I pretty much only go to shows by acts that i know will put on a good show. none the less, here are my top three performances. all three will not dissapoint live.

1. richard thompson; always plays relatively small venues, great live presence, good entertainer, never a sloppy musician.

2. Belle and sebastian; not too pretencious, but engaging and fast moving. good setlists also.

3. David Bromberg; always a fabulous band, always plays great venues, extraordinary musicians plain and simple.

I love Ben Harper, have seen him a few times, and always found him to be a compelling performer. Earnestness is now a fault or a mishap?

On the other side, although I haven't seen him in person since I was working for the caterer at the MTV 10th Anniversary party, I couldn't agree with you more about Prince - hella good on stage, although he is hella short.

I would offer up a few goods: Derek Trucks Band, Allman Brothers (current line up is more energized than at any point since the death of Duane), Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Deep Banana Blackout (yes, I am a jam bander), Bob Dylan on a good night, Super 400 (completely effin awesome band from Troy, NY)

Bads: Bob Dylan on a bad night (it's about a 50/50 shot, really)

I havent been to enough concerts in the last few years to want to bad mouth anyone, really. More live music is better, in my opinion. I would almost rather listen to a shitty performer than a great recording.

Oh, and I really really really want to see Pink live at some point.

I've seen a number of great live groups in my day, however, Sleater-Kinney was definitely the best. Three incredibly talented ladies.

Corin Tucker has a phenomenal voice. Carrie Brownstein is a great guitarist and Janet Weiss's drumming has to be experienced to be believed.

There aren't many bands worth traveling for, however, I'd happily drive 4 hours up to catch Sleater-Kinney in Burlington VT only to see them again the next night in Boston. I still remember my first S-K show. I was right up front in a small hall, the warmup band had just finished, and some random dude in the audience turned to me and said “Now Comes the Thunder”. Such a great show.

When Sleater-Kinney announced they were going on hiatus it broke my heart...

Other standouts include

Concrete Blonde: The Group Therapy tour was a hell of a lot of fun. How often do you get to see the lead singer Flamenco dance...

Aimee Mann (Her “Acoustic Vaudeville” Tour was inspired. Integrating David Cross into the show was a brilliant choice)

The Waterboys are always a hell of a lot of fun

If you're ever in Austin, be sure to check out Patrice Pike

Now that a live show by some act you've never heard of costs more than minor surgery, I find that I'd rather gamble the $10-15 on the cd... if i like it i can listen to my hearts' content and if not, it has decent trade-in value. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed Low's show last year in Boise; they definitely give it their all live. The only complaint is the constant chatter in the audience... a group of teenage girls in front of me spent a good deal of the concert LOUDLY discussing their later plans and cell-phoning friends, and this group was by no means an anamoly in the audience.

Lately I have seen three good ones:

Rush: Opening night so there were a few mistakes, but they put on one good show. They entertain the faithful and can laugh at themselves.

The Woggles: I think it was $10 at a very small venue. After decades they still kick ass. They are there to put on a show and they do it. Opening was a local band Tiger Tiger. The hot lead vocalist is probably the most attacking rhythm guitar player I have ever seen.

Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers: Another band who is there to entertain you. And to drink a lot of tequila. They do both very well. I will say last years show was better, but this one was nothing to sneeze at. Last years show was also in the top 5 shows I have ever seen. It was a sold-out small venue where everybody knew all the words to all the songs, both times.

Sadly I had a friend harass the hell out of me to get me to the Dinosaur Jr. show, and I did not make it. I may have goofed.

Instead of recommending certain artists, I will instead offer a few tips to help you avoid bad experiences in the future.

1. Go to small venues. The smaller the venue the more likely you are to enjoy the show. This is partly due to all the hangers-on who go to larger shows. They often are not interested in the music, just being seen there. Most of my bad experiences have been with jerks in large crowds.

2. Stand close to the stage. For every step closer you get to the musicians the experience gets significantly better. It is scary at first but soon it becomes addicting. Getting closer makes you more a part of the performance itself. It helps you appreciate the skill of the artist too. Fewer people are in front of you to ruin your experience. One drawback is that often the sound is not complete close to the stage.

3. Avoid big name acts. Big egos, big crowds. You don't have to deal with it if you take a little time to search out well-reviewed but less popular artists. They appreciate you and often give a great performance even if the crowd is small. Small crowds can be more enthusiastic, which has a positive effect on the performance. I went to one show and I was the only one there (other than the supporting bands) due to a last-minute schedule change. It was one of the best shows ever.

4. The best thing you can do to insure your enjoyment is to become familiar with the music they will play. Seeing a band without knowing their music makes it a crapshoot. Knowing the songs makes you a more passionate listener.