Classic Rock's 50 Greatest Live Bands Ever

Goreripper

Metal as fuck
Aug 24, 2001
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  1. Led Zeppelin
  2. The Who
  3. AC/DC
  4. Jimi Hendrix
  5. Pink Floyd
  6. Queen
  7. Iron Maiden
  8. Rolling Stones
  9. Kiss
  10. The Beatles
  11. Aerosmith
  12. Van Halen
  13. Guns N Roses
  14. Radiohead
  15. Rage Against the Machine
  16. Cream
  17. Bruce Springsteen
  18. The Clash
  19. Thin Lizzy
  20. UFO
  21. Yes
  22. The Police
  23. Slayer
  24. Rammstein
  25. Motorhead
  26. U2
  27. Soundgarden
  28. Ramones
  29. David Bowie
  30. Fugazi
  31. Paul McCartney
  32. REM
  33. Status Quo
  34. Nirvana
  35. Rainbow
  36. Rush
  37. Fleetwood Mac
  38. Marillion
  39. Motley Crue
  40. Metallica
  41. Deep Purple
  42. Alice Cooper
  43. Jeff Beck Group
  44. Genesis
  45. Sensatuional Alex Harvey Band
  46. Dio
  47. Grateful Dead
  48. Heart
  49. Muse
  50. Rory Gallagher
Discuss.
 
What was the criteria they had? Because I'm having trouble finding fault with at least the top 20 of that list. Except for maybe Radiohead, but then again they might put on a top show.
 
is that you list, Gore, or one from a magazine/website/news poll/et cetera?

as for discuss: agree with most of the list, just not the order.

would move a lot around, add Judas Priest, Tool and The Tea Party and a bunch of Aussie bands like Powderfinger and TISM, get rid of The Police, Heart, RAtM and some others.

but is a hard list to make really -since we all have our own bands that we love live.
 
The Beatles at number 10?
What the hell?
They stopped touring very early in their career and when they did play shows they weren't great beacuse of 'Beatlemania'.
Unless they are judging purely on the Cavern Club gigs and that sort of thing... but seems strange
 
They asked a bunch of promoters, musos, roadies, journos and stuff. Apparently the Beatles got the nod because they were able to play their songs note for note even though the crowd was so loud they couldn't hear what they were playing.
 
4. Jimi Hendrix
17. Bruce Springsteen
29. David Bowie
31. Paul McCartney
42. Alice Cooper

as the criteria is greatest bands, these should not count because they are solo artists.
 
Having said that........not to sure on the greatest LIVE bands criteria either.

From a speculative point of view, if bands from this era are not as good live as the bands from the '70s and'80s then they should give up. The LIVE stage shows now days should kick the arse of the shows 20 yrs ago. shows have to improve with time, otherwise our kids will be watching drum shows in caves for entertainment.

if we look at the whole package (songs and stage show) then we need to take the LIVE part out of the equation.

As for Jimi V Maiden... setting a guitar on fire versus an 18 foot mechanical Eddie? I know where my hard earned is going!
 
There aren't many on there that I take issue with, but Paul McCartney? The last couple of shows of his I've seen (and granted, they were televised, I wasn't there in the flesh) were soooooooooooooooooooooo boring. Perhaps Wings would have been a better choice, but Sir Paul live doesn't seem all that interesting.
 
as the criteria is greatest bands, these should not count because they are solo artists.

Perhaps if there was an exclusion clause added...
"Greatest bands-that-don't-name-themselves-after-a-front-man-or-otherwise-significant-figure".
Hm... do you have any issue with Van Halen being on the list? If not, maybe we could have...
"Greatest bands-that-don't-name-themselves-after-a-front-man-or-otherwise-significant-figure-as-long-as-there-is-someone-else-in-the-band-with-an-arguably-bigger-presence-or-personality".

Take Bon Jovi and John Bon Jovi as an example. What determines whether a musical entity is a band or a solo artist? The name? The presence of permanent vs session musicians? What about bands with high 'member' turnovers vs solo artists with pretty much permanent 'session' members?

</bored>
 
Besides which, Hendrix always performed as the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Springsteen's listing was based on his Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band period and ALice Cooper was originally the name of the band as well as the singer.
 
would move a lot around, add Judas Priest, Tool and The Tea Party and a bunch of Aussie bands like Powderfinger and TISM, get rid of The Police, Heart, RAtM and some others.
I agree with adding Judas Priest, Tool and The Tea Party, and I would bump Jimi down a bit, but other than that it is a pretty good list. I am happy with RATM being up there....they are the only band I have seen that caused the f'n earth to move!
 

Fuck no.

The Tool show in Brisbane on the Lateralus tour was one of the most absolutely boring live shows I've ever seen, in terms of the band itself and their performance.

It SOUNDED great, but I would have had a more exciting time listening to a live CD at home reading Maiden Downunder when nobody was posting here for a while. At least I could have entertained myself with reading old Terry threads.

</rant>
 
No Sabbath, thats a bit disapointing to me. But again Ozzy's not the greatest singer but he is a good showman and could work a crowd in his day.
 
But then, Classic Rock is the magazine that admitted they totally forgot about Deep Purple's Made In Japan when doing their list of greatest live albums, so read into that what you will. :)
 
But then, Classic Rock is the magazine that admitted they totally forgot about Deep Purple's Made In Japan when doing their list of greatest live albums, so read into that what you will. :)


Ah yes do recall that....this months has the 40 Greatest Sourthern Rock songs ever...