If you could see any band perform live at any point in their history, who would you see?
I've seen most of the bands I care to see, but I would love to have seen Bad Religion in their prime in the early 90s.
Woodstock '69 at the age of 19.
YES. Woodstock is also my “where would you go first if you had a time machine” answer.
This is an excellent list. I might add (just for fun) mid 70's Deep Purple & mid 80's Allan Holdsworth.
Frank Zappa’s Roxy band from the mid 70s
I dunno, Beatles in either the white album or Sgt pepper era would be amazing.
Specific performance, the nirvana mtv unplugged might be a better option.
Then again, there's a dozen performances at Woodstock that were nuts. Hendrix at that show? Fuck me, that's a peak music experience.
I dunno man, this one is hard.
Fuck! Robert Johnson! Any performance ever. The recordings from back then are not the best possible audio, and you know that man could tear up a room. That's my final answer.
I might be wrong, but the Beatles weren't performing live by those albums. The closest option would the famous rooftop jam they did at the Apple studio in 69
https://archive.org/details/thebeatlesapplerooftopconcert1969fullvideo
I'd take it!
Ziggy Stardust
I'd like to see Zappa perform.
Queen, pre-80s
Right answer IMHO!
Led Zeppelin.
A classmate of mine had tickets to see Zeppelin in, I think the fall of 1980. I wasn't into Zep much then, but I remember how crushed he was hearing that Bonham had died and the tour was canceled.
The Rolling Stones back in 735BCE
To be on the Festival Express train in 1970 and experience that rolling party/jam session with members of the Grateful Dead, The Band, Janis Joplin/Big Brother and the Holding Company, New Riders of the Purple Sage and Buddy Guy to name a few.
I got to see Kraftwerk perform Computerworld live a couple years ago and it was amazing. At this point I’ve seen the majority of my bucket list artists and I feel fortunate for this.
If I’m thinking time travel maybe an early Daft Punk show in France.
Prince in the early 90s. I'm not even that big of a fan but I've seen footage of this era and it looks amazing.
I’m a big fan. Came here to say I regret not being able to see Prince at a random show at Paisley Park.
This is one of my favs (not there haha)
Allman Brothers Band with Duane and Berry Oakley (I’m old).
Allman Brothers is a solid answer! 100%
I don't really like concerts, but I really would love to see GWAR. I don't know if they still tour; I had heard they retired but they also made a music video within the last year or two so IDK if they plan on coming back or what. I don't follow music as much as a friend I haven't talked to in years did.
I got dragged to a Gwar show in college. I was warned about the blood, but nothing can really prepare you for that.
I got dragged to a Revolting Cocks concert. Nothing prepared me for the giant phallus the lead singer pulled from under his kilt and squirted a foamy liquid over the front row audience. It was a fake one not his own, but I was a bit like wtf.
I don't even wanna go for the music; the show they put on itself looks awesome from the few tapings I've seen.
I was sooooo lucky, I worked at a tech shop in the late ‘00s. I was helping a guy set up his Zune, he was not tech savvy. I asked what he did for work, and he said “I drive tour bus.” I asked if he’s driving anyone right now, and he tells me “a band called GWAR.” I told him I’d love to be able to see that show, but I’m broke and have to get back home to do homework. He said “I can fix one of those things—want me to get your on the guest list?”
I went after work, wearing my work clothes, and it was fucking insane. I’ve never been covered in so many various colored liquids after a show. There was so much cum and decapitation! I hope they tour near you someday!
I used to love Gwar concerts, I used to live in Virginia Beach and they played there all the time, since they were from Richmond. It sucks that the original lead singer died back in 2012.
I can't decide between early Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath or Bal-Sagoth for something newer
rockgar and the apes.
I heard they were all the rage in 4500BC.
Nirvana around '92 or '93
I got to see them in a club down here, and am so glad. They drove a tiny white van all the way across the country. There were like 30 people at that show.
I really racked my brains with this one and think mostly it would be to go back and see somebody just prior to becoming big to see the embryo performances at smaller gigs so maybe Early Kraftwerk or even Sparks. Also (and I can't believe I'm saying this as generally it's not my genre) Focus as part of the audience for the midnight special.
Rammstein in Germany.
Crazy Town, circa 2000. I want to be there for that first tour just after Butterfly released and experience the paradigm shift for myself. If I have to pick a single show, let's make it the November 29th WBCN X-Mas Rave at the Avalon Ballroom in Boston, where you'd not only get to experience Shifty Shellshock in his prime, but also P.O.D. and Insane Clown Posse. In one night.
Woop woop
Electric Warrior, Devotional Tour, Hendrix
Beatles rooftop concert, hands down
Beatles in the Cavern before to they got huge and before all the screaming.
Ooh you make a compelling point! But timing would be crucial - there's only like a year there between when Ringo joined the band and their last appearance at the Cavern.
Had an opportunity to see system of a down during one of their last tours with a chance to meet them backstage. But capitalism made me prioritize working that night.
Zappa and the Mothers, the lineup of Live in NY (I think 1978.), with Bozzio on drums and Michael Brecker playing sax. Alternatively, I'd really like to hear Django Reinhardt sometime in the 1930s.
Zappa's last US show was pretty epic. One of the most interesting covers of Stairway To Heaven I've heard. March 23-25 1988.
2006 The Blood Brothers, easily. The craziest shows I’ve ever been to and I would LOVE my partner to be able to come with me.
Also, late ‘00s of Montreal. Not big into their recent stuff, but I loved the costumes, cross dressing, and all of their songs from inception to Lousy with Sylvenbriar.
Nothing at a stadium. I have gotten to see a lot of bands on the way up, in small venues, can't complain. So I'll go with the NIN show at the Ritz theater, or maybe Lady Gaga, since I'll never get to see them anywhere small, and could have.
My mom ran away from home to see Elvis in a high school basketball gym, that always struck me as much cooler than I would have thought her.
It would be great to hear some of that Baroque music back when it was new, Bach is so good.
I’m torn between the Beatles, honestly at any point. And Daft Punk.
George Benson 1986 in Montreux. Or indeed any of those jazz guys in their day. Cobham, Davis, Hancock, Scofield, Corea... The list goes on.
Bob Marley. No doubt about it.
The earliest I could find was a mesopotamian priestess named enheduanna, so that's who I would want to see, just the chance to hear music no human since would ever get to hear
Points for imagination! That's somebody's next album cover.