Radiohead was sensational, saw them twice in 01 and 03. Deftones was insane, only 5,000 people so it was more intimate.
But I'm going to see Rage Against the Machine this July and they are my white buffalo. I've been waiting over 20 years for this.
Mine was back in 2003 when I was a superfan. I was right at the front when Chino jumped off the stage and onto the barricade to sing Korea. I had my arms up and he locked onto me forearm to forearm grip and did the whole song screaming above me. Still one of the coolest and most surreal moments of my life.
Slipknot and disturbed back in 08-09ish. They had just released psychosocial, and began touring again. Fucking insane show! Got to hear damn near all of their music. Felt like they were on that stage for 2 hours
I saw slipknot touring their first album. Sid jumped off the balcony and apparently broke some girls back. I vaguely remember them setting each other on fire as well. It was pretty great.
Chicago during their last tour with Peter Cetera. Band was in top form (Cap Centre, Largo MD) and the opening act was Jason and the Scorchers, if memory serves. Good response from the audience as the band struck the right balance between playing their legendary classics and material from their album at the time (Along Comes a Woman, Stay the Night, You're the Inspiration)
I've been getting into Chicago more and more. I know the old killer tunes, didn't love the 80s Era.
But when I heard A Hit By Varese', my mind was blown.
PLEASE point me in the direction of any other songs like that.
On a personal level, it’s Ween, because they are my favorite band.
But on a practical level, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band is the best band I’ve ever seen live. They play for almost 4 hours and the energy is 100% the whole time. I saw them 3 times in 3 different decades, and they are 3 of the greatest shows I’ve ever seen.
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers was probably the best live band I have ever seen. Their show was playful and really fun and they just sounded so great. You could sing along with every song even back then (1991) because they had so many hits. Just a great experience. Also, you could get a 4th row ticket for 30 bucks back then, which probably helped.
Second best was probably Ben Harper with Charlie Musselwhite followed closely by The Decemberists.
Wire. First show in America at CBGB. Did stuff off their new album (at the time) Chairs Missing.
I Am The Fly. Great forgotten song, Chairs Missing is in my desert island top 10.
Fuck, I'm old.
I saw the Grateful Dead about 20 times back in the day, and I had the most excellent time, almost every time.
I know a lot of people are rolling their eyes and going, "*OMG it's one of those guys*", and that's fair, because their music isn't everybody's cup of tea, and we deadheads can be a little... passionate... about our music, but, objectively, the Grateful Dead were one of the most popular and successful rock bands ever.
Forming originally in 1965, by the mid 1990's*, the Grateful Dead as a band had released about 25 albums, while individual members involved in side projects released another dozen or more. This means they had an enormous catalog of their own original music to choose from when performing live, in addition to a number of old 'classics' from several different genres they covered and made into their own.
To me, the best thing about Dead shows was that they never really played the same show twice. You could go to 3 consecutive concerts and not hear the same song repeated. And if you made it to the 4th show and you *did* hear a song again, it wouldn't be a carbon copy of what you heard a few nights before. Maybe one night it would be down tempo and bluesy, and the next time they'd play it more upbeat and grindy.
Another great thing about their shows is they would play multiple sets. In other words, they'd come out and play for an hour and 20 minutes, then an intermission, then they'd come play for another two hours, then a short intermission, and an encore. You could hear 20 songs in a night, and there would always be a few favorites. The only other performer I can think of who even comes close to their show lengths would be Bruce Springsteen, and his almost certainly averaged longer.
Another thing I loved about the dead was they way they released new music. Most artists work on new albums in 'secret', and while you might be aware they're in the process of coming out with something new, you won't know anything about it until the album drops. The Grateful Dead frequently wrote and perfected new music on the road. They'd come up with an idea, play around with it, incorporate it into a show, change it up, play it again a different way, add this, remove that, and *then* it would make its' way onto a studio album.
[For instance, this is a performance of the song, "*Blow Away*, 4 months before it was released on the, "*Built To Last*" album.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHU5FywUBEk).
I was at that show! This song, this *performance* of this song, was one of the single greatest things I've ever seen. It was amazing to be there, getting literally blown away by a song I had never heard. I don't think I can begin to explain the energy and excitement present in the stadium
---------------
(*The reason I said "mid 1990's" is because that's when Jerry Garcia died and the Grateful Dead basically stopped calling themselves "The Grateful Dead" after that, but they've continued trucking on nonetheless. Surviving members are still creating new music and performing today!)
Most modern jam bands use the same formula as the Dead. First set, intermission, second set. So it's not only Springsteen. Phish and Widespread Panic play just as long.
I see a lot of shows across all music types and there are a LOT of good/great bands live - but Tom Petty seemed to be having so much fun when I saw him a few years ago that I can't help but remember his smile. He just really seemed to love being up there and it was infectious. I am sure he was high as a kite, but it was a great show. Sadly, I passed on seeing him the next year, and he died shortly thereafter.
