Top 10 live acts of all time (according to Rolling Stone Magazine)

[Lynch]

I saw Floyd back in 87 (or was it 88) for the Momentary tour. The light show as incredible. One of my all-time favorite concerts. I don't know what (if anything) changed when they were in the Pulse era of the early/mid 90's. I'm sure incredible.


But... TSO now? Holy cow. Their stage show is insane.

 

[Prime]

There are probably a few bands that I would have liked to see on here as well. Though, gotta remember, it's a top 10 list. I'm sure a top 100 list would consist of bands that would catch people's eyes more. In my opinion, if there were a top 100 list, I would like to see Tool, Metallica, Megadeth, and Lamb of God on the list somewhere. Not because those are concerts I have seen, but because they put on a fantastic show.

 

[LG]

I have no doubt TSO puts on a great show Lynch, but the entire PF experience will remain among the greatest concerts I have ever seen, I am so glad I did see them here when they were still kicking ass.

 

[Cosmic Harmony]

And I'd also put KISS a lot higher. Not just because I'm a fan, but they put more energy and showmanship into a concert than ANY other band I've ever seen. The who? no. The stones? no. Kiss? Yes, the most energetic and fantastic stage show on earth. Pink Floyd puts up one of the greatest light shows ever, well they used to. I think Trans Siberian Orchestra has everyone beat in that category now.

With all due respect, as far as energy goes Lynch I think the Who had way more in their prime than KISS did. Pete's windmills, Roger whipping the microphone around, Keith beating the bajeebus out of his drum set like a madman, and then just the absolute destruction of their equipment (to name a few things). Yes, KISS have the explosions and the swords and blood and everything else and that all makes and excellent spectacle as well but for the most part they didn't move around a whole lot (I think it might have had something to do with the 8 inch platform boots. ). So when it comes down to energy I think The Who trump KISS quite easily. They both deserve to be in the top 10 either way though.

One act I see missing though is the man who brought theatrics to music in the first place, Alice Cooper. If you ask me that's a crime because I saw Alice just a couple years ago and into his 4th decade of making music he still has (in my opinion) the best live show on the planet.

 

[Lynch]

but for the most part they didn't move around a whole lot (I think it might have had something to do with the 8 inch platform boots. ). So when it comes down to energy I think The Who trump KISS quite easily.

All due respect taken but I'll have to say the same, with all due respect... after reading this right here, I'd have to make an educated guess that you've never been to a Kiss concert. There are actually quite a few things you mentioned that the Who did that Kiss also does, however KISS one-ups the Who in every way (IMHO). Paul Stanley doesn't stop moving the entire concert. If it's not dancing in place while singing AND playing guitar at the same time, he's moving from one part of the stage to another. Gene may not be running back and forth, but the guy is constantly making eye contact with the crowd, pointing at the audience, never missing a single note on his bass and never looking down to double check either. He's back and forth a bit, but nothing like Paul. Flailing drummers are a dime a dozen, only difference would be that all of the drummers in Kiss could keep a beat and keep time while doing so, something Moon failed miserably at in the 70's in concert.

They both deserve to be in the top 10 either way though.

I do agree with that.

 

[Syd]

The Who practically invented legendary rockstar concerts I believe. They may not have the greatest show on technology, because it just wasn't what was used in the time. But they killed with rocking songs, and live performance that ges beyond all the light and fireworks. But they are both bands really famous for their live shows, so there is no case in discussing which one is better. Some will prefer the show with lights, fireworks and stuff. Other will prefer other things. But we can all agree that both bands rock. I wish I get to see some of them live.

To those wondering, I went to RS website and this was a fan vote list. People chose those baands and not like a group of "experts". Maybe that is why some new bands are missing. I've seen Arcade Fire concerts on TV and they are awesome. A lot of people also talk about The Flaming Lips as one of the most respected live shows in these times, so I really look forward to seeing them live.

 

[Hydrazoic Acid]

To put it mildly, it's a strange list. It contains U2, Pearl Jam, Grateful Dead and Bruce Springsteen, but at the same time, here's no place to "live monsters" like "Deep Purple", "Uriah Heep", "Dio", "Scorpions" and "Iron Maiden". "Queen" on the seventh place - this is nonsense, in the sense of energy of "live" show I don't see equal to them. Well, Led Zeppelin performances, in my opinion, losing heavily due to the inability of Robert Plant normally sing high vocals (my ears is cut, while he's trying to sing the "Black Dog" or "Communication Breakdown" in the middle range).
In general, from this list I would have left in the Top-10 only "Queen" (on 1-st place), and just as well "Pink Floyd", "The Who" and "Stones".

But in general, "specialists" from this magazine make ​​me doubt about their professionalism, when in the list of the Top 100 guitarists of all time, they put Kurt Cobain, BB King and Chuck Berry is higher than Iommi, Blackmore and May.
For me their opinion - it's incoherent babbling of the patient in a delirium tremens.

