From Jimi Hendrix to The Rolling Stones: the 10 best concert setlists of all time
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(Credits: Far Out / Alamy / Bent Rej)
History is littered with hundreds of moments that we can look back on and think, “God, I wish I was there”. As music fans or general culture fiends, that feeling hits harder than ever when thinking back on the wealth of incredible albums and films made or the artists that lived and died before our time. When it comes to concerts especially, the heart aches for all the iconic stage moments that went down in decades past.
Unless someone figures out how to reverse death, we’re out of luck. It’s a bitter pill to swallow that some of the biggest, and arguably best, on-stage moments have been and gone. Sure, every week, new moments are made as new gigs happen that could potentially be revered and glorified later down the line, but could they ever rival Jimi Hendrix? The Who? The Band?
Sometimes, it’s less about the person and more about the place, as historic venues, too, have been lost to time. CBGB was allowed to die, the Isle Of Wight festival that used to be a countercultural hotbed is now an indie landfill, and small venues worldwide have been sacrificed to underfunding.
So it’s hard not to look back and mythologise the old days. It’s the curse of the classic rock fan to know that at some point, your favourite artists played all your favourite songs at a time when their voice was at its best, and the tracks were fresh and exciting. The atmosphere must have been electric, but you’ll never get to know.
To rub some salt in the wound, here are ten of the best, with setlists that will make you cry from envy.
10 of the best concert setlists:
David Bowie – Hammersmith Odeon (July 3rd, 1973)
Seeing David Bowie on the Ziggy Stardust tour with his original spiders from Mars is something generations have dreamed about now. His homecoming shows in London are especially mythologised as anyone who was there talks about it to no end, and countless strange little tales are linked to the event. One of the most famous comes from Sex Pistols’ Steve Jones, who admitted to almost jeopardising the gig as he stole equipment from the parked tour van.
But the gig went on with one of the best setlists of all time. To celebrate the Ziggy Stardust era, he played nearly every song from the record. There were also hits from across his discography like a raging rendition of ‘Cracked Actor’, an outing for ‘Changes’ and a big moment for ‘Space Oddity’. He also did covers of The Rolling Stones and The Velvet Underground, honouring his close friends at a time when they were all at their very best.
Fleetwood Mac – Warner Bros Studios Sound Stage (May 22nd, 1997)
There was a moment in the late 1990s when the most famous lineup of Fleetwood Mac managed to come back. Ever since they got together, that’s been rocky as the band has a long history of breakups and walkouts. But for a brief moment, they seemed to hold it together but in a clearly vicarious way. During the time, there were rumours that maybe Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham were back on. However, when Nicks then found out that her ex-love was having a child with someone else, it collapsed into pain again.
That moment is captured on stage right here. For the first time since 1977, they suddenly started playing ‘Silver Springs’, a witchy song that feels like a spell being cast. As Nicks stares straight at the guitar player, with him not daring to tear his gaze away either, this 1997 performance definitely had magical properties.
Beyond that, the setlist is exactly what you’d ask for if you got to make your dream Fleetwood Mac gig. With all the hits from every era, including a big moment with a marching band for ‘Tusk’ and the live debut of ‘Big Love’, it’s a moment in history.
Joni Mitchell – Isle Of Wight Festival (August 29th, 1970)
Remember the first time you heard ‘A Case Of You’, the way the emotion hits you, and the beauty washes over you. Now imagine hearing it for the first time, live, before it was released.
The 1970 edition of the Isle of Wight Festival was a big one in general, with sets from Joan Baez, The Doors, Miles Davis and Leonard Cohen. But Joni Mitchell’s set was a real stand out, taking the audience on a tour of what would quickly become her biggest and most beloved tracks. The set was interrupted time and time again by drugged-up hecklers who clearly didn’t realise the history they were witnessing. But Mitchell played on, doing renditions of all the hits like ‘Both Sides Now’, ‘Woodstock’, ‘Big Yellow Taxi’ and ‘For Free’.
Johnny Cash – San Quentin State Prison (February 24th, 1969)
A concert that was so iconic that it’s been captured on film, talked about over and over in docs and immortalised with a live album. Johnny Cash’s prison concerts solidified his legend, connecting him in person with the kinds of characters he took on in his songs.
