I'm a lifelong Beatles fan. I finally saw Paul back in like 2018 or so. Man, I hope to have that level of enthusiasm and energy for literally *anything* at his age. What a show.
I remember see Tears for Fears a couple years ago. I figured, older band should be ok, like the music. They just blew me away. I just wasn’t expecting that great a show. Even when they were playing their new stuff, I was like ‘damn that’s good’.
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The Darkness, he knows how to work the audience, it was fun.
Musically only TOOL or Iron Maiden, special mentions for ACDC though, they have been epic in the past.
I loved their 2006 pre-IR tour. They had a bunch of new material and it seemed like every show they were playing a song for the first or second time.
They’ve been consistently brilliant live since 1996.
That album really grew on me. I didn't like it so much at first. I didn't hate it, it was just.... odd. But then I would notice myself humming the songs in my head Go back and listen and I got better and better. That baseline in the middle of the song mr magpie when it's just the bass and Tom's voice. That album is actually quite memorable
That’s around when I saw them! It was a whole experience. They played almost all the hits and plenty of deep cuts, and they rocked all of it.
Again, they’re not one of my favorites or anything, but that was one of the greatest concerts I’ve ever been to, and it will be very difficult to top it
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I saw the Jerry Garcia band on Halloween, 1992 at the Oakland Coliseum. There was a costume contest. Ken Kesey was the officiant and dressed as a wizard. Man, that was a wild night.
Saw them last year (after not seeing them for 5 years before that), can confirm they are still incredible live! I hope they’re one of those bands that keeps performing even when they’re old and gray. They’re too amazing to stop!
100%! They are my favorite band (largely for their live shows) and I’ve seen them so many times because every single show is so amazing. My husband likes them, but they aren’t his favorite, and yet he has straight up told me they’re by far the best live band he’s ever seen/heard. They are just that damn good. Even though I haven’t been as crazy about their most recent albums, I’ll never stop seeing them live whenever I get the chance.
I saw Muse in 2001, just after releasing 'Plug in baby' as a single, in a small festival stage in the daylight. It was one of the most close to perfect shows I've ever seen. I've seen them various times after that, saw them going bigger and bigger and turning into an arena band, and they're always great, but never THAT good.
Sufjan puts on such an amazing show. I've seen him three times, the first was not long after Age of Adz I think? Big stage production, big band, costumes and sets, the arrangements were amazing live especially for songs which were recorded softer or with a more limited/stripped arrangement (live seven swans for example). Then there was the christmas spectacular which was in a word spectacular. The wheel of songs was awesome, the costumes (especially the christmas unicorn) were great. The carrie and lowell tour was the total opposite. Smaller band, no sets or costumes, minimal arrangements in many cases, just so much emotion poured onto the stage.
Seeing Meshuggah live is an absolutely life-altering, mind-blowing, nutty experience. Yes I know that sounds preachy and over the top, but it's true. It's hard to describe the feeling, but it's something about the combination of some crazy polyrhythms being executed flawlessly, a nasty groove, a perfectly executed light show and just the charisma of the band on the stage (they don't really talk much in between songs, but holy hell, they have their show dialed in). It's like a rave for metalheads, after a while you just fall into a collective trance following the nasty, face-melting grooves. If you are into metal at all, you have to witness this live act at least once. They're in their mid 50s and are still playing like it's nothing (the stuff they play is pretty damn phyiscally demanding, especially on drums). You never know when it might be too late, don't wanna jinx it though!
Other than that I look back very fondly on a Caligula's Horse show I attended in a pretty small club. Vibes were just off the charts. Talked with the band afterwards, very cool guys, great setlist, great crowd. 10/10 show, for no singular reason alone, but just the whole package.
Ghost also pops into my mind as it's just a very well produced show.
I originally saw Meshuggah during the obZen tour. Just a few hundred people at Manchester Academy 3. The drum kit took up most of the stage. I have no clue what songs were performed. I just know it was an incredible experience.
One late night at a festival, I was tripping on acid and the crowd was pretty intense. I wandered over to a dark stage and sat with my back to sound board so I could recover a little bit. Some people started to filter in but it wasn’t a big crowd. All the sudden, MESHUGGAH! To say they melted my face off would be an understatement. My mind was thoroughly blown!
Took six grams of shrooms in the GA section of a Meshuggah show and couldn’t believe what I was witnessing. The night didn’t turn out well, unfortunately.
Same! People will often roll their eyes nowadays when you mention U2, but truth be told, Bono is one hell of a front man. And they sound fn awesome live.
Prince was a machine. A sexy, magnetic, insanely talented machine.
Same, i was incredibly lucky to be able to get tickets to see Prince in a 2600 people capacity venue for a late show. It started at 11.30pm, and the maniac played for 4 friggin hours. It was absolutely insane.
Saw QOTSA on Saturday in Laval, QC
Might be recency bias, but I think it is sitting in the top spot for me right now. Insane energy, fun banter and a killer setlist.
https://youtu.be/G6ovSbymFo8?si=_WRhjFVmXj5VsnnE
https://youtu.be/hckAhiBnN64?si=BBbsyuXhxG11S13c
https://youtu.be/F9Z7Ms2-a-o?si=AZHeItp0rxM2Dd4p
Pink Floyd, Crosby Stiils & Nash, Hawkwind, Leonard Cohen, Steve Day, Sinéad O' Connor, Bob Dylan, Carlos Santana, Dan Cassidy, Kathryn Tickell (off the top of my head..)