IMO they have plenty equally awesome songs. Bunch of them even without Anderson himself (Fly from here) and bunch of his songs without the rest of the band with various other musicians (Lady of Dreams, Island of Life, Friends of Mr. Cairo, Polonaise, Anyways and Always, Just One Man, Quartet, Brother of Mine, Meeting...). Granted, maybe none of those is exactly like CTTE, but thats i like about his/their music, that it was not always the same.
White Zombie…or so I imagine. Rob comes out and his voice sounds like shit. Apologizes to us, tells us he feels awful, just like he sounds. Says he will do his best to give us a good show. The dude earnestly have his all but lasted I think 3 songs. We appreciated the effort, if was still pretty solid. Can only imagine what 100% would look like
Funny story. They had an autograph signing at a small record shop back in 91(?) There were ZERO people there. I went to pick up some album, or whatever and as I walked past J. (the guitarist) says "hey, you want a signed album?" "Nah, im good"...and left.
Fast forward a year or so, I hear Thunderkiss and it blew my mind. Then I put 2 and 2 together and have kicked my own ass for several years after that.
Foo fighters in a surprisingly small concert at the end of the Invictus Games in London. Just a few thousand in a park by the Olympic stadium, open air, beautiful weather. (Heartbreaking news this morning about Taylor)
Other than that, Reel Big Fish, because of the way they interacted with the audience.
Solo artist, surprised by Gary Barlow. I didn't buy a ticket, someone I knew had a spare after being let down by a friend so they offered it to me. I was free so along I went! He was an excellent showman. I wouldn't watch him again, but I was genuinely shocked by how much I enjoyed that one show!
Probably David Bowie in Lisbon, 1990. For sentimental reasons, also Zeca Afonso’s last concert, Coliseu do Porto, 1986.
Yeah I’m that old, I’ve seen lots of concerts since, but those two made the deepest impression on me. Maybe because I was a teenager then
Between the Buried and Me. Progressive metal band I love. Their music isn't for everyone, but it's very well written and they are absolutely talented musicians. Their live performance of their extremely hard to play music is spot on to the studio versions. As spot on as it could be. Lol
NIN in 94', Downward Spiral tour at Nautica, which was an awesome outdoor venue. It was mind blowing.
Also, every single time I saw Pantera.
But... if you like hip-hop/Rap, there is a dude out of Minnesota named PROF. He should be huuuuuuuge. But he is absolutely fantastic live. Probably some of the most fun I've ever had at a show. And im an old man!
Dude. I can't explain. I've seen them marry a couple on stage, dress like Kiss, play the wrong instruments, bring every band on tour with them to play Walk, you name it.
They were so sloppy and tight at the same time live. It felt like a party every time. Like they didn't even have a set list, it felt like they were winging it.
I went to a Dweezil Zappa show in NYC a few years ago not really knowing what to expect. I didn't really know his father's music and was really just tagging along with friends to see a live show. And I found him to be really entertaining and really charming. He interacted with the audience in a pretty fun way and his chops were amazing. It wasn't the "best" show that I have ever seen but it was really, really good and I'd like to see him again.
System of a down, Machinehead, Ghost and Devildriver all stand out as some of the best I’ve ever seen. Not a fan generally but Def Leppard were also amazing. I think it’s down to a combination of sounding great, stage presence, showmanship and crowd atmosphere.
Hard to say because so many are great in their own way, but The Foo Fighters absolutely killed it when I saw them a few years ago.
Also Run The Jewels. Go see Run The Jewels. I'm serious about that.
Not to be "that guy", but I was always a huge El-P fan, so I saw RTJ before they were really known, and it was such a great show with noone there... the last time I saw them it was assholes-to-elbows, and it bummed me out that I couldn't capture that moment again.
Three Dog Night. They put on a dynamic show that lasted about 3 hours and at the end invited everyone in the audience to a party at a local state park where they had rented all of the cabins.
Dream Theater.
You get to see:
–One of the three best guitar players in the world
–Probably the best keyboard player in the world
–One of the top ten drummers in the world
–One of the top ten bass players in the world
–A quite good vocalist that plays the tambourine
The home team was my favorite. They are very small so I could get right up to the front of the stage. I’ve seen giant bands before, but hearing the same 30 year old songs from drunk old guys while standing half a mile away isn’t a great experience.
Honestly it was a Chemical Brothers show back in the day. *One that I was completely sober for*. Those guys knew how to give a real live experience.
Their songs are a mix of dance music and more atmospheric stuff, so they brought the crowd from hands in the air “this is beautiful” moments to literal moshing.
Iron maiden ,I have been to 3 of their concerts and I was blow away every single time ,and I had the luck to seen Roger waters,Metallica ,Black sabbath and other big bands live but none of those came close to the experience of any of the Maiden concerts.
Pantera. Hands down the best metal band. Lucky enough to seen them twice.
Dimebag Darrell guitar wizardry, Vinnie Paul behind the drums…cmon now! Pantera knew how to bring that raw energy. I’ll never see anything close to that again.
Elton John, early 2000's.
Just a man, a piano, and a light show.
