The conversations around ranking the best bands of all time are opinion-based, but we've boiled it down so that it's at least based on the opinions of hundreds of millions of people. We can crowdsource that info based on things like sales, tours, and awards won.
- The Best Band Ever Guns N' Roses Come
- The Best Band Ever Guns N' Roses 2019
- The Best Band Ever Guns N' Roses For Sale
While there might be a consensus this way, we all know the average person couldn't explain to you the most basic thing about music theory, but they know what they like when they hear it. That means that some of the most-skilled bands out there won't make the list because they don't have mass appeal. And that's part of our equation here.
The real fun is comparing the list here with our lists like the richest rock stars and the best guitarists of all time and seeing if there's a pattern that emerges. Do money and skill go hand-in-hand in the music industry, and are bands really driven by lead roles like guitar or vocals? Open those links in the background to find out, but in the meantime let's jump into the list of the best bands of all time...
Largely regarded as the band's best work, if not one of the rock era's finest moments, Automatic for the People came late in 1992, sounding all the more classic amid the quickly fading fads of. Nirvana was the best rock band in one of its best decades: the 1990s. It is hard to overestimate Nirvana’s influence on both the music scene and pop culture. They were a transformative force despite fewer than five years in the limelight—a phenomenon abruptly ended with front man Kurt Cobain’s suicide in April 1994. The further from their peak we get, the crazier it feels that Guns N’ Roses ever happened. The Los Angeles-bred group behind the most streamlined, gut-punching street-rock singles and the most. Rob on March 20, 2019: 1. Black Sabbath/Ozzy 3. The Rolling Stones 6. Blur.The spare reunion appearances by the quintessential Britpop band have been so majestic they reduced grown men to tears. And those men were Damon Albarn, singer, and Alex James, bassist.
#10 - Queen
Certified Sales: 147.6 Million
Queen already earned their slot on this list but lately they're gaining even more ground. Since 1970 they've not stopped touring and creating new music, albeit with new vocalists since Freddy Mercury passed. They're name may be Queen but they're the kings of arena rock and pop rock. They're songs are still over-played today to the point where many of us are about sick of them.
If you've been to a sporting event, you've undoubtedly heard their anthems chanted by those in attendance to intimidate the opposing team. The work they did for the Flash Gordon and Highlander make them some of the best soundtracks ever. There was even a biographical movie made about the band recently. That's the big time.
Trivia Facts: Since 2004, Queen hit the road with new successful tours under the name 'Queen+' with vocalists Adam Lambert and Paul Rodgers filling in for Freddy Mercury. There's a musical based on their songs. They've released 15 albums but had 21 tours to support the releases.
#9 - The Doors
Certified Sales: 48.2 Million
The Doors were active from 1965 to 1973, a short eight year run, but quickly became one of the most influential bands of the counter-culture era and a largely controversial band due to Jim Morrison's erratic behavior. Every decade has had a revival in interest in the band and new fans added, due to cover songs becoming popular, usage of their songs in hit movies, movies about them, etc.
Their first album The Doors re-entered the Billboard charts 14 years after its initial release as did their greatest hits and 'best of' albums. Their legacy will live on this way forever, it seems, as it should. They even created a brand new song in 2012 with Skrillex of all people, called 'Breakn' a Sweat.'
Trivia Facts: The Doors named themselves after Aldous Huxley's book The Doors of Perception. They were the first American band to earn eight consecutive gold records. Morrison was the first rock musician to be arrested on-stage during a live performance. He's also a leading member of the accursed 27 Club.
#8 - Nirvana
Certified Sales: 52.3 Million
Nirvana's breakout star was undoubtedly Kurt Cobain, and since his passing and the breakup of the band in 1994, Dave Grohl has gone on to be a musical great, playing the drums, bass, and singing vocals for countless bands and collaborations. It was 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' that launched them to stardom in 1991.
It didn't take long for them to win all of the music awards in rapid succession, even being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the first year of their eligibility in 2014. It took the strength of their Nevermind album to finally knock Michael Jackson's Dangerous from the top spot on the Billboard charts.
