I saw them at Roundhay Park on the same tour. Exuberant, joyful, powerful - I'd even say life affirming. Fond memories of the whole day.

I'd have to nominate King Crimson in Hyde Park at the Rolling Stones concert all those years ago. They were stunning. A total shock to the system. Nobody there had heard anything even remotely like them before.
At the time, the Stones seemed amazing too but on later seeing the Stones In The Park movie they were frequently out of tune and pretty sloppy overall.

The free Fairport Convention and Jefferson Airplane concert at Parliament Hill Fields (1968?) was pretty good, despite the shitty weather.

In that period, playing those songs, in their pomp, young and frisky and bursting with energy...yes, I never saw better. (3/7/1985, Wembley)

On stage was what they were for. Also they communicated. Bruce talked, a lot. Lots of bands, even bands I love otherwise do go for mystique. This can make intense, and I can rattle off lots of great shows like that (Clash, REM, early (not late) U2, Dick Gaughan in the 80s, Public Enemy...), but can , suddenly, seem quite silly. The E Street Band, being such great entertainers, could embrace silly. It is, after all, only rock 'n roll.

The only peformances which came close were The Who and Gogol Bordello, thankfully still going and coming to a town near you soon. And in a different way, a fantastic night with Taraf de Haidouks. And , at the other extreme, I saw a production of Wagner's Meistersingers which lifted the gloom from me in quite a profound way, and which I will take to my grave.

And I've never seen AC/DC (see other thread...).

He really is the best live performer i've ever seen . His playing , his dancing ...he just does it all so naturally.

Other than him , The Cramps (most high energy exciting gig i've ever been to )Primal Scream (Yes Bobby G is annoying but they are amazing live) The Pixies , The Stooges (i'm going next week !!!) The Smiths and Radiohead,

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Saw him twice on the Sign o' the times tour. The first night I went he was ten times better than any other artist in concert that I had ever seen. And the next night he was ten times better than the night before. I've always said that if I could go back in time for one day only; that's the day I would choose. It's the closest to a religious experience that I have ever had. I actually refused to go to gigs for a very long time after that; I knew I would only be disappointed. I finally started going again, but though I have seen plenty of really good concerts; that one has never been surpassed.
I've never seen Prince live after that tour. He couldn't possibly live up to those expectations!

Spiritualized at Birmingham Que Club on the Ladies and Gentlemen.. tour. Unbelievable, it was like a mystical experience, something weird was happening in the room that night. As Cop shoot Cop ended it was like the mothership coming back down to land, and I hadn't touched a drop officer, honest.

Prince 1988/90/2007
Led Zeppelin 1979
Clash 78/79
Buzzcocks 78
Yes 77
Jam 79
Smiths 84
Cramps 83
JAMC 85
REM 86
U2 80
Japan 81
Stray cats 81
Gregory isaacs 84?
De la Soul 90
Morrissey 2001
Libertines 2002
Stooges 2005
Kraftwerk 2008/2009
AC/DC 2003
Strokes 2002
White Stripes 2002
Black keys 2003
Morricone 2010
...Magazine...Devo...Gang of four...Arctic Monkeys...New order...Todd Rundgren...Laurie Anderson...

Probably the best ones...

The best should stand out.

And by a country mile at that.

We're covering old ground here but, for what it's worth..

Jellyfish on the Spilt Milk tour. The best live act I've ever seen.

Supported by The Lemontrees. Guy Chambers' band. Who walked in on the soundcheck and gaped. In his opinion, the finest musicians he's ever encountered.

Bingley Hall Stafford 1981 still the best gig I ever saw. I've managed another 24 since then. Always worth the price of admission.

Sixties garage rock cover versions ?

No problem :

the club collingwood

blixa, barry adamson

circa 1985

nick was on the junk and on FIRE

But Pulp at Glastonbury would take a lot of beating in the Right There and Then stakes.

Jimmy Cliff at the Leadmill (circa 2004/5), great performer intimate venue. Bruce at Hyde Park was the best live act I have seen but the vastness of the venue mitigated against the experience beating the above.

