the best live show you've seen.....

[jamoo]

Sigur Ros, 9:30 Club, the day the U.S. invaded Iraq.

That's it -- headspace and heightened emotion, feeling like your partner feels when you get laid, which might not have much to do with you. IOW, it might have been an average night for Sigur Ros. Then again, they were under the same effect, a universal intoxication, tho not a very cozy one.

That day wasn't so bad for me. But the days after bit dog.

Better days I remember, show-wise:

* Daniel Ash at Slims (92 or therebouts)

* A Satyricon show with Lolly (Man of the Year), Spectator Pump (Kleveland), and Betty Already (New York Rifles) (Millenium-era)

There are others, but this post is starting to feel like work. Work can be good, but I have other work to do.

..

[johnny7]

Queen -Wembley Stadium July85 Holy Crap. I was not exactly a fan beforehand but sure was afterwards. Pure performance!

David Bowie -B.C. Place Stadium 90? Stripped down band. He played a lot of old Hunky Dory and Ziggy material.

Buzzcocks - Every time i've seen them in the last 15 years they've kicked ass. I got thrown out of The Showbox at the last one for slammin'!

[Everybody's X]

Nine Inch Nails /Melvins downward spiral tour

Tool aenima tour. I felt like I was tripping for half this show


Manson destroying everyone at ozzfest, I was never a fan until I saw this show


monsters of rock show '86

Van Halen
Dokken
Metallica
Scorpions
Kingdom Come

metallica handed everyone an asskicking with a crap slot and half the PA


another monsters of rock thingie called clash of the titans

Alice n chains
Slayer
Anthrax
Megadeth


SLAYER handed everyone an asskicking with a crap slot and half the PA

[agauchede]

Tom Waits - Mule Variations Tour

So this was after a long touring break for Tom - 2nd set: they roll out Tom's piano - he sits down, looks at the audience and says, "so where you all been?"
Plays a couple of tunes then asks if we want to hear new or old tunes, "OLD!" the audience yells in chorus. Tom waits a beat and says "well, fuck you then." Classic.

Finn Brothers - winter 2005 at the Somerville Theatre - the balcony seats are made for dwarves, I swear. Neil, Tim, and a bass player. Neil switched between guitar and keys. Tim played acoustic and kick drum. A great intimate show.
Paul Hester died just a few days later.

-Chris

[NewAndImprov]

Hard call:

Bill Frisell Band (W/Joey Baron/Hank Roberts/Kermit Driscoll) Vancouver BC 1989. One of the most amazingly transcendent musical experiences of this or any other life.

The Melvins at the WOW Hall, Eugene OR, anytime they play there. They just seem to have a magically fucked-up affinity for that room.

Sun Ra Arkestra at the Pine Street Theater, PDX, 1988.

Butthole Surfers/Smegma, same venue, around the same time.

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum/Secret Cheifs 3 at the WOW hall a few months ago

Ornette Coleman and Prime Time, University of Oregon, 1983, this show literally changed my life.

Morbid Angel at the Satyricon abut 5 years ago, FUCK! Talk about slaughtering a roomfull of innocent bystanders.

Evan Parker Trio, Vancouver BC, 1992, managed to out-rock allmost any rock band.

Painkiller, Seattle, 1996 or so. Definitely lost a LOT of hearing at that show.

Tortoise/Daniel Lanios at the Alladdin Theater, PDX, last fall, out of the several times I've seen Tortoise, this was far and away the best, and Lanois was no slouch either.

If I think any longer, I'll just think of 100 other shows, then the whole "best" thing becomes suspisious...

[MichaelAlan]

Blindside

[numberthirty]

Grand Champeen opening for Slobberbone at Schubas in Illinois/Fall 2000: They opened with "Hello There" by Cheap Trick and ended with "Goodnight Now" by Cheap Trick. The rest of the set was amazing as well but, putting the thought into that opener and closer really bowled me over.

Neutral Milk Hotel/Gerbils Lounge Ax in Illinois/ Spring 1998: Words kinda fail. It rocked.

Any Centro-Matic Show.

Origional Jason at the closing of the local drive-in/Last year: All they do is play songs that relate to lil' Jason Vorhees demise. Brilliant.

Varnaline(Anders with Centro-matic as Varnaline) in Illinois: Why they don't do this every year is lost on me.

Some band at a bar doing the entire Kilroy stage show with a kid dressed up in a cardboard robot outfit: Just when you thing you've seen it all, something like this happens.

Wilco's first line-up at the end of the AM tour at the Vic in Illinois: It's not like I totally boo everything they've done since Yankee Hotel Foxtrot but, it is a shame more folks didn't get to se this line-up.

[Quest Poetics]

The Roots at the Showbox in Seattle 03? Not sure the exact year but I saw them at the Showbox and I nearly shit my panties...Quest Love Quest Love Quest Love...Amazing show!

Peace

[Roman Sokal]

obviously a hard question to answer- kinda like asking what are your top 5 records of all time.
anyway, one show that stands out that really hit me hard in a good way, an unexpected at that, was gary numan in toronto back in 2001. killer.
another was david sylvian in toronto back in 2002. as well, Tool with King Crimson at the Wiltern in LA in august of 2001 (the first show of 2).

[DJ RELAX]

Sabbath, Slayer and Pantera on New years eve 99. A second close is any of the many times Ive seen the Roots live. Its unbelieveable how good you feel during a Roots show.

[globalsize]

Ninja High School at George's Roadhouse (Sackville, NB), the Hidden Cameras at the Sackville UCC, Sonic Youth at the State Theatre (Portland, ME), and the Rustic Overtones last show (also at the State)

[mjau]

Wilco's first line-up at the end of the AM tour at the Vic in Illinois: It's not like I totally boo everything they've done since Yankee Hotel Foxtrot but, it is a shame more folks didn't get to se this line-up.

I got to see them immediately after Summerteeth dropped in a now-demolished dance club in Va. Beach with about 100 other people. Awesome show.

[audiogeek1]

Edie Brickell and New Bohemians 1989 capital theater. Amazing band with a great drum solo. I am a drummer and I usually hate drum Solos.

U2 Joshua tree tour first and last night of tour. In AZ.

Echo and the Bunnymen 1987 Mesa Ampitheater. Great sound.

Peter Murphy 1987 same place.

Fugazi 1988 at the siver dollar club phoenix.

Concrete Blonde october fest 1986 opening for the Fabulous Thunderbirds. Also a good band.

Camper Van Beetoven 1987 October fest opening for RHCP. Both bands played well and good vibes all around.

Depeche Mode 1984 Black Celebration tour. Lots of good looking women.

Too many more that effected me and made me go into music.

Mike

[fedexnman]

living colour.. during the stain album tour.. at the boathouse in norfolk va.... i caught corey glover when he staged dived it was pretty cool.. it was also his b-day that night... vernon reid was pretty bad ass on guitar, .. what a cool night

[small sound]

Meat Puppets in 1988 at Humboldt State University. It was the Up On the Sun tour (I think,) I was a senior at a small town high school, I had discovered SST records about 6 months prior, and I just begining to get enlightened to the world of interesting, creative underground rock. Being in small town Humboldt County we didn't get very many cool bands coming through, so when the Meat Puppets came, it was a huge deal for me and the two friends who were also into cool music. Anyway, my buddy and I took some mind altering substances before the show, and they made everyone take their shoes off before going into the venue! Needless to say, Meat Puppets were amazing and it was one of the seminal moments in my musical life and really made me realize there was a lot more to life than the small town I was growing up in.