Who has been the greatest live act ever?

Who has been the greatest live act ever?

The Stones, U2, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Queen, Pink Floyd, Micharl Jackson, The Who, Bowie, Nirvana or someone else?

This Day in Music have just started a poll to find out. If you fancy voting for who you think should win go to http://www.thisdayinmusic.com

You can vote for any act, just go to 'other' on the list.

U2 always puts on an excellent live show. Bono is a great frontman.

Led Zepplin? I never saw them, but I did see Robert Plant, and he is pretty amazing as a frontman, I can only imagine what it was like when the whole band was together.

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Ha! I hadn't even looked at the list yet, and they are winning so far!

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I second Liza and her mom Judy....such talent!!!

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Oh yes--Cyndi is on fire in concert!

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Other

The Boss. The man plays for HOURS, and keeps the energy up the whole time.

Granted, though, I was never lucky enough to see Judy live.

Please delete Madonna from the original post, it's an insult to anybody who has ever been the greatest anything ever in any capacity. Not that her up-to-the-minute Crouching Tiger segment a year after the movie on her Drowned World tour wasn't groundbreaking or anything.

The problem with the construct in this thread is that it's a whole big bushel of apples and oranges and some grapes, nectarines and Madonna ("he hurt my feelings and made me feel bad about myself! boo hoo hoo!") being compared. And the fact is, looking at an act like The Stones, whose stadium tours now are well-oiled machines where they were slapdash and haphazard in the '70s, makes cross-career comparison difficult too. You can pretty much see and hear them wherever you sit now, thanks to technical advances. Also, Mick learned to sing and the band learned to play.

Both U2 and The Stones somehow, against all odds, manage to make stadium performances feel intimate. I never thought that would be possible. Twice I have seen Mick Jagger work the width and length of football fields without getting winded. In his late-50s. And so many people here swoon over Madonna doing four segments of aerobics with generous rest breaks while video segments are shown as part of the show. Yet people rave because she "looks great!" Sounds awful, especially without Donna De Lory singing her parts, but what can you do?

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Updated On: 10/21/08 at 12:55 AM

I also have to agree with Judy Garland. I never went to one of her shows either, but my Grandmother can tell stories fro hours about her concerts. When I listen to her records, I I can hear the deep emotion she puts into every song.

People I have seen thatput on great live shows are: Bette Midler, Pat Benatar (she still rocks!), Pink, and Billy Joel.

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I agree with Justagirl about Springsteen (The Boss), and I'm going to have to say Pink Floyd. I've never seen them in person, but I hear their light show is amazing.

I was fortunate enough to see The Who back in the 70s, and they definitely belong in this conversation.

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My niece swears by Hanson too.

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