At this show especially, his guitarist Bob Wootten said there was a palpable energy. “John was very solemn that day,” Wootton says. “We all were. It reminds you how much you take for granted. John connected with [the prisoners] in a way I never saw him connect with another audience.” His setlist reflects that as he went through all his most iconic songs, including a rendition of ‘Jackson’ with June Carter, several tracks with Carl Perkins, and the live premiere of ‘San Quentin’ right there in the jail.
Patti Smith – CBGBs (October 15th, 2006)
Sure, we could’ve picked one of Patti Smith’s earliest shows or one of the times when she collaborated with Television on this very stage. But if we’re talking setlist and historical weight, nothing can beat the sad event of the CBGB closing party.
It was a stage that brought up so many legends: the Ramones, Blondie, Talking Heads and Smith herself. So it was only right that she be the one to shut it down. Throughout the set, she honoured all those peers with covers from all the New York bands that made their name there.
Of her own songs, she played hits like ‘Gloria’, ‘Birdland’, ‘Ghost Dance’, ‘Space Monkey’, ‘Free Money’ and more. The set stretched to 27 tracks, ending in a fitting manner with ‘Elegie’, during which she honoured the old friends of the venue who were no longer with them.
Prince – Carrier Dome, Syracuse (March 30th, 1985)
Prince is another artist where you could pick any set list from any show of his incredible career and find something historic. But this 1985 show at Syracuse was something else. As part of the tour to promote Purple Rain, it was truly the artist at his best as he roared through the album’s hits.
In typical Prince fashion, the songs are extended and amped up. ‘Baby I’m A Star’ is a ten-minute-long jam, ‘When Doves Cry’ stretches to nine minutes, and the finale comes in the form of a nearly 20-minute-long take on ‘Purple Rain’.
The Band – Academy Of Music (December 31st, 1971)
The group’s 1978 farewell, The Last Waltz, might be the best-known The Band performance, but it can’t hold a candle to this four-night residency back in 1971. On New Year’s Eve especially, it’s like they couldn’t get the group off the stage as they played a 27-track setlist.
The mainset was a classic tour of all their hits like ‘The Weight’, ‘Up On Cripple Creek’ and ‘The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down’. But it gets especially epic by the second encore. As the crowd still hadn’t had enough, the group brought out their mate. You might have heard of him. Bob Dylan. Together, they played a finale of four Dylan songs, including ‘Like A Rolling Stone’. So, really, it was two concerts in one.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Saville Theatre, London (June 4th, 1967)
“1967 was the best year of my life,” Jimi Hendrix once declared, “I just wanted to play and play.” That was more than obvious at this historic London show where the Summer of Love seemed to culminate in one place, on one stage for one electric night.
Opening with a rendition of The Beatles’ ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ which was only released a few days before, Hendrix then roared through his hits. ‘Foxy Lady’, ‘Purple Haze’, Hey Joe’; they were all there. On top of that, he also did a cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘Like A Rolling Stone’ as part of the ultimate 1960s show.
The Rolling Stones – Pacific Coliseum, Canada (June 3rd, 1972)
Really, you could go to any Rolling Stones show and consider it one of the best setlists of all time. With such an insane amount of beloved tracks, their live sets are a tour of the greatest hits that only ever seem to get better and better with every next intro. Anyone who’s seen the band live can attest to that; they never miss.
“You almost feel like you’re levitating on the energy from the audience,” Keith Richards said of a good show, “It’s a strange experience.” And in 1972, the band were absolutely flying. Having just released Exile On Main Street and being determined to come back with a bang after a scary season in 1969 with the Altamont disaster, these first live shows back saw them bring all their energy. As you can imagine, they played all the hits, but at this show, especially, ‘Rocks Off’, ‘Tumbling Dice’, ‘Happy’ and ‘Ventilator Blues’ all got their live premiere. Imagine hearing them for the first time while in their prime.
The Who – Leeds University (February 14th, 1970)
Imagine the scene. You’re a young university student; it’s Valentine’s Day, and you’re out of love. You could go to any pub to drown your sorrows, you could stay home and hide. But no, because right there in your student union, The Who are doing a special show just for you.
After the release of their rock opera, Tommy, the band wanted to return to their roots. This Leeds University show proved they were still the wild cards that started the band as they played a huge setlist, including the entirety of Tommy, all their earliest hits and a 15-minute long rendition of ‘My Generation’. With a total of 38 songs, Pete Townshend declared the student crowd “the greatest audience we’ve ever played to.”
