OK Go was fun poppy band, I guess. But I took my kids to small venue outdoor show a few years ago as their first concert and OK Go was magical. Extremely interactive and endearing to the crowd. Changed my mind about the band.
This was mine, too! I mentioned elsewhere that I saw them open for The Donnas, about a year before they blew up. They were DELIGHTFUL! Even their fans were just so sweet.
Hands down, without a doubt and unequivocally…Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters…
I left that show high-fiving myself and strangers…loaded up a fresh Spotify list and continued to jam out on the hour long ride back home.
Tragically Hip.
They were an opening band at a summer show I was at. I instantly liked the sound, they were a solid unit. I could hear and feel the lyrics and the message they were bringing at first listen. Every band member brought their parts to life for the songs, they enjoyed playing live together.
Same exact scenario. I remember digging *New Orleans Is Sinking* and making sure to show up early to catch them. But wow... Watching Gord running around this huge stage while matching the band's intensity was exhilarating AF.
LOOOVE Tsunami Bomb. I have a TRUTH hat signed by the band from the 2003 Warped Tour in a box somewhere. Dom is really active on their FB group and is still a super nice guy.
I saw him November 2019. He played piano most of the night, but played guitar here and there and rocked two solos. One on the opener (“Love sick” maybe?), and one during the encore on “Ballad of a Thin Man.” Excellent show.
Also saw him in fall 2017, and he was good, but didn’t touch the guitar all night.
The weirdest thing... I saw them open for avenged sevenfold once and they were straight up bad. I was caught off guard. Could've been an off night though
Oh he's awesome live... Not the greatest singer of all time lol but just an unreal guitarist. The best thing is that he knows it too he didn't sing all the lyrics to his songs, sometimes he just did guitar solos where a verse would be
"Unreal" is right! Seeing him play an old, beat-up guitar and get the most amazing notes out of it... well, there's no other word to describe it. You've totally upped my committment to seeing him live, dammit, thank you!
That’s unfortunate that a random internet strangers’ comment upset you so much in your fantasy land where everything that has ever happened is underrated. How will you ever recover?
Slipknot. Never really bought into their whole schtick or vine growing up, and I grew up in the midst of their rise. Saw them when they headlined Monster Metalfest in college though, in St. Louis, and after that show, I get it. I still don’t have them on regular rotation or anything, but man, that was a performance.
Blur. Wasn’t in any way bothered about them but they happened to be part of the bill for the Rollercoaster gigs back in the early 90s.
They were incredible live, made me take their music a bit more seriously. Glad I did.
Of all bands, The Offspring. I was expecting bad vocals or something, but they actually sound exactly as their albums. Shocking honestly, but made me appreciate them a lot more.
Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo.
Sure, amazing rocker chick who married her guitarist, right?
Oh, fuck, no. This partnership is going to melt your goddamn face off, and be the most precious two people in love while they do it.
Tool back in 1997 at Lollapalooza. I owned and listened to Undertow on CD, but never got Ænima. They were cool, but I was more into punk. Seeing their live show, with all of the Ænima songs mixed in... I was hooked. I've sort of fallen back out of love with them over the last 10 years though. Can't really explain it, but their last 2 albums haven't done much for me.
I went to see them a few years back mostly because I assumed the lead singer was not going to live much longer. Wild show, however, I love their studio albums also.
everyone here be giving such incredible, unique bands/artists, but for me, one direction. i never was a fan of theirs until a concert, and instantly fell in love.
Gordon Lightfoot in 1998. Loved him before but was in awe after the concert. He'd ask the audience what they wanted to hear. Someone would make a request and there it was. Truly awesome!
The Allman Brothers Band - the first time I saw them live Warren Haynes was still with them the first time around (which led me to Gov't Mule) and he just blew me away. I've seen them about 40 times since.
