Top 10 Live Performances

There should be three things that ALL bands should aim at, if they wanna be succesful.

1. stay true to their musical style
2. write/compose songs.
3. perform well live.


Three pretty basic things. You're probably thinking "is there any band that doesnt aim at those three?"

I'd like that answer too. The second is of course something that is kinda given, all bands are writing/composing songs, otherwise they wouldnt be a band.

When I judge a band, I look at those three things. If they fulfill those three things, they are a good band in my book.

I personally selected 10 bands, I tried to stay as flexible as possible, so hopefully you'll see a band that you like here. Anyway I took those 10 bands, found their best live performance, and then rated them after that. Since its very difficult to rate an entire concert, I decided to narrow it to songs instead. Some songs of a concert may not exist on sites as Youtube for instance, which makes it harder.

And also, when looking at a live performance, I look at a couple of things:

Spirit - The more excited they are, the more excited you get. Of course if they are overexcited, then it gets silly.
Playability - This is given. If they dont play it well and screw up, well its very difficult to like it. Even though it sounds easy, they've recorded it on studio why shouldnt they play it well? Nerves, difficult notes and pressure can get to even the biggest artists.
Fans - If they don't connect with the fans, fans have trouble connecting with them. And then its basically like wathing a music video.
Imagination - This basically means that you add a little "something" to some songs. So they don't all sound exactly like on the record. This makes the experience more unique.


The bands who were selected are: Linkin Park, Nightwish, Nirvana, System Of A Down, Dream Theater, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Queen, Rammstein and Rage Against The Machine.

Lets get started.


10. Nirvana - About A Girl (Live Hollywood Rock, 1993)

Its difficult to rate Nirvana concerts. For one thing, it's very rare to find any good material. Secondly, they never were a good "live" band. However, their strong songs, and Kurts amazing vocals definetly deserves props for being played live, and this one in particularly caught my eye.

There is a DVD collection of live Nirvana shows called "Live! Tonight! Sold out!"
If you are a Nirvana fan, check it out.

9. Rage Against The Machine - Bulls On Parade (Live At Woodstock 1999)

It's really a shame that they broke up. This band definetly was one of the biggest rock bands of their time. Specifically for their originality. Tom Morello with his wierd but fantastic solos, and Zack de la Rocha with his amaizing vocals. The lyrics too held strong.

It was hard, but I found one live performance that stood out from the others. Not only is Bulls On Parade one of their best songs, this is the best performance i've seen of it.

8. Dream Theater - Stream Of Consciousness (Live At Budokan 2004)

This performance doesnt check all of my criterias, but I have to mention this anyway simply because it sounds so amazing. Almost identical to the studio version, DT manages to play it masterfully in front of an amazed audience. And lets face it, John Petruccis solo is flawless. THAT is amazing.

7. Nightwish - The Kinslayer (Lowlands Festival 2005)

For a band like Nightwish, it's difficult to sound as good as they do on record. But here, they did a pretty damn good job. With Tarja on vocals, just before they split up, they give a awesome performance. And the spirit is all here. Love to see them play like this. Great song live.

6. System Of A Down - Chop Suey (Rock IM Park 2002)

If there's any band who can turn a spin on their live performances it sure is SOAD. Not only are they great performers, they aren't afraid to push it. Which makes it more enjoyable. You never know what you're gonna see. Simply put, this show was awesome!

5. Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody (Live At Wembley Stadium 1986)

Freddie oh freddie. He is was, is, of the best vocalists out there. And quite the showman. Even though Bohemian Rhapsody is one of their most famous songs, this performance has it all. And with the fans singing along, even I get a tear in my eye. Probably one of the most beloved concerts ever.

4. Iron Maiden - 2 Minutes To Midnight (Live Rock In Rio 2001)

It is pequliar that none of Iron Maidens earlier concerts made such a big impression as the newer ones did. However Rock In Rio was more than a awesome concert, it was a hallmark for Iron Maiden. Their most famous concert so far. I would have wanted to say Fear Of The Dark, just simply cause its my favourite song. But since we're judging live performances, 2 Minutes gets the edge. Bruce sings like a god, Janick and Dave flash with their guitars and Nicko kicks in the beat. Fantastic.

3. Rammstein - Du Riechst So Gut (Live Aus Berlin 1998)

Rammstein are one of the best live performance bands, overall. So its no suprise to find them in this list. Out of all the songs, and all the concerts, this song and this concert gets the crown.
Watch it to believe it. All the way from the start to the end, they give an awesome show. And the song is good too.

2. Linkin Park - Papercut (Live In Texas 2003)

The saddest story of them all. When "Minutes To Midnight" was released, I was so disappointed. The old nu-metal band that I loved, was gone. Live In Texas remains in my memory as one of the most fantastic concerts ever. I can not get enough of it. Chester and Mike show some of the most best vocal performances. The spirit is all here. How they jump on stage and show their love to the fans. I want to be just like them. Other bands should look at the concert, and learn a lot.

1. Metallica - Seek & Destroy (Live In Seattle 1989)

My unending love for Metallica has nothing to do with why they clinched the top spot.

Simply put: Metallica ruled Live performancing all the way from 85 to 92. They were the kings. I don't care what you say, they simply ruled.

The perfect example of this is Seek & Destroy, 1989 in Seattle. The audience were the most luckiest sobs in the whole world. This flawless and amazing performance proves the fact that Metallica were in their prime, the kings of metal.

Another song that should be mentioned, is Blackened. Same concert. Same spirit. Same awesome performance. Ah heck, the whole concert was the best concert Metallica has ever played.

To honor my idols, and to make your life easier so you wont have to surf on YouTube yourself. Here is is. Enjoy.