de7c430fde7903cc4c7fddbb94/0/madstock.jpg)

8 -9 August 1992
Finsbury Park
London

[nevermind]

Without a shadow of a doubt the Zeps at the O2 a couple of years ago. A truly international experience with a fantastic 'support' ensemble - will never forget it.

On flicking through this thread some great moments came flooding back through the mists of time....

Someone said Judas Priest and several others mentioned Iron Maiden - and it's hard to disagree with either. I was at the Hammy Odeon in the late seventies when Iron Maiden were fronted by Paul Di'Anno and were the support act to Priest. They came VERY close to upstaging Mr Halford and co, but imo were a better act then than with Bruce on vocals.

Also memorable were Blondie, The Clash, Rainbow and UFO.

But nothing beats the sight of Jimmy Page and Robert Plant belting out those timeless classics in a fantastic modern venue with thousands of people from all over the world watching. Awesome.:thumbsup:

I mentioned Maiden as one of the best, just because they have lasted through
the years. And really loyal to their fans.. :thumbsup:
Can not disagree on Zeppelin and Rainbow, they are my alltime fav. :rolleyes:
But unfortunately did not last that long.. :(


.

[IngramJohn]

My vote goes to "QUEEN"

[Wendigo]

I'm still with Maiden and Kiss but I'm off to see Rammstein next month and from the DVD's I've seen that's gonnna be one great show.

[steve40]

personally for me the best band i have ever seen has got to be pink floyd when i saw them on their pulse tour at earls court 20 10 94 and i will say they were nothing short of fantastic, especially when david gilmour did his comfortabley numb solo

[TCO95]

For just fun and frivolity The Sensational Alex Harvey Band.
My friends review of the show : "Hey, they're having more fun than we are!"
Of course he was kidding.

My memory is a little foggy, but didn't Leo Sayer rip off the stage makeup used by SAHB?

[tabler]

For raw energy late 80's-early 90's Rory Gallagher, sadly I saw him not long before he died and the alcohol had really taken its toll.

[jizcyco]

I will have to go with TOOL everytime they come to town I make sure to go. Cause I know it's gonna be a good show I've seen em 4 times and everytime their great. FAITH NO MORE when they opened on the g n'r/metallica tour would be a close second.Also a band alot of ppl haven't heard of is worth a nod too, AMEN.

[calypsored]

I will have to go with TOOL everytime they come to town I make sure to go. Cause I know it's gonna be a good show I've seen em 4 times and everytime their great. FAITH NO MORE when they opened on the g n'r/metallica tour would be a close second.Also a band alot of ppl haven't heard of is worth a nod too, AMEN.

Right.... only heard of fnm - the other two are new to me - guess I must be getting old:eek:

[RyderKnightley]

Muse has to be up there with the current crop.
The Leningrad Cowboys from Finland still put on a pretty good show.
I have one AC/DC album in my collection because I think most of there songs sound the same, but they are amazing live.
I saw Chuck Berry once and thought he was fantastic, but I've heard that if he doesn't get a good early response from the audience he doesn't put on a good show.
The Boss, even at his age has a lot of on-stage energy.

[iufrenchman]

My humble opinion is the Doors, one of which was in 1968 at the Hollywood Bowl

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6492867866699204852#

[ph_madness]

KISS best live show, and a close 2nd Ted Nugent

[edgarcasey]

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/rocks/Yes.jpg

[dorcelfan]

The Cure and James were pretty special when I saw 'em. Manics were fantastic at Knebworth and I'd have to say Pulp were really good too.....

[RyderKnightley]

The Cure and James were pretty special when I saw 'em. Manics were fantastic at Knebworth and I'd have to say Pulp were really good too.....

Saw the maniacs on many occassions and have to agree, especially as one of those occassions was the first time they performed as "a power trio", as James dubbed them since Richie was nowhere to be found. They came on stage late, obviously hoping that he would turn up or re-rehearsing as a three piece. Little did they know at the time, eh.

[frasier]

Queen.................no question:D

[tabler]

Queen.................no question:D

No question? really? The very fact that your post is number 125 in 13 pages would indicate otherwise.

I think the classic Who concert 'Live at Leeds' would have been rather nice to see.

[Bubba Hotep]

Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band, no contest,
Long shows, packing out and mostly selling out stadiums and arenas from the 70's to this day,
No gimmicks required during the shows, just plays good rock music

I agree 100%! Bruce rules. :thumbsup:

http://img129.imagevenue.com/loc1146/th_15385_bruce_122_1146lo.jpg (http://img129.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=15385_bruce_122_1146lo.jpg)

[kananga]

Queen.................no question:D

Queen were one of the very first international acts that I saw, somewhere around the release of "Night at the Opera".
They were good, but it was confused by sitting next to my old high school librarian from over 500 miles away and tokin' on a pipe with another adolescent school buddy :rolleyes:
Brian May did an excellent extended solo "with echo" incorporating Waltzing Matilda which was overall very impressive.
Happily they played "Keep Yourself Alive" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JofwEB9g1zg&feature=related)
Why this song was never used in an aids awareness programme is a mystery to me? (Probably too tacky?)

RyderKnightley Chuck Berry's "Hail Hail Rock and Roll (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hail!_Hail!_Rock_'n'_Roll)", with non other than Keith Richards as bandleader and a stellar cast of guests is/was a great little film.

[RyderKnightley]

RyderKnightley Chuck Berry's "Hail Hail Rock and Roll (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hail!_Hail!_Rock_'n'_Roll)", with non other than Keith Richards as bandleader and a stellar cast of guests is/was a great little film.

Yeah, great. Shows he was difficult to work with.

[kananga]

Yeah, great. Shows he was difficult to work with.

It does that.
Oddly (considering the last few posts) I remember non other than Bruce Springsteen stating that many of the songs he played were in unusual keys such as Eb, which is a mongrel key for guitar generally.
Berry's pianist "Johnnie Johnstone" (R.I.P.) co-wrote many of Berry's 'hits'.

