what are the top 5 live shows you have ever seen

in no order here are mine

Dirty Dozen Brass Band - 3-7-02 - Sebastian's Murfreesboro, TN

Bob Dylan - Nashville, TN Feb of 1999 my first Bob show and it's FUCKIN' BOB DYLAN need I say more - maybe not the greatest show but I can tell my kids I saw Bob Dylan

Ziggy Marley - Riverstages May '98 - Nashville (this was somewhat of a religious experience because it is as close to Bob as I will get - except for that time I ate some shrooms but that's another story all together)

Elliott Smith - May '00 - 328 Nashville - most of you know the story behind this one

Brute - 4-9-02 Tabernacle Atlanta, GA - Vic Chessnut is one of the greatest song writters of all time

these are ones that just stick out right now and I am sure a Belle and Sebastian show might pop up on here pretty soon

Here's four of mine:

Radiohead, Atlanta last summer
Paul Westerberg at 328 Performance Hall back in 1996.
Pearl Jam, Los Angeles, 1998.  
Elliott Smith at Spaceland in LA around 1999.

In no order:

U2 @ Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY, May 2001.  I was in the center of the 'heart', about 10 feet from Bono & the Edge.  I was so deeply in awe the entire time that I don't remember much.

Kula Shaker @ 328 Performance Hall, Nashville, May 1997.  Crispian Mills was absolutely on fire; I thought he was going to lift off of the ground.  I have never seen a band play with more energy.

Phish @ the Pyramid, Memphis, September 1999.  If you don't like Phish, you wouldn't understand.  Cool venue and the second set was the best I've ever seen Phish play - DwD, 2001, Mike's, even Kung for Christ's sake.

Blur @ 328 Performance Hall, Nashville, Fall 1997.  I'm not really sure if this was a good show, but for me it was like seeing the Beatles; I was just so exited to see my idols in person.  And I even got to meet them at the afterparty.

Lenny Kravitz @ the Ryman, Nashville, Spring 1998.  Go ahead and laugh all you want, Lenny kicked ass back in the day.  He had an incredible band with horns and everything, and nowhere sounds better than the Ryman.

in no order

wilco-summer 1999?, oxford, ms. -greatest road trip ever

sloan- no idea when, the cotton club atlanta- sloan is one of the greatest live bands around

elliott smith-may '00, 328-my favorite part was when the blightman urged elliott to 'play fucking loud.'

clinic-a couple of months ago, echo lounge, atlanta- too short but great none-the-less.

kindercore festival-august 2000, 40 watt, athens-a damn fine few days. highlights-the sunshine fix, eight track gorilla, easy, vhs or beta, call and response, of montreal/marshmallow coast, sleeping flies, skakin' my ass with the uberindie geeks at the late night dance party.

the show              the why
trans am              the bass
elliot smith           the weather
character/lifeboy   the first
guided by voices   the beer
clinic                    the company

JamieCarroll- I have your back on that Lenny show. It would also go on my top five. Not only was he great, but the openers, Ozomatli and Sean Lennon, were equally good. I was also front row, which helped.

Other great ones were Ben Folds Five at the Ryman, a handful of Phish shows (12-30-98 at Madison Square Garden and 12-6-96 in Vegas pop to mind), P-Funk in London, Lambchop in London, Man or Astroman? at CMJ in '99, Joe Marc's Brother 12-31-00, The Features at Monsters of Pop a couple years back, REM/Radiohead at Starwood around '96. That'll do for now.

my top four in no particular order:

1. elvis costello at the ryman auditorium in '99
2. travis at riverstages in 2000
3. the strokes at 328 last fall
4. rufus wainwright at the ryman auditorium last fall

1. Kula Shaker - The Cotton Club; Atlanta, July 14 '99.  This show was just crazy, I thought my head was going to explode afterwards.  Also, meeting the guys after the show was the best birthday present I could have asked for...

2. Radiohead - Cleavland, August '01. And I thought it was impossible for a band to sound really really good in an amphitheater... this show changed my mind about a lot of things.  The Beta Band (the opener) was really good too.

3. White Stripes/Greenhornes - The End, Sept. 9 '01. simply the best 1-2 punch I've ever seen. Both bands were amazing

4. Blur - 328, September 24 '97.  Great show and great setlist, though I could have used a little more from the Great Escape (i.e. charmless man)... too bad they hate that album.

5. Weezer - The Masquerade; Atlanta, Dec. 12 '96. Good songs, good show.  It's a shame they aren't around anymore...

LW, that Sloan show was sometime around oct. or nov. of 2000 (unless they played there more than once)...  and yes, it was indeed an excellent show.  

on another note, it saddens me to think that I'll never get to see the Stone Roses live... I imagine that they would have easily made the top 10... probably top 5.