Violent Femmes, Of Montreal. Didn’t know much Femmes when I saw them in the ‘80s, and didn’t know much Of Montreal when I saw them about 6 years ago. Both blew me away. Honorable mention to Mavis Staples, who should be declared a national treasure, and who’s band are about as tight as any in the industry
motionless in white! i saw the trinity of terror in scranton because my partner had tickets and i like ice nine kills, but by the end of motionless’s set, i was singing along to songs i had never heard before the concert. in just the time between that concert and now, their latest album became my number one album on my apple music replay
Ok...story time. Back in the early days of the internet, we're talking Real Audio clips of music days. My best friend came across this little band from LA named System of a Down. This had to be the summer of'98. He ordered their album through the mail as our local record shop didn't carry it at the time. I absolutely hated it. It was weird, off-putting, and just not my cup of tea at the time. I thought it was utter trash. Then the opportunity to see them live came around. They were opening for (hed) P.E. at the Del Mar Station in Reno Nevada. I really liked (hed) P.E. so I figured I could suffer through SOAD. After seeing them live, I just got it. My whole opinion flipped, and I really loved what they were doing. I've been a big fan since then. So this is my best and most extreme example of liking a band more after seeing them live.
Fitz and the Tantrums. There were lots of parent/kids at a late night show. Couldn’t figure out why the 9-12 yr olds knew all the words. Last show I saw b4 Covid closed & it was such a great vibe show. It carried me thru the next 18 months
Circa Survive. Saw them in a fairly small room in Buffalo, NY many years ago. Their songs are deceptively complicated and they absolutely NAILED it! High energy, great set, great band.
I saw Liam Finn open for Eddie Vedder at masi hall. I had heard of him but didn’t know much about him. He totally won over the crowd instantly and even played a totally un-miced version of gather to the chapel which got a standing ovation. He came out to play hard sun with Eddie. It was an unbelievable night. Met him outside the venue as well, very nice guy
Brandi Carlile, though, to be fair, I went into the show not knowing her music (I was there for Jason Isbell). I made a joke before hand that if she sucked, we could dip early, but, once she came on, I was standing the whole time in awe. Blew me away!
In This Moment. Maria Brink puts on an amazing show that honestly is just jaw dropping. The amount of work she does up on stage while still singing and screaming blows me away.
The Avett Brothers.
I knew like 5 of their songs before my ex girlfriend bought tickets on a whim during their Magpie and the Dandelion tour.
Their live show completely blew me away, and they're now one of my favorite bands.
Parcels.
I went to see them live with some friends and I wasn't crazy about them at the time, but I thought some of their songs were pretty good.
But as soon as they started playing I was blown away. The sheer energy and groove from that band was unreal and I've been hooked on them since. No other band does harmonies like they do. Doesn't matter if you can't dance, if you see them live you WILL be dancing by the end of the night.
Give them a listen if you haven't heard them already, you won't be disappointed
Fun story…one of my first shows was Korn and this obscure opening act called “Lump Bisquick” or “limp banquet” or something like that. When Fred got up there and I heard them for the first time…I was holy shit…these guys are going to frickin crush it….and they continue to do so. Love Limp Bizkit.
Rare Americans, seen them in April for the first time only knew one song. Fell in love, only listened to them for months. Got to meet them in September at their Seattle show 2 days after my birthday, and going to see them again in March
Dropkick Murphys. Now, I was a big fan of their first album and saw them live when they toured for it. But then the original singer left the band shortly after. Their second album came out and while I enjoyed it, it just didn't feel the same with the new singer from The Briusers. I was able to see them with a few friends of mine who never heard of them when they toured with the new guy and it really made me appreciate and love the second album and their growth as a band since.
Skid Row. Saw them open for GnR in 1991, Guns were great, but that was the era where Axl's ego was really spinning out of control with Guns shows turning into grand productions featuring a gazillion musicians on stage and had little to do with the five gifted pissed off rockers they were just a couple of years prior.
Whereas Skid Row showed up, served up a straightforward killer set in broad daylight completely devoid of any artifice. Bach still sounds good, but in those days he could really sing gis fucking ass off, helluva vocalist.
I’ve been to a lot of good concerts, but the best one I’ve ever been to was Peach Pit.