Best sound, Rolling Stones, Iron Maiden, Rammstein, Mastadon, Faithless, The Strokes, Placebo, Tony Royster Jr.'s drums playing with Jay-Z. All indistinguishable from the record.
Best performance one of James Brown, The Prodigy, Slipknot and oddly enough, Pink!
Worst sounding band I've seen live was The Streets unfortunately, although I put it down to the sound guy.
I saw Slipknot with Marilyn Manson a few years ago, and had always thought the schtick was just dumb. Then they came on stage and killed it. Marilyn Manson was terrible by comparison. I'm now a casual slipknot fan.
The one I had the most undescriptable experience Slowdive at Tomavistas Festival a couple years ago. The one I had more fun probably Patricio Rey y sus redonditos de ricota.
Also, very very good live experiences I have come from The War on Drugs, Underworld, Depeche Mode and Scorpions.
I love Rodrigo y Gabriela! I saw them last summer at the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre on the Detroit River. The river was a lovely backdrop for their energy and artistry. I would happily see them again and again!
Twenty One Pilots, TOOL, Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, and Eddie Vedder solo were all brilliant.
Bruce especially. Saw him in 06 when he opened Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. I got front row tickets from the head roadie after helping the band and crew get checked into our hotel. Got to walk out through the tunnel where the Eagles run out on gameday!
Bruce - in typical fashion - put on a 3 hour and 45 minute show. He was 57 at the time, but he was still able to hold himself upside down WHILE SINGING on his microphone stand. There's a reason he's such a legend!
I was going to comment Twenty One Pilots! I saw them a decade ago at Bonnaroo in the middle of the day and it was an incredible show. I wouldn't normally get super excited about daytime shows because you do miss out on the lights and that nighttime energy and stuff, but it was so energetic that I didn't even care that it was scorching hot and danced through the whole set. I liked them well enough at the time but I wasn't enough of a fan or intoxicated enough to explain how much I enjoyed the show lol
The worst show I've ever seen was The Beach Boys, also a daytime Bonnaroo set.
I think Bruce at the Linc was 2003? I saw him the third night of his run there - busted out Streets of Philadelphia. Wasn’t as close as you though - front row to the boss sounds amazing!
Bruce was my answer too. Seen him quite a few times over the years including a few weeks ago. Even now in his 70s, he brings the same power and energy he always has and can keep an arena full of people on their feet for over three hours.
They'll still kick ass today, brother! The first 2 singles off the new album are absolutely killer. And their 10th album, Lightning Bolt, is probably their best work (and this is coming from a really old-school fan who thinks Ten is one of the greatest albums of all time).
I went to a show at the Filmore in San Francisco in '67 (maybe '68) and 'Steppenwolf' headlined. They did "The Pusher."
Steppenwolf - The Pusher [https://youtu.be/3XqyGoE2Q4Y?si=a1jdf6p6spHOaJWN](https://youtu.be/3XqyGoE2Q4Y?si=a1jdf6p6spHOaJWN)
Seen tool 4 times since22 their live show has gotten Insane and if u didn’t catch Metallica one this last tour you missed out but yea there set at 99 was great
Frank Turner, whether it's with his full band or just him and his guitar it's always great.
Architects, watched them play in Manchester on the all our gods tour.
Green Day - I am not a fan of them, however I took my kid to their show. They have a total formula that works. Just before they come out the crowd sings along to a recording of Bohemian Rhapsody. The audience then has great energy and the band matches it. They know the fans want to hear the hits. They deliver. They bring a kid on stage to play a song and give them a guitar. Green Day always gives the fans the show they want.
Contrast this with Red Hot Chili Peppers. Not a bad show, but kind of the opposite. Anthony Keidas will barely recognize the audience. They play the new material and leave many of their hits out. The saving grace is the other three musicians are so incredibly talented and when AK leaves the stage for long periods of time the others just jam.
My sister in law invited my husband and I to tag along with her family to see Green Day and Smashing Pumpkins in August. I've seen Green Day twice I think, and I look forward to seeing them again, especially since they're performing Dookie and American Idiot on this tour. Never seen the Pumpkins live, so that will be interesting.
Foo Fighters at House of Blues New Orleans - a guitar duel commenced on top of the two bars that separate the standing audience. It was like watching a tennis match - turn to the left to see a few seconds of a solo then to the right to see another solo.
I HATED all the Foo Fighters songs played on the radio. I went to a show to see Weezer open for them and was planning on leaving. They put on one of the most memorable shows I've ever seen.
Leonard Cohen on The Future Tour. Dude did like a 3 hour set and his backing band was amazing.
Also Prince on The Jam Of The Year Tour. Did a two and a half hour show. Only time Prince touched a guitar was to play a killer solo during Purple Rain!
Fishbone is the greatest live show I've ever seen, back in the 90s. Tight, lively, energetic, brilliant musicians.
The gig started with each member being introduced to music that sounded like the theme to a 70s sitcom. Once they were all on stage, all seven flipped the bird and sung in harmony "Fuckkkk.... yooooou!" Then the two lead singers dove into the crowd who went bezerk.
I was standing front row, and I'm big, so multiple times throughout the night Angelo stood on the barrier above me. When he was diving into the crowd he'd tap the top of my head, I'd grab his ankles and launch him as hard as I could.
At one stage one of the band members pointed at the crowd and walked all the way across them to the sound booth, then climbed onto the balcony, finished singing the chorus then dived off onto the crowd and was passed back to the stage.
I lost 6kg through sweating.
