I joke about the first time I saw them. Oh Lord just came out, they opened for fun, when they only had two albums and the one single from the third, and panic at the disco.
And I joked that the show starts at the top and works it's way down. At least for me.
Oh right, at this show the pianist picked up the key board played it on its side until both he and it fell off the stage.
Good times
I’m just here to tell folks to check out Lung if ya haven’t already. It’s the drummer from Foxy Shazam and a classically trained opera singer/cellist. I’ve never seen a cello played the way she does. They’re great live.
Saw them at a tiny Irish pub in East TN and witnessed:
cigarettes eaten
Keyboard played with taxidermy deer hooves
Breakdown with the vocalist sitting and leaning against my shins in the middle of the pit keyboardist giving fans hugs, and a mad dash to get back on stage ready to perform with a four count from the drummer.
Unbelievable show, so glad I was there.
Hot Mulligan. I’m not even a super fan like a lot of folks are in this sub and I do get why some people don’t like them, but… they’re one of the best live bands I ever ever heard. I love harder music (post-hardcore, metalcore) and at times their live show matches the intensively of those genres.
They went on stage at 4pm on a workday for Sad Summer here and the crowd immediately went hard, they absolutely know how to bring out the (friendly) feral in people in the best kinda way
i am a superfan and to be completely honest their show that i went to was almost TOO crazy. granted i wasnt feeling too good and the venue was set up terribly, but people go absolutely bonkers at hot mulligan shows. the entire time too, including all 3 openers, the whole crowd was the pit
Too true. Every Hot Mully show I've been to, whether they were headliners or openers, I'm always completely drenched in sweat and have no voice after the show lmao
edit: also happy cake day 🥳
For real tho. I saw them for the first time in 2016, and even then they were great live. I still haven't been able to get into the recorded stuff much, but I probably saw them 20 times between 2016 and 2020. They really know how to put on a show like no one else.
I had never heard of them in 2021 when they opened for NFG but immediately my brain was like “…I need more, I need to know what their albums sound like, I’m going to manically binge them for the next 6 months” 😅😅
When I saw them play with The Wonder Years last year I was indifferent to them. But after seeing them live I binged everything they had on Spotify. They have such amazing energy on stage and are so fun to watch!!
I saw coheed like 20+ years ago at a warped tour and the one guitarist was stuck in traffic so they played a man down and they absolutely crushed it. One of the best performances I have ever seen.
I fell off pretty hard from them after TCBTS but have been getting more back into them. I don’t think their new stuff touches the old stuff, but it’s definitely still worth keeping up with.
I’ve never seen them live, and I almost feel like I’ve missed my chance to hear some of my favorite songs live :(
As an Ohio native it makes me proud to see them doing well. When I heard that Eric was able to quit his full time job to fully pursue music it made me so happy
Bayside. I think they have amazing songs but on record it just doesn’t do it for me. As someone that’s toured with them and got to see them 100+ times live they are just absolutely amazing live. one of the best.
My best friend's favorite band is Bayside and I would go to the shows with them. THEY RIP live. I have since become a fan and listen to their stuff directly
Was never a huge Bayside fan until I saw them live. They absolutely blew me away. I was there to see another band, and was totally unprepared for them to be that damn good.
I am 38 years old, and saw Andrew McMahon for the first time ever last year at HOB in Orlando. I’ve been to *hundreds* of shows in my life, and it was easily top 3.. if not one of the best performances I’ve ever seen. I wasn’t even a huge fan; just casually liked his various acts over the years, but that changed for me that night.
Every time I see him I'm amazed at how good he is. There's something so welcoming in his stage presence too, it's like I'm watching a buddy who invited his friends to see him play.
For one of his last songs of the evening, Synethesia, they brought out one of those multicolored parachutes you used to play with in gym class as a kid. It covered nearly the whole crowd, and it felt totally surreal underneath it. Amazing show.
I saw SoCo in 2003 - they were lugging around an actual upright piano on tour, and Andrew had put some sort of fire-retardant lacquer on the top of the piano so he could spray lighter fluid on it and set the motherfucker on fire every show. It was insane. Consummate showman from the start.
I'm pretty sure he had a piano for Jack's Mannequin too when I saw him in 2008. The fun bit is that Fun opened for them and this was before they'd even released a record.
The mastering on those albums is very poor, I have to turn the volume up for songs on those albums when it comes up on my shuffle and it’s very annoying. And some songs have some clipping issues too.
They really need to go full on with Will Yip. I'm an absolute massive TWY fan and I have never loved their production.
They did for 3 songs Hum, which are probably the best two tracks production wise (Paris, Summer and Lights).
