Red Mosquito

Just some crazy notes on this thread by the numbers:

529 live albums by 192 artists. Multiple live albums from 83 of those artists.

10 Most live albums by band/artist:

1) Pearl Jam (44)
2) Rolling Stones (29)
3) Bruce Springsteen (29)
4) Grateful Dead (26)
5) Neil Young (20)
6) Phish (20)
7) Dave Matthews Band (13)
8) Goose (12)
9) The Who (10)
10) Spafford (10)
Allman Brothers Band and Gov’t Mule just missed at 9 each.

Pearl Jam - Madison Square Garden, New York, NY 9/4/24

11 days prior to seeing Springsteen on the beach, I got to see Pearl Jam at the Garden. The two together may have made my whole concert going life in the scale of the shows - being up front at this one and being on the beach alone for the other. This one also featured its own E Street moment since Steven Van Zandt was not only in the crowd but played with the band on Rockin in the Free World. The recording on this one confirms much of how I felt about the show - that Andrew Watt is much more of a beast on guitar than I initially realized, that the band sounded as good as it had in decades, and that the new songs - here Dark Matter, React Respond, Won’t Tell, Waiting for Stevie, and Setting Sun, all sound phenomenal. This one reminded me why I would have seen a band 25 times over many years.

This journey has only one way to close out at this point: the lead and at least in person favorite show I ever attended. So 2 more shows to go!

Up Last: Pearl Jam - Madison Square Garden, New York, NY 5/20/10 & 5/21/10

Pearl Jam - Madison Square Garden, New York, NY 5/20/10 & 5/21/10

The second night of this run has stuck as my favorite concert that I’ve attended. That said, the first night probably doesn’t get its due sitting beside the latter. The show is more than solid front to back, and crests with the energy they bring right into the second night. For night 2, I have never seen anything like that second encore, the jackhammer like loudness of the crowd that interrupted Eddie as he tried to get through Better Man, the intensity immediately following with Black, and then the endless party that followed with The Real Me, Hunger Strike, Alive, Kick Out the Jams and the Yellow Ledbetter/Star Spangled Banner capper. It brings back memories every time I hear these shows, a 2 night arc that is everything as a fan of this band for all these years.

The final list of favorites here is sort of predictable, which is only sad because we like to think of ourselves as free spirited folk with open minds. It’s not saying I am not open minded, more that I clearly have established my favorites. Here’s a start - the 25 live albums that just missed my top 100:

125. Bruce Springsteen - The Live Series: Songs of Friendship
124. Bruce Springsteen - The Live Series: Songs of Love
123. Mt. Joy - Live at the Salt Shed
122. The Who - Live at Shea Stadium
121. The Rolling Stones - Licked Live in New York City
120. Bruce Springsteen - The Live Series: Songs Under Cover
119. Billy Strings - Live Vol. 1
118. Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense
117. Gov’t Mule - Live at the Angel Orensanz Center, New York City 12/28/08
116. Gov’t Mule - Bring On the Music: Live at the Capitol Theatre
115. Jim James - The Order of Nature
114. Bob Weir and Wolf Bros. - Live in Colorado, Vol. 2
113. Neil Young & Crazy Horse - F@ckin’ Up
112. Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit - Live at the Ryman, Vol. 2
111. Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Way Down in the Rust Bucket
110. Grateful Dead - Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO 12/10/71
109. Goose - Alive and Well
108. The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers Live at the Fonda Theatre 2015
107. Goose - Swanzey, NH 2020.10.03
106. Fleetwood Mac - The Mirage Tour
105. Jimmy Page & the Black Crowes - Live at the Greek
104. Page & Plant - No Quarter
103. Grateful Dead - Formerly the Warlocks: Hampton, VA 1989
102. Little Feat - Waiting For Columbus
101. The Who - Live at Hull

Alright! Top 100 (100-76, we gotta be dramatic):

100. Grateful Dead - Europe ‘72 Vol. 13: Bickershaw Festival, Wigan, England 5/7/72
99. Iron Maiden - Live After Death
98. 25th Anniversary Hall of Fame Concert
97. Pearl Jam - Vault #5: Aladdin Theatre, Las Vegas,NV 11/30/93
96. The Who - Live in Hyde Park
95. Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Live at the Fillmore East 1970
94. Phish - Live at Madison Square Garden: New Year’s Eve 1995
93. Wilco - Kicking Television: Live in Chicago
92. Frogwings - Croakin’ at Toads
91. Moe. - L
90. Tedeschi Trucks Band - Layla Revisited (Live at LOCK’N / 2019)
89. The War on Drugs - Live Drugs Again
88. The War on Drugs - Live Drugs
87. The Rolling Stones - Voodoo Lounge Uncut
86. The Rolling Stones - Bridges to Bremen
85. Goose - Live at the Capitol Theatre
84. Joe Russo’s Almost Dead - Brooklyn, NY 2015-10-03
83. Pearl Jam - Verona, Italy 6/20/00
82. Phish - LivePhish 04/03/98
81. Pearl Jam - Tampa, FL 4/12/00
80. Tedeschi Trucks Band - Everybody’s Talkin
79. Goose - 2022.12.16 Broomfield, CO
78. Joe Russo’s Almost Dead - Port Chester, NY 2016-12-30
77. Pearl Jam - Boise, ID 11/3/00
76. Joe Russo’s Almost Dead - Albany, NY 2018-03-16

