What's the best band you've seen live?

As much as I hate to admit it, the Stones were probably the best. I saw them in 1981 at a general admission show at Hampton Roads VA.

Honorable mention goes to the Golden Palominos, Cat's Cradle, Chapel Hill, Spring 1987

No. 1 would be Brian Wilson's Smile tour four years ago. Not only was "SMiLE" worthy of its legend, to hear hit after Beach Boys hit cranked out during the encore, with the entire crowd (which ran the gamut from teens to seniors) singing along, all of the vocal and instrumental parts exactly like the records,was so uplifting and amazing.

No 2 would be the Saturday show by the original Patti Smith Group back in April or May 1979, if I remember right. By the encore, Patti was standing on the PA bins leading an ecstatic singalong of the Ronettes' "Be My Baby." That night the band was smoking, Patti was totally on and the moment was magical. The next night's show was awful, as Patti decided to treat us to her truly miserable guitar playing.

In a big venue, Pink Floyd in 1994. I've been a Floyd fan so long that I was waiting for Dark Side to come out and didn't get to see them for more than twenty years...

Never saw Zep or The Dead, and those are two of my greatest regrets in life.

His band was great live at Wolf Trap a few years ago.

Saw them in Philly in an old cinema theater on their "Feels like heaven, sounds like shit" tour.
Small crowd (150 people tops). Fire throwers, people hanging themselves on meathooks, a bass/sitar player who drank a handle of Beam and threw up on the crowd, smoking joints with the bouncers, and no non-mosh pit area. Genesis P-Orridge rode around the audience on an inflatable raft which he flew down from the upper levels. Really, a lot of fun.

Their shows are always a blast.

followed by Primus

Each have their place

in 1986 at the Fox Theater in Atlanta, Ga. They were really on, that night.

As far as spectacle and damn-near perfect performance goes, Pink Floyd, 1987, the Omni in Atlanta.

Saw him three times (1989 in Los Angeles, 1993 in Atlanta, and 2005 in Vegas) and all performances were spectacular, masterful, and otherwise top-drawer. Very long shows, too, and Sir Paul could very easily have stayed on half as long and still satisfied the audience -- the man doesn't need the money, does NOT need to stay on the stage that long, and very obviously does it because he is driven to and still loves it. Dudes half his age don't play that long and, unlike many bands (for that matter, the Rolling Stones played the same venue here in Vegas, right after Paul, and put on a much shorter show), he's front and center the whole time and for part of the show has the stage to himself -- the band gets a break but he never does, and he sticks at it for three hours or so like he's trying to squeeze in his entire Beatles and post-1969 catalog.

The Forum concert stands out not just because it was my first but because he ended with a flawless presentation of the "Carry That Weight" medley from Abbey Road complete with extended three-way guitar battle and the perfectly fitting "The End." That tour's format was my favorite, in terms of the ending. Then again, on his most recent tour here he had "Helter Skelter" as one of his encores... :o

band came out at 11:30 p.m. on 12/31/99 and did not leave the stage -- not even a set break -- until 7 a.m. the next day.

Gotta give'em credit for the endurance, if nothing else.

Larger venue - ?
I think I'm getting too old for stadium shows.

One of the last shows I saw was Annie Lennox and she was absolutely amazing!!!!!!!!!

Easily.

I just saw him a few weeks ago and it had to be one of the best concerts I've seen in ages. The man just funked the crowd for 4+ hours and it was a total jam.

My favorite has to be Robert Plant at Hershey Park in 1988. I managed to get in the very front and actually held his hand while he sang "In the Mood" (2nd verse).

The Verve were fucking amazing at Coachella, although I'm not a huge fan of their music.

The Fixx at The Vic
King Crimson at The Park West
Sting and The Blue Turtles at Alpine Valley
Dire Straits at The Uptown Theater

Those are all small-ish venues. (1500 - 3000)

The best arena show i saw was the Live Without A Net Tour by Van Halen. The sound was outstanding for being in a room like an aircraft hangar.

The Professor

I've seen the Stones three times--both in big venues (LA Coliseum and Sun Devil Stadium) and smaller venues (they were all good), Pink Floyd (unreal), Bonnie Raitt (if you haven't heard her sing live, you must do so before you die), Jethro Tull, INXS, the Cure, Bruce Springsteen at the height of his popularity (the longest show I've ever seen), and less well known bands like the The Radiators (great live band from NO that plays in small venues). But the most memorable concerts I witnessed (and I can't pick one over the other) were the first concert I ever attended--Blind Faith, a "super" group whose members were Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker (formerly members of Cream) and Steve Winwood and Rick Grech (formerly of Traffic)--and the U2 concert after 9/11 (which I'll never forget).

February 1979...


The Tikkis

Palomino Club, Charlotte NC... best live show out of the hundreds i've gone to.

Edited because of the bizarre typo'd spelling of Mavericks.

also Jackson Browne,Bob Seeger,The Eagles..hell it's hard to pick one.

:)

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