Listening to music is one of my favorite pastimes. Cranking of the radio and letting the sound fill the air is a great pleasure. It is truly pleasurable when that music is of the Rock variety. However, listening to live music is more enjoyable. I have been lucky enough to attend many concerts, and there is nothing like being in a room filled with people and hearing a performer sing a great song.
The other day, I was at the magazine rack when I spotted something called 101 Greatest American Rock Songs. With a title like that, how could I not buy it? The magazine offers an interesting list with stories about each one. As I read through it, a question entered my mind.
How many of these songs have I heard in a live setting? In Nashville, we hear a bunch of songs being covered by bar bands. My real question was trickier. How many of these songs have I heard performed by their actual performers in a live setting?
Here is the answer.
98. “When Doves Cry” by Prince
97. “Legs” by ZZ Top
95. “All Shook Up” by Elvis Presley
94. “Lay, Lady, Lay” by Bob Dylan
92. “Paradise By the Dashboard Light” by Meatloaf
84. “Jackie Brown” by John Mellencamp
82. “Black Magic Woman” by Santana
72. “Blowin’ in the Wind” by Bob Dylan
64. “School’s Out” by Alice Cooper
62. “Rock and Roll All Nite” by Kiss
60. “Tangled Up in Blue” by Bob Dylan
51. “Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses
48. “Bye Bye Love” by The Everly Brothers
46. “Dream On” by Aerosmith
36. “Heartbreaker” by Pat Benatar
32. “All Along the Watchtower” by Bob Dylan
31. “One of These Nights” by The Eagles
29. “Ohio” by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
27. “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” by Bob Dylan
24. “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd
23. “Enter Sandman” by Metallica
22. “Atlantic City” by Bruce Springsteen
18. “Walk This Way” by Aerosmith
10. “In the Ghetto” by Elvis Presley
9. “Hotel California” by The Eagles
5. “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd
3. “Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen
2. “Like a Rolling Stone” by Bob Dylan
I have been lucky enough to hear 28 out of 101 in a live setting, and, by looking at the list, I am afraid that I will not be able to add many more.
SBI: A Thinning Crowd 
VERY lucky! Enviable.
You are right. Very lucky.
I have to say that I have never been a fan of live music. So few performers can recreate the perfect studio sound. My favourite live performance was Fleetwood Mac!
Actually, I think it is impossible to recreate the recorded version. However, I think most artists try to get as close as possible.
Wow, I am impressed!
I have been lucky. A lot of people come to Nashville to perform.
Hey Rick .. impressive.
check this out:
long but good.
They put on a great show.
I’m not really a Country Music fan, but I do like Country Rock.