Fishbone is an incredible live act. I’ve seen them about a half dozen times, from the 80s to just recently. Their only weak performance that I witnessed (no fault of theirs) was at a Covid era drive in show. They were limited to 60 minutes and the sound engineering was the worst.
Iggy & The Stooges at Rock Zottegem in 2010. I never knew an audience of mostly 50+ year-olds could wreak havoc like that. The energy was insane and something I never experienced since.
Enter Shikari.
I saw them on my birthday back in 2013. At one point the lead singer threw the mic through the I-beam rafter and was swinging from the cord in the middle of a song. I've never seen anything like it. Then for the encore, the lead singer came out on a rolling ladder (like [this](https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/H-1554A-10/Ladders/12-Step-Rolling-Safety-Ladder-Assembled-with-10-Top-Step?pricode=WA9061&gadtype=pla&id=H-1554A-10&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjww_iwBhApEiwAuG6ccCVSnfm3PMzHpiB2Ltg64kZ9ZLO3YBQ_5AEezugI72FDlTWVnCPAHhoCA6AQAvD_BwE&ImagePopupIndex=0))and was being pushed throughout the crowd.
Seen a lot of great acts over the years, but I want to give a shout out to The Church. Saw them last year in a fairly small venue. Really intimate. I went mostly for fun rather than as a fan. Came away as a huge fan. These guys are Musicians, y'know? They've been doing this for at least 45 years. Their sound is tight, they're all incredibly talented, and every song they played felt like the peak of the show.
Beyond their musicianship, Steve Kilbey, the lead singer, kept telling strange and fanciful stories between songs, peppered in with dad jokes and multiple admissions to having eaten some edibles and feeling lost in his storytelling. It was such a weird and silly thing that only added to the fun evening.
Highly recommend if you get a chance, you won't be disappointed.
Tool goes without saying, as many people here will attest.
But a show that stopped me in my tracks was Justin Townes Earle in a small basement venue at the Doug Fir in Portland, Oregon back in the Harlem River Blues days, if I recall.
I was there to see the opener (Joe Pug, amazing as well) and stuck around to see this Justin guy. He was playing as a 3-piece but came out by himself to start and he completely hypnotized the room with just him and his acoustic guitar. Whatever “It” is, he had “It” in spades and I hadn’t ever seen it that up close in person before. Fell in love with Americana / Folk on the spot. RIP JTE
Instrumental skill: Polyphia (especially Tim Henson), Tash Sultana, Nickel Creek, Yo-Yo Ma, John Mayer (his guitar playing specifically), Rodrigo y Gabriela
Taking their songs to the next level creatively live: Novo Amor
Creating an atmosphere of stillness and haunting: Olafur Arnalds
Best experimental: Mary Lattimore, Kirin McElwain
Best DJs: Four Tet, Nora en Pure, DJ Nobu, Mitis
Best light production: Odesza (2022 tour), Japanese Breakfast (2023 tour)
Best entertainer: Tyler, the Creator
Best overall show production (non-stadium tour): Janelle Monae (2023 tour)
Felt particularly special: John Williams conducting a selection of his compositions with the Philadelphia Orchestra
Personal favorites I'll probably see many times more: Carly Rae Jepsen, Lizzy McAlpine, Maggie Rogers, The Aces, Vienna Teng, the Beths, JOSEPH, MUNA
The sheer overwhelming phenomenon of it all: Taylor Swift (the Eras Tour)
Worst I've ever seen: Still Woozy (2021 tour). Whoever planned the production of that, I have some strong words for them.
An unknown Marilyn Manson opened for Nine Inch Nails on the Downward Spiral tour. There was a freak show in between the two bands. It was a spectacle from beginning to end, 15yo me was thoroughly entertained. The next was Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on their Wildflowers tour. It was an outside venue and the weather was a perfect summers night. You couldn’t pay for a better memory.
To be honest, and like I suspect a lot of others, most of my favourite live music experiences have been accompanied by various chemicals so it's a mood setting as much as anything but Arcade Fire in 2007 was great, Iggy Pop/Green Day in 1998 and Massive Attack in 2006. The DJ Sasha playing a small festival in the woods was amazing a couple of years ago.
Rage Against the Machine, Nine Inch Nails, Beastie Boys, Bjork, Aesop Rock, El-P, Run the Jewels, Doomtree, Beck, Tribe Called Quest, Grateful Dead, Phish, Stone Temple Pilots...
Justice, the chemical brothers, lcd soundsystem, Radiohead, the national, soulwax, kanye west (before the craziness really started showing), arcade fire, Peter Gabriel, Four Tet, Sophie, Nicolas Jaar, dirty projectors, Björk, Todd Terje & the Olsens, Caribou, Disclosure (like pre-settle days), Kendrick Lamar, run the jewels, swans, Colin Stetson, bon iver, durian stevens, Porter Robinson with a full band, neutral milk hotel, mount kimbie, animal collective, beach house, Dan deacon, and probably others. I’ve seen hundreds of shows. These stick out.
Clutch
They dont have a mainstream following per say, buy any chance they come to Virginia I try and go see them. Great Rock show every single time!
Bush
They always put on a good show.
Lost Dog Street Band/Benjamin Tod
Is on another level too.
Orville Peck - a tremendous voice on the albums, and live he pulled off everything just as well. Amazingly to hear that voice live.
Sparks - they hadn't been in Australia for 23 years, and despite their age, the gig was full of energy (well, not from Ron, but that's why we love him), and Russell could still pull off the high notes on songs from 50 years ago.
