Thread: Bands with great live shows

One of my New Year's resolutions was to see live music 2x a week for the upcoming year. So far so good. But I will need to pick the collective's brain power for smaller bands who put on great live shows if I am going to hit the target. Jazz, punk, salsa, reggae. I am open to all suggestions about bands who really light it up on stage. If the band gets played on Hot97, all the better.

ha, ha, Hot97. Aren't they the ones mocking the Tsunami victims?
Are you really at two live shows a week? I think I've been to two in the past year (two kids=no live music anymore).
Fishbone put on the best live 'show' I think I've seen (if 'best' equals dramatic/crazy/aggressive). Some of the John Zorn groupings are pretty interesting to watch, but you never know what you'll get (which is good). Saw a cool Marc Ribot show a few years ago...but personally I don't mind if a show is 'boring' as long as the band sounds good.
Oh yeah, David Byrne's been visually pretty interesting the couple times I've seen him live.

Well, the initial impetus behind the resolution was that I live in NY and sit home on my fat ass alot. So I think the live music thingy will morph into "get out to a play, musical, live music, art exhibit, gallery, etc." 2X per week. No kids makes it a bit easier, but no more exciting.

As for shows, I have just made it a point to go to Mercury Lounge, Bowey Ballroom or Sin-e over the past month without any real knowledge of who is playing. Highlight would have been Drive By Truckers "Hair of the Dog" show on Jan. 1 and Gil Matera's Dream Party this past Friday night.

Just thought it would be a bit more intelligent to look for bands, rather than the current hit or miss boondoggle.

Hey, sitting at home got me where I am today...Oh, I see your point.

But in a way the hit or miss approach is bound to be sort of interesting, and I'm sure you'll luck out sometimes. It might be worthwhile to check out some of the places on Ludlow Street (very mixed bag several years ago), and Tonic often has some good acts. Knitting Factory, of course, and probably 100 places I'm not cool enough to know about.

In college I used to love to watch live shows. Of coarse many of the bands I liked are no longer together. Live shows can make even a shitty band look good if they get the crowd into it. I am a fan of Pat McCurdy (sp?) live but was a little disappointed with his latest cd.

The Pietasters
Less than Jake

Originally Posted by cj001f

The Pietasters
Less than Jake

i agree both are great less than jake more so than pietasters
pennywise
goldfinger
strung out
gwar
reverend horton heat
lords of acid
tool
matchbook romance
from autumn to ashes
h20
mighty mighty bosstones
mustard plug
the queers
pilfers
allister
suicide machines great live band
mest
so many more cant think right now i have seen all these bands multiple times and have always been great live shows

Black Crowes
Liquid Soul
Spearhead
Robert Randolph
Tony Furtado
J5
Burning Spear
Banyan

Don't know what you're listenin' to, but you should check out Michael Kelsey if you get a chance. The show I went to was pretty mellow, but then this is Utah. Martin Sexton does a lot of shows out your way too, he put on a good show. Saw Bob Schneider a few months back. He puts on a great show, might even catch him with his band, The Scabs (I think they tour far less than Bob solo).

I second The Rev.

Make sure you check out Tony Furtado when he comes to town. He is going to be opening for Greg Allman soon.

And Micheal Franti and Spearhead put on a great live show.

I would also add Journey to the list. Yes, that Journey. Don't let the new lead singer thing get in the way of going to see them. One of the best live shows I have seen in a long time. They rock all of their hits.

I'm sure that The Rev would have added Tesla to the list, but I'm sure that he has blocked most of that night from his memory.

Originally Posted by jimmy page

I second The Rev.

Make sure you check out Tony Furtado when he comes to town. He is going to be opening for Greg Allman soon.

And Micheal Franti and Spearhead put on a great live show.

I would also add Journey to the list. Yes, that Journey. Don't let the new lead singer thing get in the way of going to see them. One of the best live shows I have seen in a long time. They rock all of their hits.

I'm sure that The Rev would have added Tesla to the list, but I'm sure that he has blocked most of that night from his memory.

Dude, I tried to share the virtues of Journey with these squids and got ridiculed to no end for it. We know the truth, and that's all that matters. The rest of you can shotgun your Zimas at your Dave Mathews festivals, boners.

