10 Greatest live acts you've seen!

[dooley]

1 Midnight Oil. Ok, their recoded output may be patchy and overproduced, but live they are the best band I've seen by a long way. Peter Garrett is the greatest frontman ever.

2 Hot Snakes. Such an intense band. How come it took a bunch of mid to late 30yo guys to show the kids how it's done?

3 Doughboys. Those guys sure knew how to use their hair.

4 The Muffs. Kim was the finest female vocalist of her generation.

5 Slobberbone. How they never got to be as popular as the mats I'll never know.

6 Soul Asylum. I think people forget how great these guy used to be, and how hard they could rock.

7 Descendents. Words cannot describe how happy I was to find out they were reforming. I think I cried when they played Hope.

8 Richard Buckner. When this guy's on form it's a near religious experience.

9 Snuff. Possibly the greatest British band of all time, in my opinion.

10 The Mummies. Nuff said.

[CMcMahon]

4 The Muffs. Kim was the finest female vocalist of her generation.

7 Descendents. Words cannot describe how happy I was to find out they were reforming. I think I cried when they played Hope.

Lucky!

For me, it would probably have to be Dream Theater and Queensryche, at the Concord Pavilion.

[FatguyRacer]

1. Pink Floyd 1994
2. Steely Dan 1993
3. Allman Brothers
4. Steely Dan 2004
5. BB King
6. Eric Clapton (the blues only tour)
7. Buddy Guy
8. Albert Collins
9. Michael Hedges
10. Bo Diddley

[CyLowe97]

1. Richard Thompson (guitar genius - either solo acoustic or electric with band)
2. Phish
3. moe.
4. Midnight Oil (agree with OP that they absolutely ROCKED when on stage)
5. Pearl Jam
6. Sleater Kinney
7. Todd Thibaud (great Vermont singer/songwriter)
8. Cowboy Junkies (the voice of Margo Timmins is so effortlessly beautiful)
9. dada (unexpectedly one of the best live bands I ever saw. they were insanely good)
10. Joshua Redman

[Olebiker]

1. Ricky Skaggs
2. Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys (I was almost brought to tears when he played "My Last Days On Earth")
3. Ralph Stanley
4. Doc Watson
5. New Grass Revival
6. Beck Gentry and the Falls City Ramblers (I'm still in love with Memphis Beck)
7. Ethel Brown "Wildcat On The Sewing Machine"
8. INXS (with my young daughter years ago)
9. All Night Strut (sort of like Manhattan Transfer)
10. A lady singing "Over The Rainbow" in a cafe in Steamboat Springs, Colorado in 1985. I don't know who she was, but even the drunks got quiet and listened.

[heresy]

1. Young Dubliners. If you can see them on or around St. Patrick's Day, hold on.
2. INXS. Michael Hutchence was a god that did not get the respect he deserved.
3. Liz Phair. An amp issue killed the power on stage. Rather than storm off like many a rock musician might do, she sat down and the band played unplugged until the problem was fixed. Classy. And hot!
4. Pearl Jam.
5. Convoy. An alt country group that no longer exists. (Most of the members are now Louis XIV). They could rock.
6. Rage Against the Machine. I was scared. The horses in riot gear outside should have been a warning.
7. The Cult
8. Sarah McLachlan.
9. Beck. I am not a big fan, but he put on an excellent show.
10. Did I mention the Young Dubliners? See them!!

[sunninho]

1. Chaka Khan (she has so much range and energy - her jazz vocals soar)
2. Lauryn Hill (down to earth, but great performer)
3. Sade (near Stanford Univ, the weed in the air made the show surreal :p )
4. Celine Dion (got dragged along to see her in Vegas - really nice production)

[Namenda]

1. Metallica-seen them 4 times, not a dud in the bunch
2. Lenny Kravitz-definitely worth the price of admission
3. AC/DC-seen them several times, never disappointed
4. Roger Waters-talk about a contact high
5. Buckcherry-more energy than anyone else I've seen
6. Mighty Mighty Bosstones-before they got famous and lazy
7. Neil Young-can still rock when he wants
8. Red Hot Chili Peppers-had great seats for a great show
9. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers-they were excellent on last year's tour

On the wish list-David Gilmour in NYC...