Trivia Facts: Nirvana's founders, Cobain and Novoselic, first formed a Creedence Clearwater Revival band before evolving into the band we know and love. Courtney Love sold 25% of her stake in their catalog for $50 million in 2006.
#7 - The Who
Certified Sales: 27.8 Million
If you're like me, you may be thinking 'why, though?' The Who has a huge appeal, with their pop art and mod subculture influences and even more so thanks to their rock opera Tommy and its success. I like any concept album and theirs is great. They tours were enormous and exciting, which helped amplify the hype surrounding them.
It's not just their music. They contributed to the development of the Marshall stack, the use of the synthesizer in rock, the use of large PA systems, and even down to things like power chords on guitar. Musicians appreciate them more than fans and cite them regularly as a top influence, and fans have to respect their favorite artists' opinions.
Trivia Facts: The Who really solidified their reign when they played at Woodstock. Pete Townsend is credited with creating the windmill strum and other types of guitar showmanship. They also started the use of non-musical noise like feedback, and now everybody does it!
#6 - U2
Certified Sales: 110.3 Million
U2 formed as a crew of friends in secondary school in Dubiln, Ireland before any of them had any real proficiencies with music. Within four years they scored a record deal. By their fifth album they became a global sensation. In the present they've won 22 Grammy Awards, more than any other band, period.
Part of their success is every time they run into controversy or boredom from their fan base, they evolve and revolutionize their sound. They're huge experimenters, and The Edge really exemplifies this with his guitar pedal array.
Trivia Facts: The U2 360 degree Tour of 2009 to 2011 broke the records for being the highest-attended and the highest-grossing concert tour in history. They made a deal with Apple to force everyone's devices to download one of their albums once. It was so annoying.
#5 - Led Zeppelin
Certified Sales: 140.6 Million
Part of reaching a wide audience is having a wide appeal. Led Zeppelin played music in the blues rock and folk rock genres but are also thought of as progenitors of heavy metal, too. Possibly the most influential and popular songs in rock history is their single Stairway to Heaven. These guys did it big, every time.
They concerts broke records for people in attendance. Their albums rank among the top selling ever. Each of their nine total albums reached the top 10 and six reached the number-one slot on the charts. They've earned all of the music awards available. Their legacy is everlasting among musicians and fans alike.
Trivia Facts: Led Zeppelin's career occurred in a time before we had the internet, and even though it's been nearly 40 years since their last album was released, their fan base is still growing. The internet's combined manpower has unveiled just how many of their songs were actually heavily influenced by, if they didn't straight up plagiarize, other songs from their time period.
#4 - The Beach Boys
Certified Sales: 31.1 Million
The Beach Boys rode the wave of the California Sound of surf-rock and then evolved into more personal themes as their fan base also matured. Their music's orchestrations and arrangements became so complex that, like the Moody Blues, they couldn't perform it faithfully live on stage.
Their vocal harmonies were recorded in one take early on and are absolute perfection that few achieve today. They're one of the few bands that found success before the British Invasion and maintained it during and after that period. These guys were deeply spiritual and if you listen closely you can hear it in the lyrics.
Trivia Facts: The Beach Boys spirituality led Dennis Wilson to befriend Charles Manson and begin recording music with him at Wilson's home studio, which you can hear if you look for it. Eventually Manson's followers invaded Wilson's home and then the big event occurred. The Beach Boys came under massive negative media scrutiny during that time.
#3 - Pink Floyd
Certified Sales: 121.4 Million
Even with their early releases led by Syd Barrett, Pink Floyd was already making their mark on the British rock scene. Later, when David Gilmour joined the band and took over the creative direction they gained international recognition. Four of their albums topped both the US and UK charts, though only two of their singles ever reached the top 10 in either region.
In a six decade career, they've released 15 albums and toured to support each release. They even composed film scores for some lesser known movies. Two of their albums, The Wall and The Dark Side of the Moon are both in the list of the best-selling albums of all time. Dark music like theirs won't ever be considered pop, but they have just as many fans and longer-lasting popularity.
Trivia Facts: Pink Floyd's band name is derived from two of Syd Barrett's favorite blues musicians, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council. They were huge fans of the comedy group Monty Python and helped finance the 1975 movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
#2 - The Rolling Stones
Certified Sales: 100 Million
The Rolling Stones are such a big deal that even the members solo careers, like that of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, are just as big. They got started in 1962 and were at the forefront of the British Invasion. Of the top 5 highest-grossing tours, four of them belong to this band.