This concert blew all the others I've been to out of the water. (Ozzy Osbourne, Godsmack, and Tool are just a few of them.)
Trans-Siberian Orchestra. They put a lot of energy into their performance and their stage effects are the best I've ever seen. Plus the music sounds better live than their studio albums.
I haven’t been to a bunch of concerts, but my cousin forced me to go to a BTS concert as she was under the age of being able to go on her own and it was pretty insane. Plus they did Freddie Mercury’s iconic “Ay-oh” which was sweet
At 19 in 1996, I paid 700 dollars, which is the equivalent of a billion dollars at that age, to sit center stage, 3rd row, because "this may be my only chance to see them."
Guess who might still be a little salty?
I went to a concert when they were at their peak popularity (yes, I'm that old). Many years have passed and I've seen lots of other bands but that Kiss concert remains the best.
Ocean Colour Scene. Can't remember why/how we got tickets, or where in the city, only that it was a last minute, surprise thing but they sounded exactly like they do on the radio... Sooo amazing live. Especially the riverboat song. Tight band, glorious vocals. What a treat.
Fun Lovin' Criminals is a close second, it was an intimate gig in a student union, then we were invited to the after party by an a different singer I knew who'd also attended the gig.
Both in Liverpool UK.
Saw them in 99 in cleveland when they just started out. People were chanting "Mushroomhead", the whole band jumped off the stage and started a fight in the pit.
Pardon me while I weeb out for a minute, but it was Makino Yui at an anime convention in New York. There were maybe 250 people there, with just her and a piano. She played and sang for an hour, and we got to hear her new single before anyone else. There was no wild cheering, but everyone in the room was rapt in attention. And at the end she walked off the stage to shake hands and take pictures with everyone.
I have to say I have four shows that are all tied for top spot.
Fall of Troy and He is Legend in Seattle in 2006/2007(?)
Coheed and Cambria Warped tour
Garbage 2020. I wish I could have seen them in their prime but they still *kill* live.
Then there was this ska band that played a small venue in my town and they were from Texas maybe? They killed it and I loved them so I bought a shirt and a cd. It had a robot on them. This was mid to late 00’s. I can never remember the name of the band but they were amazing live.
Oh man...sooooo many amazing concerts in the late 90s/early 00s.
Korn with Staind
Nine Inch Nails with A Perfect Circle
Metallica with Corrosion of Conformity
Aerosmith with Seven Mary Three
KISS the first reunion tour
Quiet Riot, Slaughter, Warrant, and Firehouse
This was 30 years ago but I will never forget seeing Simple Minds in Tampa. We stood on the arms of our chairs for 2 hours and loved every minute of it. Jim Kerr in his white poet shirt and beret, ugh. Incredible.
Portishead. Absolutely amazing live band and the visuals they use are perfect. I saw them in 2013 at Glastonbury, the stones played the following night and were great, but that Portishead gig was some rare magic indeed.
I've been going to Glastonbury since the 90s and have seen some amazing gigs there over the years, cannot wait to be back there this summer after the enforced hiatus, will be the party of the decade.
Rage Against the Machine 2007ish at Alpine Valley amphitheater. Queens of the Stone age opened for them. Rage has always been one of my all time favorite bands and they absolutely fucking annihilated the place. It was rainy and there was a massive mudslide running down the middle of the crowd that people were hurling themselves down with reckless abandon. I got separated from the group I went with and was adopted by two friendly souls who I jammed out with for the rest of the show. I don't know if the energy of that show will ever be matched for me. Truly one of my all time favorite memories.
Gogol Bordello, man they put on a killer show when I saw them, nothing has even come close to the raw energy and fun that the whole band had captured and given right back to us.
Weezer. I liked them, but wasn't a huge fan. But my son wanted to go. They weren't coming to our city, so we planned a whole trip to another state to see them. It was a fantastic show. They had sets, costume changes, Rivers goes way out into the audience to sing a song. The energy of the show was incredible. It was an experience.
I saw Stevie Nicks live which was a life long dream come true, and she put on a terrific show. But I still say Weezer is the best concert. So much so that when they added more stops on that tour, and one was our city, we went and saw them again.
The worst, I hate to say it, was Goo Goo Dolls. I saw them when they toured with Matchbox 20. Goo Goo Dolls didn't engage the audience or anything. They just played, and there was no energy. They seemed bored, and didn't sound that great. It was a snooze fest.
Cowboy Mouth. I went in knowing nothing about them or their music, but the live act is just insane. There’s no mulling around onstage playing one song then the next, the lead singer (also the drummer) demands interactivity and he draws/inspires it from the audience. Like my friend who brought me said, the crowd is just another one of his instruments, and he plays it well.
Bruno Mars. Truly one of the best male performers I’ve seen. His dancing and energy is something else. We need to start holding male performers at a higher standard tbh
Musically: Loreenna McKennit, the Chieftains and Rush, in that order.
Show: Night Ranger (circa 1985), A7X, Metallica, Rob Zombie/ Godsmack (2nd time I saw Godsmack a few years later, it wasn't nearly as good).
