Which bands (historic and current) do you prefer live? What makes their shows so great?
I don’t know so much about “the show”, but I’m referring to the music. Sonics.
Judas Priest always sounded better live than studio to me. They didn’t get all sloppy and fast like so many other bands sometimes do live: They played clearly and accurately, but louder and more raw.
Cheap Trick as well. The times I saw them ( late 70s ) they sounded so much more raw, hard, and loud.
George Clinton/Parliament/Funkadelic and all the different iterations thereof.
They’re just okay on record, but live they are GREAT. The energy just doesn’t translate to record, not to mention live they basically never stop once they start playing; they fluidly go from song to song, songs are often combined, and there is a lot of improvisation and jamming involved. Working for LiveNation I saw a lot of concerts, but P-Funk All Stars were far and away the best shows I’ve ever seen.
Springsteen. From the intimacy of just him and a guitar or piano to the balls-out fury or exuberance of the E Street Band at full power there is nothing like a show by Bruce.
If there is a better example of this than the Grateful Dead, I can’t think of it.
Their studio albums are, to a number, lifeless, anemic, plodding and joyless, while their live shows, on any given night could be showcases of virtuoso musical improvisation, virtually unmatched by any other megaband that was capable of filling arenas and stadiums around the country, night after night, year after year, at least during the last 10 years of their 25 year career.
I agree with you about Priest, but this was the band I came in here to mention. Their studio records after the first are pretty sterile, and the paces of the songs are almost all too slow. At Budokan, on the other hand is perfect.
But then again, I prefer most bands live.
The J. Geils Band - Their studio recordings are good, competent bluesy rock. But in front of an audience they are so much more.
I prefer all music live. If a band, orchestra, group of a-capella singers, anything, can’t bring it live- then they can’t bring it. I will make rare exceptions for “artistic studio creations” like Dark Side Of The Moon and certain Hawkwind stuff, but even those guys brought it live.
I’m waaaaay too old to get in a head-banging mood anywhere, but I saw The Who live many, many years ago.
There isn’t a stereo system in existence that can deliver the experience of sitting in the sixth row of a Who concert.
Add me to this list re CT. I lived in Chicago when they were becoming popular and saw them live several times (and many times since). The studio albums come across much more as pop than rock and roll. Some of their albums from the 80s make me cringe, but the songs are great when performed live. Go figure.
BTW, their live performance for Silver in 1999 was pretty astonishing.
The Allman Brothers Band.
Definitely the Grateful Dead. Though I don’t have as much disdain about their studio work as Royal Nonesutch seems to own.
Leftover Salmon is another band that is GREAT live !! Their studio work is very (very) good, especially Nashville Sessions, but Live…oh my golly…PolyEthnicCajunSlamgrass at is best…….FESTIVAL…!!!
1. Euphoria
2. Carnival Time
3. Squirrel Heads And Gravy
video is crappy but the feel is there.
Third Coast Percussion. I can imagine that a CD of their music might get a little boring (although I have never tried it!) The fascination is watching them live; it’s a whole choreography! If someone needs room, they all scoot down and take over the part from the guy who was just playing that instrument. They play xylophone from both sides! And you can try to see how they are making some of the weirder sounds. Totally awe-inspiring.
Stevie Ray Vaughan. His recorded music is fantastic, but when he was on stage, the music just flowed through him. Generally aided by a significant amount of cocaine, but still… His performances are legendary.
I’ve seen the Who three times, and they were always fantastic. And now I don’t hear very well.
I’ve seen the Eagles, but the big knock on them is that they are such perfectionists that their live shows are pretty much exactly like their albums. Joe Walsh, however, throws a wrench into that. He’s always a hoot on stage, and apparently in hotel rooms.
I was going to do a joke about how Great White’s live shows killed, but that would be in bad taste.
Drive-By Truckers are awesome live. Hearing/seeing 3 leads swapping back and forth during ripping guitar solos is something to behold. And the bass player always has a huge grin on his face.
I’ll second everything Royal Nonesutch said about the Dead, with the caveat that on some ‘given nights’ they could be awful.
Also, almost any Blues band is better live than recorded.
Don McLean is worth seeing live. Hearing him sing American Pie is really amazing.
Phish is right up there. And I have no interest in a Phish vs. Grateful Dead debate. 
And I’ve heard he occasionally sings some of the lyrics from Weird Al Yankovic’s Phantom Menace parody by accident.
Some bands are just made to see live. You can’t get what they’re really about by just listening to the albums. KISS, Alice Cooper and The Tubes are just three examples.