rolling stone's greatest live acts.

[Ken Gargett]

no surprise.

50 Greatest Live Acts Right Now

The crowd-pleasing, club-wrecking, festival-killing road rulers

Bruce Springsteen performs in Germany.

Jo Lopez

July 31, 2013 4:35 PM ET

Who rules the road in 2013? To find out, Rolling Stone asked a panel of writers, industry figures and artists – from Lars Ulrich of Metallica to Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes – to vote on their favorite live performers right now. To be eligible for the list, a performer must have toured within the last five years and not announced their retirement. So, from the Stones to Skrillex, from Gaga to Green Day, here they are – the 50 most crowd-pleasing, club-wrecking, festival-killing live acts right now.

1. Bruce Springsteen

Springsteen has always brought nearly superhuman levels of energy to his shows, but his current Wrecking Ball tour stands as one of his greatest and most thrilling. (It even featured the longest Springsteen show ever - four hours and six minutes, in Helsinki, Finland, on July 31, 2012.) For more shows, Springsteen shreds the pre-planned setlist and collects request-bearing signs from the crowd, leading the band in impromptu renditions of covers by everybody from The Ramones to Jackie Wilson. "I don't look at the setlist very much during the night," he recently told Rolling Stone's David Fricke. "I'm listening to the song we're playing - it's talking to me about what to play next. And I'm watching the audience. Sometimes it's the look in someone's eyes about how bad they want to hear that song they've written on a piece of cardboard or their head."

Showstopper: Each night's highlight is different – a beautiful thing with Springsteen shows.

Greatest Guitarists: Bruce Springsteen

2. Prince

He's never sounded better, his band 3rd Eye Girl is fire-hot and he's plundering his back catalog with a vengeance; check the Youtube clips of his grunge-blues remake of "Let's Go Crazy." "He's a better guitarist than you are," says Cliff Burnstein of Q Prime Managment. "He's a better singer than you are. He can dance better than you. His songs are better than yours. You might have a better jump shot, though."

Showstopper: "Purple Rain," especially when Prince launches into the epic guitar solo. Or another one. Prince can make the building collapse with any song if he feels like it.

Greatest Singers: Prince

3. The Rolling Stones

After a five-year break, the Stones swaggered back last year, playing rarities ("Factory Girl"), fan requests ("Memory Motel,") and a stretch of absolute classics ("Tumbling Dice," "Honky Tonk Women"), proving they're still the world's greatest rock & roll band. "Everyone was trying to get the band really on," Mick Jagger said late last year. "We wanted to put the music out in a good way, not just be flash."

Showstopper: The recent tour included a superfan dream come to life: Mick Taylor joining the Stones on the blues epic "Midnight Rambler," conjuring '72-era magic all over again.

Greatest Artists: The Rolling Stones

4. Arcade Fire

The Montreal band has proven that emotionally apocalyptic indie rock can be as grand as U2 without losing any of its chaotic intensity. They've barely played live since owning the 2011 Grammy Awards, and they have a new album nearly in the can (due late October), which may include music produced with James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem. This, plus word on a secret Montreal hometown show last winter, suggests their shows may be even more of a communal dance party than usual.

Showstopper: Usually the glorious "whoa-oh-oh-oh" emo-glam-rock singalong of "Wake Up," from their 2004 debut Funeral.

New Immortals: Arcade Fire

5. Neil Young

By some miracle, Young's singing voice and guitar playing is undiminished from his Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere days forty-plus years ago. Whether he's playing with Crosby, Stills and Nash, Crazy Horse or completely solo acoustic, he pours every bit of himself into his stage show. "We learned almost everything we know from him," says Tegan Quin of Tegan and Sara. "I hope one day to have even half his stage presence and catalog."

Showstopper: Many shows on his ongoing world tour with Crazy Horse conclude with a twenty-minute rendition of "Like a Hurricane" that rocks like, well, you know.

Greatest Artists: Neil Young

6. Jay Z

With a live band keeping him on the toes of his fresh Louis boat shoes, the only predictable thing about a Jay Z show is you won't see the same one twice. "He makes a real personal connection with the audience at every show. "There is an inclusive aspect to the show that is exhilarating," says Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy. "He'll go down as a legend, on par with the Beatles and the Stones."

Showstopper: The raucous "99 Problems" thunders like a Zeppelin throwdown – and on Jay's Legends of the Summer tour, Justin Timberlake handles the cranky cop's lines.

Greatest Albums: The Blueprint

7. Radiohead

Radiohead are the only band in rock that can leave nearly every hit song out of the setlist, and still see 20,000 fans walk out of an arena happy. They refuse to rest on nostalgia, and since their new work is every bit as strong as the classics, it doesn't matter.