[Olebiker]

7. Neil Young-can still rock when he wants


Yeah, but he can't sing a lick.

[Namenda]

Yeah, but he can't sing a lick.

Neither can Roger Waters. But I still like 'em both...

[lotek]

multiples in #1 but it was 1 concert

1) Buddy Miles, Al Cooper, Jethro Tull, Led Zepplin, Johnny Winter 1968
2)The Who original Tommy and Who's Next tour. 1970/71 ?
3)Bruce Springsteen Born to Run Tour, last night Bottom Line NYC
4)Jimmy Buffet any tour, its a serious party
5)Crosby Still & Nash 1993 tour (phenomenal vocals)
6)John Mayall 1970 Spectrum philla
7)Bruce Springsteen 1979 Wash DC
8)Kinks 1975 Rutgers Univ
9)Blue Cheer Fillmore East ca 1967?
10 Bonnie Raitt 1971 Philladelphia Folk Festival.

well those are the ones that I remember. . .

marty

[heresy]

4)Jimmy Buffet any tour, its a serious party



How could I leave off Jimmy Buffett? I forgot Jack Johnson, too.

[lala]

I'll try to remember additional, but here:

Not in order, necessarily:

Mouse On Mars
The Ruins
The Boredoms
Pavement

Machine Go Boom/Mikey Machine
Hitting Birth

Spaceheads
Flying Luttenbachers

[Namenda]

One I forgot-Satriani, Vai, and Kenny Wayne Shepard on the G3 tour. If you like that kind of thing...

[CyLowe97]

7. Neil Young-can still rock when he wants


A friend took me to a CSNY concert about 5 years ago. The sense was palpable that Neil was in charge on that stage. The others deferred to him and you could tell they were not phoning it in almost because they were afraid of Neil.

Also, one of the biggest highlights I ever witnessed was at Farm Aid 1998 when Phish was rolling through a killer "Runaway Jim" jam and Neil walks onstage with one of Trey Anastasio's Languadoc guitars and they totally went into an Arc-like feedback jam and then melted it into a firey "Down By The River." That was SMOKIN'!

Neil's worth the ticket, for sure.

[snickersnicker]

1. Defiance, Ohio - I've seen them three times now, and each show ranks amoung the best I've ever been to. The single best was seeing them play a kitchen no larger than 7'x7'.

2. Envy - This was just amazing. I think it's on the same level of seeing something like Pink Floyd, except multiplied hundredfold in cathartic intensity because they're a Hardcore band. **** was epic.

3. Sheryl's Magnetic Aura (aka Meneguar) - This was part of a basement show that had probably the single best lineup I've ever witnessed: Rosa, The Gibbons, Sheryl's Magnetic Aura, Books Lie, The Setup, Baby Teeth, Gospel, Hugs, and The Fiction. I'd never heard them before the show, so I was witnessing the greatness firsthand, about a foot away from them. Now one of my favourite bands.

4. The Weakerthans - This was before they played bigger venues; just after the release of Left and Leaving. They were humourous, and at times very poignant. Just fun pop music made better live.

5. Broken Social Scene - I'm not a huge fan of their music, but they played for something approaching three hours. Everything sounded fantastic, especially since their music is incredibly complex at times.

6. The One AM Radio - Hrishikesh asked that the lights be turned off, and the entire performance was played with only the glow from his laptop he used for music concrete. It was very ethereal and immersing, and he considers it to be one of the very best shows he's ever played.

7. The Lawrence Arms - Before the release of Apathy and Exhaustion. They were witty and just played great. Really good music, so it was of course good live.

8. Braid - This was part of the reunion tour, but despite their old age (in terms of Punk/Indie Rock dudes), they had so much energy. They just seemed to love what they were doing.

9. Minus the Bear - Same show as Braid; this was a dance party and a half. Watching the guitarist that does all the crazy technical stuff left me in awe.

