Top 10 Greatest Live Music Moments in History

WatchMojo

From groundbreaking performances to iconic dance moves, music history has been defined by unforgettable live moments. Join us as we count down the most influential and talked-about concert performances that changed music forever! These legendary acts didn't just entertain—they revolutionized how we experience music and left an indelible mark on culture.

Transcript

00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most talked about and

00:11influential moments to occur at music concerts.

00:30Watching Nirvana put their electric instruments aside and tone it down should not have worked

00:36so well, and yet, after the release of their album In U-Tro, which represented a big stylistic

00:41shift for the group, they did a show for MTV Unplugged that would take things even further.

00:56Somehow Nirvana's grungy hits sounded even better in acoustic form, and the covers they

01:00decided to pay tribute to became instantly canonised in modern music.

01:05There aren't too many people these days listening to blues standards, but they likely know In

01:08The Pines as Where Did You Sleep Last Night.

01:11Unfortunately, Kurt Cobain died just a few months later, but not before delivering an all-time

01:16great live album.

01:25Michael Jackson debuts the moonwalk.

01:33Can you imagine a world without the moonwalk?

01:35Michael Jackson absolutely blew the roof off of the place when he performed hit single

01:39Billie Jean on a TV special for Motown's 25th anniversary.

01:43Millions of people turned in just to see what MJ would do, and boy did he deliver.

01:48After the second chorus, Jackson launched into a physics-defying dance move that made it appear

01:52as though Jackson was walking forward, but moving backwards.

02:02Contrary to popular belief, this move was actually developed by Jeffrey Daniel of the R&B group,

02:06Shalimar.

02:07Still, Jackson's adaptation under the name Moonwalk popularised one of the most popular

02:11dancers ever.

02:12It all started with that historic performance at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.

02:20There was nothing quite like Led Zeppelin in their prime, and there was no better performance

02:33that captured them at their peak than their triumphant appearance at the Royal Albert Hall in 1970.

02:38The band have been accused of being slightly sloppier as a live act in their later years,

02:42perhaps partly due to substance use disorder.

02:45But Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham hardly put a foot wrong during

02:50this gig.

03:02The setlist is a stunning mix of the best of their first three albums, and although some

03:07might argue that their greatest releases were still yet to come, this was arguably their

03:11best performance.

03:27When Johnny Cash decided to make his next album a live recording in a prison, his record label

03:32was obviously not too keen.

03:34Cash had actually been trying to get this show on its feet for years, but it took a real career

03:38decline for him to finally get the go-ahead.

03:40Seen as past his prime and somewhat addled by substance use disorder, he saw a huge comeback

03:45after the album at Folsom Prison, and it also served to humanise the inmates to the outside

03:50world.

03:59It was a show that connected him to a group of people that society had forgotten, with

04:03his rapturous performance of crime and prison-related songs being a particular hit.

04:07Elvis Presley's performance of Hound Dog on the Milton Bale Show in 1956 awakened an entire

04:31generation and let them know exactly where the world of music was headed.

04:34As soon as Elvis began to sing and dance, it was as if he was tapping into something truly

04:39otherworldly.

04:40Hound Dog was the perfect song choice too, with each chorus allowing Elvis to shake like

04:43there was no tomorrow.

04:51Obviously, this performance was hugely controversial at the time, by those who did not want the

04:57world's youth to begin breaking out of societal norms.

05:01Unfortunately for them, that's exactly what happened.

05:03It was a watershed moment for rock'n'roll music.

05:10Jimi Hendrix did things with a guitar that have not been rivalled since the 60s, and one

05:26of those legendary feats was his interpretation of the US national anthem, the Star Spangled

05:30Banner, at Woodstock in 1969.

05:32Sure, it's one man with a guitar, but in his playing, you can hear a complicated patriotic

05:38tribute.

05:50The sound of planes, bombs and guns were interpreted by some as a protest of the Vietnam War.

05:55Either way, this move caused some major controversy at the time, which should come as no surprise.

06:01But in a festival line-up filled with iconic moments, this was, without question, the biggest

06:05moment of them all.

06:07Sure, we could've gone for their legendary US debut on The Ed Sullivan Show.

06:31We could've even picked their ear-busting performance at Shea Stadium in 1965.

06:35But, the Beatles never performed with more on the line than when they made a comeback

06:40in 1969 on the rooftop of Apple Corp.

06:50After a long hiatus from live performance, the group wanted to do something different.

06:54Rather than hit the road for a tour, they decided to create a major public disturbance,

06:58eventually leading to the arrival of the police.

07:00But it wasn't just the spectacle that was great.

07:03John, Paul, George and Ringo, joined by keyboardist Billy Preston, performed an all-time great

07:08set of music.

07:09And it was their last ever concert.

07:15But the art form was perfected in 2007 by Prince.

07:16His performance during the break in the action at Super Bowl 41 is still considered to be

07:20the benchmark for all those who follow.

07:21But the art form was perfected in 2007 by Prince.

07:25His performance during the break in the action at Super Bowl 41 is still considered to be the

07:27benchmark for all those who follow.

07:34Not only did Prince bring intense production values and choreography to the event, but the

07:41actual musicianship was one of the highest quality.

07:42Hits like Let's Go Crazy and Baby I'm A Star were performed alongside a medley of covers.

07:48But the standout moment came when he delivered the legendary Purple Rain as the skies opened,

07:50showering down on the performance.

07:51It was almost too perfect.

07:53It was almost too perfect.

07:54I never meant to cause you any pain.

07:55I never meant to cause you any pain.

07:56I never meant to cause you any pain.

07:57Not only did Prince bring intense production values and choreography to the event, but the

08:01actual musicianship was one of the highest quality.

08:04Hits like Let's Go Crazy and Baby I'm A Star were performed alongside a medley of covers.

08:09But the standout moment came when he delivered the legendary Purple Rain as the skies opened,

08:14showering down on the performance.

08:16It was almost too perfect.

08:34We can't overstate how wild it was for the poster boy of the 1960s folk revival movement

08:38to try his hand at electric rock and roll.

08:41But Bob Dylan didn't decide to distance himself from his roots either.

08:44He brought his electric band directly to the festival that made his name and proceeded to

08:48pull off one of the biggest U-turns in music history.

08:55Sure, there are about a dozen different accounts of how the crowd actually reacted to his performance.

09:04The general consensus is that while most people actually enjoy Dylan's rocked-up versions

09:08of Like A Rolling Stone and Maggie's Farm, there were more than a few people who were

09:12disgusted.

09:13It was a pivotal moment in music history either way.

09:21Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honourable mentions.

09:25Beyoncé at Coachella.

09:26New levels of glamorous showmanship arrive to Coachella.

09:39David Bowie retires Ziggy Stardust, one of the most surprising onstage announcements in

09:44music history.

09:51The Who at the Isle of Wight festival.

09:54Raw and unfiltered rock and roll delivered masterfully.

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10:18Does it get any better than Queen's thunderous performance at Live Aid?

10:34As soon as Freddie Mercury and company stepped out onto that Wembley stage, they had the crowd

10:39in their hands.

10:40And for the next 20 minutes, they didn't let them go.

10:43For such a short run time, the band managed to fit in a number of their greatest songs,

10:47all delivered with the type of intensity that far outstripped the album's version.

11:02By the time show-closer We Are The Champions came around, the crowd were already wishing

11:06that the band could have stayed around for just a little longer.

11:09Freddie brought new meaning to the word showmanship on this day.

11:13So what do you think are the greatest musical performances of all time?

11:28Let us know in the comments below.

11:30Far from Folsom Prison that's where I want to stay.

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