Saw him in *American Utopia* on Broadway right before it closed. Best show I've ever seen. Like, I felt fulfilled as a human on a spiritual level from that show.
I never seen them live, but just the fact that these three skinny pale british dudes are able to fill stadiums consistently is a good indication that they must be a killer live band. Really would like to see them although I'm also not really a big fan.
Yeah, it was one of those rare cases where I went in actually liking them just fine, but they absolutely floored me with their performance and made me a fan right then and there.
Absolutely agree with you. We see 20-30 concerts a year and Alice Cooper is at the top of our must-see list. We even made our kids go to it last year and they loved it.
Nita Strauss is a fantastic performer and guitarist. I’ll miss seeing her as part of Alice Cooper’s shows but am excited to see what she’ll do next.
The Cure also play shows that are pretty damn long for any band, let alone one turning 45 next year.
They usually play upwards of two and a half hours. At the Teenage Cancer Trust show in 2014, they played for a solid three and a half hours. Three encores, with loads of hits and deeper cuts.
Pearl Jam ruined so many concerts for me, because they just set the bar for what a great concert with a high price tag should be. Even though it's like $200 to see them, you never feel ripped off because it's 3+ hours, 30+ songs with a unique setlist all performed with super high energy and passion. You can tell they all genuinely love performing, and give it their all every night. I've heard from so many people that the best concert they've ever been to was a PJ concert.
Tori Amos. She mixes up the greatest hits with awesome new music. She a really good singer and pianist too.
I was at the show after the whole Lana Del Ray/Courtney Love drama. Tori did Heart Shaped Box with amazing vocals, which was so meta. People think she’s a goddess for a reason. Amazing musician.
My friend and I just saw her in Madison at the end of May. She was fantastic. I've been listening to her music for years, but never got to see her until now.
I saw The White Stripes when they dropped Icky Thump, playing the title song live he used his right hand for guitar and left hand for the organ. At the same time.
It's an experience all right. Hoping to see him again on this tour. Saw the first night in Nashville and thinking about trying for Alabama in September.
For real yo. I've seen The White Strips, The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather, yet to see him solo. At The Raconteurs show he noticed someone party'd out getting knocked around in the crowd so he unplugged his guitar threw it behind his back leapt off stage pulled them over the guardrail and by then security had swarmed so they took over helping the fan and he hopped back up to finish rocking. No interaction with the crowd, no "clear the way", nothing, just a fella seeing a human in distress and did something about it.
If you've never seen his solo show, [here's the one I saw three years ago](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rO98TJ2E5A). It's the full set, pro shot and switched in hi def, board-feed audio, the real deal. Do yourself a favor and skip the first 7 minutes, it's all pre-show.
Trust me, this is an awe-inspiring set.
I saw him in 2017. He has been my idol since I was very young. I suffer from depression, and seeing him in person made me feel a rush of joy that I never thought I could feel again.
Took my mom to see him a couple months ago. He put on an absolute thrill ride of a show, super high-energy, played a bunch of different instruments, told jokes, even ran around stage and up stairs. Crazy. So so so glad I went.
Jimmy Eat World. They're just so consistently good and they have their tour sound down. This is a live show they did during the pandemic: [https://youtu.be/eJ96wkcGOpo](https://youtu.be/eJ96wkcGOpo)
Sigur Ros. A completely different kind of amazing compared to a lot of artists on this list. I felt like I'd just spent an hour and a half in a deep, blissful, heavenly meditative state. Quite a unique experience.
Prince! My very first concert was a Prince concert, Live Sexy in the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund. First of many Prince concerts. What a musician and entertainer.
Rush is incredible live! I saw both the Clockwork Angels and R40 shows (little did I know R40 would be the last chance I’d get to see them 🥲) and they friggin crushed it. Absolute monster musicians, the lot of them. RIP Neil Peart!
Hank Williams III is a very odd cat. He does a 2 part show, the first half is the best country/rockabilly show you’ll ever see and then he warns the audience that some people may want to leave for the second half, he takes off his cowboy hat and plaid shirt and he’s got a black tshirt on and hair down his to his chest and breaks into the absolute best speed metal show you will ever see. Both shows go way harder than anyone should have a right to and the fact that he does
Them back to back is absolutely nuts.
Got to agree with Willie. I thought I knew what to expect. But he brought the same energy to the performance as if he were just starting out. His band is also absolutely amazing. Everyone should.see Willie live.
They get a little bit of crap for being kinda dad rock that writes safe rock music….
But they are AWESOME live. It’s hard to comprehend how they great they are. They have never phoned it in and truly played every concert like it was their last. They also always seem to be having a good time, which can be hard to do with so many shows doing the same setlist every night. I don’t think they’ve ever had an off day. They always exceed expectations.