Originally Posted by thephatkid

i agree both are great less than jake more so than pietasters

On average yes, Pietasters show was a 200person club that they absolutely killed. It was also 6 years ago and they're getting old. LTJ was the 9:30 with a bunch of kiddies. Way different audience energy.

Buckethead! You ever get a chance to see this guy, don't miss it!

And Rush puts on the best live show I've ever seen!

Cake


(is my favorite band to see live... 10 characters)

elvis costello is starting a tour in the ny area. john hiatt's playing in princeton sometime in Feb

The Roots
the dirty 45s
spearhead
Ozomatli
Bad Religion
Sam Bush
Chris Smither

I'm hoping the Easy Star All Stars put on a good show for Dub Side of the Moon which I'm going to see in San Luis Obispo next sunday.


Also Queens of the Stone Age releases a new album next month and will be touring so I'm stoked to see them. I saw them 4 times in Boston and it was killah every time. I heard on this album they played...well...at least one song with Billy...Gibbs? One of the bearded dudes from ZZTop, hopefully he'll be touring with them.

FUCKING STOKED!

Pennywise
311
AFI
Flogging Molly
System of a Down
Earth Wind and Fire

On my personal must see list - Maceo Parker and J5 (God, I wish they would come out with a new album)

the best show I ever saw was a Fear Factory concert, with Static-X as the opener. It was in a small club (Las Vegas House of Blues), and the sheer power of the show absolutely blew me away.

I wish I'd known the bands and music better then, as well as I do now anyway. If I could invent a time machine and go back to experience any show again, that'd be it - it was amazing.

My favorite band of all time is on tour starting soon: New Model Army. They haven't toured the U.S. with the full band since the early '90s. More info at www.newmodelarmy.org -- and some downloadable tracks if you've never heard them at http://www.newmodelarmy.org/FHOME.HTM

-Karl



Tentative tour schedule:

USA - March 2005 - latest............

Here it is, such as it is, as the moment. Where indicated the shows are confirmed, otherwise don't make plans you cannot change.

As promised, this will be the full five piece electric line up, and is the first time in twelve years that we have toured like this in North America. Please support the tour in any way that you can. The promoters and clubs are going out on a limb for us, as we are for them. We want this tour to be the start of regular and longer visits, but that will only happen if we can pack out all the dates on this tour.

Please get the word out through any means you can.

Full details will be posted over the week-end, but in the meantime......

March 6 Boston, MA Mid East Downstairs

March 7 Off

March 8 Washington, DC Black Cat

March 9 Philadelphia, PA Khyber Pass

March 10 Brooklyn, NY Southpaw

March 11 Hoboken, NJ Maxwells

March 12 Montreal, Canada Foufoune Electrique

March 13 Toronto, Canada Horseshoe Tavern

March 15 Chicago, IL Bottom Lounge

March 18 Austin, TX Elysium - as part of South By South West

And then on to the west coast which provisionally looks like:

March 21 Phoenix, AZ Mason Jar

March 22 San Diego

March 23 Los Angeles, CA Spaceland

March 24 San Francisco, CA Bottom Of The Hill

and then home. Sorry it is not longer but we will be back

I thought we were limited to bands that were still around.

If not, there is only one answer. The best live show of all time was Crash Worship. The discussion is over.

Eric Johnson,California Guitar Trio.

Suicide Machines
Jaya the Cat
Skoidats

All three put on good shows, but I don't know what their touring schedules are.

If Flaming Lips can be outdone I'd love to see it

...a man walks into a bathroom stall, flips open his heads, pulls out a nugget of his brain and then snorts it. The stage is covered with freaks in large animal costumes stumbling around. Wayne Coyne has blood all over his head. The camera on his microphone projects his head into eternity on the screen behind him. The teletubbies make an appearance. Young japanese girls in school uniforms break out machine guns and slaughter each other. Naked rednecks dancing down abandoned stretches of Oklahoman dirt road. Balloons the size of houses flying into the audience and exploding filled with confetti. Wayne gets to the stage by running in a giant clear hamster ball on top of the crowd. This is just the start. I will confess to being severely altered at the show, but I'm fairly certain we found the center of the universe that night. When they tour for their upcoming "At war with the Mystics" you'll find me at several shows.

I'm with funken on the Flogging Molly call. They're playing in Boston as I write this and I'm really upset at myself for not being there. Fantastic stuff.