I saw him close to 20 years ago and the thing that always stood out to me the most was that he sounded exactly the same as he does on his albums. I was very impressed.
I was at the Foo Fighters gig where Dave Grohl fell off the stage and broke his leg, after which the rest of the band spent an hour playing various covers until Dave came back on stage high on pain meds mixed with alcohol and resumed the show. A doctor had to sit on stage and keep his leg fixed for the rest of the show until they could take him to the hospital to give him a cast, and the entire crowd dedicated "My hero" to the doctor. That show was fucking awesome.
Easily this. They have some of the best theatrics ever. The fire and smoke are amazing to watch. They even used the smoke on stage to cover a costume change during the performance
Metallica in 1991 has got to be up there with all time historical performances. I've seen them 6 times since 2008, but man what I would give to go to any time from 1991-1992 when they were at their absolute peak.
Did some searching, it turns out it was 1992 in Rotterdam. They played the previous day too, but I remember for sure that they played Breadfan which is only on this setlist.
That would have been such a sick concert. I still watch the Live Shit: Binge and Purge DVDs at least once a year. Seeing that live would have been killer.
I saw The Chemical Brothers play back in the early 2000's and they were set up with racks and racks of keyboards surrounding them. They played their electronic music live on the keyboards and watching them blew my mind. Up until this concert I never thought of electronic producers as musicians, this totally changed my perspective.
Slipknot puts on a great show.
Weird Al's shows are always fun.
If I'm within a couple of hours of where Babymetal is putting on a show, I will do whatever it takes to see them.
Honey Dijon spins an amazing set.
Whenever you have a chance to see an opera, go. Chances are you'll be blown away by the talent.
Don’t laugh, but Collective Soul. They did that song “Gel” back in the day. I wasn’t a huge fan of their music and still am not. But it was a great live concert.
Free tickets got passed to me from one of my mothers friends, and it was at an old theater with chandeliers and padded seats.
Was very surprised at how engaging they were with the crowd.
This amuses me because they are (well, were; I haven't seen them in concert for 20 years but saw them several times back then) a good live band but 'Gel' was barely even a radio song for them, much less a hit. 'Shine,' 'December,' and 'Heavy' got the most radio play.
Rammstein, Pledge of Allegiance '01. Till did the first song of their set ON FIRE.
NIN, Lights in the Sky '08. Absolutely insane A/V, transparent screens layering the entire stage that would make various band members visible/invisible depending on what was being displayed on each layer and where the spotlights were pointed.
And then there's Ozzy just blasting the pit with a fire hose for most of the set…
Ive seen alot of DJs who did really good sets. Saw one DJ do their set blindfolded.
A couple live bands. Which would have been between Weird Al and Video Games Done Live for the best.
But without a doubt. Insane Clown Posse put on the best show.
I saw them in an underground nightclub. That had plastic everywhere to try and protect the electronics.
There was a lake of Faygo in the center of the dance floor, feathers everywhere, and the clear smell of a burnt electronics.
I have opinions on this. DJs rarely have concerts. They might have a good stage performance going on around them and they provide the music, or they are using a turntable as an instrument (cut chemist for example)
Another exception is a DJ that picks up instruments throughout their songs. I’ve seen sax, guitars, trumpet, and various drums get used that turn an otherwise club dj into a concert
Last is the producer using various pieces of equipment to create music and not using any real mixing or turntable. These are just mid-labeled as DJs and fall outside of the scope of the above comments. Daft Punk might be the most well known mislabeled “DJ”
Slipknot puts on a crazy show. With so many people in the band, there was always somebody doing something worth watching. I'm not even a Slipknot fan, I was there to see System of a Down.
Foreigner is amazing to see, you'd never think so as I personally find their rock just a bit bland, you know kind of blends in with all the rock of their time, but holy shit their concert is fun. They just go wild, they really bring the crowd in, and you're right the lead singer is just nuts. I've seen them probably 3 times now simply because they're so fun
Man Man opening for Modest Mouse in Rochester NY. Got to watch the soundcheck and had spots on the rail. Man Man just had another energy I haven't really seen matched by anyone.
Sigur Ros at Bonnaroo in 2008. Was a few hour gaps between shows at the stage and hung out for a few hours with people to get a good spot. Left that show to find Kanye (who was supposed to start at the same time), still hadn't taken stage. Fell asleep waiting for him, gave up around 4AM and walked back to my tent. Think he went on around 430AM
Viagra Boys in 2022. Fun show, good crowd energy.
