Unpopular Opinion?

ennspek

Def Leppard. Best live band I have ever seen.

thegummy

Never seen Def Leppard live and don't know what other bands you've seen but as far as "best live gig" questions - I think there's been a different answer for as many people as I've ever asked (which is quite a lot of people, I ask this often for some reason lol).

I think the fact the answers are so varied is cause the enjoyment of a live show depends so much on how you happen to feel that day, what else happens in your life that day or week, what drugs you've taken if any, who you're with etc.

My favourite live gig I've been to wasn't even a band, it was a rapper.

tony99

Absolutely wholeheartedly agree. no doubt about it.



They are without doubt the best live band you've ever seen.

thegummy

tony99 said:

Absolutely wholeheartedly agree. no doubt about it.



They are without doubt the best live band you've ever seen.

Who's the best you've seen Tony boy?

Legionreturns

I think you remember different gigs for different reasons. I don't think I can pick a clear "best" 

I saw Queen at Wembley, which is an iconic gig. 

Pearl Jam in Leeds in '14, where they played 37 songs and were on stage for well over 3 hours with no support band. Phenomenal!

Extreme supported by Stone Temple Pilots at Wembley Arena was pretty much a dream lineup for me at the time. 

thegummy

Legionreturns said:

I think you remember different gigs for different reasons. I don't think I can pick a clear "best" 

I saw Queen at Wembley, which is an iconic gig. 

Pearl Jam in Leeds in '14, where they played 37 songs and were on stage for well over 3 hours with no support band. Phenomenal!

Extreme supported by Stone Temple Pilots at Wembley Arena was pretty much a dream lineup for me at the time. 

Good point.

I don't particularly remember much at all about what I say is the best gig, I just distinctly remember at the end thinking it was by far the best gig I'd seen at the time and haven't felt that since.

For a long time the same was true when changing gig to computer game but with that I decided to have a "best played as an adult" and have no idea which of the two is actually better.

ennspek

I should perhaps frame this. They are supremely professional in reproducing a sound I used to think would be nigh on impossible.
There are gigs I have been to that mean more to me for various reasons but they are consummate professionals.

merciful-evans

It doesnt matter if an opinion is unpopular. Its your opinion.

I've never seen the band, so its a moot point. 

SouthpawMark

Limp Biscuits far better. 

markr76

I’ve seen Def Leppard a couple of times. They were ace both times. The first time was at the old Carling academy in Birmingham. The last was at the nec Birmingham, with Whitesnake and Black Stone Cherry supporting. 

My favourite gigs I’ve been to though were Guns ‘n’ Roses at Wembley in 92’. They had Soundgarden (one of my all time favourite bands!) and faith no more supporting. Great gig. 
Also the Foo fighters at the mk bowl a few years back. They had Biffy supporting and the whole day was super. The weather, the group of people I was with and the fact I had a rare chance to have a drink. Mad it for me!

tony99

thegummy said:

tony99 said:

Absolutely wholeheartedly agree. no doubt about it.



They are without doubt the best live band you've ever seen.

Who's the best you've seen Tony boy?

Well I've seen quite a few because I've worked a lot of concerts (not quite the same as having a few beers and enjoying yourself) clapton, dylan, paul simon, paul weller, they were all good. My particular favourites are The Who, I've worked 2 of their concerts but also attended as a spectator twice as well.

simonhpieman

Def Leppard were the first band I saw live - my Mum won tickets in the local paper and shopped me and my Dad off down to the Bournemouth BIC to watch, even though neither of us were into them. Sometime around 99/2000?

I think all I wanted to do was see the one armed drummer play but I seem to remember it ending up being a reasonable enough yarn given I knew none of their songs.

simonhpieman

As for my own best, Ben Kweller at the Villa in Bournemouth, closely followed by Gush at La Bellevilleoise in Paris.

The best show in terms of recreation and sound was Everything Everything at Shepherds Bush Empire but for that reason it seemed to lack any soul and was too close to the record. I think they may use some click tracks, too...

FelineGuitars

Def Leppard do put on a very polished show these days (although they were good when i first saw them on the pyromania tour)

However in my nearly 40 years of gigging there have been some really good concerts and a few stand out for both performance and spectacle:

Queen (with Freddie ) x 7 times

Kiss (countless times)

Rammstein

Motley Crue (Dr Feelgood Tour)

Slade (original lineup)

Queensryche

Scorpions

However sometimes it's been a much less well known bands who have done the perfect gig (often in a small sweaty club) and left me shellshocked. 

Even recently bands like Massive Wagons, Collateral, New Roses, Blind River have been superb 

It's a great feeling to walk away from a gig thinking "wow- that was amazing"

ZenOvertone

Kings X at the marquee when it was in charing cross road, 1988 ircc with members of Anthrax on attendance, fantastic band

EricTheWeary

I've been going to see bands since December 1979 ( slightly longer if you include talent nights at school). Comparing gigs across that time span based on my memories of them to come up with a Best would be pretty futile. However, I did see Def Leppard once during those years and it's a fond memory. 

If I was trying to give an objective amazing musicianship type answer probably Chic or Fairport Convention. My particular memory of Fairport ( who I saw several times) was of the most amazingly clear live sound. So they might get my Best Live Sound award. 

Also, fair to say we don't know who else you've ever seen so we are lacking any point of comparison here. 

SidNewton

Pearl Jam

Skunk Anansie

Rush

Grumpyrocker

One of my favourite gigs was Metallica in 92 on the Black Album tour. I think they were at their live peak at this point. The stage set was excellent, as what the setlist, and they were still playing really tight. Jason was the real star of the show, his enthusiasm and bonhomie with the crowd really made the night.

Every time I see Metallica live performances since then they're sloppier and sloppier. I like sloppy it has it's place, I love Led Zeppelin wandering all over the beat, but for Metallica and songs like Creeping Death it sounds terrible. 

Not seen Def Leppard live, other than via TV, but have always been impressed. On a similar "putting on a great show" level I'd say Queensryche were really good on the Promised Land tour, really enjoyed that gig and its theatricality. 

My favourite gig is still Cathedral in 1995 in a sweaty little room at Manchester University, with a brilliant support band called Mourn. As close as someone my age was going to get to seeing very early Black Sabbath. 

Oh and Myke Gray's SKIN. They were absolutely fucking great. 

JayGee

Hugely entertaining and very slickly presented. what’s not to love?

Of course the difficult bit is comparing a show like that with (say) The Stray Cats gig I was at on Wednesday. No dramatic stage set, no pyrotechnics, no lasers, just three hugely talented musicians[1] playing their hearts out with great material.

I’ll happily own up to loving big budget production gigs, cheesy singalong gigs, stripped back one-man gigs[2], and anything which fits into the gaps in between without feeling any need to apologise, make excuses, or feel embarrassed.

[1] This is not in any way to suggest that DL aren’t talented.

[2] Newton Faulkner is mesmerising.

simonhpieman

SidNewton said:

Pearl Jam

Skunk Anansie

Rush

A mate of mine (who tours with a prominent 80s artist at massive venues so knows his onions) said Skunk Anansie was one of the best live sounds he's ever heard and was utterly blown away.

clarkefan

Saw them in Dublin at their first gig after Allen did his arm.  We were all waiting to see if he could do it and all credit to him he was great.  

Turned out the standout for me was Steve Clark throwing all the shapes with a Les Paul slung impossibly low, he was cool AF that night.  The rest of them were vanilla, bit like their music if I'm honest.

Best gig (today), Manics (when they were 4), Dec 91 I think, they burned the place down, never seen anything like it before or since.