Part of their success is attributed to them staying true to the safe foundational genres like R&B, soul, and rock. They even recently won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues album. Consistency is key when pop music evolves and changes so rapidly, which is why they're still on top after nearly 60 years.
Trivia Facts: The Rolling Stones thankfully survived several feuds that have broken up other bands. In that time they've released 30 studio albums, 23 live albums, 25 compilations, 120 singles, and embarked on 48 tours.
#1 - The Beatles
Certified Sales: 279.8 Million
The Beatles had a short run of only 10 years from 1960 to 1970, but they're still the best-selling artists of all time by far. If you were to add in their solo albums and side groups, they'll hold that record forever. They started young and led the British Invasion of pop and rock into the USA, and their fans grew up along side them, purchasing each album as time went on.
These guys won all the awards, starred in and produced movies, and even hold records like having the most covered song of all time. The Lennon-McCartney songwriting team are the most successful ever. They had pop appeal, rock appeal, evolved through the interests of the hippy era... they're some of the best musicians to ever exist. They're so good that hipsters think it's cool to hate them.
Trivia Facts: UNESCO recognizes January the 16th as World Beatles Day. Eric Clapton was almost welcomed as the fifth Beatle. Each member of the band and the band itself have an asteroid named after them. Paul McCartney is still releasing music and getting millions of views on YouTube!
Runners Up: Who's Almost a Best Band of All Time?
What's the fun with only sticking to a top 10 when we can quickly tack on 5 more who all at least deserve a mention. There are so many top-notch bands out there, so hopefully if you didn't see your favorite above then you'll see them next or in the honorable mentions further down.
Rush
Certified Sales: 40 Million
Rush are progressive rock gods, so much so that they gained a mainstream and international fan base, despite the 'weird' genre. Geddy Lee is considered one of the best bassists of all time while Neil Peart is considered by many, including me, to be the top of the best drummers of all time. The amount of sound coming out of just three guys is unbelievable.
Peart was known to use electronic drums to be a one-man band. Lee would play the bass, play the synthesizer, and sing all at the same time. Lifeson is respected by guitarists everywhere. Their unique science fiction and fantasy based lyrics help them stand apart, but it's the musicianship that really dialed them in.
Trivia Facts: They have all the music awards, a Hollywood Walk of Fame star, and even documentaries about them. They're even Officers of the Order of Canada. They even have a postal stamp in Canada. Though people even love or hate them, even their fans love and hate some of their 19 studio albums.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
Certified Sales: 43.2 Million
It's hard to imagine a Jamaican or Reggae band that will ever have a larger impact than Bob Marley and The Wailers. The Wailers were a vocal ska group that went through various lineups before becoming Marley's backing band, and more shakeups after that.
You'd think the star of the show was Marley and you'd be right, but it was the Wailers that wrote some of the biggest hits, such as 'Stir It Up' and 'Get Up, Stand Up.' They wrote so much scattered material that the Roots Reggae Library has tried to make a comprehensive list, but we aren't sure it's fully complete.
Trivia Facts: Bob Marley & The Wailers consisted of 19 full members, 2 touring members, and 18 session musicians over their 18 year period of activity. The band gets its name from one of the founders, Bunny Wailer.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
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Certified Sales: 30 Million
The Jimi Hendrix Experience only had 3 years of activity from 1966 to 1969, and that was enough to change the rock music industry forever with their three studio albums and tours. Everyone loved the skill level and charisma of Hendrix himself, but it was their performance at the Woodstock Festival that made history for them.
Following the lead of Cream, the Experience helped popularize the power trio, further opening the road for bands like Rush. The early passing of Hendrix in the middle of a tour put an end to the band. Who knows what the music industry, let alone rock music, would be like today if that hadn't happened.
Trivia Facts: All three of their albums are featured among the top 100 best albums. In 1992, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Even in three years they had a break-up due to bad relations, but thankfully got the band back together.