Arcade Fire/LCD Soundsystem/Blonde Redhead/ Les Savy Fav on Randall's Island in 2007. Front row of 20,000+ people (that I ran to secure for our group) Met Will Butler. Was LCD Soundsystem's last stop on the tour. Special special show.
Oh, Girl Talk at RIT sometime around 2007 or so. I've seen Girl Talk I think three times, but crowd energy was nuts for this one. Crowdsurfed even.
Kabát (Czech band) in Bratislava 2017. I was amazed that a local rock band can perform on such high quality level, better than anyone I've ever seen live.
For fun - the worst was Imagine Dragons in 2015, holy crap that was so dull. The guy was in white shirt the entire time, repeating the same phrases between songs over and over again
Not the best show I've ever seen, but I saw Creed at a State Fair and they put on a helluva show. I don't like Creed, but it was a great vibe. Compare to Pearl Jam, whom I used to adore, who came to my town and phoned in a lousy performance. I'm just saying that good music isn't enough to make a good show.
I caught Pink Floyd on their "Pulse" tour. They performed the "Dark Side of the Moon" album in it's entirety, and if your a fan, then you know how special that was.
Metallica, Donington Park Raceway, 2004. They were headlining Download festival, but Lars was rushed to hospital right before the show. Rather than cancel they brought out a rotating cast of drummers from the other bands at the festival, starting with Dave Lombardo from Slayer.
This was the St Anger tour... We were all jazzed to see Metallica, but let's be honest, no one was particularly jazzed about St Anger as an album. Thing is though, their guest drummers didn't know the tracks on St Anger. They knew old school Metallica; Kill Em All, Ride The Lightning, Master of Puppets, the Black Album, And Justice For All. The good shit.
Better yet, the guest drummers were absolutely psyched to be there. For Metallica this could have been just another show. Huge crowd, but they've played bigger. But for their rotating cast of drummers this was the greatest night of their life. That kind of enthusiasm is infectious and it really showed. This was one of the most balls to the wall performances I've ever seen from any band. The energy was off the charts.
Especially when they got to Joey from Slipknot. The idea was that they were going to keep rotating drummers throughout the night, but after Joey played his first song, that went out the window. He was their drummer for the rest of the night. That motherfucker played his god damn heart out. Now, listen, if you're one of those people who still thinks that Slipknot are a bad band, go listen to Vol 3 and then come talk to me. Joey is one hell of a drummer, and he showed up to play. And the whole band felt it.By the end of the show James Hetfield wasn't singing to us... He was singing to Joey. I distinctly remember him standing with one foot up on the bass drum staring that little masked genius dead in the eyes, two guys basically performing for each other (an image made hilarious and adorable by the fact that James Hetfield is a giant of a man, and Joey is a pocket sized human being; it was like Dad brought his kid to work).
It was a once in a lifetime experience, and probably one of the best shows Metallica ever played. Pure lightning in a bottle.
Taking this in another direction, Aziz Ansari did a comedy set at my college nearly 20 years ago; he was hysterical. He did tons of crowd work and had everyone in stitches. Then, about an hour into his performance he says “oh, by the way, I haven’t even started my regular set yet”. He went at least another 45 minutes after that.
As for my favorite concert, it’d have to be seeing Coheed and Cambria play In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3 in its totality on an anniversary tour. I was with my college roommates and we all love that album so much so it made the show extra meaningful as we belted out song after song together.
Aziz Ansari is incredible at improv humor. I remember the first time I noticed it was one of the Comedy Central Roasts (the James Franco one, I believe) where his set was just roasting things other comedians said during their time at the mic. Most people show up with practiced roasts ready to go. He just winged it on the spot, and I think he was better than most everyone else at that roast.
I'm not a concert person. I dislike loud, crowded places by nature. Bruce Springsteen is the only one I've ever seen. It was great. Dude can barely walk but still can sell out a stadium. Awesome time.
The one that immediately springs to mind was 65daysofstatic on the Wild Light tour. They played the whole record, plus some older favourites. I was standing next to one of the big speakers. It's the closest I've ever gotten to a genuine religious experience.
However, FU Manchu in a tiny sweatbox club to about 200 people ranks pretty fucking up there too.
Oh, and the Foo Fighters doing a live session for Radio 1 back in around 2004. There were twenty of us who were lucky enough to win tickets.