10. Books Lie - At the same show as #3; jam-packed tiny basement with maybe three dozen kids. It was around 120 degrees by this time. I guess going by the strictest standards you possibly can, this was the first real "Hardcore Punk" (specifically NYHC) band I'd ever seen live. Bonkers. This was also one of the last shows they played outside of New York before disbanding.

[56/12 and 22/28]

Rage Against The Machine.

September 12, 2000 in LA at the Grand Olympic Auditorium.

[BroMax]

Linda Hopkins as Bessie Smith in Me and Bessie

[roadrasher]

In no particular order.

Bad Brains, The Pogues, The Clash, Personality Crisis, Black Uhuru, SNFU, The Ramones, Burning Spear, Neil Young & Crazy Horse.

The Bad Brains show was the most intense musical experience of my life, holy Sh$T what a band they where.

'Rasher

[bluebottle1]

In no particular order, the Replacements, the Ramones, the Who, Bruce Sprinsteen and the E Street Band, Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle, Iggy Pop, the Blasters, the Butthole Surfers, and the Minutemen.

[bluebottle1]

multiples in #1 but it was 1 concert

1) Buddy Miles, Al Cooper, Jethro Tull, Led Zepplin, Johnny Winter 1968
2)The Who original Tommy and Who's Next tour. 1970/71 ?
3)Bruce Springsteen Born to Run Tour, last night Bottom Line NYC
4)Jimmy Buffet any tour, its a serious party
5)Crosby Still & Nash 1993 tour (phenomenal vocals)
6)John Mayall 1970 Spectrum philla
7)Bruce Springsteen 1979 Wash DC
8)Kinks 1975 Rutgers Univ
9)Blue Cheer Fillmore East ca 1967?
10 Bonnie Raitt 1971 Philladelphia Folk Festival.

well those are the ones that I remember. . .

marty

With a list like that, small wonder you don't remember more! ;)

I've seen Springsteen several times, and I'm convinced he does a show like no one else (or at least, he used to), but to have seen him on the "Born to Run" tour when he was young, scrawny, hungry, and brash, that must have been magic. I envy you.

[brokenrobot]

In no order: David Byrne doing "Nothing but Flowers" and "Life During Wartime" at the Apollo two days after the WTC came down - I don't think there was a dry eye in the crowd; Kristen Hersh hypnotizing the crowd at First Avenue in MPLS without ever getting out of her rocking chair - she's one spooky woman!; Bjork at Coney Island, with fireworks; They Might Be Giants at Prospect Park, where I danced with a nonagenarian and an 8-year-old, both of whom LOVED the show; David Bowie singing with Nine Inch Nails at the Meadowlands; Big Dance Theater's live performance of the Cynthia Hopkins score for Mac Wellman's version of Antigone - Hopkins, too, is one spooky woman! Oh, and my old favorites the Jesus Lizard played a six-inch stage at my college bar when I was an undergrad; I had David Yow's handprints bruised into my face and arm for weeks after he clawed his way across the crowd - an astounding show!

[mtnbiker66]

Tony Rice
Del McCoury Band
Mountian Heart
IIIrd Tyme Out
JD Crow
Long View
Rick Skaggs
A.K.U.S.
Mack Weisman
The Issacs

[Hunter]

Pink Floyd
Ozzy
Pantera
Filter
Sepultura
Queensryche
Suicidal Tendencies
Tool
Korn
so many more

[marqueemoon]

(in no particular order)

Idaho
Spiritualized
Yo La Tengo
Swervedriver
Bad Brains
Low
Fugazi
Burning Airlines
Emmylou Harris
Television

[MediaCreations]

10 of my favourites in no real order. I would probably list a different 10 on any given day but these ones were all pretty good.

Joe Jackson
Diana Krall
Hoodoo Gurus
Gangajang
Neil Diamond
Ray Charles
Violent Femmes
Clannad
Bob Dylan
David Bowie

I've got a more comprehensive list of acts I've seen here (http://rodneyolsen.blogspot.com/2005/09/live-music-memories.html).

[cheg]

Not in order:
Bob Marley and the Wailers
Afro Cuban Allstars
Garbage
Little Feat
Allman Brother Band
Gang of Four
Midnight Oil
Lene Lovich
Angel City
Maktub
Third World

[dooley]

acts I've seen here (http://rodneyolsen.blogspot.com/2005/09/live-music-memories.html).

