- 7 weeks ago
Crank up the volume and dust off your flares — it's time to revisit the greatest nights in rock history! Join us as we count down our picks for the most legendary and unforgettable live concerts of the 1970s! From thunderous arena gods to intimate punk clubs, these shows changed music forever. Which legendary performance would you have killed to attend? Let us know in the comments!
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00:04Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most impactful live
00:10shows from the heyday of arena rock, aka the swingin' 70s.
00:19Number 10. Black Sabbath, live at the Olympia Theatre.
00:23A young and hungry Black Sabbath took the stage at Paris' Olympia Theatre back in 1970,
00:28unleashing a dark, sonic thunderstorm upon an unsuspecting European audience.
00:43Ozzy Osbourne's haunting vocals, paired with Tony Iommi's monolithic,
00:47downtuned guitar riffs, turned the venue into a sinister sonic playground.
00:51Play it with my woman, cause she gonna help me with my mind.
00:56Sabbath performed tracks from both their self-titled debut, as well as the freshly minted Paranoid album,
01:02delivering a raw, uncompromising set that proved heavy metal wasn't just a subgenre,
01:07it was a full-blown cultural phenomenon.
01:18The energy was palpable, the volume was deafening,
01:22and the performance permanently cemented Sabbath's legacy as the undisputed godfathers of doom.
01:34Number 9. Queen, Hammersmith Odeon.
01:38Before they ruled Wembley Stadium, Queen conquered the Hammersmith Odeon on Christmas Eve 1975.
01:44This concert, broadcast live on BBC Television, caught the band at a massive turning point,
01:49just as Bohemian Rhapsody was dominating the UK singles chart.
01:52If I'm not back again this time, tomorrow, carry on, carry on.
02:00Freddie Mercury was a mesmerizing whirlwind of theatrical charisma,
02:04commanding the stage in a series of flamboyant outfits, while delivering flawless operatic vocals.
02:10He's a cannot, queen, bump on eternity, dynamite with a laser beam,
02:16guarantee to blow your mind.
02:18Brian May's guitar work was soaring and perfectly backed by the thunderous rhythm section of Roger Taylor and John Deacon.
02:24The setlist was a blistering mix of hard rock elegance and glam pomp.
02:29To yourself fly, all you people, to yourself fly.
02:34This legendary performance showed a band fully realizing their majestic power,
02:39transitioning from ambitious glitter rockers into global royalty.
02:43Nothing really matters, nothing really matters to me.
02:54Number 8. The band takes their last waltz.
02:57On Thanksgiving Day in 1976, Roots Rock legends the band decided to say goodbye to touring life,
03:04and they did it in style.
03:06Held at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom,
03:09this farewell concert became one of the greatest collaborative spectacles in rock history.
03:13Up on Cripple Creek, she sends me if I spring a leap, she bends me.
03:20Joined by an unparalleled roster of star-studded guests,
03:23including Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Eric Clapton, and Muddy Waters,
03:28the band delivered an emotionally charged, career-spanning performance.
03:31Leave us helpless, helpless, helpless.
03:39Captured beautifully by director Martin Scorsese for the subsequent concert film,
03:44the night was a poignant, celebratory wake for an era of American music.
03:48What became of Ophelia?
03:54Where have you gone?
03:56It was a flawless, legendary send-off full of camaraderie, sweat,
04:00and timeless musicianship that set the standard for all star-studded rock farewells.
04:05I see my life come shining
04:13From the west down to the east
04:17Number 7. California Jam 1 and 2
04:21Taking over the Ontario Motor Speedway,
04:23the California Jam Festivals redefined the scale of outdoor rock concerts.
04:28The first iteration in 1974 attracted over 250,000 paying fans,
04:33featuring explosive headlining sets from Deep Purple and Emerson Lake & Palmer.
04:37We were fools, we call them fire!
04:40But here is fire!
04:46Deep Purple's performance became infamous
04:48when guitarist Richie Blackmore smashed his guitar into a TV camera
04:52and blew up his amplifiers,
04:54creating a literal, fiery spectacle.
04:56California Jam 2 returned in 1978 with a heavier edge,
05:00showcasing powerhouse sets from Aerosmith, Hart, and The Nuge.
05:05Burn! Burn! Burn! Burn! Burn into the wind!