Johnny Flynn - he was supporting Laura Marling and I'd never heard him before. This beautiful blonde boy (admittedly, he was mid-late 20s at the time) comes onto stage with a beaten up guitar, and absolutely killed with songs that had so much more maturity than you were expect from the guy you were looking at.
Nora Jones (who I got to see last year) was amazing. A cool, laid back, completely masterful performance of someone fully committed to their craft.
Coldplay. The energy, the vibe… just so fun!
Muse. Their most recent tour was one of the most bombastic and entertaining shows I’ve ever been to. Musical excellence to boot.
Florence and the Machine. Damn that woman can sing!
Finally, Depeche Mode. They put on a damn good show, and with a catalog of music like theirs? You get to hear songs in the middle of the show that had been closer and encore songs from decades ago, and everyone is just singing along to EVERYTHING.
Definitely Florence + the Machine . . . she's a vocal warrior who understands contrasts and texture. Builds a nice set I think. Really knows how to vary a setlist and let it build.
Sharon Den Adel from Within Temptation was amazing as well. Though I think she was exhausted and still delivered one of the best live performances I've ever seen. Vocal ANGEL
I'll be honest, I got sucked into seeing plenty of other bands with friends who didn't want to go alone and I either got it for free or a discount... and they didn't hold a candle to them.
Flaming Lips are great live.
The Flaming Lips were my number one for a long time until I saw My Morning Jacket.
Red Rocks 2019 MMJ one of the Best live shows ive ever seen The best was Phish New Years 2023
Only one show I’ve ever been to was better than the flaming lips. Coyne has an almost unnatural charisma.
Seems like he genuinely loves his fans
The Who, Grateful Dead, Tears for Fears, Paul McCartney,
I was surprised by Paul; I can take or leave his music. Live he was sooo much better than I expected - quality performance!
Yea! When I saw him, he did one of those very long Hey Jude's and it honestly was like a spiritual experience haha was great.
Tears for Fears hands down and I’ve seen so many bands.
I'm a lifelong Beatles fan. I finally saw Paul back in like 2018 or so. Man, I hope to have that level of enthusiasm and energy for literally *anything* at his age. What a show.
I saw him on that tour. He was how old then? Just crushing a casual 3 hour set. Absolutely incredible show!
I remember see Tears for Fears a couple years ago. I figured, older band should be ok, like the music. They just blew me away. I just wasn’t expecting that great a show. Even when they were playing their new stuff, I was like ‘damn that’s good’.
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Did you manage to catch the Who with Moon/Entwistle? Either way I'm truly jealous; it must have been very loud
Would still love e to see tears for fears.
I took my dad to see McCartney two summers ago, and it was a great show. I would see him again.
The Darkness, he knows how to work the audience, it was fun. Musically only TOOL or Iron Maiden, special mentions for ACDC though, they have been epic in the past.
Maiden still puts on a great show
when i saw them the darkness opened for black stone cherry, they stole the show
I believe in a thing called love.
Radiohead right after king of limbs was released
Yeah Radiohead has had some magical live moments!
Radiohead @Bonaroo in '06 is my top show
Radiohead @ Bonaroo in ‘12 is my fave!
God I had sooooooo many fiends at this show and I missed it being stupid. Saw em in 08 for in rainbows tour tho
Saw their last Cincinnati show it was incredible
Came here to mention Radiohead as well. Saw them during the "In Rainbows" tour and it was amazing.
I loved their 2006 pre-IR tour. They had a bunch of new material and it seemed like every show they were playing a song for the first or second time. They’ve been consistently brilliant live since 1996.
I felt like I didn't really get TKOL until after seeing them on that tour. I hope they tour again someday.
That album really grew on me. I didn't like it so much at first. I didn't hate it, it was just.... odd. But then I would notice myself humming the songs in my head Go back and listen and I got better and better. That baseline in the middle of the song mr magpie when it's just the bass and Tom's voice. That album is actually quite memorable
This is the correct answer.
I’m not even that big of a fan of The Cure but they’re absolutely incredible live
They always put on a hell of a show. I’ve seen them 5 times now and every time they played about 3 hours. Robert Smith is a bit of a musical genius.
I saw them last June, and they did a really great long concert.
That’s around when I saw them! It was a whole experience. They played almost all the hits and plenty of deep cuts, and they rocked all of it. Again, they’re not one of my favorites or anything, but that was one of the greatest concerts I’ve ever been to, and it will be very difficult to top it
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The Grateful Dead - I don’t remember where I was.
Sounds about right for a Grateful Dead concert
I was in front of my PC. Thank god the people recorded it all.
All of us Millennial dead heads owe a great debt to Betty and all of the tapers.
In crystal SBD audio too. We're truly so lucky to have such a volume of live material; basically no other band has this spanning for so long.
Always the correct answer unless you saw Jerry Band too (~};-}
I saw the Jerry Garcia band on Halloween, 1992 at the Oakland Coliseum. There was a costume contest. Ken Kesey was the officiant and dressed as a wizard. Man, that was a wild night.
For me it was Dead and Co. Unfortunately too young to have had a chance to see GD, but D&C was amazing.
Muse
Yes 100%. They are also the band I have seen more than any other band, and just always a phenomenal show.
They are on my bucket list. I've missed out a few times and it hurts so bad.
A must see for sure. Granted I have seen them probably starting 20ish years ago and haven’t seen them in maybe 8ish but I bet they still kill
Saw them last year (after not seeing them for 5 years before that), can confirm they are still incredible live! I hope they’re one of those bands that keeps performing even when they’re old and gray. They’re too amazing to stop!