Yes
Certified Sales: 13.5 Million
Yes is an unbelievable band full of some of the biggest egos you'll ever hear about. That's why they kept breaking up, getting back together, having two versions of the band operating at the same time, merging those, etc. And that really sucked for the fans and the industry as a whole, because everything they release is incredible.
They're a big enough deal, especially with the older crowd, that they have an annual prog-rock themed cruise called Cruise to the Edge. Their music deals with very spiritual topics that have probably hurt their widespread fan base, but those who love it really love it.
Trivia Facts: They've had 19 members over the time periods they actually made music instead of being in hiatus. On their album Magnification, the keyboardist had quit and they chose to fill his parts with a small symphony orchestra.
The Eagles
Certified Sales: 149.9 Million
The Eagles had a 9 year run starting in 1971 (though they're back recently!) and made a lasting impact in that time. Like Pink Floyd, they're albums singles all did 'okay' but never great, but they were so consistently good that they now hold the 1st and 3rd spots on the most sold albums ever list, with the winner being their greatest hits record.
In 1994, the band got back together and quickly dropped an album of new material and live music, released a documentary, and embarked on an extended tour. This will only further solidify their sales and fan base. Everyone loves their blend of soul, bluegrass, rock, and R&B, for good reason.
Trivia Facts: A member of The Eagles was once fired. The group always had an even 5-way split of profits, but this member wanted a higher percentage and got told where to stick it. He later invented reasons to sue the group for $50 million in daamges and the judge quickly dismissed the case upon hearing it.
Honorable Mentions for the Best Bands of All Time
There's so many that it's simply not right to cap it off even with some runners up. We can quickly list off a big handful of more of the all-time great bands, so why not? Many of these groups are still playing and pumping out new music, so they have a real chance to climb the list higher.
- Kiss have sold 28.2 million records (way more uncertified) and it's their tours and merchandising that show just how deep of an impact they left on their many fans.
- Van Halen has achieved over 80 million sales by bringing hard rock back as the leading genre and satisfying endless fans needs.
- Def Leppard raked in 42.3 million sales, partially due to being among the first rock bands on MTV during the height of its popularity.
- Guns N' Roses boast 77.6 million units moved, of which almost half come from one amazing album with extremely successful singles.
- Deep Purple has been active since 1968 and are pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock. They have lifelong followers and continue to gain new fans. Their longevity is impressive.
- Aerosmith has 85.8 million sales under their belt, but did you know they've made even more money through their work with the Guitar Hero video game franchise?
- Iron Maiden is said to have sold over 100 million albums worldwide though it hasn't been tracked.
- Metallica is a heavy metal and a founding thrash metal band that's sold 102.9 million units so far. They're tours are monstrous and they've won all the awards.
- Black Sabbath is considered the first heavy metal band. They're so powerful that they launched several solo careers that were just as successful.
- AC/DC are among the giants of heavy metal with their 123.8 million certified sales. Even the other pros in the music industry praise them for their performances and music.
- The Dave Matthews Band took over the jam band touring scene. They've been hitting number-one on the charts and winning all the awards since the release of their first album.
- The Pat Metheny Group constantly tour globally and hire only the best instrumentalists and vocalists from anywhere on the planet. They just have to be the best.
We could literally go on forever. And if we changed the variables used to rate the bands, the entire list would rotate around or change entirely. That's why these conversations are so fun. It's fun to find your own favorite band appear and fun to watch people rage when theirs doesn't. I know it's wrong but it feels so right.
If you enjoyed this, then you'll probably have fun scrolling through the list of the richest musicians in the world. There's a good bit of crossover, and you'd probably be surprised by where that crossover exists. It's not what you'd expect. Let us know if your favorite didn't appear in this best bands of all time list and we'll see what we can do about it.
For music lovers, nothing beats seeing your favorite band on stage. No matter how many thousands of other people are in the crowd, it can feel like they’re performing just for you.
Plus, going to concerts is linked to a range of health benefits. One study, published in the journal Psychology of Music, found that people who regularly attend musical performances have a higher feeling of well-being than those who don’t. Sign us up for some of that!
