Rolling Stone asking for Greatest Live Act

Love them.

Disappointed they're not playing here this March. They usually come through this time of year.

 

I saw aerosmith around 1980 and they were really good.
I saw kiss around the same time and wasn't as impressed.
I would have loved to have seen janis joplin and the allman brothers in their heyday.

 

I'm also going to throw out two shows I really liked:
parliament funkadelic and bootsy
Joe Cocker
I might have been the only white guy in the venue for the bootsy show, and Joe cocker was tremendous.

 

The only caveat you should have made was if your first Bruce show was prior to 1980 (or 1984 - arena leg of Born in the USA) then there's nothing to compare to your first taste of 'Bruce Juice'. Unfortunately I've only gotten to see the magic of those 1970s and River tour shows through the magic of bootleg DVDs.

 

Have a hard time putting any stoner band (the Dead, Phish etc.) as a great live act. Not enough energy. Not enough showmanship. Ten-minute meandering guitar solos don't cut it. You have to command the stage.

U2 are poseurs. Bloated new wave nonsense mass-marketed for those who were too afraid to wander down to CBGBs (or the local equivalent) to witness the real deal. They'd get blown off the stage by just about any proper rock 'n' roll outfit.

Springsteen will obviously win this and probably deservedly so. I'm sure the Rolling Stones will be up there as well, but in just about all of the live albums and bootlegs I've heard, they're not all that good. Especially in the early years. Pearl Jam are vastly overrated. Their were better live acts coming out of that era (Nirvana, Alice in Chains), but they sort of carried the banner by default since everyone fucking died or quit.

Listened to plenty of The Who live recordings over the years and never quite saw the appeal. Good musicians, the lot of 'em, but if you're talking about a giant of that era you had better mention Led Zeppelin. Lot more cock and balls in that bunch.

As far as the classics, I'd put Jerry Lee Lewis up there. His "Live at the Star Club" album is good enough proof of his greatness for me. I'd take the Ramones from the punk era since all of the songs they played seemed to be one living organism when played live. Sex Pistols, Clash were too sloppy.

KISS definitely deserves a mention since they redefined the visual elements of what a "show" was supposed to be. From the pre-punk era Iggy and the Stooges, MC5 and New York Dolls all knew their shit. I'm feel very lucky to have seen reunion shows of these bands within the last decade. They certainly weren't at full power, but they all owned the room like no one I have ever seen. Couldn't imagine what sort of powers they had in their prime.

Has Michael Jackson been mentioned? If not, he should be.

 

Pearl Jam
Belle and Sebastian
Nada Surf
Arcade Fire
Wolf Parade
Radiohead
Built to Spill
Pinback
(old school) Guns and Roses
Broken Social Scene

 

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Grateful Dead

 

NoOneLikesUs:
I'm sure those guys were fantastic, spit and sweat and loud and in your face. Throw them at the top of the list. But Phish as no energy, 10-minute meandering guitar solo "stoner band?" While Phish and the Dead have a lot of similarities (plays two sets, marathon concerts, audience recordings, fans) they sound nothing alike musically. So generally lumping them together is odd, although I know the assumptions people have.

 

Yes they were and it was a glorious moment in modern culture. Sorry you missed it.

 

One of these things is not like the other. One of these things just doesn't belong.

 

Dear No One Likes Us: Although you are right Jerry Lee was a great act, the one time I saw him was an unintentional comic masterpiece. In the early 70s he was touring as a country act with a few rockers thrown in, and for some reason, the drummer was like his 14 year old son. The two of them got into a classic "but Dad you just don't understand!" argument RIGHT ON STAGE as the crowd (except for those of us laughing our asses off) writhed in embarrassment.