Just 5 is hard...but here's a try:
The Flaming Lips, Uptown Mix, Fall 2000
Ben Folds Five, Roseland Theatre, Portland, OR, 9/99
Weird Al, TN State Fair, Fall 2000
The Features, the Boro, 3/15/01
Michael Jackson, Gator Bowl, 1985

I like Rufus, but wasn't impressed by his show at the Ryman last fall...especially after that tactless Sept. 11 joke

Lauren, you saw Michael Jackson? And in '85? That must've been awesome.

its hard but i'll try.......here's 10 instead

smashing pumpkins - memphis 1996 - there is always somehting special when you see your favorite band live.

sonic youth - 8/15/00, 8/16/00, and 5/07/01 - 3 shows in one year! i cant pick one because each one was unigue in its own way. the first was opening for pearl jam, the second in a small club the third at a festival. the band was in three different environments and it was spectacular!

the frogs - 01/26/02

pearl jam - memphis 8/15/2000 - one of the bets nights of my life...i became one with eddie when he yelled out 'teenage watse land!' during baba o riley.

self/the features/fluid ounces - 10/12/01 - this was a night of bliss...first time seeing self and it was everything i thought it would be.

tool - 10-15-01

jimmy page and robert plant - 10/01/98 - it was like seeing led zeppelin almost.

foo fighters - 5-6-00 - i gave dave grohl a high five!

tom petty - 8/99 - what can i say? its tom petty!

in no order:

1) radiohead at the masquerade, atlanta, ga (august 10, 1997--a few months afer ok computer came out. i'm very grateful i was able to see them in a club)

2)  jeremy enigk at the catacombs, madison, wi (march 1997--he had a mini-orchestra with him & played stuff from the solo album.  far more relevant than sunny day real estate.)

3)  neutral milk hotel at the 40 watt, athens, ga (july '98)

4)  mark eitzel/tuatara/minus 5 at the variety playhouse in atlanta, ga. may 1997 (while i don't really care for the bands that played, it's what happened at the end of the show that mattered.  all of the members of REM (minus bill berry, but this was before he quit the band) played an impromptu 4 song set, which included 'new test leper,'  'the passenger' (iggy pop song), 'ghost rider' (suicide song) and 'wicked game' (chris isaak song).  the closest i will ever come to seeing REM in a small club.  

5) the cure at the los angeles forum, summer 1987.  i was 10 years old & saw them play during the kiss me tour.  a guy in the crowd stabbed himself before the cure played.  how goth.

6)  built to spill--the end, nashville, tn. october 23, 1998.

smme....you are a lucky bastard to have seen the cure in 87. i saw built to spill in 99. great show! almost didn;t make it because it was raining and we got lost.

i would also have to add to my list

REM - MEMPHIS 1995.
Gin Blossoms/Violent Femmes 1994 - free concert!!

I think it was actually the Victory tour in '84- which apparently was all of the Jacksons, but I just remember Michael...who was still black back then. I was 6 at the time & it was my first show ever & I think it was the root of my addiction to live music. I also saw his Bad tour in 87 (age 9) & was equally amazed.

The biggies--

REM-- 8-99/Chastain Park Ampitheater/Atlanta They played NIGHTSWIMMING and it was just a great show to be on the floor.

Mike Watt & the Black Gang-- 10-98/ The End/ Nashville My favorite bass player and overall hero teamed up with the greatest guitarist of our time (Nels Cline) to pull off a killer show playing my favorite album on Earth in its entirety.

Sonic Youth-- 5/?/01 in Memphis. It was my severalth time seeing Sonic, but this one had the most wonderful venue and set, as well as a nice road trip. I met Sina Sugarsick there.

Fluid Ounces-- 5-25-01 at The Red Rose. First time I saw the Ounces outside, and it was also their first show after Sam Baker returned. It could not have been more perfect.

Flaming Lips-- 9/2000 @ Uptown Mix. I hadn't heard them much before that, but I was hooked by one short set.

The Features are left off because I've seen them so many times. If I could clump all my Features shows into one, it would be the best.

smee, i am way jealous that you saw neutral milk hotel. that is really cool.
Also, I was at the ryman show last fall to see tori. i thought rufus was ok; it was the first time i had heard anything by him.
that tori show was one of the best shows I have ever seen, btw.

fountains of wayne/ smashing pumpkins 1997 new orleans
a perfect circle - sept. 2000 dals, tx
mates of state at the red rose feb 10
weezer in St. Louis last November

they might be giants also put on a damn good show.
the red hot chili peppers were cool to see bc I have liked them for so long, but I was really unimpressed with their performance. foo fighters were way better.