So which shows will give you the most bang for your buck? Some of the artists on this list are no longer with us, some have already performed their swan song and others are still touring the world. They all have one thing in common — they’re considered the best live bands of all time, based on the votes of the Ranker community. (The ranking is based on the results as Feb. 21, 2019; some biographical details within the article have been updated more recently.)
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly referred to Ronnie Wood as an original member of the Rolling Stones. We regret the error.
29. Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers toured the world right up until lead singer Tom Petty died suddenly in 2017, at the age of 66. The band’s final tour, which celebrated their 40th anniversary, concluded with three nights at the Hollywood Bowl. The set list included rarely played tracks such as “Rockin’ Around (With You),” which was the first track on their 1976 debut album, “Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers,” and which hadn’t been performed live since 1983.
28. Prince
In 1983, four years after battling nerves to promote his debut album “For You” in front of only a few hundred people, Prince strutted his stuff on stage with James Brown and Michael Jackson. According to Time Magazine, the 25-year-old Prince was the star of the show. Over the next 20 years, he enthralled audiences with his erotically-charged performances. His 2007 appearance at Miami’s Dolphin Stadium (now the Hard Rock Stadium) remains one of the best Super Bowl halftime shows of all time.
27. Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley was known as “The King,” and he was certainly the king of performing. Starting with his first Memphis show in 1954, he toured constantly, entertaining millions of people all over the world.
His final gig was in Indianapolis on June 26, 1977, only six weeks before he died. As he often did, he closed the show with his 1961 hit “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” Presley’s gigs also made history — one of his most notable concerts, “Elvis-Aloha from Hawaii,” was the first live show by a solo artist to be beamed worldwide by satellite.
26. Deep Purple
Not only one of the best live bands of all time, Deep Purple is also up there with the loudest. They were even listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as “the globe’s loudest band” for a 1972 concert at London’s Rainbow Theatre, which reportedly rendered three fans unconscious. Since their formation in 1968, Deep Purple have toured the world in various lineups. To promote their twentieth studio album, “Infinite,” the band embarked upon the 2017 Long Goodbye Tour, which drummer Ian Paice suggested would be their last.
25. Eagles
The Eagles disbanded in 1980 but reunited in 1994 for the album “Hell Freezes Over” and have toured consistently since then. After singer and guitarist Glenn Frey died in January 2016, drummer Don Henley said he didn’t think the band would perform again, but in 2017 and 2018 they played sell-out gigs with musicians Vince Gill and Frey’s son, Deacon, to rave reviews.
24. Foo Fighters
In addition to several global stadium tours, Foo Fighters have headlined music festivals, played intimate gigs and even played a crowd-funded concert in Richmond, Virginia. The band members themselves consider their 2008 gig at London’s Wembley Arena to be one of their most memorable. Lead singer Dave Grohl told NME, “that was huge for me because we never imagined we would get to the point we could do something like that.”
23. The Allman Brothers Band
One of the most legendary gigs in the history of The Allman Brothers Band took place on March 13, 1971, at Fillmore East Theater in New York. The band gave the audience nearly 23 minutes of “Whipping Post,” the last song on the band’s first album and a staple of their live shows. Three months later, the Allman Brothers Band returned to Fillmore East to give the venue a memorable sendoff before it closed its doors for the last time, playing until dawn.
22. The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Rock legend Jimi Hendrix recorded three hit albums with The Jimi Hendrix Experience. One of the band’s most electrifying shows was at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, kicking off the first U.S. tour for the band. They played hits like “Hey Joe” and “Purple Haze” and, at the end of their performance, after his rendition of “Wild Thing,” Hendrix poured lighter fluid over his black Fender Stratocaster, setting it on fire.
21. Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper’s live shows, known for their theatrical elements, bring his tracks to life. Described as a “shock-rock” anti-hero, Cooper delighted British audiences in 2017 when he reunited with his original band for his first U.K. tour in five years. Today, at the age of 71, Cooper shows no sign of slowing down.
20. Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead were among the most consistent U.S. tourers of all time. With the exception of a year-long hiatus in 1975 and a handful of foreign gigs, they toured the U.S. constantly from the winter of 1965 until summer 1995. If it wasn’t for the death of lead guitarist and singer Jerry Garcia that year, they’d probably still be touring today. The remaining bandmates have toured in various arrangements together and separately since Garcia’s death.
