Top five live Rock And Roll Albums

Simon & Garfunkel "The Concert in Central Park"
CSN&Y "4 Way Street"
Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festival 1972"

A lot of great choices, but no-one’s mentioned this one yet:
Eric Clapton "Just One Night"
Recorded in Tokyo at the Budokan in 1980 or ’81 I think. Albert Lee played with him and sounds great too.

Too many to pick my favorite, but Woodstock, and CSNY 4 Way Street have to rank right up there. Lately though Joe Bonamassa An Acoustic Evening At The Vienna Opera House has been in heavy rotation.

Let's not forget.......
J Geils - Full House
Wishbone Ash - Live Dates
Bob Dylan & The Band - Before The Flood
Luna - Live
Guided by Voices - Crying Your Knife Away

1)REO Speedwagon: Live: You get what you play for. 2) Frampton Comes Alive. 3) Live Bullet(Bob Seger) 4)Boom Boom Out go the lights Pat Travers. 5) Jimi Hendrix: Monterey. Like the crowd interaction; the artist talking to the audience, things like that that make these albums fun...but still great to me.

David Gilmore - Remember that Night. Live at the Royal Albert Hall. On DVD video. Spectacular especially Echos and Fat Old Sun, and Comfortably Numb and Time and...

James Taylor Live
Van Morison Live in San Fransisco 
SRV Blues at Sunrise
Bruce Live in NYC
Bestles at Hollywood Bowl 

Since this thread has evolved from favourite live rock concerts to favourite live concert recordings, here's my $0.02 (in no particular order):

1. The Who - Live at Leeds
My favourite live rock album of all time! I wore out 2 copies of this album in the 70's. Also had it on 8-track (for the car).

2. Little Feat - Waiting for Columbus
The Tower of Power horns do not disappoint. The quality of the sonics on my copy still blows me away. When I've played this for friends, they are astonished to learn they've been listening to an LP.  

3. Deep Purple - Made in Japan
Another classic from my misspent youth. I've lost track of the number of hours I spent skipping school listening to this album! Oh, and discovering girls... ;^)

4. Harry Belafonte - At Carnegie Hall
Recorded April 19 & 20, 1959. This album marked the first time RCA recorded a live concert (comedy concerts excepted) in stereo. They ran the microphone cables from the stage to a recording truck parked in Carnegie's back lot. No live album has ever matched the quality of this recording (you might not like the music, but that's another matter entirely).

5. Sarah Vaughn - After Hours at the London House
Recorded March 7, 1958 in a live after hours session at the Chicago club. There was a screw up and the sheet music didn't arrive, so the band simply jammed the entire set! You wouldn't know it however by just listening to them. Half of the musicians were from Count Basie's band.The session started around 2:00 AM and went to 5:00 AM! At one point, Sarah forgets the words to a song and they have to restart twice. 

David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars soundtrack
Alice Cooper - The Alice Cooper Show
Average White Band - Person to Person
The Doors - Absolutely Live!
The Jeff Healy Band - Live in Switzerland
Carole King - Live at Carnegie Hall
Bill Withers - Live at Carnegie Hall
With the exception of Person to Person, all these were recently available with great sonics.

Queen l"Lve at the Odeon"( Hammersmith) - Christmas Eve 1975 - on DVD

I just got this the other day and as far as I'm concerned this is one of the best live performances I have ever seen!😎
The sound is pretty decent for a concert that old. The video of course is not the greatest, butt the performance by Freddie Mercury and the band is awesome!

If you liked that Queen live show you need to watch the Queen set from Live Aid July 1985. They were in Wembley and the US watched them at about noon on Sunday. Best half hour I have ever seen. Freddie was on his game.

I'll add

Richard Thompson's "Two Letter Words". Great set, great performance.

all your suggestions plus these:

Chicago at Carnegie Hall (IV)
Bruce Hornsby Here Come the Noisemakers
Great Ceaser's Ghoest What's Done is Done
Umphrey's McGee The Best Show on Earth
Tom Waits Nighthawks at the Diner
Steve Goodman Live Wire

Can I add one more?

Jesse Winchester Live From Mountain Stage

Delbert McClinton - "Live" (2003 performance in Bergen, Norway) on New West Records.

A Black and White Night Live: Roy Orbinson back up: "The Boss"; K D Lang; Bonnie Raitt and more......Amazing SACD; Video and / or CD discs!

Belafonte at Carnegie Hall & "Return" to Carnegie Hall: Harry Belefonte

Darin at the Copa: Babby Darin

For me it's

Eagles - Hell Freezes Over
UFO - Strangers In The Night
Led Zeppelin - How The West Was Won 
Rush - Exit Stage Left

It´s impossible name 5, so I give you 10...

