Concert Masters: The 25 Best Live Rock Acts, Right Now

Last week I went to a @@@@@ concert by AC/DC, sure to be among my favorites of 2015. This week, I'm ticketed to see Robert Plant, whose phenomenal show last year at the Riviera was high on My Favorite Concerts of 2014.

In between these two legendary performers, it seems like a good time to posit the Best Live Acts, as of right now.

I initially thought to make this "The Best Live Acts of My Lifetime," but as it's inherently limited to artists I've seen, it couldn't include, say, Led Zeppelin or The Clash, who were highly regarded live acts during my lifetime, but before my concert-going time (or otherwise never seen, and I'm not counting artists only seen on TV, DVDs or YouTube clips.)

I also wouldn't be sure what to do with Nirvana, who I loved the one time I saw them in 1993. And while I will (quite unscientifically) factor in recollections of concerts I've seen dating back to the early 1980s, likely bestowing natural favoritism on artists I've seen numerous times, I'd be flummoxed on whether I should be judging acts like Peter Gabriel and John Mellencamp on their very best shows seen (back in the '80s) vs. excellent-but-not-as-phenomenal more recent ones.

So the eligibility and criteria for this list essentially equates to My Favorite Rock Concert Artists as of Right Now, meaning those still actively touring (or who have this year, as in the case of the Rolling Stones, or presumably will be hitting the road again in the coming years).

While many of my picks are older artists who may have been even better before I got to see them, or who even in my estimation were more amazing some years ago, let me reiterate that the rankings predominantly represent current/recent merits (i.e. how good they might be the next time I see them.)

And just to mention it, at the end of 2009, I posted My Favorite Concert Performers of the '00s (not surprisingly including many similarities to this list). I've also ranked my favorite concerts of 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 in Seth Saith's barrage of year-end, "Best Of" lists. You can also find concert reviews by using the Search function in the right column.

Seth Saith these are the Best Live Acts, Right Now

1. Bruce Springsteen (seen 44 times, most recent 2014)
2. Pearl Jam (16, 2014)
3. Paul McCartney (10, 2014)
4. Arcade Fire (3, 2014)
5. Rolling Stones (12, 2015)
6. U2 (18, 2015)
7. Green Day (7, 2013)
8. AC/DC (4, 2015)
9. Foo Fighters (13, 2015)
10. Willie Nile (5, 2015)

11. Soundgarden (4, 2014)
12. Bob Mould (8, 2014)
13. Neil Young (6, 2014)
14. The Killers (3, 2012)
15. Santana (2, 2014)
16. Billy Joel (5, 2014)
17. The Who (10, 2015)
18. Radiohead (8, 2012)

19. Coldplay (5, 2012)  
20. Elton John (6, 2013)

21. Peter Gabriel (5, 2012)
22. System of a Down (2, 2012)
23. Metallica (3, 2009)
24. Robert Plant (6, 2014)
25. Manic Street Preachers (1, 2015)

Honorable Mention

Depeche Mode (3, 2013)
Garbage (5, 2013)

Stevie Wonder (2, 2014)
John Fogerty (4, 2014) 
Fleetwood Mac (4, 2014)

Bob Seger (5, 2014) 
John Mellencamp (7, 2015)
Wilco (10, 2014)
Smashing Pumpkins (18, 2015)
Red Hot Chili Peppers (6, 2014)
Leonard Cohen (1, 2013)
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (9, 2014)
Rush (9, 2015)
Cheap Trick (12, 2015)
Paul Weller (5, 2015)

Righteous Addendums (originally omitted)

Elvis Costello (6, 2014)
Prince (3, 2012)