The Flaming Lips
Battles
Wilco
Butch Walker
Sufjan Stevens
The Thermals
and of course Radiohead if we can ever see them again soon

They’re called Rage Against the Machine. And no live band around can touch what they do on stage.

Arcade Fire will be playing at the same time that White Stripes on Austin City Limits. What would be a better choice??

Rush. end of story.

The Flaming Lips

sonic youth. no question, some of the best guitar work ever especially live.

velvet revolver/alice in chains.
period.

the ponys.

Pearl Jam.

Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers – hands down.

The Black Crowes
Wilco
Ryan Adams and the Cardinals
The White Stripes
The Black Crowes again

Smashing Pumpkins
Electric Six
Reel Big Fish
The White Stripes
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
She Wants Revenge

Tool
My Morning Jacket
Prince

Flaming Lips
Chekhov’s Wig
the Roots
Gomez

Radiohead– hands down. They constantly mix up the set list and will usually throw in an obscure song for the hard-core fans. Plus, they’re pretty creative when it comes to lighting and video effects.

mars volta
el-p
atmosphere

I like weenis

The Riverboat Gamblers from Austin, TX. They’re the best thing that happen to punk rock since the Clash stopped making records. Their singer is f’n insane and injures himself regularly doing cool (dumb/risky) stuff on stage.

Oh, and to the guy asking White Stripes vs. Arcade Fire: go with Jack & Meg. Their work translates so much better live than on a disc…no disrespect to the Arcade Fire, of course. Unless you hate the Stripes’ music, you will guarantee be entertained.

Smashing Pumpkins
The White Stripes
Electric Six
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!
Reel Big Fish

Eagles. Seriously.

the white stripes
eagles of death metal
kings of leon (cannot believe they are not already on the list)
cold war kids
queens of the stone age

Rammstein. They blow away any live show I’ve ever seen.

Drive-by Truckers
Hold Steady
Butch Walker
RADIOHEAD
Gogol Bordello
White Stripes

And can we have any category anywhere that doesn’t overflow with people just dumbly yelling “PEARL JAM!” I mean, I like ‘em too but get over it for God’s sake.

AFI. You have to be there to believe it.

Flaming Lips
Flaming Lips
Flaming Lips
Mute Math
Tool
White Stripes

TOOL
Pearl Jam
LCD Soundsystem
Arcade Fire
My Morning Jacket

The Grateful Dead

White Stripes
Wolfmother
Black Keys
Raconteurs
Wilco

Oasis
Pearl Jam
Tool
Foo Fighters
White Stripes

White Stripes doing whatever pleases the locals in eastern Canada, on buses and on the reserves. Brilliant.

Pearl Fuckin’ Jam!

The Arcade Fire are by far the best lave act going now. They’re my favorite band in studio, and they sound even better live (good choice Rolling Stone/Rock Daily)
Does Roger Waters count? When he does Dark Side of the Moon it’s nothing short of breathtaking.
My Chemical Romance is also really good live.

Muse

None of the five groups listed by RS even come close to seeing Velvet Revolver play live. No band out there brings as much energy and intensity to the stage as Weiland and the boys!

kings of leon are amazing live. I cannot believe they are not already on the list. They were the highlight of bonnaroo.
also…
the white stripes
queens of the stone age
cold war kids
eagles of death metal

RHCP is amazing live and so is Velvet Revolver

Arcade Fire
Radiohead
Flaming Lips

Gogol Bordello
Sonic Youth
The Hold Steady
Drive-By Truckers before Jason left

Wilco
The Heartbreakers
Drive By Truckers

And the White Stripes/Raconteurs as well.

To Mario,
I’m actually having trouble deciding too. If you haven;t already seen Arcade Fire, see them. I really want to see them again, but I’ve only seen the Stripes on YouTube and I want to have seen my two favorite bands ever in concert at least once each.

Taking Back Sunday puts on one of the best live shows out there, up there with the kings of live rock Pearl Jam

the white stripes
wolfmother
dave matthews band
kings of leon

Battles
The Flaming Lips
Radiohead
Arcade Fire
White Stripes
Sonic Youth
Explosions in The Sky
Bright Eyes
Gnarls Barkley
My Morning Jacket
Wilco
Ryan Adams

Kings of Leon

Dave Matthews Band. Screw the haters, there is no better fusion of rock,funk and jazz on the planet.

Disco Biscuits
Flaming Lips
Wilco

Arcade Fire is really something completely special to experience live. Undoubtedly the best live band that exists today.

- E

Foo Fighters are explosive. And like em or not, Papa Roach will hold your attention the entire time.

Neko Case
Cornelius
The Faint

What, no Amy Winehouse on a RS list? Must be an oversight.

Radiohead
The Arcade Fire
LCD Soundsystem
Bruce Springsteen
Los Lobos

Muse!

Dave Matthews Band
Pearl Jam
The White Stripes

SIGUR ROS

John Mellencamp remains the best live act in rock ‘n roll, even today. He’s touring this fall and if he comes to your town, don’t miss it. He still has the best band in the business.

Wilco
Neko Case
Rilo Kiley
Bruce Springsteen
Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks

art brut
arcade fire
the faint
m ward
the decemberists

Kings of Leon
My Morning Jacket

the now sober ryan adams and the cardinals

No group is better than Dave Matthews Band. No person is better than Matthew Bellamy of Muse. I’ve never seen anyone who can play classical piano and then rip your face off with the guitar like he can.

The White Stripes
Tool

the flaming lips
radiohead
the white stripes
Franz Ferdinand

Although I won’t put an exlamation point on it, Pearl Jam is one of the finest live acts I’ve ever seen.
The Shins are impressive. Ted Leo & The Pharmacists are too awesome! Drive By Truckers.

I agree w/ the original 5… but where the hell is Radiohead and Pearl Jam? Radiohead shows are always an experience… and Pearl Jam never puts on a show under 2/1/2 hours, and their set lists always vary and they are crazy good. They may be oldies… but they’re still goodies

Oh.. and the Flaming Lips, just because it’s a GIGANTIC party

The Arcade Fire have the greatest live show In the world. I respect the White Striped and Wolfmother and Wilco (all W names, look at that) and Pearl Jam and Ryan Adams and Cold War Kids and all those wonderful guys out there.

But Arcade Fire are more than a live act, they’re a religious experience. a Devine Intervention. There will never be anything more amazin than the Arcade Fire in person. Ever.

311

arcade fire
the decemberists (so cool)
queens of the stone age
primus
butthole surfers

Story of the Year, Mest and Flogging Molly are some of the most intense performers you’ll ever see live

art brut
arcade fire
m ward
the faint
the decemberists

I’ll only go see Mellencamp if he plays the Chevy Truck Song….this is ooouurrrrr cunnnntrrrryyy

muse

See The Blue Van live. You won’t be sorry.

BOB DYLAN AND HIS BAND

DISPATCH, I can’t believe no one has mentioned them.

Check out The Blue Van live. You Won’t be sorry.

Pearl Jam has to be #1 on this list. Wolfmother and Velvet Revolver are pretty kickass live, and the Decemberists were surprisingly good live.

Bruce Springsteen
Roger Waters
Dave Matthews Band
Pearl Jam
My Morning Jacket
John Mellencamp
Prince

Check out The Blue Van live. You Won’t be sorry.

The Flaming Lips. Period.

Nice list…crap bands. Go watch Tool when they’re on, or for that matter Pearl Jam. No one touches Tool as an experience on a good night. Nine Inch Nails are incredible live also. Neil Young, while old– has a stage presence that NO ONE has now adays.

The Hives

311

Wolfmother

The Thermals

Smashing Pumpkins
John Butler Trio

muse is pretty sick too with their lights and stuff

phish.
oh, wait…

I know it sounds ridiculous, but hands down Alice Cooper is the best I have seen in the past three years.

Green Day
Muse
Taking Back Sunday

PEARL JAM!!!!!

Green Day
Muse
Taking Back Sunday

Arcade Fire
The Hold Steady
I’m From Barcelona
Gogol Bordello
The National

social distortion
green day
foo fighters
muse
flogging molly

Flogging Molly
Cowboy Mouth
U2

Smashing Pumpkins

The best live band in the world right now is, without a doubt, MUSE.

Arcade Fire may need 10 members to make good songs, Muse only needs 3 to ROCK THE WORLD.

Arcade Fire. period.

Marah rocked my eyebrows off once or twice.

Widespread Panic is the best live band for the past twenty years. KOL also kick ass as do the Drive-by Truckers

Lotsa great mentions, most of which I would name myself. Radiohead of course, thought I’ve yet to see them.
Some others I haven’t seen mentioned much yet:
SIGUR ROS – beautiful live! They seriously wanna make you cry.
NICKEL CREEK – So much raw talent flying all over the place in their shows. And almost every show they cover a Radiohead song with their bluegrass folk-rock. One of the best shows I’ve ever seen.
SILVERCHAIR – Forget about the grunge days of yore…you want to see an amazing show, see SILVERCHAIR this summer. One of the most energetic innovative groups in years, and America doesn’t even know it.

Queens of the Stone Age
THE HIVES!
Foo
Scott Weiland-frontman of century

Muse
Rage Against the Machine
Sick of it All

My Morning Jacket, Bonnaroo 2006 still stands as the greatest show I’ve ever seen. The euphoric feeling of Jim James belting out “It Makes No Difference” at about 2 in the morning, the stars all shining down on thousands of us dancing in the grass. Doesn’t get much better than that, and they played for almost 3 hours.

Incubus

Red Light Saints
Buddy Guy (Ottawa Bluesfest)

Definitely these were the best bands I saw live recently that deserve special recognition for best live acts:

(1) Willie Nelson
(2) Hall & Oates
(3) Air Supply
(4) The Goo Goo Dolls
(5) Fergie
(6) That black guy banging the garbage can lids down in the 42nd St. N.Y. subway station

I just want to say for all those people who think Dave Matthews is good live, I fell alseep when I saw his show… I wanted to stay up because I like his music, but god was he boring to watch.

Arcade Fire, on the other hand… their show just kept getting better. Everyone had incredible stage presence, they emprovised nicley, and they sounded even better than they do in studio. I didn’t even think that was possible.

Kings of Leon and Wilco and LCD Soundsystem are great too.

Pearl Jam
The Joel Plaskett Emergency

Guns N Roses-Current Lineup.Unless you’ve experienced Axl Rose live yourself (2006/2007),I won’t expect you to understand what I’m saying.Let the backlash begin.

Guns N Roses-Current Lineup.Unless you’ve experienced Axl Rose live yourself (2006/2007),I won’t expect you to understand what I’m saying.Let the backlash begin.

Guns N Roses-Current Lineup.Unless you’ve experienced Axl Rose live yourself (2006/2007),I won’t expect you to understand what I’m saying.Let the backlash begin.

Red Light Saints (Ottawa, Canada)
Buddy Guy (Seen at Ottawa Bluesfest)

Red Light Saints (Ottawa, Canada)
Buddy Guy (Seen at Ottawa Bluesfest)

Xavier Rudd.

atmoshpere
the hold steady
flaming lips
wilco
sonic youth
pearl jam
tool
built to spill
yes, roger waters counts

RADIOHEAD!! Have you all forgotten the best band left on the planet?

When you have already seen
THE WHO live, your list doesn’t matter, they are pretenders.

ROLLING STONE magazine has lost respectability anyway when it got away from it’s roots-ROCK ‘N ROLL.

Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers

Have anyone ever seen NINE INCH NAILS??? Which planet came you from??
Go watch Woodstook 94, and assure you, now they are even better!!!

Wilco
Ben Harper
Tool
Kings of Leon
Smashing Pumpkins
Nickelcreek
Manu Chao!

the fiery furnaces

Incubus

Mute Math.

And where the heck is U2?

libertines

The only thing better than Arcade Fire is U2, the innovaters of the concert-as-religous-experience live show.

Other great performers…
White Stripes
Pearl Jam
The Tragically Hip (seriously awesome rock and roll)
Sam Roberts (Another Canadian who can bring it live)

And lastly…and I can’t believe they’re not mentioned here yet…REM!!

I agree with Muse and Silverchair. Let me be (probabably) the first to say on this board that the John Butler Trio will blow any music fan away. Rollingstone.com barely has a profile on them.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Arcade Fire are fine selections, but not sure I’d put Raconteurs over White Stripes. And where are the Flaming Lips and TV on the Radio?

muse is awful in the same way fiona apple is awful. its music that people with boring music tastes listen to in order to feel as though theyre listening to something interesting. but theyre jsut really, really boring.

The Black Crowes
Medeski, Martin & Wood
John Butler Trio
Widespread Panic
Ben Harper
The Allman Brothers Band
Gov’t Mule
Tea Leaf Green
Galactic
The White Stripes
The North Mississippi Allstars

I agree wholeheartedly with the Kings Of Leon comments. And though I have only YouTube and SNL to rely on, I would have to say that Arcade Fire certainly ranks. Please come back to Portand, Arcade Fire – we can cut Human Resources together!

Two lesser known but equally incredible acts are The Tragically Hip – Gordie and the boys bring it every night – and The Twilight Singers led by the sexiest man in rock, Greg Dulli.

Papa Roach always have energy
Incubus,
The Roots,
Foo Fighters

The Black Crowes
The Allman Brothers Band
Medeski, Martin & Wood
Widespread Panic
Ben Harper
North Mississippi Allstars
Derek Trucks Band
Gov’t Mule
Galactic
John Butler Trio
The White Stripes

TOOL

TOOL

Not one mention of Beck. What a bunch of numb nuts.

Pear Jam
Velvet Revolver
The Boss
The Ranconteurs
M.O.E.

roger waters

Milli Vanili
Ashley Simpson

In the last 3 years I have seen: Bob Dylan, Kings of Leon, The Strokes, The Killers, Franz Ferdinand, My Morning Jacket, Spoon. Without Question the Strokes and Kings of Leon were the best. Seeing the White Stipes in September. Hope they don’t dissapoint.

Here’s my picks:

The New York Symphony Orchestra
Weird Al Yankovic
Meat Loaf
The Doobie Brothers
Your Momma

TOOL
TOOL
TOOL
TOOL
TOOL

NEVER BEEN MORE BLOWN AWAY BY ANYTHING! NO ONE COMES CLOSE!

TOOL
TOOL
TOOL
TOOL
T OOL

NEVER BEEN MORE BLOWN AWAY BY ANYTHING! NO ONE COMES CLOSE!

Pearl Jam – The best live band out there.

Second place – My Morning Jacket with out a doubt

Best concert Pearl Jam last year with My Morning Jacket as the opener you cant beat that.

