Best Live Show You've Ever Witnessed?

[rmandelbaum]

The Wall in LA
The Eagles - Hell Freezes Over
Dream Theater - Scense From A Memory
Rush - 1979 ( I think, they did all of 2112)

[edwinhurwitz]

Originally Posted by kmaaj

Easy. The Dixie Dregs @1980 at UMKC's Pierson Hall. The drum solo and the guitar cadenza on "Cruise Control" was mindblowing. At that time, I had no idea individuals could play like that, let alone a whole band.

Yup, I saw them that fall at the Coconut Grove Ballroom in Santa Cruz, CA. Amazing, amazing show. It was all bikers and hippies in the audience. The more I saw them over the years, the more the audience was filled with music nerds (i.e., guitar playing guys) and vibe got a lot shallower.

Another great show was the Dixie Dregs rhythm section fronted by Paul Barrere of Little Feat a few years later.

[chk23]

Pink Floyd "Division Bell" Tour 1994 in Cologne.

[fastlanestoner]

Foo Fighters hands down!! Lifehouse would have to be a close second.

[Gillette]

1.Paul McCartney
2.Tommy Emmanuel

[skinslapper]

Tool in 2004 for Lateralus, they were at their peek. Tool 2011 at the music bowl in Melbourne, we had front row seats which equated to our personal mosh pit of 20 people on the barrier. MIND BLOWING!!

Also I saw Rage against the machine for the second time in 2008 at the Perth Big Day Out festival. The whole pa system, front and foldback and guitar amps died during the first verse of their first song Testify. Brad kept drumming and Zack kept yelling the words and the whole crowd kept jumping and singing along with them. Everything recovered after that. Every band says your town is their favorite and they'll surely be back next year, but times like that you really know they're gonna remember you.

[ksandvik]

U2 Ruisrock 1982. As a journalist I could even go up on stage and take photos. That's just before they got really big and listening to them at that point I knew they would become big.

[rmx16]

"Crimson Projekct" opening for Dream Theater about a month ago and I worked it

[drezz]

Ennio Morricone on his 80th birthday at the Royal Albert Hall in London conducting full orchestra. Absolutely magnificent! Deeply moving experience completely different to a pop or rock gig. A tour de force of 'real' sounds and voices conducted and guided by a living legend. A treasured memory indeed.

[David Spearritt]

Das Rheingold, Simone Young, Hamburg State Opera and Hamburg Philharmonic. It was great because there was not a PA anywhere, completely unamplified.

PA is the kiss of death for any musical performance, all live sound guys seem to be deaf. So if you still want loud but seriously hifi, I can recommend Wagner.

[chk23]

Originally Posted by skinslapper

Tool in 2004 for Lateralus, they were at their peek. Tool 2011 at the music bowl in Melbourne, we had front row seats which equated to our personal mosh pit of 20 people on the barrier. MIND BLOWING!!

Oh, yes - after I mentioned Pink Floyd, I was thinking what was the show that came close or on par - definitely Tool 10.000 days tour in Hamburg. Although the sound was far from being perfect at the location but they did the best to make that not matter.

[beingmf]

Without a doubt the High Llamas on a festival stage in my Bavarian hometown, must've been early 90's. I've seen bands on that very stage for the whole week – even played there myself – and the sound always was godawful.

Now enter those british guys. They had a whole vintage instrument store on stage, and 2 guys behind the desk (plus a Minimoog ).
It sounded like a record, absolutely unbelievable! Not to speak of the tunes: brilliant! Hypnotic! Beautiful!

Kinda changed my life.

[Yeah, right...]

Graham Parker & the Rumour, Wellington Opera House, 23rd November 1979. Hardest rocking concert I have ever seen.

Packed house and people were dancing in front of the stage after 2 minutes. In fact they danced so hard the floor over the orchestra pit collapsed. Despite that they continued to dance in the pit despite the best efforts of the security guys.

I don’t think they’ve had a rock gig in there since?

[Soundmaster Alex]

Rahzel in Clwb Ifor Bach in Cardiff, around 2002 - sweat dripping off the walls, intimate and mindblowing to see live.
Reef at my student union in 2001 - wicked live band and a fantastic atmosphere
Presidents of the USA at Kentish Town Forum in around 2006 - amazing live band and an abnormally happy mosh pit
Red Hot Chili Peppers at Earls Court, approx 2007 - I lost everyone else I went with for 45 mins of the gig but had an amazing time bopping with strangers!
David Gilmour at Royal Albert Hall for the On An Island tour - amazing band
The Cinematic Orchestra at Royal Albert Hall for the Ninja Tune XX anniversary gigs

Unfortunately I was born a few decades late to be at many of the gigs mentioned in this thread - you lucky (old) gits!

[claend]

Originally Posted by Kabby

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings at the Nokia Theater in LA.

