50 best live acts according to Q

[HolyJoe914]

The Rising opened at No. 1, if I recall, so I'd be willing to bet that it did indeed outsell ATYCLB in its first week of release.

I'm not here to set up a Bruce Springsteen vs. U2 battle, since they're two of my three favorite acts of all time.

The point is, that list is a complete joke. I saw the Stones a couple months ago and they were very, very good - but they couldn't touch EITHER U2 or BS&TESB as a live act.

And I like the White Stripes just fine, but at this point in their career they have about 10 songs total that are worth listening to. A few more rants: Pink Floyd is a shell of what it once was - it would be like Ringo Starr hiring Steve Vai, Nikki Sixx and David Lee Roth, and going on tour as "The Beatles." And Kraftwerk a "great live act"?!?! More like, music to go into a coma by.

But the one I keep coming back to is Guns N'Roses -- my god, doesn't this guy read the papers?? GUNS N'ROSES DOES NOT EXIST ANYMORE -- it hasn't existed for 6-8 years.

Axl Rose is the trash-metal version of Michael Jackson - a fat, drug-addled, over-the-hill washed-up screaming parody of himself, leading a band of hired session players to play badly performed versions of his "greatest hits."

He shows up when he feels like it, and he doesn't show up when he doesn't feel like it. Half the shows on his current "tour" have ended in riots when the Great Mr. Rose hasn't felt it necessary to actually show up at the concert.

I'd shell out good cold cash to go watch the Beached Boys or Creedence Counterfeit Revival before I'd pay a nickel to go watch Axl Rose's freak show. Any "ranking" that would rank that in the top 50, much less the top 500, of "live rock acts" needs to be crumpled up and shoved in the nearest trash tank - fast.

 

[Popmartijn]

Hello,

How come everyone gets so worked up about a list that never existed this way? I mean, 4 months ago Q published in their magazine a list of 50 bands you have to see live before you die. That list wasn't ranked, but was largely alphabetical (hence someones comment a few months back that U2 only made #47 or so of the top 50). Granted, by omitting Bruce and Pearl Jam the list far from accurate, but that was not the whole point of the list.
I can't recall if GNR were on that list too, maybe they were in the section of 10 artists you have to see before they die (that small list included Kraftwerk and Shane MacGowan). So please, put a bit of perspective in everything.

C ya!


Marty

P.S. IIRC, The Rising sold about 650,000 copies in the USA in its first week. Don't know the exact number, but it was more than ATYCLB.