My respect for 'the Boss' rose when he described how most of these songs were performed 'on the fly' with little or no rehearsal.

[frasier]

No question? really? The very fact that your post is number 125 in 13 pages would indicate otherwise.

I think the classic Who concert 'Live at Leeds' would have been rather nice to see.


I was lucky enough to be at Live Aid and before that day I was a fan of music....................after that day I was a fan of Queen!;)

[AlanF]

Without a shadow of a doubt the Zeps at the O2 a couple of years ago. A truly international experience with a fantastic 'support' ensemble - will never forget it.

On flicking through this thread some great moments came flooding back through the mists of time....

Someone said Judas Priest and several others mentioned Iron Maiden - and it's hard to disagree with either. I was at the Hammy Odeon in the late seventies when Iron Maiden were fronted by Paul Di'Anno and were the support act to Priest. They came VERY close to upstaging Mr Halford and co, but imo were a better act then than with Bruce on vocals.

Also memorable were Blondie, The Clash, Rainbow and UFO.

But nothing beats the sight of Jimmy Page and Robert Plant belting out those timeless classics in a fantastic modern venue with thousands of people from all over the world watching. Awesome.:thumbsup:


I disagree regarding Led Zep at O2. OK, I didn't go nor did I apply for tickets, but I have got an incredibley rare DVD of the whole show. It is poor by their legendary status. Only Jason Bonham and John Paul Jones do themselves justice. Plants vocals were shot and Pagey hit far too many duff notes.
One for purists I think.
If any Zep fans wanna pm me to see for themselves

[billybunter]

THE WHO.

[Nelberto]

Rammstein-:D not only fabulous hard,heavy music but an amazing stage show to compliment it,explosions,flame throwers,dragon masks:eek:,flame suits and one of the band goes crowd surfing in a rubber dinghy.

[themidlander]

Rammstein-:D not only fabulous hard,heavy music but an amazing stage show to compliment it,explosions,flame throwers,dragon masks:eek:,flame suits and one of the band goes crowd surfing in a rubber dinghy.

Agree totally the greatest spectacle live at the moment. Saw them in Birmingham last week and they just keep getter better every time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLp63WBV-Ic

[damp-patch]

In terms of thoroughly enjoying myself at all of the 10 or more gigs I got to see, I have to put Stackridge in the mid 1970s well up my list.

[Nelberto]

Agree totally the greatest spectacle live at the moment. Saw them in Birmingham last week and they just keep getter better every time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLp63WBV-Ic

travelled up from devon to see them in london last week,got back at 5am had to start work at 8am so no sleep but soooo worth it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gah2pCVRk3E filmed from near where i was

[geetar]

Rush

[murphee]

been seeing bands for 40 years and have been to most mentioned here - and I have to say the one and only ZZ TOP are the best live ever. Was even at isle of wight for hendrix who thought billy gibbons was the most promising guitarist in america.

[beemerider500]

The Mothers of Invention. They seemed to be a menagerie on stage, but they were one of the 1st rock bands to have an "act" with their set. It was like seeing 9 actors (simultaneously) performing 9 different plays... all coming together at the appropriate time (centering on Frank Zappa's script) to form a coherent tune. Quite remarkable to watch, live!

[Wendigo]

Rammstein-:D not only fabulous hard,heavy music but an amazing stage show to compliment it,explosions,flame throwers,dragon masks:eek:,flame suits and one of the band goes crowd surfing in a rubber dinghy.

Saw them at the MEN Arena last week, superb music, awesome show, 100% entertainment.

[calypsored]

I disagree regarding Led Zep at O2. OK, I didn't go nor did I apply for tickets, but I have got an incredibley rare DVD of the whole show. It is poor by their legendary status. Only Jason Bonham and John Paul Jones do themselves justice. Plants vocals were shot and Pagey hit far too many duff notes.
One for purists I think.
If any Zep fans wanna pm me to see for themselves

I expect what you say is true - and demonstrates the difference between watching a recording and being there! For blokes of their age (they make me feel young!) they're entitled to sound off key and to play the odd duff note.

But what a great night for those of us fortunate to be there:cool:

[karloschaos]

Good evening. We are Motorhead, & we play Rock 'N' Roll. Thats it really. & by the way I was at the Zep gig in London & it was awesome. Sorry AlanF but as a 1 off gig it blew me away. Trampled was stunning. You had to be there. Peace to All.

[murphee]

have to say motorhead are one of my favourites - just find that their shows aren't long enough

other fav live acts - ac/dc with Bon Scott - skynyrd - judas priest - rory gallagher - quo live at the glasgow apollo was awesome

[Davemetalhead]

I actually walked out on Motorhead once, back in '98 at the Brixton Academy. The gig was too loud, which just made the sound a wall of noise. I wasn't the only one that night that left early - there were quite a lot of us on the Tube, and the main complaint was basically the same - just too loud and distorted.

Shame really; I'd seen them twice before and they were damned good (although Saxon blew them off the stage the second time I saw them, back in '92).

[nevermind]

have to say motorhead are one of my favourites - just find that their shows aren't long enough

Just listen what Lemmy has to say about Ritchie Blackmore...

http://images.google.nl/imgres?imgurl=http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/12463623/Ritchie%2BBlackmore%2Bdeeppurpleedp2305015mf_.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.nme.com/artists/ritchie-blackmore&usg=__dgpKaaLbTzWZTtCQmgaf2j2ELhg=&h=480&w=377&sz=17&hl=nl&start=73&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=ikgcHzCw5WhCjM:&tbnh=129&tbnw=101&prev=/images%3Fq%3D%2522ritchie%2Bblackmore%2522%26as_st %3Dy%26ndsp%3D21%26hl%3Dnl%26sa%3DN%26start%3D63%2 6um%3D1

Deep Purple, Rainbow, and the "Zeppies" give ya some quality time
when it comes to Live Shows....


http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/tt276/flaming_01/ritchie-blackmore-rainbow-5.jpg http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/tt276/flaming_01/RitchieBlackmoredeeppurpleedp230501.jpg

http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/tt276/flaming_01/EC_Page-Plant-02.jpg


.