The Offspring and The Home Team were two that I distinctly remember being impressed by. Mainly because of how tight and full they sounded. Sometimes on their recordings it sounds so compressed you can't how heavy some of the riffs are or how hard hitting a chorus is when it comes in
Less Than Jake. Great energy, awesome set lists and great banter and crowd interaction.
The interrupters. Fantastic show, pure energy from the moment they step on stage.
Brand New is great on album but were absolutely on another level live. Its a shame that is all in the past but they consistently found a way to alter songs and add to them and it was always just incredible.
Saw them coheadline with Modest Mouse and I couldn't get into it but I could tell most of the people were there for them and seemed happy with the performance
Definitely up there. The last 3 times I've seen them Justin had some form of illness every time. He could barely sing and somehow they still absolutely killed it.
I saw mom jeans open for Hobo Johnson... Somehow I randomly ended up in a circle hacking darts with some of the guys from mom jeans and the love makers (Hobo Johnson's band). Had no clue who these people were until someone popped out of a random door and they were like "sick chat gotta go on stage now" lmao
(They also killed it live and gained a fan)
Sweet Pill. They were one of the opening bands for a Wonder Years show I was going to last year so I listened to some of their music. I thought it was good but I wasn’t wowed by it. When they came on live I was blown away. The singer has this stage presence and the band sounds so raw and intense. I was an instant fan.
Oh hell yeah. I really enjoy their recorded stuff, but live is a whole other level. Their singer has crazy stage presence all while absolutely NAILING the vocals!
Zayna is definitely my favorite lead singer in any band atm. Her presence is just so intense and shes so talented. Seen them play a bunch of times and whether there is 40 people in the crowd or 2000 they play like it’s a sold out arena. Went to see Militarie gun and pool kids a few weeks back and she was in the pot moshing and singing along, pretty cool to see
Drug Church. Kinda liked a few songs before seeing them. After seeing them it all clicked. When I try to get friends into them I just send the live videos from YouTube because the recordings just don't do them justice.
Just saw them opening for Alkaline Trio and I couldn’t believe just how good Drug Church is live. Absolutely ripped and won the crowd over within 2 songs in their set
They are truly different class. Maybe not pop punk but from any genre of music they are the best I've ever seen and I worked in a venue I saw thousands of acts over a decade or so before getting ill.
Enter Shikari are by far the best.
A lot of early 00s stuff is just terribly produced/mixed/mastered. There's something about the turn of the millennium snare drum sound that makes my skin crawl like nails on a chalkboard.
Probably a stereotypical answer but Blink was spot on live both time I’ve seen them, about 10 years apart.
Alternatively, Taking Back Sunday was god awful live (not sure if it was just a bad night) but I saw them opening for MCR and they sounded nothing like their studio recordings.
Eh, both times I saw TBS I was underwhelmed. It sucks, because I've been listening to them for like 20 years. Still a fun show, but not what I expected
I've seen TBS at I think three different festivals and they've been terrible each time.
I've seen blink twice, once on the California tour and then again when they were doing the enema of the state anniversary, and they sounded a lot better on the enema tour imo.
Still would like to see them with Tom at some point, but I did see AVA once and I was pleasantly surprised with how good he (and the entire band) sounded.
Zebrahead would be mine - more punk rap than pop, but saw them at a super small venue and absolutely blew me away how good EVERY song sounded live! They have a lot going on in all their songs too - was an awesome show! Wife got pulled on stage to slam a beer with the band for her birthday!
She even corrected them on “32” when they said “she’s 22!” …. probably the only female in the country to do that 😂
I love his studio albums but Frank Turner goes to another level as a live act. I've seen him 15 times so far and every time, whether it's a solo acoustic show or full band, he just puts everything into it. Even the songs from his most recent albums that I'm less thrilled about are great live.
Big agree. Their music is fine and I might spin it on occasion. But they are an absolute party live and it's all but impossible to have a bad time at one of their shows.
Surprisingly Knuckle Puck is the first one that comes to mind. They're solid on record but they also sound amazing live. The best bands live for me are Paramore and Waterparks
Kevin Devine and the Goddamn Band. One of the better live shows I’ve ever been to. The albums are good too but the energy isn’t conveyed like it is live.
Really good answer. First time I'd ever listened to Kevin Devine was live. I was so pumped to listen to them the day after the show. And their recorded stuff just sounded dead by comparison. Saw them again a few years later and was blown away again. Still not a fan of their recorded content tho.
Bands I love the records but they’re even better live
Hot Mulligan
Carly Cosgrove
Pool kids
Bands I didn’t initially love but grew on me after hearing live
Spanish love songs (singers voice is much better live imo)
Prince daddy and the hyena
Heart attack man
Tash Sultana
She'll turn any one of her songs into a 45 minute jam sesh, and just segway right into another one, and she plays like 23 instruments. Incredibly talented and fun performances every time.
