Memorable Live Performances Across the Scene
Photo by Ashley Osborn Photography
Any music fan knows seeing a band live can make or break the way you feel about them. Sometimes you can be left wanting more, but other times, a live show can be a transcendent experience. The lighting, music, stage presence, and energy all come together to create something incredible. Here are some truly incredible performances from some of the scene’s favorites.
Dance Gavin Dance - 10 Year Anniversary Show in Sacramento
A band like Dance Gavin Dance can do pretty much whatever they want in terms of setlists. The band has a massive discography and die-hard fans for each era of the band. For their 10th anniversary tour, DGD took Slaves and A Lot Like Birds on tour. At the time, former DGD vocalists Jonny Craig and Kurt Travis were fronting the respective bands. The band was able to provide fans with a full career-spanning performance with their former and current vocalists, even performing fan-favorite “Uneasy Hearts Weigh the Most” with all three singers.
Corey Taylor - Live in London
The Slipknot and Stone Sour frontman has little left to prove. He’s been in wildly successful rock bands for 20 years and damn near everyone cares what he thinks. In 2016, the singer performed an acoustic solo set in London that shows how versatile he is. Performing to just over 1,000 people at KOKO London, the singer performed songs from throughout his career (including a hilarious version of “Spit It Out”) along with covers of songs from Grateful Dead, Van Morrison, and The Cure. Taylor performs with so much emotion, it’s impossible to ignore his talent as a solo artist.
Linkin Park & Jay-Z - Collision Course
Long before the emo rappers populating SoundCloud today, MTV brought together two huge artists from different worlds when Linkin Park and Jay-Z met for Collision Course. A six-song performance mashing up songs from the two artists became a smash hit, spawning “Numb/Encore”, which went on to win a Grammy. Combining Linkin Park’s emotion and power with Jay-Z’s swagger and flow opened up two fan bases to very different artists and gained Linkin Park some respect in the hip-hop community.
Bring Me The Horizon - Live At The Royal Albert Hall
From deathcore to electronic rock, Bring Me the Horizon have never shied away from experimentation. The band embraced symphonic elements on their albums Sempiternal and That’s the Spirit. 2016 saw the band take their musicality even further by collaborating with a full orchestra and choir for a one-time show. The performance showcased the band’s composition skills, as their songs were transformed into dramatic arrangements.
Twenty One Pilots - Lollapalooza Chile 2019
Twenty One Pilots are known for their electrifying live shows. Despite being a two-piece band, they have a massive stage presence and put every element in their live shows for a reason, down to the clothes they wear onstage. Last year’s Lollapalooza Chile placed that live show in front of an 80,000-strong crowd. During the performance, the crowd sings louder than vocalist Tyler Joseph at several points, creating an artist-fan energy that most bands can only dream of. It’s a dramatic show made even more special by the crowd’s passion and dedication to TOP.
Dillinger Escape Plan - Final Show in NYC
Dillinger Escape Plan was one of the bands to see live until they disbanded in 2017. They refused to go quietly however, playing three nights at NYC’s Terminal 5 as a send-off. Earning a reputation as one of the most chaotic live bands in the scene, they held true to their notoriety. “This is it. This is fucking it,” frontman Greg Puciato reminded the crowd at the beginning of the show, “One more fucking time.” And with that, guitarist Ben Weinman launched himself into the crowd and kicked off one more set full of disarray to celebrate the groundbreaking post-hardcore band’s career.
My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade Is Dead! in Mexico City & New Jersey
With their first North American tour in a decade coming up, there’s a lot of hype surrounding My Chemical Romance’s recent comeback. However, before they went away, they put their iconic emo rock opera to rest with The Black Parade is Dead! Split between a Mexico City arena performance and a club show in New Jersey, it shows the band’s ability to bring the same stage presence and live experience no matter the venue. It also serves as a celebration of the band’s impact on the scene and one of the most important emo albums of the 2000’s.
Did we miss any of your favorite live performances? Let us know in the comments below!