The Motels and Hi-5, I'm jealous!

[free_pizza]

The Top 5 shows i've seen are (ive seen lots more, but nothing to write home about)
1. U2 - Croke Park - June 27th, 2005
2. U2 - Croke Park - June 24th, 2005
3. U2 - Calgary Saddledome - April 9th, 2001
4. The Chieftans - Back in 2002, dont remember what date
5. Big Wreck - Saw them in a hall in Regina in 2000, it was a brilliant show.

I had the chance to see Van Morrison in Cork last summer, but i opted to see my newborn nephew instead while my friends saw Morrison.

[skitbraviking]

6 Soul Asylum. I think people forget how great these guy used to be, and how hard they could rock.



Oh, yes, they did! What freakin' spirit they had until Winona Ryder sucked the soul from the band!

111 In No Particular Order, but Pearl Jam, T(I)NC/Hives and The Arcade Fire are near the top:
Pearl Jam

Fishbone

Jesus Lizard

Circle Jerks (my first (only?) religious experience)

The Rollins Band (first incarnation)

The Arcade Fire

Soul Asylum

The Replacements

Fugazi

Public Enemy

The (International) Noise Conspiracy/The Hives

Runners Up:

Faith No More
Soundgard and Metallica (when they were still hungary)
Ken Vandermark
Trenchmouth

[skitbraviking]

Yeah, but he can't sing a lick.

He did back in the '90s when I saw him last.

[Serpico]

Bikini Kill :beer:

unfu7cking real--crazy!

[Serpico]

In no particular order.

Bad Brains, The Pogues, The Clash, Personality Crisis, Black Uhuru, SNFU, The Ramones, Burning Spear, Neil Young & Crazy Horse.

The Bad Brains show was the most intense musical experience of my life, holy Sh$T what a band they where.

'Rasher

omfg, you saw SNFU live :beer:


you saw the clash, the ramones, bad brains and neil young also, wtf--damn!

[free_pizza]

i should say that "Snow Patrol" opened up for U2 in dublin, and it was a Great performance, i really like that band.

[Tequila Joe]

Mainstream tours in no order;
Dire Straights - Brothers in Arms
Peter Gabriel - Sledge Hammer
Genises - Mama
The Eagles - Reunion Tour
AC/DC - Razors Edge
Judas Priest - Turbo
Scorpions - Black Out
Heart - Bad Animals
Lenny Kravitz -
Tragically Hip - Road Apples


Not Mainstream in no order;
Wood *****
Jesus Lizard
Camel Toe
Godzilla
The Odds
Head Pins
Venus Fly Trap

[gonesh9]

Not in any order, but there's 10...

Built to Spill
String Cheese Incident
Eek-A-Mouse
Grateful Dead
Dirty Three
Madeski, Martin, and Wood
The Frames
Gong
Ween
Toots and the Maytals

[roadrasher]

omfg, you saw SNFU live :beer:


you saw the clash, the ramones, bad brains and neil young also, wtf--damn!

I was lucky to have seen SNFU countless times. I lived and worked in Edmonton from the mid 80's through mid 90's. I actually remember their first incarnation as "Live Sex Shows" I think Ken and the Belke's were about 15.

Well I'm 44 now and all that seems a lifetime ago, but all of those bands and more played Alberta back in the day. This thread has got me thinking of all the bands that came through town. Calgary had a great Punk scene starting in the late 70's at a bar called the Calgarian Hotel. I remember Husker Du playing a whole week and the bar being packed every night. Pre Rollins Black flag was a particularly memorable show. the Zero Boys, Articles of Faith, Minor Threat, MDC all wicked good bands. I know there were tons more.
Have you heard of a movie titled Another state of Mind? It's a film about a tour with Youth Brigade and Social Distortion, they came through town and played the bar for a week, check it out.

Funnest road trip, ever 4 guys in a messed up Beetle 16 hours from Edmonton to Vancouver to see the Clash's give em enough rope tour.. fun fun fun......
If you can try to find something by Personality Crisis, they were without doubt the best band ever out of Calgary, 3 Winnipeggers and 2 Calgarians they absolutely kicked ASS.

