Best Band You Have Seen Live

[SA HAWK]

Faith No More were always an amazing live band.

 

[Mesc]

Yeah they were meant to be fire early 90s. I got the DVD of this show from Bali, unbelievable

They were absolutely in peak form around the Chaos A.D / Roots era mate, never to be repeated. Allegiance kicked arse at the Freo gig too.

 

[The Casey Cat]

Tool 2001.

 

[Shai]

This is tough, best OS live would have to be Foos. Most spectacular would be Coldplay for their light show. Close to the heart, Bryan Adams.

Of the Aussies I could never name just 1, very proud of all the quality artists we've produced and I've had the privilege of seeing live.

 

[windyhill]

David Lee Roth was outstanding, had Steve Vai with him. Brilliant both of them.

 

[icestationzebra]

Queen were awesome when I saw them.

 

[Fossie 32]

Yes twice
Led Zeppelin
Pink Floyd
Santana
Jethro Tull
Moody Blues
Midnight Oil
Kevin Borich Express
Sweet Jayne
Manfred Mann’s Earth Band / Deep Purple/ Free
Cold Chisel
Steeleye Span
Stiletto
Neil Young, Leo Kottke, B Springsteen, Petula Clarke, Sinead O’Connor, Paul McCartney

 

[Shai]

Queen were awesome when I saw them

Who was the lead singer? I would have given a lot to see Freddie live.

Yes twice
Led Zeppelin
Pink Floyd
Santana
Jethro Tull
Moody Blues
Midnight Oil
Kevin Borich Express
Sweet Jayne
Manfred Mann’s Earth Band / Deep Purple/ Free
Cold Chisel
Steeleye Span
Stiletto
Neil Young, Leo Kottke, B Springsteen, Petula Clarke, Sinead O’Connor, Paul McCartney

Really like the list, couple of artists there are interesting in that I don't know very much about them or their music so will check them out.

 

[Partridge]

Jethro Tull at the Horden Pavilion in 1972 when I was working up there. It was their "Thick as a Brick" tour, they sounded incredible and were the first band I had seen that had a stage show. They were also very, very funny. It was like watching Monty Python doing the "Thick as a Brick" tour.

Best Australian Band, Spectrum at their final concert at Dallas Brooks Hall. It was recorded as their wonderful album "Terminal Buzz". Still the best live Australian Recording for me. Mike Rudd could really work a crowd.

Plenty of other memorable concerts as well. The first concert I ever went to at Festival Hall in 1971 had Free, Manfred Mann and Deep Purple. Free were outstanding and blew everyone off the stage. It finished about 2am. I reckon if you can easily select one band, you haven't seen enough.

It's amazing, I've met older guitar players, general music fans of that vintage, and every single one unanimously has said how incredible Free were. It's not like Deep Purple were slouches at that time either.

For me probably the Who in Sydney in 2009. I'd seen them at the Grand Prix in Melbourne a few days earlier, which was very good, but in Sydney it was indoor, and for whatever reason Pete and Rog managed to ignite the fire. The sole word that described it was POWER. Cannot conceive what they would have been like in their prime.

A family friend who was a little older saw tons of great bands in the early '70s and onwards. He always maintained the Stones at Kooyong in 1973 was the best concert he'd ever seen. Lucky sod saw them not only with Mick Taylor but also with Nicky Hopkins. Still jealous.

 

[CliffMcTainshaw]

Queen were awesome when I saw them.

When I saw them in 1976, I couldn't hear them for the non stop screaming of all the teenage girls.

 

[Fossie 32]

Jethro Tull at the Horden Pavilion in 1972 when I was working up there. It was their "Thick as a Brick" tour, they sounded incredible and were the first band I had seen that had a stage show. They were also very, very funny. It was like watching Monty Python doing the "Thick as a Brick" tour.

Best Australian Band, Spectrum at their final concert at Dallas Brooks Hall. It was recorded as their wonderful album "Terminal Buzz". Still the best live Australian Recording for me. Mike Rudd could really work a crowd.

Plenty of other memorable concerts as well. The first concert I ever went to at Festival Hall in 1971 had Free, Manfred Mann and Deep Purple. Free were outstanding and blew everyone off the stage. It finished about 2am. I reckon if you can easily select one band, you haven't seen enough.

