What Is the best live show you've seen?

[Paulvader]

Best concert sound "Rush"...a bunch of stadium shows...Maiden, Black Sabbath, Ozzy, Robert Plant, Aerosmith, Pink Floyd...

Best small venue show...Thomas Trio and the Red Albino...

and I'll take an indoor stadium show over outdoor anyday

 

[RhapsodyInBlack]

Great thread, and i'm sure a 'worst' follow up would be just as fun...I've been into music and live sound for so long now that i decided to base my career off of it...

my current favorites of my present memory....

rush - early 90's..i believe it may have been the 'presto' tour....not only were they incredible,as they always are...but a little known band named 'primus' opened up for them and those two bands went on to amaze the hell out of everyone that was lucky enough to be there that night....RUSH is still amazing to this day,having just seen them a little under a year ago and they will always be a studio and a live favorite of mine..

Ben Folds Five - Still relatively unknown and pre 'brick'...im pretty sure it was the 'whatever and ever amen' tour from mid-nineties..small,cozy and acoustically warm venue that could only hold about 300 - 500 people..Its small venues and incredibly talented musicians like this that create an unmatched atmosphere for nights that will be forever ingrained into your soul.

Pennywise - my perennial favorites....i've seen pennywise to many times to even begin to think which show would qualify to be a favorite....i will rule out the 4 or 5 times ive seen them on the warped tour right off the bat..I am thinking the best pennywise show i've seen was probably around 96 or 97...another small venue and immensely talented band that kept that place moving for hours.....One of the reasons why pennywise are favorites of mine is because they have absolutely no set list and the crowd basically determines the song selection...

random shows that i absolutely loved,but not because of an excellent live sound experience ( ****ty sound )

bad brains - 1998 or something ( yes....with the infamous HR on vox )
Dead Kennedys - as recent as last year but without Jello,of course
bela flack and the flecktones - various outdoor jazz fests and venues
no doubt - 1996 or 97
the vandals - numerous tours....


how about a worst of ? ac/dc.....god,they suck(ed).

 

[Spiffyfast]

I actually just saw a great concert last weekend

Breaking Benjamin, Staind, and Three Doors Down.

It was three of my favorite bands and the concert rocked.

 

[mbaylor]

I have seen about 50 concerts and my favorite concert was G3, which is Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and they bring along a guest artist (in this case it was John Petrucci of Dream Theater).

All I can say is wow. They are impressive.

 

[aspaceintime]

I saw Pink Floyd @ Solider Field in Chicago perform Animals. It was in the late 70's or early 80's, showing my age here. Awesome watching the balloon animals explode!!!

 

[RLA]

Hi All
I don’t know about best but one of the funnest shows that I have seen was the Blue Man Group in Vegas. This was very entertaining and kids are allowed for whole family fun. Performances I would love to see Patricia Barber, Steve Stevens, Pat Metheny,Patrick O’Hearn and Royal Crown Review

 

[MacManNM]

Rush
Canadian Brass
Billy Joel
Springsteen
Garth Brooks
Paul Simon
The Rolling Stones

I can't believe Idol didn't make that list.

Buffett, the best bar none
Tom Petty
Stones
Cincinati Pops
Sinatra
Huey Lewis
Billy Idol (the bass was awesome)

 

[j_garcia]

Amnesty International - U2, Sting, Peter Gabriel, others...I forget who the rest were, because I was just there to see the first three listed Damn good show. Back before I hated U2...

Sarah McLachlan at a small venue. One excellent show.

Last year I saw A Perfect Circle, and they put on a much better show than I expected.

 

[STRONGBADF1]

I have seen RUSH four times (circa 80's & 90's) and they were all great.(all at the spectum in philly.)

George Thorogood two times. Once at the spectum and once at the tower theater. Both very good.

Motley Crue = Loudest

The Cars = most dissapointing (the first band i ever loved, I was 9 when that first album came out. 14-15 at that show)

John Denver = most embarrising (Hey my parents took me when I was little, not my choice)

 

[jaxvon]

While I love Steely Dan, the best show I've ever seen would have to be Dave Brubeck live at Hill Auditorium. Incredible music, incredible venue. I look forward to hearing him again at the Detroit Jazz Fest. Rip, you going?

 

[mnnc]

I think I have a new favorite. A friend of mine had me to go to a Monte Mongomery concert recently, I had never heard of him and I am now a devoted fan. This guy is the best kept secret in the guitar world, He does things on the guitar that makes your jaw hit the floor. Does Van Halen-esque work on an ACOUSTIC and then turn around a play a beautiful fingerstyle song. He plays with a lot soul. Also a heck of an entertainer and pretty good bluesy voice to boot. Awesome show!

To decide which live show was the best is really tough for me because of the diversity of music I have seen/heard performed live...but my standouts are...

AC/DC- Back in Black tour 1980/81? NC First live show I ever saw...Wow!
Rush-Moving Pictures tour 1981 NC like it was yesterday.
Yes-90125 tour 1983 Frankfurt, Germany-progressive very professional sound
Steely Dan 1995 Raleigh, NC well...steely dan...near perfect
King Diamond-Abigail tour 1987 Raleigh, NC metal..intense
Joe Satriani-Surfing tour 198? memory like his guitar playing is a blurrr
Dream Theater- 1992 Paris, France progressive metal(family in France-don't hate me).
Seal-2nd album tour 1994/5 Raleigh, NC Grammy winning 'not so popular' music
Days of the New- Green Album/2nd album tour 200? House of Blues, Myrtle Beach SC this guy(Travis Meeks) wrote, composed, his first stuff at like 14/15 years old! way overlooked.

I would love to see some fusion jazz artist(Tribal Tech) that I like very much. Unfortunately I live where they just don't perform.