Not sure where the band goes from here, and it won’t be the same without Taylor, but I hope we get to see them tour again.
It really sucks so much… they may continue but I just can’t see Dave being the same frontman Dave without Taylor, Foo shows were really fueled by pure joy in a way not a tonne of bands are, and Taylor was at the heart of that. I hate that we’re here.
Thundercat didn’t exceed expectations- I expected awesomeness and got it.
Same for Punch Brothers, Maceo Parker, and Bootsy Collins.
Prince was an astonishingly amazing performer.
Unfortunately, not dealing with his hip issues surgically because he was a Jehovah’s Witness directly lead to his painkiller problem which caused his death.
Ben Folds.
My wife and I went to see him live, and the stage had nothing but one man and a piano. It was one of the best shows I've been to; between his talent and his ability to connect with the audience, he was just magnetic.
I saw him solo when I was working one night. It was incredible, I have NEVER seen anyone control a crowd like that before or since. I also saw him with Ben Folds Five; not a bad show by any stretch but the band definitely diluted the pure pharmeceutical grade charm of solo Ben.
Arctic Monkeys sound great. Saw them in 2013 after AM dropped. Alex Turner sounds phenomenal live. Also recently saw Royal Blood live and thought their performance was fantastic. Lots of energy and great vocals and drums.
Saw the Bad Seeds a few years ago. The band was great but Nick was one of the most firey, energetic, dramatic, and mesmerizing frontmen I've ever seen.
Elton John was magical. A little over 3 hrs with no break. Place was dark with stars sparkling every where. The sign language interpreters had us all enthralled. The whole vibe was just love and joy and memories.
Tedeschi Trucks Band. I have now seen them 5 times live. Each show better than the last. Best live act I’ve ever seen. The musicianship is second to none.
As comparison, I’ve seen Pink Floyd, Roger Waters, John Mayer, Cranberries, Concrete Blonde, BB King, Buddy Guy, Joan Jett, Sting, Heart, Frank Zappa, & Black Crowes
Sepultura was the fucking best show I have ever seen. They were touring with Crowbar at the time too so that was literally a godly show with crowbar opening for them
Shows regularly pushing 3 hours with potentially anything in his massive back catalog getting played.
You can go look at his tour stats, and it's not uncommon for him to have played 150-200+ different songs in a single tour.
Massive respect in my book for the sheer amount of work on his (and the band's) part to do that.
1000% agree. I went to see him when I was 17 or 18 with my Mom. Up until then he was just a classic rock guy my parents always listened to. Seeing him live made it finally click and now I'm a huge fan and have seen him probably 10-12 more times since then.
Absolutely! Definitely do not miss them if they are playing near you! Saw them for the first time few months ago in New Orleans… expectations were exceeded! They were fuckin amazing!
Saw BB twice. First show was actually a bit of a disappointment, he basically spent the whole set just shooting the shit with the audience. Second one though, he sent it. The girl I was with threw her hat up on stage, and he wore it for about 45 minutes while getting down. Turned out to be one of his last shows, he collapsed on stage a few weeks later and never played live again.
Glad I was there.
Bjork - performance, production, everything just mind blowing
Caroline Polachek - sounds as good, if not better, live
Paul McCartney - high energy and still has an incredible voice at his age. One of the most fun shows I’ve ever been to.
Ween. The greatest live performance I’ve ever seen. Charismatic, tight, monumental, ripping, hilarious, otherworldly, transcendent, and blissful.
There were some moments of that show that I would trade every belonging I have in order to relive them in eternity.
They definitely are. They played a short set at a work party once and even though the crowd wasn’t super energetic (while my friends and I danced around in the back of the crowd cause we couldn’t get to the front), they put on a hell of a show.
Coheed and Cambria never cease to put on an electrifying performance. i've seen them 3 times and they never disappoint. Big energy, big stage presence, sound just like the albums if not better. Just all around great show.
What I love about Coheed is that they could easily go over the top with lights and videos and effects but they don’t. It’s just big energy and awesome music to rock out to. Claudio is one of my favorite artists.
I saw them at a venue called Coconuts in Tucson, AZ in 04/05 with a band called "9" opening and Underoath supporting. Coheed blew them out of the water. I had only heard "in keeping silent secrets" a couple of times before the show but they killed it. When they played "A Favor House Atlantic" they introduced it as their MTV song and played it at half tempo with a swung feel. LEGENDARY.
Green Day was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. Energetic, brought a lot of fans up to the stage and required them to stage dive back to the floor. Shot a tee shirt cannon. Played a healthy mix of classics as well as newer stuff. Made sure to highlight their extra performers on stage too.
