Top 5 music acts seen live

[Bazzy]

Okay , we have had the Top 5 albums . How about top 5 music acts you have seen playing live ? (If you want to , say where it was and when)

Neville Staples (from the Specials & Funboy Three) at Wasted Blackpool August 2006 /
The Varukers \
Peter & Test Tube Babies /
Slayer (Reign in Pain Tour in Manchester England in the 1980's) \
Discharge

[Gunslinger]

I saw Neville Staples in 2000. It was a damn good show.

1. The Reverend Horton Heat, 2006 at Mississippi Nights
2. The Slackers, various performances since 1997
3. Los Straitjackets, Abbey Pub in Chicago in October of this year
4. They Might Be Giants
5. Flogging Molly

[stephenvegas]

gunslinger said:

I saw Neville Staples in 2000. It was a damn good show.

1. The Reverend Horton Heat, 2006 at Mississippi Nights
2. The Slackers, various performances since 1997
3. Los Straitjackets, Abbey Pub in Chicago in October of this year
4. They Might Be Giants
5. Flogging Molly

Flogging Molly is one of my favorite bands and they put on a good show. I saw them here in Las Vegas at the House of Blues in Mandalay Bay on the Strip in March of 2005. It was not an all -ages show so they had tubs of Guinness on each side of the staircase which was cool. Flogging Molly that night probably put on one of the better shows I have seen here in Sin City.

[Trent Lawless]

Don't know if I can list top 5, because many shows I've seen are just standard rock-type events, but I can tell you that my first time seeing Marillion, which was in of all places Poughkeepsie, New York, in '95, was hands down the best. It was the last show on the tour, so we were able to keep the band coming back out for encore after encore until past 1 am (the show had started around 9 pm). Plus I was only about 5 feet from the stage, so I could put up with the discomfort of standing the entire time.

The worst was Depeche Mode in '01. The lighting reminded me of Christmas decorations and Dave Gahan kept getting the crowd to do his job for him by pointing the microphone at us to sing certain passages. Didn't play anything pre-Violator. The wife and I left before the encores.

[gatekeeper]

1 - Pearl Jam

2 - Maceo Parker (former James Brown sax player - my idol)

3 - Kid Rock

4 - Knee Deep Shag (local Michigan band)

5 - Lenny Kravitz. Took an extra ticket. Always like him but never had any huge desire to see him live but he put on a great show.

[KethVale]

1. Queensryche
2. KISS (Psycho Circus Tour)
3. Alice Cooper (97, so much better then late 80's when his voice was gone)
4. Dream Theater
5. Skid Row

[josharpie99]

1. KISS, July 2, 1996 reunion tour in St. Louis
2. Bruce Springstein, 2000 in Chicago
3. Metallica, St. Louis in 1991
4. Aerosmith in 2004 in St. Louis
5. KISS, 1992 Revenge tour, St. Louis

[sickman]

In no particular order:

1. Kid Rock (Devil Without A Cause Tour; heard a couple tracks on the radio, was bribed to go see him and was glad it happened. Amazing Show. Bought the album the next day.)

2. Korn (Always an amazing time; lots of crowd energy.)

3.Godsmack (If you've never seen them do the dualing drum thing, you're missing out!!)

4. Rob Zombie

5. Metallica

[Trent Lawless]

sickman74 said:

3.Godsmack (If you've never seen them do the dualing drum thing, you're missing out!!)

King Crimson did something similar on the "double-trio" tour with Bill Bruford and Pat Mastellotto. Haven't heard Godsmack's version, but I've heard from people basically the same thing you're saying.

[Big Bri]

Concerts are a huge part of my life. I've been going to them since I was 16 and have now been to 82 of them. When I go to a concert, I enjoy holding my double-fisted ridiculously overpriced beers in the air and yelling cuss words. A concert is a great way to see who REALLY has talent. To truly judge the concert experience, I always consider the stage show, lighting, level of interaction the artist makes with the crowd, as well as the music itself.