19. David Bowie
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The inimitable David Bowie, who died days after his 69th birthday in 2016, loved to push boundaries with his live performances. He also loved to cause a stir. At the end of a gig at London’s Hammersmith Odeon on July 3, 1973, he preceded the final encore of “Rock and Roll Suicide” with the announcement that it was the final Ziggy Stardust show ever. This left fans wondering if Bowie would ever tour again, but of course he did. He returned the next year with a very different image and sound, epitomized by the soul-inspired “Young Americans.”
18. The Beatles
Audiences’ responses to seeing The Fab Four on stage made their live shows even more remarkable than the music itself. On Aug. 19, 1965 — at the very height of Beatlemania — the band played two gigs at Sam Houston Coliseum in Houston, Texas.
“It sounds like the Beatles are drenched in sweat, and loving it,” Rolling Stone wrote when including it on their list of 10 best Beatles concerts. Another gig that stood out was on Aug. 29, 1966, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California, during their final U.S. tour. When the band left the stage, John Lennon played a few notes of “In My Life” on his guitar.
17. Pearl Jam
At the Off Ramp Cafe in Seattle on Oct. 22, 1990, a band known as Mookie Blaylock made their live debut in front of a crowd of 300 people. Almost 30 years later, that band is called Pearl Jam and they regularly sell out the biggest venues in the world. In June 2018, the band had to cancel their second night at London’s O2 with just hours to go after singer Eddie Vedder lost his voice and was unable to perform. But a month later, Pearl Jam gave those fans a spectacular apology, delivering a three-hour set to close the European leg of their world tour.
16. Guns N’ Roses
Following years of line-up changes, Guns N’ Roses’ classic line-up (Axl Rose, Slash, Duff McKagan and Steven Adler) reformed in 2016 and embarked on the “Not In This Lifetime” tour — named after Rose’s 2012 response when he was asked if the original group would ever reform. The tour included their first U.K. gig in 24 years and, after the death of Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell in May 2017, the GNR setlist included a cover of “Black Hole Sun.”
15. Kiss
Kiss is currently on their final tour ever, the “End of the Road” world tour, marking the end of a 45-year career. However, it’s not the first time they’ve said it would be the last time, so who knows what the future holds?
“People change their minds, and in this case that goes along with being a living, thinking person. What one says one day with total commitment may at another time turn out not to be so,” rhythm guitarist Paul Stanley said in 2002, two years after singer Gene Simmons announced the end of the band.
14. The Doors
One of The Doors’ live shows is infamous for reasons beyond their show-stopping hits like “Break on Through” and “Light My Fire.” On March 1, 1969, during a gig at the Miami’s Dinner Key Auditorium, singer Jim Morrison started to scream at the audience and police officers lined up in front of the stage. He then exposed himself to the crowd. He was arrested four days later but died while the case was still under appeal.
13. Rush
Rush haven’t performed live together since they wrapped their R40 Live Tour in 2015, and the departure of legendary drummer Neil Peart (described as “the single greatest drummer alive” by Rolling Stone) suggests that their gigging days could be behind them. However, the remaining members, vocalist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson, haven’t completely ruled out future shows, giving hope to millions of fans who’ve enjoyed their incredible shows for over 40 years.
12. Aerosmith
Aerosmith’s 2017 “Aero-vederci Baby!” tour, which saw the band visit 15 countries in three months, was billed as their final tour, with their last ever U.K. show taking place at the Download Festival. However, in true Aerosmith style, their future remains uncertain. In a spoof news announcement, banana-wielding lead singer Steven Tyler asks bandmate Joe Perry if there’s “any truth to the rumors that this could be the last hurrah,” to which Perry replies, “Who knows?”
11. Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden was relentless on the concert circuit. Between Aug. 1984 and July 1985, they undertook one of the longest rock tours in history to promote their fifth album, “Powerslave.” The band is known for their impressive stage sets, which have included a reproduction of a First World War trench, a papier-mâché mask that squirted fake blood and futuristic artwork, complete with plenty of flashing lights and fire, of course.
