Seeing ok go with my future wife is one of my all time favourite memories.

Almost all of them. Live music is one of the greatest things to experience.

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard

I already loved their albums when I discovered them in '16, but once I saw them live i was totally hooked. They've only been getting better since, especially after they dumped their second drummer (rip Eric I miss you but you totally held the other drummer back). Every single show I've seen since was such a blast! More and more jammy too, which I really enjoy.

Also, I saw The Colour Haze last Friday and they were much better love than I expected as well.

I was the DD for my girlfriend’s birthday party and went to a Florence and the Machine show. It was outdoors and as the show got started black storm clouds started rolling in.

When they started “The Dog Days Are Over” all hell broke loose. Sheets of rain, huge lightning bolts and cracking thunder loud enough to drown out the music and the crowd.

But Florence stood there, exposed to it all, diaphanous robes lashed by the wind, not even noticing it as she belted out her anthem. As if she had called down the storm for backup vocals.

I wasn’t a fan before but I am now.

Barenaked Ladies. Didn’t want to go, went anyway, loved every minute of it

Tool, always. Propagandhi were also great.

Slipknot puts on a pretty damn good show.

They're not a band that's in my usual listening rotation, I don't dislike them, they're just not my usual kind of music. When I saw them it was a situation where someone I knew ended up with extra tickets somehow and I was more interested in the other bands they were touring with

I'd say they stole the show but I think they were actually the headliner, so I don't know who they would've stolen it from.

I'm admittedly a sucker for a spectacle, and let's be real, that's kind of slipknot's whole schtick.

Roger Waters: The Wall. Kinda redefined what i would expect from a concert/musical performance

Giant inflatable puppets, building a giant wall out of blocks on stage throughout the concert and projecting imagery onto the new sections as its built, then knocking it down. Fireworks. I think they crashed a prop plane into it to knock it down at the start of the show?

Also kind of a weird show for my dad to have brought 14 year old me to see xD

Buddy Guy. the concert was pretty posh (think bankers in suits), with everyone having arranged seating, audience sitting still and quiet like at a classical music concert.

he was like 'fuck this, this isn't a proper concert, my guitar is wireless, let's stand up, go to the entry hall and jam'. so he's just standing in the middle of the crowd and going nuts, at like 83 years of age. That was amazing.

Muse

God Speed You! Black Emperor.

Not a band, but Patti Smith, with Philip Glass.

Muse. They are almost too perfect live. It feels uncanny.

Iron maiden puts on one hell of a performance. Bruce Dickinson running back-and-forth across the stage climbing shit, singing with an incredible vocal range at the top of his lungs without missing a beat, costume changes every song or two that match the album covers being projected behind their giant zombie that's shooting fire...

Three words: "Weird Al" Yankovic

He and the same guys in his band have been touring together for 40+ years, and the experience shows.

It's one of the hardest rocking shows out there. Yes, I'm serious.

Mushroomhead at a small venue were amazing, I've been to the venue so many times and never seen anyone do anything interesting but they were there were impressive lighting and water on the drums that was flying everywhere catching the light. Was great.

Sub Focus and Chase & Status in a tiny little venue (Chinese Laundry in Sydney) that was like a little grotto. Ceiling so low I couldn't even stretch my arms up straight with sweet raining on everyone. Amazing.

Die Antwoord with a load of acid in my system was pretty intense.

Finally the entire Shambhala festival in Canada. The DJ playing obviously increases enjoyment but the stages are so fucking mind blowing that it is without a doubt the best live music experience I have had!

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. 3+ hours of pure enjoyment

Glass Animals, hands down best concert I’ve been to! My GF wasn’t thrilled about going but by the end she was dancing like crazy. They’re much more impactful and energetic live than their recorded stuff would make you think!

So many that my answer is just listing most of the concerts I can remember going to

The Midnight

Roosevelt

Tycho

DJ Shadow

deadmau5

Perturbator

Rush (RIP Neil)

Celldweller

The Crystal Method

Psychostick

Above & Beyond

Kodo (Japanese taiko drummers)

Lateralis (chiptune musician and indie game dev)

If I had to pick the three most memorable, it'd be Kodo, DJ Shadow, and The Midnight

Thievery Corporation

Amazing

Pantera and White zombie in 1997. Metallica in 1993. Ozzy and Sepultura in 1998. Those bands were unbelievable to see live at the time and blew me away. Still vividly remember those concerts.

A little old school here, but Tom Petty and the HB were always fantastic live, I got to catch them several times.