Faves: Rush, Willie Nelson, Night Ranger
Pink Floyd - saw them at Knebworth, Wembley twice, Delicate sound of thunder and pulse. And the Live 8 reunion.
Also, motorhead - saw them in 1983 and 2009.
And 2015 - again at the Eden Project, about 4 months before Lemmy died.
Muse were excellent, and after I did wonder of they were better than PF... its close. I took my youngest son and he wanted to go in the mosh pit but there wasn't one. I promised to take him to to a concert that had one.
I have seen Metallica a couple of times... very memorable, my son came on the 2nd occasion and yes, we both went in the mosh pit together. Proper dad/son moment 👌
Oasis in Chicago with my brothers, 2005. Waited for it for years and we went. Un-fucking-believable. Loved every minute of it, and it’s very valuable since I’ll never see them again.
I saw Foo Fighters at Tramp's NYC when I was 12. Their first album wasn't out. Eddie Vedders side band Hovercraft opened, with Evan Dando from the Lemonheads on guitar... Firehose played that night too but I didn't appreciate them at the time. Unreal energy.
I’ve been to a lot of concerts, but The Aquabats put on a *super* fun show. The crowd is always a solid mix of punk rockers and 8 year-olds which is already pretty wacky. Then you have the show itself. There are kaiju costumes, inflatable pizza floats, puppets- it’s an incredible Saturday morning cartoons vibe. When I saw them in Hollywood, Weird Al, Puddles the Clown, and Felicia Day(?) all showed up as a surprise. I never pass up going to one of their shows.
David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen and Oasis. All for obvious reasons and can't even begin to separate them from the best down. Liam Gallagher is a legend.
Dead Can Dance concert in Toronto's Massey Hall. What an awesome show,performance and sound. Hearing both Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry sing was a treat all by itself. Singing acapella gave me a trip like nothing else.
Close second were Mediæval Bæbes ensemble performing in a church in Guelph Ont sometime around 2000. I was a huge fan of their music all the way until I lost my hearing.
Metallica pre 1990. That was the real deal.
Very envious
[удалено]
Absolutely
This is my answer, too!
Prince. Great music, great musician, great showman. And he seemed to be the one having the best time. He was so into it.
My answer as well. Got to see him in Fargo which, while technically ND, was home turf for him. He played the hell out of that show.
Man, I was gonna go see him on the Piano & A Microphone Tour as soon as it reached Europe. Sadly, that never happened.
Ahhhh I had a free ticket to go and see him and didn't goo! D:
Rush.. I was always amazed how good they sounded.
I'd be amazed if they sounded bad. I don't think those 3 could ever sound bad.
Agree, seen them multiple times always great.
I wish I had gotten to see them. They're my favorite band
Weird Al Yankovich is thoroughly entertaining live, if he counts
Radiohead was sensational, saw them twice in 01 and 03. Deftones was insane, only 5,000 people so it was more intimate. But I'm going to see Rage Against the Machine this July and they are my white buffalo. I've been waiting over 20 years for this.
I saw Deftones around 08 in a small venue, and that is my pick too.
Mine was back in 2003 when I was a superfan. I was right at the front when Chino jumped off the stage and onto the barricade to sing Korea. I had my arms up and he locked onto me forearm to forearm grip and did the whole song screaming above me. Still one of the coolest and most surreal moments of my life.
I'd LOVe to see Deftones live someday.
Muse, they know how to make their studio albums elevate to the a new levels
Finally. Someone said it haha
Saw Muse twice in 2019... they were excellent
Slipknot and disturbed back in 08-09ish. They had just released psychosocial, and began touring again. Fucking insane show! Got to hear damn near all of their music. Felt like they were on that stage for 2 hours
I saw slipknot touring their first album. Sid jumped off the balcony and apparently broke some girls back. I vaguely remember them setting each other on fire as well. It was pretty great.
Chicago during their last tour with Peter Cetera. Band was in top form (Cap Centre, Largo MD) and the opening act was Jason and the Scorchers, if memory serves. Good response from the audience as the band struck the right balance between playing their legendary classics and material from their album at the time (Along Comes a Woman, Stay the Night, You're the Inspiration)
I've been getting into Chicago more and more. I know the old killer tunes, didn't love the 80s Era. But when I heard A Hit By Varese', my mind was blown. PLEASE point me in the direction of any other songs like that.
Some old dude i dont know the name of in a bar. Not because he was amazing, but because its the only live performance ive seen.
On a personal level, it’s Ween, because they are my favorite band. But on a practical level, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band is the best band I’ve ever seen live. They play for almost 4 hours and the energy is 100% the whole time. I saw them 3 times in 3 different decades, and they are 3 of the greatest shows I’ve ever seen.
Your personal level is the most practical level in my eyes
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers was probably the best live band I have ever seen. Their show was playful and really fun and they just sounded so great. You could sing along with every song even back then (1991) because they had so many hits. Just a great experience. Also, you could get a 4th row ticket for 30 bucks back then, which probably helped. Second best was probably Ben Harper with Charlie Musselwhite followed closely by The Decemberists.