Yes, damn, what a show they did here in Barcelona as well! Funky chicken!

[jude]

Ben Harper on his latest solo tour. the best sound i have ever heard (studio or live), the most amazing proformance i have ever witnessed. i actually had a tear or three after talking about how he first met Jeff Buckley, then covering Hallelujah. wow, it blew me away. My wife got us tickets 3 months earlier and hid them from me, i found out a week before the gig. best birthday present ever!

[dlmorley]

Queen with my parents in about 1977
AMAZING. I had just started playing guitar and Brian May was my god then.
Close second was Black Sabbath in 1981 with RJD

[antony]

Prince, hop farm, and I've seen him lots but this one was incredible
Arcade fire, Alexandra palace. Neon bible tour. My god I love there records but live its was beyond.

[Hxd Ped]

Nine Inch Nails, Lights in the Sky in Minneapolis. We got it postponed over 3 months, but it really showed in the polished presentation. Best stage show I've seen.

Both Tool shows I've seen were very good.

My absolute favorite was seeing Kiss on their convention tour. My friend and I sang Cold Gin on stage with them. It was great.

[octave]

Originally Posted by beingmf

Without a doubt the High Llamas on a festival stage in my Bavarian hometown, must've been early 90's. I've seen bands on that very stage for the whole week – even played there myself – and the sound always was godawful.

Now enter those british guys. They had a whole vintage instrument store on stage, and 2 guys behind the desk (plus a Minimoog ).
It sounded like a record, absolutely unbelievable! Not to speak of the tunes: brilliant! Hypnotic! Beautiful!

Kinda changed my life.

that guy with The minimoog at FOH was a teacher of mine at Gateway in London, late 90's. Del i think was his name, started out as mixer for the Pistols. Sadly the course no longer exists. I joined him on a few gigs when they played with Jim O'Rourke. great unconventional mixer. Learned a lot there.

[sbechristos]

Nickelback 2 years ago in Hamburg were pretttyyyy decent. Sound was greaaaaaat !

Iv been to a small gig in paris for a greek band called firewind (check them out, great riffs). The concert was placed in an empty factory building in the "ghetto" of paris (if there is such thing in paris). The sound was great and Gus (Guitarist) is just purely amazing. He also played with Ozzy.

[wearecreative]

Steven Wilson on his solo tour this year. This was an 'eighth wonder of the world' performance. I feel like typically you go to a concert and one or two band members stick out skill-wise, and thats why you go see them...on this stage, every where you looked, there was something totally mind-blowing going on. Between nick beggs on bass & chapman stick, to marco minemen on drums, and steven wilson himself...we actually wept during some of the more somber parts. Delirium may have set in at that point though- we did drive 7 hours there & back all in one day, being awake for a solid 29 hours straight.

[chk23]

Originally Posted by wearecreative

Steven Wilson on his solo tour this year. This was an 'eighth wonder of the world' performance. I feel like typically you go to a concert and one or two band members stick out skill-wise, and thats why you go see them...on this stage, every where you looked, there was something totally mind-blowing going on. Between nick beggs on bass & chapman stick, to marco minemen on drums, and steven wilson himself...we actually wept during some of the more somber parts. Delirium may have set in at that point though- we did drive 7 hours there & back all in one day, being awake for a solid 29 hours straight.

I was similar impressed by a PT concert I saw in Hamburg a few years ago. Mmmm, Wilson will be in Hamburg next March, reading this I should get myself a ticket...

[TinderArts]

Peter Gabriel - (Security tour) at The Warner Theater in DC
Shakti & Weather Report (Black Market tour) at The Kennedy Center
Neil Finn (w/Lisa Germano) at The 9:30 Club in DC.
PFM, Kenso, Mörglbl, Three Friends and Present at NEARfest in Bethlehem, PA.

[mesadude]

Neville Brothers, Ghent Jazz Festival 2007.

Absolutely fabulous!

[mattjew24]

Best performance? The Eagles.

Best show? Avenged Sevenfold nightmare tour in Nashville...or Tool in Vegas


Best sound? Oddly it was this Kansas, Foreigner, Styx show a few years ago

[jruberto]

A couple in the last month:

Sigur Ros. Sensory overload. Some of the best live a/v production I've ever heard and seen. The whole experience was at once larger than life but also strangely intimate and human.

James Blake in a small(ish) club last night. Wowzers. His records have always been a bit of a mystery to me, but to hear that music come out of a live trio with no sequencing (and only a couple samples & loops) was pretty wild. Great musicians who are bringing very mature and nuanced writing, arranging & performing, especially considering how young they are. I got a chance to chat with James for a bit after the show, very nice fellow.

[mamm7215]

U2 Joshua Tree tour 1988, Eagles Hell Freezes Over, Paul Simon-Most recent tour, Paul McCartney, all in Vancouver.