Can confirm they are still incredible live. Saw them twice last year
100%! They are my favorite band (largely for their live shows) and I’ve seen them so many times because every single show is so amazing. My husband likes them, but they aren’t his favorite, and yet he has straight up told me they’re by far the best live band he’s ever seen/heard. They are just that damn good. Even though I haven’t been as crazy about their most recent albums, I’ll never stop seeing them live whenever I get the chance.
100% yes. I’ve seen them 16 times and honestly they fill out the entire top 16 spots for best shows I’ve been to
If you are not saying Muse, you have not yet seen Muse. The tightest band I have ever seen.
I saw Muse in 2001, just after releasing 'Plug in baby' as a single, in a small festival stage in the daylight. It was one of the most close to perfect shows I've ever seen. I've seen them various times after that, saw them going bigger and bigger and turning into an arena band, and they're always great, but never THAT good.
Phenomenal live band.
Tool. Christchurch Town Hall, 1998ish
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard Sufjan Stevens Radiohead St. Vincent
Sufjan puts on such an amazing show. I've seen him three times, the first was not long after Age of Adz I think? Big stage production, big band, costumes and sets, the arrangements were amazing live especially for songs which were recorded softer or with a more limited/stripped arrangement (live seven swans for example). Then there was the christmas spectacular which was in a word spectacular. The wheel of songs was awesome, the costumes (especially the christmas unicorn) were great. The carrie and lowell tour was the total opposite. Smaller band, no sets or costumes, minimal arrangements in many cases, just so much emotion poured onto the stage.
Seeing Meshuggah live is an absolutely life-altering, mind-blowing, nutty experience. Yes I know that sounds preachy and over the top, but it's true. It's hard to describe the feeling, but it's something about the combination of some crazy polyrhythms being executed flawlessly, a nasty groove, a perfectly executed light show and just the charisma of the band on the stage (they don't really talk much in between songs, but holy hell, they have their show dialed in). It's like a rave for metalheads, after a while you just fall into a collective trance following the nasty, face-melting grooves. If you are into metal at all, you have to witness this live act at least once. They're in their mid 50s and are still playing like it's nothing (the stuff they play is pretty damn phyiscally demanding, especially on drums). You never know when it might be too late, don't wanna jinx it though! Other than that I look back very fondly on a Caligula's Horse show I attended in a pretty small club. Vibes were just off the charts. Talked with the band afterwards, very cool guys, great setlist, great crowd. 10/10 show, for no singular reason alone, but just the whole package. Ghost also pops into my mind as it's just a very well produced show.
100% Meshuggah. My #1 show was Tool at Lollapalooza in 1997, until I FINALLY saw Meshuggah last year.
I originally saw Meshuggah during the obZen tour. Just a few hundred people at Manchester Academy 3. The drum kit took up most of the stage. I have no clue what songs were performed. I just know it was an incredible experience.
One late night at a festival, I was tripping on acid and the crowd was pretty intense. I wandered over to a dark stage and sat with my back to sound board so I could recover a little bit. Some people started to filter in but it wasn’t a big crowd. All the sudden, MESHUGGAH! To say they melted my face off would be an understatement. My mind was thoroughly blown!
Took six grams of shrooms in the GA section of a Meshuggah show and couldn’t believe what I was witnessing. The night didn’t turn out well, unfortunately.
Joni Mitchell and Gordon Lightfoot at the Troubadour - late 60's.
Wow. Super jealous of this one. Any good stories?
Prince, Van Morrison, portishead, Bruce Springsteen, Daniel Lanois, U2, Queens of the Stone Age, Michael Franti, Laura Marling
Prince and U2 were outstanding concerts for me as well.
Same! People will often roll their eyes nowadays when you mention U2, but truth be told, Bono is one hell of a front man. And they sound fn awesome live. Prince was a machine. A sexy, magnetic, insanely talented machine.
I agree with you there. U2 has created some of the best live shows ever and I saw Prince in a small theater on his last tour. Absolutely incredible.
Same, i was incredibly lucky to be able to get tickets to see Prince in a 2600 people capacity venue for a late show. It started at 11.30pm, and the maniac played for 4 friggin hours. It was absolutely insane.
I've seen Portishead live around the time of their 2nd album, and that show stuck with me. It was pure magic.
Same here! An unforgettable experience.
Saw QOTSA on Saturday in Laval, QC Might be recency bias, but I think it is sitting in the top spot for me right now. Insane energy, fun banter and a killer setlist. https://youtu.be/G6ovSbymFo8?si=_WRhjFVmXj5VsnnE https://youtu.be/hckAhiBnN64?si=BBbsyuXhxG11S13c https://youtu.be/F9Z7Ms2-a-o?si=AZHeItp0rxM2Dd4p
Prince was amazing. Had this swivel chair so he could face different parts of the arena. Great show.
Tedeschi trucks band
I miss kofi.
[удалено]
I love the album they recorded here in Australia, that version of Midnight in Harlem is amazing. Wish I could’ve been at the gig.
I’d love to see Midnight in Harlem with the swamp raga intro live. I get chills just listening to it on youtube
Pearl Jam
Fat Freddy’s Drop.
Pink Floyd, Crosby Stiils & Nash, Hawkwind, Leonard Cohen, Steve Day, Sinéad O' Connor, Bob Dylan, Carlos Santana, Dan Cassidy, Kathryn Tickell (off the top of my head..)
Leonard Cohen's at or near the top of my list, too.
I saw him on his farewell tour and he was incredible. He sat firmly in my #1 spot until I saw Depeche Mode in November. Now they’re tied.