05:10Ooh!
05:11Back-to-down!
05:13Boasting a massive state-of-the-art sound system
05:16and unprecedented television coverage,
05:18these festivals perfectly captured the sun-drenched,
05:21hedonistic, and overwhelmingly loud stadium rock culture
05:24that dominated the mid-to-late 1970s landscape.
05:32Number 6. The Grateful Dead at Cornell University
05:36For deadheads, May 8, 1977 is a sacred date.
05:40Taking the stage at Cornell University's Barton Hall
05:43amid a raging spring blizzard,
05:45The Grateful Dead delivered a show so universally flawless
05:48that it was eventually added to the Library of Congress National Recording Registry.
05:52They were fresh.
05:53The music was fresh.
05:55They were happy to be playing together.
05:57Every single element aligned perfectly that night.
06:00Jerry Garcia's guitar solos were incredibly fluid and lyrical.
06:04Bill Lesch's bass lines held a thunderous depth,
06:06and the band's collective improvisation reached a state of telepathic synergy.
06:11The notes were flying off of his guitar.
06:13It was so fluid, so liquid.
06:16Their performance of Morning Dew
06:18is widely considered a spiritual peak in their massive touring history.
06:22It's a legendary, pristine snapshot of the dead
06:25at the absolute height of their powers,
06:27offering the definitive proof of their live jam magic.
06:40The Ziggy Stardust Tour
06:42David Bowie didn't just play concerts in the 70s.
06:45He staged spectacular theatrical alien invasions.
06:49Ziggy played for time,
06:51jiving us up.
06:53We were voodoo.
06:54The kids was just crass.
06:56The Ziggy Stardust Tour
06:57saw Bowie fully embody his iconic,
07:00red-mulleted, extraterrestrial rock star persona,
07:02backed by the fierce, tight instrumentation
07:05of the Spiders from Mars.
07:07You're an electric guy to me, baby.
07:13Put your ring on to fly.
07:16Blending avant-garde fashion, mime, and visceral glam rock,
07:20Bowie challenged societal norms
07:22and revolutionized what a live rock show could look like.
07:34The tour reached its stunning historic climax
07:36at London's Hammersmith Odeon in July 1973,
07:40where Bowie shocked fans and his own band
07:42by abruptly announcing Ziggy's retirement on stage.
07:46It was a brilliant theatrical death
07:48that permanently altered the course of pop music history.
07:51Not only is it the last show of the tour,
07:55but it's the last show that we'll ever do.
07:59Number 4. Pink Floyd, live at Pompeii.
08:02How does a band try to top playing for screaming arena crowds?
08:06If you're Pink Floyd,
08:07you perform for an audience of absolute ghosts.
08:10In 1971, the progressive rock titans traveled
08:13to an empty ancient Roman amphitheater in Pompeii, Italy,
08:17to record a cinematic live performance.
08:26Surrounded by volcanic dust and historic ruins,
08:29the band unleashed a sprawling psychedelic sonic assault.
08:32Tracks like Echoes and One of These Days
08:34felt perfectly atmospheric,
08:37echoing off the ancient stone walls
08:39without a single fan in sight.
08:49The lack of an audience allowed the music,
08:51the ambient echoes,
08:52and the striking visual imagery
08:54to take center stage.
08:55It remains a beautifully eerie, artistic triumph
08:59that highlighted Pink Floyd's unparalleled ability
09:01to create deep, immersive soundscapes.
09:12You don't need to travel to any ancient ruins
09:14for a good time.
09:15Head over to WatchMojo's 24-7 live stream
09:18by scanning the QR code on the screen
09:20to join us for a real rock and roll party.
09:22We do rely on it a lot.
09:24I mean, we couldn't do what we do
09:25as we do it without it.
09:27Number 3.
09:28Elton John at Dodger Stadium
09:30At the absolute peak of Elton mania,
09:33Elton John took over Los Angeles' Dodger Stadium
09:35for two historic sold-out nights
09:37in October 1975.
09:46Performing to over 100,000 screaming fans,
09:48he became the first musical act
09:50to headline the stadium since the Beatles
09:52nearly a decade prior.