 

[Cosmic Harmony]

All due respect taken but I'll have to say the same, with all due respect... after reading this right here, I'd have to make an educated guess that you've never been to a Kiss concert. There are actually quite a few things you mentioned that the Who did that Kiss also does, however KISS one-ups the Who in every way (IMHO). Paul Stanley doesn't stop moving the entire concert. If it's not dancing in place while singing AND playing guitar at the same time, he's moving from one part of the stage to another. Gene may not be running back and forth, but the guy is constantly making eye contact with the crowd, pointing at the audience, never missing a single note on his bass and never looking down to double check either. He's back and forth a bit, but nothing like Paul. Flailing drummers are a dime a dozen, only difference would be that all of the drummers in Kiss could keep a beat and keep time while doing so, something Moon failed miserably at in the 70's in concert.

Well you'd be right in say that I've not actually been to a KISS concert however I have caught one or two on VH1 Classic which is probably the next closest thing. Paul Stanley was very active, yes but from what I saw the rest of the band was pretty immobile. Now scratching out whoever was suppose to be playing Peter Criss since the drummer can't exactly be running around (though I have seen very energetic drummers, Keith Moon being one, Yoshiki, Brian Viglione, and David Grohl being others that come to mind quickly) that leaves us with Gene and whoever was playing the role of Space Ace at that time. Now the Ace that wasn't really Ace didn't move a muscle almost the ENTIRE show so he wasn't energetic, and while Gene is very good at what he does pointing and eye contact don't convey all that much energy to me. Maybe it's different while actually at the concert but from what I've seen much of the energy of KISS's shows (that isn't from the music itself) comes from their theatrics and not so much the members themselves, aside from Paul of course.

To put it mildly, it's a strange list. It contains U2, Pearl Jam, Grateful Dead and Bruce Springsteen, but at the same time, here's no place to "live monsters" like "Deep Purple", "Uriah Heep", "Dio", "Scorpions" and "Iron Maiden". "Queen" on the seventh place - this is nonsense, in the sense of energy of "live" show I don't see equal to them. Well, Led Zeppelin performances, in my opinion, losing heavily due to the inability of Robert Plant normally sing high vocals (my ears is cut, while he's trying to sing the "Black Dog" or "Communication Breakdown" in the middle range).
In general, from this list I would have left in the Top-10 only "Queen" (on 1-st place), and just as well "Pink Floyd", "The Who" and "Stones".

I will agree with you 100% on Robert Plant, Northumberland. From all that I've ever heard from Zeppelin's live recordings Robert Plant doesn't sound all that great half of the time (plus I've heard he has a tendency to forgot lyrics) and that makes him lose a degree of merit as a singer in my book. Also I've never been all that impressed with him as a frontman either. In fact, "The Song Remains The Same" was TV just a few nights ago and when he wasn't playing a tambourine all Plant did was just stand there in one of three poses. I've seen "The Song Remains The Same" and other instances of Zeppelin live and I must say that Robert Plant leaves me very unimpressed.

 

[AboutAGirl]

Not being a concert connoisseur, I don't really have much of a feeling on this list.

I will say I like Led Zeppelin's loose, haphazard live performances. If they were a more traditional live band I would have lost interest in them years ago, as I played their studio albums to death when I was 13. I got bored of traditional-style live records for any band a long time ago, that's one of the reasons I dig Unplugged.

As far as concerts go, I've seen most of my favorite bands and there have been some special shows... but in my experience no arena or stadium show can compare to a show at a club or a bar. All of the best shows I've seen have been in clubs, bars, or theaters. Once the venue gets big you've lost a lot of the magic and the feeling of having a rapport between the band and the audience. Big, flashy stage props and antics can be fun but they're a rather poor consolation for the raw power of seeing a band pour their sweat onto a small stage, figuratively speaking.

That being said, different kinds of shows work with different kinds of venues. Open air arenas can be a lot of fun at times.

 

[Syd]

Not being a concert connoisseur, I don't really have much of a feeling on this list.

I will say I like Led Zeppelin's loose, haphazard live performances. If they were a more traditional live band I would have lost interest in them years ago, as I played their studio albums to death when I was 13. I got bored of traditional-style live records for any band a long time ago, that's one of the reasons I dig Unplugged.

As far as concerts go, I've seen most of my favorite bands and there have been some special shows... but in my experience no arena or stadium show can compare to a show at a club or a bar. All of the best shows I've seen have been in clubs, bars, or theaters. Once the venue gets big you've lost a lot of the magic and the feeling of having a rapport between the band and the audience. Big, flashy stage props and antics can be fun but they're a rather poor consolation for the raw power of seeing a band pour their sweat onto a small stage, figuratively speaking.

That being said, different kinds of shows work with different kinds of venues. Open air arenas can be a lot of fun at times.

I agree with that last part. I also seem to prefer bars, clubs or theaters. But only for some kind of bands and their songs. Punk-rock bands are great in pubs and smaller venues, because you can feel all their power there. It would feel empty in a big arena. But I couldn't picture Queen doing that. Half the fun of those concerts relied on seeing the whole stadium clapping in Radio Gaga, in singing along or with following Freddies lead when he did his voice thingies.

Also there are some bands specialized on Festivals, others on their own stadium concerts and other in pubs. But that's a mixture of the bands quality, their showmanship, the kind of music they play and the personalities.

I love The Strokes, but they barely move live. So do Arctic Monkeys. So it wouldn't be that great to be in a huge stadium if they don't do anything with that. But other bands like Green Day have a whole show prepared and they are awesome live in big stadiums.