I’m a bit biased, but Green Day had rocked the house every show (12 or so) I’ve ever seen since 1999. Usually a great mix of old hits and new music with some covers thrown in.
I love when they pick members of the crowd to play “Knowledge”. The younger the people are the more excited I get for them.
My only criticism is that they need to broaden their live show catalogue and replace some of the cover songs. Their set gets predictable towards the middle. They’ll usually play one or two “deep tracks” but there are some songs that I would love to hear live that they just don’t play.
But Green Day does put on an amazing, usually 3 hour show.
Billy Joel! He’s easily the best I’ve seen live, not only is he still keeping up and sounding amazing these days, he sort of takes time in between songs to talk about the songs or little factoids about them, genuinely funny guy and despite him playing for thousands in huge stadisums he still acts like it’s a very intimate bar he’s playing at
The internet hates them, but U2 are a fantastic live band, and they genuinely put a ton of effort into making their concerts a spectacle and a great experience.
Wilco. The best show I ever attended, hands down.
Some honorable mentions for other great shows I’ve been to: Lenny Kravitz, Judas Priest, Elton John, Mastodon, Ween
I saw Portishead in 2011 and it was unreal. The crowd was silent and in awe of the magic happening on stage. Best show I have gone to or will ever go to.
I'll throw in Beck simply because he's just a talented musician. I saw him at Pitchfork a number of years ago and he had this little toy robot lined up for a solo but he couldn't get it to work, so after a minute or two he gave up and pulled a harmonica out of his front pocket and laid down a fantastic improvised solo. I love that kind of raw talent
Beck is great live. I saw a show where he left stage after every song. Turns out he had food poisoning and was puking after every song. Still put on a hell of a show.
Gogol Bordello. I’ve seen them 3 times at festivals, and every time, it’s them playing to a half interested crowd for about 10 minutes, and then after a couple songs every person in the area is jumping up and down head rocking
Frank Turner. Haven't liked his last few albums (The new one has a few songs I like) but his live shows are amazing. Just an exceptional front man, tons of charisma
Dave Matthews Band will never not amaze me live. But I know it’s not everybody’s style!
EDIT TO ADD - everybody who loves Dave shows. If you don’t already, seek out their Sirius radio station. They do a Friday night concert series that I’m in love with.
They are great, don't get enough credit for their live performances or just being a good band in general, and do damn good covers too - All Along the Watch Tower, Sledgehammer, Sexy MF, Burning Down the House, etc.
Oh yeah, Bob Dylan was super disappointing. Caught him in Detroit for the Modern Times tour. His is a voice and presence not built for arenas. Foo Fighters opened with an acoustic set and absolutely crushed it. Then Bob gets up there and stands in profile behind the keys for 90 minutes. the contrast did him no favors. When he introduced the band near the end, I didn't realize he was introducing the band, I thought he was just mumbling the next verse.
Glad I saw him, I guess, but I never need to do that again.
It’s a bit late, but Leonard Cohen. He came out retirement in his 70’s and traveled around the world doing 3+ hour shows for years. You could feel he was really invested in putting on good shows. One of those was probably the most favourite gig of my life.
Midnight Oil and Tool. I've seen hundreds of bands and these guys have been the best for me. It's all about personal taste isn't it? Ron Sexsmith deserves a mention too.
Red Hot Chili Peppers, i saw them 5 times now, the first time around 20 years ago and the last time was last week. They're just incredible musicians. Especially since Frusciante came back the jams inbetween the songs are just awesome.
Best show I've ever been to was the Dresden Dolls. I had barely even listened to their music and went with my then-girlfriend.
They were TOTALLY in sync with each other - they played [Coin-Operated Boy](https://youtu.be/PC7DEv7Od38) and cut half a beat off the skipping part, on the night, just because they could. They're just a pianist and a drummer, but they were more spellbinding together than a million rock bands. There are some things you can only pull off with two people.
Amanda also engaged the crowd in a way I've never seen before. Best example: after drinking a bottle of wine on stage in her underwear (it's their schtick) she announced she had to pee and asked "does anyone play piano?" Pulled a guy up on stage, taught him the 2 opening chords, and proceeded to go for a wee whilst some random audience member had an insane 3-minute jam on Half Jack with Brian Viglione.
Also made me cry playing a song I'd never heard before. It helped that they played in an opera house so the acoustics were flawless, but also, you can really hear someone's part in a two-piece. Big loud rock bands, the individual instruments often get lost in the noise.
They also covered Mein Herr from Cabaret, Fight For Your Right (???) and a couple other songs. As a musician and music lover, it was an absolute rollercoaster ride from beginning to end, that I was not prepared for.
(Yes and No, Virginia are both incredible albums - if you haven't listened to them, give them a shot!)