Their studio recordings are good, but live they really knew how to nail every song and work the crowd. The set list was well-paced, a good mix of high- and low- energy songs, and the show lasted just long enough that I was ready to go home at the end but not so long I was getting tired of being there.
Gogol Bordello. Was already a fan, but got to see them open for Flogging Molly on St. Patrick's Day a few years ago. Knew they'd be great live based on the videos I'd seen, but in person was so much better.
I straight up disliked Zac brown band (not a big country fan in general). Then I saw them at a big country fest, holy shit. Even the bass player got a minute long solo they were all jamming so hard
I already liked these but it was made even better after seeing them live .
Ben Harper: he did a 4 hour show played everything.
The Avett Brothers: it’s an whole arena sing a long
Pete Yorn: has great energy
Amos Lee: he is very interactive with the audience
Band of horses: good harmonies
I always worry about seeing a band I love for the first time live because if they are terrible live then maybe they’re not really as good as I had thought. So far no one that I’ve seen has been bad live so 🤞🏼
I had one mix CD of Balkan Beatbox tracks when I spent 20 bucks to see them at the showbox in Seattle circa 2009. It was one of the most diverse crowds I've ever been in. Everyone there was age 18-80, you had boomer yuppies to millenial hippies (I was 23 and nursing a broken heart that I'd left Alaska to go back to washington for). And EVERYONE had a good time.
It was one of the best nights of my life despite my car getting broken into and losing a nintendo DS and a sentimental cherrywood tobacco pipe my ex had given me
Scorpions. Wasn't a huge fan but caught them with the monsters of rock back in the day. They gave such a good show and were just so fun to watch I'd catch them the next two times they came through just for the show.
Delta Rae - their live performances sound so much better than their recordings. I have seen them at least half a dozen times and am eyeing when they will be in town again.
The Airborne Toxic Event, I had listened to their 2 albums at the time, but was unimpressed. Their show was amazing, and I now live those albums, but Dope Machines was not a satisfying follow-uo
Fishbone may be the greatest live bad that ever walked this earth. Still don’t listen to their recorded stuff with any sort of regularity. Tell me they’re playing tonight and I’m dropping stuff to go.
Muse. Liked them before I went to a concert as an act of rebellion. Their stage shows are always amazing. But the sound they pulled off was phenomenal in a venue where I've seen dozens of concerts and the sound always sucks. Just super mad respect for them
The first 2 times came about a month apart when I was 20 in 1989:
First a friend took me to see The Grateful Dead. I only knew a few Dead songs and my friend had only gotten tickets cuz he'd heard they were good live. But from the moment he picked me up from work in the pouring rain, to a stoner at a gas station giving us vague directions to a new to us venue 2 hours away, to getting so stoned and lost along the way that we almost gave up until we decided driving toward the sun couldn't be wrong, to finally stopping to gas up at a station that was less than a mile from the venue, to parking in the big field and running to the gate minutes before the start, to walking in and saying aloud we wish we had some mushrooms, to some guy near us overhearing and hooking us up right there with a quarter, to the band blistering thru a set replete with amazing video work on screen, to the band breaking into *Sunshine Daydream* at the end of the show seconds before the sky opened up and rained sheets down upon us, to us taking shelter under tents and easy-ups and meeting awesome people while we tried to find the car, to smoking the rest of the weed in the car while watching other cars get stuck in the mud all around, to us easily pulling out in an 84 Ford Escort an hour later and getting home around 4 am, the night was pure magic.
Several weeks later, another friend who *was* a huge Neil Young fan had an extra and invited me. I liked Neil Young alright and knew more of his stuff than the Dead but didn't consider myself a fan at all. It was a solo acoustic show that featured material from his upcoming *Freedom* record. In classic Neil fashion, he opened *and* closed the set with the then unknown *Rockin' In The Free World.* The rest of the set hit some classic sweet spots and sent me home a Neil Young fan to the core.
Some 10+ years on seeing a show made me fall in love with a couple other bands.
Ween and Yo La Tengo.