My Chemical Romance
The Subways
Kings of Leon
Kasabian
Modest Mouse

Phew people in America (at least that are on this site) will ever notice/aadmit that SILVERCHAIR is probably one of the best live acts out there right now, but this is a fact.

i saw the raconteurs live twice and both times i was blown away. i never herd a cover of “bang bang my baby shot me down” so loud in my life. they basicly jammed out for the entire show, doing fills and solos all over the place but they were so tight and togeather its hard to believe they were making it up right as they went along.

1! The Hold Steady.
2. LCD Soundsystem.
3. Gogol Bordello.
4. The Decemberists.
5. The New Pornographers.

Roger Waters
White Stripes (going to see at MSG next week)
Muse(MSG in 2 weeks)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Webster Hall, day after Muse)
QOTSA
Eagles of Death Metal
Rob Zombie
Arctic Monkeys
Metallica
Tenacious D
Foo Fighters

Best concert I have been to.
Pearl Jam with My morning Jacket as the opener. No one can beat Pearl Jam in concert but when you see my morning jacket it like being time warped back to the 70’s when bands rocked out and all they needed for effect was their hair and some uplights.

Rocket From The Crypt.

- Aerosmith
- Chris Cornell
- The Answer
- Jim Bianco
- Eagles Of Death Metal

Radiohead
Rage
Pearl Jam
Tool

as of right now these are the live acts in their prime

Prince
Dave Matthews Band
Thw Hold Steady
Living Colour
Nine Inch Nails

Saw Arcade Fire this year and they were/are still on the best bands I’ve ever seen live. Also, Broken Social Scene puts on an amazing live show.

DIE MANNEQUIN, hot lead singer too, what a babe…fuckin insane live

turbonegro too those dudes rock

Polyphonic Spree
Flaming Lips

Recently it was Chris Cornell in a 1000 capacity venue. Great band he is touring with – they performed everything from Temple of the Dog and Soundgarden to Audioslave and some of his solo material. Still one of the best male singers in rock today – very powerful, especially in a smaller venue where the sound acoustics are excellent. Blew everybody away.

Last summer, Pearl Jam at the Gorge, which is a spectacular outdoor venue in Washington state, with breathtaking canyon views. They’ve still got it, and never disappoint with their long and varied set lists.

Velvet Revolver
The Black Crowes
Drive-By Truckers
Pearl Jam
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Robert Randolph and the Family Band
Foo Fighters

Dave Matthews Band
Radiohead
The Roots
The Mars Volta
Wolfmother

Dave Matthews Band
Radiohead
The Roots
The Mars Volta
Wolfmother

Dave Matthews Band
Radiohead
The Roots
The Mars Volta
Wolfmother

Dr. Dog. Great band. Great show.

My Morning Jacket
Wilco
White Stripes
Disco Biscuits
moe. (not M.O.E.)

Nine Inch Nails

Pearl Jam

Dave Matthews Band
Radiohead
The Mars Volta
Wolfmother

PEARL JAM
METALLICA
U2
INTER POL
ROLLING STONE
GUNS N ROSES(OLD)
ROGER WATERS
AHEROSMITH

PEARL JAM
METALLICA
U2
INTER POL
ROLLING STONE
GUNS N ROSES(OLD)
ROGER WATERS
AHEROSMITH

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
The Dixie Chicks
Green Day
The Roots
Moby
Gwen Stefani (w/ and w/o No Doubt)
The Dandy Warhols
Madonna
I’m sure there are plenty more…

This summer the best bands I have seen are

Roger Waters
The Mars Volta
Explosions in the Sky (Twice)
Arcade Fire
Incubus

Have tix for White Stripes, Daft Punk, and Interpol all coming up to

Foo Fighters

Candiria (mind-blowingly tight)

The Strokes

Bad Brains

Newly reunited Dino Jr. (!)

Beastie Boys

3(no, not 311. Just ‘3′)

Red Hot Chili Peppers (especially now that Kiedis has live auto-tune)

Rush
Tool
Roger Waters
Springsteen
Neil Young
Radiohead

seriously, do you people even go to concerts? No one competes with these 5. Floyd in ‘94 was amazing but don’t count because it’s 13 years ago. Carey and Peart are worth the price of admission alone and Neil is, well, just Neil.

Any list that does not include that dreamy Justin Timberlake is just a phony and I hate it

The Zappa Plays Zappa tour blew my mind. It’s basically Frank Zappa’s son Dweezil performing 2+ hours of Frank Zappa covers with young, talented musicians and some that played with Frank himself.

Also:

The White Stripes
Slayer
Lamb of God
Children of Bodom
Mastodon
Gojira
Pearl Jam
Tool

A Daft Punk show would also be amazing to see

U2
Mute Math
Arcade Fire
Sigur Ros

Enough said, people.

Akron’s Finest THE BLACK KEYS

Any list that does not include that dreamy Justin Timberlake is just phony and I hate it. I love him so much

THE BLACK KEYS

THE BLACK KEYS

DMB
My Morning Jacket
The Black Crowes
Pearl Jam
Wilco
Derek Trucks
Robert Randolph

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS are the best big-venue act I have ever seen. Tons of excitement and energy. Great setlists. And the best part, an immense amount of mind-blowing improv.

GALACTIC is the best smaller-venue act. If you don’t know of them, or haven’t seen them, you would be best served to check them out ASAP. Just an unbelievably talented funk-fusion group from New Orleans.

Wilco
Rage
TOM PETTY
Arcade Fire was great at Coachella

The Mars Volta. Unbelievable.

bright eyes
cursive
the decemberists

BRAVE COMBO

rooney
everybody else
hello strange
the lashes
the coconut records
big city rock

are alll fucking amazing.

The Ruse is the best live band. Period. They’re doing a Viper Room Showcase to give something back to LA in Sept. on Thursdays. Gonna sell out ten times over.

Here are my favorite live acts:

1 – The Strippers dancing at Scores
2 – The waitress chicks at Hooters Restaurant
3 – Wendy Whoppers at Sensations Strip Club
4 – Little Oral Annie at Club Exotica
5 – Jackie Jugs at Hustler Night Club

THE ROOTS AND UMPHREY’S MCGEE

radiohead
The Black Crowes
Tool
Muse
Interpol
U2
Derek Trucks Band
Foo Fighters

Rooney
Killers

The Strokes are the best i’ve seen live they have such a tight unified sound and its loud too. A close second would be the racontuers

I’m no authority but some of the best live acts I have seen aaaaarrrrre…

Neil Young & Crazy Horse

Flaming Lips

Sonic Youth

Metallica (back in the day)

Primus

Black Sabbath

Pantera

Wilco

Ryan Adams & the Cardinals

BECK

Nine Inch Nails (Fragile Tour)

My Morning Jacket

Tool

James Brown!!!!!!!!!!

David Byrne!!!!!!!!!!

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

The White Stripes

Bob Dylan (Love & Theft Tour)

Smashing Pumpkins (Mellon Collie Tour)

The Black Crowes

god, I could go on and on….

butch walker and counting crows

Pearl Jam
Kings of Leon
White Stripes
Queens of the Stone Age
Tom Petty
Raconteurs
Alterb ridge
Black Keys
Sleater-Kinney
Fug azi
Ben Harper
RATM
Mike Watt

muse. they simply do everything and do it right

butch walker is the best living live player
counting crows
foo fighters

My Morning jacket
Cold War Kids
Drive-By Truckers

All Were Extraordinary

And i forgot my chemical romance. NO wonder they tour with muse

TOOL! By far the best live act out there.
The production is the highest and the y don’t gouge the fans

Fergie
Hannah Montana
Clay Aiken
AFI
My Chemical Romance
Avril Lavigne
Naked Brothers Band

Muse. No doubt about it

MuteMath are Tool are amazing live bands, but as far as I’ve seen, Muse owns everyone. Fucking insane live show every time.

flaming lips
radiohead
arcade fire
sonic youth

I’m no authority but here are people who’ve impressed me who are still around today.

Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Flaming Lips
Sonic Youth
David Byrne
Wilco
Ryan Adams & the Cardinals
The White Stripes
R.E.M.
Primus
My Morning Jacket
G Love & Special Sauce
Tool
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
The Black Crowes
Bob Dylan ( love what he’s doing to his old songs)
Black Sabbath

Springsteen, NIN and Bob Dylan

As far as the best complete live show

MUSE

hands down puts on the best complete rock show. They blew me away last year and it’s gonna be crazy when I catch them at Key Arena in Seattle in September.

Arcade fucking Fire

U2 still tears it down every time they play. Also, The Decemberists, The Frames and Damien Rice are amazing.

Vic Thrill and the Saturn Missile!

I love Muse, they make great records….but I’ve seen them twice in the last year…there’s 3 guys onstage and about 14 things going on at once coming out the speakers. At least Milli Vanilli danced and shit, you know what I mean?

Best live band out right now: QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE!!!!

Different setlist every night, extended jams, etc. They rule.

Rage Against The Machine a close second. No one moves a crowd like they do.

Why no love for Neil Young?
Either electric with Crazy Horse or solo acoustic, the man can flat out play.

Remember when rolling stone and more implicitly people were about rock and roll, you want to see a good show quit talking about hacks like the white stripes and arcade fire and check out pearl jam, or the who, or bands who actually know how to rock…..bands who know how to give people what they want, loud rock and roll music and enough feeling and action on stage to bring everyone to their knees.

I’ve seen near everyone imaginable

MUSE blew my mind

one has to see them to believe it

metallica

Gov’t Mule

The White Stripes. I disliked them when I saw them live in 2001. Walked out of the venue a fan.

Gov’t Mule

The White Stripes

I just saw them, they were amazing.

This is kind of out of left field for Rolling Stone, but 311 deserve some credit. They put on a great show, they change their set every night, etc. I never would have liked that band had I not seen them live.

Folks, Muse cannot win “Best Live Act” since they aren’t “playing live”. There’s 3 guitar parts going on at once and only one guitar player. I’d hate to break it to you. Love the band, hate their fake pre-taped live show. Even if they are “playing live”, 3 out of the 14 things you hear coming out the speakers are actually “live”.

Tool would get my vote except they’ve played nearly the exact same setlist for a year and a half now. Talk about “phoning it in”…

I reckon’ The Dixie Chicks
In London………………strate gery

Arcade Fire is far and away the best I’ve seen. Ted Leo is also awesome everytime out!

U2 and REM are as good as ever

WU TANG CLAN
RADIOHEAD
SONIC YOUTH
TOOL

Pearl Jam…Allman Brothers still rock as well

Best live shows I’ve seen:
Metallica
Rage Against The Machine
System Of A Down
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Rammstein

Definitely Tool.

Concert footage can’t even begin to capture the experience of actually seeing Tool live, which is probably the reason we’ve never seen a live DVD from them.

There isnt close to enough Pearl Jam mentions on here. There isn’t another band in the world that can make a jammed arena show feel like a cramped club.

Also, why does just doing crazy stuff translate to a good live show? The Flaming Lips are the Ron Paul of rock.

That I’ve seen in the past 12 months?

Top 3

Muse (Los Angeles, US)
Brand New (Birmingham, UK)
Foo Fighters (Hyde Park, UK)

Dave Matthews Band is the best I have ever seen

Silversun Pickups!!!

They rock me to my core.

DMB=14 summers on the road/Performed in front of 12 million people/Never repeated a set list

Sonic Youth and The Stooges. Don’t let the gray hair fool you. Few shows I’ve seen have matched the energy that these guys brought.

The Reverend Horton Heat
Flogging Molly
Ben Harper

i agree with yyy, arcade fire and white stripes too

U2
U2
U2
The Flaming Lips
The White Stripes
U2
Gifts From Enola

Having traveled to Coachella, Vegoose, Bonnaroo among oher festivals, and devoted every penny that I have earned to seeing music the past 5 years these are the 10 best live bands out now.
1. ARCADE FIRE
2. MY MORNING JACKET
3. LCD SOUNDSYSTEM
4. THE ROOTS
5. OUTKAST
6. THE HOLD STEADY
7. BECK
8. THE WHO
9. OF MONTREAL
10. R.E.M
HONERABLE MENTION BEST PARTY- GIRL TALK

Having traveled to Coachella, Vegoose, Bonnaroo among oher festivals, and devoted every penny that I have earned to seeing music the past 5 years these are the 10 best live bands out now.
1. ARCADE FIRE
2. MY MORNING JACKET
3. LCD SOUNDSYSTEM
4. THE ROOTS
5. RADIOHEAD
6. THE HOLD STEADY
7. BECK
8. THE WHO
9. OF MONTREAL
10. R.E.M
HONERABLE MENTION BEST PARTY- GIRL TALK

Pearl Jam is the best, i also like the foo fighters live as well

Incubus
The Roots
My Morning Jacket
Tool
Pearl Jam

Medeski, Martin & Wood, and jamie cullum too

ARCADE FIRE
MY MORNNG JACKET
COLD WAR KIDS
LCD SOUNDSYSTEM
RADIOHEAD
THE ROOTS
OUTKAST
R.E.M
OF MONTREAL
BEST DANCE PARTY- GIRL TALK

black crowes
megadeth
red hot chili peppers
tool
tesla
rush

That i’ve seen….

-Red Hot Chili Peppers (The lighting on the Stadium Arcadium tour was amazing)

-Muse

-Green Day was pretty sick

-Foo Fighters

-Dave Matthews Band

-Against Me! (What a sick show)

and lastly while I’ve never seen them live but have seen multiple performances on DVD/camcorders RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

That i’ve seen….

-Red Hot Chili Peppers (The lighting on the Stadium Arcadium tour was amazing)

-Muse

-Green Day was pretty sick

-Foo Fighters

-Dave Matthews Band

-Against Me! (What a sick show)

and lastly while I’ve never seen them live but have seen multiple performances on DVD/camcorders RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

That i’ve seen….

-Red Hot Chili Peppers (The lighting on the Stadium Arcadium tour was amazing)

-Muse

-Green Day was pretty sick

-Foo Fighters

-Dave Matthews Band

-Against Me! (What a sick show)

and lastly while I’ve never seen them live but have seen multiple performances on DVD/camcorders RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

That i’ve seen….

-Red Hot Chili Peppers (The lighting on the Stadium Arcadium tour was amazing)

-Muse

-Green Day was pretty sick

-Foo Fighters

-Dave Matthews Band

-Against Me! (What a sick show)

and lastly while I’ve never seen them live but have seen multiple performances on DVD/camcorders RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

RADIOHEAD (amazing at madison square garden last summer…amazing. rest assured to those of you who haven’t heard the test run of the new material…its AWESOME)

WHITE STRIPES (awesome at bonnaroo)

KINGS OF LEON (seen them 3 times, will see them more)

RADIOHEAD
WHITE STRIPES
RADIOHEAD
flaming lips

BLACKALICIOUS
SPOON
SONI C YOUTH
RADIOHEAD
BECK (from what I hear)

By far, Muse!