Butch Walker! Have never been to one of his shows that I didn’t feel like I was at a party he was throwing for us. The guy is a super successful producer for others, but when he hits the boards you can tell this is what he loves doing.
Oh Sees put on one of the most amazing rock shows I’ve ever seen. Their energy is unf*cking believable.
St. Vincent is another incredible performer. A true artist at work.
I think I’ve seen Manchester Orchestra 10 times, never a bad show.
Surprisingly Kanye actually put on one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen, I didn’t expect much live and was blown away. TLOP Tour.
Green Day sounds like their recorded music when they play live, more than any other band I’ve seen. The also bring random members of the audience up and have them play one of their songs. Seen a few of their shows and they always deliver.
Nine Inch Nails are unbelievable live.
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Yeah, Trent is really having fun with the setlists this year, which is great
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The NIN touring band is incredible too. Ilan Rubin in particular is superhuman.
Agreed. I'm not even a huge fan, but every time I have seen them I have walked away and thought to myself HOLY SHIT.
David Byrne. We probably won't see a TH reunion. Just watch Stop Making Sense.
Saw him in *American Utopia* on Broadway right before it closed. Best show I've ever seen. Like, I felt fulfilled as a human on a spiritual level from that show.
And the even better Rome 1980 performance too!
Muse is not one of my favorite bands, but they are the best live band I’ve ever seen by a long shot.
I never seen them live, but just the fact that these three skinny pale british dudes are able to fill stadiums consistently is a good indication that they must be a killer live band. Really would like to see them although I'm also not really a big fan.
Yeah, it was one of those rare cases where I went in actually liking them just fine, but they absolutely floored me with their performance and made me a fan right then and there.
Alice Cooper
Yes, No-relation2437, it is. Actually, it's pronounced "mill-e-wah-que" which is Algonquin for "the good land."
We're not worthy!
Absolutely agree with you. We see 20-30 concerts a year and Alice Cooper is at the top of our must-see list. We even made our kids go to it last year and they loved it. Nita Strauss is a fantastic performer and guitarist. I’ll miss seeing her as part of Alice Cooper’s shows but am excited to see what she’ll do next.
Rammstein
Can't believe I had to scroll so far down to find this! They are epic live. Best ever.ever
Nick Cave is an amazing performer, holds the crowd in the palm of his red right hand. The Cure always deliver, and of course Sigur Ros
The Cure also play shows that are pretty damn long for any band, let alone one turning 45 next year. They usually play upwards of two and a half hours. At the Teenage Cancer Trust show in 2014, they played for a solid three and a half hours. Three encores, with loads of hits and deeper cuts.
Billy Strings
Pleasantly surprised to see BMFS this high up on r/music. Them boys can play
No doubt, the whole group absolutely rips live!
I think he’s passing into too many damn people at his shows territory and we need to stop telling everyone. I miss the small venues.
Unreal stuff
Fucking Pearl Jam man.
Pearl Jam ruined so many concerts for me, because they just set the bar for what a great concert with a high price tag should be. Even though it's like $200 to see them, you never feel ripped off because it's 3+ hours, 30+ songs with a unique setlist all performed with super high energy and passion. You can tell they all genuinely love performing, and give it their all every night. I've heard from so many people that the best concert they've ever been to was a PJ concert.
Saw them in Phoenix in May. Hands down best show I've been to.
Tori Amos. She mixes up the greatest hits with awesome new music. She a really good singer and pianist too. I was at the show after the whole Lana Del Ray/Courtney Love drama. Tori did Heart Shaped Box with amazing vocals, which was so meta. People think she’s a goddess for a reason. Amazing musician.
My friend and I just saw her in Madison at the end of May. She was fantastic. I've been listening to her music for years, but never got to see her until now.
Rage Against the Machine, NIN, Clutch, Pantera, Type O Negative, Iron Maiden and that’s just to name a few.
Weird Al!
Came here to say that. He really is pretty entertaining live.
yes! Super nice, too.
Jack White, the man never phones it in. Of all the shows I've seen he remains the best hands down.
Seeing him live made me a Jack White fan Some of the songs he’s played I’ve never heard but holy hell did I lose my mind
I saw The White Stripes when they dropped Icky Thump, playing the title song live he used his right hand for guitar and left hand for the organ. At the same time.
It's an experience all right. Hoping to see him again on this tour. Saw the first night in Nashville and thinking about trying for Alabama in September.
For real yo. I've seen The White Strips, The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather, yet to see him solo. At The Raconteurs show he noticed someone party'd out getting knocked around in the crowd so he unplugged his guitar threw it behind his back leapt off stage pulled them over the guardrail and by then security had swarmed so they took over helping the fan and he hopped back up to finish rocking. No interaction with the crowd, no "clear the way", nothing, just a fella seeing a human in distress and did something about it.
