Rolling Stone asking for Greatest Live Act

Weezer.

Cheap Trick are still very good live. Go see them at a county fair near you.

And while I don't get involved in the annual RRHOF/Rush Slamfest, I saw them in concert during the Vapor Trails tour. Fantastic live band.

 

This doesn't surprise me, especially given those who post here, but I wonder - does anyone ever leave a show talking about the lights, wardrobe changes, video boards or dancing?
And as much as I enjoyed seeing Springsteen when I did - I would have loved to have seen him at a smaller venue in the 70s, maybe a week before the Time/Newsweek exacta. Seeing a band when they are on the ascent or at their peak has to be the ultimate.

 

Dan, my wife saw the Springsteen show in the early '70s at the old Harvard Square Theater where he was the warmup act for Bonnie Raitt and she refused to go on and made him play another set. She also saw the Beatles not just at Shea Stadium, but at Forest Hills tennis stadium on their FIRST U.S. tour.
It was good to be a kid and teenager in the '60s.
I agree with the point on age. IMO, you didn't see the Who if you didn't see 'em with Keith Moon. But I'm a snob about music, I admit.

 

There are a few live albums that really kind of hit the nail on the head. Sinatra at the Sands is great. You can practically smell the cigarette smoke and taste the martinis. Maybe he was past his peak as a singer, but he was at the height of being Frank Sinatra. Cash at Folsom or San Quentin. Jimmy Buffett's "You Had to be There" really captured him as well.

 

Halloween night, 1969, the Band, with warmup act Van Morrison, played Symphony Hall, Boston. That was a pretty good show, even (maybe especially because of the venue) if Van was too drunk to stand up for more than a song at a time.
I will add two more old fart experiences which you kids on my lawn just got born too late for and you should be bitter about that.
1. Jimi Hendrix. Lucky enough to see him twice. All guitarists ever since have basically doing an homage.
2. Janis Joplin. Saw her three times, twice with Big Brother. The stories people tell about her concerts are not bullshit. She was amazing.

 

I've seen Lang several times. And, you're right, he's incredible live.

 

awesome. the two biggest regrets i have regarding the great live bands i've seen are: seeing 'the allman bros' for the first time in their first tour post-duane -- i love me some dickey betts but there was only one duane -- and seeing 'the who' for the first time in their first tour post-keith.

i mean, all 'the who' and 'allmans' shows i saw put them in my 'top 5 regardless, but the hole left by losing arguably the 'best player at their position' in r&r history is further proof of how my timing SUCKS. (maxwell smart: 'missed 'em by this much')

 

Mainstream category (bands/acts that I have seen):
1. Rush
2. U2
3. Counting Crows
4. Train


Under the radar picks:
1. Sister Hazel (more than just "All For You", and great people to boot)
2. Will Hoge. Absolutely phenomenal. Fuse Springsteen, Petty, and Dylan and you get this guy. Unreal.
3. Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers. Always an overwhelmingly unique, high-energy performance.
4. The Avett Brothers. A little more mainstream now, but damn are they good.

 

'live at fillmore east' (allman brothers) remains the gold standard for rock concert albums. in my college daze ('77-'78) it was understood that the truly cool kids were the ones who kept blasting 'fillmore east' to drone out all the turntables spinning 'frampton comes alive!.'

 

Frampton Comes Alive

 

fixed.

 

The Dead
The Who
Yes
Allman Bros.
Pat Metheny
yes, Pat Metheny.