[Jeff Vader]

Once Upon a time I'd have said U2, but that was back between 1984 and 1994, maybe I just don't like their newer stuff enough.

Bands I have seen live who were excellent:
Anthrax, Neurosis, Slayer, Slipknot, Metallica, Megadeth, Prince, Massive Attack, Napalm Death.

I was surprised by Slipknot as I don't like their music much, live they were excellent, Massive attack were simply excellent, very powerful performance despite the tangible atmosphere of weed in the venue.

[Ace1965]

I was surprised by Slipknot as I don't like their music much, live they were excellent

I said the same thing after I saw them on an Ozzfest tour and this was when they were on a side stage.

I also said the same thing about Marilyn Manson on another Ozzfest. I had originally planned on skipping his show but I decided to stay and watch and I'm glad I did.

[RyderKnightley]

A bit obscure, but I'm sure anyone from Arizona will know Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers (The Refreshments as they once were).
They are just about to start a UK tour so give azpeacemakers a Google, check out their music and if you like what you hear catch one of their gigs. It won't cost you a fortune.

[Estreeter]

I saw AC/DC last night,
I have too say, now they are joining the ranks of elder statesmen of rock music and they still know how too put on a great show, maybe being a home audience helps. Seems too me the most of the older bands still touring and recording do a better job of live shows than most of the newer artists.

[Davemetalhead]

Lucky you, I can't afford tickets to major gigs anymore, and I get the feeling this is AC/DC's last tour. Close on 40 years of rocking the way they do will take it out of you, aspecially Angus - the fella just doesn't stand still on stage.

[rickp]

All a matter of opinion this thread.
As there's no accounting for taste.
Best band I've ever seen live is Prefab Sprout in 1990.
The Jordan the Comeback tour it was excellent.

[Estreeter]

I get the feeling this is AC/DC's last tour. Close on 40 years of rocking the way they do will take it out of you, aspecially Angus - the fella just doesn't stand still on stage.
Hope you're wrong, AC/DC too me seem too be the same as The Rolling Stones or Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band, it's just in their blood, they have too record and perform.

[alexboy]

The one and only....


http://img105.imagevenue.com/loc154/th_77847_kiss-logo_122_154lo.jpg (http://img105.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=77847_kiss-logo_122_154lo.jpg)

[Jeff Vader]

Hope you're wrong, AC/DC too me seem too be the same as The Rolling Stones or Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band, it's just in their blood, they have too record and perform.

Yep, some bands just seem to NEED to get up on stage. While not quite of the same vintage, I saw Metallica last year at Sonisphere in Nijmegen in the Netherlands and they still play like it's their last gig ever. Playing lots of older material also helps, as some of the later albums were a little too mellow for me.

having thought about it, the best live performance for me was Neurosis in Dublin, 1996/7, not sure of the date, the ticket is around somewhere. They used a projectionist rather than a traditional backdrop which adds to the spectacle, and any band that can have three drummers on stage at once, albeit for only one or two songs will get my vote.

[RjG57]

I have to agree with mvasilj, AC/DC would be high on the list, with possibly Queen.

[Cranksta]

I saw AC/DC last night,
I have too say, now they are joining the ranks of elder statesmen of rock music and they still know how too put on a great show, maybe being a home audience helps. Seems too me the most of the older bands still touring and recording do a better job of live shows than most of the newer artists.

I saw AC/DC at festival hall melbourne for the release of their first album High Voltage.
My ears are still ringing.
Do i need to say any more? :p
Hard core show ponies back then with Bon and umm... angus can actually play his lead guitar!!
(suck eggs springsteen/staney/iron this and that etc etc rah rah rah)
The difference is he *lives it, they all *act it.

[Dave71]

The best band ever were most certainly the doors

[herbie64]

.....what i remember....was the great live performance from GWAR.
they did a great gig but the music is not on my mind....a weired and strange concert from the VIETNAM VETERANS in a small club in dutch....there was no air to breath...but only dope smoke.....
last....not but not least... POISON IDEA....in a very small club in germany:D

[hos]

depends on what you like to reach. if you want to get incredibly mindf***ked, visit a tool concert. don't forget the cookies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvE2Oo0DPFA&fmt=18.

headphones, eyes closed, good bye.

ontopic: there are so many great live bands. all they need is chemistry and tightness (and not to forget a location which offers good acoustics - and a pro behind the soundboard), then no matter what style they play it always comes out as a great live happening.

[nevermind]

The best band ever were most certainly the doors

No doubt, one of the greatest bands ever.. :thumbsup:
But the band died to soon, just like Jim Morrison did.
The same goes for Nirvana and front man Kurt Cobain.!!!!


.

[Estreeter]

festival hall melbourne

Festival Hall:cool::cool::cool:
I saw George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers there in about 1989, hell that is one I forgot about. Man that was one concert that felt like I was just in a massive pub, people snuk in all kinds of drinks. Great live band :thumbsup:

[theminister]

Queen !! Without a doubt. Saw 'em five times.

[Cranksta]

Crewed for G ThoroughG and Ian Moss at Kuranda Ampitheatre in Nth Qld!
That was cool!
Got the stage pass here somewhere....

[j6251]

I'm tempted to agree with quite a lot of people on here, but for me, it has to be Iron Maiden :)

[edgart1956]

I am able to participate in this discussion, due to old age and having been lucky enough over almost 40 years of watching live events.

Just a few of the greatest bands, well they were on the night!

Free in 1971, Truro city hall, one of the tightest acts I ever saw

Early 70's

Richard Thompson on the Henry the Human Fly tour

Roxy music With Brian Eno, Bryan Ferry had fantastic stage presence

Joan Amatrading on first tour, just spellbinding!