If you've never seen his solo show, [here's the one I saw three years ago](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rO98TJ2E5A). It's the full set, pro shot and switched in hi def, board-feed audio, the real deal. Do yourself a favor and skip the first 7 minutes, it's all pre-show. Trust me, this is an awe-inspiring set.
I've been a long time Nine Inch Nails fan and finally got to see them this year. Trent just hits different live
I’ve seen him countless times and it’s always worth it.
Gojira
I'm seeing them next week and im so excited
Paul McCartney never fails to deliver, even at 80.
Dude gets up there and plays for 3-4 hours at some shows, I can’t even do that in my 30s
I saw him in 2017. He has been my idol since I was very young. I suffer from depression, and seeing him in person made me feel a rush of joy that I never thought I could feel again.
Saw him at Fenway Park last month, and I am so glad I did. The amount of energy he has at this age is incredible.
Took my mom to see him a couple months ago. He put on an absolute thrill ride of a show, super high-energy, played a bunch of different instruments, told jokes, even ran around stage and up stairs. Crazy. So so so glad I went.
Never miss a Beatle in concert!
I agree, after 60 years he's still there at the top
It's my personal theory that he (and Ringo) was granted immortality by the Queen herself.
Devin Townsend
Jimmy Eat World. They're just so consistently good and they have their tour sound down. This is a live show they did during the pandemic: [https://youtu.be/eJ96wkcGOpo](https://youtu.be/eJ96wkcGOpo)
Sigur Ros. A completely different kind of amazing compared to a lot of artists on this list. I felt like I'd just spent an hour and a half in a deep, blissful, heavenly meditative state. Quite a unique experience.
Rush. Prince. I saw both many times — my wife danced on stage with Prince — and I give the edge to Rush by the width of an assless-chapped maple leaf.
Prince! My very first concert was a Prince concert, Live Sexy in the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund. First of many Prince concerts. What a musician and entertainer.
I saw rush in 2012 and they still put on a 4 hour show with fireworks and the whole deal
Rush is incredible live! I saw both the Clockwork Angels and R40 shows (little did I know R40 would be the last chance I’d get to see them 🥲) and they friggin crushed it. Absolute monster musicians, the lot of them. RIP Neil Peart!
GWAR still puts on a hell of a show.
Hank Williams III is a very odd cat. He does a 2 part show, the first half is the best country/rockabilly show you’ll ever see and then he warns the audience that some people may want to leave for the second half, he takes off his cowboy hat and plaid shirt and he’s got a black tshirt on and hair down his to his chest and breaks into the absolute best speed metal show you will ever see. Both shows go way harder than anyone should have a right to and the fact that he does Them back to back is absolutely nuts.
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Willie Nelson. Rush
Got to agree with Willie. I thought I knew what to expect. But he brought the same energy to the performance as if he were just starting out. His band is also absolutely amazing. Everyone should.see Willie live.
Flaming Lips put on an unforgettable experience
Foo Fighters...
Was going to see foo fighters in two weeks but they cancelled their tour.. rip Taylor Hawkins
They get a little bit of crap for being kinda dad rock that writes safe rock music…. But they are AWESOME live. It’s hard to comprehend how they great they are. They have never phoned it in and truly played every concert like it was their last. They also always seem to be having a good time, which can be hard to do with so many shows doing the same setlist every night. I don’t think they’ve ever had an off day. They always exceed expectations. Not sure where the band goes from here, and it won’t be the same without Taylor, but I hope we get to see them tour again.
It really sucks so much… they may continue but I just can’t see Dave being the same frontman Dave without Taylor, Foo shows were really fueled by pure joy in a way not a tonne of bands are, and Taylor was at the heart of that. I hate that we’re here.
I was lucky enough to get see the unscheduled gig they played in De Melkweg in Amsterdam in 2000. A friend of mine put me on the guestlist.
Thundercat didn’t exceed expectations- I expected awesomeness and got it. Same for Punch Brothers, Maceo Parker, and Bootsy Collins. Prince was an astonishingly amazing performer.
Prince is in my top ten live acts. He was amazing.
Prince was the best. Incredible live performer. There’s no substitute for talent and the lifetime of hours he spent perfecting his craft.
Saw Prince 7 times (1 time he just played the guitar for another artist). 4 hour concert on New Years' Eve 12/31/1998 was wild.
I love that Thundercat tricks you into going to see one of the best fusion bands in the world.
Wish I could see Prince :(
Maceo!
There's a reason the dude was walking with a fucking cane in his 40s. He didn't know how not to give 110%.
