Classic rock bands can release all the classic singles and albums they want. If they can’t bring it live, well, then maybe they’re not that classic after all. This list includes five performances that are epic for different reasons. In some cases, it was the context of the performance that made it so memorable. And in other cases, the band itself stepped up to create something iconic. Let’s get into the time machine and look back at five occasions when classic rock bands gave live performances that no one who witnessed them will ever forget.
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1. The Beatles at Shea Stadium (1965)
There are several different points in The Beatles’ career which you might say were the apex of their career. The performance on The Ed Sullivan Show, or the release of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, or even the success of the “Hey Jude” single, all have arguments. But when the Fab Four were helicoptered into Shea Stadium to perform in front of a then-unheard-of audience of 55,600 fans, they reached a pinnacle of rock and roll few could have imagined. With all the screaming and the primitive PA, it’s a bit of a shambolic performance to hear now. And the group themselves might have been feeling some of the pressure, with evidence coming from John Lennon playing the keyboards with his elbows during “I’m Down,” cracking up his bandmates in the process. But it was monumental nonetheless, a precursor to every rock and roll stadium performance in its wake.
2. The Band at The Last Waltz (1976)
The Band’s run as one of classic rock’s most hallowed outfits had pretty much run its course when they decided upon a farewell concert on Thanksgiving 1976 at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. They invited a host of luminaries along to play with them, all of which was recaptured in Martin Scorsese’s masterful documentary of the event. But for all the bright, shining stars all around them, the chemistry of these five men was the most memorable part of the festivities. Whether supporting the other acts or stepping out into the spotlight on classics like “Up on Cripple Creek” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” The Band left everyone wanting more with their stunning efforts. Considering that version of the group never fully reunited, we’re grateful to have it.
3. Elvis Costello and the Attractions on Saturday Night Live (1977)
Is it fair to include a performance of one song (and a tiny bit of another one) on a list like this? It is when said performance was the US introduction (for many) of an artist and band that have become classic rock legends. And when it shows both the talent and integrity of the artist leading the way, one Elvis Costello. Costello was pissed that his record company was insisting he play the song “Less Than Zero,” which he felt had little relevance for an American audience. Just a few seconds into the song, he stopped his band and instead cued them into a searing version of “Radio, Radio,” a castigation of media conglomeration that didn’t please the folks at NBC, both because of the message and the unexpected live-television switch. It earned Costello a ban (eventually rescinded) from SNL and the admiration of those who loved his take-no-guff attitude.
4. Pink Floyd on The Wall Tour (1980-81)
Ironically enough, Roger Waters’ concept for The Wall came out of a bad concert experience: Feeling disassociated from the audience at one Pink Floyd show, he spat on one concertgoer who raised his ire. Waters imagined a band playing behind a wall, and that idea expanded to the album and then to the subsequent tour. Because of the logistics of the show, it wasn’t a proper tour, but rather a series of residencies (including one, pointedly, in West Germany.) The band brought the behemoth of a double album to life over 31 unforgettable shows, with each show peaking in the iconic moment when David Gilmour played his guitar solo for “Comfortable Numb” from the very top of the wall. That particular version of Pink Floyd would never tour again, which added special meaning to these massive shows.
5. Queen at Live Aid (1985)
You bastards, you stole the show. That was what Elton John griped to his buddy, Freddie Mercury, after the latter man and his band, Queen, hustled back to their dressing room, following their performance at Live Aid in 1985. Considering the talent gathered on both sides of the Atlantic for the benefit shows, Queen’s preeminence was a bit of a long shot, especially considering that their commercial popularity was in a bit of a lull at the time. After hesitantly accepting the gig, they wisely went out and rehearsed their five-song set for a week to get everything down pat. None of that would have mattered, of course, without the undeniable charisma of Mercury, who had the massive audience hanging on every word and fist pump.
Photo by Rob Verhorst/Redferns
