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Best and Worst Live Bands

brianrost said:
I find it hard to believe that the worst band folks have ever seen is an outfit that's got multiple albums out and tours all the time.

You must have some really incredible bands playing your local bars if the Stones are the worst band you ever saw :rolleyes:

Well, the Stones aren't really touring on talent or getting attention via word of mouth anymore.

Not to say that they're not a talented group, they've produced some incredible albums during their first decade together, more than most other groups could ever hope for. But there's no denying that they've been phoning it in the past 20-30 years.

The fact is, the Stones aren't selling tickets to a concert, they're selling tickets to a nostalgia trip. They sell their status as icons to people looking to get in touch with a bygone era they either miss, or never experiences. I wouldn't blame people for being annoyed for paying a hundred bucks to see a bunch of 60 year olds go through the motions on a gigantic stage 500 feet away.

PS:There actually are a lot of incredible bar bands around my home.
 
:D BEST :
Bob Dylan- no , really , i mean it !!
Dixie Dreggs - killer musicianship
Talking Heads - simply awesome basslines ...
Led Zepplin - 1970 , what else can i say ?
James Gang w/ Joe Walsh - fantastic
Humble Pie {original line up } - one of my all time favorties did not disappoint ...
Grand Funk Railroad - rock'n'roll , baby !
ZZ TOP - rockin' Texas Blues ...
Eric Clapton - the legend lives on
David Gilmore Band - who needs Pink Floyd ?

:spit: WORST :
Rolling Stones - hands down , no question .
Black Oak Arkansas - *** were they thinking ?
 
brianrost said:
I find it hard to believe that the worst band folks have ever seen is an outfit that's got multiple albums out and tours all the time.
Did ya see the Superbowl halftime performance??? :eyebrow:

I've never been a Stones fan, and basically flat out dislike them. Despite that, I actually felt sorry for them, watching that show. It was sad.
 
Cowboy Mouth. I saw them at the Voodoo music fest a couple weeks ago. So entertaining. I wasn't familiar with them, but I'm so glad I got to see them. I've never seen a band own a crowd like they did. People were going bonkers over them, and rightfully so. If you have the chance, check them out. If they're consistent, and I think they should be, you will have an absolute blast.


It is a blast. I saw them twice, they were great!
 
Under Good, suprisingly I'd add Green Day. I got free tickets to watch their show and Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool were very tight (underrated rythmn section). Billy Joe can't sing to save his life, but he can put on a show.

Worst, probably Jimmy Eat World. The set was lacadasical and the band was pretty drunk or stoned. Dragonforce, aka Studioforce, suck total ass live. Their sound is muddy as hell. Anti-Flag sounded horrible when I saw 'em and had zero interaction with the crowd. I actually perferred the stuff they played before anti-flag (YMCA, No sleep to brooklyn) over the p.a.
 
BEST:
Porcupine Tree - My god. It was beyond a show. It was an EXPERIENCE
Opeth - Mikael Akerfeldt will destroy the universe.
Protest the Hero - Imagine speeding up Iron Maiden to double or a little more, and having scene kids with serious chops play it. Seriously mind-blowing presence coupled with a ridiculously tight performance.
Alexisonfire - You'll never see guys that put more into it every night than AOF.
Circa Survive - Except for these guys. I think they're machines stuck in an infinite loop to rock faces.

WORST:
Coheed and Cambria (Good Apollo I) - I seriously thought Claudio was going to die. He sang lead, backup and harmony at the same time. Thank god they picked up those backup singers. They're much better now that Claudio doesn't have to try to recreate four vocal layers live.
Death From Above 1979 - Totally half-assed it towards the end of their career. Songs paced up so that they're un-danceable, ******* frontman who didn't want to be there, sound that was impossible to reproduce through the PA. Blah.
 
The best live concerts I've ever saw were (in no particular order):

- Frank Zappa (I saw his bands 3 differnt times...and each time they were amazing)
- Utopia (The "Ra" tour...wow...Rundgren is a great song writer and performer)
- Pink Floyd (The Division Bell tour...amazing show)
- Don Henley ("End of the Innocence" tour)
- Return to Forever (just this weekend...it was a magical experience)
- Jethro Tull (not sure what tour...like 1974...great show though)
- Stevie Ray Vaughn (Summerfest 1986 or 87)...

The worst concerts I've seen:

- Metallica (I just don't understand why these guys are so popular...the drummer's meter was terrible, and the lead guitar player (IMO) is very sloppy and plays nothing interesting)
- Areosmith (toys in the attic tour)...they were wasted and it showed...terrible
- David Allen Coe - good lord...what a mess he was...
- The Sex Pistols (saw them at the Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa...they were terrible, but a memorable show for sure)
 
The Deftones are the worst live band I've ever heard. Bad sound, singing, and playing. The guitarist was snakebit as he must of broken three or four strings in a 45 minute set.

Granted their lead singer talked crap about every other band on the bill (Metallica, Limp Bizkit, Mudvayne, and Linkin Park) so that could explain why they got shafted on the sound.

+1 I've only been to one concert in my life (for a major band) and that was to see Deftones, Pantera, and Black Sabbath and Deftones were HORRIBLE...and I liked them at the time. They honestly sounded no better than your typical garage band. Obviously someone was screwing them over on the sound because as soon as Pantera came out, problem solved.
 
Best; Cream, Hendrix, Who, Dylan w/The Band, Stones, Cars, ELP, Utopia, Cheap Trick, NIN, Zappa, Pink Floyd, Sabbath, Steve Miller (story involved) T-Rex, Humble Pie, Moby Grape, Jefferson Airplane, Mountain, Vanilla Fudge, Bela Fleck... There's more,but let's get negative!
Worst; The Clash,Grand Funk,Traffic,Steve Miller (see above) that's enough, I'm finished
 
best bands ive seen live

earth wind and fire
the brand new heavies
van hunt
steely dan
brian auger's oblivion express
the ohio players

Holy Crap you've seen some of the coolest bands. I would love to see some Van Hunt or the BNH. BNH only came as close as Atlanta though, and I couldn't get down.
 
(The very) Best:

Iron Maiden : I catch them every time they come to Quebec and they are ALWAYS amazing.
Rush : Need I say more ?
Peter Gabriel: Just goodness.

Worse:

Mars Volta. They just don't seem to get what a SHOW is about. They were opening for SOAD and their stage presence consisted of standing around in a circle looking bored/at their shoes. The singer had his back turned to the audience for most of the performance. They also jammed non-stop for 45 minutes and then left, incorporating pieces of their songs as they saw fit. If I want to see such a show, I'll go see a jazz show where musicians actually know how to swing and improvise before a crowd.

The sound was also the poorest I've ever heard and I've gone to some cheap @ss show at the Colisée wich is probably the worse venue in existence for live music. Their sound crew needs to get a crash course in setting up FOH sound: the bass was muddy and weak, the guitars were screechy and painfuly loud and all the other instruments just blended in a sound turd. SOAD followed and it was much better altough the guys phoned it in.

But at least there was some musicianship involved. I can't say the same thing for Alanis Morisette, Pearl Jam, KoRn and Third Eye Blind. All of them sucked big time and all fo them had annoying vocals.