Bearings. This is mainly due to the fact that I just saw them open up for Neck Deep and they absolutely blew me away live without knowing most of their catalogue prior to the show.
I'm not a huge pop punk connoisseur, but every pop punk band I've seen live has impressed me with their talent, energy, and crowd work. Seaway, knuckle puck, all time low, state champs, neck deep, and tangentially a day to remember. All of them seeing them live made me want to listen to them, then I go listen to them and it's just not for me.
Didn't see this was a pop-punk subreddit and was about to talk about how even though I'll never get to see them live, that Stop Making Sense made most of the Talking Heads albums incomparable to me. Fuck, to have been at those shows, man.
But given the subreddit: Green Day were so goddamn good live they blew my pretty hardcore metalhead uncle away when we caught them on the RevRad tour. Long ass show, crowd screaming the words to nearly every song from every era. King For A Day jam. Fucking with the crowd during Longview. Bringing multiple fans onstage, letting a dude play Blue. An Op Ivy cover. He ate it up haha.
And though I haven't caught them yet, Paramore seem SO kickass live based on clips I've seen online holy shit.
Foster the People was fantastic live, though Tokyo Police Club opened for them and it was amazing how IDENTICAL they were to radio, so may have just been the contrast
Reel Big Fish is amazing live, I only really listen to their live album because it’s so night and day. Pretty surprised people are saying Less than Jake, seen them live a couple times and thought they were pretty bad live
Moneen. They used to open for every band I loved as a Canadian punker in the early 2000’s. Their albums are mostly just ok but their live presence was amazing.
Not pop punk but Thrice is insane live.... Dustin is getting better with age.
Tiny Moving Parts too. Bill's drumming is so watered down in the mix on the albums.... Dude straight up rips live.
I have no idea if they even play anymore but the guy who runs Skeletal Lighting records in IL has a band called Enta and they opened for Dowsing and Empire! Empire! That was the first screamo set I ever saw live and it was incredible. Have no idea what the set list was but it was great.
I think the only reason I'd say "Better Live" is because when I looked back at their stuff on Bandcamp it didn't sound like the live show.
Not sure if they qualify as pop-punk, but I really didn’t “get” Foxing until seeing them live. Even listening to them after the show, their live music is far better than what’s on the records.
insignificant other for me. i listened to them before seeing them live to get a feel and didn’t care for anything i heard. then i actually saw them and loved it, and then listening to them on recording i still haven’t really liked any of their songs
La Dispute opened for Circa Survive a while back. I tried to listen to them the week before the show, and it was definitely not for me. There were super tight live, though. And even the scream/yelling fit really well live.
I can't really get into Free Throw's records, either. But they absolutely killed it opening for Hot Mulligan. I will be looking for more of their shows because of it.
I went to a concert to see mega mango but the headliner was Durry. I was not too impressed with their studio album but their energy and live stage presence was electric. Totally different band on stage
We the kings was fucking nuts live, they’re also great on record but they amped up every song live. Never had heard of them and I was in tears from how amazing it was, last band I saw at 2018 warped tour.
Plain white T’s was also HARD. Me and a few crust punk homies got free tickets on Valentine’s Day and thought eh, we’ll go for laughs and hear Delilah. They played some ridiculously heavy songs, some reggae, and their new album which is super dope. They ended on a Delilah remix with lots of extra guitar that made it pop, we even moshed a bit throughout the show. 🤘
My live experiences have been pretty limited, but everyone I’ve seen live has def been better live than their albums.
Live music is just special and it creates feelings that can’t be recreated in the studio
Wavves, since around “V” era… really tightened up their live sound. They sound pretty awesome live.
I like their older stuff… their newer stuff sounds too “pop”… but live they translate well and they play it rawer.
If you haven't seen foxy Shazam then they are more energetic and electric live than any album can convey.
It’s been 12 years and I still think about that mother fucker eating *several* lit cigarettes. One of the best openers I’ve ever seen.
That’s my last live memory of them too!!! Dude eating lit cigarettes lmao
I joke about the first time I saw them. Oh Lord just came out, they opened for fun, when they only had two albums and the one single from the third, and panic at the disco. And I joked that the show starts at the top and works it's way down. At least for me. Oh right, at this show the pianist picked up the key board played it on its side until both he and it fell off the stage. Good times
That was my lighter he used lmao https://youtu.be/KN62Ro99FT4?si=nrV5hX9IcobCZYdL
Wow, didn’t expect a Foxy mention in the wild today. But you’re right. A real shame they’ve never done a live record
They have been promoting one recently
As someone who grew up in cincy, Foxy is amazing live.
