Best Live Artists/Groups?

Not the best concerts you've been too as that's already been done more or less, but which artists or groups do you think are exceptional performers live?

They don't have to be technically the best, charisma counts a tremendous amount in a good live act too.

Anyway, which are your favourites?

I'll start us off with a couple. I'm a big Levellers fan, and have seen them live, the energy and passion of these guys is amazing, here's perhaps my favourite song of theirs of all time, Riverflow:

Riverflow - Levellers

Another group I love who are amazing live are Pink Floyd. The PULSE tour was incredible, out of this world, and they've done so many great songs it's impossible to have a favourite. Here's the song Take It Back:

pink floyd - take it back (pulse)

Nice thread Ayrton. I'm lucky enough to have caught some great acts live down through the years and can appreciate great performers even though i may not be the biggest fan of their music. Of the current crop (and in no particular order) i can highly recommend these for starters:

U2:
Muse:
Kasabian:
AC/DC:
Springsteen:
Reverend & The Makers:
Alabama 3:

I can promise you that anyone, irrespective of personal taste, could not come away from any of their shows unimpressed. Bands like Arctic Monkeys and, in particular, Kings Of Leon will be awesome too; when they learn to interact with the crowd at a higher level.

I was kinda disappointed with Arctic Monkeys when I saw them at Old Trafford, but maybe it was just the venue.
Muse do seem pretty awesome live, my Mum's going to see them in November.

The Killers are a great live act I think, they have come on leaps and bounds since starting up and I thoroughly enjoyed watching them at the M.E.N.

Those are both bands that I like but I'm not massively into. However I can see that they are fantastic live performers. I guess you could be really biased though with this towards your favourite bands. If you love them, then you are likely to think they are better live than perhaps they actually are:

Obviously I'm gonna say Bloc Party, they have improved so much since 2005 it's unreal. I found that The Subways were a very good, energetic live act too. If you want a gig where you just want to kind of kick back, relax and watch then I recommend Editors. Seen them twice, going to see them for the third time in October as they are just brilliant.

Oasis sound amazing in their live performances, Liam's the face of the band with all the arrogance and charisma, and Noel is just the talented singer songwriter. But i just love Oasis really! Kasabian were pretty amazing too, alternative stuff but you can still sing along to, played all the stuff from their new album and the oldies too such as clubfoot!

Oasis, for me, let themselves down, show wise. They play to the most adoring fans in the country but fail to give back to them. Yeah their sound is always solid but Liam strutting up to the mic, sneering and snidely whining ain't 'up there' with the best, I'm afraid. In fact it's pretty abysmal and displays an arrogance that's insulting to those who made them. Like I say, their fans adore them and won't complain - Oasis fan's love is unconditional, (if unrequited), sadly. The Arctic Monkeys are a bit like this too, to be honest.

The Subways are a great live act - true. Editors give it as much as they can. Bloc Party & The Killers have greatly improved - fact.
 

Hear what your saying about oasis Liam Gallagher's voice just stops you dead but the way he carries on is ridiculous,thats beside the fact that he's had the same arrogant attitude for 10 years and by now everyone knows its a wind up, to be honest I wouldn't piss on him if he was on fire.

I have seen hundreds of great shows over the years - really only a few stinkers - but I have to say that the greatest live band ever is Rocket From The Crypt.

Other shows that come to mind:
a Primus show in '91 - HOT, so hot the walls and floor were covered in sweat. Awesome.

INXS in '88 - Michael Hutchence owned the audience.

The Cure on the Disintegration tour... one of the tightest groups I've ever seen.

Mastodon - ENERGY

every fugazi show....

Kaiser Chiefs staged a good show when I saw them at Earls Court.

The Foo Fighters are amazing live.

and i seen the Mars Volta in amsterdam recently. best live show ive seen.

Oasis i dont think are great live anymore. Liam's voice isnt what it used to be. Still a good show though!

The Foo Fighters are amazing live.

Great call RSL!

Saw Pearl Jam back in November '06, and still the best live act ive ever seen. So much energy and a nice long show, well worth the ticket and more. Led Zeppelin as well, not that i have seen them in person but DVD footage they look brilliant!

