NationStates Jolt Archive

So... everyone has a favorite band, but what has been the best <b>live</b> show you've seen?


I would have to say, the best live concert I've seen was The Faint.



What's yalls favorite?

I'd say the most entertaining, energetic, chaotic live show I've ever seen would would have to be Slipknot.

Either Bon Jovi or 3 Colours Red. But that might change next weekend after Download :D :D *excited*

Hmmm.... I'd like to say Iron Maiden

but its got to be Rammstein. Just awesome and a great and fantastic live show.

Hmmm.... I'd like to say Iron Maiden

but its got to be Rammstein. Just awesome and a great and fantastic live show.


heh, i bet rammstein is incredible live

Skinny Puppy, Crappy little Union Hall in Cambridge,ON,Canada, 1989.
They were doing a minitour before their world tour for Vivisect VI, at a bunch of apparently random venues in Canada. The Union Hall on held about 300 people. Maybe 200 showed up (it wasn't advertised)
I was 14 years old and bunch of older punks I hung out with took me along to see this so I could experience it. I was blown away of course.

I'd say the most entertaining, energetic, chaotic live show I've ever seen would would have to be Slipknot.
Yes, definitley... their shows are amazing live, they are always full of energy and ready to do what they do best.

I don't know if many of you have seen or ever heard of Flogging Molly, but they are one entertaining band to see live. Wether you like Irish Music or Punk Music, they are awesome to see.

Skinny Puppy, Crappy little Union Hall in Cambridge,ON,Canada, 1989.
They were doing a minitour before their world tour for Vivisect VI, at a bunch of apparently random venues in Canada. The Union Hall on held about 300 people. Maybe 200 showed up (it wasn't advertised)
I was 14 years old and bunch of older punks I hung out with took me along to see this so I could experience it. I was blown away of course.
I saw SP on the same tour at Kinetics in OK City. It was a pretty awesome show.
but its got to be Rammstein. Just awesome and a great and fantastic live show.
I saw them a few years ago on the Sensucht (sp?) tour. The dry chemical flamethrower and setting the chainmail jacket on fire while he sang were pretty damned impressive stunts. Very tight live band as well.

One of the best gigs I've been to was Mötley Crüe at the Roskilde festival in '97(?). Other random great live bands: The Flaming Sideburns, Faith No More, Michael Monroe, Gluecifer.

I don't know if many of you have seen or ever heard of Flogging Molly, but they are one entertaining band to see live. Wether you like Irish Music or Punk Music, they are awesome to see.
My old psychobilly band opened up for them in Austin a few years back. "The Worst Day Since Yesterday" and "Black Friday Rule" have got to be some of the best songs EVER. *thumbs up*

a Scottish band called Biffy Clyro

ridiculously good live. they have massive stage presence for a 3 piece, and make a shitload of noise. and theyre live recordings are note perfect

i should add that theyre best in smaller venues, their style suits it alot better. at festivals it loses a bit of the spark

Either Bon Jovi or 3 Colours Red. But that might change next weekend after Download :D :D *excited*
Damn you for being able to go to Download. Damn ALL the people able to go to Download! In fact, damn the people who put Download smack in the middle of my A-levels!!!

*shakes fist at sky, then collapses, weeping*

Best band I've seen live were Metallica. But that's mainly because I was a severe fanboy at the time, and this may have clouded my judgement.

Muse at Earl's Court was pretty spectacular. In a very different setting, I Am Kloot put on a great live show. Of course, the greatest of them all was The Bedford School Harmonica Blowers And Appreciators Society at The Global Show. Mind-blowing stuff.

Best band I've seen in the last year? Pine Hill Haints - four piece skiffle/rock'n'roll band with accoustic guitar, mandolin, three piece drumkit and washtub bass. Quite simply amazing. Unfortunately I saw them the very night they had to cancel the rest of their tour, and so didn't get to follow them around Ireland.

Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver

*curses all people who have seen GnR*

Velvet Revolver will play at a festival here in july, yay.

OMG TENACIOUS D AND LINKIN PARK GET MY VOTE they own

go :fluffle: TENACIOUS D

Damn you for being able to go to Download. Damn ALL the people able to go to Download! In fact, damn the people who put Download smack in the middle of my A-levels!!!