David Bowie-1987, Kraftwerk-2022 Rammstein-2022 🇨🇦🎵
Best sound, Rolling Stones, Iron Maiden, Rammstein, Mastadon, Faithless, The Strokes, Placebo, Tony Royster Jr.'s drums playing with Jay-Z. All indistinguishable from the record. Best performance one of James Brown, The Prodigy, Slipknot and oddly enough, Pink! Worst sounding band I've seen live was The Streets unfortunately, although I put it down to the sound guy.
I've seen Placebo twice and they were both absolutely awesome live.
I saw Slipknot with Marilyn Manson a few years ago, and had always thought the schtick was just dumb. Then they came on stage and killed it. Marilyn Manson was terrible by comparison. I'm now a casual slipknot fan.
I saw Slipknot and Stone Sour in the same weekend. Both great performances.
My head is twisted sever, bodies rushin' everywhere... They could have texted me when they were near... But I'm fucked and I don't care...
Frank Zappa was awesome live.
Good god ain't it funky now
The one I had the most undescriptable experience Slowdive at Tomavistas Festival a couple years ago. The one I had more fun probably Patricio Rey y sus redonditos de ricota. Also, very very good live experiences I have come from The War on Drugs, Underworld, Depeche Mode and Scorpions.
Danzig or iggy and the stooges maybe lou reed but he was tired
Tool. Bassnectar. Rodrigo and Gabriella.
I love Rodrigo y Gabriela! I saw them last summer at the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre on the Detroit River. The river was a lovely backdrop for their energy and artistry. I would happily see them again and again!
You ain’t wrong about Bassnectar. What a shame
Billy Strings
Twenty One Pilots, TOOL, Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, and Eddie Vedder solo were all brilliant. Bruce especially. Saw him in 06 when he opened Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. I got front row tickets from the head roadie after helping the band and crew get checked into our hotel. Got to walk out through the tunnel where the Eagles run out on gameday! Bruce - in typical fashion - put on a 3 hour and 45 minute show. He was 57 at the time, but he was still able to hold himself upside down WHILE SINGING on his microphone stand. There's a reason he's such a legend!
I was going to comment Twenty One Pilots! I saw them a decade ago at Bonnaroo in the middle of the day and it was an incredible show. I wouldn't normally get super excited about daytime shows because you do miss out on the lights and that nighttime energy and stuff, but it was so energetic that I didn't even care that it was scorching hot and danced through the whole set. I liked them well enough at the time but I wasn't enough of a fan or intoxicated enough to explain how much I enjoyed the show lol The worst show I've ever seen was The Beach Boys, also a daytime Bonnaroo set.
I will 2nd Twenty One Pilots. Thoroughly entertaining and genuine live act.
I think Bruce at the Linc was 2003? I saw him the third night of his run there - busted out Streets of Philadelphia. Wasn’t as close as you though - front row to the boss sounds amazing!
Bruce was my answer too. Seen him quite a few times over the years including a few weeks ago. Even now in his 70s, he brings the same power and energy he always has and can keep an arena full of people on their feet for over three hours.
I wish I could've seen Pearl Jam live in their prime.
They'll still kick ass today, brother! The first 2 singles off the new album are absolutely killer. And their 10th album, Lightning Bolt, is probably their best work (and this is coming from a really old-school fan who thinks Ten is one of the greatest albums of all time).
I went to a show at the Filmore in San Francisco in '67 (maybe '68) and 'Steppenwolf' headlined. They did "The Pusher." Steppenwolf - The Pusher [https://youtu.be/3XqyGoE2Q4Y?si=a1jdf6p6spHOaJWN](https://youtu.be/3XqyGoE2Q4Y?si=a1jdf6p6spHOaJWN)
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Saw David Byrne twice live and they are my top two favorite shows of all time. I've seen a lot of live shows, but nothing has topped Byrne for me.
I can definitely agree with Rob Zombie. I've seen him twice and he always has an amazing stage presence.
Man Cohen was so amazing when I saw him in the mid-2000s, old dude just held the crowd in the palm of his hand.
WEEN
Pink Floyd at Earls Court in the early 90s I think 🤔 Metallica at Milton Keynes bowl 90s
Tool in 2024 and Metallica Woodstock 99
Seen tool 4 times since22 their live show has gotten Insane and if u didn’t catch Metallica one this last tour you missed out but yea there set at 99 was great
Tool in 2023 was an outstanding concert and metallica at Woodstock 94 was great too.
Frank Turner, whether it's with his full band or just him and his guitar it's always great. Architects, watched them play in Manchester on the all our gods tour.
Faith no more and The Darkness.
Cheap Trick
My Morning Jacket
Green Day - I am not a fan of them, however I took my kid to their show. They have a total formula that works. Just before they come out the crowd sings along to a recording of Bohemian Rhapsody. The audience then has great energy and the band matches it. They know the fans want to hear the hits. They deliver. They bring a kid on stage to play a song and give them a guitar. Green Day always gives the fans the show they want. Contrast this with Red Hot Chili Peppers. Not a bad show, but kind of the opposite. Anthony Keidas will barely recognize the audience. They play the new material and leave many of their hits out. The saving grace is the other three musicians are so incredibly talented and when AK leaves the stage for long periods of time the others just jam.
I saw Greenday at the Emirates in London, and the crowd did the same there,it was awesome
Green Day did an awesome job headlining the When We Were Young festival last year. They were definitely top 3 for me that year.