Wife surprised me with front row seats to see Chris Titus live quite a few years ago. Got to see a lot of material that wouldn’t make it into a special until years later. Laughed my ass off harder than I had in a long time. Was really special.
Frustration in Berlin a couple of years ago. Great post punk vibe, as hit and sweaty as it gets. Maybe a bit of recency bias, also I'm seeing them again tomorrow....
Nitzer Ebb some time at the end of the 90s in London. So much energy, so much MDMA...
Laibach, again London not sure when but Mina Spilar was still with them, and she is amazing
Depeche Mode, 2005, Berlin Olympiastadion. Crazy to see a band in the 1933 Olympics stadium, but they were still on good form, albeit without Alan. The sunset was amazing...
But the all round best gig Ive been to: Fad Gadget, London 2002. He died the following day. Oh, and I only realised the following day that a young lady was trying to chat me up. One hell of a night, so much energy for someone about to die.
NoMeansNo at the Cotati Cabaret (might have been the The Inn of the Beginning) in Cotati, CA in the early 90's. "Stage" was a 1-foot-high platform. Maybe 300 people, tops, in attendance (which was capacity). No barricade. Close enough to get sweat drops flicked on me from the frantic yet top-notch drumming of John Wright while his brother Rob sang and played bass. Awesome, close-up show...for maybe $10 at the door.
NIN always does a great show, but I think of all of them I liked the Fragility Tour the most (2000). It was so well done.
KMFDM always puts on a hell of a show. I never miss a chance to see them and they always kill it. My favorite show of there's was the Symbols tour with PIG. They had Ogre from Skinny Puppy touring with them as he was a temporary member for that album. Just so good.
Gwar was always great and fun to see live. They probably still are, but I haven't been able to see them live in years.
The Lion King was really special for me. Incredible performance and insane sets and costumes.
I also recently saw Moulin Rouge and that was an absolute blast - unfortunately accoustics were a bit rough.
For concerts
Kim Petras was a total blast and the visuals were wild.
The Dead South put on an incredible show.
Shawn James is the only one I've had a truly psychedelic experience with.
And Black Tiger Sex Machine. It wasn't only them, I think there were 5 or 6 DJs that also played. But holy shit, it was non-stop from 6pm to midnight. I was so sore the next day, haha
76 Comments
MisterNeon@lemmy.world · 22 pts · 4h
I haven't seen him in almost 15 years, but Weird Al Yankovic puts on a hell of a good show. Always has the best backup musicians with him.
officermike@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 3h
Saw him 4 months ago. I was not prepared for so many costume changes.
kinkles@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 2h
I saw him close to 20 years ago and the thing that always stood out to me the most was that he sounded exactly the same as he does on his albums. I was very impressed.
emigu@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 4h
I was at the Foo Fighters gig where Dave Grohl fell off the stage and broke his leg, after which the rest of the band spent an hour playing various covers until Dave came back on stage high on pain meds mixed with alcohol and resumed the show. A doctor had to sit on stage and keep his leg fixed for the rest of the show until they could take him to the hospital to give him a cast, and the entire crowd dedicated "My hero" to the doctor. That show was fucking awesome.
eurodyne@piefed.world · 15 pts · 3h
Stone Temple Pilots - (MTV Unplugged) - Sony Studios, NYC, ’93
Massive Attack - Roseland NYC, ‘96
Green Day - Barbarella, Orlando, ‘95
Modest Mouse - (Baron von Bullshit Rides Again) - Sapphire Supper Club, Orlando, ‘04
Paul Oakenfold - (Global Underground 006), The Tunnel, NYC, ‘94
These are just a few. I’m sure there’s a bunch I’m forgetting. I doubt that I could single any one of them out.
Maybe STP or Massive Attack
Edit: updated to include live album titles, and cities
mctoasterson@reddthat.com · 2 pts · 2h
Saw STP with Scott and with Chester. Both amazing shows but different vibes.
eurodyne@piefed.world · 1 pts · 1h
That STP performance was the best performance of plush I’ve ever heard in my life. I think it’s on the deluxe plush album.