*shakes fist at sky, then collapses, weeping*

I felt the same last year. This time it's *just* missed my exams - my last one is this thursday til 3pm...I'm setting off to Download straight after it :P


Muse at Earl's Court was pretty spectacular. In a very different setting, I Am Kloot put on a great live show.

Oooooh I forgot Muse, they were fantastic live. And you're right, I Am Kloot are pretty good too. And while I'm here, I may as well mention Reel Big Fish, Foo Fighters and *hangs head in shame*...Wheatus (it was cheap and there was nothing better to do! But to be fair, they are great fun live)

*curses all people who have seen GnR*

Velvet Revolver will play at a festival here in july, yay.

I seen them last year.

Axl is still good, the rest of them were totally expendable.

I felt the same last year. This time it's *just* missed my exams - my last one is this thursday til 3pm...I'm setting off to Download straight after it :P
Go and see Biffy Clyro while youre there :p

i would be going to Download, if i hadnt decided i was going to Leeds instead...and then Leeds selling out more than a month earlier than it usually does :rolleyes:

Go and see Biffy Clyro while youre there :p

i would be going to Download, if i hadnt decided i was going to Leeds instead...and then Leeds selling out more than a month earlier than it usually does :rolleyes:

Yeah I was gonna go to Leeds but I didn't get my ticket in time:( Nevermind, this way I get to see Black Sabbath :D :D

I'll go see Biffy Clyro as long as they don't clash with anything better :p

Red Hot Chili Peppers. The sock thing is hilarious.

Yep, Rammstein for me too. Whoever it was said Flogging Molly, maybe I'll agree with you in a couple of weeks, after I see them in Nottingham.
Honourable mention goes to 65daysofstatic - they have such an awesome energy, to the point where the drummer frequently breaks his drums. And considering they play small venues (them not being very well known, sadly), you really feel that energy. And I'm seeing them again tomorrow!!!! Woop!!!

I'll go see Biffy Clyro as long as they don't clash with anything better :p
On the Saturday there isnt much that is better, to be honest

unless InMe were playing at the same time..that would be a conundrum

Honourable mention goes to 65daysofstatic - they have such an awesome energy, to the point where the drummer frequently breaks his drums. And considering they play small venues (them not being very well known, sadly)
Ive only heard two of their songs, "Retreat! Retreat!", which is very good, and "Born Apart", which i thought was crap.

Hell Is For Heroes are absolutely phenomenal live, they sound just like the recordings and put on one of the most energetic live shows i've ever seen, without having to resort to flashy light shows and pyrotechnics.

Saying that, though, Rammestein are all about the lights and the pyros, but they also put on an awesome show, as do Slipknot - even if you do end up missing things because of everything that's going on on stage at any one time. And if you get a chance, check out Muse. You won't regret it, even if you're not particularly a fan of their music.

Ive only heard two of their songs, "Retreat! Retreat!", which is very good, and "Born Apart", which i thought was crap.
You know Born Apart is a mash-up/remix of Born Slippy and Love Will Tear Us Apart? It's not their best work, but it's still good. Their album, The Fall Of Math, is fantastic. Everyone should go see them...though their current tour doesn't have any N. Ireland dates. Wait 'til the autumn, they'll be touring again.

I've been told that the Australian Pink Floyd are truly amazing live, with a light show better than Muse. And Roger Waters has said that they play the music better than the original Floyd did.

heh, i bet rammstein is incredible live


Ooooooh yeh, they are just insane, I mean theres explosives and fireworks, when i went they cooked one of the band members in a huge pot and went crowd surfing in a rubber dinghy

also good was the red hot chili peppers, saw them in hyde park last summer, unbelievable

You know Born Apart is a mash-up/remix of Born Slippy and Love Will Tear Us Apart? It's not their best work, but it's still good. Their album, The Fall Of Math, is fantastic. Everyone should go see them...though their current tour doesn't have any N. Ireland dates. Wait 'til the autumn, they'll be touring again.
Yea, that mix was pretty obvious :p just think it doesnt really work that well

if theyre over here ill go see them, as i go see most bands that come here even if i dont know them too well...thats how i got into Biffy Clyro, i was hugely impressed by them live.