Pearl Jam
Ben Harper
The Raconteurs
The Red Hot Chili Peppers
Velvet Revolver
Ani Difranco
Post Stardom Depression
Buddy Guy

Don’t think I’ve quite seen a crowd like I did at an Arctic Monkeys show…and I’ve been to hundreds of shows. There is something very special and unique to that band when they play.

THE WHO
RUSH
FLAMING LIPS
WATERBOYS

My favorite shows
1. The Black Keys
2. The kings of Leon
3. robert Randolph and Family Band
4. Arcade fire
5. G love & Special Sauce
6. The Scabs
7. Bob Schneider

I can’t wait to see the White Stripes. What a great band.
8,

Dave Matthews Band
Arcade Fire
Muse

Dave Matthews Band
Arcade Fire
Muse

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (How about a Baby 81 review?)
Primal Scream
Ours
Kasabian

completly 100% agree. Arcade Fire is a marvel. MMJ are incredible.The Hold Steady, Best songwriting and music most like early springsteen, making it amazing.The Raconteurs, rock balls. YYY are great.
add:
Beck
Radiohead
Queens of the Stone Age
Man Man
Deerhunter
The Flaming Lips
Ween

Even in the land of the blind The Flaming Lips put on the most amazing show!!!!

foo fighters if anybody saw live earth they would know that

not one of the bands listed could hold a candle to Prince.

Rush.

GENESIS

Guns N’ Roses (yes, the current lineup)
Queensryche
Foo Fighters
Tool

A few additions to my previous post:
U2 and Pearl Jam in Honolulu December 2006.
It doesn’t often get much better than that.

Also last summer:
TOOL
RHCP

TV on the Radio

Definitley:

Radiohead
The White Stripes
The Raconteurs
Queens Of The Stone Age
Reel Big Fish

The Black Crowes
Widespread Panic
Cowboy Mouth
Wings For Wheels
Drive By Truckers
Bruce Springsteen

Tool
Gogol Bordello
Against Me!
Streetlight Manifesto
The Flaming Lips
and the hold steady put on such an amazing show

AGAINST ME!Awesome band.

I think it’s safe to say that there are a lot of pretty sweet live bands, and leave it at that.

This is a no-brainer:
a reunited Rage Against the Machine.

Nine Inch Nails
Tool
Pearl Jam
Red Hot Chili Pappers
AFI

This is a no brainer. Rage Against the Machine.

Can any of today’s band compete with the Who’s live performances of the 70’s…I think not

Better Than Ezra. They’re not on radio as much (they should be) but they sure do put on a rockin’ live show!

can any band today match the live performances by the Who in the 70’s…I think sadly not

The Foo are good
Arcade Fire
Kings of Leon
And Modest Mouse is pretty sweet if Isaac isn’t drunk.

pearl jam
dave matthews bands
u2
ben harper

Better Than Ezra. They have a rockin’ show each time!

The Flaming Lips
Radiohead
The Arcade Fire
Sigur Ros

The Flaming Lips
Radiohead
The Arcade Fire
Sigur Ros

Better Than Ezra

The Foo
Arcade Fire
Kings of Leon
And Modest Mouse is pretty sweet if Isaac isn’t drunk.

God bless the one guy who knows that Brave Combo is one of the greatest live bands you’ll ever see–the rest of you don’t know so get out there and find them. That’s what it’s all about.

Red Hot Chili Peppers

without no doubt…

1.TOOL
2.TOOL
3. TOOL
4.TOOL
5.TOOL

When will Muse get their due in America?

THE BEST LIVE BAND…..
PLAYING AS WE SPEAK….

1.TOOL
2.TOOL
3 .TOOL
4.TOOL
5.TOOL

THE BEST LIVE BAND…..
PLAYING AS WE SPEAK….

1.TOOL
2.TO OL
3 .TOOL
4.TOOL
5.TOOL

im voting for roger waters, kings of leon, and the foo fighters

Pearl Jam, far and away.

Bjork
The Decemberists
Arcade Fire
Beck
Death Cab for Cutie
Radiohead

Springsteen

Aracde Fire
u2

sonic youth…., if yu dont believe me or dont know check em out at the greek 2night. rolling stone do an article on this concert it will be great! daydream nation all the way through, the way nature intended.

u2 by far

rhcp dispatch waters killers

u2 by far

rhcp dispatch waters killers

Tool
Pearl Jam
Black Crowes

Is everyone here crazy?
Valient Thorr hardest rocking live band ever
oh and sufjan stevens

Last show I saw was Weird Al Yankovic, so I’m not in much of a position to discuss this, but…

WEIRD AL IS AWESOME!!!

BETTER THAN ANYONE!!

Bruuuuuuuce Springsteen w/E Street Band

Muse is the biggest display of creativity, talent, musicianship, and stage presence you could ever hope to see in any venue on any day.

By the way, I saw the Arcade Fire at Coachella. I really don’t see what the big deal is. If you want a band with a bunch of people, why not spring for Polyphonic Spree (god forbid)?

Gogol Bordello by a fat longshot.

I saw them for the fifth time two nights ago, and they never disappoint. Imagine punk rock with healthy doses of reggae and Balkan gypsy music. It’s an enormous, crowd gyrating party. Good vibes all around, and the rampant, gleeful energy is inescapable. If you don’t feel like dancing or pogoing at a Gogol Bordello show, check your pulse because you’re probably dead.

Honorable mentions go to Butch Walker, Foo Fighters, and Cake.

Ryan Adams and the Cardinals

Robert Randolph and the Family band

OAR

Wilco

Pearl Jam

Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers (most fun i’ve ever had at a concert)

Aerosmith

Ray Lamontange, just him with guitar

Damien Rice

Arctic Monkeys. Those kids are amazing live!

Ryan Adams and the Cardinals
Robert Randolph and the family Band
OAR
Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers
Ray Lamontagne
Damien Rice
Pearl Jam
The Black Keys

Ryan Adams and the Cardinals
Robert Randolph and the family Band
OAR
Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers
Ray Lamontagne
Damien Rice
Pearl Jam
The Black Keys

Gogol Bordello by a fat longshot.

I saw them for the 5th time two nights ago, and they never disappoint. Imagine punk rock with healthy doses of reggae and Balkan gypsy music. The energy of their songs is rediculous in the first place, and is only amplified live. If you don’t feel compelled to dance at a Gogol Bordello show, then check your pulse, because you may be dead. It’s an enormous, grandiose celebration for all involved. I’ve never been in a crowd with such good vibes at any show.

Honorable mentions go to Butch Walker, Foo Fighters, Green Day, the Faint and Cake.

By the way, Cake performs without a setlist. Great show.

The Mars Volta
Green Day
The Roots
Rage Against the Machine
Electric Six

I’d add Ghostland Observatory, Cold War Kids and my boy Andrew WK to the list

Of Montreal
Arcade Fire
Sonic Youth, off the strength of their Pitchfork show
Beck (even though he’s not touring now)
The possibly reunited Yardbirds I just read about???

I’d add Ghostland Observatory, Cold War Kids and my boy Andrew WK to the list

Of Montreal
Sonic Youth
Kings Of Leon
Beck
Arcade Fire
Possibly reunited Yardbirds?!?!?!

-My Morning Jacket
-The Flaming Lips
-Tool
-Wilco
-311
-The Hold Steady
-Radiohead
-Muse

TOOL TOOL TOOL

The Black Crowes
The Flaming Lips
Arcade Fire
Peeping Tom
Wilco
The White Stripes

Green Day put on a pretty sick show. The last concert I went to was the dispatch zimbabwe concert at msg an that was the best show ive ever seen. DMB are an obvious choice (and I share those initials). But the best shows (in my opinion) are still the local, unsigned bands u see at the local venue in ur town. I personally like the Smyrk. So yea Green Day, Dispatch, DMB, and The Smyrk.

HAR MAR SUPERSTAR

Wilco
Bright Eyes
Mason Jennings

flaming lips
tool
nine inch nails
primus
radiohead
ween

-Zamphire & his “Magical” Pan Flute
-David Vu & the Rich Like Me Trio
-Wayne Newton

Umphrey’s muthafuckin McGee

The Arcade Fire
Spoon
The Flaming Lips
Arctic Monkeys
Ben Folds

Tool
Muse
Nine Inch Nails
the reunited Bauhaus

and my #1:
Sigur Rós

-Moby (best live show I’ve seen to date)
- Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Oasis
- The Who

1. Moby
2. Red Hot chili Peppers
3. The Who
4. Beastie Boys
5. The Who

THE ROOTS!

There ain’t no doubt that these are definitely the best live bands:

1)

White Stripes

The White Stripes, eh

Flaming Lips
Arcade Fire
Bruce Springsteen
The Who

Muse
Radiohead
My Chemical Romance (yes, really)
Green Day
Nine Inch Nail
and System of a Down when they come back (hurry up)!

the flaming lips
311
incubus
tool
muse
guster

the flaming lips
311
incubus
tool

muse
guster

the flaming lips
311
incubus
tool

muse
guster

The Decemberists put on a great show.

Radiohead is about as techically tight as any band could ever hope for, but hardest rocking?

All you youngun’s need to go to http://www.mule.net and buy Gov’t Mules bonnaroo set. that should remove any doubt for those who weren’t lucky enough to witness history. Shame on Rolling Stone for constantly shunning Warren Haynes.

Also, Moe. plays insane shows as well.

funny how Chuck, Al, and Warren made the recent Guitar God list as well…

White Stripes
Black Crowes
Wilco
Wolfmother

There ain’t no doubt that these are definitely the best live bands:

1) The Wiggles (these guys know how to rock, and not just for kids!)

2) The Village People (YMCA gets everybody revved up)

3) Men At Work (saw them kick ass in Australia – they rule!)

4) Vanilla Ice (Ice, Ice, baby!)

5) The Chicken Bone Beach Band (one of my all time favorite bands)

6) Boyz II Men (yeah, boyyyyy)

7) Willie Nelson (heee hawww!)

White Stripes
Wolfmother
Wilco
Bl ack Crowes

The White Stripes

Dan Deacon and Girl Talk stole the show at Pitchfork last weekend… probably least known pair of great live shows

1- Smokin Joe & The Retards

2- The Lawrence Welk Orchestra

3- The Kevin Bacon Experience

4- Jack Off Jill

5- Hillary Duff

6- Donny Osmond

7- The Bugaloos

8- Ass To The Grind

9- Cannibal Corpse

10- The Nose Pickers

The Who, Meatloaf, Jimmy Buffett and Tom Petty!!! Woo

PEARL JAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

awesome!

Pearl Jam and Tool

Alexisonfire. Without a doubt the best live band I’ve ever seen.

The Decemberists

The White Stripes
The Black Crowes
Ryan Adams and The Cardinals
Wilco
The Black Keys

NOFX, without a doubt. They kick ass live. Saw them in Beijing, China this year. Fat Mike is funny and they are tight musically.

I’m a huge “White Stripes” fan, but they suck live. Seriously. One of the most dissapointing shows I’ve ever been to was the “White Stripes”. Great albums, sucky shows.

That said… go see “Man Man” live. Simply incredible.

Rose Hill Drive is the hardest rocking band right now. Unfortunately these youngsters have been on a European tour for a bit. Nonetheless, they should win the title, especially since RS pretty much said they were a little ways back.

Also, it is so sad to see all these comments with barely, if any, votes for Gov’t Mule.

Arcade Fire
Pearl Jam
U2

Best live band is the Ike Reilly Assassination. Even if no one outside of Chicago and Minneapolis know it. They will rock your ass and you wont pay more than 15 bucks for a show.

Others: Robert Randolph, Pearl Jam, Reel Big Fish.

Marc Broussard
Marc Broussard
Marc Broussard
Marc Broussard
Marc Broussard

He just rocked my world again at the 9:30 Club in DC.

korn, today was the first day of family values.

wolfmother- friggin awesome
the who-insane show
queen and paul rogers- really cool

Mario Munoz -

Arcade Fire, hands down. I love The White Stripes, but Arcade Fire was easily the best concert I’ve ever attended. Seeing the “Neighborhood” sequence live is amazing.

the hold steady. easy.

This is by far the definitive list here:

(1) Air Supply

(2) Those little black kids playing the garbage cans in the 14th Street NY Subway station

(3) Ashlee Simpson (she’s so good you would think she’s lip-syncing)

(4) Taylor Hicks (this guy is the coolest!)

(5) The New York Philharmonic Orchestra

Wilco, Tim Easton

Muse
Tool
Radiohead
Against Me!
The Hold Steady
Ted Leo

Tool
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Inward Eye
Wintersleep

Guns N Roses you fools!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tool
Widespread Panic
Mars Volta

1. Tool
2. Wilco
3. Incubus
4. RHCP

Rage Against the Machine
The Arcade Fire
Muse
The Flaming Lips
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
The Subways
Bjork
Wolfmother
WEATH ERBOX!!!

The best concerts I’ve seen in the past few years:

DAFT PUNK @ Coachella 2006
Basement Jaxx
Royksopp
Sigur Ros
Hot Chip
LCD Soundsystem
Arcade Fire
Scissor Sisters

and of course the best live group ever… RADIOHEAD!!

the worst:
Modest Mouse… yeah, they should be modest, cuz they are absolutely terrible live. it was embarrassing.

RE: High on Drugs | 7/20/2007, 8:46 pm EST

“There ain’t no doubt that these are definitely the best live bands:
1) The Wiggles (these guys know how to rock, and not just for kids!)
2) The Village People (YMCA gets everybody revved up)
3) Men At Work (saw them kick ass in Australia – they rule!)
4) Vanilla Ice (Ice, Ice, baby!)
5) The Chicken Bone Beach Band (one of my all time favorite bands)
6) Boyz II Men (yeah, boyyyyy)
7) Willie Nelson (heee hawww!)”

Dear High on Drugs,
Ok, we “get” your sarcasm, but at least cut Willie a bit of slack. After all, in 1961 he wrote “Crazy”, made famous by Patsy Cline. Who knew.

DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS.

The Drive-by Truckers

AFI
Green Day
The Smashing Pumpkins
The White Stripes
The Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Foo Fighters

And the reason Wilco was not included in your little list moron?

us

You ain’t lived till you’ve heard Tequila Black. Playing live as we speak, in Tennessee.