Showstopper: They rarely get through a concert without a blistering rendition of their ice-flow disco masterpiece "Idioteque."

Best Songs of the 2000s: "Idioteque"

8. Jack White

Live, White will break out songs from his whole career, including cuts by White Stripes, the Raconteurs and the Dead Weather. Fans still miss Meg White on drums, but the old material sounds amazing fleshed out by a complete band, bassist and all.

Showstopper: The version of "Seven Nation Army" he plays at the end of most shows makes the original seem limp by comparison.

New Immortals: The White Stripes

9. Rage Against the Machine

They haven't released a note of new music this century, but their three-album catalog represents rap-rock at it's absolute best. Their rare shows these days prove that every band that followed in their wake is a pale imitator. "I've never seen the kind of audience unity that I've seen at Rage shows," says Lars Ulrich. "I saw them a couple years ago and it felt like there 75,000 people ready to **** some next-level **** up."

Showstopper: "Bulls on Parade" manages to whip a crowd into a psychotic, violent frenzy like no rock song ever written.

Best Albums of the Nineties: Rage Against the Machine

10. My Morning Jacket

They're the quintessential 21st century rock & roll psychedelic band, fusing decades of rock history into exploratory jams and anthems, while peppering every set with excellent covers (the Stones' "Waiting On a Friend," Velvet Underground's "Oh, Sweet Nuthin'"), and covers of covers (the Band's version of Marvin Gaye's "Don't Do It"). "They're amazing," says Brittany Howard. "Every song could be their big, set-closing song. Just an epic band."

Showstopper: The ominous sludge of frontman Jim James' strumless guitar intro to "Victory Dance."

Best Albums of the 2000s: Z

11. U2

Three decades into their career, Bono and Co. are still at the top of their stadium-killing game. "What they do live is always inspiring," says Lars Ulrich. "They have this ability to create intimacy; you see them in the big ****-off arenas, but it always feels like it's just you and the band."

Showstopper: Any one of the soaring Joshua Tree anthems. Or if you've got relationship troubles (who doesn't?), it's "One." Every time.

Greatest Artists: U2

12. Wilco

Jeff Tweedy and Nels Cline have become one of the best two-guitar-fronts in rock. Plus, their catalog has grown fat with gems, and you never know what they're going to play. "Their current lineup plays older material better than the band that recorded the originals," says fan and Late Night With Jimmy Fallon music booker Jonathan Cohen. "That's a rare thing."

Showstopper: "Heavy Metal Drummer" is still the sing-a-along fave, while guitar fiends are most likely to faint during "Impossible Germany" or "Spiders (Kidsmoke)."

New Immortals: Wilco

13. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Fans who complained of stale hits-heavy setlists in recent years got a surprise this year when the Heartbreakers overhauled their set with deep originals and covers, including Paul Revere & the Raiders' "(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone" and the Grateful Dead's "Friend of the Devil." "I think we have raised the bar a bit," Petty tells Rolling Stone. "Musically, the communication is really fantastic right now. I think in many ways, we have gotten better."

Showstopper: Petty resurrected the Traveling Wilburys' "Tweeter and the Monkey Man," transforming it into a tension-filled, ten-minute psychedelic epic.

Greatest Artists: Tom Petty

14. The Black Keys

The Black Keys honed their raucous live set for years in clubs, as they tightened up their songwriting. Now, they're bringing big riffs and bigger hooks to arenas and festivals around the world. "At a recent fancy gathering, I saw them decimate the suits and the hipsters alike with their bulldozer blues," says Tom Morello. "It left me (and everyone else) gasping for air."

Showstopper: Old stompers like "Thickfreakness" are mindblowing, and newer ones like "Next Girl" and "Run Right Back" are full of urgent intensity.

Best Albums of the 2000s: Attack & Release

15. Paul McCartney

McCartney returned to touring in 2002 for the first time in a decade and has since given fans everything the Beatles didn't in concert: Great sound and long, career-spanning sets. "It's kind of amusingly different," says McCartney, who plays nearly 40 songs a night. "[Performing] is what I do, and it's what I've always done, and I love it so much. Of course, there's got to be some kind of physical limitation. But I haven't found it."

Showstopper: From opener "Eight Days a Week" to the "Hey Jude" sing-along, the hits are a blast. But recent shows have featured curveball peaks, like Wings' funky "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five" and the Beatles goofy deep cut "All Together Now."

Greatest Singers: Paul McCartney

16. Alabama Shakes

Frontwoman Brittany Howard is a force of nature whose roots-rock vocal power only seems to be growing. And besides potent originals, their songbook is full of sneaky covers (see their sharp-fanged take on Led Zeppelin's "How Many More Times").

