Best Band You Have Seen Live

[Vinnie Vegas]

Best band I've seen live, or best live band I've seen?

The answer to both would come close to being Pearl Jam. Once on the "Yield" tour, twice on the "Riot Act" tour and most recently on the "Pearl Jam" tour.

I saw Iggy and the Stooges when they came out the other year, but it wasn't the best live performance I've seen, although they're up there with the best in terms of quality of band.

The Beastie Boys would be up there, but do they count as a band?

Honourable mentions go to The Hilltop Hoods, Lyrics Born, The White Stripes, Hot Hot Heat, Faker, John Butler Trio, and a very special mention to Cold War Kids, because they were amazing last year with only one album to work with.

 

[Kong]

i've seen plenty of my favourite bands, the one that stand out would be kings of leon Big Day Out '06.
I saw them again at Festival Hall late last year, weren't too bad but FH just doesn't do it for me. saw arctic monkeys there too, and it was a bit of a let-down.

i'm not really a fan of them, but Silverchair would be the best live performers i've seen. easily. like i said, 'straight lines', 'if you keep losing sleep', 'pure massacre' and the like aren't what i listen to normally, but the energy at their show was insane. daniel johns clearly loves what he does for a living, and it becomes infectious watching him perform.

 

[FFC + BBFC = BBFFC]

Midnight Juggernauts hands down.

shits on most ive seen

 

[camsmith]

i'm not really a fan of them, but Silverchair would be the best live performers i've seen. easily. like i said, 'straight lines', 'if you keep losing sleep', 'pure massacre' and the like aren't what i listen to normally, but the energy at their show was insane. daniel johns clearly loves what he does for a living, and it becomes infectious watching him perform.

Best I saw silverchair was at the falls festival in 2000 (or was it 2001?).

 

[krisholio14]

Best live performances i've been to (a top 10)

1. Stevie Wonder @ Crown 1998 - I cried when he came on stage, he then put on a show, and I almost got crushed up the front helping a paralytic John Farnham on stage to do a duet!

2. The Buzzcocks @ POW 2003 - Loudest gig i've been to. Absolutely tore the place apart, left their best 3 songs for the encore, and showed a few young imitation bands how it should be done.

3. Faith No More @ Festival Hall 1997 - Their last performance in Melbourne, and a classic from start to finish. Among other clothing items I noticed flying above the mosh pit at this gig I counted 8 pairs of pants/shorts.

4. Slipknot @ Palace 2005 - To see a band with a stage show like theirs at a relatively intimate venue was amazing in itself. The size of the place only served to magnify the overall intensity of the gig.

5. Kraftwerk @ Metro 2003 - Supreme sound and visual experience.

6. Steely Dan @ Rod Laver 2007 - Waited all my life to see these guys live, and the master craftsmen did not disappoint with a sensational set.

7. Ween @ Forum 2008 - It was worth being there just to see how far the gig descended into madness the more stoned Gene Ween became. Musically, they are geniuses and showed why.

8. TISM @ POW 2002 - Someone already mentioned this earlier, but this gig gets the nod over the many others i've seen simply for their performance of the classic 'Morrison Hostel'.

9. X, Cosmic Psychos, Brady Bunch Lawn Mower Massacre @ POW 1990 - If you're going to go out and see pub rock at its best, and get rollicking drunk, these were the types of gigs you needed to get out to. This was X's 'Farewell' gig.

10. Dillinger Escape Plan @ Palace 2006 - I don't know what these blokes were getting up to before the gig, but they came out and went totally crazy. I have never seen a guitarist go off like that before, and the music was also excellent. Can't wait to see em again in a couple of weeks.

 

[bradrowe#32]

Pearl Jam - 1995 and 2006
Augie March - 2000
The Fauves - 2001
Bruce Springsteen - 2003

 

[CaptainDavey]

Honourable mentions go to The Hilltop Hoods, Lyrics Born, The White Stripes, Hot Hot Heat, Faker, John Butler Trio, and a very special mention to Cold War Kids, because they were amazing last year with only one album to work with.

I saw the White Stripes at Festival Hall a few years ago, amazing gig. It was so friggen hot and sweaty in the Hall, it was still summer IIRC. And Jack White was just brilliant, it felt like it was just one massive jam session, rarely did the band stop between songs, just jammed between them. Awesome gig

 

[DIG]

1. Smashing Pumpkins, Melb entertainment centre, 1996. 3 hours absolutely rocked.

2. Radiohead Festival Hall, Ok Computer tour. This was just unbelievable.

Honorable mentions:

3. Pearl Jam, Rod Laver, Yield tour. Some of the best guitaring i've ever seen.

U2 Zootv, Popmart and in '06 were always good.

Best song i've seen might have been Live: Lakini's Juice.

 

[DaSawx]

I saw the White Stripes at Festival Hall a few years ago, amazing gig. It was so friggen hot and sweaty in the Hall, it was still summer IIRC. And Jack White was just brilliant, it felt like it was just one massive jam session, rarely did the band stop between songs, just jammed between them. Awesome gig

I was there that night, was close to 40 that day iirc. He even apologised if he was a little off, i don't know why coz he was fantastic that night and left it all on stage despite the heat

 

[Eddie Dingle]

Pixies at V on the Gold Coast.
Ween at Tivoli Brisbane.
Flaming Lips BDO Adelaide.
The Mark of Cain too many times and too many locations to say.
Stooges at BDO Adelaide ( and meeting Iggy capped it off).
Ride at Old Lion Adelaide.
Rage Against The Machine at 2 adelaide BDO's have been amazing.
Cowboy Junkies in some joint in San Francisco.