Pearl Jam is the best live band playing now. I’ve heard great things about The Arcade Fire, and I love the albums. I’m hoping to see them and The Smashing Pumpkins this fall. Billy rules.

Radiohead
Arcade Fire
TV on the Radio

the best bends od our time:
lsd soundsystem and may be !!!

Zappa Plays Zappa. If you haven’t seen it, do yourself the favor. It is the tightest, best band playing right now.

man, arcade fire sucks, they are trying waaaaay too hard, it looks like a whole class of band geeks on stage…indie music is a load a tripe

AFI
Tool
Muse
Placebo
Pearl Jam
Pumpkins
Rise Against
Ted Leo + Pharmacists

kings of leon

Guns N Roses
Alice In Chains
Chris Cornell
Metric
The Scorpions

U2
other bands should jsut quit now-they’ll never come close

The unquestionable Zero Kelvin from Australia are killing the stages here. check em on myspace zerokelvinau you wont be sorry

I’ve been to a ton of shows, and Springsteen is still the best. Solo, with the Sessions Band, or with the E-Street band, he is fantastic. Also, nobody changes things up like he does. In the past 5 years he has done 3 completely different types of tours.
Pearl Jam is next on the list, and I would say The Hold Steady is also worthy. U2 is okay still, but a shadow of what they once were.

Red Hot Chili Peppers
Pink

the walkmen, no doubt. incredible live.

Roger Waters
Nine Inch Nails
The Dresden Dolls
The Briggs
Queens of the Stone Age
The Subways

Roger Waters

wilco wilco wilco

FLaming Lips, Radiohead, Ryan Adams

muse
jet

Robert Randolph
The Black Crowes!!!!!!!!
Muse
QOTSA
V R/AiC

and of course, even if he is currently not touring
Prince

The Police I just saw their show this past week and I’ve never experienced anything so exhilarating.

1. Break of Reality

Hands down. Just saw them last weekend, and they ROCK! They’re preserving instrumental music, and I can’t thank them enough!

black rebel motorcycle club. you want a great show, you buy tickets to see these guys.

TOOL.

ok , i just seen poison, and baby let me tell you, after 21 years, these guys can still blow the roof off the joint, they are talented, frickin sexy, and know how to have nothin but a good time!!!!!!

Oh and who could forget Guns N’ Roses (both lineups…old lineup trumps the new only because they changed the setlist much more often).

And again, since I see so many Muse mentions:

Muse fake it live, Muse fake it live, Muse fake it live, Muse fake it live, Muse fake it live, Muse fake it live, Muse fake it live.

3 guys, 14 instruments coming out the speakers. Seriously, watch a YouTube video and tell me the three of them are making all that noise.

smashing pumpkins…show average lenght is 3 hours

the rolling stones!!!!!!

poison, poison, poison, need i say more they guys are still hot after 21 years of blowin off the roof!!!!

ive seen over 100 artists in concert over the years, and i have to say the best shows are bruce springsteen, bon jovi, nickelback, the police, and poison

this year…radiohead, wolfmother, jet, wilco, white stripes..except if theyre only playing one note…

reel big fish are amazing live

i’ve only been to a few concerts, so heres my list:

RHCP is incredible live frusciante is pretty much the hendrix of the last 20 years. flea is always insane, and chad smith is ridiculously underatted. you just gotta wonder how much better they were 1983-1991.

i wasn’t a fan when i went, but MUSE was pretty surreal. whoever said the lead singer is incredible is right. they blew me away.

i hate to say it, but MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE was pretty damn good. i’ve always liked their lead guitarist, though gerard way and the diehard MCR fans sorta scare me.

THE WHO have still got the great live show today, and more importantly, the same attitudes they’ve had since their early days

i’ve only seen a few concerts, so heres my list:

RHCP are simply incredible live. frusciante is the closest the past 25 years has come to hendrix. flea is always insane, and chad smith is ridiculously underatted. you just gotta wonder how much more amazing they were in 1983-1991.

i didn’t know much about them when i saw them, but MUSE blew me away. the lead singer has a great voice, can play a beautiful piano, and then shred on guitar.

i hate to say it, but MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE was pretty damn good. i’ve alwats liked their lead guitarist, but gerard way and the MCR fans sorta scare me.

THE WHO have still got it. saw them in march in DC, and they still play a great live show, and more importantly, have the same attitudes they did in their early days.

Tool, Rage Against the Machine, Nine Inch Nails, Tori Amos, and Bjork are all AMAZING live

Tool, Rage Against the Machine, Nine Inch Nails, Tori Amos, and Bjork are all AMAZING live

Tool, Rage Against the Machine, Nine Inch Nails, Tori Amos, and Bjork are all AMAZING live

Tool, Rage Against the Machine, Nine Inch Nails, Tori Amos, and Bjork are all AMAZING live

Tool, Rage Against the Machine, Nine Inch Nails, Tori Amos, and Bjork are all AMAZING live

Pearl Jam!!! Never know what the setlist will be. Wilco a close second. Saw The Police two weeks ago and they sounded ok at best on some songs and awful on others. Wish I could get my money back.

Tool, Tori Amos, Nine Inch Nails, Bjork, and Rage Against the Machine are all AMAZING live

OOps…sorry for all the duplicate posts

The Flaming Lips have the most awsome live show ever, umphreys mcgee are also exhilarating everytime i see them

Gogol Bordello
Drive-By Truckers
Sonic Youth
Sleater-Kenny
Neil Young & crazy Horse

No Dickey Betts plus no Duane Allman does not the Allman Brothers make. More like Greg Allman solo.

Mute Math!

http://johnmayer.com/ blog

tool, except once you’ve seen one set you’ve seeen them all. Nine inch Nails, despite aaron’s best efforts. The Foo’s rock, even though their last few albums have sucked balls. RHCP’s are amazing though. Congrats though RS, sounds like you just read the front page of Pitchfork and called it a day. Oh, and how could leave out the Flaming Lips?

I know the dreams, aspirations, and hopes of everyone on this list and I can predict all of your CD collections. That may sound cocky, but you have supplied ample evidence.

The best live band playing right now has six members, dresses in costume, and their performances of ritual incantations of the without and the within.

None of the bands below can hold a candle to ‘em.

They are…MMOB…that’s an acronym, of course…they go unappreciated and their very name (as though the name of god) should not be mentioned here. A sin it would be.

I know the dreams, aspirations, and hopes of everyone on this list and I can predict all of your CD collections. That may sound cocky, but you have supplied ample evidence.

The best live band playing right now has six members, dresses in costume, and their performances of ritual incantations of the without and the within.

None of the bands below can hold a candle to ‘em.

They are…MMOB…that’s an acronym, of course…they go unappreciated and their very name (as though the name of god) should not be mentioned here. A sin it would be.

mcrka, whoever you are, you are amazing. Reel Big Fish is one of the greatest live bands around. Their albums? Badass as hell. Their live show? Absolutely flawless. I’m seeing them for the second time when they come through Chicago on August 15th. Absolutely amazing.

Keller Williams is amazing

Tool, Nine Inch Nails, Flaming Lips, Radiohead, Arcade Fire, are all bands I would say are great to see live. It is not just music. It is pure energy. Also I would like to nominate Electric Six! I know most people never heard of them but they are the tits!

Kasabian is great, just watch their performance of L.S.F.!!

the Hives are amazing live. Pele is what Jagger was 30 yrs ago. Crazy slinky and rad.

The Hives are the best live act around. Pele is Jagger 30 years ago.. crazy slinky and rad. I don’t even like there cds all to much but their live shows are infectious.

the black keys

WILCO.

Radiohead. Without question the best concert I’ve ever been to, last summer at the Greek Theater in Berkeley.

Arcade Fire are also very good. Sonic Youth last night in Berkeley playing Daydream Nation were awesome as well. Also Damien Rice is great because of the way he transforms many of his songs (Volcano in particular) when he plays live.

On a slightly lower level, the Decemberists are quite good at puting on a show, particularly when playing Mariner’s Revenge with the big paper mache whale. And Pearl Jam are great because they incorporate music from throughout their career and incorporate lots of different covers, a lost art amongst live bands today, as can be seen on their website, which has a detailed analysis of their setlists through the years that is quite fascinating.

Muse has a great live show.

On the subject of people yelling “Pearl Jam” – they’ve earned it, one person at a time …. let me be counted (and I really want to see Arcade Fire, and Radiohead too), but PJ, with their passion, depth, and consistency, has put the others ones I’ve seen as a whole notch down ….

Have you heard Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes? When they lock up they are about as good as it has ever been

Re: Here | 7/21/2007, 1:52 am EST

“On the subject of people yelling “Pearl Jam” – they’ve earned it, one person at a time …. let me be counted (and I really want to see Arcade Fire, and Radiohead too), but PJ, with their passion, depth, and consistency, has put the others ones I’ve seen as a whole notch down ….”

I fully back up your comments.
Have seen them a number of times, the first @ Lolla’92. Look up Pearl Jam at Pink Pop ‘92 on YouTube to see some of their early concert footage. They’ve continually evolved as a band over the years, and have always stayed true to their music, fans and shows. We care because they care.

The white stripes?

Pear Jam to the fullest!

Guns N’ Roses… sore them in Sydney best concert ever!!

Radiohead- saw them at the greek aswell, but it was of los feliz. what other ticket sells 10 times face value on ebay?

Ryan Adams-last yrs tour every song was made better than the record. except ny ny and to be young. this year the show SUCKS! acoustic my ass.

Steve Earle- plays every song in the catalogue, worth hearing. last time i saw the show it was 3.5hrs. both things the afore mentioned acts dont do, which is my only grip with them.

Pearl Jam!!!!!!!!!!!

GWAR GWAR GWAR GWAR GWAR GWAR GWAR GWAR GWAR GWAR and so on and so forth…

pearl jam, wilco & the kings of leon…
all 3 bands execute at an incredibly high level live…

That i have seen :
Arcade Fire
White Stripes
Secret Chiefs 3
Peeping Tom
They Shoot Horses Don’t They
Stars

That i have not seen yet
Masada
John Zorn
Fantomas
Tomahawk
Raco nteurs
Wilco
MOST OF ALL : Sunn 0))) and Boris

Rolling Stone may have nominated a snobbish indie list, but I don’t think any of those suggestions are worthy. Better suggestions are:

Built to Spill: Tight band with great guitar work that pulls me in.

Rilo Kiley: Rulers of indie pop, and GREAT live.

Less Than Jake: I’ve seen this band a ton of times over the years, and they win over a live crowd like no band I’ve ever seen. Too bad their albums suck now. I’d still go see them before I’d see the Raconteurs or the Hold Steady.

No punk rock on that list?

Against Me!
Teenage Bottlerocket

Go to a Teenage Bottlerocket show. Trust. me.

Flaming Lips, hands down

Saw the Mars Volta in Berkeley… unbelievable…

Ben Harper!

Wilco
TV on the Radio
Of Montreal
The Hold Steady
David Byrne+Tosca Strings

Tea Leaf Green is a band that is best served live. The musical talents of this band is amazing. What a groove these guys got!!!

This isn’t definitive… but it’s the top 10 of bands I’ve seen.

1. Sigur Ros – Will make you cry. Like watching Braveheart, Rent, your child’s graduation, your graduation, your best friend’s wedding, a memorial service, a fireworks display, and winning an Academy Award. A spiritual and out-of-body psychodelic experience unlike anything else in the world. Absolutely fucking remarkable, unforgettable.

2. Scott Weiland/STP/Velvet Revolver – For all the heroin he’s done, he’s never dissapointed me in either band, no matter what he sings, or what he’s dressed in… he’s a showman and unparalleled in that respect.

3. Dispatch – 100,000 showed up at their last concert and I think they’ve sold 100,000 records. GREAT live band, hope Zimbabwe wasn’t a one-off.

4. Foo Fighters – Dave Grohl is arguably the most entertaining front man in rock today.

5. Green Day – I was 22 and the oldest at the concert (fuck you My Chemical Romance), but you really cannot fuck with them because they sound fucking awesome. And they say fuck… a fucking lot.

6. Dave Matthews Band – Summers spent at Saratoga smoking pot and drinking beer while singing along to obscure “classic” B-sides (how many bands can say that?) as rain is pouring and frat guys are fighting with their trust-fund baby girlfriends…

7. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Despite that Anthony Kiedis cannot sing, holy energy. Plus, its like listening to the soundtrack of your life, turned to 11.

8. Deep Banana Blackout – Really, probably the most entertaining show I’ve been to, of course that may be the Mushroooms talking.

9. Sevendust – Really, listen to the singer’s voice live. For those of you who think metal can’t be melodic, check out the acoustic Live show CD.

10. Gym Class Heroes – Ok… before they were stars, they were emo-rappers performing at small venues in Budweiser Nation, NY. And they were fucking great then.

This isnt even worth a discusion….NIN is the best live act maybe ever! If you’ve seen them in the last 2 years you already know this. But Bjork is an amazing live show as well….

This isnt even worth a discusion….NIN is the best live act maybe ever! If you’ve seen them in the last 2 years you already know this. But Bjork is an amazing live show as well….

easy

!!!
the rapture
soulwax nite fuckin version

CHEAP TRICK is still the greatest to me….i did see THE STRAY CATS’ first US show in 15 years thursday and wow they know how to rock the crowd….RUSH is amazing live….there’s a few.

The Gossip- Beth Ditto can out rock anyone!
System of the Down
The Metric
Sam Roberts- He is just sooo good Live!
Beck- just too fun to watch
The White Stripes
Atmosphere

fergie

fergie and pink

i really feel like your list loses all credibility without the white stripes on it. and the flaming lips should probably be there too. the hold steady and my morning jacket are certainly up there. haven’t seen arcade fire or yeah yeahs yeahs yet. the roots are another candidate, though probably not top five.

and as for the “old guard,” bruce springsteen still blows all these guys out of the water, and he’s thirty years older than most of them.

TV on the Radio

White Stripes. because no 2 people can do what they do.

My Morning Jacket is great too

White Stripes. because no 2 people can do what they do live.

My Morning Jacket is great too

TOOL
WHITE STRIPES

The Raconteurs and the White Stripes.

The Raconteurs and the White Stripes.

The White Stripes. Because no 2 people can do what they do live.

And My Morning Jacket is great too

Come on! No british contingent? Anyone who has seen Muse or Radiohead will tell you there is no better live show. America wake up!

Pearl Jam and Guns N’ Roses. Best concerts I’ve seen in 10 years!

Pearl Jam, Battles, Mastodon, Iron Maiden

Best live shows I’ve seen recently are Wilco, Damien Rice, and especially Buddy Guy. He is seventy years old and he can still bring it. If he comes to your town, run, don’t walk, to get your tickets.