Showstopper: "Be Mine," which re-animates the Muscle Shoals R&B of their home turf for a new generation, complete with a speed-ramp finale that has Howard speaking in soul-queen tongues.

Best Albums of 2012: Boys & Girls

17. Nine Inch Nails

After a four-year hiatus during which he did Oscar-winning soundtrack work and started a new band (How to Destroy Angels), Trent Reznor is reconvening Nine Inch Nails and bringing industrial-strength torment to an arena near you. At the band's coming out gig at the Fuji Rock Festival in Japan, they proved why this year's slate of shows is called the Tension Tour – the balance between the perfectly sculpted sonic darkness, the sensory-attack light show and Reznor's doom-diva charisma were breathtaking.

Showstopper: Any of NIN's Nineties hits has the power to turn an arena full of fortysomething fans into a giant junior-high goth dance party.

Greatest Artists: Nine Inch Nails

18. Metallica

They haven't quite reached Bob Dylan status yet but Metallica have been on their own Never-Ending Tour for much of the past decade. They are an incredibly well-oiled machine, and they know exactly what their audience wants to hear: lots of songs from Eighties classics Master of Puppets and Ride the Lightning and not much from recent albums like St. Anger or Reload.

Showstopper: "One" is always epic, and the pyro brings the chaos of war to the stage.

Best Albums of the Nineties: Metallica

19. The Roots

They are not merely the world's best hip-hop band – what competition do they have, really? – but one of the great musical outfits of our time. Their tenure as Jimmy Fallon's house band has only made them more jukeboxingly versatile; you never know what you might hear, or who might turn up. "Obviously I am a little biased on this one," says Fallonmusic booker Jonathan Cohen. "Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello and Paul Simon all left their regular bands at home to collaborate with the Roots on our show. That says a lot."

Showstopper: It could be a letter-perfect cover of Kool G Rap's "Men at Work" or the Beastie Boys' "Paul Revere." Jim James might join them for some Prince and Bill Withers covers. Or they could just drop a smoking version of their own "Break You Off."

Music's Top Tweeters: Questlove

20. Kanye West

West's whole life may seem like performance art, but the stage is where his brilliant vision is laid bare. He melds high art with high anxiety – ranting, raving, pleading, and preaching in front of innovative video productions and entrancing stage sets like a man on the brink of genius or madness (and very often, both).

Showstopper: In recent years, "All of the Lights" – which comes with that spine-tingling horn fanfare and a synapse-sizzling light show – has been guaranteed to raise the room's collective heart rate and risk of seizure.

New Immortals: Kanye West

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[Munts]

I have seen quite a few bands live in my time. I would rate Muse as my favorite live band, followed very closely by The Flaming Lips.

[Ken Gargett]

i have long been a fan of dave barry and one of his signature lines has been - "good name for a rock band". i have no idea if they are real or part of dave barry's 'good name...'

i did feel old when i realised that i had either seen all the bands on this list or never heard of them. pretty much nothing in between.

[canadianbeaver]

What's green and sings?

Bruce String Bean

[Laxman]

I have been to more concerts then I could possible count. Always been a lover of music. Started going to concerts in 8th grade. My first concert was Ratt and Billy Squirer (who was actually great live), Yes, Rush and Ozzy and U2. That U2 Unforgettable Fire tour in 85 or 86 I believe was one of the best concerts personally I have been too.

Had gotten into the Dead and hit 20 plus shows. A friend of mine was a Bruce diehard and always trying to get me to go to Bruce concert. After years of pestering me I finally gave in around 1999 or so. Bruce totally blew me away live. The guy is a work house and just kept playing and playing. He was by far the best performer I have seen.

On a site note, Pearl Jam was amazing live and not sure why they were not higher on that list.

[Ken Gargett]

A friend of mine was a Bruce diehard and always trying to get me to go to Bruce concert. After years of pestering me I finally gave in around 1999 or so. Bruce totally blew me away live. The guy is a work house and just kept playing and playing. He was by far the best performer I have seen.

cannot tell you how often i have heard this exact story. people unenthusiastic till they see him in concert then life long zealots.

if anyone is is even a tiny bit unsure about bruce, go to a concert.

only ever heard one poor report of one of his concerts - quite a few years back when he did one in manchester or birmingham or? and apparently it was all country songs. sounds very odd.

[bogglor]

I saw Bruce for the first time here in VA last year. It is unbelievable that a man that age can possess that much zeal, that much lust for performance, that much ENERGY at his age. And it is 100% total commitment - that's truly what sets him apart. I too have seen a lot of shows and that guy, just wow. He was born to do what he does. Great songwriter, better performer (which is saying a lot, because he is a hell of a songwriter as well).