Shadow@lemmy.ca · 15 pts · 4h
Daft punk
Voroxpete@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 2h
Words cannot express my jealousy.
cattywampas@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 3h
Top two concerts of all time:
Daft Punk at Lollapalooza 2007
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard at Northerly Island, Chicago, 9/1/24
lennybird@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 4h
Rammstein
Theatrics, setlist, audio quality, crowd... Just wow. Hope to see them one more time.
cannedtuna@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 3h
Easily this. They have some of the best theatrics ever. The fire and smoke are amazing to watch. They even used the smoke on stage to cover a costume change during the performance
ToiletFlushShowerScream@piefed.world · 9 pts · 3h
Gogol Bordello
Absolute manic fun.
lennybird@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2h
Behind Rammstein, Gogol Bordello and Flogging Molly were my two favorite concerts for your reason!
shartgargle@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 1h
Rammstein blew my 16 yo mind.
tanisnikana@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 4h
I think the best live show I ever saw was Good Kid. Their energy and jams couldn’t be matched.
zout@fedia.io · 7 pts · 3h
In random order: Rammstein in 2024, Iron Maiden in 2008, Gorilla Biscuits this summer, Metallica in 1991 and probably one or two I forgot.
slackassassin@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 3h
Wait. Guerilla biscuits played this summer!!!???
zout@fedia.io · 3 pts · 3h
They had a short European tour this summer, and I guess they played some dates in the US as well.
Earthwormjim91@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 3h
Metallica in 1991 has got to be up there with all time historical performances. I've seen them 6 times since 2008, but man what I would give to go to any time from 1991-1992 when they were at their absolute peak.
zout@fedia.io · 2 pts · 2h
Did some searching, it turns out it was 1992 in Rotterdam. They played the previous day too, but I remember for sure that they played Breadfan which is only on this setlist.
Earthwormjim91@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2h
That would have been such a sick concert. I still watch the Live Shit: Binge and Purge DVDs at least once a year. Seeing that live would have been killer.
stopforgettingit@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 3h
I saw The Chemical Brothers play back in the early 2000's and they were set up with racks and racks of keyboards surrounding them. They played their electronic music live on the keyboards and watching them blew my mind. Up until this concert I never thought of electronic producers as musicians, this totally changed my perspective.
Zedd00@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 7 pts · 3h
Slipknot puts on a great show. Weird Al's shows are always fun. If I'm within a couple of hours of where Babymetal is putting on a show, I will do whatever it takes to see them. Honey Dijon spins an amazing set. Whenever you have a chance to see an opera, go. Chances are you'll be blown away by the talent.
uberdroog@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 3h
Primus. Mesa Amphitheater.
ToiletFlushShowerScream@piefed.world · 2 pts · 3h
My first I introduction to Primus was live, I was very confused by the audience chants. The bassist was an absolute artist.
scutiger@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 40m
Primus sucks!
ToiletFlushShowerScream@piefed.world · 1 pts · 2m
Exactly! I was so confused at the time.
Brkdncr@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 3h
Don’t laugh, but Collective Soul. They did that song “Gel” back in the day. I wasn’t a huge fan of their music and still am not. But it was a great live concert.
Free tickets got passed to me from one of my mothers friends, and it was at an old theater with chandeliers and padded seats.
Was very surprised at how engaging they were with the crowd.
shartgargle@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 1h
Powerman 5000 was that way for me. Wasn't there to see them and didn't really care for their music but they really put on a great show.
Azathoth@fedia.io · 1 pts · 2h
This amuses me because they are (well, were; I haven't seen them in concert for 20 years but saw them several times back then) a good live band but 'Gel' was barely even a radio song for them, much less a hit. 'Shine,' 'December,' and 'Heavy' got the most radio play.
bitjunkie@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 3h
Rammstein, Pledge of Allegiance '01. Till did the first song of their set ON FIRE.
NIN, Lights in the Sky '08. Absolutely insane A/V, transparent screens layering the entire stage that would make various band members visible/invisible depending on what was being displayed on each layer and where the spotlights were pointed.
And then there's Ozzy just blasting the pit with a fire hose for most of the set…
ZeroPoke@fedia.io · 5 pts · 2h
Ive seen alot of DJs who did really good sets. Saw one DJ do their set blindfolded. A couple live bands. Which would have been between Weird Al and Video Games Done Live for the best.
But without a doubt. Insane Clown Posse put on the best show. I saw them in an underground nightclub. That had plastic everywhere to try and protect the electronics. There was a lake of Faygo in the center of the dance floor, feathers everywhere, and the clear smell of a burnt electronics.