Purple / Free / Mannfred Mann / Pirana was my first concert too All I can remember now apart from loving it and the excitement of it all was Mick Roger's guitar for Mannfred Mann. I hadn't heard much of their stuff and it was a surprise - brilliant.
The only other concert I saw with multiple great acts was at Calder Racetrack 1977 - Santana / Fleetwood Mac / Little Rivcer Band / Kevin Borich Express. I loved the look on KB's face when he jammed with Santana and how the Mac came on just as the sun was setting. [Not so much the biatch I went with who said she loved me for my tickets then ditched me.]

 

[CliffMcTainshaw]

It's amazing, I've met older guitar players, general music fans of that vintage, and every single one unanimously has said how incredible Free were. It's not like Deep Purple were slouches at that time either.

For me probably the Who in Sydney in 2009. I'd seen them at the Grand Prix in Melbourne a few days earlier, which was very good, but in Sydney it was indoor, and for whatever reason Pete and Rog managed to ignite the fire. The sole word that described it was POWER. Cannot conceive what they would have been like in their prime.

A family friend who was a little older saw tons of great bands in the early '70s and onwards. He always maintained the Stones at Kooyong in 1973 was the best concert he'd ever seen. Lucky sod saw them not only with Mick Taylor but also with Nicky Hopkins. Still jealous.

The problem with Deep Purple was that they kept having extended solos over the night. A 15 min drum solo followed by 15 min guitar solo and then another drum solo got a bit boring. Manfred Mann was terrific, but Free with Paul Rodgers singing, Paul Kossoff on guitar, Simon Kirke on drums and Andy Fraser on Bass were the standout performers. When you find out that Rodgers and Kirke were only 21, Kossoff, 20 and Fraser, 18 when they performed at Festival Hall and had been playing together for 3 years you realise that they really were remarkable. Kossoff's early death due to Heroin, was another tragedy for the music industry. He would have been in the Hendrix, Clapton bracket of truly great guitar players of the time.

 

[CliffMcTainshaw]

Yes twice
Led Zeppelin
Pink Floyd
Santana
Jethro Tull
Moody Blues
Midnight Oil
Kevin Borich Express
Sweet Jayne
Manfred Mann’s Earth Band / Deep Purple/ Free
Cold Chisel
Steeleye Span
Stiletto
Neil Young, Leo Kottke, B Springsteen, Petula Clarke, Sinead O’Connor, Paul McCartney

The Loved Ones
Went to “That’s Life” in Windsor to see them. I was on the train to Richmond. When we got to Camberwell, Gerry Humphries came into my carriage and sat down opposite to me. We both changed trains at Richmond, got off at Windsor and walked to the venue with me “stalking him”, but back then it was called following. When I left I found I had missed the last train and walked from Windsor to Blackburn and got home at 4-30 am. Still the longest distance I have walked in one stretch.

Masters Apprentices
They were THE BAND when I was in the most formative years of my music life. They were terrific everytime I saw them.

Max Merritt and the Meteors
Saw them lots of times at local dances. Stewie Spears was about the coolest musician I ever saw. One concert he played with sand on the drum skins, to give a great echo sound to his playing. Later after Max went OS when he toured here I saw him at Dallas Brooks doing songs from his great album, “A Little Easier”.

Jeff St John and Copperwine
Ourimbah in NSW, the first Australian “Woodstock”. Jeff St John was on late at night, that was the first time I heard “Big Time Operator”. He was really terrific and performed what I can only describe as wheelchair gymnastics.

Wild Cherries
At “Catcher”. Lobby Lloyd was a wonder. He was better than anyone I had ever heard back then. Many years later I worker with one of his sound technicians. He told me the following story. Lobby hated washing up. He had a laminated kitchen table. On it he had marked a round circle the size of a plate. He always had a very similar meal. Chops, Steak, Sausages, Bacon, Eggs etc and with that he always had Mashed potatoes and usually peas. The mashed potato was placed in a circle, inside the circle marked on the table and the peas and Chops, Steak, Sausages, Bacon, Eggs etc. and sauce/gravy all put inside the potato ring. Once he was finished, he rinsed off the knife, fork, saucepans etc. and then wiped the table and everything was ready for the next night.

Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons
I cannot for the life of me remember where I saw them but I do remember they were sensational. I could never figure out why he wasn’t a world wide mega star

Dragon
They were wonderful live. I saw them a couple of times at different pubs. I was really fortunate because within a few years most of them had succumbed to scourge of the music industry, Heroin. What a pity, they were really talented.