COLOSSEUM LIVE, March 1971 2LP virtuoso play & musicianship, hard to beat really
Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii, 1971
Yessongs, 1972 3LP live perfection
MOUNTAIN Twin Peaks 2LP, the heaviest & fuzziest bass sound captured on vinyl. Period. Felix Pallalardi rules thanks man RIP
Emerson. Lake & Palmer 1974 3LP, they made it ever better live, that´s why critics hated them LOL
Blue Öyster Cult: On Your Feet or on Your Knees, 1975 2LP much better live Buck Dharma rules
UFO - Strangers in the Night, 1978 2LP Michael Schenker rules
GENESIS LIVE, 1973 what a shame "Supper´s Ready" didn´t get on vinyl
Uriah Heep Live January 1973 2LP, the best rock´n´roll ever captured on vinyl. Gary Thain rulez the best rock bassist. David Byron the best performer. Period. RIP
Bando del Mutuo Soccorso: Sequendo le Tracce, 1975 is something else :) RIP Francesco, you are the greatest

Barclay James Harvest Live, 2LP 1974 (had to remind another great live recording...) RIP Woolly & Mel

GENESIS REVISITED EXPANDED LIVE Helsinki, 2014 THE best concert I have seen, never will be bettered. 
Steve Hackett is the true Moonlit Knight of England. Period. Report this

Talking Heads - "The Name of this Band is Talking Heads"

I don't even like live recordings, but this one just kills.

Jerry Garcia Band / Almost Acoustic
Lambchop / Live at XX Merge
King Crimson / B'Boom (Live in Argentina) 
Magnolia Electric Company / Trials & Errors
Phish / 10-31-94

Great energy in all of these. I love to hear a band recorded live that is obviously enjoying the music "with" the audience. These all capture that in spades.

How I forgot, I don't know. The fact I remembered is promising?

Built To Spill "Live"

Happy Listening!

One that hasn't been mentioned 

Rory Gallagher - Live in Europe

The Concert for Bangladesh
Woodstock

Must say I totally forgot Concert for Bangladesh it's definitely one of the best. 

Talking Heads - More Songs about Buildings and Food
The Band - the Last Waltz
Led Zeppelin - Presence
Rolling Stones - Exile on Main Street
The Kinks - The Village Green Preservation Society

Hello from Cincinnati....
 I'm sorry to intrude on the thread but judging by the style of music you guys are suggesting I thought this would be a good place to ask you a question. 
 To shorten the story ( and it is a very good one that I love to tell but I'll save that for later)  I came into a very large amount (about 700) of old radio shows.  Stuff  from the late 80s early 90s like King Biscuit Flour Hour,  Show Case of Rock, Up Close,  and my personal favorites  Westwood One Concert Series.  These are all originals from a radio station most are complete with the DJ que sheet. 
 I absolutely love them and to be honest didn't really realize something like this existed until I stumbled on these. 
 My question/problem is approximately half of them are in the LP form while the other half are CDs.  I am smart enough to know not to put a five dollar needle on a $100 record.  However I am  aching to hear them. 
 Is it possible to have them professionally transferred to CD format ? 
 How do I find any local clubs in the Cincinnati area  to meet people with similar interest? 
 Any help would be greatly appreciated? 
 Thank you. 
 Tonight feels like a cold beer, another bonfire, and Little Feat Up Close at a high volume. 

Can’t do just five, so how about six and a half ...

Jimi Hendrix, "Band of Gypsies"
The Paladins, "Million Mile Club"
The Allman Brothers Band, "The Fillmore Concerts"
Humble Pie, "Rockin’ the Fillmore"
The J Geils Band, "Live Full House"
MC5, "Kick Out the Jams"
For the half, the second side of Savoy Brown’s, "A Step Further", over 22 minutes of "Savoy Brown Boogie".

Just another Band from LA...

I recently listened to U2 "Under The Blood Red Sky" (lp). I wanted to mention it because of the performance and interpretation of the songs. The sonics are very respectable as well (for a U2 lp). I stopped buying their lps after "How To Dismantle An Atom Bomb" (lp) because the sonics were so horrible. Very enjoyable.

"Live In The Air Age" - Be Bop Deluxe
Far superior to any of their studio recordings with a version of "Adventures In A Yorkshire Landscape" that is positively beautiful. Sonic quality is right up there with Humble Pie's "Rockin' The Fillmore". You can actually hear the space. Great stuff. 

All of the others mentioned here I agree with to one degree or another, but it's very difficult to give one credence over another. The re-issue of "Ya-Ya's Out" a couple of years ago is well worth duplicating part of your collection. 

Every time I listen to "Waiting For Columbus" I get royally pissed off that Lowell George died. Damn. 

"Nighthawks At The Diner" - Tom Waits
Where most people including myself started with Tom Waits.  An American Master indeed.  One of the very few artists who's new releases I buy without reservation.  

"How The West Was Won" - Led Zeppelin.  
This is the sh*t, period. Dayum, those guys were good.  The later live releases suck by comparison. 

Dave Brubeck Live At Carnegie Hall
i can still listen to Blue Rondo here and be amazed at the mad skills involved. 

Live albums generally suck, and ar a cash grab

anything by Gary Moore, Pat Travers, Solitude Aeturnus, Motörhead, Holy Moses. 