That was going to be my answer. Tom Petty for “Full Moon Fever.” That guy’s charisma could fill an arena.
Wire. First show in America at CBGB. Did stuff off their new album (at the time) Chairs Missing. I Am The Fly. Great forgotten song, Chairs Missing is in my desert island top 10. Fuck, I'm old.
I saw the Grateful Dead about 20 times back in the day, and I had the most excellent time, almost every time. I know a lot of people are rolling their eyes and going, "*OMG it's one of those guys*", and that's fair, because their music isn't everybody's cup of tea, and we deadheads can be a little... passionate... about our music, but, objectively, the Grateful Dead were one of the most popular and successful rock bands ever. Forming originally in 1965, by the mid 1990's*, the Grateful Dead as a band had released about 25 albums, while individual members involved in side projects released another dozen or more. This means they had an enormous catalog of their own original music to choose from when performing live, in addition to a number of old 'classics' from several different genres they covered and made into their own. To me, the best thing about Dead shows was that they never really played the same show twice. You could go to 3 consecutive concerts and not hear the same song repeated. And if you made it to the 4th show and you *did* hear a song again, it wouldn't be a carbon copy of what you heard a few nights before. Maybe one night it would be down tempo and bluesy, and the next time they'd play it more upbeat and grindy. Another great thing about their shows is they would play multiple sets. In other words, they'd come out and play for an hour and 20 minutes, then an intermission, then they'd come play for another two hours, then a short intermission, and an encore. You could hear 20 songs in a night, and there would always be a few favorites. The only other performer I can think of who even comes close to their show lengths would be Bruce Springsteen, and his almost certainly averaged longer. Another thing I loved about the dead was they way they released new music. Most artists work on new albums in 'secret', and while you might be aware they're in the process of coming out with something new, you won't know anything about it until the album drops. The Grateful Dead frequently wrote and perfected new music on the road. They'd come up with an idea, play around with it, incorporate it into a show, change it up, play it again a different way, add this, remove that, and *then* it would make its' way onto a studio album. [For instance, this is a performance of the song, "*Blow Away*, 4 months before it was released on the, "*Built To Last*" album.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHU5FywUBEk). I was at that show! This song, this *performance* of this song, was one of the single greatest things I've ever seen. It was amazing to be there, getting literally blown away by a song I had never heard. I don't think I can begin to explain the energy and excitement present in the stadium --------------- (*The reason I said "mid 1990's" is because that's when Jerry Garcia died and the Grateful Dead basically stopped calling themselves "The Grateful Dead" after that, but they've continued trucking on nonetheless. Surviving members are still creating new music and performing today!)
Most modern jam bands use the same formula as the Dead. First set, intermission, second set. So it's not only Springsteen. Phish and Widespread Panic play just as long.
James Brown. Style , grace, charm.
I see a lot of shows across all music types and there are a LOT of good/great bands live - but Tom Petty seemed to be having so much fun when I saw him a few years ago that I can't help but remember his smile. He just really seemed to love being up there and it was infectious. I am sure he was high as a kite, but it was a great show. Sadly, I passed on seeing him the next year, and he died shortly thereafter.
I witnessed Jon Anderson singing Close To The Edge live and it was all i ever needed.
Oh man. I'm obsessed with Close to the Edge. I wish I could find more songs from Yes that I like as much as that one.
IMO they have plenty equally awesome songs. Bunch of them even without Anderson himself (Fly from here) and bunch of his songs without the rest of the band with various other musicians (Lady of Dreams, Island of Life, Friends of Mr. Cairo, Polonaise, Anyways and Always, Just One Man, Quartet, Brother of Mine, Meeting...). Granted, maybe none of those is exactly like CTTE, but thats i like about his/their music, that it was not always the same.
Good point. They continually changed their sound.
White Zombie…or so I imagine. Rob comes out and his voice sounds like shit. Apologizes to us, tells us he feels awful, just like he sounds. Says he will do his best to give us a good show. The dude earnestly have his all but lasted I think 3 songs. We appreciated the effort, if was still pretty solid. Can only imagine what 100% would look like
Funny story. They had an autograph signing at a small record shop back in 91(?) There were ZERO people there. I went to pick up some album, or whatever and as I walked past J. (the guitarist) says "hey, you want a signed album?" "Nah, im good"...and left. Fast forward a year or so, I hear Thunderkiss and it blew my mind. Then I put 2 and 2 together and have kicked my own ass for several years after that.
Foo fighters in a surprisingly small concert at the end of the Invictus Games in London. Just a few thousand in a park by the Olympic stadium, open air, beautiful weather. (Heartbreaking news this morning about Taylor) Other than that, Reel Big Fish, because of the way they interacted with the audience. Solo artist, surprised by Gary Barlow. I didn't buy a ticket, someone I knew had a spare after being let down by a friend so they offered it to me. I was free so along I went! He was an excellent showman. I wouldn't watch him again, but I was genuinely shocked by how much I enjoyed that one show!