Lucky enough to have been there. My team - the Giants won - and the half-time show was out of this world.

Tom Petty "American Girl"

I suppose i'd have to say The Beatles at the Liverpool Empire, Jimi Hendrix a few years later in Germany and Bob Dylan at the Isle Of Wight Festival. It's pretty hard to separate them.

Had it all. Including 2 turntables and a microphone. And a fight with aliens in costume at the end. Not what I expected at all.

For a couple of decades before that it was The Beat - concentrated fun.

Sadly I have only ever seen Symbol rather than Prince. Not the same really.

I was at Bruce in Roundhay Park - it was good, and the weather was pleasant. But not the best.

at Espace Ornano, Paris, 18 November 1992.

...In a tiny club in Middlesborough, c. 1989. Spellbinding, it were...

I'm still coming down.

The National - Manchester Hop & Grape (I refuse to cal it Academy 3!) in 2005. First time I saw them & they blew me away. They are always impressive live but you cant beat that first time!

Duke Special - Matt & Phred in Manchester 2007. Excellent gig & the venue really suited him

The Divine Comedy - Manchester Ritz 2004. He had Duke Special supporting him & that just set the tone for a great night

Depeche Mode - Royal Albert Hall 2010. I had missed them live so many times & they really didnt disappoint!

Leonard Cohen - Manchester OPera House 2008. Dont really need to say any more.

Incidentaly, one of the worst I ever saw was Prince at the o2 ( cue shock, horror!) He did 21 nights at the o2 & the only one with a bad review was the one I went to! 3rd August 2007 & apparently every other show he did was outstanding! Typical!

Never managed to see Bruce - always been in the wrong place etc etc.

The best overall concert I've seen was when I happened to be in San Jose CA one time for work and had the weekend before flying back. Just so happened that on the Friday night at the Mountain View Ampitheatre was a BB King blues festival. On the bill was Dr John, The Neville Brothers and BB King himself. along with a few others I can't recall.

In terms of individual artists, I'd concur with some above and go with Prince. Saw him a couple of times in the early 90's (I think) and he was incredible.

Another fantastic concert I saw was Wet Wet Wet at the Boardwalk in Manchester in I think 91. It was a small club "warm up" gig before the "High On the Happy Side" tour. Although, they may not be a group I'd rush out to buy the CD's and at that point were still a bit "teeny pop" the concert was amazing.

Was (Not Was), Glasgow University 1985.

Aztec Camera, De Lacy House, Cork City, 1990.

Amazing live band. Never, ever disappointed.

The E Street experience needs to be seen in an indoor setting. The crowd connection is lost in a stadium/field.

Coming up close are The Pogues and AC/DC.

Pure rock and roll energy. Not a big crowd but they put on an absolutely storming show, garage rock frenzy. Undiluted joy.

unforgettable live performance was the one I saw Phil Lynott give in 1983 at the amusement park Gröna Lund in Stockholm.
It was the first proper gig I went to ( artist that isn't unknown, a paying audience, more than five songs ) and I was blown away.
Bought his solo albums on the strength of that concert...bad move. The songs sounded really disappointing after hearing them live.
Gröna Lund used to be a fantastic place for outdoor concerts back in the days, but not anymore. Too bad, it always had great atmosphere.

The Radiohead one for me was at the Bridlington Spa in 1997, just before OK Computer kicked off global-style. That was the last tour they did before graduating to the big sheds. You wouldn't have expected it, but it was also one of the most violent shows I've ever been to: the intensity at the front was something akin to the moshpit at a punk gig. "My Iron Lung" nearly killed me and several others. Incredibly energetic and focused, and the band were clearly in a great mood, too. Thom was joking with the audience, Jonny was at his most blurred-arm exciting, Ed kept running up and down the stage grinning, and pogoing on the spot. So far removed from the glumsters of reputation, it was almost comical. And the music. GOD. Amazing stuff.

