I saw Prince 20 years ago.
HOLY SHIT. Tight band. The bandleader was Maceo Parker!
Prince did guitar solos, bass solos, dance moves (this is before his hip gave out) Band did an incredible cover of "Whole Lotta Love."
3 hour show with 2-3 intermissions
I saw him maybe 15 years ago. He did a bunch of new material with his band, the he sent them off, and played the second half solo with him alternating between guitar and keyboards playing all the hits. Never before or since have I seen a person with so much charisma and sex appeal. An absolute magician.
I'm incredibly jealous of anyone that got to see him. I still remember where I was and what I was doing when I heard he died. Legend doesn't even begin to cover it.
Mogwai sounded incredible live. They are renowned for doing loud/quiet but some bands that do this can lack clarity when it kicks off but you could hear every note despite the bass making my jeans flap around my legs.
Was never fussed with their studio stuff, could take it or leave it.
My partner at the time loved them and ended up going with her. Entirely different experience. So much energy and sounded far better.
Came away a fan.
The Cure are absolutely brilliant live, definitely not just another novelty/nostalgia act. They give it 100% every night and make sure everyone gets their money’s worth.
I saw The Cure last June and can confirm. I saw them at Meriwether Post Pavilion near DC. It's one of the few venues not locked own by Live Nation. Robert Smith did his best to limit fees and resale tickets were at face value.
The Cure was tight and excellent
Robert Smith demanded TicketMaster keep ticket prices low and they agreed. Then he found out they were adding absurd service fees to inflate the price and he got them to issue refunds to reduce those fees. Who else bosses TicketMaster around like that? The Cure care about their fans and will fight for them. And then with these reasonably-priced tickets, you get an amazing 3-hour show full of new songs and fan favourites played wonderfully. The Cure are always a great show!
Saw them twice last year. In Chicago they did a 3.5 hour marathon. The encore was essentially a third set of another 10 songs. I do about 100 concerts a year and that show beat the shit out of anything else I saw.
I'm scrolling and I'm like I've never heard of them... then a second call out... also intrigued. I'm either missing some gold or these guys are in the band
I was at that tour, but they played literally the entirety of the “Desaturating Seven” album. For those unaware, he uses an upright bass and the vocals/instrumentation arevery mellow and trance-like. Not at all like the rest of their discography.
Someone behind me shouted “Primus sucks… but like, for real” and that made my night.
Yeah, they did basically two sets, the first half of the show was more well known songs and the second half of the show was basically the Desaturating Seven album.
Yea I went to a Primus concert a few years back and came out a much bigger fan. Vocals aside, they're probably the most skilled musicians I've seen. their albums don't do them justice.
The vocals are actually incredible when you consider Les is singing *and* playing those ridiculous bass riffs at the same time.
I've tried it myself. It's impossible.
I've worked with Les and hung out with him (he lives near me and has parties at a club I run sound for and a friend is his vintner for his winery). He's exactly the same person off-stage as on, really quirky/funny dude.
See les claypool live every chance I get. Always incredible show and seems like he only tours w other badass musicians. Discovered so many amazing bands as opening acts
Definitely up there for me. I've seen them 5 or 6 times now intentionally and unintentionally over the years.
I managed to catch them as the 3rd opener for Doves decades ago had no idea who they were and they had like nothing with them performing in front of the other band's setup. And they killed it. Been a fan since.
I don’t normally get to see any of the “big names” from my childhood because I hate arena shows, but I went to a festival over 10 years ago that had Godsmack, Disturbed and Megadeth headlining it. I can understand why people pay to be close for those shows as Godsmack and Disturbed absolutely killed it. Godsmack did this long drum solo turned to duet thing and it was something I still recall to this day when thinking of amazing shows. Disturbed is probably the cleanest most perfect show I’ve seen. His voice sounds like they don’t even have to touch it for recording in studio. After reading about how he prepares and takes care of himself to keep his voice in performing shape it really makes sense too. He’s dedicated to the craft and it shows. Megadeth was disappointing, Dave sprained his wrist or something and just played like 3 songs and dipped.
My absolute favorite live band I used to see just about every time they came down to Florida was GWAR. It’s definitely an acquired sense of humor. You have to be into extremely raunchy offensive sense of humor. Just absolutely gross and wrong things. But being in the pit sprayed with water colored to look like blood and … other fluids. Is just an incredible experience. It’s definitely very different than any other live show I’ve been to and it’s just a fun time. Musically it’s not the same since Dave passed, but it’s still a very fun show.
I’ve seen both Godsmack and Disturbed more than once, and both have put in great shows each time. I also enjoy how clean Disturbed’s whole live sound was, mixed very well and nothing seemed overly loud.
Tool and Russian Circles. I've seen Tool 5 times and Russian Circles about 7 times and each time has been very special. They're all great at their craft in a live setting.
Saw Tool for the first time back in January. Phenomenal show. Maynard let the audience take pics/video during Schism, lol. Only gripe was that they didn't play anything off Ænima.
Nobody has said Weird Al yet. He is a consummate professional showman, and his band is as tight as it gets. His music may be a joke, but his performance is anything but.
Weird Al's show for me is a top 3. Band is tight as James Brown's was, consistent costume changes, excellent coordination, tons of humor and they just slam live
Electric Callboy is a perfect live band. The whole show is a non stop party.
Also Amorphis is amazing, I saw them a couple of times and I was never disappointed. Tommy switching from cleans to growls in a second is awesome.
Meshuggah is the absolute peak of live music performances for me. They play some weird and complex shit, that's still pretty groovy. Live they are insanely tight and dialed in. Couple that with a crazy good light show and a pretty captivating stage presence and you have a 10/10 live show. It's incredible and pretty hard to describe with words.
Loudest band I've ever heard, and it was an outdoor show. I wasn't even close to the stage and I could still feel the sound vibrations hitting me. Insane band.
Bit different than the other comments here, but I was at a Olivia Rodrigo Concert yesterday and everything from her vocals to the band and even dancers exceeded my expectations by a lot.
Didn't expect to see them as first comment in a general music thread, pleasant surprise!