I also once was socially-dragged to a Sheryl Crow concert at the Ryman, and even though she's not usually my thing, that show was fantastic. She had a bunch of folks from the Nashville Symphony Orchestra playing with her band that night, and I've never seen a group of classical musicians have so much fun. They really made it an unbelievable show. If you're ever there and can catch ANYTHING at the Ryman, do it... the acoustics are absolutely insane.

My favorite concert story was that we went to a "Best of the 80s" concert in Indiana in the late 90s when I was a teen (bands that performed included Wang Chung, A Flock of Seagulls, and a few one-hit wonders I'm struggling to remember right now). At the end, the promoters took the mic and apologized to everyone that the show was ending a little early, the closing band, Missing Persons, couldn't make it. My friends and family I was there with laughed our asses off the entire way out of the arena, but it didn't seem like a single other person there got it.

Primitive Man, on tour for their 2017 album Caustic. They're one of the heaviest bands I've ever heard. I saw them at Lee's Palace in Toronto and they made debris fall from the ceiling.

Spectral Voice opened for them and were also incredible - maybe as good or better than Blood Incantation who they share members with.

Jack White. Amazing shows live.

Phish number one for me.

Unexpected awesome live shows: Blondie, Violent Femmes, The Proclaimers

City and Colour. Dallas is an incredible musician, and his band complimented him so well.

Devin Townsend was without a doubt one of the best artists I've seen live last year. I limed his music for the longest time, and got tickets the day before the concert, and it was so damn good. It wasn't anything fancy, just awesome interaction with the crowd and amazing music.

I saw Jazz guitarist Julian Lage last year and I was not expecting to have my socks completely blown two blocks away. I really enjoy his work and recognize that he is a master of his instrument but holy hell; he and his rhythm section were a hive mind operating in a higher plane of existence. He emitted an energy that I’ve never felt at a concert before. Please check out his trio’s performances on YouTube just to feel a tiny fraction of what happens in person.

Beck. He did a solo acoustic portion in the middle of the set, which is pretty normal. But while he was playing solo they brought out a massive dinner table ala the last supper behind him. They went all out, bringing platters of food and drinks and everything. His band came back out and sat at the table. And then they played the table...

The food was fake. It was shakers and noise makers and percussion instruments. The glasses were tuned crystal. The dinner was his backing band. It was amazing.

Anyone else see this tour? It was right after Guero.

Edit: typo

between the buried and me has never disappointed!

Josh Scogin in any band he's in (the chariot, norma jean, '68)

broken social scene

I saw Against Me in 2004.

‘nuff said.

Porter Robinson and underscores, a few days ago.

I've seen a lot of great shows, but:

• The Octopus Project: I've seen them live at least four times and they never disappoint. just great fun, really talented folks. watching them trade instruments mid-song is always a delight.
• Battles, during the Gloss Drop tour: wow, the ability of those musicians. never seen anything like it.
• Open Mike Eagle: I don't know if it was his most "on" day ever or if he's always like that, but I was absolutely transfixed. captivating performance.

death grips, quite literally as I started up front and got way overwhelmed and slowly started moving back as the show went on. it got to the point where I got outside and proceeded to puke in the trashcan. great show though!

jethro tull played in grant park for the flutist society and due to that played like the most flute intensive songs. hearing that fock flute in person was amazing.

Slift, they are an amazing experience live! Three guys from France with a live sound that's just massive. You'd never think it's just the three of them. Amazing show, lots of energy and the visuals make it a perfect experience. Mind blowing!

Whipping Boy, an Irish alt rock band, late 90s Birmingham: I’d never even heard of them before a friend dragged me along. Jaw-flappingly stunning vocals, great songs, lyrics, instrumentation. Thought they were going places, especially on finding a couple of singles/EPs and the album Heartworm, but they broke up not long after. I bought everything they put out and still love when their stuff randomly plays on shuffle.

Ghost. I was not a fan of theirs at all. I loved their look, but could not get into their music. Then I went to an Iron Maiden concert and Ghost was opening for them. By the second song I was hooked. I have been a huge Ghost fan since. My wife and I are going to Vegas to see them for our anniversary this year.

There are lots of great live bands but maybe these were most memorable for various reasons: Magma (just hypnotic), Lazuli (very entertaining live band every single time), The Pineapple Thief (great prog rock with incredible drummer), The Musical Box (playing and re-acting old Genesis. Too young to see the originals but just in time to see the remakes), Le Silo (super high energy duo or trio, don't even remember, but man that was wild), Aranis (they don't exist anymore unfortunately)

Swans in the To Be Kind era.

Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie both had amazing stage shows in the last decade. I can't compare them to shows back in the day but if you get a chance they're still worth it.