There's nothing like watching a great band rocking at their peak on a night when they really have their proverbial shit together. These five videos are among the best hard rock/heavy metal concerts ever recorded live. Not necessarily the best ever, but certainly among them.
Guns N Roses live at the Ritz in 1988
This amazing gig was recorded on the second leg of their North American tour at the Ritz in New York on Feb. 2, 1988 for MTV. The pro-shot video captures the Gunners at their best, well before they became the world's biggest rock band. The punky rawness and intensity are there as Slash, Axl, Duff, Izzy and Steven Adler give 'er on stage. It's a great look at the band in such a small setting.
Judas Priest Live Vengeance Tour in Memphis (1982)
Judas Priest were peaking when they released Screaming for Vengeance in 1982 and the concert footage filmed in Memphis, Tenn. shows how good they sounded live. Sadly, there used to be the full concert shown on one Youtube video, but Sony has monetized it and broken it down song by song (17 tracks in all). But it's still worth watching as the band absolutely kicks ass. There's hardly a mistake throughout and Priest vocalist Rob Halford doesn't miss a note in this show. It's a must see for Priest and classic metal fans. "Riding on the Wind" is stellar, as is "Victim of Changes".
Iron Maiden Live After Death from 1985
Released as video along with a double album of the same name, Live After Death captures Iron Maiden on their first ever released pro-shot video. The video was shot during the World Slavery Tour in 1985 in Long Beach, Calif. At that time, Iron Maiden was the biggest metal band in the world and it features their classic lineup in fine form. Again, there is no single youtube video of the entire show, but all songs from the full video can be found.
Van Halen Live Without a Net from 1986
Recorded on the 5150 tour in 1986 at New Haven, Conn., Live Without a Net captured the mighty Van Halen on its first tour without David Lee Roth. The video shows Sammy Hagar - their newly minted vocalist at the time - and Eddie Van Halen getting along famously, while the band is simply kicking it - just watch "5150".
Alice in Chains live at the Moore in 1990
This is one of the few pro-shot Alice in Chains shows with Layne Staley and was recorded in December, 1990 at the Moore in Seattle, before the band would begin a year on the road touring to support the Facelift album. The video captures a night where Staley is dialled in, his voice simply booming as the band cranks out material from Facelift. This was Alice in Chains before Staley and bassist Mike Starr became addicted to heroin. The sheer power they had live is all right there on tape.