Who's better band and/or live band Pearl Jam or Zeppelin?

[Blenheim Augustine]

I was 2 when Zeppelin stopped playing live so I can't really offer an opinion on live experience. I do know that Zeppelin has amazing studio albums but that I don't really ever feel like listening to them anymore. Achilles Last Stand is pretty incredible. PJ can't touch stuff like that.

[Heathen]

how old is old enough?

when you start enjoying Sirens or any other Elton John song, you know you're old enough

[Mine]

how old is old enough?

If for attending Zeppelin live i guess around 60.

[malice]

how old is old enough?

when you start enjoying Sirens or any other Elton John song, you know you're old enough

phew, just missed that cut -off

[BurtReynolds]

I've seen Page, Plant, and JPJ separately. is that good enough?

[Oh, Jimmy]

As objective as I can be - anyone here actually old enough to truly compare? - I think Pearl Jam, and by alot. The reason I say this is the simple math of how long PJ has been a great band. Let's say Led Zep had a 2-3 better years than PJ, that still doesn't stack up for PJ being a consistently stupendously great live band for over 20 straight years. So, yeah, Zep could have been better for a time, but Bonham fucked up and OD'd and we could never see how crappy they probably would have been in 1988, or 1997, or 2005 (btw I have the Celebration Day DVD and it rocks but that was one gig not a tour and they could save it all for that one show). To do it show after show, tour after tour, for years on end, and be mindblowing the whole time - the honor of that goes to PJ. The only act that deserves a better standing than PJ in this regard is Springsteen, who's like the Babe Ruth of live rock performers. PJ comes second.

Zep has the better studio accomplishments, PJ has consistently really good B+/A- on record but are not known for their ingenuity or genre bending goodness like say a Radiohead. So there.

Yes, everyone here is.

I think you're drastically overrating how good PJ has been at points. They were really great from about 98 to 03 or so, but otherwise they've been solid to very good. Some of those shows around Vs are pretty awesome too.

Well, if your going to go THAT deep, then we'll definitely never know. I'm not thinking by soundboard quality, show by show instrumental and vocal performance. I'm thinking by the reaction the shows and tours left to the fans. I'm not talking about something shallow like tour grosses either. I'm talking about how the live shows have carried and kept the band at a certain point of relevancy. Any PJ fan can argue about technical things like Ed's vocals or Mike leads or overall stage presence and energy energy (the energy is much better now than it was in 96-00 IMO, vocals were better then) and there's valid arguments for each. But the live aspect still matters for PJ now, just like it has mattered for Springsteen now and 30 years ago. I don't own any Springsteen bootlegs, just a couple of DVDs, but you can't argue with how his shows and tours resonate. That's one thing I can judge without having to sift through thousands of bootlegs.

So no band's career has been carried by live shows more than PJ's. I'd say that speaks to the perceived weakness of the studio catalog more than anything.

I've never heard anyone say that when they seen PJ, they felt like they got ran over by a Mack truck, and when Henry Rollins said that about Zeppelin, it was during their "bad years".

[malice]

how old is old enough?

If for attending Zeppelin live i guess around 60.

I kind of agree with that- but there's plenty of concert footage of zep out there that you can see if you're inclined.
I think the idea of who is better live or studio etc is kind of invalid as a question because it's completely subjective so age doesn't really enter into it either?

[BurtReynolds]

how old is old enough?

If for attending Zeppelin live i guess around 60.

I kind of agree with that- but there's plenty of concert footage of zep out there that you can see if you're inclined.
I think the idea of who is better live or studio etc is kind of invalid as a question because it's completely subjective so age doesn't really enter into it either?

are you suggesting this thread is stupid? because if you aren't, I will.

[malice]

how old is old enough?

If for attending Zeppelin live i guess around 60.

I kind of agree with that- but there's plenty of concert footage of zep out there that you can see if you're inclined.
I think the idea of who is better live or studio etc is kind of invalid as a question because it's completely subjective so age doesn't really enter into it either?

are you suggesting this thread is stupid? because if you aren't, I will.

I'm suggesting that flannelking is an uber Pearl Jam fan and making this kind of comparison is pretty useless as a way to determine 'who is better' for him or anyone.

or, you know, what you said.

[doug rr]

I did not read this thread but Zeppelin in a landslide

[benton netty]

I am on a Pearl Jam message board. I have been seeing them live since 1995.

I never saw Led Zeppelin.

Anyone who thinks Pearl Jam comes remotely close to touching Led Zeppelin, even on a bad day, is tripping balls.

Pearl Jam is great. One of the best live bands. Zeppelin were inhuman gods with the best rock drummer who ever lived.

PJ gets closer to The Who, but they can't quite match them, either.

This thread is like comparing apples to the Hope Diamond.

[malice]

I did not read this thread but Zeppelin in a landslide

I saw Jimmy Page with The Firm in 1985, I wasn't impressed, but he was fairly wasted so...

anyway- doug's right, guys.

[malice]

I am on a Pearl Jam message board. I have been seeing them live since 1995.

I never saw Led Zeppelin.

Anyone who thinks Pearl Jam comes remotely close to touching Led Zeppelin, even on a bad day, is tripping balls.

Pearl Jam is great. One of the best live bands. Zeppelin were inhuman gods with the best rock drummer who ever lived.

PJ gets closer to The Who, but they can't quite match them, either.

This thread is like comparing apples to the Hope Diamond.

so's this guy.

[doug rr]

I did not read this thread but Zeppelin in a landslide

I saw Jimmy Page with The Firm in 1985, I wasn't impressed, but he was fairly wasted so...

anyway- doug's right, guys.

I still spin Satisfaction Guaranteed every now and then

[malice]

I did not read this thread but Zeppelin in a landslide

I saw Jimmy Page with The Firm in 1985, I wasn't impressed, but he was fairly wasted so...

anyway- doug's right, guys.

I still spin Satisfaction Guaranteed every now and then

I have a secret crush on Paul Rodgers - always liked his voice.

[harmless]

The live success of PJ could not happen without good records.

It is happening now.

[harmless]

I agree that it's ultimately a band's studio work which will define how good they were for all time.

This is, or should be, obvious.

I agree. But there's a surprising amount of PJ fans who will judge their albums (positively and negatively) based on the apparent fact that they are "really a live band anyway". Which is moot, because all bands are live bands, if they play live.

Those fans aren't exactly paying them a compliment. It's like saying their music more or less sucks but they put on a great show.

Also ever since reading people whore themselves for tickets i have a really hard time taking a certain kind of compliments seriously.

Absolutely agree. "Live band like the Grateful Dead" was always a backhanded compliment to me.

[doug rr]

I did not read this thread but Zeppelin in a landslide

I saw Jimmy Page with The Firm in 1985, I wasn't impressed, but he was fairly wasted so...

anyway- doug's right, guys.

I still spin Satisfaction Guaranteed every now and then

I have a secret crush on Paul Rodgers - always liked his voice.

SIlver Blue and Gold for the win

[E.H. Ruddock]

This thread is really pissing me off.

[harmless]

I did not read this thread but Zeppelin in a landslide

I saw Jimmy Page with The Firm in 1985, I wasn't impressed, but he was fairly wasted so...

anyway- doug's right, guys.

I still spin Satisfaction Guaranteed every now and then

I have a secret crush on Paul Rodgers - always liked his voice.

SIlver Blue and Gold for the win

Yeah, Paul Rodgers can't write lyrics for toffee but his stuff is good.