Best live band of all time?

Grateful Dead

Richard Thompson on an electric guitar with Michael Jerome and a bass player

Darrell Scott by himself

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

Neil Young and Crazy Horse

Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band

Punch Brothers

 

Uriah Heep with Byron (when he was not completely wasted)

 

The Beatles (of course!)

 

You can argue about the quality of the Stones on that day (I was there and really enjoyed em) but Lynyrd Skynyd, also on the bill, were amongst the best bands i've ever seen.

 

The Verve circa 1992-95.

 

J Geils Band
Tom Petty and the Heartbreaker

 

Hearing everyone's favorite live shows is great but the best of all time needs to be based on some data to back it up.

The Grateful Dead played over 2,500 concerts with no two being the same. Over 400 different songs were played and played differently each time.

The devotion that these live shows garnered in the fan base is second to none (with the possible exception of Springsteen). I can't think of any band that was on the list of top grossing tickets sales for more years.

The did it the most, had the most passionate response from fans, were the most creative and made a lot of money year after year.

 

Dylan/band 66
Cream 67
Hendrix 68
Who 69
Derek/dominoes 70
Abb 71
Manassas 72
Stones 73
Dead 74
Floyd 75
Little feat 76
Thin Lizzy 77
Neil/crazy horse 78

Give me five minutes and my playlist will change!

 

Man, not even the Beatles think the Beatles were the best live band of all-time!

 

Yeah, to me they are the best because of the combination of a vast number of great songs combined with their improvisation. The allmans had some great improv but did not have a catalog like the dead (and also suffered by the early death of Duane). The fact that you can listen to show after show of the dead, played over the course of 30 years, and be thrilled and entertained makes them the best live act ever...to me.

 

And what band has released and sold more live concert recording? Sunshine Daydream hit the Billboard top 20 a couple years ago.

 

Not sure anybody could tell how good they were with all the screaming going on..........

 

Sad they broke up and her label seems to be pushing her in a more pop direction.

 

("Sarcasm")...it's new!

 

The Who, and in particular the Young Vic shows from 1971.

 

Add:
The Wray Men 63
The Sonics 64
The Yardbirds 65
The Jam 79

 

That's an awesome set in an awesome year not only for them but classic rock. Other sets I enjoy that year

Zep bbc
Floyd bbc
Santana Fillmore close
Stones Leeds
Procol harum Edmonton
Abb Fillmore
Zappa Fillmore east
Bangladesh
Pictures of an exhibition
Neil young Massey hall
GD Fillmore east

 

Yes they were enjoyable as was 10CC and Utopia just thought the Stones were flat for such a big band, just expected more ? - but it was very late wasn't it, 2am finish ..slept for an hour at Stevenage Station somewhere to get the first Sunday morning train back to Peterborough

 

I haven't read all the responses but has anyone mentioned the Beach Boys in the early 70's, when they were long past cool and played to have fun, and boy, with a full band (10-12 people) they could tear the place up with the world's second greatest song catalogue. Best Concert I ever saw was J.Giels Band, per the above comment about the Dead, J.Geils played exactly the same show, night after night abut still managed to sound fresh and astonishing. I saw the Ike and Tina Review and they were TIGHT (not counting all the awful things Ike did to get them there). Mitch Ryder's 2nd band, Detroit, with several members of the Detroit Wheels also put on a whale of a show. His guitarist, Steve Hunter, was stolen by Lou Reed after Lou heard them play his song Rock and Roll.
Hard to mention Fairport Convention because you would have to identify which version of Fairport you were seeing.
I saw the Kinks in early 70's in a very small club and they tore the place apart, when they could have phoned it in
Concerts that I missed about which I am still kicking myself:
Beatles on 65 or 66 tour
Who on Tommy tour
ABB free concert at a local college
Stones on Ya-Yas tour

 

David Bowie & The Spiders From Mars

 

Quicksilver Messenger Service was reputedly the best live band in San Fran and elsewhere (pre-Dino's return from prison for me). Though Dino is back here in 1969, it is pure QSMS at its best. Duncan & Cippolina (OMG!!)!! Dino is just goofy background noise here.

Live at Sonoma College--Mona 1967



Side one of Quicksilver Messenger Service "Happy Trails", all live side one is testament!
Blues psych rock at its best! Long song rockers' teachers were QSMS.

Quicksilver Messenger Service - Happy Trails - 1969 Full Album

 

Not going to start citing stuff I never saw like The Railway, Young Vic Lifehouse stuff, Charlton Athletic, Isle of Wight, but I have seen 'em and I say The Who.

 

Poco

Bee Gees

 

Deep Purple; they really could rock. Bloody horrible now IMO

 

Guns 'n Roses in Paris in the beginning of the nineties. Guests were: Steven Tyler and Joe Perry and Lenny Kravitz. The band to warm-up the crowd was Faith No More.