[dtrott]

Grew up w/Led Zep,Pink Floyd,Aerosmith,and Pearl Jam.Saw them all in concert and all were great.Best live show for me in the last couple years was Mark Knoppler(of Dire Straits) and I hate to admit it but Coldplay(went w/my teenage daughter)rocked the house and put on an excellent show.

[shlomo]

i have long been a fan of dave barry and one of his signature lines has been - "good name for a rock band". i have no idea if they are real or part of dave barry's 'good name...'

i did feel old when i realised that i had either seen all the bands on this list or never heard of them. pretty much nothing in between.

So you have either seen Jay Z, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Taylor Swift and Beyonce....or you have never heard of them? Not sure which one is worse...lol

Any list of great live acts without AC-DC and to a lesser extent KISS on it is a joke. Interesting article though.

[bogglor]

Any list of great live acts without AC-DC and to a lesser extent KISS on it is a joke. Interesting article though.

Well, the list is titled "The Fifty Greatest Live Acts Right Now" and I don't know that AC/DC or Kiss are really at the top of their game right now (or even touring for that matter, though it looks like AC/DC just announced a 2014 tour).

This list is not that bad. I would never see Taylor Swift or Beyonce, but Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, and Madonna all put on quality live shows.

[Ken Gargett]

So you have either seen Jay Z, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Taylor Swift and Beyonce....or you have never heard of them? Not sure which one is worse...lol

Any list of great live acts without AC-DC and to a lesser extent KISS on it is a joke. Interesting article though.

shlomo, of those you mention, i have heard of them except taylor swift???

is jay z married to beyonce and was once on the cover of cig afic?

beyonce does 'put a ring on it'?

lady gaga keepss getting mentioned on 'modern family' but no idea what she sings.

madonna i certainly know.

but could not tell you a song of the others to save my life - it would help if they did bruce covers.

[Ken Gargett]

Well, the list is titled "The Fifty Greatest Live Acts Right Now" and I don't know that AC/DC or Kiss are really at the top of their game right now (or even touring for that matter, though it looks like AC/DC just announced a 2014 tour).

This list is not that bad. I would never see Taylor Swift or Beyonce, but Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, and Madonna all put on quality live shows.

from the first para - "To be eligible for the list, a performer must have toured within the last five years and not announced their retirement.".

[canadianbeaver]

I have seen Bruce Springsteen twice and I have to say I thought David Bowie was better live.

[bogglor]

from the first para - "To be eligible for the list, a performer must have toured within the last five years and not announced their retirement.".

Why'd you have to make me go and read, Ken?

[Cohiba Stevie]

Wow.

That list is very complimentary to my tastes.

Jay z, rage against the machine, the black keys, my morning jacket, kanye west...all making the cut

I am appalled however that the kings of Leon are not in the top 5. Awesome live.

[Cohiba Stevie]

kings of Leon didn't even make the top 50??????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I retract my previous comments!

This list is blasphemy! Lol

[shlomo]

Forgot about Def Leppard...nobody can be totally satisfied with a list like this I guess...

[Isotonic]

i have long been a fan of dave barry and one of his signature lines has been - "good name for a rock band". i have no idea if they are real or part of dave barry's 'good name...'

i did feel old when i realised that i had either seen all the bands on this list or never heard of them. pretty much nothing in between.

I have my Bruce tickets in hand as we speak and if he is to beat my all time favourite Prince he is going to need to put on a show that actually makes me cry. I am so excited to find out just how good he will be. Prince's concert 15 May 2012 at Rod Laver was a night I will never forget. Just pure enjoyment on the faces of 15,000 people aged between 5 and 95. Hope I can feel the same way again

[Ken Gargett]

Grew up w/Led Zep,Pink Floyd,Aerosmith,and Pearl Jam.Saw them all in concert and all were great.Best live show for me in the last couple years was Mark Knoppler(of Dire Straits) and I hate to admit it but Coldplay(went w/my teenage daughter)rocked the house and put on an excellent show.

of non bruce concerts, a couple of dylan concerts been superb - especially from the budokan tour. fats domino was sensational. came out with himself and about 15 trumpets/saxaphones etc and just asked what we wanted to hear - did tell us blueberry hill would be last but otherwise, whatever we wanted. just played whatever we screamed out. and especially eric clapton at the royal albert hall. brilliant. i was reminded of it as he had mark knopfler on guitar and phil collins on drums.

[Ken Gargett]

I have seen Bruce Springsteen twice and I have to say I thought David Bowie was better live.

i cannot be provoked!

[El Presidente]

1996 Madrid : ACDC Wil never forget

[shlomo]

1996 Madrid : ACDC Wil never forget

You were there? One of the greats...!