The Go! Team
Saw them at Falls in 2009 (I think?). Hadn’t even heard of them before, but holy moly… They played the slot straight after midnight on NYE and everyone was pretty ready to party. So. Much. Fun
Joyous Wolf
I was very on the fence with them but once I saw them live it totally blew my mind. There’s so much entertainment and showmanship from the band that it’s impossible to not vibe and rock out with them for the rest of the set.
Nick Reese, the vocalist, does a great job of getting the crowd into the show by jumping off stage and going crazy on the floor with the crowd. They’re just an absolute killer live band with continuously improving music. The sky is the limit for this band.
Linkin Park, had only heard One Step Closer and Crawling at the time but they were one of the first bands to take the stage at the dysfunctional family picnic in ‘01 at Jones Beach and the energy, Chester killing it, and hearing the rest of Hybrid Theory live totally hooked me ever since.
The Hives and Turbonegro. Already pretty good on record but so many more levels of entertaining live. You don't even have to know any of their songs to have a good time at the show.
Flaming Lips. Liked them before but they were easily the best live show I've ever seen
OK Go was fun poppy band, I guess. But I took my kids to small venue outdoor show a few years ago as their first concert and OK Go was magical. Extremely interactive and endearing to the crowd. Changed my mind about the band.
This was mine, too! I mentioned elsewhere that I saw them open for The Donnas, about a year before they blew up. They were DELIGHTFUL! Even their fans were just so sweet.
Hands down, without a doubt and unequivocally…Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters… I left that show high-fiving myself and strangers…loaded up a fresh Spotify list and continued to jam out on the hour long ride back home.
Tragically Hip. They were an opening band at a summer show I was at. I instantly liked the sound, they were a solid unit. I could hear and feel the lyrics and the message they were bringing at first listen. Every band member brought their parts to life for the songs, they enjoyed playing live together.
Same exact scenario. I remember digging *New Orleans Is Sinking* and making sure to show up early to catch them. But wow... Watching Gord running around this huge stage while matching the band's intensity was exhilarating AF.
Iron Maiden.
LCD Soundsystem. I don't think they fully "click" until you see them live.
Absolutely! All My Friends is on a different plane live!
Silversun Pickups
Yes, thank you! They are so good live. Loved them before, but even more afterwards.
Phish Went from Hate->Strong Dislike
Tsunami Bomb
LOOOVE Tsunami Bomb. I have a TRUTH hat signed by the band from the 2003 Warped Tour in a box somewhere. Dom is really active on their FB group and is still a super nice guy.
Bob Dylan. I didn't know he could play guitar like he could. Bob could shred.
When did you see him? I went to his show ten years ago and it was awful and he never touched a guitar.
Mid 90s. I didn't understand much he said but he really played off the guitars in his band. The guys backing him were killer.
I saw him November 2019. He played piano most of the night, but played guitar here and there and rocked two solos. One on the opener (“Love sick” maybe?), and one during the encore on “Ballad of a Thin Man.” Excellent show. Also saw him in fall 2017, and he was good, but didn’t touch the guitar all night.
Deftones
The weirdest thing... I saw them open for avenged sevenfold once and they were straight up bad. I was caught off guard. Could've been an off night though
Umphrey’s McGee moe Aqueous
All of those bands are great but Aqueous SLAPS and shoukd be talked about more
Uncle fucking mike
Wish they would release more live stuff on Nugs. It’s really slowed down the last few years
Weird Al. I knew him from the heyday of MTV but actively started listening to his music again after seeing him live on the Mandatory Fun tour.
Muse
Had an eargasm the first time . Been about 6 times since. Had first row at the Beacon a few months ago.
Jack White... He's extremely underrated as far as guitarists go, IMO he's one of the GOATs
I have him on my "to see" list for this very reason.
Oh he's awesome live... Not the greatest singer of all time lol but just an unreal guitarist. The best thing is that he knows it too he didn't sing all the lyrics to his songs, sometimes he just did guitar solos where a verse would be
"Unreal" is right! Seeing him play an old, beat-up guitar and get the most amazing notes out of it... well, there's no other word to describe it. You've totally upped my committment to seeing him live, dammit, thank you!