Cheers

I have two faves: One that plays in the majors and one that plays in double A. The Stones without question are the best. Period. That’s why they out sell everybody when they tour. Fantastic. They’re eternally devoted to the cause of spreading pure rock and roll all around the world through their live shows. The second one is an underground thing. They’re called The Musical Box. They do the Peter Gabriel Genesis thing PERFECTLY! They wear the same costumes (exactly the same courtesy Genesis) The light shows and the music will rip your head right off! Genesis fan or not, if you get a chance, go see them. It’s a musical orgy, a history lesson on the greatest prog rock, and on their BEST SONGS the greatest rock band ever.

The Black Crowes
Wilco
My Morning Jacket

Give me a break Butch Walker!

MUSE
any surprise no british bands in these niominatios????sick of british bands being ignored by rolling stone, american people get the fuck over ur obese selves

THE WHO
40+ years later and still no one can touch them live.

THE WHO
40+ years later and still no one can touch them live

ryan adams and the cardinals
sufjan stevens

BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB!!

Kaiser Chiefs are pretty awesome too. I saw them a few months ago in DC and it was incredible! Very energetic, and sounded great!

Aerosmith

They came to South America recently, they absolutely rock.

Aerosmith – The absolutely rock

Tool – nothing else can compare.

Tool but I prefer their Lateralus tour, the current 10 K days is not as good as the previous one

1.U2
2.Pearl Jam
3.Eric Clapton
4. Kings of leon
5. Arcade fire

1.U2
2.Pearl Jam
3.Eric Clapton
4. Kings of leon
5. Arcade fire

The Rolling Stones

Wolfmother is incredible live, when i saw them in vancouve(the second time) they did an excellent cover of zep’s communication breakdown.

Also I havent seen and votes for the trews! awesome awesome live act.

and forget gnr, velvet revolver puts on a rad show, when they played here they did like 3 encores! slash is frigging rad and scott weiland is awesome too.

stripes kick ass live:)

finally, the who are the best old band out there thats playing today, great great show, and zack starkey( ringos son) is awesome behind the kit!

radiohead.

Tool, time and time again. Nothing compares.

I also agree with My Morning Jacket, in a good old fashioned rock out, no frills kinda way.

And there’s no better one-man show in rock these days than Jack White. White Stripes give a great show.

I’d love to see Radiohead, but that’s pretty hard to do in the States. They never play over hear, and when they do they make themselves sparse.

The Black Keys

definately the who , beastie boys, arcade fire, wilco & timbuktu

Dave Matthews Band
Prince
Robert Randolph & The Family Band
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
David Bowie
Neil Young & Crazy Horse

The Flaming Lips

Sufjan Stevens

Radiohead

Dr. Dog (do not miss them with Wilco this fall)

Levon Helm (just saw him at the Ryman, and i felt like i was at the Last Waltz–only better, without Neil Diamond)

…but MMJ is the best, three times last year. insane.

1. The Flaming Lips
2. Radiohead
3. Tool

I still long to see My Morning JAcket live cause I know they are incredible. However, nothing compares to seeing the Flaming LIps and I saw them at Bonnaroo in a spaceship. Amazing.

The Flaming Lips

Sufjan Stevens

Dr. Dog

The Levon Helm Band

TV On The Radio

The Flaming Lips

Sufjan Stevens

Dr. Dog

The Levon Helm Band

TV On The Radio

1. The Arcade Fire
2. Shiny Toy Guns
3. The Besnard Lakes
4. Less Than Jake
5. Radiohead

The Who and the Rolling Stones…
is there even a question? or are we obligated to select more modern, inferior live bands to make ourselves feel better about our generation? you know, like how this magazine somehow listed Jack White as a better guitarist than Pete Townshend and Buddy Guy, among others.

White Stripes and the Flaming Lips? What a joke!

Fall of troy are rediculous live, you have to give some credit to the the guitarist who is amazing to see live, who also sings! The matches singer is also amazing to see live, say anything are spectacular, and valient thor kick ass. yeah its mostly punk, pop punk but if you see these bands you wont be dissapointed

Muse
Nine Inch Nails

Neil Young and Crazy Horse

bright eyes actually has a really good show

Tool
Radiohead
The White Stripes
The Roots

Blood on the Wall

Be Your Own Pet

The Hentchmen

Guitar Wolf

Sonic Youth but they haven’t been fierce live in a long time.

Wolf Eyes

The Stooges

All this talk of Arcade Fire, it all sounds grey to me. I’ve seen them and they have like 30 people with different instruments and they are all playing the same notes at the same time, it’s just so damn bland and grey. It’s like Phil Spector’s wall of sound but much less dynamic.

TOOL
Umphrey’s McGee
Mastodon

John Mayer.. hands down!

One of the few true musicians around today.. and a phenomenal guitarist.

the allman brothers band
hands down no comparison

moe.
phil lesh and friends
gov’t mule
the white stripes
the raconteurs
wilco
kings of leon
john mayer
derek trucks band
north mississippi all stars
string cheese incident

and dmb are live gods
but everyone knows that

White Stripes

Green Day

Muse

Pearl Jam

The Flaming Lips

The Raconteurs

Foo Fighters

My Chemical Romance

state radio

The Mars Volta

Bane

Sage Francis

The best acts I’ve seen in concert

The Flaming Lips
Pearl Jam
Wilco
Widespread Panic
My Morning Jacket
Rush
Primus

Prince
Springsteen
Chili Peppers
Aerosmith
Velvet Revolver was pretty good, maybe not one of the best though.

I saw FOB in June. They were amazing!
NIckelback was really good too.

The Rolling Stones
Bob Dylan
White Stripes
U2
The Stooges

Dave Matthews Band are the best live act along with U2.
None of the bands listed by RS come close to putting a show or have the musicianship of DMB

Dave Matthews Band is the best live act along with U2.
None of the bands listed by RS come close to putting a show or have the musicianship of DMB

Dave Matthews Band is the best live act along with U2.
None of the bands listed by RS come close to putting a show or have the musicianship of DMB

Of course, Arcade Fire are the best live band.

Only who never saw them live before could say another band.

They are awesome!

Anything with Les Claypool,
I have seen him three times with various bands. Claypool puts on one hell of a show.

the white stripes

Anything with Les Claypool,
I have seen him three times with various bands. Claypool puts on one hell of a show.

Pearl Jam all day, crazy setlists.
Will play an hour and a half longer than any other.

CSS

The Flaming Lips

Pearl Jam

muse are the best live band in the world
i don’t even like any of their studio albums

BECK! A real entertainer, great band..

BECK! A real entertainer, great band..

red hot chilli peppers are probably one of the best live acts. all energy all the time

Widespread Panic!

Widespread Panic!

WILCO

There isn’t even a question about this one……..Muse. absolutely. end of story. They are in a completely different league than anyone else, and i’ve just about seen them all. Hands down….MUSE!

Porcupine Tree.

from Newfoundland, Canada:
GREAT BIG SEA

Muse, Australian bands Gyroscope and Beasts of Bourbon are amazing.
Foo Fighters were good aswell as Arctic Monkeys and Maximo Park

Good list! I would add moe

1) Pearl Jam
1a) Drive by Truckers
2) Widespread Panic
3) U2
4) Dash Rip Rock

U2, chili peppers, pearl jam, nine inch nails, rush

pearl jam

where the hell did raconteurs and yeah yeah yeahs come from? what idiot put that down?

RHCP are energetic and good musicians, but doesn’t there have to be good singing for the band to be the best.

Best live band Ive seen of recent has to be Mozzy Green from the UK..

Radiohead.

Radiohead.

by far the best live act is tom petty and the heartbreakers. by far. and then, in a distant second bracket is muse, placebo, porcupine tree and, suprisingly, maybe sparta.

pearl jam

pearl jam

pearl jam

Pearl Jam

the Awesomest!!!!

Barenaked Ladies have an awesome show and with over 10 albums out you will never come close to seeing the same set twice

TOOL

RHCP

Foo Fighters

Deftones

PEARL JAM
Tool
Flaming Lips
Gomez
Roger Waters
Wilco
The White Stripes

Arcade Fire
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Flaming Lips
Nine Inch Nails
Radiohead

Beck
Sufjan
White Stripes
Flogging Molly

Kings of Leon
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Robert Randolph and the Family Band
…and the Black Crowes SUCK. They are the Lynyrd Skynyrd of the ’90s only their jams amount to nothing. Sadly, i’ve actually seen them twice (opening for Tom Petty and headlining after Robert Randolph, who both put on far better shows)

Panda Bear is quite enjoyable

poison the well
pearl jam
sparta
hawksley workman
death from above 1979(RIP)

say what u will about kid rock on album no one can come close to being as good as kid rock and twisted brown trucker live they r a great jam band in concert wish they’d corparate that on their albums which rarely have long solos

after seeing korn at family value’s id have to say korn it was an amazing show with an amazing setlist.

Seen a lot of gigs in my life, last summer at the Leeds festival I saw Pearl Jam and I have never achieved such an awesome high from a live show as the one they provided. Hard to part into words really. Eddie Vedder is a bonafide rock star the way he freaked out during the rockers, beautifully sang the ballads, drank and spit red wine, jumped into the audience, and told about a nightmare he had involving George Bush. But most of all, he’s sincere. He believes in what he’s doing and doesn’t hold back one bit. Vedder is Morrison, McCready is Hendrix. Not to take away from the rest of the band who are musicians of the highest calibre.

Most intense, most balls-out show I’ve seen had to have been Rage Against the Machine in ‘97 in Portland, OR. The mosh pit looked like purgatory consuming the entire basketball court of Memorial Coliseum. I would have been killed had I not been smoking joints up in the seats.

Honorable mention: Modest Mouse, Wilco, Tool, RHCP, The Raconteurs, Kings of Leon, Band of Horses, Arctic Monkeys, Derek Trucks Band, Flaming Lips, Frank Black, Indigenous.

Definitely WANT to see My Morning Jacket so f*cking bad as well as Interpol, Beck, Radiohead, The Black Keys and yes, Prince.

My Morning Jacket of course
Foo Fighters
Built to Spill
Rage Against the Machine
The Coup
and yeah, Bruce Springsteen

SSIIGGUURR RROOSS

Guns N’ Roses

Radiohead I think are the best at the moment (hope to see them after they release LP7)…
Plus, certainly, Sigur Ros…

THE JOHN BUTLER TRIO blew my mind when i saw them in may…great musicins with such energy..when john played the ocean song the whole place went wild
also galactic at bonnaroo was stellar as is the black crowes

If I was alive it would be the doors. but since god stole my thunder and took me off this drugged out stage we call life. I would say the best live bands are.

white stripes
down
pearl jam
the stones
and last but not least garth brooks

If I was alive it would be the doors. but since god stole my thunder and took me off this drugged out stage we call life. I would say the best live bands are.

white stripes
down
pearl jam
the stones
and last but not least garth brooks

If I was alive it would be the doors. but since god stole my thunder and took me off this drugged out stage we call life. I would say the best live bands are.

white stripes
down
pearl jam
the stones
and last but not least garth brooks

If I was alive it would be the doors. but since god stole my thunder and took me off this drugged out stage we call life. I would say the best live bands are.

white stripes
down
pearl jam
the stones
and last but not least garth brooks

If I was alive it would be the doors. but since god stole my thunder and took me off this drugged out stage we call life. I would say the best live bands are.

white stripes
down
pearl jam
the stones
and last but not least garth brooks

As Tall as lions is one of the best new bands i’ve seen..

Arcade Fire, My Morning Jacket, Radiohead, Social Distortion..

THE ROOTS!

every little thing they do is magic…THE POLICE still the best live band in the world.an astonishing sound for a three piece.

every little thing they do is magic…THE POLICE still the best live band in the world.an astonishing sound for a three piece.

My Chemical Romance. i’ll be telling my grand children about that show!

OK this the most definitive list of best live bands – hands down!

(1) Peaches and Herb (saw them in a casino and they brought me to tears)

(2) Wild Bill and the Jugs (awesome, just awesome)

(3) Toby Keith (Heeeee Hawww, pardner)

(4) The Wiggles (ain’t just for kids that’s for sure)

(5) Enrique Inglesias (si, senor, me gusta mucho!!)

(6) The Micky Mouse Marching Band (saw them while at vacation in Disneyworld coming down Main Street in front of the Magic Kingdom – they kick ass!!)

(7) Hillary Duff (damn, so many hot young screaming female teens at this concert!)

(8) Dick Delicious and the Tasty Testicles (awesome metal band live)

(9) Psycho Sluts from Hell (hot raging babes strip in concert!)

(10) Cream of Whoop-Ass Soup (one of my all time favorite bands – see them live!!)

(9)

All hail WEEN

My Chemical Romance – I’ll be telling my grandchildren about that show!

Placebo – my heart beats for them

Cafe Tacvba is by far one of the best bands you can catch live. If you had been present at their concert on Central Park a week ago, you would know that.

Beachwood Sparks

When it comes to current live bands, no one beats Gogol Bordello, no one.

FOO FIGHTERS!

Dude, this is easy.

Wilco
The Decemberists
The White Stripes
And of course The Black Keys

Springsteen

then everybody else..

The Rolling Stones. They are THE best live act, ever. Period.

Tool, anyone….?

Calexico
Thursday
65daysofst atic
A Silver Mount Zion

Calexico
Thursday
65day sofst atic
A Silver Mount Zion

Thursday
Calexico
65daysofst atic
A Silver Mount Zion

Calexico
Thursday
65daysofst atic
A Silver Mount Zion

GOVT MULE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ben Harper hands down, not even close

Springsteen and Tool

ARCTIC MONKEYS
ARCTIC MONKEYS
ARCTIC MONKEYS
Oh….also, Green Day, White Stripes, Radiohead, and Rage Against the Machine

the flaming lips are the best, without question

the who is good, as is tenacious d, qotsa, ratm, and tom morello as the nightwatchman.

Roger Waters’ inflatable pig and prism on top of the stage gets my vote

- Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Flaming Lips
- My Morning Jacket
- Black Keys
- Raconteurs
- The Roots
- Wolfmother
- The Hives
- Spoon

Hope to see Radiohead and Arcade Fire at some point in life. Next time the HIves tour America, you’d have to be a fool to not catch their show. INSANE

The ones on top and…
Wilco
Franz Ferdinand
The White Stripes
Arctic Monkeys
Kings of Leon

wolfmother was great live, but it had a lot to do with their choice of a small venue, and the fact that I didn’t know their lyrics and couldn’t really understand them live. When I bought the album and heard the actual words I couldn’t help but laugh. Really, really bad, childish lyrics. Too bad

Pearl Jam is easily the best live band in the world……..nobody touches them.