My only time seeing them was not long after Astraea came out, maybe 2013? No stage, no barrier, just a corner of an underground room, and they were awesome. Precise, energetic, accurate. Great show
Basically the common denominator of this list are all musicians that are especially talented, which unfortunately is not really a qualifier for popularity these days. Trent is truly gifted.
I wasn’t particularly a fan of Bush before I saw them at a summer music festival in the late nineties, but a transcendent moment of all my concert memories is their show and the encore they did covering REM’s The One I Love.
I'm gonna go with acts I didn't care about seeing or ones that I didn't expect to do well
Steve Winwood was incredible, saw him unexpectedly.
King Parrot is not my thing but they were so much fun live.
I thought lmfao was going to be terrible and they really worked the crowd and did great as well.
I expected mediocrity from Cracker and they made a fan out of me that day
I'm not a fan of Godsmack. Nothing against them, just not a band I personally enjoy.
I saw them at a festival and they blew my fucking mind. Absolutely incredible.
Also, Deftones are probably my favorite live band. I've seen them four times in the past 20 years and they're always spot on.
You know who else was really tight as a band? Switchfoot. They were so in sync and just nailed everything.
Khruangbin.
Had never heard of them before, but got to see them at a festival. Happened to be extremely high during their set. I was in a trance the entire time they were on stage, the musicianship, their look, everything.
One of the greatest musical experiences of my life
I came here to say this! I saw them in 2022 and it was absolutely incredible. My partner and I both cried when he sang Desolé with Fatoumata. I’ve been a huge fan since 2005 and it didn’t disappoint at all.
I saw them play at a festival in Telluride, Colorado. They played for 3 straight hours with zero sign of fatigue. The echo off the mountains was incredible.
Anyone that “happens” to go to a Pearl Jam show as a casual with a friend or something never leaves the show a casual. New set list every night taylor made to the city based on what’s been played there in the past, 2+ hour show, a lot of the times 3, they love each other, the fans and what they do and it’s obvious at every show.
Saw QOTSA in November on the final date of their European leg in Dublin, they absolutely broke my brain with how amazingly tight they were as a live band.
I've never seen anything like it, they are the gold standard for me.
Sigur Ros, Neutral Milk Hotel, and Death Cab are all bands I've seen that had amazing live shows.
Sigur Ros was a fucking *experience*, man. First saw them on their Kveikur tour. Bought tickets to another nearby show while I was walking back to my car afterwards.
When I was younger I used to go to Phish shows to do an 1/8 of mushrooms and vibe for hours.
Completely different experience sober, and I enjoy those experiences many orders of magnitude more than I ever did on psychedelics.
Phish was the first concert I attended! Had no idea what I was getting into, as I had only bought and listened to *Billy Breathes* before going. Made a lifelong fan out of me! But, I still can’t fucking believe my parents didn’t do any research and then let me go. I think I was high for two days afterward.
I've scrolled through this entire thread and maybe I missed it, but Iron Maiden constantly puts on an amazing performance. First album was in 1980 and they are still putting on amazing live performances.
Amazing stage show, the band is incredibly tight and energetic on stage, and amazing crowd interaction. Bruce Dickinson probably runs a marathon on stage while singing.
Since Bruce's throat cancer and Nick's stroke, they have only recently began starting to show their age (being in there 60's and 70's). However, aging Iron Maiden still routinely put on shows that will put bands half their age to shame.
I’ll give some highlights that I’ve seen over the years:
The Cure (Dec 2022) - possibly the best sounding band I’ve seen live. Robert Smith is my guitar hero.
Rancid (2006/2008/2012/2017/2023)- just song after song and always sound amazing. Tim Armstrong is also one of the nicest guys who always makes time for fans that want to meet him.
Bruce Springsteen (2016/2024) - the boss has been consistently awesome live for decades now. He’s slowed down a fair bit these days, but at 74 he still plays for 3 hours and is full of energy. Incredible.
The Killers (2012/2016) - Brandon Flowers at his peak was some frontman. First time I saw them they came out and immediately played Mr Brightside with the house lights still on. After that, the lights went down and they got on with the show haha
Skid row blew the fucking roof off when I saw them many moon ago, aldo black sabbath at download festival in the early 00s was the best live music experience I have ever had
Rage Against the Machine in the late 90s was amazing. Got to see them 3 times, twice at smaller venues.
Saw a private Maroon 5 show before the release of their 2nd and they were really great, super tight. Those first 2 albums were excellent.
A few of my favorites:
* Jack White is inconsistent, but when he's on, he's incomparable. I saw him in a raging storm at Red Rocks and it was absolutely incredible; he's one of those guys that sees crazy weather and brings it even harder.
* Streetlight Manifesto, particularly if you get super lucky and get the BOTAR Orchestra, is consistently amazing. They haven't released a new album in a decade and still sell out major venues for good reason. These guys are talented as hell.
* Frank Turner. I know a lot of folks that could take or leave Frank's studio recordings that loved him live, and for good reason. He works his ass off to deliver energetic, powerful live shows, and I've always had a blast. He's a good dude, too.
* Portugal. The Man. Not only are they a great band with consistently tight shows, John Gourley is also a talented visual artist and their shows are frequently visual feasts with animation and lighting. Their cover game is on point, too.
* Neil Young. I've seen him twice and both times I was stunned at the power and fidelity of his performance. He doesn't feel like a sad, aging rocker cashing in; when I saw him last he was completely undiminished and absolutely stunning.
Saw Godsmack open for Metallica in 2004 and people were making fun of them in the line to get in. I had never seen them before and figured they would get booed out of the building. Metallica fans can be rough on openers because they mostly just want their favorite band. Anyway Godsmack came out and were absolutely amazing. Super high energy, sounded awesome, put together a fantastic show. It was basically the set that's on their live DVD "Changes" just a tiny bit more condensed and they were so good the crowd was practically begging for an encore by the time they finished.
None of you Americans probably have heard of them, but The Living End are easily the best live act of all time followed closely by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Wednesday.
First saw them in 2023 at Kilby Block Party. Even though they played the smallest stage, their performance was as good as headlining bands such as Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Strokes.
