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Rolling Stone asking for Greatest Live Act

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by Piotr Rasputin, Mar 5, 2011.

  1. MrHavercamp

    MrHavercamp Member

    Two favorite shows I saw had to be The Stones on the "Exile" tour in 1973 and Springsteen in 1976 after "Born to Run" in a 2,500-seat venue. Both at the top of their games. I've seen Bruce many times since, but nothing like the magic of the first one.
     
  2. shockey

    shockey Active Member

    can't speak for all, obviously, but i'd most everyone would agree no bruce show equals their first bruce show, at least for long-time followers. hi shows are still remarkably great but no one can bring the heat at almost 60 that they did in their 20's.

    the first was such a seminal moment for most, a live experience unlike any they'd ever seen, that nothing thereafter can match the totality of the initial discovery.

    am i making any sense? from that point on, as the first broooce! fanatic i've ever known always say, 'his shows don't go from 'bad' to 'worst.' they range from 'most great' to 'least great.'
     
  3. MrHavercamp

    MrHavercamp Member

    Shockey, I saw Bruce again on the last tour in the fall of 2009. He does still bring it. I especially loved seeing him do "Born to Run" straight through and "Higher and Higher" as a tremendous final encore.
     
  4. EStreetJoe

    EStreetJoe Well-Known Member

    Considering my first Bruce show was a nosebleed seat at Giants Stadium in 1985, I can honestly say that I've seen many, many Bruce shows that have surpassed that first one.
    Fall of 2009 I was in the pit for the final show at the Spectrum. He played 'Born in the USA' straight through. But after "Born to Run" several fans were holding up their sign requests so I held up mine - for "Higher and Higher". He came over, took it, and they played a loose, fun version of it that can be seen here:

    Much to my surprise, after not playing it the next show, he played it as the closer every show the rest of the tour.

    There are also the 2000, 2001, 2003 Holiday Shows he played in Convention Hall that were simply amazing plus countless others along the way that surpassed that first show.
     
  5. shockey

    shockey Active Member

    oh, i'm sorry if my post is interpreted as an observation that bruce 'no longer brings it.' he still brings it better than anyone, no question.

    at the risk of coming off geezerly, those who only recently (say, since 'the rising' in 2002) began attending his shows will be AMAZED to learn that this is not 'bruce at his best.' nor would i expect it to be.

    but it still remains better than anyone else. as my sons have heard me say ad nauseam, i fear that their generation has yet to find any 'rock star/group' who can come close to fiiling his boots for their lifetime.

    there was sinatra to elvis to springsteen. who's next up? justin bieber? um, i think not.

    i remain hopeful that someone comes along, though. it's a treat to have an icon of that calibre to grow old with.
     
  6. shockey

    shockey Active Member

    hey, i didn't claim my theory was 100 percent foolproof. i certainly should have taken into account how many brooce! fans since 'born in the usa' had their first taste of 'bruce juice' in stadium venues. my bad.
     
  7. heyabbott

    heyabbott Well-Known Member

    Of the acts I've seen

    Bruce Springsteen (saw the Darkness tour, The River tour and Born in the USA)
    Bob Seger (What a freaking great show, Cap Centre 1978 or 79)
    Talking Heads (summer 1983)
     
  8. Back in the day KISS was it for live shows. Period. They were the gold standard.
    God knows the music was crap, but the live shows rocked.

    Honorable mention to Van Halen, Alice Cooper and Michael Bolton.
     
  9. Batman

    Batman Well-Known Member

    Hardly among the mainstream votes, but Cowboy Mouth is one of the great live bands on the college town/fair/festival circuit. They were better before a couple founding members left in the past few years, but there's always great energy there whether there's 50 people in the audience or 1,000.
     
  10. Batman

    Batman Well-Known Member

    I saw them at Six Flags back around 1994. Don't remember much about the show, other than it was pouring down rain and there might have been 20 people there. One of them was dancing around and calling out names of songs he wanted them to play. I was there because I had to kill time waiting for a ride after work and had nothing better to do.
     
  11. maumann

    maumann Well-Known Member

    Great Big Sea.

    Alan, Sean and Bob have left it all on the stage every time I've seen them in Atlanta. Can't imagine a Newfi crowd.
     
  12. Mitch E.

    Mitch E. Member

    Three pages in and I'll finally mention Phish. From the unpredictable nature of their shows (and it doesn't compare to any other mainstream act around. The only certainty you have is to look at the previous night's setlist so you know exactly which songs they WON'T play), to their versatility (rock, psychedelic, jazz, bluegrass, country, barbershop quartet, art rock, etc.), to their demanding song structures, the ebb and flow of the shows, the art of improvisation,their sense of humor, and the interactions with the fans. All this and if you can't get enough you can go download any show you want off the Internet and enjoy some more.

    Anyway, I'll also throw out Tom Petty and U2 as two others that know how to throw down in front of a crowd. They always add something that you will never get from their studio work. Bela Fleck also knows how to capture a crowd.

    Never saw the Boss but have heard enough from my brother to know he has something special. And I took him to his first Phish show last summer and converted him.

    I'm listening to a live Pink Floyd podcast now and damn, they were good live too. Probably put them in the categories of the best recording artists and one of the best live artists. Who else can you put at the top of both lists?
     
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