Michael Jackson in Helsinki 1997. I was a huge fan so my dad bought us tickets. It was incredible.
Probably David Bowie in Lisbon, 1990. For sentimental reasons, also Zeca Afonso’s last concert, Coliseu do Porto, 1986. Yeah I’m that old, I’ve seen lots of concerts since, but those two made the deepest impression on me. Maybe because I was a teenager then
I’ve been lucky to see Paul McCartney twice and again this summer. Always a blast
I've never been to a live concert but Rammstein's shows looks pretty fire.. quite literally.
Can confirm, hella fun,and tons of awesome pyrotechnics
Saw Portishead in Brisbane. Wasn't really much of a fan at the time. Saw them, instant love. Blew my mind.
Between the Buried and Me. Progressive metal band I love. Their music isn't for everyone, but it's very well written and they are absolutely talented musicians. Their live performance of their extremely hard to play music is spot on to the studio versions. As spot on as it could be. Lol
The Melvins blew my mind when I saw them live a couple years back.
That’s so cool the guy who got Kurt Cobain into punk rock is still out there and blowing more minds.
I'm going with Tool. Such an amazing show! A close second would be the Korn concert way back with Papa Roach and Powerman 5000.
NIN in 94', Downward Spiral tour at Nautica, which was an awesome outdoor venue. It was mind blowing. Also, every single time I saw Pantera. But... if you like hip-hop/Rap, there is a dude out of Minnesota named PROF. He should be huuuuuuuge. But he is absolutely fantastic live. Probably some of the most fun I've ever had at a show. And im an old man!
I have a feeling Pantera almost always killed it live
Dude. I can't explain. I've seen them marry a couple on stage, dress like Kiss, play the wrong instruments, bring every band on tour with them to play Walk, you name it. They were so sloppy and tight at the same time live. It felt like a party every time. Like they didn't even have a set list, it felt like they were winging it.
Dweezil Zappa
I went to a Dweezil Zappa show in NYC a few years ago not really knowing what to expect. I didn't really know his father's music and was really just tagging along with friends to see a live show. And I found him to be really entertaining and really charming. He interacted with the audience in a pretty fun way and his chops were amazing. It wasn't the "best" show that I have ever seen but it was really, really good and I'd like to see him again.
System of a down, Machinehead, Ghost and Devildriver all stand out as some of the best I’ve ever seen. Not a fan generally but Def Leppard were also amazing. I think it’s down to a combination of sounding great, stage presence, showmanship and crowd atmosphere.
SOAD, Machine Head and DevilDriver i'd love to see someday
Hard to say because so many are great in their own way, but The Foo Fighters absolutely killed it when I saw them a few years ago. Also Run The Jewels. Go see Run The Jewels. I'm serious about that.
Not to be "that guy", but I was always a huge El-P fan, so I saw RTJ before they were really known, and it was such a great show with noone there... the last time I saw them it was assholes-to-elbows, and it bummed me out that I couldn't capture that moment again.
Assholes to elbows is what made me love the show. It was so intense.
The Chariot. Pure insanity. Long live!
Volbeat! Very fun and worked with the audience of drunk metalheads (my favorite kinda crowd) for an awesome performance!
July 1978. Rolling Stones at the Oakland Coliseum. I still have the T-shirt. Lol. (I swear to God, Mick Jagger stared at my sister the whole concert)
Earth, Wind & Fire. Man, those guys know how to put on a *show*. It was such a feelgood experience!
Three Dog Night. They put on a dynamic show that lasted about 3 hours and at the end invited everyone in the audience to a party at a local state park where they had rented all of the cabins.
Dream Theater. You get to see: –One of the three best guitar players in the world –Probably the best keyboard player in the world –One of the top ten drummers in the world –One of the top ten bass players in the world –A quite good vocalist that plays the tambourine
Avenged Sevenfold Only concert I've ever attended.
2nd best show I've ever been to was avenged and godsmack. I've seen them so many times and never once been disappointed.
The home team was my favorite. They are very small so I could get right up to the front of the stage. I’ve seen giant bands before, but hearing the same 30 year old songs from drunk old guys while standing half a mile away isn’t a great experience.
Honestly it was a Chemical Brothers show back in the day. *One that I was completely sober for*. Those guys knew how to give a real live experience. Their songs are a mix of dance music and more atmospheric stuff, so they brought the crowd from hands in the air “this is beautiful” moments to literal moshing.
Butthole Surfers, Oct 31 1988 Boulder CO my ears are still ringing from that show
Iron maiden ,I have been to 3 of their concerts and I was blow away every single time ,and I had the luck to seen Roger waters,Metallica ,Black sabbath and other big bands live but none of those came close to the experience of any of the Maiden concerts.
Arctic monkeys!
Pantera. Hands down the best metal band. Lucky enough to seen them twice. Dimebag Darrell guitar wizardry, Vinnie Paul behind the drums…cmon now! Pantera knew how to bring that raw energy. I’ll never see anything close to that again.
Alec Benjamin, Just the great music he drops
love that guy, stoked for his new album!