09:53Elton matched the massive scale of the venue
09:55with pure, unadulterated showmanship,
09:58famously donning a glittering,
09:59sequined Dodgers uniform
10:01while banging out his hits on the piano.
10:08His vocals were powerful,
10:10his band was incredibly locked in,
10:11and his energy was completely tireless.
10:14It was the ultimate celebration
10:16of 70s pop extravagance.
10:18He's a big-ball wizard
10:20that has to be attacked.
10:22A big-ball wizard
10:23got such a suffering.
10:26This legendary performance
10:28solidified Elton John's status
10:29as the biggest, most colorful solo superstar
10:32on the planet
10:33during a golden era of pop.
10:35I just had a big-ball party.
10:40Number 2.
10:41Elvis Presley
10:42Aloha from Hawaii via satellite.
10:45Elvis Presley made global history
10:47in 1973
10:48with his iconic Aloha from Hawaii concert.
10:51Broadcast live via satellite
10:52to over 40 countries,
10:54the special attracted an estimated
10:561.5 billion viewers,
10:58capturing a massive global audience
11:00that famously surpassed the moon landing.
11:02Somewhere in a smile she knows
11:09All I gotta do
11:11is think about her
11:13Standing on stage
11:14at the Honolulu International Center
11:16in his iconic, heavily embroidered
11:18white American Eagle jumpsuit,
11:20the king looked
11:20and sounded absolutely regal.
11:22We can't go on together
11:24We're suspicious minds
11:28Backed by a soaring orchestra
11:29and his flawless TCB band,
11:31Elvis delivered a passionate,
11:33sweeping set list
11:34featuring suspicious minds
11:35and a deeply moving rendition
11:37of an American trilogy.
11:39It was a crowning achievement
11:40that proved that even in the 70s,
11:43Elvis Presley remained
11:44an unmatched,
11:45globally dominant cultural force.
11:49Glory, glory, hallelujah
11:57Before we unveil our top pick,
11:59here are a few honorable mentions.
12:01The Rolling Stones,
12:02Russell's Affair,
12:04a gritty and raw-sounding Stones,
12:07Oh yeah, I miss your two-tone kissin'
12:10Yeah, slap around me tight
12:12Bob Marley and the Wailers,
12:14Rainbow Theatre, London,
12:15bringing reggae's spiritual power
12:17to the world stage.
12:25Sex Pistols in Manchester,
12:27making punk history in the UK.
12:29This rare footage shows the Sex Pistols
12:31on stage at the Lesser Free Trade Hall.
12:34They've been booked by local student
12:35Howard Devoto.
12:37Ramones at CBGB,
12:39American punk rock is born.
12:46Bring Zappa and the Mothers,
12:48Halloween 77.
12:50Wild and chaotic musical satire
12:52hit the Palladium on Devil's Night.
12:55Escapes for all of you.
12:57Finally, it's that Hollywood.
13:01Before we continue,
13:02be sure to check out
13:03WatchMojo's 24-hour livestream.
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13:08Always on, always live.
13:10Are you not entertained?
13:16It served as the absolute pinnacle
13:18for 70s rock gods
13:19in their natural habitat.
13:21Led Zeppelin wrapped up
13:22their massive North American tour
13:24back in July of 1973
13:25with a legendary three-night stand
13:28at New York City's
13:29Madison Square Garden.
13:34These performances,
13:36immortalized in the concert film
13:37The Song Remains the Same,
13:39caught the band operating
13:40in an almost supernatural level
13:42of musical power.
13:43People mean by down and down.
13:51Robert Plant's Banshee Whales,
13:54Jimmy Page's sprawling iconic guitar solos,
13:57John Paul Jones'
13:58multi-instrumental brilliance,
13:59and John Bonham's
14:01thunderous drum salvos
14:02created an unstoppable sonic force.
14:06Love!
14:10Push!
14:10Push!
14:12Push!
14:14From the heavy groove
14:15of Whole Lotta Love
14:16to the epic majesty
14:17of Stairway to Heaven,
14:19this run defined
14:20the heavy, mythic,
14:22and larger-than-life
14:23stadium rock excess
14:24of the decade.
14:32Did you attend
14:34any of these iconic gigs?
14:35Or wish you did?
14:37Let us know
14:37in the comments.
14:38Don't do it.
14:39Number…
14:40The
14:42By