Brkdncr@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1h
I have opinions on this. DJs rarely have concerts. They might have a good stage performance going on around them and they provide the music, or they are using a turntable as an instrument (cut chemist for example)
Another exception is a DJ that picks up instruments throughout their songs. I’ve seen sax, guitars, trumpet, and various drums get used that turn an otherwise club dj into a concert
Last is the producer using various pieces of equipment to create music and not using any real mixing or turntable. These are just mid-labeled as DJs and fall outside of the scope of the above comments. Daft Punk might be the most well known mislabeled “DJ”
ZeroPoke@fedia.io · 1 pts · 21m
For me if they are ACTUALLY mixing then and there, thats good enough to be called a live show for them.
If they recorded in advance then just hit play. Not so much.
wesker@lemmy.sdf.org · 5 pts · 4h
Bush's performance of Glycerine, on MTV Spring Break Rocks 1996. It was raining and they were warned against performing, but Gavin Rossdale insisted, and it was amazing.
EDIT: I haven't had my coffee, and for some reason your question translated to "live TV performance" in my brain.
Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 4h
Slipknot puts on a crazy show. With so many people in the band, there was always somebody doing something worth watching. I'm not even a Slipknot fan, I was there to see System of a Down.
hperrin@lemmy.ca · 4 pts · 4h
Foreigner. Lead singer was climbing up the fifteen foot scaffolding, singing from way up there. No safety equipment either. Like a jungle gym.
scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech · 2 pts · 2h
Foreigner is amazing to see, you'd never think so as I personally find their rock just a bit bland, you know kind of blends in with all the rock of their time, but holy shit their concert is fun. They just go wild, they really bring the crowd in, and you're right the lead singer is just nuts. I've seen them probably 3 times now simply because they're so fun
LaLuzDelSol@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 20m
Haha he did the same thing when I saw them at the SC state fair back in.... 2013.
He smelled some pizza being cooked nearby and got hungry and stopped the show while someone brought him some food :) great show though
9point6@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 3h
Hmm, hard to pick, but these come to mind in no particular order:
Chemical Brothers - Glastonbury Other Stage 2019
Chemical Brothers - V Festival (South) 2nd stage 2008
Faithless - V Festival (South) Main Stage 2006
Bloc Party - Alexandra Palace 2007
Nine Inch Nails - Eden Project 2022
Nine Inch Nails - O2 London 2025
Underworld - Aviva Studios Manchester 2024
Oneohtrix Point Never - New Century Manchester 2024
Massive Attack - Bestival Main Stage 2009
Massive Attack - Glastonbury Other Stage 2014
Aphex Twin - Glastonbury Temple Stage 2014
Sub Focus b2b Wilkinson - Glastonbury Sonic Stage 2019
Deadmau5 - Nation Liverpool 2009
Sigur Ros - Manchester Apollo 2022
I'm definitely forgetting a lot off the top of my head though
shartgargle@lemmy.zip · 4 pts · 1h
Tool. Hands down.
SpruceBringsteen@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 3h
Man Man opening for Modest Mouse in Rochester NY. Got to watch the soundcheck and had spots on the rail. Man Man just had another energy I haven't really seen matched by anyone.
Sigur Ros at Bonnaroo in 2008. Was a few hour gaps between shows at the stage and hung out for a few hours with people to get a good spot. Left that show to find Kanye (who was supposed to start at the same time), still hadn't taken stage. Fell asleep waiting for him, gave up around 4AM and walked back to my tent. Think he went on around 430AM
Viagra Boys in 2022. Fun show, good crowd energy.
Arcade Fire/LCD Soundsystem/Blonde Redhead/ Les Savy Fav on Randall's Island in 2007. Front row of 20,000+ people (that I ran to secure for our group) Met Will Butler. Was LCD Soundsystem's last stop on the tour. Special special show.
Oh, Girl Talk at RIT sometime around 2007 or so. I've seen Girl Talk I think three times, but crowd energy was nuts for this one. Crowdsurfed even.
givesomefucks@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 4h
Die Antword at 2014 Bonaroo
They'd rotate out for costume changes, so one vocalist was constantly on stage and the music and energy never dipped the entire set.
Can't remember if that was before/after they blew up, but for whatever reason I was able to get super close to the stage.
SpruceBringsteen@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 3h
I was in the crowd with you on that one. Such a conflict, you also had Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Darkside a tent over.
givesomefucks@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 3h
Yeah, it was always a weird mix.