The Mad Turks from Istanbul, Exploding White Mice, Primevils, Lubricated Goat and many other pub bands I used to love seeing in Adelaide.

 

[anti.]

ween blow.

 

[Eddie Dingle]

ween banana's and blow.

Edited for accuracy

 

[Leaping Lindner]

Pixies at V on the Gold Coast.
Ween at Tivoli Brisbane.
Flaming Lips BDO Adelaide.
The Mark of Cain too many times and too many locations to say.
Stooges at BDO Adelaide ( and meeting Iggy capped it off).
Ride at Old Lion Adelaide.
Rage Against The Machine at 2 adelaide BDO's have been amazing.
Cowboy Junkies in some joint in San Francisco.

The Mad Turks from Istanbul, Exploding White Mice, Primevils, Lubricated Goat and many other pub bands I used to love seeing in Adelaide.

The Primevils!!! Now there is a band. Also did you catch Rage last night? They showed the footage of Lubricated Goat doing "In the Raw"!

 

[Eddie Dingle]

The Primevils!!! Now there is a band. Also did you catch Rage last night? They showed the footage of Lubricated Goat doing "In the Raw"!

Really? Missed it sadly I've given up on Rage lately too many emo bands programming....

I know a couple of the Primevils (Dave and Su) and used to love going to see them, good times good times.

I was at the Jolly Miller the other night in Adelaide and they had 7 bands on, 2 stood out Meat Tray and ____. 3D play them both a bit. The night took me back to 20 years ago when The Woodmans Inn, The Tivoli etc etc and all those bands mentioned above were playing every week, loved it.

 

[_Wang_]

These are my best 5 + honourable mentions + Most disappointing

best 5

Slayer -2007 Riverstage Brisbane ( Lombardo back on drums )Have seen them three other times always perfect.

Bad Religion - 2007 The Arena, Brisbane

The Ramones - 1995 ( or was it 1994? ) BDO Gold Coast

Megadeth - 1990 Festival hall Brisbane

Suicidal Tendencies - 1993 Festival Hall Brisbane

Honourable Mentions

System of a Down - 2006 BDO Gold Coast

KISS - Lang Park Brisbane ( 8 at the time )

Sound Garden - 1995 Roxy, Brisbane.

Radio Birdman - 2005 Sands Tavern, Maroochydore.


Most dissapointing relative to hype - RHCP at Brisbane Entertainment Centre 2005

 

[thegreenmachine]

Queens Of The Stone Age played down here not that long ago. It's 1 of the biggest names we've been able to attract down here in the mighty Apple Isle. They rocked the house out.

 

[Vinnie Vegas]

I saw the White Stripes at Festival Hall a few years ago, amazing gig. It was so friggen hot and sweaty in the Hall, it was still summer IIRC. And Jack White was just brilliant, it felt like it was just one massive jam session, rarely did the band stop between songs, just jammed between them. Awesome gig

I was there that night, was close to 40 that day iirc. He even apologised if he was a little off, i don't know why coz he was fantastic that night and left it all on stage despite the heat

The gig with The Greenhornes? That was ridiculously good.

 

[magpies10]

Kings of Leon, saw them when they toured with Pearl Jam in 2006 and made sure i got tickets when they returned early this year. Unbelievable concert plus heaps of hotties in the crowd

 

[Fender]

Foo Fighters 29th April 2008.

 

[bomber39]

PLACEBO PLACEBO PLACEBO. So so good!

Followed by Muse and Stone Sour!!!!

All shows were in Melbourne!

 

[Suspense]

Megadeth - 1990 Festival hall Brisbane

Whoa, Rust In Peace tour? Would have been awesome...

 

[groga]

The kooks @ Glastonbury
Bloc Party @ Glastonbury

 

[_Wang_]

Whoa, Rust In Peace tour? Would have been awesome...

Yes indeed the Rust in Peace tour.
When Megadeth were at the top of their game...
Mustaine and Friedman - 2 part harmonic riffs = Hangar 18.
Geez it was awesome

 

[pjcrows]

Pearl Jam on any of the eleven times I've seen them. Adelaide and Brisbane 2006 were mindblowing.

John Fogerty in 05 was gold aswell.

 

[CaptainDavey]

I was there that night, was close to 40 that day iirc. He even apologised if he was a little off, i don't know why coz he was fantastic that night and left it all on stage despite the heat

Yeah, I remember them opening with Dead Leaves and then going into Blue Orchid. Just an amazing experience, the atmosphere was stellar. I walked out of the Hall drenched in sweat, even though I wasn't in the pit! (Yeah I was underage at the time...)

The gig with The Greenhornes? That was ridiculously good.

I didn't know a whole lot about the Greenhornes at the time but they certainly did an awesome job. Jack White is a fantastic musician, underrated IMO. The best song of that night for mine was Jolene cause the crowd got so into it. Magic!