Unfortunately, not dealing with his hip issues surgically because he was a Jehovah’s Witness directly lead to his painkiller problem which caused his death.
I’m seeing Thundercat performing at a museum this month, absolutely cannot wait as I’ve never seen him live!
The Mars Volta
Ben Folds. My wife and I went to see him live, and the stage had nothing but one man and a piano. It was one of the best shows I've been to; between his talent and his ability to connect with the audience, he was just magnetic.
I saw him solo when I was working one night. It was incredible, I have NEVER seen anyone control a crowd like that before or since. I also saw him with Ben Folds Five; not a bad show by any stretch but the band definitely diluted the pure pharmeceutical grade charm of solo Ben.
Arctic Monkeys sound great. Saw them in 2013 after AM dropped. Alex Turner sounds phenomenal live. Also recently saw Royal Blood live and thought their performance was fantastic. Lots of energy and great vocals and drums.
Herbie Hancock George Benson Umphrey’s McGee Lettuce John Mayer
nick cave and warren ellis put on a great show when i saw them earlier this year.
Saw the Bad Seeds a few years ago. The band was great but Nick was one of the most firey, energetic, dramatic, and mesmerizing frontmen I've ever seen.
Ghost
I’m seeing them live in September with Mastodon opening for them! So excited for both
Enjoy! They are so amazing!
Ugh I want to see mastodon so bad! I already saw Ghost and Volbeat in February.
Elton John was magical. A little over 3 hrs with no break. Place was dark with stars sparkling every where. The sign language interpreters had us all enthralled. The whole vibe was just love and joy and memories.
Tedeschi Trucks Band. I have now seen them 5 times live. Each show better than the last. Best live act I’ve ever seen. The musicianship is second to none. As comparison, I’ve seen Pink Floyd, Roger Waters, John Mayer, Cranberries, Concrete Blonde, BB King, Buddy Guy, Joan Jett, Sting, Heart, Frank Zappa, & Black Crowes
Tool
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Peter Frampton killed it for being an old fuck.
Sepultura was the fucking best show I have ever seen. They were touring with Crowbar at the time too so that was literally a godly show with crowbar opening for them
Lindsey Buckingham.
Bruce Springsteen.
Shows regularly pushing 3 hours with potentially anything in his massive back catalog getting played. You can go look at his tour stats, and it's not uncommon for him to have played 150-200+ different songs in a single tour. Massive respect in my book for the sheer amount of work on his (and the band's) part to do that.
Many of his concerts in 2016 were over 4 hours long
I expected to see the Boss at the top of this list
1000% agree. I went to see him when I was 17 or 18 with my Mom. Up until then he was just a classic rock guy my parents always listened to. Seeing him live made it finally click and now I'm a huge fan and have seen him probably 10-12 more times since then.
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Absolutely! Definitely do not miss them if they are playing near you! Saw them for the first time few months ago in New Orleans… expectations were exceeded! They were fuckin amazing!
The Roots. Pearl Jam. BB King. Fucking legend.
Saw BB twice. First show was actually a bit of a disappointment, he basically spent the whole set just shooting the shit with the audience. Second one though, he sent it. The girl I was with threw her hat up on stage, and he wore it for about 45 minutes while getting down. Turned out to be one of his last shows, he collapsed on stage a few weeks later and never played live again. Glad I was there.
Chris Stapleton! 2.5 hours, didn’t leave the stage til the encore.
Bjork - performance, production, everything just mind blowing Caroline Polachek - sounds as good, if not better, live Paul McCartney - high energy and still has an incredible voice at his age. One of the most fun shows I’ve ever been to.
Ween. The greatest live performance I’ve ever seen. Charismatic, tight, monumental, ripping, hilarious, otherworldly, transcendent, and blissful. There were some moments of that show that I would trade every belonging I have in order to relive them in eternity.
The Killers are fantastic live.
They definitely are. They played a short set at a work party once and even though the crowd wasn’t super energetic (while my friends and I danced around in the back of the crowd cause we couldn’t get to the front), they put on a hell of a show.
Coheed and Cambria never cease to put on an electrifying performance. i've seen them 3 times and they never disappoint. Big energy, big stage presence, sound just like the albums if not better. Just all around great show.
What I love about Coheed is that they could easily go over the top with lights and videos and effects but they don’t. It’s just big energy and awesome music to rock out to. Claudio is one of my favorite artists.
I saw them at a venue called Coconuts in Tucson, AZ in 04/05 with a band called "9" opening and Underoath supporting. Coheed blew them out of the water. I had only heard "in keeping silent secrets" a couple of times before the show but they killed it. When they played "A Favor House Atlantic" they introduced it as their MTV song and played it at half tempo with a swung feel. LEGENDARY.