Genesis with Peter Gabriel, madness!!

Rory Gallagher, one of the all time guitar greats

Jethro Tull, on the thick as a brick tour(just after Aqualung) deaf for 3 days!

Doctor Feelgood (what a loss Lee Brilleaux was when cancer took him)

John Martyn, hugely missed, but achieved so much.

Robert Palmer, gone, but not forgotten!

Whoever is best does not matter, it is the night you remember that does.

Get the Stones Shine a Light DVD and witness the Majesty of economical playing from Doctor Death and the boys, then tell me you have seen a better act!

[donny1]

http://www.*******.com/show/0/f38c08bab28bb2a4de72bcef6a970d18/3/thumb3.jpg (http://www.*******.com/show/0/f38c08bab28bb2a4de72bcef6a970d18/0/TanC.jpg)

The Pogues Live at The Town & Country Club, Kentish Town London 17/03/88

[leefett1980]

Greatest live band at the moment is surely Muse.

Greatest live band ever has to go to the Who or Led Zeppelin.

[haroldeye]

Not a band but I saw Marlene Dietrich at the Cafe Royal London in the early 70's.

She completely controlled that room with her presence (and gave one 17 yr old an erection thatwouldn't go away for a week, no matter how many times I tugged it.)

[the waitress]

The best show I have ever seen was Antiseen, from the big bands there was Venom, also Neurosis was absolutely great!

[Fencepost]

Devo - Their late 70s shows, and early 80s tour shows were second to none.

Other bands that were a blast to see: Slade, Ramones, D.O.A., Ozzy, Dead Kennedys, Plasmatics, Chrome, Einsturzende Neubauten, Dayglo Abortions, and The Cramps.

[evil1666]

without a doubt' AC/DC! :thumbsup:

[frasier]

Why not make a poll?

[Davemetalhead]

Why not make a poll?

Sure, no problems. Here are the bands for the poll -

Overkill
Slayer
Sepultura
Evile
Britney Spears

I assume the band you consider the greatest live act is amongst that lot, yes ?






All sarcasm aside, maybe you can see why you can't really have a poll for something like this ?

[IronMan]

I saw Sabbath (original lineup) and Priest at Ozzfest awhile back, saw Iron Maiden during their Brave New World tour along with Halford and Queensryche, as well as seeing King Diamond play live at the Phoenix underground in Seattle.

All were great. I would have loved to have seen Queensryche when they first toured to promote Operation Mindcrime. I'm praying that Faith No More comes here when they start touring the states. Been waiting to see them my entire life.

[penfold007]

I would have loved to have seen Queensryche when they first toured to promote Operation Mindcrime.

Saw them at the Hammersmith Odeon when they were touring Empire. The did the whole of Operation Mindcrime from start to finish without a break during the set, excellent stuff.

[clowny]

For me Depeche Mode is one of the best live bands, but maybe someone can help me out here. I've been looking for ages from which concert this videoclip is (Personal Jesus live). I know it was on MTV and directed by Julia Knowles (see end credits in the clip), don't know the year. Have checked IMDB and google but can't find if it's available on DVD. So all you DM fans try to help please ;).

Preview:

http://thumbnails24.imagebam.com/7510/207d0075093667.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/207d0075093667)
Free Image Hosting by ImageBam.com (http://www.imagebam.com)

RS:

http://rapidshare.com/files/372307236/Depeche_Mode_-_Personal_Jesus__live_.mpg

T.I.A., Clowny :cool:.

[Nudist Couple]

my husband saw Led Zeppelin in 1977, the Who in 1975 and saw Pink Floyd do the Wall in New York. He says everything kind of pales after all that. :D

I saw Michael Bolton though!

[Tangoman]

without a doubt' AC/DC! :thumbsup:

I totally agree :thumbsup: although on a different note just slightly, I saw Rammstein in London in February and was in awe, one of the greatest shows on earth!!

:thumbsup:

[NIN]

If we're rating on getting the crowd involved,i've seen some great performances in some small clubs too,and if that is the criteria one band who get great audience participation and not yet mentioned on this thread yet....
The Damned,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mr7WGHixLDs&feature=related

http://img111.imagevenue.com/loc10/th_04632_TheDamned_122_10lo.jpg (http://img111.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=04632_TheDamned_122_10lo.jpg)http://img134.imagevenue.com/loc454/th_04634_TheDamned_122_454lo.jpg (http://img134.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=04634_TheDamned_122_454lo.jpg)

No fancy lightshows,just Great songs ,Good performers,Big characters Sensible IS the embodyment of Hendrixs' Strat. The last time i saw them they had a burlesque support group too, went down a treat. Great banter between tracks and in the biz almost 35 years,and never a kind word about each other.
Without fail, Dave Vanian will always encourage the chant
"Sensible's a w*nker, Sensible's a w*nker.."

[Night Haunter]

My all time favourite band are/were Hanoi Rocks, they reformed a couple of years ago and I managed to see them in Manchester, I thought they were awesome (even though they were missing a couple of original members), saw the Pistols when they reformed aswell - still great.
Would of loved to of seen Led Zep and The Who in their heyday with the original members, Bonham and Moon rocked, had to be the best drummers ever:cool: - Spear of Destiny do a great gig also:thumbsup:

[snowy25]

I haven't been to many live gigs so my input is pretty miniscule, however I would say for me personally it would be Bruce Springsteen. I have seen him play 3 times and everytime his gigs last at least 2 hours, going on for 3. Every time a mate goes to a gig he says the main band is on for like an hour at most. So bruce certainly gave me my moneys worth.