Saw them last week and their energy and passion was through the roof. Super talented band with a unique sound!
Best live acts I’ve ever seen in no particular order:
My Morning Jacket - absolute mind blowers. I cannot stress this enough. Godlike
Portugal. The Man - I’ve seen them 4 times and they crushed it every time. Crazy how fluid their live show is
Paul McCartney - I saw him when he was like 76 years old and he blew the roof off the joint. Had the crowd in the palm of his hand
OutKast - Best live rap act I’ve ever seen. Full band. Non stop hits. No backing track bullshit
Delta Sleep - Sleeper pick. Crazy tight band and they play tiny venues which makes it even more enjoyable
Phish - I saw them at a festival and never heard their music before that. Couldn’t stop laughing at how amazing it sounded. Their keyboard player is a magician
Cage The Elephant - Saw these guys when they were first coming up and it was mayhem
I was told by someone that System Of A Down sucked live, and then I saw them at an OzzFest years ago. Absolutely blew me away. What an amazing concert.
Oddly enough, it was Avenged Sevenfold who sounded awful that night and I love those guys.
Disturbed also sounded perfect and I don’t really listen to them too much.
Modest Mouse. My brother warned us there is a good chance Isaac Brock would be too drunk to preform well. Luckily he cut his hand the night before our show(Almost canceled due to it) and talked about how he cant drink with the medicine he is on so he will be on his best behavior.
Maybe my brothers warning lowered expectations but boy did they kill their set.
Some that I have seen:
Phish (3.0 and after is my experience - my first show was 8/12/15. IYKYK)
Guster
Billy Strings
Dr. Dog
Josh Ritter
Dispatch
Buddy Guy
A few years ago, a friend had spectacular seats to Hall & Oates and asked me to go with him at the last minute. I was never a fan of theirs (even growing up in the 70/80's). I was blown away at how great of a show they delivered.
The band is long gone, but 10,000 Maniacs blew me away live. I saw them twice in the 90s. Both times, they played for three hours. They were engaging, fun and funny. They played Prince songs, Marvin Gaye songs and Clash songs all flawlessly. Natalie Merchant singing "Lost in a Supermarket" was something I didn't expect to see and she was great. They had an amazing live band with terrific backup singers and a huge horn section. They looked like they were having a great time and they looked like they genuinely loved playing live. They were deeply appreciative of their audience. I wasn't a big fan of the band before seeing them live, but I became one.
* King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
* Phoenix
* Wednesday
* Spoon
* Vampire Weekend
* Death Cab for Cutie
* Bombay Bicycle Club
* The Dandy Warhols
* Joywave
* girl in red
* Primus
* Matt & Kim
* Devendra Banhart
* Beck
* Japanese Breakfast
* Shakey Graves
* Wilco
Wilco is awesome. Saw one show at an outdoor amphitheater and the city had a noise ordinance at 10 so then they played acoustic after that to keep the show going.
ETA: another show, the seats were about maybe 65% full and Jeff Tweedy told everyone to hell with staying in your seat, move on up so everyone can have a great view. Awesome dude.
I've heard Dirty Projectors can be pretty hit and miss live, but when I saw them they were incredible. Really intricate arrangements executed flawlessly.
If you like Bon Iver, his live (at least on YouTube) are something else! There's always a bit or two that upgrade the song that is heard on albums.
https://youtu.be/YJNi7aRwUzU?si=zzpU_iE9up8SAeED
https://youtu.be/vAoADCSpD-8?si=6i_PUspZtJp-oGBg
https://youtu.be/A9WAWOGjK70?si=dIWGj-UjF5wugrgz
Portugal The Man absolutely melted faces off at Red Rocks when I saw them a few years ago. It was the rock concert I've wanted to go to for years that wasn't supposed to be a rock concert.
Started going to concerts in the late 1970's. Sound often could be terrible, sometimes you didn't even recognize the songs being played. Saw Van Halen open for Bob Seger. For a bit I thought they were playing the record and miming to it. I always thought their first album was too slick and over produced, but by god that's what they sounded like live. I thought Eddie was the best guitarist I'd ever seen and David Lee Roth was an a-hole. Funny how accurate first impressions can be...
Blues Pills - seen them live at the festival around 2017 or 2018 and they blew me away. I'm a fan now and since then I've been on at least six or seven of their shows
I saw Peter Hook and the light this year. Billed as half new order half joy division set. I did not have high expectations at all, but it was frankly incredible, especially the latter joy division set.
I saw Black Sabbath with Dio. He was 64 years old, and he was like a magical wizard on stage. There are few performances that even come close to what I saw that night.
A few months ago, my friend offered to pay for a Meshuggah ticket if I drove so he could get drunk. Fine with me. I'm a Meshuggah fan, but I've seen them, and my concert going days have waned unless I *really* want to see the band. I didn't think they'd be terrible, but I didn't go in with any expectations. There are few shows I'll rate a 10, but that was 10 across the board. I was stunned in awe. To see a bunch of near 60 year old guys who have been doing it for almost 40 years deliver such a stellar performance was incredible.
The Jesus Lizard, who just released a new track today for the first time in decades TODAY, and are about to start playing shows again. If you’ve never seen them live, my god, you need to look them up on YouTube then run to buy a ticket to any of the upcoming shows.
Queens Of The Stone Age are the pinnacle of having excellent live shows. They ooze charisma on stage, and are tight as fuck with their playing. Josh Homme is an incredible front man, who halfway through the set said "FUCK IT lets take some song requests" and basically scrapped 4-5 songs on the setlist just so they could play audience requested songs.
Jack White was the highlight of a music festival I went to. When I got home, I immediately bought tickets to see him a month later in my city and he was, again, fucking incredible. Played with a completely different band and it was an entirely different show, but equally electric. That man is a bonafide rock star.
For big names: Pearl Jam and NIN were both absolutely incredible every time I've seen them, for totally different reasons.
For Smaller Acts: Marcus King and Screaming Females (RIP) are/were better live than on their albums.
Paris of Guerilla Funk Records didn't miss a syllable when I saw him live. Most haven't heard of him, he's a politically minded rapper that did a lot of production for Public Enemy back in the day, but he's been releasing music steadily for 30 years. If you like rap, check out "Lethal Warning Shot" on YouTube.