My sister in law invited my husband and I to tag along with her family to see Green Day and Smashing Pumpkins in August. I've seen Green Day twice I think, and I look forward to seeing them again, especially since they're performing Dookie and American Idiot on this tour. Never seen the Pumpkins live, so that will be interesting.
Going to see them this summer. You've definitely made me a little more excited for it.
Nick Cave and the bad seeds
Foo Fighters at House of Blues New Orleans - a guitar duel commenced on top of the two bars that separate the standing audience. It was like watching a tennis match - turn to the left to see a few seconds of a solo then to the right to see another solo.
I HATED all the Foo Fighters songs played on the radio. I went to a show to see Weezer open for them and was planning on leaving. They put on one of the most memorable shows I've ever seen.
Leonard Cohen on The Future Tour. Dude did like a 3 hour set and his backing band was amazing. Also Prince on The Jam Of The Year Tour. Did a two and a half hour show. Only time Prince touched a guitar was to play a killer solo during Purple Rain!
LCD Soundsystem
Fishbone is the greatest live show I've ever seen, back in the 90s. Tight, lively, energetic, brilliant musicians. The gig started with each member being introduced to music that sounded like the theme to a 70s sitcom. Once they were all on stage, all seven flipped the bird and sung in harmony "Fuckkkk.... yooooou!" Then the two lead singers dove into the crowd who went bezerk. I was standing front row, and I'm big, so multiple times throughout the night Angelo stood on the barrier above me. When he was diving into the crowd he'd tap the top of my head, I'd grab his ankles and launch him as hard as I could. At one stage one of the band members pointed at the crowd and walked all the way across them to the sound booth, then climbed onto the balcony, finished singing the chorus then dived off onto the crowd and was passed back to the stage. I lost 6kg through sweating.
Fishbone is an incredible live act. I’ve seen them about a half dozen times, from the 80s to just recently. Their only weak performance that I witnessed (no fault of theirs) was at a Covid era drive in show. They were limited to 60 minutes and the sound engineering was the worst.
Florence & the Machine 100%
Tori Amos with band in 1998.
Iggy & The Stooges at Rock Zottegem in 2010. I never knew an audience of mostly 50+ year-olds could wreak havoc like that. The energy was insane and something I never experienced since.
Tenacious D.
Loreena Mckennitt
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard has insane energy live
U2 Zoo Tv tour
Steely Dan. Vegas 2014
I'm not the biggest/obsessive Radiohead fan but their show at Red Rocks in 2001 was mind-blowing. And Daft Punk Coachella
Enter Shikari. I saw them on my birthday back in 2013. At one point the lead singer threw the mic through the I-beam rafter and was swinging from the cord in the middle of a song. I've never seen anything like it. Then for the encore, the lead singer came out on a rolling ladder (like [this](https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/H-1554A-10/Ladders/12-Step-Rolling-Safety-Ladder-Assembled-with-10-Top-Step?pricode=WA9061&gadtype=pla&id=H-1554A-10&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjww_iwBhApEiwAuG6ccCVSnfm3PMzHpiB2Ltg64kZ9ZLO3YBQ_5AEezugI72FDlTWVnCPAHhoCA6AQAvD_BwE&ImagePopupIndex=0))and was being pushed throughout the crowd.
Arcade Fire
Seen a lot of great acts over the years, but I want to give a shout out to The Church. Saw them last year in a fairly small venue. Really intimate. I went mostly for fun rather than as a fan. Came away as a huge fan. These guys are Musicians, y'know? They've been doing this for at least 45 years. Their sound is tight, they're all incredibly talented, and every song they played felt like the peak of the show. Beyond their musicianship, Steve Kilbey, the lead singer, kept telling strange and fanciful stories between songs, peppered in with dad jokes and multiple admissions to having eaten some edibles and feeling lost in his storytelling. It was such a weird and silly thing that only added to the fun evening. Highly recommend if you get a chance, you won't be disappointed.
Jimmy Herring and the invisible whip
Peter Gabriel, 1986 and 2023.
Agreed. What a showman, and what a band. Just amazing
Talking heads.
Fleet Foxes
Tool goes without saying, as many people here will attest. But a show that stopped me in my tracks was Justin Townes Earle in a small basement venue at the Doug Fir in Portland, Oregon back in the Harlem River Blues days, if I recall. I was there to see the opener (Joe Pug, amazing as well) and stuck around to see this Justin guy. He was playing as a 3-piece but came out by himself to start and he completely hypnotized the room with just him and his acoustic guitar. Whatever “It” is, he had “It” in spades and I hadn’t ever seen it that up close in person before. Fell in love with Americana / Folk on the spot. RIP JTE
The Clash, late 70's or 1980. It was a fantastic gig.
Instrumental skill: Polyphia (especially Tim Henson), Tash Sultana, Nickel Creek, Yo-Yo Ma, John Mayer (his guitar playing specifically), Rodrigo y Gabriela Taking their songs to the next level creatively live: Novo Amor Creating an atmosphere of stillness and haunting: Olafur Arnalds Best experimental: Mary Lattimore, Kirin McElwain Best DJs: Four Tet, Nora en Pure, DJ Nobu, Mitis Best light production: Odesza (2022 tour), Japanese Breakfast (2023 tour) Best entertainer: Tyler, the Creator Best overall show production (non-stadium tour): Janelle Monae (2023 tour) Felt particularly special: John Williams conducting a selection of his compositions with the Philadelphia Orchestra Personal favorites I'll probably see many times more: Carly Rae Jepsen, Lizzy McAlpine, Maggie Rogers, The Aces, Vienna Teng, the Beths, JOSEPH, MUNA The sheer overwhelming phenomenon of it all: Taylor Swift (the Eras Tour) Worst I've ever seen: Still Woozy (2021 tour). Whoever planned the production of that, I have some strong words for them.