[Estreeter]

I haven't been to many live gigs so my input is pretty miniscule, however I would say for me personally it would be Bruce Springsteen. I have seen him play 3 times and everytime his gigs last at least 2 hours, going on for 3. Every time a mate goes to a gig he says the main band is on for like an hour at most. So bruce certainly gave me my moneys worth.
Not a miniscule input at all snowy, couldn't agree with ya more,
like I've posted before, at his age and still filling sports stadiums is quite an achievment

He's over 50 in this clip
Barcelona 2002 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PSGhuT_gCk)
More energy than most bands and performers half his age

[snowy25]

I did see Steel Panther play in Nottingham not so long ago and whilst it was not that long time wise, it was a great night because I was there with some great friends and the band dont take themselves too seriously, which is obvious when you hear their songs and they really seemed to enjoy the night.

[fleetwood77]

The Meat Men of Glasgow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lo5-WhclpB0

[Manic D]

My vote goes to The Who in the 1969-1976 period. I wish I could have been able to see them in person in their prime!

[Sharu]

Another great band, Gorgoroth/God Seed, with their awesome stage

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWuDgCgB_Hg

hf

[TexMadrid]

The Eagles are outstanding in concert, as is Don Henley! Their work ethic shows in their performance.

The worst I ever saw was Prince in '84. He sounded like crap, nothing like his album. The Eagles on the other hand are true to their songs. They sound better live.

[alibabababy]

Been to quite a few concerts the past 20 odd years and thankfully most of them have been excellent but seen Whitesnake recently as support on the Def Leppard tour and David Coverdale had the crowd in his hands from he stepped on to the stage, an amazing performance from an amazing frontman

And a mention to Big Country on their Peace in our Time tour, oh what a night

RIP Stuart

[LovePump]

RATM, without a doubt. Seen them twice at Reading Festival. I've never witnessed such a positive and "f*ck the system" vibe from any crowd since. Made other gigs look pale by comparison.

[malbolja]

Rage Against the machine

[ballyhoo]

King Crimson! :)

[IronMan]

Saw them at the Hammersmith Odeon when they were touring Empire. The did the whole of Operation Mindcrime from start to finish without a break during the set, excellent stuff.

I have the DVD, so I guess that's second best. The outfits they wore back then were ridiculous. Especially DeGarmo's chaps. :D

Had a chance to go to Tate's b-day party earlier this year but couldn't get the time off. My mom knows a lady who's son is a roadie for Queensryche. I think he sets up all their gear, does sound check type stuff etc.

[anklebiter]

Not my "favorite", but certainly worth mentioning

last night I saw Peter Frampton.In the middle of a song, he stopped, and admonished security for hassling fans with cameras and phones.He said " My fans will not be policed, and if you don't stop, I will!,My fans may take as many pictures and videos as they want"!
Gotta love that.In this day, when there are so many Prima Donna entertainers, There's Frampton standing up for his fans. Respect!

[scarfacexxl]

ABBA

[MaxJoker]

Without a doubt it's got to be Sir Cliff and the Shadows (In Japan they're known as " Dickie with Droop " ), mind you it's not surprising they're masters of the craft given their first performance was at the last supper :thumbsup:


Pictured here most recently during their "Old Rope" tour 2009 , and as you can see Cliff hasn't changed .


http://img188.imagevenue.com/loc368/th_64124_dddddd_123_368lo.jpg (http://img188.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=64124_dddddd_123_368lo.jpg)

He's still a major bender :D


Then again if the mike was only a bit higher he wouldn't need to crouch down ;)

But hey he's had so much practice bending low in front of Mike with his mouth open i guess it's second nature to him now http://i37.*******.com/eg4iup.gif

[victor meldrew]

Led Zeppelin or The Who, not sure which I enjoyed the most. Just outstanding performances and always bought tickets for the next tour.

[imracerx]

For my money it has to be Slade.
The best rock band ever with the best rock singer ever.

AC/DC come pretty close, along with Jethro Tull.
Franz Ferdinand and Blur rate highly from the 'newer' crop (and yes, I know Blur have been around for a long time now)

Slade? Seen 'em- Great act to induce vomiting. One of the worst bands of all time. They make Black Oak Arkansas sound like a heavenly choir. :eek:

[Pukindog]

The Greatest Rock N Roll Band In The World...The Rolling Stones!!! :D

[dasduffer]

The Macc Lads

[kananga]

I notice a lot of people hailing AC/DC's live merits. I saw them when they'd just released "Long Way to the Top" with Bon on Bagpipes and vocals.
I was noticabley more impressed with fellow 'schoolkids and antipodean reprobates, the "Divinyls" live in the 80's. ... Well her legs are nicer than Angus's
The photo below is one of many I took myself, the first time I saw them.

http://img141.imagevenue.com/loc694/th_83515_Divinyls_122_694lo.JPG (http://img141.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=83515_Divinyls_122_694lo.JPG)

I wouldn't say they were the absolute greatest band I've ever seen, but they were surprising tight and professional, even at this stage in their career.
I swear it's the only time I've heard a band 'do' a live fade out, during "Elsie" and it wasn't just the mixing desk operator lowering the levels, as you could hear the P.A. buzzing away noticably... anyway I touch myself! :rolleyes:

[Nudist Couple]

Led Zeppelin. The Who when Moon was still alive. Rush.

[imracerx]

J Geils Band pre-1980 Fookin' amazing energy level!!!!!!! In addition to heart-rending lyrical content;)

[zabdart]

My vote goes to the band Miles Davis had just before he died, with Kenny Garrett on sax, Foley McCreary on guitar, Daryl Jones on bass and Ricky Wellman on drums. That band could rock your socks off for hours at a time. Go find yourself a copy of "Miles Davis: Live at Avignon" for proof.

[tygrkhat40]

For someone of my age, I have not seen a lot of concerts. In fact, I know Deadheads who went to more shows in a summer than I've been to in my life. I didn't see the Who until the late 80's during what Pete called the "Who on Ice" era. I didn't see the Stones until the late 90's, Bowie until the early 90's and I never saw Queen, Zeppelin or the Dead.

But I will say this, I never went to a concert where the headliner sucked for whatever reason; bad night, end of the tour when the voices are ragged and tired, too drunk/stoned, whatever.