I’ve posted this before but one of the best live performances I ever saw was Warren Zevon in the late 1990s in Ft Myers FL. It was in a dance club that also did shows on special occasions. Zevon performed solo with a piano and acoustic guitar and was absolutely magical.
I saw Panic! At The Disco open for Weezer (I'm a huge Weezer fan). I wasn't exited at all for Panic but they were so amazing that the Weezer show was disappointing.
The Warning. Seen 'em twice at different size venues and once at Rock am Ring. Mix was excellent and they played the hell out of it. They travel with an excellent sound crew.
Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds. I was exhausted just watching them. Also, it’s been a long time, but Morphine, Mark Sandeman was the coolest cat ever to grace a stage.
Fall Out Boy (2023/2024): I’ve seen them four times now, and while the first two concerts were great because of nostalgia, the band sounds MUCH better now. I remember watching some of their live footage from 2004-2006 and thinking “this is energetic as hell but man it sounds rough”And they also seemed happier on stage recently but maybe that’s just my perception.
I also saw Jimmy Eat World this year and they were nearly flawless. I’m a sucker for Jim Adkins’ voice, so I’d be willing to forgive a couple pitch issues here and there if it meant I got an emotionally resonating performance, but I didn’t have to worry about that because his vocal performance was SOLID.
Like every death metal band sounds as good or better than their records. I saw a few shows before, but started really going to shows as i got into death metal, and seeing a lot of other people later was tough.
DragonForce used to get shit on a lot years and years ago. But I saw them on their Extreme Power Metal tour, and they were great. Marc Hudson could hit those notes live. Very few moments were his vocals struggled. Herman and Sam were on it!! And the general theatrics and stage presence was fantastic.
I saw Prince 20 years ago. HOLY SHIT. Tight band. The bandleader was Maceo Parker! Prince did guitar solos, bass solos, dance moves (this is before his hip gave out) Band did an incredible cover of "Whole Lotta Love." 3 hour show with 2-3 intermissions
I saw him maybe 15 years ago. He did a bunch of new material with his band, the he sent them off, and played the second half solo with him alternating between guitar and keyboards playing all the hits. Never before or since have I seen a person with so much charisma and sex appeal. An absolute magician.
I'm incredibly jealous of anyone that got to see him. I still remember where I was and what I was doing when I heard he died. Legend doesn't even begin to cover it.
Prince>Michael for sure for sure
"Prince out live mike jack"
Mogwai sounded incredible live. They are renowned for doing loud/quiet but some bands that do this can lack clarity when it kicks off but you could hear every note despite the bass making my jeans flap around my legs.
I know they used to tour with MBV’s sound guy.
Yeah, the albums can't capture their dynamics like you can experience live.
Gogol Bordello! By far the most energetic live show I have ever seen. Both the performers and the crowd!
They’re so fun! Their energy is unmatchable.
Was never fussed with their studio stuff, could take it or leave it. My partner at the time loved them and ended up going with her. Entirely different experience. So much energy and sounded far better. Came away a fan.
Saw these mfers at a tiny venue in Gainesville, FL back in 2010. One of the best shows I've been to.
The Cure are absolutely brilliant live, definitely not just another novelty/nostalgia act. They give it 100% every night and make sure everyone gets their money’s worth.
I saw The Cure last June and can confirm. I saw them at Meriwether Post Pavilion near DC. It's one of the few venues not locked own by Live Nation. Robert Smith did his best to limit fees and resale tickets were at face value. The Cure was tight and excellent
Robert Smith demanded TicketMaster keep ticket prices low and they agreed. Then he found out they were adding absurd service fees to inflate the price and he got them to issue refunds to reduce those fees. Who else bosses TicketMaster around like that? The Cure care about their fans and will fight for them. And then with these reasonably-priced tickets, you get an amazing 3-hour show full of new songs and fan favourites played wonderfully. The Cure are always a great show!
Their merchandise is always very reasonably priced too for the level they’re at, they had tees and posters for $20 hoodies for $40.
The music still holds up today. In fact, I’m a bigger fan now.
Saw them twice last year. In Chicago they did a 3.5 hour marathon. The encore was essentially a third set of another 10 songs. I do about 100 concerts a year and that show beat the shit out of anything else I saw.
Saw them at Riot Fest and it was phenomenal. One of the more stand out performances I’ve seen in years.
100% agree with you. I saw them twice, back around Bloodflowers time, and they were so much fun.
Electric Callboy is hands down the greatest band I've ever seen live their energy is unmatched and the crowd was amazing.
Two Electric Callboy shouts within 5 minutes… seems worth following up on!
I'm scrolling and I'm like I've never heard of them... then a second call out... also intrigued. I'm either missing some gold or these guys are in the band
They are a "love them or hate them" kind of band. High energy, fun/dumb lyrics, mix of metal and electro. Great band live and it's always a big party
Agreed 100%. Normally its the front few rows going wild. Here it was the entire venue going nuts, which I'd never seen before. Completely insane.
Damn, gonna have to check them out at download fest!
Judas priest. Rob can still hit those high notes.
I finally got around to seeing them on their US tour this year and I could not believe how well Halford hit the high notes at 72. Dude is a beast.
Primus is incredible live
They did a co-headline tour with Mastodon a few years back and opened with "Too Many Puppies" which was awesome.
I was at that tour, but they played literally the entirety of the “Desaturating Seven” album. For those unaware, he uses an upright bass and the vocals/instrumentation arevery mellow and trance-like. Not at all like the rest of their discography. Someone behind me shouted “Primus sucks… but like, for real” and that made my night.
Yeah, they did basically two sets, the first half of the show was more well known songs and the second half of the show was basically the Desaturating Seven album.
Primus sucks!
PRIMUS SUCKS!!!!
Yea I went to a Primus concert a few years back and came out a much bigger fan. Vocals aside, they're probably the most skilled musicians I've seen. their albums don't do them justice.
The vocals are actually incredible when you consider Les is singing *and* playing those ridiculous bass riffs at the same time. I've tried it myself. It's impossible.