I love this thread.

Old punks never die our hair just gets greyer..........

'Rasher

[roadrasher]

[
Not Mainstream in no order;
Wood *****
Jesus Lizard
Camel Toe
Godzilla
The Odds
Head Pins
Venus Fly Trap[/QUOTE]



The Odds were a great band, highly under rated IMO.

'Rasher

[CyLowe97]

Madeski, Martin, and Wood



MMW.... dang! They should have been on my list. Acoustic at Park West around the time of Tonic was so tight. Then saw them electric a few months later at the Riv with a packed house jamming along. Then saw them at Chicago Symphony Hall acoustic again.

One of the funniest scenes at a concert was all the kids showing up at the upscale home of the CSO and then all the older symphony patrons who get their tickets because they have season tix for the jazz series. That was an odd mix of audience.

http://www.jambase.com/merch/MMWLogoDecal.jpg

[Mayonnaise]

Regrettably, I’m older now than I used to be and while I’d like to think I had some kind of musical sophistication as a teenager, it simply isn’t true. As a white suburban stooge with more privilege than sense, I gobbled unquestionably whatever rock band the big corporations threw at me.

It didn’t have to be hip as long as it had buzz and I’d take my money from washing dishes at Village Inn and buy a ticket for the next show at Big Mac, or maybe Sunday Number One, those summer stadium events with 4 bands and a huge headliner, for instance: Eddy Money, Peter Tosh, Kansas, and The Rolling Stones (Some Girls Tour).

I saw Heart, Kiss, Boston, Cheap Trick, The Cars, Steve Miller Band, ELO, Bob Seger, The Who, Fleetwood Mac, Jefferson Starship, Aerosmith. I can’t even remember them all. Mostly, it was crap. Had it been cool or challenging or cutting edge I wouldn’t have understood it and certainly not liked it one bit. What, I’m going to go to Algebra class on Monday morning and tell Woz I saw Television at the Rainbow Music Hall on Saturday and they were great? Never going to happen. Elvis Costello? Bowie? Iggy Pop? Never.

But, if I said, Woz, I got an extra fifth row center for Foreigner at McNichols, or I’m gonna camp out at Select A Seat for Rush tickets, I’da been a hero.

Every time Pelican or Isis plays Anthony asks me if I want to go, he’s got industry friends and gets great seats and hangs out with the band. I wave him off and say no, missing an opportunity to be cool.

The cycle continues.

[SpongeDad]

Bowie, twice, Serious Moonlight tour and 1989ish (last pre Tin Machine tour)
Richard Thompson 1995 (in Boston, amazing, even with all the hippies)
Elvis Costello 1991? (did R&B revisions to his catalogue)

I would kill to see a Midnight Oil show.

[edit: Lyle Lovett is kill-worthy as well - good one S-Mouse]

[Second Mouse]

Little Feat
Frank Zappa
The Who
Leo Kottke
Jeff Beck
Lyle Lovett
Chet Atkins
Jerry Douglas
Michael Hedges
Mark Knopfler

Seems to be a guitar theme there.

[lotek]

I've seen Springsteen several times, and I'm convinced he does a show like no one else (or at least, he used to), but to have seen him on the "Born to Run" tour when he was young, scrawny, hungry, and brash, that must have been magic. I envy you.

Notice the venues? lots in the South Jersey area. Spectrum used to put on these mega
shows every weekend, one show: Mott the hoople, Alice Cooper and John Mayall, another
famous mismatch Black Sabbath opening for Procol Harum.
I was on concert committee at Rutgers, we put on Billy Joel and 2nd half of show
was him and Bruce (pre born to run) doing duets. BTW Billy Joel does a great Joe
Cocker impression. Bruce used to hang out at Rutgers a bit, also saw him at
stone pony a few times.

marty

[Tmax1]

Hmmm....