Here's a list of some of the best shows I saw, in chronological order.

1. Foreigner, Loverboy, Ted Nugent and Iron Maiden, 7/3/82 at Rich Stadium, Buffalo. The acts may not be HOF-worthy, but the crowd was really into the show and all the acts rocked. I do feel sorry for Foreigner, though. Everyone timed their buzz for Loverboy (very popular at the time) and everyone was burned out by the time Lou, Mick and the boys came on. It's weird to hear 45,000 people cheer for a band at the same level of volume you would hear at a golf tournament.

2. Eurythmics, 4/1/84, Shea's Buffalo Theatre. A last minute decision, my sister and I bought tix from a scalper and sat in the balcony. Annie Lennox has one of the most powerful and controlled voices in rock and Dave Stewart was a dervish on the stage.

3. Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band and the Fabulous Thunderbirds, 9/19/86, Buffalo Memorial Auditorium.
Arguably the best concert I ever saw. The T-birds (with the classic lineup) blew the roof off the Aud in a blistering 50-minute set and I sat wondering how Seger would top it. Bob and the SBB came out and blew the roof right back off the Aud in a tour de force set. After the show, my friends and I came up with another 20 some songs Seger could have done instead of the set he did.

4. David Bowie, 7/25/90, Niagara Falls Convention Center. Bowie's farewell the hits tour, the Sound And Vision Tour was better than I could have imagined. the song selection was first rate, Bowie was in top vocal condition and the band led by guitarist Adrien Belew was tight and clean. And during "Young Americans," DB gave us a civics lesson relating to the 2 Live Crew fracas going on in Florida at the time.

5. Candye Kane, 6/4/03, Mohawk Place, Buffalo. Mohawk Place is a dive bar/music club in downtown Buffalo and there may have only been 100 people in the joint, but Candye was great. It's the only time I've ever been to a concert where the act said she wanted to fuck the entire audience (she didn't.) and it's the only time I've been in a room with someone I'm sure has had sex with Ron Jeremy.

[Nittanylionfan]

In my opinion, the greatest live band that I have experienced is the great progressive, rock band from the Great White North RUSH.

http://www.rushtributeband2112.com/star_man_running.gif

[bandor703]

The greatest live band ever was Sexual Chocolate. Thank you

[agon2364]

Best live rock band I have ever seen: BOC
Best other than rock band live I have ever seen: The B-52s

[inflamez]

http://t2.pixhost.org/thumbs/1562/4173647_meshuggah-alive-052405-10-24-24.jpg (http://www.pixhost.org/show/1562/4173647_meshuggah-alive-052405-10-24-24.jpg)

[andymac9]

Maiden are a close second to the mighty Mettalica, cunning stunts was amazing.

[vit]

Pink Floyd,as tragic and sublime as never and no one has been...
remember their 'Comfortably numb'
remember this alternately roaring and weeping guitar
these words of the soul desolated and gone...

There is no pain you are receding
A distant ship, smoke on the horizon.
You are only coming through in waves.
Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying.
When I was a child
I caught a fleeting glimpse
Out of the corner of my eye
I turned to look but it was gone
I cannot put my finger on it now
The child is grown,
The dream is gone.
I have become comfortably numb

something similar is the case with Metallica,i think,despite their formal differnce

[kenshin7]

Well, for me there are two ways to answer this question. Manowar and Motörhead.

Motörhead is my favorite band, and they're rock legends who have been touring constantly since the 70s. When I saw them live finally last year at the House of Blues, they delivered the goods, hell of a show. Plus their live albums rock.

Manowar is kind of the best live band in another way. Before I went I was a casual Manowar fan, owned one album, liked them. After seeing them live, it was like joining some sort of army of steel! They give epic speeches about the power of steel and metal rebellion and whatnot, and of course just rock your face off.

Also honorable mention to Within Temptation, never seen them live, but their live DVDs are amazing and that's a show I'd love to see.

[rudybell]

U2--Zoo Tour

[4ad]

Being a life long Iron Maiden fan, I'm going to vote for them. However a few others come close: Kings X (probably one of the most under rated rock bands ever) are fantastic live, Rush, Queensryche, Simple Minds and The Almighty all stick out for me.

I'll also give a nod to Motorhead and ELO as well.

[guvn00rr]

Tina Turner. Saw her in Toronto on the Private Dancer tour in 1985. Electric. Glenn Frey was the opening act, that was just after The Beverly Hills Cop Soundtrack.

[danlad66]

R U S H

Guitarist Alex Lifeson - great to watch... and to listen of course

``Xanadu`` and ``la villa strangiato`` are special

[kananga]

Mine... on any occasion that I got laid after a gig :rolleyes:

[meegan01]

I still think Johnny Cash live San Quentin is the best live band I've ever heard

[navvet]

I think it'd be hard to top Pink Floyd.

[imracerx]

For someone of my age, I have not seen a lot of concerts. In fact, I know Deadheads who went to more shows in a summer than I've been to in my life. I didn't see the Who until the late 80's during what Pete called the "Who on Ice" era. I didn't see the Stones until the late 90's, Bowie until the early 90's and I never saw Queen, Zeppelin or the Dead.

But I will say this, I never went to a concert where the headliner sucked for whatever reason; bad night, end of the tour when the voices are ragged and tired, too drunk/stoned, whatever.

Here's a list of some of the best shows I saw, in chronological order.


3. Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band and the Fabulous Thunderbirds, 9/19/86, Buffalo Memorial Auditorium.
Arguably the best concert I ever saw. The T-birds (with the classic lineup) blew the roof off the Aud in a blistering 50-minute set and I sat wondering how Seger would top it. Bob and the SBB came out and blew the roof right back off the Aud in a tour de force set. After the show, my friends and I came up with another 20 some songs Seger could have done instead of the set he did.