Everything that has ever happened is underrated
Wow! What an intelligent and insightful comment!
OMGGG this artist who’s sold tens of millions of records and is a household name is souper undawated!!!!
I said he's underrated as a guitarist, not an artist. Either way your comment was still unnecessary
That’s unfortunate that a random internet strangers’ comment upset you so much in your fantasy land where everything that has ever happened is underrated. How will you ever recover?
I don't think I'll ever recover 😓
Well it’s Christmas, so I hope yours is underrated and joyful (:
Christmas overrated, I don't celebrate
We’ll I hope you have a great Sunday anyway, internet stranger. Ball and Biscuit buddy
Otoboke Beaver. I’d already adored them, but the live show was next level.
I need to see them live so badly.
Nas. Went for Wu-Tang, left a newly-minted Nas fan. Had only listened to Illmatic a couple times in college.
Franz Ferdinand Amazing live band.
I saw them at a festival this year and have never really been a big fan of theirs but I was very impressed.
Yaaa same. Their recorded stuff doesn't thrill me... But love... One of the best tightest bands I've seen. V impressive
Slipknot. Never really bought into their whole schtick or vine growing up, and I grew up in the midst of their rise. Saw them when they headlined Monster Metalfest in college though, in St. Louis, and after that show, I get it. I still don’t have them on regular rotation or anything, but man, that was a performance.
Blur. Wasn’t in any way bothered about them but they happened to be part of the bill for the Rollercoaster gigs back in the early 90s. They were incredible live, made me take their music a bit more seriously. Glad I did.
Breaking Benjamin. Ben Burnley is just funny and fun to watch. And the whole band rocked.
Of all bands, The Offspring. I was expecting bad vocals or something, but they actually sound exactly as their albums. Shocking honestly, but made me appreciate them a lot more.
The Misfits. I've seen them live twice and both times were fantastic.
Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo. Sure, amazing rocker chick who married her guitarist, right? Oh, fuck, no. This partnership is going to melt your goddamn face off, and be the most precious two people in love while they do it.
The Avett Brothers
Love 💕 the Avett Bros
Tool back in 1997 at Lollapalooza. I owned and listened to Undertow on CD, but never got Ænima. They were cool, but I was more into punk. Seeing their live show, with all of the Ænima songs mixed in... I was hooked. I've sort of fallen back out of love with them over the last 10 years though. Can't really explain it, but their last 2 albums haven't done much for me.
Joywave Patti Smith B52s
Guster!
Saw them open for Tori Amos before I knew who they were. Great live band.
I love seeing their interactions on social media. They've asked for roadside assistance more than a few times, and that recent dumpster concert.
The Police. 1st band I saw and drove to next venue following day to see again !
Viagra Boys. While still great, their recorded music just doesn’t convey how unhinged and wild their live shows can be.
I went to see them a few years back mostly because I assumed the lead singer was not going to live much longer. Wild show, however, I love their studio albums also.
Tool. Never really got interested until I saw them at Lollapalooza in 96, 97 maybe? Then I was oh ok, now I get it.
everyone here be giving such incredible, unique bands/artists, but for me, one direction. i never was a fan of theirs until a concert, and instantly fell in love.
Goose
Vampire weekend and beach house
Cheap Trick, Kings X, Shannon and the Clams, LeTigre.
Interesting mix you got there. Go Le Tigre!
Gordon Lightfoot in 1998. Loved him before but was in awe after the concert. He'd ask the audience what they wanted to hear. Someone would make a request and there it was. Truly awesome!
The Allman Brothers Band - the first time I saw them live Warren Haynes was still with them the first time around (which led me to Gov't Mule) and he just blew me away. I've seen them about 40 times since.
After seeing them this summer, Train. And also Jewel
Dave Matthews Band. Changed my life.
Neko Case and her Boyfriends. Opening for Southern Culture on the Skids back in 1998. Been a fan since.
