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What are the best live acts?


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

1. The Cramps
2. The Ramones
3. Toots Hibbert (touring as Toots and the Maytals, even though Toots fired the original Maytals some time ago)
4. GWAR
5. The UK Subs (crap music, brilliant live show)
6. AC-DC (when Bon Scott was their front man)
7. The Meat Puppets
8. Tom Waits
9. The Anti-Nowhere League
10. Van Halen (w/ David Lee Roth: I hate their music, but I saw them twice, and had a rocking good time!)
11. Iggy Pop
12. Ted Nugent (This man is the redneck Iggy Pop)
13. Joe Ely
14. The Butthole Surfers
15. The Clash
16. The Mentors
17. Nig Heist
18. Emmy Lou Harris
tweakgeek
slipknot1
1,423 posts
 
Grateful Dead
Phish
Dave Matthews Band
Allman Brothers Band
David Nelson Band (formerly of New Riders of the Purple Sage)
Shawn Colvin
Jerry Douglas
mes
393 posts
 
Tragically Hip.
jayarr
117 posts
 
By far- the Outlaws. Second- the Who(before Quadrophenia)
richingoth
326 posts
 
The Black Crowes, Alien Sex Fiend, The Cramps, The Ramones, The Clash, Gang Of Four
zaikesman
3,017 posts
 
OK, how 'bout this? Some bands I saw resurrected at the Cavestomp shows in NYC '97 - '01 (RIP) that I never imagined I'd get a chance to see in my lifetime:

The Pretty Things
? & The Mysterians
The Litter
Barry & The Remains
The Gants
The Troggs
Sky Saxon (The Seeds)
Mark Lindsey (The Raiders)
The Blues Magoos
The Creation
The Electric Prunes
The Beau Brummels
The Monks
The Zombies
The Standells
The Chocolate Watch Band
Richard & The Young Lions
Sean Boniwell's Music Machine
Downliners Sect
The Third Bardo
Syndicate of Sound
...and those were just the gen-u-wine '60's bands...

Hope I haven't left out anybody (except for a band calling themselves The Shadows of Knight who didn't sound like it, and deserved to be), but these shows were truly an embarrasment of riches from out of the mists of time, real rock'n'roll-wise. Ya'll kiddies shoulda been there.
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