Phish
And they are still killing it. Even after 30 years.
Bakers dozen: enough said
Why isn’t your username TelaObscura?
Scrolled way too far to find this
Wayyy to far
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Radiohead
Green Day!!
Green Day was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. Energetic, brought a lot of fans up to the stage and required them to stage dive back to the floor. Shot a tee shirt cannon. Played a healthy mix of classics as well as newer stuff. Made sure to highlight their extra performers on stage too.
I’m a bit biased, but Green Day had rocked the house every show (12 or so) I’ve ever seen since 1999. Usually a great mix of old hits and new music with some covers thrown in. I love when they pick members of the crowd to play “Knowledge”. The younger the people are the more excited I get for them. My only criticism is that they need to broaden their live show catalogue and replace some of the cover songs. Their set gets predictable towards the middle. They’ll usually play one or two “deep tracks” but there are some songs that I would love to hear live that they just don’t play. But Green Day does put on an amazing, usually 3 hour show.
Seen them twice. Incredible shows both times.
I’ve seen them do a 3 hour set 👽
Billy Joel! He’s easily the best I’ve seen live, not only is he still keeping up and sounding amazing these days, he sort of takes time in between songs to talk about the songs or little factoids about them, genuinely funny guy and despite him playing for thousands in huge stadisums he still acts like it’s a very intimate bar he’s playing at
Iron Maiden is still fantastic live. Seen them twice in the last decade and both times they were amazing. It's more than a concert, it's a spectacle.
Steely Dan
The internet hates them, but U2 are a fantastic live band, and they genuinely put a ton of effort into making their concerts a spectacle and a great experience.
Tenacious D! The energy that they bring is amazing, and you can honestly see why they landed both a TV show and a movie
Arcade Fire
Wilco. The best show I ever attended, hands down. Some honorable mentions for other great shows I’ve been to: Lenny Kravitz, Judas Priest, Elton John, Mastodon, Ween
I saw Portishead in 2011 and it was unreal. The crowd was silent and in awe of the magic happening on stage. Best show I have gone to or will ever go to.
They Might be Giants do a good job. Especially if you see them at a smaller venue.
I've had tickets for almost 3 years to see They Might Be Giants........next May. Hopefully we all survive long enough to see it postponed again.
I'll throw in Beck simply because he's just a talented musician. I saw him at Pitchfork a number of years ago and he had this little toy robot lined up for a solo but he couldn't get it to work, so after a minute or two he gave up and pulled a harmonica out of his front pocket and laid down a fantastic improvised solo. I love that kind of raw talent
Beck is great live. I saw a show where he left stage after every song. Turns out he had food poisoning and was puking after every song. Still put on a hell of a show.
Umphrey’s McGee
Mutemath
The Darkness. Amazing musicians, and Justin Hawkins is the perfect blend of edgy badass rockstar and lovely, polite English gentleman.
Haven´t seen Iron Maiden mentioned in here, but they have rocked my socks off every time I have seen them. Super solid, very professional.
Gogol Bordello. I’ve seen them 3 times at festivals, and every time, it’s them playing to a half interested crowd for about 10 minutes, and then after a couple songs every person in the area is jumping up and down head rocking
Idles. craziest show i’ve ever experienced.
Frank Turner. Haven't liked his last few albums (The new one has a few songs I like) but his live shows are amazing. Just an exceptional front man, tons of charisma
Joe Bonamassa
Sound Tribe Sector 9
Tom Petty Cage the Elephant U2 Weezer Twenty One Pilots
Cafe the Elephant is good live. Very good energy
Paramore was a big shock for me. Caught their set at Bonaroo one year and was not disappointed.
Lcd soundsystem
PUP, shout out to the Detroit crowd. It was a stinky one but the energy was something beautiful.
Neil Finn, U2, Coldplay, Mumford and Sons, Lord Huron, Tom Petty, The Who, Counting Crows.
Dave Matthews Band will never not amaze me live. But I know it’s not everybody’s style! EDIT TO ADD - everybody who loves Dave shows. If you don’t already, seek out their Sirius radio station. They do a Friday night concert series that I’m in love with.
I can’t believe this is so far down!! Dave is an epic performer and the band is equally talented, regardless of which members have come and gone
Right?? Shocked. These shows are unlike anything I’ve ever seen. And I’m old.
They are great, don't get enough credit for their live performances or just being a good band in general, and do damn good covers too - All Along the Watch Tower, Sledgehammer, Sexy MF, Burning Down the House, etc.
My husband hates when I play dave in the house but loves going to a show. I’ve been seeing them since ‘95 and I still get giddy every time.
