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What are the best live acts?


I’m not asking you to list your favorite concerts. I think that there is another thread for that. Rather, we shouldn’t judge pop bands solely on the basis of their recorded music. Some bands are simply better on stage than they are in the recording studio. I’ll cite the following for their consistent ability to put on a great live show.

1. The Cramps
2. The Ramones
3. Toots Hibbert (touring as Toots and the Maytals, even though Toots fired the original Maytals some time ago)
4. GWAR
5. The UK Subs (crap music, brilliant live show)
6. AC-DC (when Bon Scott was their front man)
7. The Meat Puppets
8. Tom Waits
9. The Anti-Nowhere League
10. Van Halen (w/ David Lee Roth: I hate their music, but I saw them twice, and had a rocking good time!)
11. Iggy Pop
12. Ted Nugent (This man is the redneck Iggy Pop)
13. Joe Ely
14. The Butthole Surfers
15. The Clash
16. The Mentors
17. Nig Heist
18. Emmy Lou Harris
tweakgeek
zmanastronomy's avatar
zmanastronomy
738 posts
 
Joe Cocker at Ruth Eckerd Hall in St. Pete.
That was truly a class act. Sounded better live than on CD's.
martykl
3,578 posts
 
Bongo,

Kind of funny that I saw several of the same shows you cite - but at different tour stops and sometimes with very different impressions. For instance,

I loved the Animals show (Madison Square Garden) because - despite the props - the music was stripped down rock, at least for Pink Floyd. and

I saw The Clash at Bond's in NYC and it was terrible - the worst acoustics I've ever encountered at a rock show, which is really saying something.

OTOH, I agree that Los Lobos maintains a ridiculously high level of musicianship - even when the material isn't up to their usual standards. I still refer to the Colossal Head show as the Colossal bore show. But that band can play! If it has strings, I want to hear David Hidalgo work it.

Always a pleasure to get your take on this stuff, since you live it in a way that most contributors here don't.

Marty
bongofury
1,160 posts
 
Thanks Marty. I usually tune out most shows--kind of like a kid in the candy store, so I am amazed when I really "feel" a great show go down, i.e. when everything clicks.

I worked with The Clash on their last US tour, 6 warm up dates leading into the US Festival. They told me they hated the Bonds shows--overbooked and a really small crummy space.

Pink Floyd suffered from trying to play to the video parameters of the day--very "deer in the headlights" moment, when the lighting rig and video went mental.

I also saw Radiohead where the entire rig went silent twice, due to the generator.

I love Los Lobos and wish I could have saw Booker T and the Wray Men in their day--heard both bands were incredibly tight.

Still like seeing bands on their way up. I don't find many new bands can carry a show today--my current faves are Aloe Blacc and the Throwdowns--super great and tight young bands.
slothman
311 posts
 
Derek Trucks, Widespread Panic, Steve Kimock band, Aquarium Rescue Unit, The Mars Volta, Ben Harper....
toddnkaya
493 posts
 
Rusted Root, I have seen them about 13 times, I never saw show that was less than phenomenal!
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