# Greatest Live Album of All Time? What do you think? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [July 26, 2026, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-live-album-of-all-time-what-do-you-think/1031939 "2026-07-26T20:54:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![oligArchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oligarchie/32/21546_2.png) [@oligArchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oligArchie)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2026, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-live-album-of-all-time-what-do-you-think/1031939/41 "2026-07-27T13:06:57Z")
A nomination for _Okonokos_ by the band My Morning Jacket (released on October 31, 2006). They and Erykah Badu don’t perform “Tyrone” on that tour, but it’s still a keeper. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2026, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-live-album-of-all-time-what-do-you-think/1031939/42 "2026-07-27T13:13:52Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > _The Last Waltz_ - The Bank, 1978 With my favorite cut, “The Night They Drove the Interest Rate Down” Just joshing you. “The Last Waltz” is my number one, followed by Talking Heads’ “Stop Making Sense” and Neil Young’s “Live Rust”. mmm ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2026, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-live-album-of-all-time-what-do-you-think/1031939/43 "2026-07-27T13:14:16Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > - _One More from the Road_, Lynyrd Skynyrd I almost included that in my top five. My wife and teen son visited Atlanta earlier this year, and I suggested they take the tour of the Fox Theater, which they did (and they enjoyed it). I wonder how often the tour guide is asked “What song is it you wanna hear?” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2026, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-live-album-of-all-time-what-do-you-think/1031939/44 "2026-07-27T13:45:00Z")
How about Judas Priest Unleashed in the East? It took a bunch of songs that, on the studio albums, I found as exiting as funeral dirges, and made into great rocking songs. Though I suppose band purists will think they ruined the songs. In general, I hate live performances that go too far from the original material. Like Zep’s Whole Lotta Love on TSRTS. It goes off on some ten minute epic journey before coming home to finsh the song. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2026, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-live-album-of-all-time-what-do-you-think/1031939/45 "2026-07-27T14:18:34Z")
A couple of my favorites that I haven’t seen mentioned yet: **Little Feat** - _Waiting for Columbus_ **Genesis** - _Seconds Out_ ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2026, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-live-album-of-all-time-what-do-you-think/1031939/46 "2026-07-27T14:48:19Z")
Live At Carnegie Hall - The Dave Brubeck Quartet (1963) They hit a groove right from the start and the concert produced a double album. Joe Morello did [a drum solo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LBZJk5Kfgw&list=RD0LBZJk5Kfgw&start_radio=1) on Castilian Drums that lasted some 10 minutes (starts around 3:00) or more and that was a master class in jazz drumming. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2026, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-live-album-of-all-time-what-do-you-think/1031939/47 "2026-07-27T14:51:42Z")
If you’re a Jeff Beck fan, it’s hard to pick a favorite between _Live In Tokyo 1999_ and _Performing This Week: Live at Ronnie Scott’s_. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2026, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-live-album-of-all-time-what-do-you-think/1031939/48 "2026-07-27T16:22:33Z")
_Live Alive_ - Stevie Ray Vaughan, captures a concert vibe that I wish I could have seen in real life. ---
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2026, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-live-album-of-all-time-what-do-you-think/1031939/49 "2026-07-27T19:58:16Z")
More votes for _Stop Making Sense_, _Concert from Central Park_ and _Waiting for Columbus_. The rest of my top ten would probably be various Grateful Dead albums, including _Live/Dead_, _Europe 72_, _Dick’s Picks #4 (Fillmore East)_, _Dick’s Pick #8 (Harpur College)_, the Veneta concert, _The Closing of Winterland_… ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2026, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-live-album-of-all-time-what-do-you-think/1031939/50 "2026-07-27T20:47:12Z")
Just an incidental side note. In that video I posted, there’s a brief moment when one of the accompanying vocalists turns to look admiringly at Cohen as he performs. Someone in some forum somewhere said it was Katy Perry. It didn’t look like her so I didn’t believe it and did some research on who the three of them were. The Black woman is Sharon Robinson, a talented singer, keyboardist, and songwriter in her own right who did a lot of collaborative work with Cohen. The other two are sisters, Charley and Hattie Webb, who accompanied Cohen throughout that tour. None of them are Katy Perry, who likely knew Cohen well but never performed with him in concert. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2026, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-live-album-of-all-time-what-do-you-think/1031939/51 "2026-07-27T20:53:13Z")