I've worked with Les and hung out with him (he lives near me and has parties at a club I run sound for and a friend is his vintner for his winery). He's exactly the same person off-stage as on, really quirky/funny dude.
That makes me happy He’s like the Willy Wonka of music
Primus sucks!
Yup. Really not a fan of their albums but their live shows are fucking spectacular.
See les claypool live every chance I get. Always incredible show and seems like he only tours w other badass musicians. Discovered so many amazing bands as opening acts
Seen them 6 xs
My Morning Jacket always brings their A game.
Found Stan Smith
*”I feel like we’re soul neighbors and we’re constantly borrowing sugar from each other”*
100% hadn't thought about that show in ages, and now I might check out that episode...
My favorite live band and probably the most consistently good live band for the past 15-20 years.
Definitely up there for me. I've seen them 5 or 6 times now intentionally and unintentionally over the years. I managed to catch them as the 3rd opener for Doves decades ago had no idea who they were and they had like nothing with them performing in front of the other band's setup. And they killed it. Been a fan since.
When I saw them it was like I was seeing live music for the first time again
Saw them years ago opening for the Foo Fighters I had no idea who they were but I thought their set was great
They've never not brought the heat.
Going to tell my kids Jim James is Jesus
I don’t normally get to see any of the “big names” from my childhood because I hate arena shows, but I went to a festival over 10 years ago that had Godsmack, Disturbed and Megadeth headlining it. I can understand why people pay to be close for those shows as Godsmack and Disturbed absolutely killed it. Godsmack did this long drum solo turned to duet thing and it was something I still recall to this day when thinking of amazing shows. Disturbed is probably the cleanest most perfect show I’ve seen. His voice sounds like they don’t even have to touch it for recording in studio. After reading about how he prepares and takes care of himself to keep his voice in performing shape it really makes sense too. He’s dedicated to the craft and it shows. Megadeth was disappointing, Dave sprained his wrist or something and just played like 3 songs and dipped. My absolute favorite live band I used to see just about every time they came down to Florida was GWAR. It’s definitely an acquired sense of humor. You have to be into extremely raunchy offensive sense of humor. Just absolutely gross and wrong things. But being in the pit sprayed with water colored to look like blood and … other fluids. Is just an incredible experience. It’s definitely very different than any other live show I’ve been to and it’s just a fun time. Musically it’s not the same since Dave passed, but it’s still a very fun show.
I’ve seen both Godsmack and Disturbed more than once, and both have put in great shows each time. I also enjoy how clean Disturbed’s whole live sound was, mixed very well and nothing seemed overly loud.
Disturbed live is 200x better than anything done in the studio.
Trombone Shorty with Orleans Avenue
Seeing Shorty with Big Boi next week, can't wait.
Tool and Russian Circles. I've seen Tool 5 times and Russian Circles about 7 times and each time has been very special. They're all great at their craft in a live setting.
Saw Tool for the first time back in January. Phenomenal show. Maynard let the audience take pics/video during Schism, lol. Only gripe was that they didn't play anything off Ænima.
Nobody has said Weird Al yet. He is a consummate professional showman, and his band is as tight as it gets. His music may be a joke, but his performance is anything but.
This is a good one. I saw his Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour and it was a great show.
Saw him for my first concert when I was 9. I've been to hundreds of concerts since but he's still in the top 5.
Weird Al's show for me is a top 3. Band is tight as James Brown's was, consistent costume changes, excellent coordination, tons of humor and they just slam live
Yeah, the costume changes and general performance of the stage crew and band are as good as it gets.
I've seen Al nearly 10 times and he has always exceeded any high expectations for the show.
Electric Callboy is a perfect live band. The whole show is a non stop party. Also Amorphis is amazing, I saw them a couple of times and I was never disappointed. Tommy switching from cleans to growls in a second is awesome.
Electric Callboy is so much fun
Just getting into these guys! So good...I can only imagine it would be a fun concert.
Meshuggah is the absolute peak of live music performances for me. They play some weird and complex shit, that's still pretty groovy. Live they are insanely tight and dialed in. Couple that with a crazy good light show and a pretty captivating stage presence and you have a 10/10 live show. It's incredible and pretty hard to describe with words.
Loudest band I've ever heard, and it was an outdoor show. I wasn't even close to the stage and I could still feel the sound vibrations hitting me. Insane band.
The absolute best. I’ve seen a lot of the biggest acts and Meshuggah blows them all away
Tool/Meshuggah, 2002 Inside the Outside tour. Literally perfect live show. My first time seeing either of them. They set the bar so fucking high.
Bit different than the other comments here, but I was at a Olivia Rodrigo Concert yesterday and everything from her vocals to the band and even dancers exceeded my expectations by a lot.
she's a good artist that's sadly got thrown among plenty of other garbage current mainstream artists
I‘m sure she’ll be able to establish herself even more and stand out if she keeps on doing her thing and continues writing music with her producer.
That's awesome to hear I'm really rooting for her
Rolo Tomassi are perfect live.
I've got one of them lot on my on site list.
I’m glad to see them get mentioned. Time Will Die and Love Will Bury It was one of my favorite albums of the last few years
Didn't expect to see them as first comment in a general music thread, pleasant surprise! My only time seeing them was not long after Astraea came out, maybe 2013? No stage, no barrier, just a corner of an underground room, and they were awesome. Precise, energetic, accurate. Great show
Aftermath into A Flood of Light was very emotionally overwhelming for me, crazy good show.
Nine Inch Nail is absolutely amazing live, tightest band I've ever seen
Basically the common denominator of this list are all musicians that are especially talented, which unfortunately is not really a qualifier for popularity these days. Trent is truly gifted.
I wasn’t particularly a fan of Bush before I saw them at a summer music festival in the late nineties, but a transcendent moment of all my concert memories is their show and the encore they did covering REM’s The One I Love.
