Some of your Favorite Live Bands/Artists

Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic

   This thread is for the listing and conversing of live bands. I'm talking bands that don't play carbon copies of their studio albums. Or if they mix up set lists all the time, improvise, rearrange their songs, etc. So bands like Yes, Rush, Iron Maiden, Metallica etc would be bad choices since they dont do much different live than in studio (sure there may be more energy and all, but you're basically hearing music you could have easily listened to for free in the comfort of your own home.) a band like Genesis, classic-era Pink Floyd or KISS would be bad choices as well. 

"but Genesis, Pink Floyd and KISS put on great shows with costumes and lights etc!"

true, but they still basically played the same song as on their respective studio albums. Im not discounting any of these bands' live appeal (i especially love Yes live), but im mostly talking about bands KNOWN for their live shows. does everyone understand? so now i'll start off with my list and why.

1. Phish - yes, they are basically the kings of group improv. anyone who knows Phish knows why i put them at #1. Constantly changing set lists, great jams, some of the proggiest songs, never playing the same song the same way twice, not to mention their songs sound 3462487 times better live than in the studio (and i love their studio albums)

2. Frank Zappa - He'd be at #1 if not for Phish. This man was a genius. Phish got a lot of tips from Zappa's live shows. basically the same things i wrote for Phish. There werent too many jams that went off into unknown territory though, because Zappa was basically conductor of his shows and never let anything go on for too long. But he would rearrange certain songs, have extended solo sections, and change the lyrics sometimes. Not to mention his live albums! he edited his live shows so that when you listen to a live album (aside from the crowd noise) you'd think you were listening to a studio album. and how TIGHT all his bands were! i mean TIGHT!!! i could go on forever, but i must move on.

3. Gentle Giant - I dont have much live material from this band, but of what i do have, everything is amazing! they rearranged just about all their songs for the live shows, had many improv sections, and played all their songs differently too (not just in rearrangement)

4. King Crimson - One of the biggest prog bands ever. The difference between them and the other big names is the improvised a lot (especially in the 70s). Some of their jams would actually knock me down in awe. One of the first times i heard KC was a live show and i couldnt tell when they were improvising and when they were playing composed music (and that's how they wanted it to be). Plus they got funky a lot in the 70's, so 5 extra points for them.

5. Miles Davis - why did Miles make this list? because Miles was the man! no seriously, especially during his electric period, Miles' music took on a whole 'nother form live. listen to the song Bitches Brew from the album, then listen to the live lost quintet version. COMPLETELY DIFFERENT AND INSANE! or Live-Evil! Miles employed some of the best jazz musicians to ever have existed, and used their talents to the extreme. But lets not forget Miles' career before the late 60s. Guys like Coltrane, Cannonball Adderly, Billy Cobb, etc. Miles was always known for his live performances (as pretty much all jazz musicians are) but he was an exception.

honorable mentions go to The Grateful Dead, moe., Umphrey's McGee, String Cheese Incident, John Coltrane, The Allman Brothers Band, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, The Mars Volta, Soulive, Medeski Martin & Wood, and anyone i might have forgotten

Author	Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic
darkshade Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: November 19 2005 Location: New Jersey Status: Offline Points: 10964	Topic: Some of your Favorite Live Bands/Artists Posted: July 19 2008 at 15:30
	This thread is for the listing and conversing of live bands. I'm talking bands that don't play carbon copies of their studio albums. Or if they mix up set lists all the time, improvise, rearrange their songs, etc. So bands like Yes, Rush, Iron Maiden, Metallica etc would be bad choices since they dont do much different live than in studio (sure there may be more energy and all, but you're basically hearing music you could have easily listened to for free in the comfort of your own home.) a band like Genesis, classic-era Pink Floyd or KISS would be bad choices as well. "but Genesis, Pink Floyd and KISS put on great shows with costumes and lights etc!" true, but they still basically played the same song as on their respective studio albums. Im not discounting any of these bands' live appeal (i especially love Yes live), but im mostly talking about bands KNOWN for their live shows. does everyone understand? so now i'll start off with my list and why. 1. Phish - yes, they are basically the kings of group improv. anyone who knows Phish knows why i put them at #1. Constantly changing set lists, great jams, some of the proggiest songs, never playing the same song the same way twice, not to mention their songs sound 3462487 times better live than in the studio (and i love their studio albums) 2. Frank Zappa - He'd be at #1 if not for Phish. This man was a genius. Phish got a lot of tips from Zappa's live shows. basically the same things i wrote for Phish. There werent too many jams that went off into unknown territory though, because Zappa was basically conductor of his shows and never let anything go on for too long. But he would rearrange certain songs, have extended solo sections, and change the lyrics sometimes. Not to mention his live albums! he edited his live shows so that when you listen to a live album (aside from the crowd noise) you'd think you were listening to a studio album. and how TIGHT all his bands were! i mean TIGHT!!! i could go on forever, but i must move on. 3. Gentle Giant - I dont have much live material from this band, but of what i do have, everything is amazing! they rearranged just about all their songs for the live shows, had many improv sections, and played all their songs differently too (not just in rearrangement) 4. King Crimson - One of the biggest prog bands ever. The difference between them and the other big names is the improvised a lot (especially in the 70s). Some of their jams would actually knock me down in awe. One of the first times i heard KC was a live show and i couldnt tell when they were improvising and when they were playing composed music (and that's how they wanted it to be). Plus they got funky a lot in the 70's, so 5 extra points for them. 5. Miles Davis - why did Miles make this list? because Miles was the man! no seriously, especially during his electric period, Miles' music took on a whole 'nother form live. listen to the song Bitches Brew from the album, then listen to the live lost quintet version. COMPLETELY DIFFERENT AND INSANE! or Live-Evil! Miles employed some of the best jazz musicians to ever have existed, and used their talents to the extreme. But lets not forget Miles' career before the late 60s. Guys like Coltrane, Cannonball Adderly, Billy Cobb, etc. Miles was always known for his live performances (as pretty much all jazz musicians are) but he was an exception. honorable mentions go to The Grateful Dead, moe., Umphrey's McGee, String Cheese Incident, John Coltrane, The Allman Brothers Band, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, The Mars Volta, Soulive, Medeski Martin & Wood, and anyone i might have forgotten
	My Last.fm

