# Which bands kept giving the most energetic live shows for the longest? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 26, 2016, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-bands-kept-giving-the-most-energetic-live-shows-for-the-longest/760912 "2016-07-26T03:11:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-bands-kept-giving-the-most-energetic-live-shows-for-the-longest/760912/21 "2016-07-26T17:22:52Z")
> [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > I’m not sure the Dead were ever all that ‘energetic’… 🙂 When McKernan was alive and healthy. ---
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-bands-kept-giving-the-most-energetic-live-shows-for-the-longest/760912/22 "2016-07-26T17:36:21Z")
the band “Leftover Salmon” has an enormous amount of energy. I cooked for them before a show in Carbondale Illinois once and was up with them until sunrise. They went from house party to house party…pickin and grinning’ and smoking’ and jokin’ The front man Vince Herman is an absolute NUT…in a good way! ---
**Author:** ![BurnMeUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-bands-kept-giving-the-most-energetic-live-shows-for-the-longest/760912/23 "2016-07-26T19:46:20Z")
Fishbone still crank out super high energy shows, been going since the early 80’s ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-bands-kept-giving-the-most-energetic-live-shows-for-the-longest/760912/24 "2016-07-26T20:50:57Z")
> [@leftfield6](#): > > The answer to this question, if you want only one answer, is Bruce Springsteen and the E Street band. There is simply no other band that puts as much effort into a marathon concert, and keeps the energy level at a ridiculously high level. year after year after year. > > Honorable mention would go to Widespread Panic, Wilco, Pearl Jam, and Rush. Well the OP didn’t specify current bands so you are not wrong but Rush is now in semi-retirement. Those years of playing have taken a physical toll. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-bands-kept-giving-the-most-energetic-live-shows-for-the-longest/760912/25 "2016-07-26T21:31:53Z")
Tina Turner is now 76. Last time I saw her she was still wearing high heels and dancing with her back-up dancers the whole time. ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-bands-kept-giving-the-most-energetic-live-shows-for-the-longest/760912/26 "2016-07-26T21:38:31Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Well the OP didn’t specify current bands so you are not wrong but Rush is now in semi-retirement. Those years of playing have taken a physical toll. Oh believe me, I know. I was there for their last tour. About a three hour affair and they sounded great. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-bands-kept-giving-the-most-energetic-live-shows-for-the-longest/760912/27 "2016-07-26T23:37:54Z")
[Wayne Newton](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Newton) had a reputation for giving huge efforts at this shows even after his voice had pretty much gone. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-bands-kept-giving-the-most-energetic-live-shows-for-the-longest/760912/28 "2016-07-26T23:38:55Z")
I suspect if he doesn’t explode first, Weird Al will eventually have this in the bag. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2016, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-bands-kept-giving-the-most-energetic-live-shows-for-the-longest/760912/29 "2016-07-27T08:22:37Z")
I’ve seen both Springsteen and the Dead in this past year, and they’ve definitely both still “got it”. The only real difference between the energy they put into their performances is the pacing. Springsteen does one set that’s about 3 1/2 hours long. His songs are typically only in the 4-6 minute range, though, and he lays out the set so that for every two or three fast songs there’s a slower song that gives the boys a chance to relax and rest up. He’s got a big band with a lot of doubling-up - including himself, there’s five guitars, bass, piano, keyboard, saxophone, and drums, and not every song calls for every instrument. The Dead also play for about 3 1/2 hours, but they do it in two sets with an hour intermission in between. Their songs are longer, though - there’s rarely one shorter than 8-10 minutes, and they tend to string them together into jams that run as much as 45 minutes long. They also have a more consistent tempo - they’re not as fast as Bruce’s fast songs and not as slow as his slow songs, and they tend to focus more on technical guitar work and soloing than Bruce’s Wall-of-Sound approach, and a smaller band (two guitars, bass, keyboard, and two drummers) that means the entire band is usually active all the time. It also doesn’t hurt that the Dead’s current frontman, John Mayer, is about 30 years younger than the veterans. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-bands-kept-giving-the-most-energetic-live-shows-for-the-longest/760912/30 "2016-07-28T18:47:42Z")
I saw the reunited Van Halen about 10 years ago, David Lee Roth was still "Jump"ing around, and the drummer was like Animal from the Muppets. They impressed me a lot for old guys. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-bands-kept-giving-the-most-energetic-live-shows-for-the-longest/760912/31 "2016-07-28T19:06:36Z")
