As a self proclaimed musical genius, I always expect the artists I listen to to be good live. And so far, I've been correct on practically very level so far. My music range is quite broad in terms of genres and styles. But if there is one thing I love, it is a good live performance of raw talent and entertainment. Now I haven't seen crazy amounts of artists live, but I have attended a fair share of performances. And as I always say, it only seems right for me to rank the best of what I have witnessed.
5. Night Ranger, Foreigner, and Journey
From my 7th grade to 9th grade years, I was pretty obsessed with old school rock. I loved Foreigner, Boston and Metallica like crazy. I was given tickets to see these three legendary bands live at the FedEx Forum for my 13th birthday. Of course, the entire show was absolutely awesome. From start to finish it was songs that I could sing and jam to. My mother went with me and she had probably a more fun time than I did. But, nonetheless, all three of these bands knew how to bring a great show. I still remember it to this day singing along with every Foreigner song, and even laughing with my good friend Brandon of the drum roll in their song "Urgent."
4. Moon Taxi
This one was a huge shock to me. I was at Beale Street Music Fest waiting for Modest Mouse for the last show of the night at the Rockstar stage. The 3rd to final performance was this indie rock group Moon Taxi. I had only heard one song by them, Morocco. But I will not lie in any way, Moon Taxi had nothing but straight jams throughout the entire show. I didn't know any of their songs but I can recall during every song I continuously thought to myself, "man these guys are good." Moon Taxi brought the house down and garnered a sure fan for the future after this one.
3. Modest Mouse
As stated, I was waiting for this majestic group when I was stunned by Moon Taxi. But the crazy thing is, they were topped by this band three hours later. Modest Mouse is one of those bands that are very similar to the next two on this list. Many of their songs have gained them mainstream success, but those popular singles are still overpowered by the lesser known tracks. Modest Mouse has nine studio albums, and each one is full of hidden gems that will keep you occupied for a long, long time. From the start, Modest Mouse did not slow up by playing some of the best songs off of "Good News for People Who Love Bad News," "Stranger to Ourselves" and "The Moon and Antarctica." As among my all time favorite bands, they kept the show fresh and alive with ease.
2. Foo Fighters
As a surprise gift from another music fanatic friend, I was able to attend a Foo Fighters show in Memphis last October. And I will just say, Dave Grohl is a musical legend through and through. Not only is his guitar and singing abilities captivating enough, his energy and fluidity (even with a broken foot) is unmatched. Foo Fighters kept us all on our toes, making us wonder what incredible hit was going to be next. They left no stone unturned, playing huge tracks from their first album to their most recent, and everything in between. The two and a half hour show was just enough to make me feel completely satisfied after the show, but not too long to the point of exhaustion. I would gladly see this group again, no question.
1. Dave Matthews Band (the second time)
Now I love me some Dave Matthews Band. Both of my older cousins are gigantic DMB fans and have seen him live numerous times. I always wanted to see a Dave show and got that chance three years ago. My brother and I both went and we were blown away to finally see him live. But, one year later, we were granted tickets AGAIN to see him. And this time, he had no opener band, just he himself playing an hour long acoustic set. Thirty minutes later, out came the band and then time lapse three and a half hours, end of the show. Dave Matthews Band has proven time and time again that he is easily the King of live shows. From 7-11:30 we were graced with his best of the best performances. The reason I chose the second time was because of three reasons: Grey Street, Ants Marching and, believe it or not, and acoustic set of The Space Between. He played his usual set of So Much to Say, Jimi Thing and of course the beyond incredible version of All Along the Watchtower which, in my opinion, tops the Jimi Hendrix original because of the style which Dave performs.
So there we have it. Of course, I easily recommend any of those 5 bands to see live. They will not disappoint in any way. Of course I do have other bands I am begging to see live, and hopefully I will get the chance to see them soon before college picks up and I get swamped for a while.
Artists can have great studio work, but there is just something about a live show that is always incredible to remember.