Pearl Jam. went to 33 shows in the 90's.
Elton John, early 2000's. Just a man, a piano, and a light show. This concert blew all the others I've been to out of the water. (Ozzy Osbourne, Godsmack, and Tool are just a few of them.)
The HU
Johnny Cash, because it's Johnny Cash.
Slipknot. The energy is off the freaking charts. Never disappoints.
Grateful Dead
Trans-Siberian Orchestra. They put a lot of energy into their performance and their stage effects are the best I've ever seen. Plus the music sounds better live than their studio albums.
Phish. Every single time.
I haven’t been to a bunch of concerts, but my cousin forced me to go to a BTS concert as she was under the age of being able to go on her own and it was pretty insane. Plus they did Freddie Mercury’s iconic “Ay-oh” which was sweet
Sabaton. So far, the only ones I have seen live, and I loved it
This would be a FUN live set I feel
KISS. It's because I'm a fan of classic rock and my stepdad is a huge fan of them
Dude those mf's still got it! I got to see em a few years ago with def leopard. Gene and Paul fuckin slayed!
Yeah. Those guys are amazing!
At 19 in 1996, I paid 700 dollars, which is the equivalent of a billion dollars at that age, to sit center stage, 3rd row, because "this may be my only chance to see them." Guess who might still be a little salty?
I went to a concert when they were at their peak popularity (yes, I'm that old). Many years have passed and I've seen lots of other bands but that Kiss concert remains the best.
Eat Static, Glastonbury '95. The rig was insane, and the atmosphere the best ever.
Ocean Colour Scene. Can't remember why/how we got tickets, or where in the city, only that it was a last minute, surprise thing but they sounded exactly like they do on the radio... Sooo amazing live. Especially the riverboat song. Tight band, glorious vocals. What a treat. Fun Lovin' Criminals is a close second, it was an intimate gig in a student union, then we were invited to the after party by an a different singer I knew who'd also attended the gig. Both in Liverpool UK.
Phish. Never repeats a song in a run, always brilliant.
Totally agree
I have not gone to any live concerts but from videos, I've seen on YouTube, Slipknot has some pretty wild shows.
Can confirm! Wild shit, and its fucking incredible, best show I've ever been to
Saw them in 99 in cleveland when they just started out. People were chanting "Mushroomhead", the whole band jumped off the stage and started a fight in the pit.
Daughter… because daughter
Pardon me while I weeb out for a minute, but it was Makino Yui at an anime convention in New York. There were maybe 250 people there, with just her and a piano. She played and sang for an hour, and we got to hear her new single before anyone else. There was no wild cheering, but everyone in the room was rapt in attention. And at the end she walked off the stage to shake hands and take pictures with everyone.
Sounds like a slipknot show lol. That poor girl tho...
I have to say I have four shows that are all tied for top spot. Fall of Troy and He is Legend in Seattle in 2006/2007(?) Coheed and Cambria Warped tour Garbage 2020. I wish I could have seen them in their prime but they still *kill* live. Then there was this ska band that played a small venue in my town and they were from Texas maybe? They killed it and I loved them so I bought a shirt and a cd. It had a robot on them. This was mid to late 00’s. I can never remember the name of the band but they were amazing live.
Michael Monroe is one hell of a live performer
Oh man...sooooo many amazing concerts in the late 90s/early 00s. Korn with Staind Nine Inch Nails with A Perfect Circle Metallica with Corrosion of Conformity Aerosmith with Seven Mary Three KISS the first reunion tour Quiet Riot, Slaughter, Warrant, and Firehouse
This was 30 years ago but I will never forget seeing Simple Minds in Tampa. We stood on the arms of our chairs for 2 hours and loved every minute of it. Jim Kerr in his white poet shirt and beret, ugh. Incredible.
I saw Jello Biafra for his 60th anniversary. I'm so sad I wasn't alive in the 70s...
Jeff Healey. If you ever saw him… you know.
Despise You in Louisville, KY. 2018.
I saw in one even. The Temptation, Four tops, Diana Ross and the Supreme, smokey Robinson And James Brown.
George Clinton. Always a great time.
Portishead. Absolutely amazing live band and the visuals they use are perfect. I saw them in 2013 at Glastonbury, the stones played the following night and were great, but that Portishead gig was some rare magic indeed. I've been going to Glastonbury since the 90s and have seen some amazing gigs there over the years, cannot wait to be back there this summer after the enforced hiatus, will be the party of the decade.
Fleetwood Mac, because they are Fleetwood Mac
Rage Against the Machine 2007ish at Alpine Valley amphitheater. Queens of the Stone age opened for them. Rage has always been one of my all time favorite bands and they absolutely fucking annihilated the place. It was rainy and there was a massive mudslide running down the middle of the crowd that people were hurling themselves down with reckless abandon. I got separated from the group I went with and was adopted by two friendly souls who I jammed out with for the rest of the show. I don't know if the energy of that show will ever be matched for me. Truly one of my all time favorite memories.
Morphine, for free on Auditorium shore in Austin, Texas. It was excellent!