There’s really not a greatest, just different shades of great. My three are: **Live in Amsterdam** - Joe Bonamassa with Beth Hart **Live Wire/Blues Powe** r - Albert King **At Fillmore East** - The Allman Brothers ---
**Author:** ![cieskokid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cieskokid/32/5374_2.png) [@cieskokid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cieskokid)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2026, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-live-album-of-all-time-what-do-you-think/1031939/52 "2026-07-27T20:54:08Z")
I played “Romeo and Juliet” from _Alchemy_ for 1of my fabulous females, sorta sang along to it while looking into her eyes & it helped us fall in love. It’s THAT damn romantic! Regardless, my top 3Live albums: The Song Remains The Same - Led Zeppelin Exit…Stage Left - Rush Bursting Out - Jethro Tull _ **Honorable Mentions** _ - Stop Making Sense- Talking Head (+Adrian Belew!) Unleashed In The East - Judas Priest ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2026, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-live-album-of-all-time-what-do-you-think/1031939/53 "2026-07-27T21:08:08Z")
I may be picking a nit here, but I would submit that _Waiting for Columbus_ and _Europe 72_ aren’t true ‘live’ albums. The former featured performances from 7 different concerts and the latter from 9. They were all live songs, but the albums weren’t from one concert. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2026, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-live-album-of-all-time-what-do-you-think/1031939/54 "2026-07-27T21:27:50Z")
**Primus “Suck on This”** is probably the live album I’ve listened to more than any other. All of the instruments and vocal are very well balanced, it has great energy and a tight performance with almost no slop or performance lapses. In contrast, I find Led Z “Song Remains the Same” unlistenably sloppy. 10/10 for Suck on This from both performance and technical categories. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2026, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-live-album-of-all-time-what-do-you-think/1031939/55 "2026-07-27T22:03:47Z")
By that metric most of the albums listed would be disqualified, since they use tracks from different venues/nights. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2026, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-live-album-of-all-time-what-do-you-think/1031939/56 "2026-07-27T22:13:43Z")
Right. Even the Stones’ _…Ya-Yas…_ has a track recorded in Baltimore, even though the original liner notes just mention Madison Square Garden. > [@GargoyleWB](#): > > Primus “Suck on This” I’ll give it a listen now, as I water the garden. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2026, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-live-album-of-all-time-what-do-you-think/1031939/57 "2026-07-27T22:22:43Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds : _Live Seeds_ Another good one, I love Nick Cave. > [@cieskokid](#): > > Stop Making Sense- Talking Head (+Adrian Belew!) No Adrian Belew on that one, the second guitarist (well third if you count Harrison) was Alex Weir from the great funk band The Brother Johnson. For Adrian Belew you want another another great Talking Heads live album - the second disc of [The Name of the Bands Is Talking Heads](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Name_of_This_Band_Is_Talking_Heads). Stop Making Sense is the more coherent and tight performance overall, but there is definitely something to be said about the power of the Belew touring band. The audio was never released separately to my knowledge, but the concert film [Live In Rome](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwWW742T0Wc) is another great document of that era. ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2026, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-live-album-of-all-time-what-do-you-think/1031939/58 "2026-07-27T22:46:19Z")
In chronological order: _Get Your Ya-Yas Out_ (1970) – Rolling Stones _Live Cream, Vol. 2_ (1972) – Cream _Between Nothingness and Eternity_ (1973) – Mahavishnu Orchestra I would be hard-pressed to name a better live album than this one. _Livestock_ (1975) – Roy Buchanan Probably the live album I have listened to the most. Too many candidates for #5, so I will leave it at that. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2026, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-live-album-of-all-time-what-do-you-think/1031939/59 "2026-07-27T23:00:56Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#): > > **Primus “Suck on This”** Loving it - thanks. The drummer (Tim Alexander) has a sound and style that reminds of of Stewart Copeland’s (or late-80s Chad Smith). But that’s “just a matter of opinion.” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2026, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-live-album-of-all-time-what-do-you-think/1031939/60 "2026-07-27T23:14:15Z")
I concur with The Last Waltz and Live Bullet. If you can, get the Last Waltz CD version that has a few more cuts on it. And if ever there was a DVD worth buying, this it. Just watching a stoned Neil Young belt out Caravan is worth the price. I also nominate Bob Dylan at Royal Albert Hall 1966. At one point you can hear someone in the crowd yell “Judas!” (for going to electric guitar). His live version of Visions of Johanna is better than the Blonde on Blonde version. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-live-album-of-all-time-what-do-you-think/1031939.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-live-album-of-all-time-what-do-you-think/1031939.md?page=4)