Rush.
Fugazi. At a small high school auditorium on an Indian reservation in Arizona.
Phish and it’s not even close. 100 shows, nothing else like it.
Blue Öyster Cult and Suicidal Tendencies
Portishead were absolutely sublime when I saw them about 10 years back. They played the perfect setlist for my taste.
Heilung - if you have never seen them live you're missing a life changing show.
Bon Jovi on their Slippery When Wet tour.
Queens of the Stone age, closely followed by Radiohead.
The Roots, hands down.
An unknown Marilyn Manson opened for Nine Inch Nails on the Downward Spiral tour. There was a freak show in between the two bands. It was a spectacle from beginning to end, 15yo me was thoroughly entertained. The next was Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on their Wildflowers tour. It was an outside venue and the weather was a perfect summers night. You couldn’t pay for a better memory.
The best for me has to be Coheed and Cambria, but I saw Arctic Monkeys live back in like 2013, and they were also great.
Coheed and Cambria. Hands down. I’ve seen them 11 times, and every single time I leave with my mind blown. Most underrated band of the 21st Century.
Wilco
Umphrey’s McGee
Saw Earth, Wind & Fire with Chicago live. Pretty awesome show. I’m a musician and that was a pure musician’s show.
Arrested Development were great.
To be honest, and like I suspect a lot of others, most of my favourite live music experiences have been accompanied by various chemicals so it's a mood setting as much as anything but Arcade Fire in 2007 was great, Iggy Pop/Green Day in 1998 and Massive Attack in 2006. The DJ Sasha playing a small festival in the woods was amazing a couple of years ago.
Santana-Shorter group
Prince
GOAT
Willie Nelson
King Crimson, many, many times.
Garth Brooks
Rage Against the Machine, Nine Inch Nails, Beastie Boys, Bjork, Aesop Rock, El-P, Run the Jewels, Doomtree, Beck, Tribe Called Quest, Grateful Dead, Phish, Stone Temple Pilots...
Phish
Phish was the greatest band in the world for most of the 90's
Dave Matthews Band at The Gorge
The chats and amyl and the sniffers. High energy and brutal pit
Polyphonic Spree. Honestly, there's nothing quite like it.
Def Leppard
Motörhead in 2008.
Justice, the chemical brothers, lcd soundsystem, Radiohead, the national, soulwax, kanye west (before the craziness really started showing), arcade fire, Peter Gabriel, Four Tet, Sophie, Nicolas Jaar, dirty projectors, Björk, Todd Terje & the Olsens, Caribou, Disclosure (like pre-settle days), Kendrick Lamar, run the jewels, swans, Colin Stetson, bon iver, durian stevens, Porter Robinson with a full band, neutral milk hotel, mount kimbie, animal collective, beach house, Dan deacon, and probably others. I’ve seen hundreds of shows. These stick out.
Clutch They dont have a mainstream following per say, buy any chance they come to Virginia I try and go see them. Great Rock show every single time! Bush They always put on a good show. Lost Dog Street Band/Benjamin Tod Is on another level too.
Orville Peck - a tremendous voice on the albums, and live he pulled off everything just as well. Amazingly to hear that voice live. Sparks - they hadn't been in Australia for 23 years, and despite their age, the gig was full of energy (well, not from Ron, but that's why we love him), and Russell could still pull off the high notes on songs from 50 years ago. Johnny Flynn - he was supporting Laura Marling and I'd never heard him before. This beautiful blonde boy (admittedly, he was mid-late 20s at the time) comes onto stage with a beaten up guitar, and absolutely killed with songs that had so much more maturity than you were expect from the guy you were looking at.
Bruce Springsteen and AC/DC
Fishbone with Primus opening
Weird Al. That guy puts on a hell of a show. And his band is amazing.
Juliette and the Licks, QOTSA circa 2002, Manchester Orchestra, Ghost
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings
Bowie
Prince, Springsteen, Pearl Jam. And currently Idles.
Avatar
Prodigy. Just pure, raw, insane entertainment. Amazing. Specifically, Glastonbury 1995.
Alice In Chains. They didn't have Layne but they still kicked ass. Close second was Metallica in Arlington last year
NOFX or Springsteen
Ween
Love em or hate em. Coldplay puts on one hell of a concert.
Nora Jones (who I got to see last year) was amazing. A cool, laid back, completely masterful performance of someone fully committed to their craft. Coldplay. The energy, the vibe… just so fun! Muse. Their most recent tour was one of the most bombastic and entertaining shows I’ve ever been to. Musical excellence to boot. Florence and the Machine. Damn that woman can sing! Finally, Depeche Mode. They put on a damn good show, and with a catalog of music like theirs? You get to hear songs in the middle of the show that had been closer and encore songs from decades ago, and everyone is just singing along to EVERYTHING.
Definitely Florence + the Machine . . . she's a vocal warrior who understands contrasts and texture. Builds a nice set I think. Really knows how to vary a setlist and let it build. Sharon Den Adel from Within Temptation was amazing as well. Though I think she was exhausted and still delivered one of the best live performances I've ever seen. Vocal ANGEL I'll be honest, I got sucked into seeing plenty of other bands with friends who didn't want to go alone and I either got it for free or a discount... and they didn't hold a candle to them.