RADIOHEAD!!!
Arcade Fire
Clap your hands say yeah

i hope next week is worst live bands now.
i also hope the Super Bowl halftime entertainment in charge people read this list so they stop havin artist popular 25 years ago perform (although Prince was ok)

Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead!

above all else, Radiohead

Without question, Rx Bandits put on one of the most energetic, genre-melding, awe-inspiring live shows of any band going today. And that’s whether it is in front of 50 people, or the thousands at Bonnaroo.

White Stripes
Flaming Lips
Gogol Bordello
Radiohead
Sigur Ros
Arcade Fire
The Knife
Battles
Black Keys

Dave Matthews Band, hands down.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

the lawrence arms and andrew w.k. by far, then:
yo la tengo
flaming lips
explosions in the sky

Radiohead
RHCP
AFI
Foo Fighters
Death Cab For Cutie

Yeap, when I rock out to Jeremy at a Pearl Jam concert all is right with the world.

I’ll say Wilco.

Pearl Jam does rock live though.

Beck

Radiohead

Beck

Radiohe ad

Sigur Ros are simply brilliant, really energetic.
and i cant believe nobodys mentioned Jamiroquai!

METALLICA.

Tool

Arcade Fire

Radiohead

ISIS

Queens of the Stone Age

of the bands ive seen that have been doing extensive touring.

the greatest live show to see is

MUSE

others are

Green Day ( suprising yes but they but on a hell of a show )

The White Stripes

of the bands ive seen that have been doing extensive touring.

the greatest live show to see is

MUSE

others are

Green Day ( suprising yes but they put on a hell of a show )

The White Stripes

Green Day
Foo Fighters

Saw Grizzly Bear live recently… Amazing

Arcade Fire takes the cake.
Yeah Yeah Yeah’s ARE indeed phenomenal.
Other shoutouts go to The Flaming Lips and Man Man.

Arcade Fire takes the cake.
Yeah Yeah Yeah’s ARE indeed phenomenal.
Other shoutouts go to The Flaming Lips and Man Man.

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals or Slo-Mo featuring Mic Wrecka.

Dispatch
RHCP
Foo Fighters
Petty and the Heartbreakers
Primus
Bouncing Souls

Dispatch
RHCP
Foo Fighters
Petty and the Heartbreakers
Primus
Bouncing Souls

DMB

Motley fucking Crue!

they had midgets, strippers, explosions, lesbians, harleys and ‘kickstart my heart’!

Motley f’n Crue!

they had midgets, strippers, explosions, lesbians, harleys and ‘kickstart my heart’!

best ive seen lately are man man, drive-by truckers and the hold steady

When will Rolling Stone realize the truth: no one live compares to Pearl Jam. End of story.

The Alternate Routes
Wilco
My Morning Jacket
Pearl Jam
The Stones

The Alternate Routes
Wilco
My Morning Jacket
Pearl Jam
The Stones

The Alternate Routes
Wilco
My Morning Jacket
Pearl Jam
The Stones

The Alternate Routes
Wilco
My Morning Jacket
Pearl Jam
The Stones

The Alternate Routes
Wilco
My Morning Jacket
DMB
The Stones

The Alternate Routes
Wilco
My Morning Jacket
DMB
The Stones

the answer is:
tool
the mars volta

That list is crap, get some real live acts on there:

The Police
Rage Against The Machine
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Dave Matthews Band
Pearl Jam
Tool
The Stones
Radiohead

Reel Big Fish are awesome live

Reel Big Fish

reel big fish

Dave Matthews Band
Gov’t Mule

Pearl Jam and Arcade Fire are 1a and 1b. They both put on spectacular shows night after night, and no other bands treat their fans with more respect. I’d also throw in Wilco, Fleetwood Mac, The Shins, and Incubus.

Arcade fire is the only great liove band you had in your list.you know who Kill Live?Slayer.Slayer is amazing live.

velvet revolver
guns n roses

DMB

Oasis – loudest and the best. Attitude, superb songs and great playing. No gimmicks. Strokes also amazing, for the same reason mentioned above.

Dave Matthews Band

RUSH

Dave Matthews Band, definitely.

ALICE IN CHAINS!

The Flaming Lips
Grand Buffet

definitely alice in chains

the raconteurs, for their musicianship and ability to jam relentlessly in a way that is not altogether uncool, which some might consider paradox. arcade fire next, arcade fire of two years ago, although their songs are not nearly strong enough on their own, neon bible is the flop that could’ve made them historically relevant.

the raconteurs, for their musicianship and ability to jam relentlessly in a way that is not altogether uncool, which some might consider paradox. arcade fire next, arcade fire of two years ago, although their songs are not nearly strong enough on their own, neon bible is the flop that could’ve made them historically relevant.

Peter Gabriel – His show’s fuse technology and theatrics to create artistic events. An unforgfetable experience.

The Musical Box – They recreate the early Genesis shows when Gabriel was still the front man. Attending a show by The Musical Box is like entering a time machine set for the early 70’s. They recreate those performances with attention to even the smallest details and the result is mesmerizing. If they come to your area, don’t miss them.

Gogol Bordello. No one even comes close right now.

Nine Inch Nails
Tool
Coheed and Cambria
Foo Fighters
Aerosmith

Go see a Blues Explosion (formerly Jon Spencer Blues Explosion show) ASAP

I’d say The White Stripes and The Raconteurs. There’s just something happening when Jack White enters a stage. Besides the pure energy and intensity, there’s also a feeling he gives, as if he’s there just for you. One can truely say that man sacrifices every calory his body can afford to give away on stage, just so you can feel better. And the worst is there aren’t any exceptions=) And ofcourse, – his skills are amazing!!!

- Beastie Boys
- Arctic Monkeys
- Daft Punk
- Bloc Party
- The Chemical Brothers
- Alkaline Trio

The Raconteurs are after my opinion the greatest live-band today. I’ve seen many (mantioning Flaming Lips, Muse, Arcade Fire, My Morning Jacket, QOTSA ++) but their musical skills and integrity are pretty much sensationable… Can’t wait to hear their upcoming album

Aerosmith
Bon Jovi
Velvet Revolver
Motley Crue

Those bands put on great shows. And for my big surprise band:

Styx. I just saw these guys about three weeks ago along with Def Leppard and Reo Speedwagon and they absolutley kicked ass.

Man, this is easy. Definitely:

1) The London Symphony Orchestra

2) Clay Aiken

3) Barbara Streisand

4) Barney the Purple Dinosaur

5) The Village People

gwar, don’t pay a cent for one of there albums but it’s crazy fun live.

gwar, don’t pay a cent for one of there albums but it’s crazy fun live.

Hey everbody, lets all plug our favorite bands!!!!!!

I wish RS would stop riding the Hold Steady’s ass like they were the second coming of Jesus. How good can a band be when their lead singer sounds so mopey, as if he’d rather be somewhere else.

Besides, the best live band out there right now is Gogol Bordello. There’s nobody in the same room as them.

I wish RS would stop riding the Hold Steady’s ass like they were the second coming of Jesus. How good can a band be when their lead singer sounds so mopey, as if he’d rather be somewhere else.

Besides, the best live band out there right now is Gogol Bordello. There’s nobody in the same room as them.

Drive-by Truckers
Butch Walker
Radiohead
Gogol Bordello
White Stripes
Robert Randolph and the Family Band
Barenaked Ladies
Lenny Kravitz (no I don’t like him either but Jesus, that man puts on a show)
Kid Rock (someone else mentioned him and I agree…say what you want about his records, after probably close to 200 concerts his was one of the best I’ve seen)
Bela Fleck and The Flecktones…say what you want, they are the best pure musicians alive…sorry Pearl Jam fans but I don’t think Eddie Vedder can rock out AND play Bach variations AND then play with Dave Matthews and actually make him seem still relevant

…I hesitate to name anyone that’s already in the rock and roll hall of fame cause that seems like it’s against the point but Springsteen, Petty, Buddy Guy, Aerosmith and U2 still do TEAR IT UP.

And what’s with The Raconteurs?? They’re good, live and on record, but they’re nowhere near that good…they’re not anywhere near The White Stripes, let alone EVERY OTHER BAND OUT THERE. I think Rolling Stone does kiss the ass of this or that artist way too much, but not The Hold Steady (they don’t make my short list for this but they’re still amazing)….but The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are just awful noise (yes, even for punk music, or whatever the hell they consider themselves) and The Arcade Fire is pretentious bullsh*t (this coming from a guy who LOVES pretentious bullsh*t).

And MMJ rocks but only if they don’t cancel out Drive-by or Radiohead (they kinda remind me of a cross between the two).

Tool has one of the best live shows you can experience without your brain exploding out of your skull.

CSS and The Flaming Lips

And could we stop saying things like “(whatever band) hands down. No one else is as good as them. No one else is in the same room. Without a doubt. Without question.” etc. etc? The fact that 80% of everyone on this list used some there-is-no-discussion sort of term (in, ahem, a goddammed DISCUSSION BOARD) makes them all seem silly. Besides, making bold statements like that only matter if people care what you think…i.e. if Thom Yorke said “I think Menudo is the best live band in the world, hands down, no one comes close.” I might say “Well, that does surprise me but since it’s Thom Yorke and I like his music, maybe I’ll check Menudo out.” If PrlJmFan69 says something to the same effect, it has less of an impact. Many famous people need to get over themselves, true, but I think people that aren’t really should first (obviously, before anyone who thinks they’re really smart thinks of it, yes I inlcude myself in there…all I did was state my opinions, and never once did I imply that mine were correct, or, worse, that anyone who disagreed was wrong).

Umphrey’s McGee
Disco Biscuits
My Morning Jacket

It might be a more interesting discussion board if commentors elaborated further about “why” they like the live bands which they do, rather than just listing the names of the bands. What made the experiences/performances stellar? I might then be more inclined to check out concerts I might not normally go to see.

CSS (CANSEI DE SER SEXY)

BJORK

RADIOHEAD

UMPHREY’S MCGEE

Widespread Panic.

Jimmy Herring – the greatest guitarist touring right now. In the world.

Without a doubt, the best live band around has got to be 311

Without a doubt, the best live act around has got to be 311

chuck mangione

The best live act around today has got to be 311

NIN and My Morning Jacket’s Shows are amazing as far as energy goes. Tool’s sound and atmosphere is really good.

But The Roots Take the cake.

The Roots have been the best band to see live in the last year. They’ve now added a horn section to this tour and is the best I have ever seen them. They will continue to be innovative musically and on stage.

The Gossip- Beth Ditto can out rock any band out today!
The White Stripes
Sam Roberts – he is just so crazy good to see live! His band is amazing!
Beck- just so fun to watch and he is so gifted its not even funny!
Atmosphere- he just loves playing for his fans, he’s so dedicated to them
System of the Down- no show can be as fun, fast and loud as them!

Gogol Bordello

Beastie Boys
Rage Against the Machine (reunited!!)
Red hot Chili Peppers

and did i mention the Beastie Boys?

I saw the Arcade Fire before I ever heard Funeral and it made me shiver it was so good.

The Hold Steady were also ridiculous good live–if you’re standing in the first two rows, you will probably get spit on and possibly hit in the head with Craig Finn’s guitar; they are insane in the best possible way.

I saw the Arcade Fire before I ever heard Funeral and it made me shiver it was so good.

The Hold Steady was also a ridiculous show. If you’re in the first two rows you will probably get spit on and possibly hit in the head with Craig Finn’s guitar–they are insane in the best possible way.

Simply…Keane

tommy saeng-

you’re the joke. spoken like someone who has obviously NOT seen the white stripes or the flaming lips. i have seen the white stripes, the flaming lips, the who, and the rolling stones… if we’re talking “live at leeds” who, or “get your ya-yas out” stones, then yes, maybe they deserve to be on this list. but sadly, those bands are long gone. the incarnations of the who and stones that currently exist don’t bring the same energy and power to their live shows that the white stripes and flaming lips do. the only pre-1990 artists that can even be in this discussion are springsteen, u2, and prince.

as for the 100 greatest guitarists ever issue, yeah, i laughed when i saw jack white was #17 and pete townshend was # 50… then i saw jack white live. the big difference? pete townshend can play who-type music better than anyone; jack white can play ALL music–country, blues, punk, garage, metal, rockabilly, or all at the same time. he and tom morello stand at the top as the single greatest guitarists of the last 20+ years. everyone else is in their shadows, and surprisingly, rolling stone got that right.

as for the flaming lips, their live show has to be seen to be believed. no amount of description can adequately do it justice. their show completely redefines the idea of “spectacle” in a concert.

the bottom line: the who and the stones bring a great time and lots of nostalgia. the lips and the stripes bring cutting edge art. 35 years ago, that’s what the who and the stones were bringing–not anymore. to be a truly great live band, you have to be at the peak of your relevance as a musician. only then can you make the audience feel like they’re having a life changing experience.

the people that saw live at leeds in person saw one of the greatest shows of all time… and in time, the same may be said of those that saw the stripes and lips at bonnaroo 2007.

Wilco
MMJ
White Stripes
Arcade Fire
Pearl Jam
The National

EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY

they’re awesome

ryan adams and the cardinals
interpol

…..cant beat that with a stick

MUSE!
Please.

Of Montreal
Mute Math

Pearl Jam is in another league…amazing setlists, long shows, improvs, Eddie’s connection/respect for the crowd, powerful songs with a message, they can still rock out and also have some amzing slower songs, they do some covers better than the original artist, etc.

I really have enjoyed MMJ, Wilco, Radiohead and Arcade Fire as well.

OAR, DMB, Foo Fighters, Incubus, would be on the next tier for me (all really good shows)

Tool

Tool
NiN

metallica

metallica

Pearl Jam

Roger Waters

The Who

Muse wins all the British awards for best live act and when I got a chance to see them live in Seattle I definitely found out why. Very very good. A surprising wildcard for everyone is Keane, who put on a surprisingly great show when I saw them two years ago.

Maximo Park. See them

Explosions in the Sky
The Dear Hunter
RX Bandits

as well as many, many more

Mute Math
Smashing Pumpkins (Zeitgeist-era)
Radiohead
Sigu r Ros
Muse

RHCP,just for John Frusciante alone!!

NIN – blows your head off your shoulders, musicianship is second to none much like,
TOOL- also amazing musicians, plus the lasers fucking rule
SLAYER- Like being kicked in the face (in a good way) heavy as you can get
THE OFFSPRING- (dont laugh at the back) they know how to put on a punk show and play well

OTHER ACTS:
The vandals
The alkaline trio
Slipknot
Zico chain
System of a down
Mastodon

Against Me!

most intense punk show ever.