Since it was too tough to pick 5, here they are from 8 to 1...

8. Bruce Hornsby - 1994 - this was a free outdoor show. My twin sister stuffed a 6-pack of Budweiser in one of my mom's old purses and snuck it along for the show. Then, we got right up front since I was a huge BH fan, and during the show I flashed a "peace" gesture at him and he returned it to me while playing. That was awesome, and the music kicked serious butt.

7. Alabama - 2004 - This was my first country concert. They played for two hours, took a 1/2 hour break, then came back and played for another hour! The highlight was when they played "America The Beautiful" and showed images of troops in Iraq & Afghanistan. They even did "Beer Barrel Polka". These guys are true masters of live entertainment.

6. Lionel Richie - 2000 - this was actually a Tina Turner show but Lionel opened. He started with "Hello" and the stage was pitch black except for a blue spotlight that was roaming in the crowd. Then, when the song reached the line of "Hello, is it me you're looking for?" Lionel appeared in a spotlight onstage waving and the place went apeshoot. Then, he walked offstage for a second only to return in full 1970's Commodores garb and did "Brick House" & "Fancy Dancer", completely making fun of himself. He received a two-minute standing ovation, while Tina Turner didn't get one at all (although she did great too, but not as good as the man I dub "The 13th Apostle")

5. Van Halen - 2004 - This was the reunion tour with Sammy Hagar. I never imagined they'd open with a David Lee Roth-era tune, but lo and behold, the keyboards to "Jump" began playing and Sammy nailed it, while Michael Anthony (bass) modified a certain line of the song and yelled "How the f**k you been?" Plus, this was their second show of a two-night stand in Detroit, so we got to go to a nearly-empty section of the Palace and weren't crammed in. Also, they modified the "Right Now" video so that one slide said "Right Now, Van Halen is kicking a** at the Palace of Auburn Hills." Magnificent show.

4. Styx - 1996 - this was the reunion tour of the original lineup. The lights went out and all of a sudden a spotlight appeared on Dennis DeYoung as he sang the opening line of "The Best Of Times" which says "Tonight's the night we'll make history." It was really cool. Plus, they did an acoustic set which included "Light Up" and "Boat On The River". I bought their greatest hits album the next day.

3. AC/DC - 2000 - my best friend is originally from the Czech Republic. While getting to know each other, he mentioned that his favorite American band was AC/DC and that he had wanted to see them his entire life. So, the time came and even though we were in the very top row of the Gund Arena in Cleveland, this was incredible. I saw them once already in 1996 and that was a great show, but this blew that one out of the water. They actually OPENED with "You Shook Me All Night Long", shocking the crowd in a good way. Even though my best friend was 34 at the time, he looked like a 8-year old kid his face was so lit up. At the end they did "For Those About To Rock" and when they sang about the 21-gun salute, they rolled out a replica cannon and "fired" that S.O.B. 21 DA*N TIMES!!! You simply haven't lived a full life until you’ve seen AC/DC.

2. Bon Jovi - 2003 - my National Guard unit as doing our 2-week training down in Cincinnati, helping to restore an abandoned military cemetery. We were working with the local fire dept. and they scored free tickets for all of us. They opened with a 1-hour acoustic set that started with a cover of David Bowie's "Heroes". As they started to play it, the backdrop lighting turned into an American flag and JBJ dedicated the song to the troops. After slaving for two weeks in that cemetery, honoring those who sacrificed for us, that was the icing on the cake. Then, they did a 1 hour electric set, which included all the hits, then closing with a cover of "Shout" (Animal House tune). Awesome experience.

1. Black Crowes - 1995 - Nothing extravagant, just bare bones rock n' roll. I had been a die-hard BC fan from their debut, so finally getting to see them was a grand moment. Music-wise, the best show I've ever seen.

[gatekeeper]

bigbri said:

1. Black Crowes - 1995 - Nothing extravagant, just bare bones rock n' roll. I had been a die-hard BC fan from their debut, so finally getting to see them was a grand moment. Music-wise, the best show I've ever seen.