AC/DC
By chance saw them playing on the back of a truck on Swanston St and followed them all the way along. I loved the sound of bagpipes (our neighbour was Scottish) and there they were in the song. Absolutely wonderful.

Pink Floyd
I went to see them because I like “Echoes” from their album “Meddle”. This was just before “Dark Side of the Moon” came out, so we got a preview of a number of songs that would end up on the album. What a treat. There was hardly anyone there though.

Spectrum
My favourite and I saw them dozens and dozens of times. The best session I heard was at “Catcher”. That Hammond organ with it’s rotating Leslie Speaker played all sorts of tricks with my ears. What a day to remember, I saw a couple having sex behind a couch, when I went outside I saw a girl pull down her knickers to her ankles, lift up the front of her dress and lean up against a wall on the vacant block and pee up against the wall. And then when we walked across the other side of the road and looked at a very cool looking Ford Mustang we got questioned by the coppers about where we had been the previous night. Apparently a taxi driver had been murdered that night.

Then at Dallas Brooks for their farewell concert where they recorded the great Live Album “Terminal Buzz”. Rudd could really get the crowd involved.

John Farnham
He is such a great performer. I saw the concert with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra at the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre. I can’t remember seeing so many people in an indoor venue before or since. Even better I was able to buy the DVD of the Concert.

Men at Work
Never saw them in concert but at plenty of pubs like the Cricketers Arms. One of my friends was in the band and I saw them from the very beginning until they made it big. It was fascinating to watch their development.

Stevie Wonder
I was a huge fan of Stevie, his album “Fulfillingness' First Finale” is still my all time favourite album. He played everything from his really early days as Little Stevie Wonder to his “Hotter Than July” Album. Great singer, great keyboard skills and amazing harmonica player. One of the best concerts I’ve been to!

Bette Midler
Bette was fantastic. Got tickets for the Palais and found we were a long way back, but next to the mixing console. So I figured at least it would sound great. Everyone in the row was told we were going to be moved because the sound guys didn’t want us their row. We all ended up in the second row. I was really glad we weren’t in the front row because it was like a combined Bette Midler and Dame Edna concert. Bette was rude, crude and hilarious and did she tear strips off the people in the front row, including anyone who arrived late. If you've ever been to a Dame Edna show you will get a great idea of how she went about it. Great costumes and her backing singers, The Harlettes were fantastic.

Paul McCartney and Wings
Myer Music Bowl, what a great sounding concert and boy was it loud. Nearly ran over a policeman on my way to the concert.

Weather Report
Pallais. Jaco Pastorius, I saw him live!!!!! I stopped listening to music for almost 10 years after he was killed.

Leo Kottke
Dallas Brooks. My sister got me a ticket. She was a big fan and after seeing him play so was I.

Hall and Oates
I saw them live at Festival Hall in 1980. It was one of the best concerts I've seen. Charlie De Chant wandered through the audience playing his Sax in a powder blue suit and hat, with the spotlight making him glow. This was using a hugely long lead (no wireless mikes back then). Never seen anything quite so eye catching before or since.

Billy Thorpe
Myer Music Bowl Moomba Day. Loud, loud, loud and then some along with a truly staggering crowd of around 200,000. I don’t remember ever being in a bigger crowd.

Van Morrison
Couldn’t wait to see him. He’d been one of my favourites since the days of Them and “Gloria” and still is. Didn’t disappoint. Played all his hits and I will definitely go to see him the next time he’s here.

INXS
Only saw them once at the Tennis Centre in the late 80’s. Hutchence had great presence and a truly wonderful voice. The sound was really clean.

Harry Manx
Caravan Club Oakleigh. Terrific player and at $50 what a bargain.

Lake Street Dive
Caravan club Bentleigh. They weren’t well known but they were wonderful. Rachel Price is one of the great singers of this century and was actually born here.

 

[Fossie 32]

The Loved Ones
Went to “That’s Life” in Windsor to see them. I was on the train to Richmond. When we got to Camberwell, Gerry Humphries came into my carriage and sat down opposite to me. We both changed trains at Richmond, got off at Windsor and walked to the venue with me “stalking him”, but back then it was called following. When I left I found I had missed the last train and walked from Windsor to Blackburn and got home at 4-30 am. Still the longest distance I have walked in one stretch.

Masters Apprentices
They were THE BAND when I was in the most formative years of my music life. They were terrific everytime I saw them.