I saw the Pet Shop Boys last time they came to L.A. - about a year ago? They’re still putting on a damn good show. (Still releasing new material, too.) ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-bands-kept-giving-the-most-energetic-live-shows-for-the-longest/760912/32 "2016-07-28T19:12:53Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > Alice Cooper puts on a great, energetic show. He’s in his late 60s. This. The man runs around like he’s on fire. Stage props, costume changes, no inane banter that takes away from the show and pretty much 2 to 2 1/2 hours of non-stop singing. And he’s actually two years from 70 with absolutely no plans of slowing down. Plus, now he has a second gig with The Hollywood Vampires and says that as long as Mick is still going (at five years older), he’ll always be recording and performing. He’s the ultimate showman badass. ---
**Author:** ![Disheavel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Disheavel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disheavel)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-bands-kept-giving-the-most-energetic-live-shows-for-the-longest/760912/33 "2016-07-28T20:42:04Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > I suspect if he doesn’t explode first, Weird Al will eventually have this in the bag. I just went to Weird Al the other afternoon/evening. It was warm outside, but he did bring his A game of energy and was sprinting on and off stage. The way his show works is that there is a media break between many songs which enable his costume changes and set up the next song or two so he gets some rest. But when he put on the Fat and was jumping and stomping around in the suit, he got the audience pumped up. ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Mama](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5ac83/32.png) [@Atomic\_Mama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Mama)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2016, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-bands-kept-giving-the-most-energetic-live-shows-for-the-longest/760912/34 "2016-07-30T10:20:44Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > From the blues arena, I’d mention “The Queen of the Blues”, Koko Taylor. > > I saw her perform in 2007 when she was 78 (she died two years later at 80). She gave it all for the show on a hot summer night. Afterwards she was backstage hyperventilating, looking like she might not make it. We were going to call an ambulance, but she held up her hand, signaling that she didn’t want one. The man who traveled with her got a wet towel for her neck, and whispered relaxing things to her. > > After about twenty minutes and a few sips of water she said she was ok. Thank you for mentioning Koko Taylor. Her “Wang Dang Doodle” was my radio theme song in Chicago for about 8 years … early 1970’s. I first interviewed her in 1971 (?) when she was still doing shows on Chicago’s West Side for DJ Arkansas Big Bill Hill. Well before Alligator Records signed her 😃 And I got to see Koko Taylor again in Anchorage, AK c. 2000 … met her backstage. What a trouper. I really DO think she remembered me! ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2016, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-bands-kept-giving-the-most-energetic-live-shows-for-the-longest/760912/35 "2016-07-31T15:35:48Z")
How about Iron Maiden, particularly Bruce Dickinson. He’s my age, 57, and runs around like a wild man during their concerts. ---
**Author:** ![dada2fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ccd318/32.png) [@dada2fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dada2fish)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2016, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-bands-kept-giving-the-most-energetic-live-shows-for-the-longest/760912/36 "2016-07-31T22:34:42Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Mick Jagger is 73 years old. The first and only time I saw them live was in 2012. He ran around the stage like a man in his 30s. Mick Jaggers mom lived to be in her 80’s and his father lived to be in his 90’s. If family history and living an active life have anything to do with it, I believe he will easily live 100 years or more. The man is has an amazing cardio system dancing, running and singing for 2 hours straight. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2016, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-bands-kept-giving-the-most-energetic-live-shows-for-the-longest/760912/37 "2016-07-31T23:43:43Z")
A friend said there was a guy on the Jersey shore I had to see name of… Sprongstein? Springsteel? Kid had it! When I got engaged, I told my fiancée she had to see him live before we could get married. Fifteen years had passed, but he had just as much energy. Runners up for me: Squeeze (Difford and Tilbrook are in their 60s, but _never stopped playing_, they just changed beats and keys and kept going, for hours!), Al Cooper, Weird Al, Green Day (had to keep up with the middle-school boys that filled most of the seats), Al Green and Neil Finn (in the Been Doing It Forever category, but seems to GET energy from performing instead of using it up). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-bands-kept-giving-the-most-energetic-live-shows-for-the-longest/760912.md?page=1)