via//chicago

np: "If You Can't Rock Me/Get Off of My Cloud (live)" - Rolling Stones
ahhh, Love You Live. the only good live album i've head of the Stones. granted, i've only heard about four... but this is by far much better than No Security or Flashpoint. espically disc two when they kick out the old blues standards, especially "Mannish Boy". back when the Stones knew how to rock, before it became just time to make another paycheck. i didn't feel at all bad about missing them last year when they swung through Chicago, even though i've yet to see them live. admittedly, the review of their show at Metro was positive, but i would never have been able to get tickets to that one. i'd rather just not see them play live, i fear that would just spoil the experience. i like to think it's better to imagine the glory than to witness the less than mediocre shows they've been putting on from what i've heard.
thinking about live shows, i feel a top ten list coming on, the top ten live shows i've seen.

Pearl Jam/Bad Religion - Soldier Field, Chicago 1995
Smashing Pumpkins/Garbage - Assembly Hall, Champaign 1996
The Get-Up Kids/Ultimate Fakebook/At the Drive-In - Courtyard Cafe, Urbana 1998
Nine Inch Nails/Marilyn Manson - Assembly Hall, Champaign 1994 (Manson sucked, but NIN was amazing)
Dave Matthews Band - Assembly Hall, Champaign 1995 (i think the seventh row seats helped this one)
Zwan - Metro, Chicago 2003
Aerosmith/Seven Mary Three - Assembly Hall, Champaign 1998 (i was fucking blown away by Aerosmith - great live band)
Phish - Deer Creek, Indianapolis 1997 (great venue, great crowd, all-around fun experience)
Dashboard Confessional/The Anniversary/Ben Kweller/Legends of Rodeo - House of Blues, Chicago 2002 (all four bands were in amazing form)
Blink 182/Green Day/Saves the Day/Simple Plan - Tweeter Center, Chicago 2002 (Green Day blew Blink off the stage, they should have been headlining that tour)