10. U2
“Zoo TV,” U2’s first tour of the ’90s, delivered a sophisticated, polished show made to match their groundbreaking smash-hit 1991 album “Achtung Baby.” It was at this time that singer Bono adopted an alter ego he called the Fly, and he rarely broke character throughout the entire tour.
In 2018, Bono devastated fans by ending the last show of the “Experience + Innocence” tour with the cryptic statement, “We’ve been on the road for quite some time, just going on 40 years, and this last four years have been really something very special for us. We’re going away now.”
9. Jimi Hendrix
One of Hendrix’s most memorable performances was at Woodstock in 1969, where he played an uninterrupted set that was one of the longest of his career — almost two hours. The final medley included the national anthem, “Star Spangled Banner.” By this time, Hendrix had parted ways with his band The Jimi Hendrix Experience, so he was joined by a group he put together called Gypsy Suns and Rainbows.
8. Bruce Springsteen
Springsteen’s live performances are known for their off-the-scale energy — and his audiences need plenty of stamina, too. Not all of his shows run as long as his show in Helsinki, Finland, on July 31, 2012 (just over four hours), but you definitely get your money’s worth. Springsteen sees his shows as true collaborations between him and his audience, and he tends to take requests and frequently ditch the setlist in favor of impromptu covers.
7. Metallica
Metallica made rock history when they played at Moscow’s Tushino Airfield on Sept. 28, 1991, as part of Monster of Rock ’91. It was supposedly the first free show to feature international rock stars in Russia. It also broke a personal record for the band; more than a million people turned up to see them play, making it their highest-attended concert to date.
6. The Rolling Stones
The Stones stopped touring in 2007 but got back on the road in 2012 with their “50 & Counting” tour to celebrate the band’s 50th anniversary, which is no mean feat in itself.
Guests included Mary J. Blige, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Lady Gaga, Florence Welch and Bruce Springsteen. Mick Taylor, who was a member of the Rolling Stones from 1969 to 1974, also made appearances throughout the tour.
5. AC/DC
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Australian rock band AC/DC started touring in the mid-1970s and continue to perform today, with Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose on board (he replaced Brian Johnson in 2016). One of their biggest tours was the 20-month “Black Ice” tour, which saw them return to Argentina for the first time in 13 years. Three dates in Buenos Aires formed the basis of their concert movie, “AC/DC: Live at the River Plate.”
“Those fans were as crazy as they’ve ever been,” said guitarist Angus Young of the Argentinian audiences.
4. The Who
British rockers The Who have toured regularly since the early 1960s, but one gig in particular stands out for lead guitarist Pete Townshend: the band’s 1970 Valentine’s Day show at the University of Leeds. In front of 2,000 fans, the band played a staggering 38 songs, including a version of “My Generation” that lasted for almost 15 minutes. According to Townshend, it was “the greatest audience we’ve ever played to.”
3. Pink Floyd
One of Pink Floyd’s most innovative — and memorable — tours followed the release of their ambitious 1979 album “The Wall.” They even built an actual wall in the first half of each show, and spent most of the second half behind it, hidden from the audience. The audience could have done with hard hats; in a dramatic conclusion to the show, the wall fell down.
“The first couple of bricks would terrify people in the front rows,” revealed guitarist David Gilmour. “The audience would think they were going to be killed.”
2. Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin frequently sold out arenas and stadiums around the world during the 1960s and ’70s. In the U.S., they played at Madison Square Garden more than any other venue. Their three-night stint at the Garden in July 1973 eventually became a best-selling feature-length film and soundtrack called “The Song Remains the Same,” featuring fan favorites “Black Dog,” “The Ocean” and “Misty Mountain Hop.”
1. Queen
Since the death of Freddie Mercury in 1991, Queen’s remaining members Brian May and Roger Taylor (John Deacon left the band in 1997) have toured with vocalists Paul Rodgers (2004 to 2009) and Adam Lambert (from 2011). Of course, there’s only one Freddie Mercury, but Lambert has impressed fans and critics alike for embracing his role without trying to replace the original frontman. Notably, Lambert’s first American Idol audition — he was runner-up on the show’s eighth season — was with “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Correction: A previous version of this article misstated Jimi Hendrix’s nationality. We regret the error.
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