Who has been the greatest live act ever?

[Mudbugfish]

Who has been the greatest live act ever?

The Stones, U2, Springsteen, Queen, Floyd?

 

[U2Fanatic4ever]

wrong forum...

this belongs in Just the Bang and The Clatter...


mods will probably move this thread in there..fyi.

 

[bono_212]

Touch choice for me between Springsteen and U2. I've seen them both twice, but the Springsteen shows are fresher in my mind

 

[bono_212]

Oh, you can vote for more than one. Well then

 

[achtung_girl]

 

[bono_212]

 

[europop2005]

Sesame Street Live

 

[redhotswami]

have you ever seen cruzilla dance? hands down best ever!!!

 

[UberBeaver]

My favorite show has been Floyd. Never really seen anything like it since.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

Who has been the greatest live act ever?

I think Michael Jackson was the greatest live act. Especially after he got the boob job.

 

[Angela Harlem]

I think Michael Jackson was the greatest live act. Especially after he got the boob job.

I'm going to say him and be absolutely serious, too. His live work is just utterly and totally flawless. Pristine. He's not my favourite singer, but his show was astounding. I've been thoroughly surprised by who is actually an unbelievable performer. It's a funny thing to remove bias from it and see that, yes, Phil Collins is the fucking shit! Paul McCartney - not the biggest fan (didn't think I was a fan, to be honest) but man can he put on a show... Metallica, love their studio work. But in concert? Not so much. They just weren't as good as I reckon they could or should have been. Criticism spread over a few things there, from setlist to technical failings.

But no, best in show? Michael Jackson. Hands down. I'm serious. He's a freaky, freaky man.

 

[MrPryck2U]

Sorry, but no way was Michael Jackson the best live act ever. His only good tour was the Bad Tour in the late 1980's.

The Grateful Dead had a pretty long run of good tours. They could arguably be one of the best. Springsteen, U2 and the Rolling Stones are up there. But, no way Wacko Jacko.

 

[Earl-Of-IMDb]

Frank Sinatra! ya'll actually seen the DVD's?

 

[LemonMelon]

1960-1979: The Who

1980-Present: U2 (Wilco, Arcade Fire, and The Flaming Lips are all up there as well.)

 

[cdisantis83]

If the How the West Was Won album is in any way exemplary of their typical concert atmosphere, I'm going to nominate Zeppelin.

 

[Zoots]

U2
Pink Floyd

 

[Irishteen]

From those I've seen

U2, Arcade Fire, Radiohead or Amanda Palmer

Morrissey is up there too

 

[Screwtape2]

I'd say Peter Gabriel's Genesis.

Great setlists
Great musical performances
Great vocal performances
Great visual performances
Unique shows

Of who I've seen in person, Return To Forever. Simply amazing and total fun.

 

[IWasBored]

springsteen, end of discussion.

 

[Angela Harlem]

Sorry, but no way was Michael Jackson the best live act ever. His only good tour was the Bad Tour in the late 1980's.

The Grateful Dead had a pretty long run of good tours. They could arguably be one of the best. Springsteen, U2 and the Rolling Stones are up there. But, no way Wacko Jacko.

 

[gman]

I once watched a documentary about the history of rock. And there was a whole episode dedicated to the great live acts, the likes of Springsteen, Queen, u2, The Who, Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd, The Police etc etc, and the consensus was...u2 were the ultimate live act.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

U2 !!!!

I love U2. they're cool. lead singer is a bit of a fat preacher these days, but they still have the bald guitarist and he's pretty good. there should be a fan site/message board dedicated to these guys!

 

[phillyfan26]

1. U2
2. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
3. The Who
4. Led Zeppelin

 

[No spoken words]

How can this thread still be going?

Someone said that Springsteen was the end of the discussion.

 

[elevation2u]

I certainly agree with the Springsteen vote, though I have never had the privilege to see Morrissey live, I have always imagined it would be an awesome show.

 

[No spoken words]

I've seen Bruce about 6 times and U2 a ton more....I think both put on great shows, but, I like U2's music more, and so I guess that's why I enjoy myself more at a U2 concert.

I'd be loathe to vote for Zeppelin as they've had plenty of uneven Live performances in their career.....and, I'm a big fan so I say that with reluctance.

It's funny, I saw Elbow several months ago, and while it was a tiny venue and there were no bells and whistles, I was fairly enraptured for the entire set....cannot imagine a much better concert experience than to be lost in the music for the whole show....but, of course, they'd never make a list like this......

So, for me, yeah, it'd be U2 but it's obviously highly subjective.

 

[joyfulgirl]

I've seen Bruce about 6 times and U2 a ton more....I think both put on great shows, but, I like U2's music more, and so I guess that's why I enjoy myself more at a U2 concert.

Same here. I saw ZooTV five times and so far nothing has topped that.

 

[No spoken words]

Same here. I saw ZooTV five times and so far nothing has topped that.

I was lucky enough to see them on the JT Tour when I was 16. My first concert of any variety. For myriad reasons, nothing will top that....but, Zoo TV was amazing indeed. I saw Zoo TV about 10x between the inside and outside broadcasts (I was truly broke at the end of that tour, thank goodness I was in my early 20's/in college and still living at home). When you go on tour supporting albums as seminal as JT or AB, the shows are bound to be amazing no matter how good the stage presentation....but toss in the Audio/Visual elements that Zoo TV offered up and you have an astounding show.

 

[bono_212]

So does that mean you got to hear ASOH live then? (and for that matter did you get to hear The Unforgettable Fire?)

 

[djerdap]

Wait, nobody mentioned Pearl Jam? They are the finest live band around today, in terms of energy, setlist variety, duration and the sheer fun they bring. Eddie Vedder is as good as you can get for a frontman.

U2 and Radiohead are damn close. I'm not a fan of Springsteen, but I have to say he is one of the best live acts around as well.

History-wise, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd would easily fit into this category.