Max Merritt and the Meteors
Saw them lots of times at local dances. Stewie Spears was about the coolest musician I ever saw. One concert he played with sand on the drum skins, to give a great echo sound to his playing. Later after Max went OS when he toured here I saw him at Dallas Brooks doing songs from his great album, “A Little Easier”.

Jeff St John and Copperwine
Ourimbah in NSW, the first Australian “Woodstock”. Jeff St John was on late at night, that was the first time I heard “Big Time Operator”. He was really terrific and performed what I can only describe as wheelchair gymnastics.

Wild Cherries
At “Catcher”. Lobby Lloyd was a wonder. He was better than anyone I had ever heard back then. Many years later I worker with one of his sound technicians. He told me the following story. Lobby hated washing up. He had a laminated kitchen table. On it he had marked a round circle the size of a plate. He always had a very similar meal. Chops, Steak, Sausages, Bacon, Eggs etc and with that he always had Mashed potatoes and usually peas. The mashed potato was placed in a circle, inside the circle marked on the table and the peas and Chops, Steak, Sausages, Bacon, Eggs etc. and sauce/gravy all put inside the potato ring. Once he was finished, he rinsed off the knife, fork, saucepans etc. and then wiped the table and everything was ready for the next night.

Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons
I cannot for the life of me remember where I saw them but I do remember they were sensational. I could never figure out why he wasn’t a world wide mega star

Dragon
They were wonderful live. I saw them a couple of times at different pubs. I was really fortunate because within a few years most of them had succumbed to scourge of the music industry, Heroin. What a pity, they were really talented.

AC/DC
By chance saw them playing on the back of a truck on Swanston St and followed the all the way along. I loved the sound of bagpipes (our neighbour was Scottish) and there they were in the song. Absolutely wonderful.

Pink Floyd
I went to see them because I like “Echoes” from their album “Meddle”. This was just before “Dark Side of the Moon” came out, so we got a preview of a number of songs that would end up on the album. What a treat. There was hardly anyone there though.

Spectrum
My favourite and I saw them dozens and dozens of times. The best session I heard was at “Catcher”. That Hammond organ with it’s rotating Leslie Speaker played all sorts of tricks with my ears. What a day to remember, I saw a couple having sex behind a couch, when I went outside I saw a girl pull down her knickers to her ankles, lift up the front of her dress and lean up against a wall on the vacant block and pee up against the wall. And then when we walked across the other side of the road and looked at a very cool looking Ford Mustang we got questioned by the coppers about where we had been the previous night. Apparently a taxi driver had been murdered that night.

Then at Dallas Brooks for their farewell concert where they recorded the great Live Album “Terminal Buzz”. Rudd could really get the crowd involved.

John Farnham
He is such a great performer. I saw the concert with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra at the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre. I can’t remember seeing so many people in an indoor venue before or since. Even better I was able to buy the DVD of the Concert.

Men at Work
Never saw them in concert but at plenty of pubs like the Cricketers Arms. One of my friends was in the band and I saw them from the very beginning until they made it big. It was fascinating to watch their development.

Stevie Wonder
I was a huge fan of Stevie, his album “Fulfillingness' First Finale” is still my all time favourite album. He played everything from his really early days as Little Stevie Wonder to his “Hotter Than July” Album. Great singer, great keyboard skills and amazing harmonica player. One of the best concerts I’ve been to!

Bette Midler
Bette was fantastic. Got tickets for the Palais and found we were a long way back, but next to the mixing console. So I figured at least it would sound great. Everyone in the row was told we were going to be moved because the sound guys didn’t want us their row. We all ended up in the second row. I was really glad we weren’t in the front row because it was like a combined Bette Midler and Dame Edna concert. Bette was rude, crude and hilarious and did she tear strips off the people in the front row, including anyone who arrived late. If you've ever been to a Dame Edna show you will get a great idea of how she went about it. Great costumes and her backing singers, The Harlettes were fantastic.

Paul McCartney and Wings
Myer Music Bowl, what a great sounding concert and boy was it loud. Nearly ran over a policeman on my way to the concert.

Weather Report
Pallais. Jaco Pastorius, I saw him live!!!!! I stopped listening to music for almost 10 years after he was killed.

Leo Kottke
Dallas Brooks. My sister got me a ticket. She was a big fan and after seeing him play so was I.