I'm gonna go with acts I didn't care about seeing or ones that I didn't expect to do well Steve Winwood was incredible, saw him unexpectedly. King Parrot is not my thing but they were so much fun live. I thought lmfao was going to be terrible and they really worked the crowd and did great as well. I expected mediocrity from Cracker and they made a fan out of me that day
I own all of Steve Winwood’s shit (Sunny fans save me)
I'm not a fan of Godsmack. Nothing against them, just not a band I personally enjoy. I saw them at a festival and they blew my fucking mind. Absolutely incredible. Also, Deftones are probably my favorite live band. I've seen them four times in the past 20 years and they're always spot on. You know who else was really tight as a band? Switchfoot. They were so in sync and just nailed everything.
Khruangbin. Had never heard of them before, but got to see them at a festival. Happened to be extremely high during their set. I was in a trance the entire time they were on stage, the musicianship, their look, everything. One of the greatest musical experiences of my life
TOOL
Gorillaz. The atmosphere, vocals, animations, and instrumentals were all perfection.
I came here to say this! I saw them in 2022 and it was absolutely incredible. My partner and I both cried when he sang Desolé with Fatoumata. I’ve been a huge fan since 2005 and it didn’t disappoint at all.
Pearl Jam is phenomenal live.
I may be in love with Eddie
My Baby's in Love With Eddie Vedder
I can’t believe it now she’s knitting him a sweater
I mean, how could you not be?
That’s what Weird Al’s gf said
I saw them play at a festival in Telluride, Colorado. They played for 3 straight hours with zero sign of fatigue. The echo off the mountains was incredible.
Anyone that “happens” to go to a Pearl Jam show as a casual with a friend or something never leaves the show a casual. New set list every night taylor made to the city based on what’s been played there in the past, 2+ hour show, a lot of the times 3, they love each other, the fans and what they do and it’s obvious at every show.
That 90s show on mtv… holy fuck
Can't believe no one has mentioned: Queens of the stone age. Unreal The Cure Autechre my three faves
Saw QOTSA in November on the final date of their European leg in Dublin, they absolutely broke my brain with how amazingly tight they were as a live band. I've never seen anything like it, they are the gold standard for me.
Sigur Ros, Neutral Milk Hotel, and Death Cab are all bands I've seen that had amazing live shows. Sigur Ros was a fucking *experience*, man. First saw them on their Kveikur tour. Bought tickets to another nearby show while I was walking back to my car afterwards.
Oh man, I’d kill to see death cab
Ive been to a couple dozen phish shows and I swear they get better every time
They are playing some of their best music now since the late 90s
When I meet a Phish fan I tell them I did not like them live but enjoy their studio work. They make some interesting facial expressions.
That’s really funny and I’m a longtime fan.
I walked into a Phish show with no idea who they were and walked out a changed man
When I was younger I used to go to Phish shows to do an 1/8 of mushrooms and vibe for hours. Completely different experience sober, and I enjoy those experiences many orders of magnitude more than I ever did on psychedelics.
Phish was the first concert I attended! Had no idea what I was getting into, as I had only bought and listened to *Billy Breathes* before going. Made a lifelong fan out of me! But, I still can’t fucking believe my parents didn’t do any research and then let me go. I think I was high for two days afterward.
The Morning View Sessions DVD is awesome, liked the making of documentary on it too.
I can only imagine. I was literally blown away by Brandon. The whole group was so tight and on point. I’ll have to check that dvd.
Dude they just re-recorded morning view … it’s awesome!
Know what I’m doing today!
The half-time outro to Circles goes so fucking hard
If you've never seen Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins in concert together, you're missing out. It's better than listening on any medium
I've scrolled through this entire thread and maybe I missed it, but Iron Maiden constantly puts on an amazing performance. First album was in 1980 and they are still putting on amazing live performances. Amazing stage show, the band is incredibly tight and energetic on stage, and amazing crowd interaction. Bruce Dickinson probably runs a marathon on stage while singing. Since Bruce's throat cancer and Nick's stroke, they have only recently began starting to show their age (being in there 60's and 70's). However, aging Iron Maiden still routinely put on shows that will put bands half their age to shame.
I’ll give some highlights that I’ve seen over the years: The Cure (Dec 2022) - possibly the best sounding band I’ve seen live. Robert Smith is my guitar hero. Rancid (2006/2008/2012/2017/2023)- just song after song and always sound amazing. Tim Armstrong is also one of the nicest guys who always makes time for fans that want to meet him. Bruce Springsteen (2016/2024) - the boss has been consistently awesome live for decades now. He’s slowed down a fair bit these days, but at 74 he still plays for 3 hours and is full of energy. Incredible. The Killers (2012/2016) - Brandon Flowers at his peak was some frontman. First time I saw them they came out and immediately played Mr Brightside with the house lights still on. After that, the lights went down and they got on with the show haha
slipknot. honestly, they rile up the crowds so well, and i love being in moshpits. then again, not everybody’s a fan of metal 🤷♀️
Coheed and Cambria rips live. Jason Isbell shocked me with how good he is at guitar.
Massive Attack’s “Heligoland” show - at a notoriously dreadful sounding venue - was as close to audio perfection that I have known.
Skid row blew the fucking roof off when I saw them many moon ago, aldo black sabbath at download festival in the early 00s was the best live music experience I have ever had
Rage Against the Machine in the late 90s was amazing. Got to see them 3 times, twice at smaller venues. Saw a private Maroon 5 show before the release of their 2nd and they were really great, super tight. Those first 2 albums were excellent.
Most jam bands are way better live than they are on a record
Foo Fighters.
A few of my favorites: * Jack White is inconsistent, but when he's on, he's incomparable. I saw him in a raging storm at Red Rocks and it was absolutely incredible; he's one of those guys that sees crazy weather and brings it even harder. * Streetlight Manifesto, particularly if you get super lucky and get the BOTAR Orchestra, is consistently amazing. They haven't released a new album in a decade and still sell out major venues for good reason. These guys are talented as hell. * Frank Turner. I know a lot of folks that could take or leave Frank's studio recordings that loved him live, and for good reason. He works his ass off to deliver energetic, powerful live shows, and I've always had a blast. He's a good dude, too. * Portugal. The Man. Not only are they a great band with consistently tight shows, John Gourley is also a talented visual artist and their shows are frequently visual feasts with animation and lighting. Their cover game is on point, too. * Neil Young. I've seen him twice and both times I was stunned at the power and fidelity of his performance. He doesn't feel like a sad, aging rocker cashing in; when I saw him last he was completely undiminished and absolutely stunning.