Great pick. I love this band but never got a chance to see them live.

[GOODZILLA]

bigbri said:

1. Black Crowes - 1995 - Nothing extravagant, just bare bones rock n' roll. I had been a die-hard BC fan from their debut, so finally getting to see them was a grand moment. Music-wise, the best show I've ever seen.

I'm with Payback, this is a great pick. I've seen them twice in my life. Both times in Detroit. 1st time the tickets cost one freaking dollar! And the second time they were touring with Oasis. And the Crowes rocked me both times.

[MikeMcKinney]

ok........

5. Cinderella
4. Dream Theatre
3. Korn
2. Queensryche (if you have never seen them, GO DO IT)
1. KISS-1979- (my 1st concert, it was a dream come true)

[Big Bri]

bad2begood said:

bigbri said:

1. Black Crowes - 1995 - Nothing extravagant, just bare bones rock n' roll. I had been a die-hard BC fan from their debut, so finally getting to see them was a grand moment. Music-wise, the best show I've ever seen.

I'm with Payback, this is a great pick. I've seen them twice in my life. Both times in Detroit. 1st time the tickets cost one freaking dollar! And the second time they were touring with Oasis. And the Crowes rocked me both times.

BC are known for their generosity. On the show I went to, the fans were allowed to bring recording devices.

Always wanted to see Oasis. I'll get around to it someday.

[Big Bri]

mikemckinney said:

2. Queensryche (if you have never seen them, GO DO IT)

Several people have told me the exact same thing. They're probably at the top of my "still have to see" list.

[Highway61Revisited]

5 - The Pixies

4 - Radiohead

3 - The Rolling Stones

2 - The White Stripes

1 - Bob Dylan

[theace4ever]

1) KISS (Reunion Tour - Shreveport, LA 1996)
2) Garth Brooks (Fresh Horses Tour - Shreveport, LA 1997)
3) Metallica (Black Albm tour - Oklahoma City, OK 1992)
4) Ozzy Osbourne (No More Tours 1992 -OKC, OK & Retirement Sucks Tour 1996 - Shreveport, LA)
5. Queensyche (Building Empires Tour 1991 - Dallas, TX)

[JMello]

Haha, you guys won't like my picks, but hey...it's my opinion.

1. Roc the Mic Tour (Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, Fabolous, and Bonecrusher)
2. Big Shizzo 6 (Ludacris, Chingy, Obie Trice, Eamon, and Tech Nyne)
3. Ozzfest 2000?? (Ozzy, Manson, Slipknot, etc.)
4. Ozzfest 2001?? (Ozzy, Rob Zombie, SOAD, etc.)
5. Music is a Weapon Tour (Disturbed, Drowning Pool, Adema, Systematic, and Stereomud)

There's my top 5, so deal with it.

[theace4ever]

jmello said:

Haha, you guys won't like my picks, but hey...it's my opinion.

1. Roc the Mic Tour (Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, Fabolous, and Bonecrusher)
2. Big Shizzo 6 (Ludacris, Chingy, Obie Trice, Eamon, and Tech Nyne)
3. Ozzfest 2000?? (Ozzy, Manson, Slipknot, etc.)
4. Ozzfest 2001?? (Ozzy, Rob Zombie, SOAD, etc.)
5. Music is a Weapon Tour (Disturbed, Drowning Pool, Adema, Systematic, and Stereomud)

There's my top 5, so deal with it.

Actually I wouldnt mind seeing Jay-Z and Snoop as I like both, Ludacris is great as well
Good choices with the Ozzfest...especially 2000, Slipknot rules!
Disturbed rocks as does Adema

[DracoRulz]

5. Bush - Charlotte Coliseum
4. Ziggy Marley
3. Dave Matthews Band - several times in Charlotte
2. REM - Chapel Hill
1. U2 - Hampton Coliseum, Joshua Tree Tour