Tag Archives: Motion City Soundtrack

I love live music. There’s not much better than the energy of a crowd enjoying a live performance. At this point in my life I’ve seen hundreds of bands live, many of them iconic. These are my favorite ten bands that I’ve seen live.

10. Fall Out Boy: I first heard about them from a sampler CD that was being given away for free as I left a concert for another band. The video below isn’t them live, but I thought you’d want to hear their remake of the Ghostbusters song for the new movie soundtrack.

9. New Politics: They’re different. If you don’t know their music, check it out. The lead singer does backflips and break dances on stage.

8. Paramore: Fun music, great band, entertaining show. Lead singer Hayley Williams is not very large as far as human beings go, but on stage she has a powerful voice and never stops moving.

7. Nothing Personal: My son’s band. I couldn’t leave them off the list or my son would be hurt. He’ll still be mad that he’s ranked 7th. I just didn’t want to show nepotism and I want him to work harder to get to no.1.

6. 3OH!3: I just saw them last night at the Alternative Press Music Awards. Flat out fun live. Always a crazy crowd and you can’t help but to jump to their music. Scroll down to yesterdays Phil Factor for a sample.

5. Motion City Soundtrack: I just saw them last month in Philadelphia on their final tour. Clever, catchy, pop lyrics. Their stage show is stripped down. No laser lights or explosions, just a great band playing great music with a lead singer Justin Pierre who was probably voted least likely looking rock star in high school.

4. Panic! At The Disco: Their front man, Brendon Urie, is my son’s favorite performer. The bands music is kind of pop alternative rock and Brendon has a Broadway voice and a theatrical stage presence in their shows.

3. All Time Low: They’re a very popular alternative rock band that does a great job at being down to Earth and connecting with their fans. Their shows are full of witty banter with the crowd.

2. Phish: I’ve only seen this modern day Grateful Dead type band live twice, but one of those times was a doozy. It was at an outdoor venue so as you can imagine, things get a little looser. At their shows the crowd is more entertaining than the band.

1. Green Day: If you’re a long time reader of my blog you know my love of Green Day. I’ve been a fan of theirs for their entire twenty-something year career. I think it’s cool that guys my age are still popular and playing cool music.

So what are your favorite bands to see live?