Bands that need to be heard live?

Pearl Jam actually comes to mind as one show I saw that blew me away. I freaking HATE Pearl Jam with a passion. I loved in Seattle during their most popular years,and all you ever heard was Pearl Jam. So years later and living in Arizona, I won tickets to go see them off some radio program. I still didn't care to go, but my wife likes them, so we went. Of course they played the hits, but in between they played shit I never heard before, and it was so much better than the crap they played to death on the radio. It was really a good show. Still didn't make me a fan, but I would go again if it was free lol

Another band I would go see I'm not a huge fan of, and is easy a top ten favorite show I've been to is Nine Inch Nails. They put on one of the most trippy light shows I've ever seen. I was stone cold sober, and felt like I was tripping on acid half way through it. Great show, I'd pay to see again.

I agree with completely about Pearl Jam, not sure I'd pay to see them but now I'm kind of curious.

I think obviously some of the 70s bands like Zeppelin and Purple need to be heard live, as the songs took on lives of their own in such dramatic fashion. There's a big difference between the studio version of "Dazed and Confused" on Zeppelin's first album and the live versions that reached upwards of 45 minutes by their '75 tour.

Those bands aside, I would add Winger, as even their cheesier material from the first two albums sounds about 10x heavier live these days.

I've listened to some of their stuff live, they sound really good though it's a little weird to hear Kip so low in register.