The year before I saw Billy Idol in a tiny tent like 6 feet max from the stage, which was bucket list level.
But for most of his set it was just bored teenagers waiting for Passion Pit to come on
EfreetSK@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 3h
Kabát (Czech band) in Bratislava 2017. I was amazed that a local rock band can perform on such high quality level, better than anyone I've ever seen live.
For fun - the worst was Imagine Dragons in 2015, holy crap that was so dull. The guy was in white shirt the entire time, repeating the same phrases between songs over and over again
Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 3h
Streetlight Manifesto in 2008 at the Chameleon Club. Opening acts were Echo Movement and Outernational.
yesman@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 3h
Not the best show I've ever seen, but I saw Creed at a State Fair and they put on a helluva show. I don't like Creed, but it was a great vibe. Compare to Pearl Jam, whom I used to adore, who came to my town and phoned in a lousy performance. I'm just saying that good music isn't enough to make a good show.
I caught Pink Floyd on their "Pulse" tour. They performed the "Dark Side of the Moon" album in it's entirety, and if your a fan, then you know how special that was.
Voroxpete@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 2h
Metallica, Donington Park Raceway, 2004. They were headlining Download festival, but Lars was rushed to hospital right before the show. Rather than cancel they brought out a rotating cast of drummers from the other bands at the festival, starting with Dave Lombardo from Slayer.
This was the St Anger tour... We were all jazzed to see Metallica, but let's be honest, no one was particularly jazzed about St Anger as an album. Thing is though, their guest drummers didn't know the tracks on St Anger. They knew old school Metallica; Kill Em All, Ride The Lightning, Master of Puppets, the Black Album, And Justice For All. The good shit.
Better yet, the guest drummers were absolutely psyched to be there. For Metallica this could have been just another show. Huge crowd, but they've played bigger. But for their rotating cast of drummers this was the greatest night of their life. That kind of enthusiasm is infectious and it really showed. This was one of the most balls to the wall performances I've ever seen from any band. The energy was off the charts.
Especially when they got to Joey from Slipknot. The idea was that they were going to keep rotating drummers throughout the night, but after Joey played his first song, that went out the window. He was their drummer for the rest of the night. That motherfucker played his god damn heart out. Now, listen, if you're one of those people who still thinks that Slipknot are a bad band, go listen to Vol 3 and then come talk to me. Joey is one hell of a drummer, and he showed up to play. And the whole band felt it.By the end of the show James Hetfield wasn't singing to us... He was singing to Joey. I distinctly remember him standing with one foot up on the bass drum staring that little masked genius dead in the eyes, two guys basically performing for each other (an image made hilarious and adorable by the fact that James Hetfield is a giant of a man, and Joey is a pocket sized human being; it was like Dad brought his kid to work).
It was a once in a lifetime experience, and probably one of the best shows Metallica ever played. Pure lightning in a bottle.
ashbeef@feddit.uk · 3 pts · 4h
Ye in the Netherlands The earth dome does a lot more than people think when you see it all in person
saltesc@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 3h
QOTSA
Chemical Brothers is a close second because we dropped acid 30 mins before and were dealing with this shit...
NOT_RICK@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2h
Taking this in another direction, Aziz Ansari did a comedy set at my college nearly 20 years ago; he was hysterical. He did tons of crowd work and had everyone in stitches. Then, about an hour into his performance he says “oh, by the way, I haven’t even started my regular set yet”. He went at least another 45 minutes after that.
As for my favorite concert, it’d have to be seeing Coheed and Cambria play In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3 in its totality on an anniversary tour. I was with my college roommates and we all love that album so much so it made the show extra meaningful as we belted out song after song together.
cobysev@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1h
Aziz Ansari is incredible at improv humor. I remember the first time I noticed it was one of the Comedy Central Roasts (the James Franco one, I believe) where his set was just roasting things other comedians said during their time at the mic. Most people show up with practiced roasts ready to go. He just winged it on the spot, and I think he was better than most everyone else at that roast.
noxypaws@pawb.social · 2 pts · 53m
Nine Inch Nails in Seattle on their most recent tour. Absolutely incredible stuff.
BartyDeCanter@piefed.social · 2 pts · 53m
I’m not really a KISS fan, but my brother-in-law was and he had two extra tickets. That concert was the best showmanship I’ve ever seen.