Second up: R.E.M. at Glastonbury in 2003. Bizarrely for someone who's been an obsessive fan since 1991, this was the first time I got to see them: the "Monster" tour sold out before I could get tickets, and they didn't do much to support "Up". Anyway, this was close to religiously awe-inspiring. Only slightly marred by having to fight an Aussie who kept shouting insults at the band. Pretty stupid when you consider that we were in about the second or third row, and every last person apart from him was clearly a huge fan. He just wouldn't stop, and wouldn't respond to polite requests to fuck off, then he got aggressive, so I punched him. He went down like a sack of shit, and a little bullet-headed nutter started putting the boot in, which cheered me up no end. And the band were incredibly good. So the whole thing was a big old adrenaline shot.

Hmm. I need to revise me "ever thrown a punch" contribution. I'd forgotten about that.

1) Paul Weller - Amsterdam Paradiso 1994. Not sure what happened but there was something magical in the air.

2) U2 - Wembley Stadium 1987. Again magic in the air. Made our way righ to the front.

3) Dexys Midnight Runners - Newcastle 1982. The first time they aired the aired the "Too Rye Ay" songs. It was a free Radio One concert.

4) The Clash - Edinburgh 1980. Touring the London Calling LP. Support from Mikey Dread & Josef K.

5) Oasis - Amsterdam Arena 1994(a youth club not the newer football stadium). Just before Definitely Maybe came out - absolutely blistering.

Honourable mentions; Bruce, AC/DC & Prince.

1, The Clash, Coventry Tiffanys, Feb 7th 1980.

2. REM, one-off show at Hammersmith Odeon to flog the Document album. September, or it may have been October 1987. Got in for nowt thanks to one of their road crew (well, a fiver actually).

3. Levellers, Feb 1991 at the Venue, New Cross.

4. The Cure, Glastonbury 1986. There was a thunderstorm off in the distance behind the Pyramid stage during the set. Magical.

Whitehouse - Royal Park Pub, Leeds - 2001 - A packed cellar, ear-splitting volume, an idiot giving a Nazi salute got smacked, bottles were smashed, Sotos waded into the audience, scared me half to death.

Sisters Of Mercy - 10th Anniversary Show, Leeds University - 1991. First time I'd got to see them..Andrew Eldritch..He's SO SMALL!

Revolting Cocks / Killing Joke - Friday /Saturday night - Manchester (International 1 and 2) January 1991. The Gulf War was kicking off and the 2 bands were swapping personnel and it made for a draining / frightening /funky weekend as we believed the apocalypse was imminent.

Kirsty Mac Coll - Warrington Parr Hall - 98(?). I loved her stuff. I loved her and was just completely blown away seeing her. Miss her still.

AC/DC (7 times), The Who (twice), The Stones (twice), Motorhead, ZZ Top (3 times), Rory Gallagher (twice), Ted Nugent (twice), Velvet Revolver (twice), Aerosmith (twice), Iron Maiden (3 times), U2 (twice), Paul Weller, Metallica (3 times), Foo Fighters, Oasis, Kiss.

if you insist I pick one, then its got to be AC/DC 1988 Wembley Arena. a life changing experience.

Saw them twice and they were amazing both times.

The Two Tone tour - Specials, Madness and Selecter - the atmosphere was electric.

Edwyn Collins post stroke comeback gig was pretty special.

The Jam's (not very secret) gig at the Marquee - pure adrenalin.

They played at Wellington Town Hall here in New Zealand last Wednesday and were pretty damn special. I don't think I have seen a better guitarist than Nels Cline.

Jaw on the floor good.

But the all time fave is probably Suede at the Blackpool Ballroom in 1994. Last English gig ever with Bernard Butler and apparantly the band's favourite gig ever up to that point. I was *mental* about them and it was just.. insane. Listening back to the BBC tape of the show and it's like Beatlemania in there.

... The Supersuckers supported by Zen Guerilla at King Tuts in Glasgow (I think it was in 2000). Just awesome kick ass RAWK music. I'd wanted to see the Supersuckers for years and they were just brilliant, meanwhile Zen Guerilla I'd never heard of, but they turned out to be totally mind blowing. Few gigs have delivered so strongly.