Saw Pearl Jam back in November '06, and still the best live act ive ever seen. So much energy and a nice long show

Oh yeah! I saw them back in '91 (?) with them & Smashing Pumpkins opening for the Red Hot Chili Peppers on their Blood Sugar Sex Magik tour. It was before either of the two openers had hit it off yet and Pearl Jam owned it. "Ten" was out, but hadn't exploded yet. Eddie Vedder - great entertainer. That next summer they were booked for Lollapalooza and delivered again.

Smashing Pumpkins kinda sucked live, though. Meh..Billy Corgan is a dick either way.

Saw Pearl Jam back in November '06, and still the best live act ive ever seen

I caught them in August that year, in 'The Point', Dublin.....yeah, they were sh*t hot and well worth seeing again. They're on tour at the mo' but they're only playing 3 gigs in the U.K. this time 'round. Two in London & one in Manchester FFS.

R.E.M., Radiohead and The Strokes.

Those were the best gigs I've ever been to.

R.E.M. are so good, they sounded amazing at a kinda small place here in Rio last year, but I remember they were just as good or even better in Rock In Rio (2001) in front of 250k people.

Radiohead also came to Brazil last year and it was insane, much better than I could ever expect, not only the songs sounded amazing but also the stage, the lights etc were fantastic!

I saw The Strokes in 2005, brilliant night, not much to say apart from their energy on the stage, and maybe cause they have a brazilian member, they were so nice to the crowd. Loved every minute of it.

I've also watched a lot of other bands like Oasis (twice), Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Foo Fighters, Silverchair, Rolling Stones, Arctic Monkeys and some I cant remember right now, but none of them were better than the ones I mentioned before.

Run - Snow Patrol - Oxegen 2009

Just wow

The Killers coming to Brazil on November. I heard they are good live

AC/DC are undoubtedly one of the best live acts ever!

Seen them in June in Dublin and the were unreal!

Though I'd post this too

Spaceman - The Killers - Oxegen 2009 (5/8)

The Killers coming to Brazil on November. I heard they are good live

I always found them a bit weak, sound wise, to be honest Diego. That being said, they have vastly improved and their music is catchy as F**k which means, (with a crowd singing along), you can't really notice their wussy sound.

The Killers are a good night out (and you should enjoy 'em) but they ain't, by any stretch of the imagination, one of the "best live acts" you'll ever see......unless, of course, you have a very limited frame of reference.

I was hugely impressed with them, didn't expect much, but they were electric. Blew KoL away

The Killers came to Rio about 2 years ago in the same festival of Arctic Monkeys, but they played in different nights. As I didn't have enough money for both, it was one or the other, so I picked the Arctic Monkeys. I love them so I don't regret my choice but my friends who watched both said The Killers were better. That's why I'm really looking forward to it.

I'll leave you with a wee tune from, probably (if i'm pushed), the best gig i've ever been at........enjoy 

U2 Beautiful Day - Live @ Slane Castle

When U2 came to Brazil a few years ago, they only played in São Paulo, and it almost killed me cause I didn't have the money by the time to the travel... but it was live on tv and looked really amazing.

The National
Rage Against The Machine
U2
The Verve

Best live concert i've ever seen was Iron Maiden at twickenham last year ,absolutely awesome

This goes back a while but I really liked Les Negresses Vertes.  Saw them in Brighton in 1990 I think.  It wasn't a big gig but I loved them.  They were a great live band.  They were so different.  Lots of different instruments, a bit punky and very bouncy and energetic.

An interesting band to see are The Residents.  Well wierd tbh.  Unforgettable show though, probably because of the wierdness.  Looking at a stage were the band is made up of giant eyeballs is strange    No idea what they are like now or if they even still play live.

Bob Dylan.  Can be awesome, can be utterly awful, but when he's good, he's amazing.

Saw Oasis at the Eden Project, they were amazing! A full 2 1/2 hour set. Fantastic!!!

Saw Wolfmother a couple nights ago, F***ing awesome!

I thought Oasis let themselves down a bit. Good to see them live but a bit of an anti-climax.

Muse put on an amazing show. I don't think anyone who's been to see them has been let down.

The Foo Fighters are amazing as well. Seen them 5 times, Hyde Park in 2006 being the first and Wembley Stadium 08 being the last. I can't pick a gig as being the best out of theirs. All so good in their own right.

saw U2 at the don valley stadium in August with Elbow supporting them,it doesnt get much better than that, although Bowie in the NEC was good and also REM at the NEC as well,  Killers at trent fm arena was also good, Keane also at trent fm supported by Frankmuzic as well! not bad!