Any metal bands from the 80's, as this is when they wanted it more, and were hungry for fame, so the pressure they have is amazing!

SOME live albums are indeed a cash-grab, but as many do manage to capture the vibe of an artist's performance - like most of what lenmc2964 began this thread mentioning. 

Lucinda's Fillmore recording is a perfect example of how a live performance can energize a song. "Change The Locks" is an exercise in tone shift - the studio version strikes me as almost timid while the live version seems to emancipate.  It's a riff that Crazy Horse could be proud of as well. 

So far as 80's hair/metal bands go...well...

Live jazz recordings are an obvious exception - this is where those guys live. 

So many great records mentioned, so many I would agree, so many I haven't heard and will listen (Tidal!)

One to add . . . Leon Russell Live.

Leon never stops, just like when I saw him in his prime. Non-stop rock'n'roll . . . it almost wears you out. Not like his studio albums. Unfortunately, sonics aren't great.

A top 10 would include;
Leon Russell
Bob Seger

Not necessarily in best to worst but you can't go wrong here:
who live at Leeds
Allman bros live at FM
little Feat Waiting for Columbus
Thin Lizzy Live and Dangerous
Porcupine Tree Anesthetize
Peter Frampton -  Frampton Comes Alive!
James Brown- at the Apollo

Iron Maiden - Live after death
The Allman Brothers Band - Live at the Fillmore East

Deep Purple - Made in Japan
The Micheal Schenker Group - One Night in Budokan
Little Feat - Waiting on Columbus
Todays favorite isThe J Geils Band - Live Full House.
Probably really in my top 10 but it is the release date anniversary today so it makes my top"5"

Average White Band - Person to Person - wow that is a great live set. The band were at their best and Steve Ferrone was grooving. I saw them on that tour.

Tower of Power - Soul Vaccination Live (incredible energy)

Rush Exit Stage Left (at their peak)

J.J. Cale Live

Huey Lewis & the News Live at 25

Muddy Waters Live Newport

Police Certifiable

ACDC Live at River Plate

Tom Petty &HB Live Soundstage Chicago

B B King Live at Regal

John Lee Hooker Cafe am go go

SRV Live at Carnegie Hall

RHCP Live at Slane Castle

Maceo Parker Roots & Grooves 

Frank Sinatra Live at the Sands

James Brown Live at the Apollo

Some more

Beck, Bogert & Appice - Live in Japan
Amazing Rythm Aces - Live in America
Jackson Browne - Running on empty
Roger Waters - In the flesh
David Bowie - A reality tour
Alice in Chains - MTV acoustic
Muse - H.A.R.P.  

Nice to find lots of votes for Free and Little Feat!
Thanks to MTV for all the classics.

Waiting for Columbus   In terms of sound quality and performance this  
  the best Live R+R album ever made IMHO
Live at Leeds  (RT's Favorite band, "now they were art!")
Allmans live at the Fillmore East  The best Live documentary of Duane's 
  magical slide technique.
Live at the Roxy and Elsewhere (the best Zappa band IMHO)
At Folsum Prison (the sparks fly!)
Massey Hall 1971 
Rank  (  Morrissey and Marr would never reach these heights on their 
  own.)
RT Live at the Rockpalast.  (The greatest living songwriter at the height 
  of his career.)
Live Rust  (played very very loud, 105 db anyway.) 
Shadows and Light. What can you say about this band, Pat and Jaco!!
The High Road. (Someone finally recorded Roxy Music correctly, WOW)
David Live (The Thin White Duke strikes back!)

I skipped Lucinda's Live At The Fillmore album when it was released, but got it after seeing it on this thread. It's fantastic!

Since only I have mentioned the Alice in Chains acoustic live I believe some of you could have a missed masterpiece here. Not to talk about the superb sound quality. The BBA live - definition of 70’s hard rock - can still be ordered from Japan. YMHO.

Concert for Bangladesh
Dylan: Before the Flood
Allman Bros.: Fillmore East
Little Feat: Waiting for Columbus
The Band: The Last Waltz

Nice list @larryi. The Last Waltz is required listening (if only for the songs with Van Morrison and Muddy Waters), but anyone not wanting to have to hear Neil Diamond (he was there only because Robbie Robertson was at the time producing an album for him), Joni Mitchell (oy), Neil Young ('cause he's a Canadian? The Harvest album was his attempt at imitating The Band's brown album), or any of the other guests, Rock Of Ages is pure The Band. The Live At The Academy Of Music 1971 is an expanded boxset version of ROA.

No one has mentioned Wilco - Kicking Television so I must do so.
Great performances and really great sonics.  Super quiet vinyl as well.  In my comparisons between the CD and vinyl, the vinyl easily wins out.  

Time for some rock 'n soul?

Lou Rawls - Live!
Marvin Gaye - Live!

Deep Purple,  Made in Japan
Little Feat, waiting for Columbus
Peter Frampton, Frampton comes Alive
The Band, Last Waltz
SRV, Live at the Mogumbo
Pink Floyd,  Division Bell