Oh my gawd, like Britney Spears’ recent tour rocked!

Black Crowes, Black Keys, and Wolfmother (if you are lucky enough not to know the lyrics to Wolfmother songs, because if you do it’s hard no to laugh through the show)

Wilco
My Morning Jacket
Drive By Truckers
The Hold Steady

Smashing Pumpkins
The Killers

Umm… Van Halen in september. (if they ever get their damn tour off the ground)

AEROSMITH
ALEXISONFIRE
NICKE LBACK
MOTLEY CRUE
FOO FIGHTERS
MEGADETH
METALLICA

Nine Inch Nails- High energy from start to finish

Pearl Jam-You never know what you are going to get which makes them so exciting to see.

Roger Waters, RHCP, Tom Waits, The White Stripes, Bruce Springsteen

Pearl Jam

Roger Waters

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Rolling Stones

The Who

Zappa does Zappa

The Killers for sure. If you haven’t been, you are greatly missing out.

The Black Crowes
Ryan Adams
My Morning Jacket
The Black Keys
Rose Hill Drive
The Allman Brothers Band
Wilco

Those X-Cleavers
Pat McCurdy
Sigmond Snopek
Washed-Up Has Beens of Rock
LeNoisemakers from Hell
Kildozer
Die Kreuzen
Plasticland

Nice list, Bob. Can’t think of any better live bands than those!

The Flaming Lips
Gogol Bordello
Valient Thorr
The Automatic Automatic
Eagles of Death Metal
The Stooges
Be Your Own Pet

Against Me! and Bright Eyes

(late 90’s) marilyn manson
nine inch nails
the salads
the dead 60’s
a perfect circle

(late 90’s) marilyn manson
nine inch nails
the salads
the dead 60’s
a perfect circle

Pearl Jam
Queens of the Stone Age
My Morning Jacket
Wilco
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
The Boss
Arcade Fire

Pearl Jam
Queens of the Stone Age
My Morning Jacket
Wilco
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
The Boss
Arcade Fire

Pearl Jam
Queens of the Stone Age
My Morning Jacket
Wilco
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
The Boss
Arcade Fire

hands down,MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE

flaming lips
muse

hands down, greatest live bands still around.

hands down,MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE-to awesome for words.

SMASHING PUMPKINS-incredible.

WHITE STRIPES(going to see them at MSG on Tuesday)-we’ll have to see…….

Easy one:

1) Satan’s Scrotum

2) Cannibal Corpse

3) High on Fire

4) Vomit of the Priest

5) Wrath of Satan

Earth, Wind and Fire – most definitely!!!

Kool and The Gang – all the way!

Vanilla Ice

Clay Aiken

I went and saw Richard Simmons deliver a live, raucous 3 hour “Sweatin’ To the Oldies” set at the Cherokee County Convention center Fri. night. He did three encores. For the finally, he had relations with a Wallabee. Brilliant!

,,,,without a doubt, the BEST show I have ever attended (and I’ve been to LOTS of concerts) was Patti Smith and her band at the Moore Theater in Seattle (about 2 years ago, “Tramping” album). I was absolutly floored by her (their) performance. Even a few weeks later, I would still get chills thinking ’bout that night. More than just a music concert,,,it was almost like some kind of spiritual moment. I was stunned!!!

Easy second was 2 shows of Iggy and the fucking Stooges!!! ( Bumbershoot, and this year at the WaMu Theater, both in Seatttle) Oh my God!!!! These guys freak’n ROCK!!!!

CSS

ARCADE FIRE

OS MUTANTES

CSS and Interpol

1. Nelson
2. Raffi
3. Richard Simmons
4. Brett Winger
5. Taco(the comeback/farewell tour)
6. Amy Grant
7. Smashmouth

white stripes
flaming lips
foo fighters
raconteurs
arcade fire

Lets all jump on Pearl Jams balls and pretend their last album didn’t suck!

nobody has said the most rock out-sweat your ass off-punch somebody just cause you want to-sounds even better than the album band out there, KINGS OF LEON!!!

Man I feel better now.

Pearl Jam!

I would agree with all the RS selections.

-Flaming Lips are amazing live. The show is so fun to watch.
-311 has great energy.
-The Ghostland Observatory is incredible.

The Hold Steady, Dispatch, The Roots

Pearl Jam – to the ‘can’t we have a list w/o PJ guy – stfu, see them live. amazing peformers, different setlists every night, 2.5 hours +

DMB – to the ’screw the haters’ guy – hell yeah. amazing live. saw them at jazzfest last year, and the rain started falling during John The Revelator just as Dave got to “rain…rain…rain down on me…”

Decemberists – you know how most bands will add violins and production in the studio but when you see ‘em live it’s just 3 guitar playing high school dropouts who know 3 chords and you’re like ‘RICK REUBIN YOU FOOLED ME AGAIN’ … not these guys. each one has a pod of a half dozen instruments around them at shows. fuckin’ sweet.

The Flaming Lips live is awesome. Like a big party. And gotta love the hamster ball.

The Smashing Pumpkins
&
Nine Inch Nails

The Smashing Pumpkins

Nine Inch Nails

Tool

Radiohead

No one really mentioned the Hives. Muse and the White Stripes

No one really mentioned the Hives. Muse and the White Stripes

The Trews

Republic Of Loose, small, Irish and all about the sleeze

5) three tied at five
4) The Decemberists- they have fun with the audience and they deliver an epic sound with only five people. plus they’ve got “the mariner’s revenge song” in their arsenal.
3) The Flaming Lips- confetti, balloons, captain america, santas, martians, japanese television, oh and um a great cosmic sound.
2) Gogol Bordello- It’s in your face and full of energy. Eugene fires up the crowd and Sergey leads the amazing gypsy punk music to accompany the excitement.
1) The White Stripes- Just sit down and prepare to be blown away by the beautiful noise they create.

ummm duh, Pearl Jam, TOOL, Kings of Leon.

Decemberists
Flaming Lips
Gogol Bordello
RHCP
THE WHITE STRIPES

Zenidog, I hope you were at Bonnaroo, considering your list…if not, well, your whole list was there.

Anyway,

Drive-by Truckers
Radiohead
White Stripes
Butch Walker
Barenaked Ladies

PRINCE and his funkmasters kicks anybody ass!
Still best live performer in the planet.

Ashlee Simpson

U2
Incubus
Pearl Jam
White Stripes
RHCP

TOOL!

i sure I’ll get a lot of disagreement here but
arctic monkeys
and
radiohead
and
slipknot cause there crazy loud

and of course tool

Nine Inch Nails
White Stripes
Tool
Flaming Lips

White Stripes
LCD Soundsystem
Arcade Fire
My Morning Jacket

White Stripes
LCD Soundsystem
Arcade Fire
My Morning Jacket

THE MARS VOLTA!!!

They are incredible. Being at one of their concerts is like attending a rock exorcism.

Where’s the love for TV on the Radio? Lots of great suggestions, but you gotta have these guys up there

Ryan Shaw, so much energy and soul and so young. Im sure he will be mentioned in the years to come, he blew me away this weekend in philly

Your concert review made me go see LCD Soundsystem, and they kicked ass

The Allman Brothers Band – If you haven’t seen Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes play guitar together, I feel sorry for you.

Dave Matthews Band

It’s gotta be the Flaming Lips, their shows are ridiculous

Supersuckers
The Bellrays

If you haven’t seen either, make a note to check them out, rock and roll the way it’s meant to be played…

Widespread Panic most definately. Apparently every group listed is some mainstream Rolling Stone bullsh*t!

Umphrey’s Mcgee is also a good one to see.

Dispatch!

Wilco toured here recently…definately the best!

This is so easy. It’s gotta be:

1- Celine Dion (when she played that Titanic song it brought the whole audience to tears)

2- Billy Jack and the Dancin Negroes (truly awesome performance, can’t wait to see them again)

3- Taylor Hicks (this guy is the friggin’ coolest!!)

4- Morningwood (damn, this band has so many hits and they’re just awesome live)

5- Seven Mary Three (kick ass rock -n-roll!!!)

6- The Harlem Boys Tabernacle Choir (praise the Lord for their great fucking performance!!)

7- Yanni (so much emotion in his concerts)

8- Air Supply (saw them play at the Tropicana Casino Hotel and they fucking kicked ass!!! Made me not think about my gambling problem any more).

9- Michael Bolton (made me realize that life is worth living)

10- Insane Clown Posse (that shit is dope, know what I’m sayin??)

It has to be:
U2
Kings of Leon
Pearl Jam

I saw the white stripes in Yellowknife on there tour of the Canadain North. The whole tour up here was probably the greatest musical event in northern history.

Animal Collective was phenomenal…and I can’t wait to see MMJ and the Arcade Fire later this year….

Brand New
The Living End
Blindside
Against Me!
Minus the Bear

Oh and the Rolling Stones (they still got it)

RATM, MMJ, The Mars Volta, QOTSA, Sevendust, Incubus, The Tea Party, Tool, Slipknot

RATM, MMJ, The Mars Volta, QOTSA, Sevendust, Incubus, The Tea Party, Tool, Slipknot

One of the best Live Shows i have ever went to is 311. I go see them every year at least once.

311 is the current best live band … see them live and u will change your whole opinion of them.

311 was terrible live! Tool is dead!

Jamie Lidell
Yo La Tengo
Dan Deacon
The Flaming Lips
Dirty Projectors

Kings of Leon.

I have seen:

Pearl Jam
White Stripes
Wilco
Tool
My Morning Jacket
Radiohead
Muse

All in the past two years.

But the best show that I have seen was My Chemical Romance. It was by far the most entertained I have been and they are the only band who left my wanting more at the end of the show. For the record, I am 35 years old and I did not want to go to the show.

Pearl Jam

Rocco Deluca & The Burden

I’ve seen almost all the bands listed here (arcade fire, wilco, the decemberists, tv on the radio, the hold steady, the flaming lips, etc)

The List (still)
1. Springsteen (nobody compares)
2. Al Green
3. The Roots

yes ladies and gentlemen, u can jerk off to other bands but these 3 are head and shoulders better than the rest

Springsteen!

Flaming Lips
RATM
Black Crowes
Tv On the Radio
Robert Randolph
The Roots

1.Red Hot Chili Peppers
2.White Stripes
3.Aerosmith
4.Joel Plaskett
5.In-Flight Safety

My Morning Jacket
Pearl jam

Who ever said Aerosmith go away. Muse
Wilco
White stripes

Who ever said Aerosmith go away. Muse
Wilco
White stripes

Who ever said Aerosmith go away. Muse
Wilco
White stripes

Paul McCartney
Keane
Jet
Arctic Monkeys

white stripes
muse
radiohead

ho w about some love for

ROBERT RANDOLPH & THE FAMILY BAND?

they are blues/funk gods, their shows are absolutely electric

DAVE MATTHEWS BAND
white stripes
muse
radiohead

ho w about some love for

ROBERT RANDOLPH & THE FAMILY BAND?

they are blues/funk gods, their shows are absolutely electric

gov’t mule is the best live act.

Dave Matthews Band
The White Stripes
Muse
Robert Randolph & The Family Band
Radiohead
U2
Arctic Monkeys

I’ve only seen one of you mention the Foo Fighters so far. Did anyone else notice that they blew the rest of the card off the stage at Live Earth? Honorable mention goes to AFI and Alkaline Trio.

Raconteurs
Wilco
Drive-By Truckers

R.I.P. Slobberbone

CSS and Smashing Pumppkins

Reel Big Fish
Streetlight Manifesto
and Against Me!

HOW HOW HOW CAN THE FLAMING LIPS NOT BE ON THIS LIST?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!!?

CSS (CANSEI DE SER SEXY)

Kings of Leon is great every time.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Snoop Dogg puts on a great show.
Flaming Lips: Best Live Show I’ve Ever Seen.

The Fixx opened up for the Psychadelic Furs. The Fixx put on the greatest show I have ever seen (and I have seen a lot of shows). The lead singer had the best stage presence I have ever seen. The show was so good that I didnt even stick around to see the Furs because I didnt want them to bring me down. Stand or Fall, Saved By Zero, One Thing Leads To Another, and so many others are so culturally relevant today. The Alarm was the first act and they put on a great show too.

The Hives

The Mars Volta
Radiohead
The Living End
Muse
Nine Inch Nails

The Mars Volta
Radiohead
The Living End
Muse
Nine Inch Nails

Allman Brothers – Haynes and Trucks are bad ass – I would to see them play the Fllmore
DBT – I would love to see what the new version of the Truckers will be
Wilco- Just Special
Metallica – Saw them way back at Monsters of Rock at Candlestick and they were the main band that day, even more than VH
Shane Magowan – Just nice to see him standing

Killswitch Engage: Howard Jones is always incredible live and Adam D. never fails to do crazy shit.
Chiodos: Craig Owens is the man and he really pumps up the crowd.
3: Joey Eppard is an incredible guitar player and singer. I can’t believe more people don’t know about them.

the roots
arctic monkeys

Tool!!! The most talented and unique band in the world STILL after all these years. F’n TOOL!!!

Other GREAT shows:
Incubus, RATM, Chili Peppers, AFI, The Mars Volta, Brand New, Mos Def, Common, and Talib Kweli.

CSS and Wilco

Umphrey’s McGee
Flaming Lips
Wilco
Tool
White Stripes
Tea Leaf Green

Red Hot Chili Peppers
Silverchair
P!NK (she really is a great performer regardless of whether or not her music is good)

Os Mutantes! Circo Voador, Rio de Janeiro. Best live show I’ve seen in ages! they totaly rocked! amazing!

Os Mutantes! Circo Voador, Rio de Janeiro. Best live show I’ve seen in ages! they totaly rocked! amazing!

I have seen 4/5 of the bands you have nominated RS but here is the real list.
1. Mogwai – a band that can make you feel the music and make you deaf
2. Sigur Ros – emotionally draining
3. Radiohead – creative, groundbreaking, amazing
4. Tool – their live show is a giant acid trip – even though I don’t do acid
5. Broken Social Scene – best Canadian band live and they are WAY better than Arcade Fire live.

arcade fire

CSS

Stooges

the flaming lips – this band will change the way you think live music should be

wake up people – the greatest live act on the planet is PRINCE – and its been that way for 25 years.
he’s in a class of his own
all the rest are just competing for a distant 2nd

Hold Steady, Wilco, New Pornographers.

Hold Steady, Wilco, New Pornographers.

Kasabian.
The Killers.

Kasabian.
The Killers.