Arcade fire was very good, Broken Social Scene as well. For hiphop, Talib Kweli, maybe Atmosphere?

I have seen Marilyn Manson play a couple times at the Fox theatre in St. Louis, MO. They put on an absolutely amazing show, (although they have replaced Twiggy Ramirez, my favorite little dress wearing bass player around), as well as Zim Zum, who also had alot of talent.. Manson puts on these huge metal stilts and has huge metal crutches (hard to explain) that make him look mechanized, and he runs back and forth across the stage overlooking the audience... Amazing show..

Other hellishly good bands that I've seen over the years: Stalingrad, Rorschach, Fugazi (incredibly good in '89 and '90, but dull as ditchwater the time after that), Poison Idea playing an hour and half set of requests, Shelter playing to about 40 people, Pale Horse playing one of the most low frequency heavy sets I have ever seen (there was a lot more low-end at Sun0))), but their music was kind of dull), Tragedy (first European tour - the second time they had some complete muppet doing sound for them and it was just dreadful), The Oxes, The Pattern... I could go on all day.

also, Social Distortion plays a great show, simple, Mike Ness comes out tattoos ablazing and with a little black fadora on, and he called a 15 year old girl up on stage with him while he sang "Prisonbound".. They have a pretty big pit as well, which was highlighted by a couple girl fights...

Ooooooh yeh, they are just insane, I mean theres explosives and fireworks, when i went they cooked one of the band members in a huge pot and went crowd surfing in a rubber dinghy

Oh yeah they are great, i got photos of that. I saw them on the mutter tour at the docklands in london then i saw them two nights in a row at brixton academy on the reise reise tour.

The pot thing was great and cooking the keyboardist was great. The claw flamethrower and all, fantastic.

The Dead :p

no really

On the Saturday there isnt much that is better, to be honest

unless InMe were playing at the same time..that would be a conundrum


They're playing the Friday, so as long as they don't clash with Flogging Molly, Lordi, Apocalyptica or InMe...

The Casualties! Or the Sex Pistols. Any punk band for that matter just wreaks of energy on stage.

They're playing the Friday, so as long as they don't clash with Flogging Molly, Lordi, Apocalyptica or InMe...
ah yea, thats what i meant. Its Oxegen where theyre playing on the Saturday.

You a fan of InMe then?

Hmmm. Seems to me that a lot of people are swayed here by the use of pyrotechnics or stage-props. Personally if I wanted that kind of thing I'd go to a pantomime instead of a gig.

ah yea, thats what i meant. Its Oxegen where theyre playing on the Saturday.

You a fan of InMe then?

Not a huge fan but I'll definitely go watch them. Looking forward more to the Saturday (Black Sabbath!!) and Sunday (Motorhead or System of a Down?? The decision is killing me!)

The most entertaining show I've seen (which is far from my favorite band) was Green Day. It was pure entertainment the entire show, highlighted by doing the drumless "Time of your Life" with the drums on fire.

I've always been biased towards Tool and A Perfect Circle shows. Tool always does a really good job at sounding like it does on the CD -- combined with the crazy videos they usually have running on the big screens. And Maynard is just a good singer whether he has a recording studio or not.

Not a huge fan but I'll definitely go watch them. Looking forward more to the Saturday (Black Sabbath!!) and Sunday (Motorhead or System of a Down?? The decision is killing me!)
Ive been a bit of a fan of InMe since i heard their first album, and now theyve got their second coming soon i would love to be at Download to see them...

Motorhead of System of a Down? Difficult choice...

I haven't ever been to a live show, so I'm just going on video footage and live albums.

I have to say the Sex Pistols, with the Buzzcocks not far behind. The Ramones come in a close third. Their concert at the Palladium in New York was truly outstanding, and made for one of the best live albums ever (It's Alive).

The most entertaining show I've seen (which is far from my favorite band) was Green Day. It was pure entertainment the entire show, highlighted by doing the drumless "Time of your Life" with the drums on fire.