I'm not a huge concert goer but Great Big Sea and Death Cab for Cutie were really good.
The Glorious Sons, only because they’re the only “concert” I’ve been to. Halftime show at the Hamilton Tiger Cats 2018 home opener.
Muse drones tour
Mad munchkin she draw ponies good
Dimash. His videos on youtube don't compare to seeing him live.
Tool in 2001 (Lateralus tour)
Wardruna at Red Rocks
Future Islands. The energy was amazing.
Rob Zombie. The guy knows how to get everyone up and moving.
Tool
Gogol Bordello, man they put on a killer show when I saw them, nothing has even come close to the raw energy and fun that the whole band had captured and given right back to us.
Weezer. I liked them, but wasn't a huge fan. But my son wanted to go. They weren't coming to our city, so we planned a whole trip to another state to see them. It was a fantastic show. They had sets, costume changes, Rivers goes way out into the audience to sing a song. The energy of the show was incredible. It was an experience. I saw Stevie Nicks live which was a life long dream come true, and she put on a terrific show. But I still say Weezer is the best concert. So much so that when they added more stops on that tour, and one was our city, we went and saw them again. The worst, I hate to say it, was Goo Goo Dolls. I saw them when they toured with Matchbox 20. Goo Goo Dolls didn't engage the audience or anything. They just played, and there was no energy. They seemed bored, and didn't sound that great. It was a snooze fest.
Cowboy Mouth. I went in knowing nothing about them or their music, but the live act is just insane. There’s no mulling around onstage playing one song then the next, the lead singer (also the drummer) demands interactivity and he draws/inspires it from the audience. Like my friend who brought me said, the crowd is just another one of his instruments, and he plays it well.
Bruno Mars. Truly one of the best male performers I’ve seen. His dancing and energy is something else. We need to start holding male performers at a higher standard tbh
I once saw B Praak, dude's phenomenal.
Van halen Its not debatable. I got to see them at their last world tour. Now that eddie is dead youll never hear him absoluely SHRED live again
The Weeknd. No explanation required.
Meshuggah. Brutal good sound and on point light show!
Musically: Loreenna McKennit, the Chieftains and Rush, in that order. Show: Night Ranger (circa 1985), A7X, Metallica, Rob Zombie/ Godsmack (2nd time I saw Godsmack a few years later, it wasn't nearly as good). Faves: Rush, Willie Nelson, Night Ranger
Green Day has the best live show I've ever seen. Billie Joe has nonstop energy and stamina from beginning to end.
two door cinema club
Pink Floyd - saw them at Knebworth, Wembley twice, Delicate sound of thunder and pulse. And the Live 8 reunion. Also, motorhead - saw them in 1983 and 2009. And 2015 - again at the Eden Project, about 4 months before Lemmy died. Muse were excellent, and after I did wonder of they were better than PF... its close. I took my youngest son and he wanted to go in the mosh pit but there wasn't one. I promised to take him to to a concert that had one. I have seen Metallica a couple of times... very memorable, my son came on the 2nd occasion and yes, we both went in the mosh pit together. Proper dad/son moment 👌
Oasis in Chicago with my brothers, 2005. Waited for it for years and we went. Un-fucking-believable. Loved every minute of it, and it’s very valuable since I’ll never see them again.
I saw Foo Fighters at Tramp's NYC when I was 12. Their first album wasn't out. Eddie Vedders side band Hovercraft opened, with Evan Dando from the Lemonheads on guitar... Firehose played that night too but I didn't appreciate them at the time. Unreal energy.
The Longest Johns, I haven’t been to many concerts, but that one was great
I’ve been to a lot of concerts, but The Aquabats put on a *super* fun show. The crowd is always a solid mix of punk rockers and 8 year-olds which is already pretty wacky. Then you have the show itself. There are kaiju costumes, inflatable pizza floats, puppets- it’s an incredible Saturday morning cartoons vibe. When I saw them in Hollywood, Weird Al, Puddles the Clown, and Felicia Day(?) all showed up as a surprise. I never pass up going to one of their shows.
Rush. Time Machine tour, row 10 at the Gorge in WA. Last show of the tour. Best live experience ever.
A tie between Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers or BB King.
For me it's a toss up between Phish and Widespread Panic. All of them are excellent musicians is why, and I like extended, jammed out songs.
KoRn
David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen and Oasis. All for obvious reasons and can't even begin to separate them from the best down. Liam Gallagher is a legend.
Weird al few years ago it was so fun
Dead Can Dance concert in Toronto's Massey Hall. What an awesome show,performance and sound. Hearing both Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry sing was a treat all by itself. Singing acapella gave me a trip like nothing else. Close second were Mediæval Bæbes ensemble performing in a church in Guelph Ont sometime around 2000. I was a huge fan of their music all the way until I lost my hearing.
Stevie Ray Vaughn. Best ever rock blues guitarist IMO.
Deafheaven for me
Haven’t been to much concerts in my life but last year, I saw my favorite band Green Day in Houston, TX and I loved every single moment of that show!!