DROPKICK MURPHYS

No doubt about it: MUSE & Flaming Lips!

Why are people foregetting Bruce Springsteen and The E-Street Band!?

No band will ever come close to these guys live!!

Bruce Springsteen!!

No one comes close to this guy!!

Rolling stones are allright too… Coldplay are not too bad either

And lets not forget Björk!! She might be number 1 !!

mmj for sure

Glad to see you guys picked THE HOLD STEADY, they’re excellent live. I’ll never forget that show.

BUILT TO SPILL are the best live band I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen a lot. Their music translates SO well on the stage.

RADIOHEAD, though you can only see them anymore with 20,000 other people, they’re great.

RYAN ADAMS, when he wants to be, is the best around.

Arcade Fire, Arcade Fire and Arcade Fire

Echo and the Bunnymen… still relevant, still mesmerizing live

with honkers like this, I give the best show!

Muse
Nine Inch Nails
SlowEarth
Tool

Arcade Fire

The White Stripes

Wilco

The Raconteurs (Amazing Show)
Radiohead
The Black Keys

!!! (chk chk chk) for sure

Chilli peppers suck live

Radiohead is phenomenal live, but Animal Collective and Beck both deserve honorable mention. Those were two of the best shows I’ve ever seen.

not enough people have umphrey’s mcgee. Whether you’re in to the whole jam scene or not let me tell you that Umphrey’s puts on amazing live shows that will blow your mind and melt your face. Definetly alot of fun to watch!

umphrey’s is a sloppy rehashing of Phish and haven’t been exciting or innovative since around the beginning of 2005

ARCADE FIRE!!

They had the best set at Coachella this year, and this is coming from a life-long RATM fan.

umphreys mcgee are fucking insane, how do you get sloppy out of them? there one of the most precise jam bands out there? i love phish, moe. etc but they are way more sloppy

1. umphreys
2. the mars volta
3. radiohead
4. anything with jack white in it
5. particle (this band is truely insanity)

Not one LCD SOUNDSYSTEM shout-out?!?

Wow.

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum. Hands down the best live band I’ve ever seen.

U2- for the complete package and Bono’s stage presense.
DMB-for shear musicianship
Ozomatli-for unbelievable energy

Apart from Arcade Fire… Rodrigo & Gabriella – if that counts as a band! Those two are incredible. That’s real live music right there.

Apart from Arcade Fire… Rodrigo & Gabriella – if that counts as a band! Those two are incredible. That’s real live music right there.

I recently saw Travis live at a pretty small venue, and couldn’t believe the amount of energy they were able to create with their predominantly mellow catalog.

DR. DOG
DR. DOG
DR. DOG
DR. DOG

I just saw them at Siren… they sound/play like what the Band should have kept sounding like after the Stage Fright album

they’re ‘mazing

Metallica

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
The Black Crowes
Wilco
Trey Anastasio
The Dave Matthiews Band
The Allman Brothers Band
Gov’t Mule
The Trews
My Morning Jacket

I think the greatest “new” live band around is _______________. Feel free to insert whatever band name you like…all these new bands look the same, sound the same and will be long forgotten in no time. I like the frog ring tone song. Is that on tour?

While Jimmy Buffett certainly the best touring band now, they are still the most fun. Escaping to Margaritaville for a day is never a bad idea !!! But seriously, I’ve not seen sny of the bands on the RS list live, but I was really blown away by Arcade Fire’s performance on SNL. I hope they hit the Pittsburgh area this fall. Also, I bet Muse puts on a pretty good show too, if their albums are any indication.

Correction: Jimmy Buffett is certainly NOT the best touring band going… my mistake, blame it on Monday. They are still a lot of fun though !!!

The White Stripes should definitely be on the list of best live bands. I’ve seen them and The Raconteurs each multiple times, and while I enjoyed The Raconteurs, they pale in comparison to the Stripes.

Radiohead
The Black Keys
Animal Collective
Tortoise
Acid Mothers Temple
The Roots
TV on the Radio
Arcade Fire

The following deserve shout-outs as well:

The Wrens
Broken Social Scene
Dan Deacon

Cozybones- a canadian band
Wolfmother
Metallica- but they are in MTV too much

My Chemical Romance

Michael Franti and Spearhead

If you have a chance, go see these guys. A very social conscious musician that can get an entire venue jumping. Amazing

Foo Fighters
Dropkick Murphies
Smashing Pumpkins

no music critic on god’s green earth can convince me The Raconteurs are good for anything. And I’m a jack White fan.

I nominate the following
Radiohead, Noisettes, Shearwood, My Morning Jacket (as the best current live band), Lightning Bolt, and Kaiser Chiefs

The Rapture puts on one of the best high energy shows around.

Muse
White Stripes
Arcade Fire
LCD SOundsystem

The Rapture puts on one of the best high energy shows around.

Muse
White Stripes
Arcade Fire
LCD SOundsystem

Arcade Fire, My Morning Jacket, Queens of the Stone Age, Wilco, Kings of Leon, Rage Against the Machine, The Hold Steady, and Prince of course.

Kings of Leon
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Flaming Lips
Rage Against the Machine

Porcupine Tree!!!!

Pearl Jam

Hands down definitely

Barbara Streisand!!

Best performer ever!!

major kudos to the lightning bolt mention. i definitely agree with that one.

The reunited Stooges still put on an amazing show

my morning jacket is #1, no doubt about it.
also:
wilco
white stripes
radiohead

Best live bands? Love the discussion:
I know most of these have been said already, but…

U2, My Morning Jacket (better than everyone right now) Pearl Jam, Prince, The Hold Steady (they kicked ass at Bonnaroo), The Black Crowes and I have to say, the Police are kicking ass right now as well…tremendous show…North Mississippi All Stars. So good.

Radiohead are worth driving/flying/running/selling ones most valued possessions to see.

My Morning Jacket are hair raising live.

Cold War Kids would have to be my most recent pick for a great live show.

I thought TV On The Radio was underwhelming live. Their album was so well produced that they can’t replicate it in a live setting.

Oh, and the Avett Brothers are really awesome live. They hail from my home state and have really been touring hard recently. Their newest album, Emotionalism, is quite good.

Rage Against The Machine
The Roots

Tool
NIN
Roger Waters
Thats all I’m willing to pay to see

i still think the chili’s make a great live show…i miss Sockman tho ;P

i still think the chili peppers make a great live show….however, i DO miss sockman ;P

are half of these bands even touring right now? I thought Thom Yorke was still doing his own thing

are half of these bands even touring right now? I thought Thom Yorke was still doing his own thing

Just saw Dolores O’Riordan (former lead singer of the Cranberries) last night in Seattle. The show was amazing, rocked much harder than I thought it would. Go see her live if you get the chance.

Also:

Pearl Jam
Muse
John Fogerty
The Living End

black lips

the Arcade Fire have the most dazzling live show I’ve ever seen. Nothing compares to it. Not even the Rolling Stones, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Police (who were pretty bad, I must say), even Roger Waters was a cripple compared to the Arcade Fire.
(Why do so many people like Dave Matthews? His music is deppressing…)

I’m going old school and off the topic of current bands but the best LIVE act I ever saw was the J.Geils band in 1978 at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. In over thirty years of concert going, including seeing much bigger names, I have never seen energy like that night.

The National

Radio Birdman

Morrissey

My Morning Jacket
Kings of Leon
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Deftones
Ben Harper
Dave Matthews Band
Radiohead
Eagles of Death Metal
Queens of the Stone Age
Beck

I think this has to be subjective, anyway..

Incubus, everytime (too bad the crowd usually sucks)
Interpol
Pearl Jam
Xavier Rudd
The John Butler Trio
The Roots
RHCP
…and i got Muse coming up and am pretty sure they will make the list.

Never seen a best live band list that didn’t include Drive-By Truckers. Serious oversight on RS’ part.

Roger Waters!!!

The best live bands preforming today are:

The Jimmi Hendrix Experience
The Doors
Jefferson Airplane
Cream
Iron Butterfly
Frank Zappa
Beatles

The Stones

I agree about MMJ, but what about the Drive-By Truckers, Dinosaur Jr. or a consistent live act for 20 years, Widespread Panic?

Drive-By Truckers, Dinosaur Jr, Widespread Panic

The New York Dolls are the killer band.
Their reunion concert in london after 30 years apart is mindblowing rock n’ roll.
Steve Conte is a great sub for Johnny Thunders.

DBT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Hold Steady
Slobberbone (R.I.P.)
Legendary Shack Shakers
Scott H. Biram
Avett Brothers (they just keep getting better)
Bruce Springsteen

DBT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Hold Steady
Slobberbone (R.I.P.)
Legendary Shack Shakers
Scott H. Biram
Avett Brothers (they just keep getting better)
Bruce Springsteen

RUSH 2007 World Tour!!!

Drive-By Truckers
Wilco
Widespread Panic
The Roots
Ryan Adams & the Cardinals
Black Crowes
Lucinda Williams
My Morning Jacket
and Bettye LaVette blew my mind last month

i saw the White Stripes on Sunday in Portland, Maine…Jack & Meg are #1 on my list. F N GREAT!!!

Muse, by far.

The list
1Radiohead
2Red Hot Chili Peppers
3Radiohead
4Radiohea d

The list
1Radiohead
2Red Hot Chili Peppers
3Radiohead
4Rad iohead

You guys writing at Rolling Stone AND who are reading Rolling Stone/Spin/Blender magazines OR living in the United States) should see the greatest LIVE band in the planet MUSE perform LIVE (like right now)

1. Muse
2. Arcade Fire
3. Rage Against The Machine
4. U2
5. Tool

BEST GREATEST/BEST LIVE BANDs

#1. Muse
#2. Prince
#3. Arcade Fire
#4. Rage Against The Machine
#5. U2

White Stripes and Radiohead are way OVERRATED!

GREATEST/BEST LIVE BANDs

#1. Muse
#2. Prince
#3. Arcade Fire
#4. Rage Against The Machine
#5. U2

White Stripes and Radiohead are way OVERRATED!

I agree, MUSE should be Number 1. Wake up America!

MUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1. Muse
2. Arcade Fire
3. Rage Against The Machine
4. Prince
5. Radiohead

Muse, Radiohead, RATM and The Arcade Fire are the top live bands for me.

RUSH . they make the POLICE look like lifeless waxworks on stage.RUSH at secc glasgow in oct 07 can’t wait.

RUSH . they make the POLICE look like lifeless waxworks on stage.RUSH at secc glasgow in oct 07 can’t wait.

RUSH. end of story

wilco
dr. dog!!!!!!!!!!
the teeth

MUSE!!!!!!No. 1 best live band

Rush, as always. They always sound perfect.

My Morning Jacket FOR LIFE. Get on it…its not to late.

Also LCD Sound System…i have never danced so much to a band that doesn’t move. pure perfection!

Duh – My Morning Jacket.

This list is invalid. I’ve seen everybody in that list, MUSE is #1 live band.

You all guys should see the real best live band – MUSE!

YOU GOTTA HAVE THE DRIVE BY TRUCKERS ON THAT LIST MAN THEY ARE THE BEST LIVE SHOW!!!!! ALSO, HOW ABOUT MAGNOLIA ELECTRIC COMPANY THEY ARE ANOTHER GREAT LIVE BAND!!!

You all should should see the best live band in the planet … MUSE!

Muse is performing at Lollapalooza and Madison Square Garden next week. Do yourself a favor, go watch MUSE live then you can vote and express your opinions here very well.

Muse is (#1) the best live band by far.

I agree, you all should MUSE perform live. You seem to be out of touch with music live scene.

MUSE FOR THE WIN!

Muse for the win! They are without a doubt the absolutely best live band in the world now.

umphreys mcgee. moe. the string cheese incident.

Muse are amazing live. They bring a full spectrum experience that all fans, new or old will always enjoy and never get bored of.

DAVE MATTHEWS BAND FOR LIFE

DAVE MATTHEWS BAND FOR LIFE

DAVE MATTHEWS BAND FOR LIFE

I would have to say Dave Matthews Band because they are very good live.

DEFINITELY The Dave Matthews Band…i mean honestly…have you been to one of their concerts? They kick major ass!

Rush is hands down the best live band playing today, yesterday, and ever.

If you have never seen a My Morning Jacket show you have yet to truly live! They are the greatest live band I have ever seen (no, not seen, but experienced) Also the Flaming lips are incredible and have been for quite some time.

how about a post of the worst live performances of an artist you have seen lately…

Cat Power – What could have been the best show after the first song turned into the biggest train wreck. Chan – just need to keep it together sister and play the music. Trust me – it sounds really good down here in the front.

VELVET REVOLVER
pearl jam
my chemical romance
the bravery
rise against
alice in chains (even without layne staley they ROCKED

#1 MUSE!!!!!

Rush

They would mop the floor with anyone out there. 3 hours every night.

Rush

They would mop the floor with anyone out there. 3 hours every night.

Muse is the best live band. My vote is for MUSE!

Muse is the best live band. My vote is for MUSE!

Sufjan!

Allman brothers is def the most musically talented show ive ever seen. (warren haynes and derek trucks) (2005)

-clutch(everyone listen to clutch)
-zztop
-gov’t mule
-”the motor city madman” was great
I havent seen many shows but those were the best

!Sigur ros!!Sigur ros!!Sigur ros!!Sigur ros!!Sigur ros!!Sigur ros!!Sigur ros!!Sigur ros!!Sigur ros!!Sigur ros!!Sigur ros!!Sigur ros!!Sigur ros!!Sigur ros!!Sigur ros!!Sigur ros!!Sigur ros!!Sigur ros!!Sigur ros!!Sigur ros!!Sigur ros!!Sigur ros!!Sigur ros!!Sigur ros!!Sigur ros!!Sigur ros!!Sigur ros!

I’ve seen a lot of bands in my days, but I have to say that there are three who have given me hours of great times and never disappoint LIVE:

1) Bruce Springsteen (3 hrs a night)
2) Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers (so under appreciated – SEE THIS BAND!!!)
3) The Alternative Routes

I’ve seen a lot of bands in my days, but I have to say that there are three who have given me hours of great times and never disappoint LIVE:

1) Bruce Springsteen (3 hrs a night)
2) Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers (so under appreciated – SEE THIS BAND!!!)
3) The Alternative Routes

Anyone taking rock or pop bands seriously doesn’t know anything about music or is just trying to reclaim their youth. It’s all the same stupid shit- listen to some Art Tatum recordings from 50 years ago. Do you honestly think the music of these bands popular today will last hundreds of years like Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Stravinsky, Monk, Coltrane or Charlie Parker? They will pass on into oblivion with their three and four chord crap and no one will care about these musical morons.