I was moderately entertained by Green Day when I saw them in '94. They still felt like they were wearing their influences a bit too blatantly on their sleeve (Operation Ivy and early The Who).


I haven't ever been to a live show, so I'm just going on video footage and live albums.

Hardly the most reliable measure of live bands - the amount of edits and overdubs can rejig an entire set - take Thin Lizzy's 'Live And Dangerous' LP, frex - everything except for the drum sounds were taken off the original and new tracks dubbed in their place - even the crowd noises.

Has to be Garbage.

Hardly the most reliable measure of live bands - the amount of edits and overdubs can rejig an entire set - take Thin Lizzy's 'Live And Dangerous' LP, frex - everything except for the drum sounds were taken off the original and new tracks dubbed in their place - even the crowd noises.

Yeah, but I know which shows were overdubbed. It's quite easy to notice overdubbing.

For the Buzzcocks, their earliest is a great example of their sheer energy. "Midnight Special at the Sceen On The Green". They play so, so fast...

For the Sex Pistols, any number of live recordings will do. "Live at the 100 Club" is probably their best early set. "Live At Chelmsford Top Security Prison" could have been good, but Dave Goodman edited the shit out of it. He edited out the crowd noise (and replaced it with... fake crowd noise), took out Glen Matlock's bass presence (...), and made the highs too prominent. It's worth a listen, but it sounds terrible. "Live At Winterland" is energetic, but said energy is hollow. The feeling you get from watching it is quite odd.

For the Ramones... The one I listed is their best by far, with "Live At The Roxy" in a close second. One of their later sets was overdubbed in the mastering process: "Loco Live", from 1991. The overdubs totally kill the live sound.

I just have to pick Iron Maiden! Their live performance soundwise is so close to a studio recording, it's just great. Too bad I couldn't see'em tonight at Rock am Ring, that would've made my day ;)

So... everyone has a favorite band, but what has been the best <b>live</b> show you've seen?


I would have to say, the best live concert I've seen was The Faint.



What's yalls favorite?

The Faint really does put on a pretty good show.
It's not so much the show, but the energy and how it makes you want to dance.

As for showmanship, I'd say Reggie And The Full Effect.

Grateful Dead. Pink Floyd put on some very involved shows, especially The Wall. No live show can beat The Wall in visuals and theatrical drama and still be considered a rock concert.

I just have to pick Iron Maiden! Their live performance soundwise is so close to a studio recording, it's just great. Too bad I couldn't see'em tonight at Rock am Ring, that would've made my day ;)

My boyfriend's gone to Rock am Ring. I'm beyond jealous:(

I just have to pick Iron Maiden! Their live performance soundwise is so close to a studio recording, it's just great. Too bad I couldn't see'em tonight at Rock am Ring, that would've made my day ;)
They are like my second best live band, only slightly, a hair away from Rammstein.

The Professionals (Steve Jones, Paul Cook, Ray McVeigh, Paul Myers) were said to be outstanding live, though the recordings for their live shows are extremely rare.

Suburban Legends is definitely the best. So much better than Reel Big Fish.

Littlest Man Band is awesome too, especially since their frontman is so charismatic and they're all very friendly and easy to talk to before/after shows.

The Arcade Fire and Dresden Dolls both rocked hard at Coachella, and whoever said that The Faint are awesome for their ability to make you dance even if you have no legs is definitely right.

Definitely BJÖRK !!

Well is Green Day....
Just one beat

Interpol and Muse are great. The Pixies are amazing. Best probably goes to Radiohead.

I'd have to say a tie between Korn, Static-X and Murderdolls.
Korn are absolutely awsome, Static-X are plain cool. And the Murderdolls, a very visual and energetic show. God, I sound like a journo.

Tie for me between Queen and Rammstein.

They are like my second best live band, only slightly, a hair away from Rammstein.
Their show is awesome but I don't like their music that much... therefore: Up the Irons.
My boyfriend's gone to Rock am Ring. I'm beyond jealous:(
Oh, I'm right next to you down jealousy street... ;)

Has to be either Iron Maiden, Motörhead, Crusader or Saxon ... well, from the bands I've seen live myself, anyway.