just about every song by the Dead sounds better live. most sound just a lot more emotial.
It seems that you can tell a good band when the studio album is not the best that you’ll ever hear them. IMO. It’s not necessarily the case if the band is not so much a band, but an electronic musician or something, though.
but for a band band, if the studio album is the best they’re ever gonna sound, then that is unfortunate to me.
May I offer Nirvana’s “Pennyroyal Tea”. While the version on In Utero is great, nothing compares to the live acoustic version on MTV Unplugged in New York. It’s just so chilling to hearing a man sing his own eulogy.
Bob Seger-Katmandu
Did you know that Zeppelin’s Since I’ve been Loving You was recorded live in the studio? No tracks, they just set up and played.
Refuse / Resist by Sepultura. Awsome song that sounds must cooler played at high speeds live.
With Max at the mic that is.
Upon reading the topic, I immediately thought of “Bad” by u2. It’s good, but rather forgettable on the studio version (“The Unforgettable Fire”), but it became one of my all-time favorite songs after hearing it on the live album “Wide Awake in America”. The Live-Aid version is equally wonderful.
My U2 live nomination is “Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” I was so dumbfounded when I heard the studio version; I’d only heard the live one with the choir.
I have the Unplugged Collection Vol. 1 and there are so many on it that I like. Example, “Somebody to Shove” by Soul Asylum. I don’t know if it’s better or not, but Elton’s “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” live is more emotional and real-seeming.
‘what do you all wanna hear?’
“FREE BIRD!!”
Unfortunately, ever since the heroin days (i.e. SOFAD), his voice has gone downhill live. Still good, but if you get a boot from the “Violator”-era, his voice is lightyears better.
Actually, even before I read about the other Depeche Mode answers, I was going to throw one out - “Personal Jesus”. I’m a huge huge DM fan, but that song has never really done much for me. I don’t know what it is. But when they play it live - Holy crap, is that a party! I think it’s the crowd participation and everyone all yelling “Reach out and touch faith”, but it gets me riled up every time!
And Legomancer is right - that live version of “Ice Machine” is amazing. The studio version is crap, but that was back in the “Speak and Spell” days and pretty much everything from that time period is crap 
Colin
Surprised no-one said this:
Midnight Rambler by the Rolling Stones. From anemic but interesting workout on the original album cut to the wooly, dangerous, balls-out piece of work that it became on stage. I believe the live version is on Hot Rocks and Get Yer Ya-Yas Out.
Chrome
“The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” by The Band was much better live, especially in THE LAST WALTZ, than on the studio recording. Actually, a lot of The Band’s music is that way.
Anything by Jimmy Buffett.
d&r from all Buffett-haters
Milk and Honey - Beck
Funeral for A Friend - Elton
Rabbit Valley - The Four Postmen (all you LA Dopers know who I mean, right?)
ROCK in the USA - John Mellencamp (nee Cougar)
All of AC/DC’s stuff.
To completely switch genres, “Callin’ Baton Rouge” is a lot livelier and “The Thunder Rolls” is more ominous (and has the Extra Verse) and of course “Friends In Low Places” is a song that’s meant to be live, when Garth Brooks does them in concert rather than on the album.
How timely - I just popped the CD in as I found this thread! The song that’s currently burning my earphones off is Fear of the Dark by Iron Maiden, where live (from their best of) they lift what was a pretty tepid album track into one of their most exciting songs ever.
Ok, don’t laugh, but when I saw Guns n’ Roses do “November Rain” it was one of the most beautiful things I’ve heard. Fortunately I was at a show where Axl didn’t pitch a fit, and it turned out to be one of the best shows I’ve been to.
Jane’s Addiction can do anything live, and it sounds awesome. Especially acoustic versions of their songs. And “Bad” by U2 is one of my favorite songs ever, even though I haven’t heard it performed live yet.