ThunderComplex@lemmy.today · 2 pts · 3h
Faderhead and Nitzer Ebb rocked my ass off this planet
darkdemize@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 2h
They aren't my favorite band, but probably the best live performance I ever saw was Godsmack. I've never seen anyone work a crowd like Sully did.
jtrek@startrek.website · 2 pts · 1h
Saw No Men at a tiny show once. Great energy. Friendly people. Chatted with them for a while.
Saw screaming females a few times. The singer crowd surfs while doing guitar solos.
This year saw Caroline rose at a tiny packed venue. That was great. Love good crowd banter.
disregardable@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 1h
I'm not a concert person. I dislike loud, crowded places by nature. Bruce Springsteen is the only one I've ever seen. It was great. Dude can barely walk but still can sell out a stadium. Awesome time.
NaibofTabr@infosec.pub · 2 pts · 3h
The Trans-Siberian Orchestra does excellent live shows.
Also if you happen to be in Las Vegas, every one of the Cirque du Soleil performances I've seen was worth the ticket price.
Broadfern@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 3h
Tied between Electric Callboy, JVB, or Motionless in White for me
poccalyps@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 3h
All of Lolapalooza 2. Run DMC and the Beastie Boys live at Red Rock amphitheater.
djdarren@piefed.social · 2 pts · 2h
The one that immediately springs to mind was 65daysofstatic on the Wild Light tour. They played the whole record, plus some older favourites. I was standing next to one of the big speakers. It's the closest I've ever gotten to a genuine religious experience.
However, FU Manchu in a tiny sweatbox club to about 200 people ranks pretty fucking up there too.
Oh, and the Foo Fighters doing a live session for Radio 1 back in around 2004. There were twenty of us who were lucky enough to win tickets.
djdarren@piefed.social · 2 pts · 2h
Oh, and a performance of The Planets at the Albert Hall last year. We were in the seats behind the stage, right next to the organ pipes.
Fucking hell. Those pipes make you FEEL things.
SuiXi3D@fedia.io · 2 pts · 1h
Wife surprised me with front row seats to see Chris Titus live quite a few years ago. Got to see a lot of material that wouldn’t make it into a special until years later. Laughed my ass off harder than I had in a long time. Was really special.
Denjin@feddit.uk · 2 pts · 3h
Dredg in Islington Academy in London around 2006/7
PetteriPano@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1h
When I was in the army the local bar had hired a stripper. She came dressed as a slutty police with a baton. That baton went places.
PlexSheep@infosec.pub · 1 pts · 22m
Ado in Berlin in 2025.
zwerg@feddit.org · 1 pts · 2h
But the all round best gig Ive been to: Fad Gadget, London 2002. He died the following day. Oh, and I only realised the following day that a young lady was trying to chat me up. One hell of a night, so much energy for someone about to die.
panda_abyss@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 2h
Muse was pretty awesome
Probably the best was Sam Roberts at a small venue, with a bunch of his family members there
It wasn’t flashy, it was just an insanely talented guy having a fun time and telling stories between songs. Had an amazing time!
radiofreebc@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 4h
ReverendIrreverence@lemmy.ml · 1 pts · 2h
NoMeansNo at the Cotati Cabaret (might have been the The Inn of the Beginning) in Cotati, CA in the early 90's. "Stage" was a 1-foot-high platform. Maybe 300 people, tops, in attendance (which was capacity). No barricade. Close enough to get sweat drops flicked on me from the frantic yet top-notch drumming of John Wright while his brother Rob sang and played bass. Awesome, close-up show...for maybe $10 at the door.
antsu@discuss.tchncs.de · 1 pts · 2h
YOASOBI live in London. Every song was great but "Butai ni Tatte" was fucking spectacular!
zod000@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 1 pts · 29m
NIN always does a great show, but I think of all of them I liked the Fragility Tour the most (2000). It was so well done.
KMFDM always puts on a hell of a show. I never miss a chance to see them and they always kill it. My favorite show of there's was the Symbols tour with PIG. They had Ogre from Skinny Puppy touring with them as he was a temporary member for that album. Just so good.
Gwar was always great and fun to see live. They probably still are, but I haven't been able to see them live in years.
Suck_on_my_Presence@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 32m
The Lion King was really special for me. Incredible performance and insane sets and costumes.
I also recently saw Moulin Rouge and that was an absolute blast - unfortunately accoustics were a bit rough.
For concerts
GreenKnight23@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 1h
kid rock at the US fair /said no one ever.