Bands with best live sound?

I haven't been to a ton of concerts but I remember Pearl Jam as being one of the best. It was one of the only outdoor concerts I've been to (The Gorge in WA) and even though it was sweltering and miserably hot I remember it being a really good sound. I think indoor concerts tend to be way too loud, especially if it's a small venue.

I find that Nine Inch Nails has a wonderful live sound- very similar to what you'll find on the albums. The one time I saw Earshot live, I found the sound to be exceptional! They were at an all-day festival and even though they were sharing gear w/ a number of other bands, their sound was set up vastly better than anyone else that day.

Probably one of the worst I've been to recently was Modest Mouse- I don't know if it was bad EQ or if the acoustics of the venue itself were just terrible but there was so much bass you could barely hear Isaac...

Mind you they have BIG Productions, But without a doubt PINK FLOYD!!!! Once on the Division Bell Tour we had 3rd row center seats, almost to close... Catch "Crazy Joe and the Madriver Outlaws" if you ever get a chance.....

I second NIN. Saw them at the O2 Arena last summer, and somehow you could hear pretty much everything going on even though it was so loud (though I've been at smaller venues, especially local ones, that have been louder). The support band, Mew, was rather muddled, and whilst Jane's Addiction was fairly good, their sound still wasn't quite as good as Nine Inch Nails's. I guess it still comes down to good equipment and mixing after the venue has been taken into consideration.

If you're into them, Death Cab for Cutie puts on a hell of a show. Excellent sound quality, little bit tame most of the time (That's pretty much how the band is), but the faster songs are very fun. Two different drum kits at the same time makes some of their drum heavy songs much more fun.

by far the best band I saw live music wise was the Deep Purple Perfect strangers tour and for best live show either Kiss or Iron Maiden

Radiohead,

Floyd every time
Genesis
Eagles
Fleetwood Mac
Queen
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Doobie Brothers
Eric Clapton
Stevie Ray Vaughn

Eagles and Fleetwood Mac

NIN is great live. Sevendust is up there on my list as well.

I tend to see smaller bands in small venues and in those cases I think it is more dependent on the venue since they are the ones providing the sound system and the person running the soundboard... I've seen bands that sounded great at one venue and terrible at another. Jazz and classical venues tend to be light years ahead of comparable rock venues, so all of my best shows, sonically speaking, are at jazz- and classical-oriented venues:

Marc Ribot and Marco Capelli each playing solo acoustic guitar, amplified, at the Stone (NYC) - #1 favorite show sound-wise, it was simply perfect. Only time I've been at a concert thinking "WOW" about the sound quality during the show. Inexpensive sound system in a little room with folding chairs, I have no idea how they pulled off that SQ.

Erik Friedlander playing solo unamplified cello at Lilypad (Cambridge, MA) - hard to beat sitting in front of the cellist and listening unimpeded by technology!

Boston Symphony Orchestra at Symphony Hall (Boston) - as long as you have a halfway decent seat, you can't lose sound-wise at the BSO.

Total Masada at Auditorium di Roma - Sala Sinopoli Hall (Rome) - 3 night festival of everything from chamber music to rock, all on one stage and it all sounded great.

Essential Cinema & The Dreamers at St. Ann's Warehouse (Brooklyn) - the SQ was good, but the main thing I remember about the sound was that during the first set, either the soundstage/imaging was ridiculous or else they managed to induce mild auditory hallucinations (which I am not ruling out - you had to be there...). Either way, an achievement.

I saw Iron Maiden at Madison Square Garden and the sound was great. As a bass player, I would have been pissed if Steve Harris was low in the mix, but he was right up there with the guitars. It was great!

Frank Zappa live at the Syria Mosque (RIP) in Pittsburgh in Feb 1988 were the best sounding concerts (saw him two nights) I've ever attended. Nothing else even compares.

I've got a large collection of Pink Floyd boots, focusing mainly on shows from 1970 and 71 (before Dark Side). Only a few of the boots from that period have anything near release-worthy sound, but if I had a time machine, I believe I'd be finding a way to be seated in the audience for the October 17, 1971 show in San Diego.

ryan adams

from what Ive heard, Dead Can Dance has the best sounding concerts