75-51:

75. Pearl Jam - Cardiff, Wales 6/6/00
74. The Rolling Stones - Live at the Wiltern
73. My Morning Jacket - MMJ Live Vol. 3: Bonnaroo 2004
72. Phish - Live in Brooklyn
71. Joe Russo’s Almost Dead - Morrison, CO 2017-08-31
70. Joe Russo’s Almost Dead - Port Chester, NY 2020-02-22
69. Grateful Dead - The Closing of Winterland
68. Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Live Rust
67. Grateful Dead - Without a Net
66. The Black Crowes - Freak N’ Roll: Into the Fog
65. Goose - 2022.03.12 Philadelphia, PA
64. The Rolling Stones - Totally Stripped
63. The Rolling Stones - Totally Stripped: Brixton
62. The Rolling Stones - Totally Stripped: Paris
61. Bruce Springsteen - Springsteen on Broadway
60. Goose - 2022.12.31 Cincinnati, OH
59. Bruce Springsteen - The Live Series: Songs of New Jersey
58. Bruce Springsteen - The Reunion Tour
57. Joe Russo’s Almost Dead - Brooklyn, NY 2019-11-25
56. Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Weld
55. The Band - Rock of Ages
54. The Rolling Stones - Totally Stripped: Amsterdam
53. Gov’t Mule - Live at the Beacon Theatre (New York City 12/31/17)
52. The Rolling Stones - From the Vault: No Security San Jose 1999
51. The Rolling Stones - A Bigger Bang Live

50-26:

50. Allman Brothers Band - The Final Concert: 10/28/14 Beacon Theatre New York City
49. Bruce Springsteen - The Born in the USA Tour ‘84-‘85
48. Grateful Dead - Veneta, OR 8/27/72: The Complete Sunshine Daydream Concert
47. The Rolling Stones - Ladies and Gentlemen…
46. The Rolling Stones - Brussels Affair
45. Pearl Jam - Vault #3: Washington, DC 9/19/98
44. The Brothers - 3/10/20 Madison Square Garden
43. Grateful Dead - Europe ‘72
42. Bruce Springsteen - The Darkness Tour
41. Goose - 2022.11.21 Denver, CO
40. Goose - Live at the Fox Theatre
39. Phish - LivePhish Vol. 11: 11/17/97 McNichol’s Sports Arena, Denver, CO
38. Pearl Jam - Jones Beach, NY 8/25/00
37. Jimi Hendrix - Live at Woodstock
36. Grateful Dead - Dick’s Picks Vol. 8: Harpur College, Binghamton, NY 5/2/70
35. Bob Marley and the Wailers - Live!
34. Pearl Jam - Live at Benaroya Hall
33. Phish - Hampton/Winston Salem ‘97
32. Lynyrd Skynyrd - One More From the Road
31. Allman Brothers Band - One Way Out
30. Phish - LivePhish 04/04/98
29. Pearl Jam - Las Vegas, NV 10/22/00
28. Bruce Springsteen - Live in Dublin
27. Phish - The Spectrum ‘97
26. Pearl Jam - Katowice, Poland 6/16/00

Top 25!

25. Phish - LivePhish 12/30/97 Madison Square Garden
24. My Morning Jacket - MMJ Live Vol. 1: Live 2015
23. My Morning Jacket - MMJ Live Vol. 2: Chicago 2021
22. Pearl Jam - Vault #7: Soldier Field, Chicago, IL 7/11/95
21. Pearl Jam - Milan, Italy 6/22/00
20. Pearl Jam - Tokyo, Japan 3/3/03
19. My Morning Jacket - Okonokos
18. Goose - Live at Radio City Music Hall
17. Pearl Jam - Vault #11: Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA 4/3/94
16. The Band - The Last Waltz
15. Allman Brothers Band - At Fillmore East
14. Grateful Dead - Cornell 5/8/77
13. Bruce Springsteen - Hammersmith Odeon, London, 1975
12. Grateful Dead - Dick’s Picks Vol. 3: Pembroke Pines, FL 5/22/77
11. Pearl Jam - Chicago, IL 10/9/00
10. Pearl Jam - Seattle, WA 11/6/00
9. Bruce Springsteen - Live 1975-85
8. Pearl Jam - State College, PA 5/3/03
7. Goose - Live at the Salt Shed
6. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Live at the Fillmore, 1997
5. Pearl Jam - New York/Mansfield
4. Bruce Springsteen - The Legendary No Nukes Concerts
3. Pearl Jam - Live at the Gorge 05/06
2. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - The Live Anthology
1. Pearl Jam - Philadelphia 2009