Your ultimate live band.

breakstuff

I'm sat here watching Iron Maiden Somewhere Back in Time and they're just (scuse my French)so f**king awesome live.I can't think of any other band that have been going so long that put so much into their live show.These guys are in their mid to late fiftees,for Gods sake and they piss on bands half their age.
Obviously not everyones not going to agree and that's ok by me but I'm interested to know,who's your ultimate live band?

viz

Berlin Philharmonic

citizen68

Black Crowes - seen them 7 times thus far - they delivered the goods brilliantly every time

not_the_dj

Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band.

A band that can pull out so many great songs, the set list is radically different each night. There's humour, heartbreaking tearful moments, and they never put a foot wrong. 

A stadium becomes the greatest bar you've ever been in where everyone knows each other and shares in a wonderful experience. 

bluechargeboy

Black Crowes were always a great live band. Haven't seen them for a long time but they can only be better with another 20 years experience.

Devin Townsend always puts on a great show, even when there are no choirs/stilt walkers/contortionists/SYL colleagues present!

Muse - saw The Resistance show in Manchester, my first and only stadium gig and they really used it to good effect. Have no great desire to do it again but it was impressive.

But my ultimate live band would be New Model Army, another band of "mature" professionals with a lifetime of gigging under their belts.

Must see the Maiden sometime before I/they die!

Phil_aka_Pip

Mine's a fantasy band

Electric guitar - Antonio Vivaldi

Electric bass - George F Händel

Keys - Johann S Bach

Drums - Bill Bruford 

digitalscream

Extreme. Really.

Saw them on their recent Pornograffiti tour, and they completely blew my mind.

Philly_Q

I think the venue makes a difference.   I don't go to many gigs nowadays but my fondest memories are of shows at the Marquee in Wardour Street and later in Charing Cross Road - Living Colour, King's X and Tesla spring to mind.  I loved the atmosphere in those tiny venues.  

I also liked going upstairs at the Astoria, if you went to the front there it felt like you were virtually directly above the stage (I saw Extreme there on the original Pornograffitti tour, supported by the excellent Saigon Kick).

On the other hand, I've never really enjoyed a gig in a huge venue like Wembley Arena or Wembley Stadium.  I don't feel any connection with what's happening on stage, it's too far away.

xSkarloey

Inxs.

Saw them in the glory years then caught them on a comeback tour a couple of years ago. The band were still as tight and funky as ever, but it was bittersweet because although it was a great show there was no Michael.

They are a great live band but Michael made the stellar. Forget the tabloid bull and all the mistakes he made in life. On stage he was one of the great front men.

RocknRollDave

@breakstuff Totally agree with your words on Iron Maiden. To have come back from the brink and reunited with Bruce and Adrian and not only made some of the most consistent albums of their career but to actually be at arguably their best live form ever is astonishing.

breakstuff

@Philly_Q that's a good point about type of venue.I too hate large venues.I recently saw Steel Panther at the Engine Shed in Lincoln.A brilliant venue and the Panther too where excellent.My favourite gig to date.When I heard they where coming back to play an arena tour I passed on buying tickets because I knew I wouldn't enjoy it as much as the previous gig.

Bellycaster

Agreed with Maiden , I had the Live After Death video and completely wore it out, saw them live in1988 in Sheffield and in 95 when B.B was fronting, I preferred Brucie I have to say. Both great gigs though.

My biggest disappointment was never being able to see Queen, I was 14 in 1986 on their last tour. Queen really knew how to put on a show.

richardhomer

The Blue Nile. Quietly stunning....

ThePrettyDamned

Trivium - okay, not everyone's cuppa but every show is amazing, their playing is spot on, they give it everything and there is a lot of energy.  It really is impressive.

Red Hot Chilli Peppers - never seen them, but if JF came back and they did a smaller than festival gig, I'd go and I'd probably lose my mind. If I could hop in a time machine...

Australina Pink Floyd - HOLY COW these guys are the REAL DEAL.  I never 'got' tribute acts, until I saw these guys.  

RocknRollDave

ThePrettyDamned said:

Trivium - okay, not everyone's cuppa but every show is amazing, their playing is spot on, they give it everything and there is a lot of energy.  It really is impressive.

I saw Trivium on one of the Unholy Alliance shows supporting Slayer.
Aside from being far and away the loudest band I've ever heard (yes, louder than Motorhead, by some margin), they were also the tightest and most technically accomplished band I've seen. Not my bag, but technically a stunningly good band.

ICBM

Crazy Horse

No-one's idea of a technically good band, but that's not what live rock is about in my opinion. Last year's Neil Young & Crazy Horse gig was the only time I've felt transported to a different place and time by a live band.

ThePrettyDamned

RocknRollDave said:

ThePrettyDamned said:

Trivium - okay, not everyone's cuppa but every show is amazing, their playing is spot on, they give it everything and there is a lot of energy.  It really is impressive.

I saw Trivium on one of the Unholy Alliance shows supporting Slayer.
Aside from being far and away the loudest band I've ever heard (yes, louder than Motorhead, by some margin), they were also the tightest and most technically accomplished band I've seen. Not my bag, but technically a stunningly good band.

I remember them playing this riff from ascendancy when I first saw them (they were 24 - about my age) and both were timed perfectly, and both doing vocals and it was incredible.  

(skip to 2.08)

I still can't play that riff full speed, though I don't practise thrash much these days.

stickyfiddle

Another vote for the E Street Band and their line manager.

Honorable mentions for Muse, REM (rip ), and U2 for their sheer ability to excite 50 thousand people (all 3 of them). There's no feeling like those kind of gigs.

Deadman

Fave gigs were RHCP at Leeds in 1999 and Pearl Jam at Hyde Park a few years ago. I enjoyed The Hives too. Most of the many Damned gigs I've been to over the years have been a blast too. Weller at Hereford leisure centre around 2000 was extremely memorable.
But nothing beats Gogol Bordello at Oxford O2 a few years back. The atmosphere was absolutely electric.
I'd like to see John Frusciante as a soloist but he'd more than likely never do the UK.
I need to see Johnny Marr sometime soon as well.

IanSavage

Haven't seen Springsteen with the E-Street Band, although I suspect they'd easily take my top spot - of bands I have seen, couldn't top The Hold Steady for sheer magnetism. 

ThePrettyDamned

Oh, Rammstein.  Never sensed such a mad buzz in a crowd before.

Aerosmith at Download were AMAZING, too.