As for the best? God knows. Janes Addiction in Glasgow's Barrowlands circa 1990 were astonishing. Faith No More a few years earlier equally so. Underworld at The Arches in Glasgow in 1997 (again I think) blew me away, Planxty reformed at The Barbican a few years back brought a tear to my eye, as did Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros at King Tuts again. Public Enemy in 1990 at the Barras was great.

I think for a gig to be a personal great, you need to be in your late teens, early twenties, musically literate and open without having seen examples of everything. I have been to loads of good gigs here in the noughties, but few mindblowing ones, which leads me to suspect that the problem is me and not the bands.

on home turf at the old Giants stadium (Meadowlands) back around '93? It was, as they say,magical. Somehow, created an atmosphere that managed to be almost intimate - but at the same time - monumental.

Joined on stage at one point by da real boss of Noo Joizey - Southside Johnny. And I caught dat guy at the Hoboken Apollo a few years later - which is was exactly what a gig should be - noisy, spontaneous and sweaty

Just brilliant. The occasion, the performance, everything. Can't see that one ever being beaten for me. I don't go to many gigs now anyway.

1979 in London, Madness in the Hope and Anchor in the same year, Iggy in 1981 in New York and..... Macca in Dublin in 04, couldn't believe I was hearing that man play those songs.

Seen brilliant gigs from:
bruce Springsteen
Ry cooder
the stones
the who
steve earle
neil young
joni mitchell
van the man
even dylan (good I mean)

Top of the list Leonard Cohen, Royal Hospital, dublin (2008)

Myself and GLF went cause he is a legend and was on the must see before I die list.

No great expectations:
Lenny - 70+, touring for his pension, outdoors.
Felt he would do an hour tops, with a shot voice.

Why this concert is tops is the divergence between rockbottom expectations and amazing product.
The gigs have been written of by many others.
But even those who were indifferent were bowled over.

Classic indeed - an intimate 15,000 attendence in the open air.
3 hours plus from a classic songbook and like a good wine he has improved with age.

Most bang for your buck: Agreed, it's Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band.

Most impressive musicianship: Ry Cooder (with Keltner & Co.).

Most emotionally moving: Tammy Wynette (oh yes).

Most oozing pure class: Ella Fitzgerald & Nelson Riddle Orch.

Most shake everything you got: Maceo Parker.

Most.... (you get my drift)

...the ones that stick in your memory.
The Stones in 1973 at the Empire Pool Wembley were fantastic,
and several Who gigs in the early 70's around the Who's Next period were hard to beat. The Everly Brothers reunion at the Albert Hall was transcendental....speaking of which venue, Cream's farewell gig is definitely worth a mention. Live Stiffs in Bristol with Ian Dury and Elvis Costello.....Roy Orbison at the Bristol Hippodrome, oh yes, and Dr. Feelgood at the Colston Hall. Emmylou Harris and the Hot Band in 1976...oh dear, this is hard! Led Zeppelin at the 02 weren't bad either....

But the best live show I've seen still remains Ry Cooder and David Lindley at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1991.

I've mentioned this before in other similar threads and if I remember rightly Patrick Crowther was also there that night.

Just the two of them and a variety of stringed instruments on the stage around them. Spellbinding improvisations around Cooder's back catalogue.

At this remove I can't recall if they were promoting a product or not. I don't think they were. They were just touring.

John Martyn solo in Pavilion Theatre, Glasgow, 1978, touring the One World album.

I've seen the Stones, and Springsteen - but this gig was transcendent (flashing light saying "Pretentious" comes on...)

From different periods in my life.

1. Dexys along with Selecter and Specials at the Bristol Locarno. Should have been Madness on the bill, but they got too big, so Dexys stepped in and were amazing.

2. Radiohead at Glastonbury 1997. Radiohead at their peak.

3. Grace Jones, Bristol 2009. Waited best party of 30 years to see her and she didn't dissapoint. I was buzzing for days after.

Probably the best performance I ever saw was James Brown at an outdoor ampitheater in Toronto about 1987 in a driving rain storm. He did the whole having to be pulled off the stage routine even at that age, and everyone in the crowd stayed and danced until the end, despite the rain.