BEEN TO SEE THEM/SHAME YOU WON’T – SAMTIMONIOUS.com selects its 10 favourite live acts and laments 10 it never saw.

The Jackson Live

SAMTIMONIOUS.com

THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVOURITE THINGS………………….

THE WHO

The Greatest Live Band Of All Time – astonishing to think ‘Live At Leeds’ wasn’t even the best night The Who ever had.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

Three hour (at least) marathons that never show signs of flagging – only the Boss and his East-Streeters can make stadiums feel like dance halls.

JACKSON BROWNE

The most natural performer among the LA soft rock fraternity – love, death, politics and poignancy in a stellar two hour set.

GRETCHEN PETERS

Voice of an angel, songs crammed with wit and wisdom – unwise to miss her show.

THE CLASH

The best ever named band put an incredible repertoire before a gleeful audience – being in the same room when they struck up ‘Complete Control’ had a strange beauty.

RAY DAVIES/THE KAST OFF KINKS

King Kink Ray is a first class live performer, but when he turns up at the annual Kinks Konvention to join his ex-band mates, magic ensues.

MICHAEL BUBLE

Takes a little piece of Presley, mixes it with a smidgen of Springsteen and drop of Dino to create a brilliant night out.

BOB DYLAN

Good, bad, mind-blowing, indifferent, who cares? Its an authentic 20th Century genius up on the stage.

LINDISFARNE

Good time Geordie folksters who helped create the notion of Newcastle as an off the leash party city.

ROD STEWART

Capable of turning every show into a New Year’s Eve party, time to Dance Sing or Anything as Rod himself once sang.

REGRETS – WE HAVE A FEW…………………….

THE BEATLES 

The Cavern? Shea Stadium? Wouldn’t have minded. Even with a fear of heights I would have sat on the roof of Abbey Road to see/hear the ‘Get Back’ sessions.

ELVIS

Oh to have hailed His Majesty The King

THE BAND

The only group good enough to be called simply The Band – would have crossed any divide to see them.

MARVIN GAYE

Huge disappointment never to see what Marvin had goin’ on.

THE RAT PACK

Crooning and swooning as Ol Blue Eyes, Sammy and Dino performed like a musical Marx Brothers. Was there ever a better reason to go to Vegas?

MICHAEL JACKSON

One of two glaring omissions from the Samtimonious.com roster of latter day icons whose tours slipped under the radar – the other being……

DAVID BOWIE

Ziggy and The Thin White Duke came too early but missing The Glass Spider tour (after being offered a ticket) and then the Tin Machine outing is a lasting source of disappointment.

JAMES BROWN

A chance to see the Godfather of Soul would have been an offer not to be refused.

BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS

In possession of a time machine I would set it for 1975 and head to the London Lyceum for the night their seminal live album was recorded. The ‘No Woman No Cry’ version we all love was captured for posterity – many in the audience wept tears of joy.

THE FACES

Despite his propensity for the offbeat and often bizarre, John Peel readily admitted Rod, Woody and the lads were his all-time favourite live band. With a tendency to miss cues, fall on the floor and for every song to end in a rousing shout-along, The Faces were always the best party in town.