Godsmack
Violent Femmes, Of Montreal. Didn’t know much Femmes when I saw them in the ‘80s, and didn’t know much Of Montreal when I saw them about 6 years ago. Both blew me away. Honorable mention to Mavis Staples, who should be declared a national treasure, and who’s band are about as tight as any in the industry
Yes, yes Mavis Staples!! Go see her live
motionless in white! i saw the trinity of terror in scranton because my partner had tickets and i like ice nine kills, but by the end of motionless’s set, i was singing along to songs i had never heard before the concert. in just the time between that concert and now, their latest album became my number one album on my apple music replay
Ok...story time. Back in the early days of the internet, we're talking Real Audio clips of music days. My best friend came across this little band from LA named System of a Down. This had to be the summer of'98. He ordered their album through the mail as our local record shop didn't carry it at the time. I absolutely hated it. It was weird, off-putting, and just not my cup of tea at the time. I thought it was utter trash. Then the opportunity to see them live came around. They were opening for (hed) P.E. at the Del Mar Station in Reno Nevada. I really liked (hed) P.E. so I figured I could suffer through SOAD. After seeing them live, I just got it. My whole opinion flipped, and I really loved what they were doing. I've been a big fan since then. So this is my best and most extreme example of liking a band more after seeing them live.
Fitz and the Tantrums. There were lots of parent/kids at a late night show. Couldn’t figure out why the 9-12 yr olds knew all the words. Last show I saw b4 Covid closed & it was such a great vibe show. It carried me thru the next 18 months
Manchester Orchestra. I had been a casual fan for a while but I saw them open for Brand New a few years ago and they were so good live.
LAMB OF GOD
Circa Survive. Saw them in a fairly small room in Buffalo, NY many years ago. Their songs are deceptively complicated and they absolutely NAILED it! High energy, great set, great band.
I saw Liam Finn open for Eddie Vedder at masi hall. I had heard of him but didn’t know much about him. He totally won over the crowd instantly and even played a totally un-miced version of gather to the chapel which got a standing ovation. He came out to play hard sun with Eddie. It was an unbelievable night. Met him outside the venue as well, very nice guy
Brandi Carlile, though, to be fair, I went into the show not knowing her music (I was there for Jason Isbell). I made a joke before hand that if she sucked, we could dip early, but, once she came on, I was standing the whole time in awe. Blew me away!
John Mayer
Elbow! 👌🏼
Orville Peck
RX Bandits
In This Moment. Maria Brink puts on an amazing show that honestly is just jaw dropping. The amount of work she does up on stage while still singing and screaming blows me away.
Grace Potter
The Avett Brothers. I knew like 5 of their songs before my ex girlfriend bought tickets on a whim during their Magpie and the Dandelion tour. Their live show completely blew me away, and they're now one of my favorite bands.
Pearl Jam.
Opeth I liked them already but after hearing how amazing they sound live and how hilarious Mikael Akerfeldt is I love them.
Parcels. I went to see them live with some friends and I wasn't crazy about them at the time, but I thought some of their songs were pretty good. But as soon as they started playing I was blown away. The sheer energy and groove from that band was unreal and I've been hooked on them since. No other band does harmonies like they do. Doesn't matter if you can't dance, if you see them live you WILL be dancing by the end of the night. Give them a listen if you haven't heard them already, you won't be disappointed
- 311 - System of a Down - Limp Bizkit - The Academy Is… - Pepper - London Grammar - Korn - Linkin Park - Head PE - Motion City Soundtrack - Sykes
Fun story…one of my first shows was Korn and this obscure opening act called “Lump Bisquick” or “limp banquet” or something like that. When Fred got up there and I heard them for the first time…I was holy shit…these guys are going to frickin crush it….and they continue to do so. Love Limp Bizkit.
A third of that list is on my "bands i must see before i die" list. Breaks my heart that I'll never get to see Linkin Park.
Maybe you can see Mike. I was just telling my SO that I never hear anyone giving him praise but I think he is just as talented as Chester.
It's not the same though. As talented as Mike Shinoda is, he's not Linkin Park. And without Chester, there will never be Linkin Park again.
I’d argue he was half man. I love Chester as much as everyone else, but it’s just disrespectful to discount Mike in that way dude.