Statutory-Mike Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: February 15 2008 Location: Long Island Status: Offline Points: 3737	Posted: July 20 2008 at 01:55
	1. Dream Theater - Sure, they are known for copying the studio version pretty much, but there are times when they add otehr artists songs into the middle of their songs, or throw a cover or two in. But, the reason they are my favorite live band (and my favorite band), is that they never play the same thing every night, the setlist is constantly changing. That makes it great for fanboys like myself who want to see more than 1 or 2 shows a tour, more like 6 or 7 . 2. Alice Cooper - The best stage show, ever. Hands down. I saw him once in 2005, and must see him again. 3. King Crimson - Purley for the improv, it's a great show I hear. 4. Buckethead - All of his shows are so intamite, and personal, plus he's a great guitarist. 5. Porcupine Tree - Steven Wilson is a genious. That's all that needs to be said. EDIT: Honorable mentions to: Between the Buried and Me, Rush, and Opeth who are very tight live. Edited by MisterProg2112 - July 20 2008 at 01:56


Moatilliatta Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Prog Reviewer Joined: December 01 2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 3083	Posted: July 20 2008 at 02:10
	^Agreed regarding Dream Theater. I'd also add that it is just absolutely mesmerizing to see them play the songs as they are. To see them work their magic in front of you is entertaining in itself. They also have a nice live atmosphere. Other than DT, my favorite live band is The Mars Volta. The jams are awesome, Cedric's stage presence is crazy and so on. Another band I love to see is The Dillinger Escape Plan. A lot of hardcore/circle pit guys go to the shows, but if you are up front you can avoid that chaos. The guys play very well, act like maniacs on stage, and interact with the crowd, even join the crowd if the venue is a smaller one. I don't want to get into all the details, but I've had a lot of fun at DEP shows.
	www.last.fm/user/ThisCenotaph

darkshade Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: November 19 2005 Location: New Jersey Status: Offline Points: 10964	Posted: July 20 2008 at 13:43
	DT is definitely a great band to see live. They've been known to improv every now and then too. MisterProg, your right, watching them play those songs is quite amazing. And changing set lists is something every band should do, but only few do...
	My Last.fm

micky Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: October 02 2005 Location: . Status: Offline Points: 46838	Posted: July 20 2008 at 14:10
	the Allman Brothers.... owner the greatest live album in rock history in many estimations.. and among the very greatest live bands ever by all who have more than a passing knowledge of music
	The Pedro and Micky Experience - When one no longer requires psychotropics to trip

Logan Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum & Site Admin Group Site Admin Joined: April 05 2006 Location: Vancouver, BC Status: Offline Points: 37598	Posted: July 20 2008 at 14:45
	I'm like a broken record, but MAGMA has done terrific reworkings of their studio albums music live, and include tracks that are not on their studio albums I didn't see this yesterday, but I've been thinking about this topic for a while (I'm particularly interested in the tracks that were done live but not recorded for/ or included on studio albums).

BroSpence Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: March 05 2007 Status: Offline Points: 2614	Posted: July 20 2008 at 21:06
	Built to Spill. Always a good setlist with good jams to go along with. Acid Mothers Temple. Great performers, great music. A grand old time. Sigur Ros. They don't move much, but you don't need to. The music speaks for its self. Its magic. Boris. Heavy. Loud. And they are total rock stars. Great shows are seen when Boris is on stage.

dwill123 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: December 19 2006 Status: Offline Points: 4460	Posted: July 23 2008 at 12:57
	Genesis (early 70's) - same set list and lineup (Gabriel, Hackett, Banks, Rutherford & Collins) as from "Genesis Live". Intense. Pink Floyd (1971) - the infamous "foot steps on the ceiling" show. Tour timed with the release of "Meddle". Straight up Pink Floyd in a 3000 seat theater. No balloons, no large video monitors and very few lights. Just pure PF. Wonderful. Mahavishnu Orchestra (1973) - exact same Central Park show(s) used for the live album "Between Nothingness and Eternity". Impossible to believe a group could be that good. Alice Cooper (mid 70's) - the "Billion Dollar Babies show at Madison Square Garden, NYC. Not so much for Alice's theatrical performance but more for the extraordinary performance of the Alice Cooper Band (Buxton, Bruce, Dunaway & Smith). The tightest most solid "rock" performance I've ever witnessed (and I've seen a lot). Sly and The Family Stone - saw them about a dozen times between Woodstock (I didn't attend) and the release of "Riot". I don't care how much they were late or that each time they did the same 45 minute (almost to the minute) show, live they were unbelievable, always.

Zargus Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: May 08 2005 Location: Sweden Status: Offline Points: 3491	Posted: July 23 2008 at 18:37
	Hawkwind and VdGG are my 2 favs. Space Ritual, Vital and Real time are some sweet live albums. never seen em live but whuld like to.