Elton John on Yellow Brick Road Tour in '72 blew me away
Traffic- Low Spark Tour
The Guess Who then as BTO
900 Ft. Jesus
REM in a bar in Florida around 80 or 81

Earth Wind and Fire, Savoy Brown opening for Lynard Skynerd- Freebird had just come out
Talking Heads after Catherine's Wheel
John Hartford
Johnny Cash
Santana

...and more

[skitbraviking]

Bowie? Iggy Pop? Never.

But, if I said, Woz, I got an extra fifth row center for Foreigner at McNichols, or I’m gonna camp out at Select A Seat for Rush tickets, I’da been a hero.

Every time Pelican or Isis plays Anthony asks me if I want to go, he’s got industry friends and gets great seats and hangs out with the band. I wave him off and say no, missing an opportunity to be cool.

The cycle continues.


Well, whatever the history, your mix CD that came with the Fixed rag was great.

If you get a chance to check out Iggy, take it. I saw him back in 99 at the Metro and he blew away all the stooges (sic) that are half his age. Great, great live act.

[KingTermite]

Garth Brooks - just knows how to work a crowd
David Bowie - need I even comment?
Gloria Estafan - Coming out of dark tour was brilliant. Saw her again later, not as good.
Heart - Don't remember a lot, but they were my favorite band at time. I have tickets to see them again this April.
Dead Kennedys - Wild ass concert
Toto - Front man did acrobatics through the show...quite entertaining
Rod Stewart - Quite a show man too
Whitney Houston - She was so drugged up she could barely stand. Entertainment value was more comical than musical.
Ramsey Louis - At Clearwater Jazz Holiday....was cool up 'til Ramsey...then he brought a mood to the place all by himself.
Jefferson Starship - Just good clean American rock-n-roll show. Quite fun.

[KingTermite]

Bowie, twice, Serious Moonlight tour and 1989ish (last pre Tin Machine tour)

That was the same tour I saw Bowie on. :)

[Feldman]

In no particular ranking:

Ramones, Santa Monica Civic, 1977--a live-action cartoon on stage
The Dils (later Rank and File) The Masque in Hollywood, same year--punk rock's peak IMHO
J. Geils Band--L.A. in 1972 and Seattle a few years later. Professionalism doesn't eliminate spark and energy, no way! Wasn't surprised to hear that lead singer Peter Wolf is an ex-deejay.
Borromeo String Quartet, Chamber Music Northwest 1997. Schubert's string quartets are rock and roll, minus 200 years and electricity. Seriously, all rock fans should hear classical chamber music at close range esp. German Romantic composers' works.
Brian Setzer, Vancouver BC worlds' fair, 1986
Television, the Roxy in LA, 1978--got lucky, damned lucky, to hear these guys live.
They were better than on record.
Talking Heads, Portland, 1978, Paramount Theater
Joni Mitchell, Santa Cruz, 1971--lucked into a free performance in downtown SC at an outdoor market.
Chris Spedding and John Cale, Portland, 1988
Zappa, UCLA, 1972, with Flo and Eddie

[SoonerBent]

The Stones
The Who (both in the Cotton Bowl the same summer, but seperately of course. Both were in 85, 86 or maybe 87)
Bon Jovi (about two weeks ago)
James Taylor (It was an outdoor concert and it poured rain all day. Was still raining lightly at show time. It was a sold-out show but most everyone either thought it was a rain out or just did'nt want to brave it. There were only a few hundred there. JT just sat on the front of the stage and did a 2 1/2 hour acoustic show, explaining the writing of most of the songs.)

SS

[Tmax1]

The Stones
James Taylor (It was an outdoor concert and it poured rain all day. Was still raining lightly at show time. It was a sold-out show but most everyone either thought it was a rain out or just did'nt want to brave it. There were only a few hundred there. JT just sat on the front of the stage and did a 2 1/2 hour acoustic show, explaining the writing of most of the songs.)

SS

I bet that was great. JT always has had such a good mannered rapport with the audience. He's my bride's heart throb and we've seen him several times. One time we were third row center and she blurted out something can't remember what and he answered matter of factly. Pretty cool not to just blow the comment off.

MC 900 Ft Jesus said to his small crowd, " F it, I'm outta here". And left. We stood there and wondered what the F.

I guess we all have our stuff.

~jg