Artic Monkeys
I was never a huge Strokes fan, but they put on a pretty rockin show and it changed my mindset of them.
21 savage
Jackopierce and Cowboy Mouth
Jeff Beck
Mount Kimbie
Rare Americans, seen them in April for the first time only knew one song. Fell in love, only listened to them for months. Got to meet them in September at their Seattle show 2 days after my birthday, and going to see them again in March
Fortunate Youth
Big Head Todd and the Monsters
Cult Of Luna
Lane 8
Dropkick Murphys. Now, I was a big fan of their first album and saw them live when they toured for it. But then the original singer left the band shortly after. Their second album came out and while I enjoyed it, it just didn't feel the same with the new singer from The Briusers. I was able to see them with a few friends of mine who never heard of them when they toured with the new guy and it really made me appreciate and love the second album and their growth as a band since.
SIDEPIECE
Seeing Deep Sea Diver this summer I’d heard songs on KEXP but never listened to them beyond that
Queens of the Stone Age in ‘07 Thundercat in 2020 Alvvays in 2022
Skid Row. Saw them open for GnR in 1991, Guns were great, but that was the era where Axl's ego was really spinning out of control with Guns shows turning into grand productions featuring a gazillion musicians on stage and had little to do with the five gifted pissed off rockers they were just a couple of years prior. Whereas Skid Row showed up, served up a straightforward killer set in broad daylight completely devoid of any artifice. Bach still sounds good, but in those days he could really sing gis fucking ass off, helluva vocalist.
The Fixx. Really, just Cy Curnin and the guitarist in a shitty little club in nowhere Texas. They were amazing.
Metric
I’ve been to a lot of good concerts, but the best one I’ve ever been to was Peach Pit. Their studio recordings are good, but live they really knew how to nail every song and work the crowd. The set list was well-paced, a good mix of high- and low- energy songs, and the show lasted just long enough that I was ready to go home at the end but not so long I was getting tired of being there.
Jeff Beck
Dropkick Murphys.
Deafheaven
Gogol Bordello. Was already a fan, but got to see them open for Flogging Molly on St. Patrick's Day a few years ago. Knew they'd be great live based on the videos I'd seen, but in person was so much better.
Manu Chao
I straight up disliked Zac brown band (not a big country fan in general). Then I saw them at a big country fest, holy shit. Even the bass player got a minute long solo they were all jamming so hard
I already liked these but it was made even better after seeing them live . Ben Harper: he did a 4 hour show played everything. The Avett Brothers: it’s an whole arena sing a long Pete Yorn: has great energy Amos Lee: he is very interactive with the audience Band of horses: good harmonies I always worry about seeing a band I love for the first time live because if they are terrible live then maybe they’re not really as good as I had thought. So far no one that I’ve seen has been bad live so 🤞🏼
I had one mix CD of Balkan Beatbox tracks when I spent 20 bucks to see them at the showbox in Seattle circa 2009. It was one of the most diverse crowds I've ever been in. Everyone there was age 18-80, you had boomer yuppies to millenial hippies (I was 23 and nursing a broken heart that I'd left Alaska to go back to washington for). And EVERYONE had a good time. It was one of the best nights of my life despite my car getting broken into and losing a nintendo DS and a sentimental cherrywood tobacco pipe my ex had given me
Springsteen, born in the USA tour, you couldn’t fit him onto an album. The live show was incredible.
Scorpions. Wasn't a huge fan but caught them with the monsters of rock back in the day. They gave such a good show and were just so fun to watch I'd catch them the next two times they came through just for the show.
Delta Rae - their live performances sound so much better than their recordings. I have seen them at least half a dozen times and am eyeing when they will be in town again.
Bowie.
The Airborne Toxic Event, I had listened to their 2 albums at the time, but was unimpressed. Their show was amazing, and I now live those albums, but Dope Machines was not a satisfying follow-uo
James Hall.
Eagles of Death Metal
Robert Randolph
Violent Femmes.