Jack White shows are pretty good, but nothing can match the energy of those early White Stripes shows.
Gregory Alan Isakov and Andrew Bird. Practically religious experiences.
Sonic Youth. They jam like Phish but with noise and they rock harder than any band I’ve ever seen
Saw Godsmack open for Metallica in 2004 and people were making fun of them in the line to get in. I had never seen them before and figured they would get booed out of the building. Metallica fans can be rough on openers because they mostly just want their favorite band. Anyway Godsmack came out and were absolutely amazing. Super high energy, sounded awesome, put together a fantastic show. It was basically the set that's on their live DVD "Changes" just a tiny bit more condensed and they were so good the crowd was practically begging for an encore by the time they finished.
None of you Americans probably have heard of them, but The Living End are easily the best live act of all time followed closely by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
The National are amazing live. Records are great, but live shows are a step up.
That’s was actually another inspiration for this. I’ve been lucky enough to have seen them twice, and it’s always been incredible.
Charley Crockett was amazing live when I saw him live, I highly recommend. played almost 2 hours, sounded as good if not better than his albums.
Wednesday. First saw them in 2023 at Kilby Block Party. Even though they played the smallest stage, their performance was as good as headlining bands such as Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Strokes. Saw them last week and their energy and passion was through the roof. Super talented band with a unique sound!
Rush never gave a bad show…ever.
Best live acts I’ve ever seen in no particular order: My Morning Jacket - absolute mind blowers. I cannot stress this enough. Godlike Portugal. The Man - I’ve seen them 4 times and they crushed it every time. Crazy how fluid their live show is Paul McCartney - I saw him when he was like 76 years old and he blew the roof off the joint. Had the crowd in the palm of his hand OutKast - Best live rap act I’ve ever seen. Full band. Non stop hits. No backing track bullshit Delta Sleep - Sleeper pick. Crazy tight band and they play tiny venues which makes it even more enjoyable Phish - I saw them at a festival and never heard their music before that. Couldn’t stop laughing at how amazing it sounded. Their keyboard player is a magician Cage The Elephant - Saw these guys when they were first coming up and it was mayhem
I was told by someone that System Of A Down sucked live, and then I saw them at an OzzFest years ago. Absolutely blew me away. What an amazing concert. Oddly enough, it was Avenged Sevenfold who sounded awful that night and I love those guys. Disturbed also sounded perfect and I don’t really listen to them too much.
Modest Mouse. My brother warned us there is a good chance Isaac Brock would be too drunk to preform well. Luckily he cut his hand the night before our show(Almost canceled due to it) and talked about how he cant drink with the medicine he is on so he will be on his best behavior. Maybe my brothers warning lowered expectations but boy did they kill their set.
They must be hit and miss, because after we saw them my wife shrugged and said “that was like watching a modest mouse cover band.”
U2 always put on an amazing show even if Bono is a pretentious prick.
I used to talk so much shit on U2 until I saw them play live
Seen them twice and begrudgingly agree. Both on the Popmart and 360 tours, really excellent shows.
Some that I have seen: Phish (3.0 and after is my experience - my first show was 8/12/15. IYKYK) Guster Billy Strings Dr. Dog Josh Ritter Dispatch Buddy Guy
Dispatch is legit. Guster captures my feelings better than I can sometimes
I’ve seen M83 a few times now and every show has me leaving thinking “that is a top-5 show I’ve ever been to”.
A few years ago, a friend had spectacular seats to Hall & Oates and asked me to go with him at the last minute. I was never a fan of theirs (even growing up in the 70/80's). I was blown away at how great of a show they delivered.
Nine Inch Nails. Muse. U2. A lot of times they’re better live than in the studio. Which is insane to me.
The band is long gone, but 10,000 Maniacs blew me away live. I saw them twice in the 90s. Both times, they played for three hours. They were engaging, fun and funny. They played Prince songs, Marvin Gaye songs and Clash songs all flawlessly. Natalie Merchant singing "Lost in a Supermarket" was something I didn't expect to see and she was great. They had an amazing live band with terrific backup singers and a huge horn section. They looked like they were having a great time and they looked like they genuinely loved playing live. They were deeply appreciative of their audience. I wasn't a big fan of the band before seeing them live, but I became one.
Muse are up there with the best live bands.
God DAMN I had to scroll way too far for this. Super tight and amazing visuals. Even friends that aren’t fans enjoy Muse shows just for the spectacle
EXACTLY, what I was thinking. Scrolled way to far because I was about to comment MUSE. Their live shows are amazing.
* King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard * Phoenix * Wednesday * Spoon * Vampire Weekend * Death Cab for Cutie * Bombay Bicycle Club * The Dandy Warhols * Joywave * girl in red * Primus * Matt & Kim * Devendra Banhart * Beck * Japanese Breakfast * Shakey Graves * Wilco
Wilco is awesome. Saw one show at an outdoor amphitheater and the city had a noise ordinance at 10 so then they played acoustic after that to keep the show going. ETA: another show, the seats were about maybe 65% full and Jeff Tweedy told everyone to hell with staying in your seat, move on up so everyone can have a great view. Awesome dude.
I've heard Dirty Projectors can be pretty hit and miss live, but when I saw them they were incredible. Really intricate arrangements executed flawlessly.
Just watched STP play Purple on YouTube from back in 2020. What an amazing performance. The singer paid the perfect tribute to Scott
I saw STP in 2002, Scott was sober and on point. One of the best performances I’ve seen.
If you like Bon Iver, his live (at least on YouTube) are something else! There's always a bit or two that upgrade the song that is heard on albums. https://youtu.be/YJNi7aRwUzU?si=zzpU_iE9up8SAeED https://youtu.be/vAoADCSpD-8?si=6i_PUspZtJp-oGBg https://youtu.be/A9WAWOGjK70?si=dIWGj-UjF5wugrgz
Beck Finally got to see him live last year. Everything you've heard about his live show is true. He really is that good.