4. David Bowie, 7/25/90, Niagara Falls Convention Center. Bowie's farewell the hits tour, the Sound And Vision Tour was better than I could have imagined. the song selection was first rate, Bowie was in top vocal condition and the band led by guitarist Adrien Belew was tight and clean. And during "Young Americans," DB gave us a civics lesson relating to the 2 Live Crew fracas going on in Florida at the time.


I almost forgot Bob & the Silver Bullet Band. Energy level off the rails! Love what they do. Give it ALL to their fans.... LOVE those guys.....

[imracerx]

I am able to participate in this discussion, due to old age and having been lucky enough over almost 40 years of watching live events.


Whoever is best does not matter, it is the night you remember that does.



Well said, my brother.....

[tygrkhat40]

Whoever is best does not matter, it is the night you remember that does.

That reminds me of something Mickey Hart of the Dead said after seeing Cream with Jerry Garcia. Mickey asked Jerry, "Are they the greatest band in the world?" Jerry replied, "They are tonight."

[Hippie4ever]

I worked for a long time in rock'n roll business & saw a lot of shows.

My vote is:

Bob Marley & The Wailers, Rennes, France in June 1980

[ErnestoGuevara]

I'd never presume to venture any particular band as the greatest ever, but the most truly memorable, stand-out, my-God-that-was-phenomenal night I experienced was seeing The Pogues on St Patrick's Day in 1988. Even thinking about it now makes the hair on the back of my neck get a bit agitated.

[monogroover]

Rush. First saw them in June '77, never seen a band to touch their live performances back then. I wouldn't say they were a great live band now, though. A bit too choreographed and rely on backing recordings, which is a shame.

[vick7137]

I have to say U2 will be the best live band- right now in the 80s and early 90s will have to be Genesis

[thecossack]

I'm not the biggest fan or follower of live, onstage, etc... but as a poster said far back... for sheer musical genius, originality and mesmerizing settings PinK Floyd is a good bet. I think pop/rock/bop/rap has become more outrageious performance, shocking display and extreme behavior than an expression of musical artistry. Too bad.

[rustler]

I would have to say Pink Floyd, I was at their first performance at Earl's Court after the tragedy when the stand collapsed killing several members of the audience back in the mid 90's. It was a fantastic concert!

Deep Purple, they also put on a fantastic gig, even though the last time that I saw them Ritchie Blackmore after a few numbers simply put his guitar down and walked off - never to return! :eek: His solos were done by John Lord on keyboards instead....boy, can he play or what!! It was a great bit of improvisation and a great evening.

For sheer 'fun', then it would have to be Status Quo, their concerts are full of spectators of all ages simply enjoying themselves. Not really my music, but it is a fun night out with a great atmosphere!

[Estreeter]

For sheer 'fun', then it would have to be Status Quo, their concerts are full of spectators of all ages simply enjoying themselves. Not really my music, but it is a fun night out with a great atmosphere!

Have to agree mostly :thumbsup:
I'd never say they are/were the greatest live band.
I've been lucky enough too see them live twice and can say that they are proof that all you need is your music and your raw talent without all the stage show spectacular bullshit a lot of bands need to distract the audience from their lack of talent. I'd easily say they are amongst the best live act I've seen even at their ages. :thumbsup:

[keefriff]

Now this is a tough question. :confused: Too hard for me to figure out but I will say that these are some of my personal favorites that I have attended.

Bruce Springsteen 1984 St. Paul, MN. - Pure energy from start to finish. Played for something like 4 hours with a short break in the middle and two encores. One of the hardest working acts that I have ever seen.

John Cougar Mellencamp 1986 St. Paul, MN. - I'm not a huge fan but I like his music. In concert, I was stunned. Another great performer with high energy. I had great seats right up front and he was simply brilliant. I was really surprised how good he was, how many great songs he has and how tight the band was.

Prince 1992 Paisley Park Studios - Bit of a back story. Ex wife was a big Prince fan. Knew people who worked for Prince. Prince gave these surprise gigs at his studio every once in awhile. Ex got two tickets to one of them. Again, I am not a big fan (sorry NIN;)) but I like his music. That night is the only positive thing I remember about the ex. ;):):D. Very intimate setting and Prince was very loose and interactive with the audience. Plus the guy can flat out jam and that is what they did. He had Larry Graham on bass and they got funkier than I had ever heard Prince get. A really special night.

Bob Dylan - State Theater Minneapolis, MN 1994? - Can't quite remember what year it was but this was a great show. I have seen Dylan a few times in the last 20-25 years and his shows are, shall we say, uneven. Okay, they tend to suck and his voice is almost unintelligible. Just my opinion and I am massive Dylan fan. This was something different. The venue is quite small with maybe 2500 seats. Dylan was in good voice and played so many classics that night it's hard to remember them all. Maybe the only Dylan show I have seen that I felt I had gotten my moneys worth. Sad but true. :(

Grateful Dead Alpine Valley, WI. 1988: Okay I know what you all are going to say. Keef must be hitting the bong real hard today. Say what you will but this is and always will be the greatest concerts I have ever seen. I'm a Deadhead, it's true. :o Seen them many, many times in concert. They played Alpine for years every summer. Great spot! Big outdoor amphitheater in the farmlands of Wisconsin. You'd camp there and the Dead would play three or four shows on consecutive nights. Now I'm no stinkie hippie so the scene was never really my thing but the music was what always brought me back. This set of four shows over five days was really special. The band was on fire and the crowd was all on board. They never played the same song twice and just brought down the house each night. Simply amazing.

So what was the question again? Oh yeah, best live band. I'm going out on a limb and I know I will hear from the haters but for me, it is and always will be the Grateful Dead.:thumbsup::D:thumbsup: Never played the same show twice. More connection with their audience than maybe any band ever. No gimmicks, no stage show, just straight and at times very improvisitory music. I know, I know..... their "boring, It all sounds the same, they just sit up there and noodle around" well maybe. But to me and many others they were something very special. I have seen many, many concerts in my life and the Dead were, for me, the best.