Hall and Oates
I saw them live at Festival Hall in 1980. It was one of the best concerts I've seen. Charlie De Chant wandered through the audience playing his Sax in a powder blue suit and hat, with the spotlight making him glow. This was using a hugely long lead (no wireless mikes back then). Never seen anything quite so eye catching before or since.

Billy Thorpe
Myer Music Bowl Moomba Day. Loud, loud, loud and then some along with a truly staggering crowd of around 200,000. I don’t remember ever being in a bigger crowd.

Van Morrison
Couldn’t wait to see him. He’d been one of my favourites since the days of Them and “Gloria” and still is. Didn’t disappoint. Played all his hits and I will definitely go to see him the next time he’s here.

INXS
Only saw them once at the Tennis Centre in the late 80’s. Hutchence had great presence and a truly wonderful voice. The sound was really clean.

Harry Manx
Caravan Club Oakleigh. Terrific player and at $50 what a bargain.

Lake Street Dive
Caravan club Bentleigh. They weren’t well known but they were wonderful. Rachel Price is one of the great singers of this century and was actually born here.

Great list!
I wish I had gone to see Floyd in 71, don't know why I missed that though I was only starting to go to concerts then. I went to see Leo Kottke too, amazing. I think I saw Billy Thorpe at the Myer Music Bowl - with Split Enz? I did see them at Uni in 71 I think, that was great.
The first group I saw live was the Groove in a tent at the Royal Melbourne Show.
Went to see Dave Warner a couple of times, loved that

 

[CliffMcTainshaw]

Great list!
I wish I had gone to see Floyd in 71, don't know why I missed that though I was only starting to go to concerts then. I went to see Leo Kottke too, amazing. I think I saw Billy Thorpe at the Myer Music Bowl - with Split Enz? I did see them at Uni in 71 I think, that was great.
The first group I saw live was the Groove in a tent at the Royal Melbourne Show.
Went to see Dave Warner a couple of times, loved that

La de Das were on with Billy Thorpe, they were great as well. I remember seeing the Groove, the Groop and the Vibrants at QClub at the Kew Civic Centre. Lots and lots of great bands there back then. There were usually 4 or 5 bands on over the night. 40 to 45 min sets. I feel sad that kids don't have the opportunity to hear live bands like we could hear every week. When I ask kids about how many live bands they've seen, it's usually only other kids in school bands. Maybe that's another reason why so many kids seem to prefer old music over the newer processed music.

 

[Partridge]

The problem with Deep Purple was that they kept having extended solos over the night. A 15 min drum solo followed by 15 min guitar solo and then another drum solo got a bit boring. Manfred Mann was terrific, but Free with Paul Rodgers singing, Paul Kossoff on guitar, Simon Kirke on drums and Andy Fraser on Bass werte the standout performers. When you find out that Rodgers and Kirke were only 21, Kossoff, 20 and Fraser, 18 when they performed at Festival Hall and had been playing together for 3 years you realise that they really were remarkable. Kossoff's early death due to Heroin, was another tragedy for the music industry. He would have been in the Hendrix, Clapton bracket of truly great guitar players of the time.

Yep I discovered him "late" so to speak - after other guitar players, but he's in my top 3 favourites now easily. Same with the band. One of the those groups again where the consensus view (similar to the Allmans with Duane, the Who) was that no matter how good the studio stuff was, you had to see them live to really appreciate them.

Used to have entertaining arguments with mates who were Bad Company fans. Nothing against them, their first two albums are good, but they just weren't the same.

 

[catscratchfever]

#1 Bob Marley & The Wailers
.
.
.
.
.
.
Prince
James Brown
Miles Davis
The Ramones
Bob Dylan
Van Morrison
Neil Young
Lou Reed
David Bowie
Grace Jones
Brian Eno
Toots & The Maytals
Peter Tosh
Burning Spear
The Rolling Stones
TISM
Skyhooks
Bo Diddley
Lee Perry
The Birthday Party
The Sex Pistols
Jah Wobble
John Cale
Iggy Pop
Santana
Fleetwood Mac

...and too many more to mention.

 

[Macca180]

AC/DC back in 91.

Nothing has ever been so powerful and blown me away.

 

[Faz 2000]

I reckon I've seen plenty of good bands (and shit ones), good shows, but one that sticks out early in my concert-going memory as being really energetic and wild was Korn at Festival Hall in 1997, touring behind Life is Peachy. It was an eye-opener at the time. They tore the place apart. It felt exciting and dangerous and fun all at the same time.