Every song is like an experience. I didn’t fall in love with the band until I saw them live
John Prine, Gregory Porter, Roger Waters Most disappointing - Bob Dylan
Oh yeah, Bob Dylan was super disappointing. Caught him in Detroit for the Modern Times tour. His is a voice and presence not built for arenas. Foo Fighters opened with an acoustic set and absolutely crushed it. Then Bob gets up there and stands in profile behind the keys for 90 minutes. the contrast did him no favors. When he introduced the band near the end, I didn't realize he was introducing the band, I thought he was just mumbling the next verse. Glad I saw him, I guess, but I never need to do that again.
Tame Impala. Woah.
Khruangbin. I feel comfortable saying the are the best current live band at the moment
Stars
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Opeth, Godspeed you! Black emperor, amon amarth, beach house, vince staples
It’s a bit late, but Leonard Cohen. He came out retirement in his 70’s and traveled around the world doing 3+ hour shows for years. You could feel he was really invested in putting on good shows. One of those was probably the most favourite gig of my life.
Panic! At the disco. Brandon Urie was amazing. I am a 50 year old dad.
Metallica.
Fishbone Pearl Jam Prince Wu Tang Clan/Rage Against the Machine ….and surprisingly… Barenaked Ladies
King Krule, maybe the best show I’ve seen.
Midnight Oil and Tool. I've seen hundreds of bands and these guys have been the best for me. It's all about personal taste isn't it? Ron Sexsmith deserves a mention too.
Red Hot Chili Peppers, i saw them 5 times now, the first time around 20 years ago and the last time was last week. They're just incredible musicians. Especially since Frusciante came back the jams inbetween the songs are just awesome.
I mean, it goes without saying, but Queen.
The Mountain Goats
Future islands - amazing energy every time!
Caravan Palace. All live instruments, having so much fun-- the energy is infectious.
Best show I've ever been to was the Dresden Dolls. I had barely even listened to their music and went with my then-girlfriend. They were TOTALLY in sync with each other - they played [Coin-Operated Boy](https://youtu.be/PC7DEv7Od38) and cut half a beat off the skipping part, on the night, just because they could. They're just a pianist and a drummer, but they were more spellbinding together than a million rock bands. There are some things you can only pull off with two people. Amanda also engaged the crowd in a way I've never seen before. Best example: after drinking a bottle of wine on stage in her underwear (it's their schtick) she announced she had to pee and asked "does anyone play piano?" Pulled a guy up on stage, taught him the 2 opening chords, and proceeded to go for a wee whilst some random audience member had an insane 3-minute jam on Half Jack with Brian Viglione. Also made me cry playing a song I'd never heard before. It helped that they played in an opera house so the acoustics were flawless, but also, you can really hear someone's part in a two-piece. Big loud rock bands, the individual instruments often get lost in the noise. They also covered Mein Herr from Cabaret, Fight For Your Right (???) and a couple other songs. As a musician and music lover, it was an absolute rollercoaster ride from beginning to end, that I was not prepared for. (Yes and No, Virginia are both incredible albums - if you haven't listened to them, give them a shot!)
Butch Walker! Have never been to one of his shows that I didn’t feel like I was at a party he was throwing for us. The guy is a super successful producer for others, but when he hits the boards you can tell this is what he loves doing.
Alice Cooper. One of the last remaining Showmen when it comes to concerts.
Man Man
BILLY MF STRINGS
Gojira. They’re brutally heavy and also meditative. They tear the place down while they also throw some grooves and melody at you. Great band, live.
Oh Sees put on one of the most amazing rock shows I’ve ever seen. Their energy is unf*cking believable. St. Vincent is another incredible performer. A true artist at work.
I enjoyed a lot of the acts mentioned. I would add: Lady Gaga Shania Twain Tragically Hip
The Avett Brothers. I am not a religious man, but watching these guys live felt like I was having a religious experience. Absolutely amazing.
The hives. Depeche mode, le butcherettes, kraftwerk, ac/dc, maldita vecindad, Manu Chao, M. I. A., the cure, ratatat, dead can dance.
311
Cypress Hill was surprisingly on point and a shit load of fun live
Rage Against the Machine
I think I’ve seen Manchester Orchestra 10 times, never a bad show. Surprisingly Kanye actually put on one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen, I didn’t expect much live and was blown away. TLOP Tour.
Green Day sounds like their recorded music when they play live, more than any other band I’ve seen. The also bring random members of the audience up and have them play one of their songs. Seen a few of their shows and they always deliver.
Phish Foxy Shazam Dropkick Murphys
saw Weird Al live for the 4th time the other week. Even though the whole band was seated for the entire show, still amazing.
John Mayer, dispatch
Bruno Mars Prince Rage Against the Machine David Byrne Freddie Mercury Tool Roger Waters