[nevermind]

http://img287.imagevenue.com/loc467/th_34725_2574744_123_467lo.jpg (http://img287.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=34725_2574744_123_467lo.jpg)


.

[Peau Peep]

The best live band I've seen is Coldplay.

They were excellent.

[tabler]

The best live band I've seen is Coldplay.

They were excellent.

Ohh wow, that post REALLY sums up the 'best live band ever'. Good post man, give yourself a pat on the back. :cool::thumbsup:

[Peau Peep]

The best live band I've seen is Coldplay.

They were excellent.

Ohh wow, that post REALLY sums up the 'best live band ever'. Good post man, give yourself a pat on the back. :cool::thumbsup:

hmm, my sarcasm detector is going balistic! lol.

I'm not saying they are the best live band ever, just the best live band I've seen live.

I have a dvd of Queen live at Wembley Stadium, that is probably the best live concert I have watched.

[Estreeter]

Well
Instead of going to work tomorrow evening, I'm off too see

George Thorogood & The Destroyers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Thorogood)

Saw them once before in about 1988, another real good live act without gimmicks. As soon as I heard they were touring and tickets were on sale, out came the credit card and the phone call was made. I remembered how good they were the 1st time I saw them. Something tells me acts like them never deteriorate.

One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOVS14X3dfA)

[Wolves]

The Cranberries - saw them live in Johannesburg in 1999 and it changed my whole view on female rockers: Dolores o' Riordan was simply terrific. :thumbsup:

[Lovegun77]

KISS @ Manchester Free trade hall 1976...£2.50p to see the greatest rock act ever !! ahhh them where the dayz

[Oluf Sand]

The best live band I've seen is Europe. Seen them four times. They keep getting better with each year.

...Yeah, they still play "The Final Countdown", but also a mixed set of their early stuff and the recent albums after the reunion.

[otiscleotus]

I never saw them live but I would've liked to catch the Faces (with Ronnie Lane); especially at one of their Detroit shows.

[HugoHackenbush]

I feel that in order to form a valid opinion I would have had to have seen a band more than once.

For a straight ahead “no muss, no fuss” show Lynyrd Skynyrd was tough to beat.

Yes were always a great act to see live, mostly for the musicianship, but also for the totally strange and unbelievable stage sets, lasers, etc.

But I have to say the two best concerts I ever saw were both given by Peter Gabriel. The Secret World Tour (thankfully available on DVD) done to support the “Us” CD featured a then unknown Paula Cole along with Tony Levin, Manu Katche and the gang, and was stunning both musically and visually. The rotating projection screen was an absolute marvel to watch, and something Pink Floyd should have nicked straightaway. Fabulous musicianship, and the stages, a circular stage and a rectangular stage joined by a cat-walk, ensured that you didn’t have to be in the front rows to get your money’s worth.

I also saw Gabriel on his very first tour after leaving Genesis. He was trying to move away from the “theatrical image” he had with them. The whole concert he performed in a grey track suit, save for the encore “Back in NY City” for which he donned his “Rael” garb. The Band, Steve Hunter, Tony Levin (with hair!) and Robert Fripp (introduced as “Dusty Rhodes”) were wonderful. The most memorable part came after the concert was over. The crowd refused to leave. House lights up. Cheering stamping, no one leaving. Roadies taking apart the stage. No one left, still cheering. Roadies waving the crowd to go home. No one left, still cheering and clapping. Then the crowd notices the roadies are bringing gear back out. Pandemonium. House lights back down. Gabriel comes out and says, “That’s all very nice, but we don’t know any more songs. But we’ll play one over for you if you want”. Someone shouts out “Modern Love” and the band rips into it. Gabriel jumps off stage, runs up and down the aisles, body surfs the audience (in 1977!) Unbelievable.

[COP11]

Pink Floyd has the been best that I have seen so far

[donniewn]

best live band ever is jimi hendrix.. band of gypsys

[grizz]

HUMBLE PIE !!

[Peau Peep]

REM were fantastic when I saw them a few years ago.

[mrcat]

One of the best live albums i have heard is Little Feat 'Waiting For Columbus'. recorded at the Rainbow Theartre 78. I urge anyone to check it out. i was blown away at how tight sounding it was. Apparently it was voted the best live album in many polls, and iam not surprised! Little Feat always gave their all for the fans. a great band, not a band like them on this planet.

[WURZ]

PINK FLOYD 1989 WEMBLY, DELICATE SOUND OF THUNDER

[thedizzle]

One band that's never disappointed me has been Metallica. Say what you want about their music, but their live shows are amazing.

[DaBear]

You answered the question with the title of the discussion!
(The) Who were, the greatest live band ever!

[Luc_Orient]

My favs:

Big Country

Bryan Adams

[jawsfan]

The Tubes. Great musicianship and they put on a great show!

[whop]

For live performance Dr. Feelgood, hands down.

It's all a matter of taste and what kind of music you like, but the intensity of that band was incredible.

For the record I have seen the Roling Stones, David Bowie, the Swinging Blue Jeans, Beach Boys, Bo Diddley, the Pretenders, Eric Clapton, Rainbow and a lot more live, all were great, no doubt about that, but Dr Feelgood just had that little extra to them, it was more than just a job.

[mick70]

already more than 40 years the best on stage:

very 'umble, very 'eavy

[teatsfan]

Can't decide between King Crimson and various bands of Frank Zappa. Generally I think some of those avant-prog-rock bands of the seventies had the best musical skills combined with the best feeling for music.

But there are also bands where the chemistry between members is just right and/or they have a unique musical vision, and those can often put on a great show, no matter the skill on their instruments.

[Drella]

I have to say Tom Waits. The man was astounding live. And I had great seats to boot.

[tamsmith]

The Crazy World of Arthur Brown must get in here surely.

Fire and naked Women on stage.

What more is there.

(The talent was there anyway )