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Yoooooo, what are some of your favorite live performances? (they don't exactly have to be videos, just personal experiences at least ;p)

Here's a few'a'mine! :O
Pavement - Here
TV on the Radio - Blind
Arcade Fire - In the Backseat

The best bands I've seen are, in order, Iggy and the Stooges, Hey Rosetta!, and TV on the Radio. Although the full list of bands I've seen is obviously much longer, they are almost all great, except for Van Halen with Sammy Hagar (better when I saw them again with DLR) and Rogue Wave, who I've seen a few times, unfortunately. Plants and Animals were also awful.

Probably Animal Collective this past May. It was like some strange frantic party where everyone in the crowd was jumping and moving the whole time; I know a lot of people complained about it, but I thought the energy of the crowd was a lot of fun. The bass was enormous.

Bruce Springsteen. That man can play the fuck out of any arena, anywhere.

Eddie Vedder. He did a very intimate solo show, full of very nice covers and some originals. Plus the opener Liam Finn was fucking awesome

since people mentioned bruce and win:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsukSiGcUng

Edit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olk8feBYHeg

Mew at the ICA last month. A 300 capacity room with only 240 tickets put on sale. We got to experience the new tour set-up in one of the most intimate venues I've been to for a band of this stature. A beautifully synced video show, ethereal lighting, and a massively satisfying set encompassing their entire career, this was the best I've experienced. Got tickets for their full blown tour in October too, can't wait.

Marilyn Manson at the Brixton Academy many moons ago. I'm not a massive fan of his entire catalogue, but the live show he put on back then was absolutely outstanding. Almost every song had a different theatrical backdrop and costume change. From a huge mock-nazi outfit and speech podium, to Manson crawling around the stage on ten foot tall stilts like some demented insect, it was an awesome spectacle.

Lost Prophets at The Peel in Kingston, just before they got big. A small 100ish capacity room and THE most energetic band I've ever seen. They didn't stop jumping, crowed surfing, and swinging their instruments around their shoulders for the entire 40 minute set. I'm glad I caught them then, bought tickets to see them play at Brixton a few years later (mainly as glassJAw were on support at the time) and they were stock static and their recent stuff was a let down for me. I'm not a fan anymore, but this show I'll always remember.

Also fair mention to glassJAw at Brixton Academy last year who played a stellar set (let down a little by a slightly muddy sound, but they put their all into it), and Arcade Fire at Reading in 2005 (I think) who presented their set like a party on stage. The Fire had two procussionists, the main drummer wearing a helmet and the second not only playing his set up, but the drummer's helmet as he leapt around the back of the stage. Really good fun.

Bands who've surpassed the standard: We Are Scientists, Deftones, Foo Fighters, Offspring, Bush, Bright Eyes, Klaxons, Cursive.

brighter wrote:
Bands who've surpassed the standard: We Are Scientists, Deftones, Foo Fighters, Offspring, Bush, Bright Eyes, Klaxons, Cursive.

I saw the Foo Fighters, Dave Grohl is an excellent frontman

Best live artist I've seen is Sydney avant-jazz group The Necks. But my favourite live recording is probably Pioneers of Aviation, from Instant Delivery, by The Flower Kings.

My favorite live recording is "No Woman No Cry" by Bob Marley, from a London concert. That song is ten times better live.

flagmyidol wrote:My favorite live recording is "No Woman No Cry" by Bob Marley, from a London concert. That song is ten times better live.

Oh my freaking God, yes. I'm not a Marley fan, but that shit is relevant.

k-os's Karma Tour back in May. awe-inspiring

I also love the live album of Paul Simon's Central Park concert.

Last three tracks especially.

My favourite live recording has to be sly and the family stone live at woodstock (especially "higher"). That shit is immense. Anything from woodstock is good though....

Favourite live act i've seen is pronghorn, who are a cowpunk band from dorset. Seriously impressive stuff live, a mix of ska, punk, country, and awesome. Their cover of "the ace of spades" is quite cool.

Crystal Castles and Girl Talk were probably the best shows at Sasquatch! Music Festival 2009. I enjoyed Animal Collective too but the crowd was nowhere near as lively as those other two.

Something about over 30 people almost being knocked over from the sheer size of the crowd at Crystal Castles, as well as barely being able to move an inch in the front rows and feeling like you just contracted several STD's made the overall experience that much better. I had to sit out from the Girl Talk crowd because my friend and I were too dehydrated, but it was amazing fun to watch.

I saw the "Real Man of Genius" duo one time at a baseball game.

Last week, I just got back from Reading Festival. I saw /alot/ of bands play, and many were really amazing. Radiohead played a two hour set and that was incredible. Another mention goes to 65daysofstatic, who, unfortunatley, I only managed to see half of their set, but the half I did see was amazing. In the past, the best live band I've seen was TV On The Radio, in a tiny 300 person crowd. It was really intimate, and I even shook Tunde's (the lead singer) hand. I also saw Muse at Wembley stadium a while back, and that was amazing. The show had incredible lights as well as music, and there were crazy things going on. I.e, at one point, there were acrobats being suspended from giant balloons above the crowd, and they were spinning and turning on these ribbons. :D

One of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard performed is "Wonderful World" written by Sam Cooke, sung by Art Garfunkel. It was on the set of SNL back in about 1978 and John Belushi kept interrupting. Unfortunately I wasn't alive back then so I had to watch it on DVD.

Its got to be Radiohead at Reading Festival last month. Best gig of my damn life. Although, only just beats Jack Johnson in Hyde Park. And i am expecting them to get pwned when i see Muse at the O2 in November.

Limer wrote:Its got to be Radiohead at Reading Festival last month. Best gig of my damn life. Although, only just beats Jack Johnson in Hyde Park. And i am expecting them to get pwned when i see Muse at the O2 in November.

Radiohead at Reading Festival is apparantly the most legendary school of all time.

Rush.

Seen them live twice, and after thirty-five years of perfecting their live act, they're just unbelievable.

John Mayer's Live in Birmingham is just sick.

KlanKaos wrote:Rush.

Seen them live twice, and after thirty-five years of perfecting their live act, they're just unbelievable.

I've seen them, and Meh.

I'm no connoisseur of live performances, but here's a video I like:

Goo Goo Dolls, Live in Buffalo

I don't know if anyone here actually likes the Goo Goo Dolls, but I really enjoyed listening to this. The crowd joins in from the first word, it's great.