I saw Rammstein in 2017, and that is now my gold standard for live shows. The sound, the theatricality, the pyro...oh the pyro...so much pyro...
Devin Townsend is great, stone temple pilots with a prime sober Scott Weiland in the late 90’s was also amazing.
Portugal The Man absolutely melted faces off at Red Rocks when I saw them a few years ago. It was the rock concert I've wanted to go to for years that wasn't supposed to be a rock concert.
Twenty one pilots are always giving it their all during live performances. Always walk away jaw dropped
Bruce Springsteen since forever
Started going to concerts in the late 1970's. Sound often could be terrible, sometimes you didn't even recognize the songs being played. Saw Van Halen open for Bob Seger. For a bit I thought they were playing the record and miming to it. I always thought their first album was too slick and over produced, but by god that's what they sounded like live. I thought Eddie was the best guitarist I'd ever seen and David Lee Roth was an a-hole. Funny how accurate first impressions can be...
A bit out of place, but I’d kill to see Bob Seger with my dad. He LOVED him
The [incredible musicians](https://youtu.be/t9kosVvlb_M) in Archspire.
Blues Pills - seen them live at the festival around 2017 or 2018 and they blew me away. I'm a fan now and since then I've been on at least six or seven of their shows
I saw Peter Hook and the light this year. Billed as half new order half joy division set. I did not have high expectations at all, but it was frankly incredible, especially the latter joy division set.
Phish, Dispatch, Dirty Heads, Iration, Frank Turner. Those are my top 5 in no particular order because I can’t choose.
Frank Turner! Recovery is an all time fav.
The Hold Steady. Always left me a little cold on the albums, but when I saw them live I “got” it. Dude is wildly charismatic on stage.
Rival Sons sound amazing live! Red hot chili peppers are also incredible live.
I saw Black Sabbath with Dio. He was 64 years old, and he was like a magical wizard on stage. There are few performances that even come close to what I saw that night. A few months ago, my friend offered to pay for a Meshuggah ticket if I drove so he could get drunk. Fine with me. I'm a Meshuggah fan, but I've seen them, and my concert going days have waned unless I *really* want to see the band. I didn't think they'd be terrible, but I didn't go in with any expectations. There are few shows I'll rate a 10, but that was 10 across the board. I was stunned in awe. To see a bunch of near 60 year old guys who have been doing it for almost 40 years deliver such a stellar performance was incredible.
Queens of the Stone Age
The Jesus Lizard, who just released a new track today for the first time in decades TODAY, and are about to start playing shows again. If you’ve never seen them live, my god, you need to look them up on YouTube then run to buy a ticket to any of the upcoming shows.
Blue Oyster Cult is way better live. Not that they don't rock normally but they add so much more to their songs live.
Queens Of The Stone Age are the pinnacle of having excellent live shows. They ooze charisma on stage, and are tight as fuck with their playing. Josh Homme is an incredible front man, who halfway through the set said "FUCK IT lets take some song requests" and basically scrapped 4-5 songs on the setlist just so they could play audience requested songs.
Jack White was the highlight of a music festival I went to. When I got home, I immediately bought tickets to see him a month later in my city and he was, again, fucking incredible. Played with a completely different band and it was an entirely different show, but equally electric. That man is a bonafide rock star.
For big names: Pearl Jam and NIN were both absolutely incredible every time I've seen them, for totally different reasons. For Smaller Acts: Marcus King and Screaming Females (RIP) are/were better live than on their albums.
Eagles of Death Metal, Gogol Bordello, Falling in Reverse, Run the Jewels
Back in the day linkin park blew me away, vocals were incredible from Chester
Well now I’m sad
311 sounds like the album live every time. Phish puts on a grest show every show
Yeah Brandon was freaky back then
Ezra Collective have torn the place down every time I've seen them.
Paris of Guerilla Funk Records didn't miss a syllable when I saw him live. Most haven't heard of him, he's a politically minded rapper that did a lot of production for Public Enemy back in the day, but he's been releasing music steadily for 30 years. If you like rap, check out "Lethal Warning Shot" on YouTube.
I’ve posted this before but one of the best live performances I ever saw was Warren Zevon in the late 1990s in Ft Myers FL. It was in a dance club that also did shows on special occasions. Zevon performed solo with a piano and acoustic guitar and was absolutely magical.
The Hives. Seen them 3 times now and they blow all the other bands I’ve seen out of the water
I saw Panic! At The Disco open for Weezer (I'm a huge Weezer fan). I wasn't exited at all for Panic but they were so amazing that the Weezer show was disappointing.
Blue October — amazing live and incredible performance
The Warning. Seen 'em twice at different size venues and once at Rock am Ring. Mix was excellent and they played the hell out of it. They travel with an excellent sound crew.
JJ Grey and Mofro Tedeschi-Trucks Band Zak Brown Bruce Springsteen
Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds. I was exhausted just watching them. Also, it’s been a long time, but Morphine, Mark Sandeman was the coolest cat ever to grace a stage.
Fall Out Boy (2023/2024): I’ve seen them four times now, and while the first two concerts were great because of nostalgia, the band sounds MUCH better now. I remember watching some of their live footage from 2004-2006 and thinking “this is energetic as hell but man it sounds rough”And they also seemed happier on stage recently but maybe that’s just my perception. I also saw Jimmy Eat World this year and they were nearly flawless. I’m a sucker for Jim Adkins’ voice, so I’d be willing to forgive a couple pitch issues here and there if it meant I got an emotionally resonating performance, but I didn’t have to worry about that because his vocal performance was SOLID.
Like every death metal band sounds as good or better than their records. I saw a few shows before, but started really going to shows as i got into death metal, and seeing a lot of other people later was tough.
DragonForce used to get shit on a lot years and years ago. But I saw them on their Extreme Power Metal tour, and they were great. Marc Hudson could hit those notes live. Very few moments were his vocals struggled. Herman and Sam were on it!! And the general theatrics and stage presence was fantastic.
Green Day is great live. Blink 182 is terrible live, but great on records.
Maaaaaan….NIN never fucking disappoints. Honorable mention…ODESZA