 

[nowonder]

Like many others, I can't really pick just one... So I'll do it by music type:

Modern Rock: Nine Inch Nails @ the electric factory, current tour. Such a great band in a tiny venue... So much energy. Runner up: Nine inch nails/david bowie tour. Amazing to see them playing together, but the sound quality at the venue wasn't great.

Classic Rock: Pink Floyd, P.U.L.S.E tour. 11th row... Amazing. Just sad I never saw them in the Roger Waters days... Never saw a light show like that... and probably never will again.

The Rest: B.B. King in 2004, Lancaster playhouse. Another legend in a tiny venue. Sure, he was 78 years old, and sat down the entire show, but he movied around more on that chair than most musicians do on their feet. Gotta love when they introduce "The new guy" who has only been playing with them for 20 years.

--nw

 

[9f9c7z]

Too Much Music, Not Enough Time

I’ve seen more shows that a person ever deserves to. The one’s that immediately standout in my mind as significantly above the mix are:

Duke Ellington – outstanding in small venue.
Ferranti and Teicher – much better live than recorded.
Diana Ross and the Supremes
Pink Floyd – DSOTM Tour, subsequent PF shows haven’t compared.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer – the ‘Works’ tour
The Rolling Stones – the 1975 ‘Star Star’ tour, subsequent Stones shows haven’t compared.
Eric Burden and the Animals – Eric Burden solo (post Animals) is usually good.
John Sebastian
Louis Armstrong
Tab Benoit – one of the best small venue blues performers, came thru again a couple months ago.
Tangerine Dream – when it was Edgar Froese, Chris Franke, and Peter Baumann.
Renaissance
Elvis Presley – perhaps the best stage presents I have see.
George Harrison – ‘All Things Must Pass’ tour
Tommy Bolin – 10,000 times better live than recorded.
Benny Goodman
Robby Krieger - guitarist for The Doors.
Johnny Winter and Edgar Winter - together.
Albert King & Carlos Santana – unplanned, they just happened to be in the same place at the same time. I have never bought another Santana recording (LP or CD) since…he so much better solo, just him and an electric guitar, better than anything I have ever heard him record.

Unsigned bands that were impressive at the time:

Lynard Skynard
Foghat

I used to pay $3 to see 5 bands on a Wednesday night at Winterland. I think there were a total of only 20 people in the audience to see a bunch of guys with painted faces, wearing high heel boot, and spitting blood. Behind them was a huge electric sign that flashed KISS. My thought at the time was these guys had clicked into a marketing scheme that was going to pay off for them if they could stand the costumes. The music wasn’t bad, but the music isn’t what made that show so memorable.

Shows I had tix to but didn’t see for whatever reason, and regret it:

Led Zeppelin – closed the Kezar Stadium to any future R&R shows.
The Last Waltz – not a band, an event that closed a venue called Winterland. See it on video.
The Black Keys – the duo was just here a couple nights ago. They have that raw sound that is fun, similar to the duo White Stripes.

 

[t3031999]

The best show I have ever seen by an arm and a leg is
the Wynton Marsalis Septet, Orchestra Hall in minneapolis

Wynton Marsalis - Trumpet
Wessell Anderson - Alto Sax
Victor Goines - Tenor Sax
Wycliffe Gordon - Trombone
Eric Reed - Piano
Reginald Veal - Bass
Herlin Riley - Drums

Absolutely amazing
The best part is that I got to hang out with wynton back stage for about 5 minutes after the show.

 

[BostonMark]

Roger Waters Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking Tour at the Meadowlands New Jersey 1983. My friend and I live in Boston area, and took a bus to NYC for the weekend to see the show, and it still stands out in my mind. (I'v seen a hundred plus shows) Perfect sound, Eric Clapton on guitar, surround sound, great stage show.

Runner Ups - Rolling Stones Steel Wheels Tour (amazingly huge stage)
U-2 Zoo TV Tour - Just an incredible stage, and great performance
Diana Krall 4th row seats (Okay, I have a thing for her, and to be that close, she was great)
Metallica - and Justice for All Tour
Puccini - La Boheme at the Boston Opera House (my first opera, and I was hooked for life)

Honorable Mentions - Neil Young garage tour, Guns N Roses appetite for destruction tour , David Bowie all 4 times Ive seen him, Phantom of the Opera in London, Genesis, ZZ Top, Beethoven's Ninth at Boston Symphony Hall, Motorhead at a small club in Boston

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Canadian Brass Christmas concert - Stambaugh Auditorium - northeast Ohio.

Rolling Stones - Steel Wheels tour, Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, PA.

 

[deftech]

Some more recent ones;

 

[rollinrocker]

Junior Brown at, I believe, northgate house in newport

Leo Kottke at canal street in dayton

Bare Naked Ladies, before they went bigtime, at bogarts in cincy

Brian Setzer and Cherry Poppin Daddies at the fraze in kettering

Emerson, Lake and Palmer at cincy gardens

Black Crows and ZZ Top at the nutthouse

Nick Lowe and the Cars at hara in dayton

last but not least, now dont laugh

Ozark Mountain Daredevils in wilmington, outstanding musicianship!!

 

[superjohnny]

Saw Cake at the Crystal Ballroom here in Portland last month. It was simply fabulous. They took FOREVER to come on after the opening set, but made up for it in spades. I think the venue is half the show. Someplace huge like the Rose Garden just isn't intimate like the Crystal.

 

[AFJumper03]

Heh, I'm sure not too many people even know who this band is, but I saw Suffocation in NYC right before the core of band broke up, it was one of their last shows with the "Pierced from within" lineup intact. In one word, -Insane-.

If you have the slightist idea what I'm talking about, you have a good handle of underground "heavy" music and your home theater is probably set up for a lot of bass hehe