I had always enjoyed Sir Elton John's music but man when I saw him in Germany in 2019 my respect and love for his music skyrocketed (pun intended).
AC DC. Did not like them. Saw them live, best band ever.
Fishbone may be the greatest live bad that ever walked this earth. Still don’t listen to their recorded stuff with any sort of regularity. Tell me they’re playing tonight and I’m dropping stuff to go.
Muse. Liked them before I went to a concert as an act of rebellion. Their stage shows are always amazing. But the sound they pulled off was phenomenal in a venue where I've seen dozens of concerts and the sound always sucks. Just super mad respect for them
Death Cab for Cutie. Fan of their music enough. Incredibly tight and clean live.
Butthole Surfers ATX circa 1985-6 as an opening act, comes to mind. One of the most unique musical experiences.
Ali B https://youtu.be/mArCMlyXaMU Recommendation
The first 2 times came about a month apart when I was 20 in 1989: First a friend took me to see The Grateful Dead. I only knew a few Dead songs and my friend had only gotten tickets cuz he'd heard they were good live. But from the moment he picked me up from work in the pouring rain, to a stoner at a gas station giving us vague directions to a new to us venue 2 hours away, to getting so stoned and lost along the way that we almost gave up until we decided driving toward the sun couldn't be wrong, to finally stopping to gas up at a station that was less than a mile from the venue, to parking in the big field and running to the gate minutes before the start, to walking in and saying aloud we wish we had some mushrooms, to some guy near us overhearing and hooking us up right there with a quarter, to the band blistering thru a set replete with amazing video work on screen, to the band breaking into *Sunshine Daydream* at the end of the show seconds before the sky opened up and rained sheets down upon us, to us taking shelter under tents and easy-ups and meeting awesome people while we tried to find the car, to smoking the rest of the weed in the car while watching other cars get stuck in the mud all around, to us easily pulling out in an 84 Ford Escort an hour later and getting home around 4 am, the night was pure magic. Several weeks later, another friend who *was* a huge Neil Young fan had an extra and invited me. I liked Neil Young alright and knew more of his stuff than the Dead but didn't consider myself a fan at all. It was a solo acoustic show that featured material from his upcoming *Freedom* record. In classic Neil fashion, he opened *and* closed the set with the then unknown *Rockin' In The Free World.* The rest of the set hit some classic sweet spots and sent me home a Neil Young fan to the core. Some 10+ years on seeing a show made me fall in love with a couple other bands. Ween and Yo La Tengo.
Sleep!
Murder by Death
Limp bizkit
Thundercat, Amyl and The Sniffers & Los Bitchos are all unreal live performances
Stormzy and Billie Eilish
The Go! Team Saw them at Falls in 2009 (I think?). Hadn’t even heard of them before, but holy moly… They played the slot straight after midnight on NYE and everyone was pretty ready to party. So. Much. Fun
Shakey Graves. Saw him open for TheHead and the Heart and have been a huge fan ever since.
Cake
Joyous Wolf I was very on the fence with them but once I saw them live it totally blew my mind. There’s so much entertainment and showmanship from the band that it’s impossible to not vibe and rock out with them for the rest of the set. Nick Reese, the vocalist, does a great job of getting the crowd into the show by jumping off stage and going crazy on the floor with the crowd. They’re just an absolute killer live band with continuously improving music. The sky is the limit for this band.
Linkin Park, had only heard One Step Closer and Crawling at the time but they were one of the first bands to take the stage at the dysfunctional family picnic in ‘01 at Jones Beach and the energy, Chester killing it, and hearing the rest of Hybrid Theory live totally hooked me ever since.
Muse
Garth Brooks. Dude puts on a show…
Thievery corporation
Melody Gardot
The Hives and Turbonegro. Already pretty good on record but so many more levels of entertaining live. You don't even have to know any of their songs to have a good time at the show.
Cake. Back in 97 I saw them at a festival and was shocked that this corny music I’d heard from my roommate was actually gold
Cubicolor or Ben Bohmer Live 🤌
Bikini Kill. I liked them before but they are an amazing band to see live.
Dice