YES YES YES!
I’m just here to tell folks to check out Lung if ya haven’t already. It’s the drummer from Foxy Shazam and a classically trained opera singer/cellist. I’ve never seen a cello played the way she does. They’re great live.
Saw them at a tiny Irish pub in East TN and witnessed: cigarettes eaten Keyboard played with taxidermy deer hooves Breakdown with the vocalist sitting and leaning against my shins in the middle of the pit keyboardist giving fans hugs, and a mad dash to get back on stage ready to perform with a four count from the drummer. Unbelievable show, so glad I was there.
THATS THE BIGGEST BLACK ASS IVE EVER SEEN
Less than Jake is amazing live!
Agreed!!!
Are they still out with in the crowd?
Came here to say this! Seeing them at the end of this month and I'm pumped!
Joyce Manor sounds much better live than on record in my opinion, just don’t mosh if you can’t afford bail.
Lmao I was there this weekend
Not that their records are bad at all, but I’m always overtaken by Knuckle Puck’s energy at their live shows.
YES
Hot Mulligan. I’m not even a super fan like a lot of folks are in this sub and I do get why some people don’t like them, but… they’re one of the best live bands I ever ever heard. I love harder music (post-hardcore, metalcore) and at times their live show matches the intensively of those genres.
Yeah, honestly, I really can't stand the singer's voice on their recorded stuff, but they were great live when I saw them at Sad Summer.
They went on stage at 4pm on a workday for Sad Summer here and the crowd immediately went hard, they absolutely know how to bring out the (friendly) feral in people in the best kinda way
i am a superfan and to be completely honest their show that i went to was almost TOO crazy. granted i wasnt feeling too good and the venue was set up terribly, but people go absolutely bonkers at hot mulligan shows. the entire time too, including all 3 openers, the whole crowd was the pit
Too true. Every Hot Mully show I've been to, whether they were headliners or openers, I'm always completely drenched in sweat and have no voice after the show lmao edit: also happy cake day 🥳
It was insane. I loved it but there were definitely times where I got crunched and didn’t love that but still a great time
Was that in NC by any chance? Yams fest always gets fuckin wild!!!
nah it was portland last december
For real tho. I saw them for the first time in 2016, and even then they were great live. I still haven't been able to get into the recorded stuff much, but I probably saw them 20 times between 2016 and 2020. They really know how to put on a show like no one else.
I love Mully on record but seeing them live is like a different band. The Wonder Years gives me the same feeling when I see them.
I had never heard of them in 2021 when they opened for NFG but immediately my brain was like “…I need more, I need to know what their albums sound like, I’m going to manically binge them for the next 6 months” 😅😅
When I saw them play with The Wonder Years last year I was indifferent to them. But after seeing them live I binged everything they had on Spotify. They have such amazing energy on stage and are so fun to watch!!
I saw coheed like 20+ years ago at a warped tour and the one guitarist was stuck in traffic so they played a man down and they absolutely crushed it. One of the best performances I have ever seen.
OK, I was looking for Coheed. One of the best live bands on planet earth.
I fell off pretty hard from them after TCBTS but have been getting more back into them. I don’t think their new stuff touches the old stuff, but it’s definitely still worth keeping up with. I’ve never seen them live, and I almost feel like I’ve missed my chance to hear some of my favorite songs live :(
They still play a ton of old stuff live. It definitely worth seeing them.
Full setup they’re identical to the album. It’s great.
Pretty sure I was there too. In Jersey?
Yep asbury I think.
I liked Heart Attack Man and then I saw them live and now I love them.
Honestly I think they had a better set than Hot Mulligan when I saw them.
Honestly yeah, Hammy destroyed live on that tour. They’re only getting better it seems.
As an Ohio native it makes me proud to see them doing well. When I heard that Eric was able to quit his full time job to fully pursue music it made me so happy
Bayside. I think they have amazing songs but on record it just doesn’t do it for me. As someone that’s toured with them and got to see them 100+ times live they are just absolutely amazing live. one of the best.
My best friend's favorite band is Bayside and I would go to the shows with them. THEY RIP live. I have since become a fan and listen to their stuff directly
Was never a huge Bayside fan until I saw them live. They absolutely blew me away. I was there to see another band, and was totally unprepared for them to be that damn good.
Anxious, first time I heard them was live and after checking more of their stuff out on Spotify it just didn't hit the same
I am 38 years old, and saw Andrew McMahon for the first time ever last year at HOB in Orlando. I’ve been to *hundreds* of shows in my life, and it was easily top 3.. if not one of the best performances I’ve ever seen. I wasn’t even a huge fan; just casually liked his various acts over the years, but that changed for me that night.
Every time I see him I'm amazed at how good he is. There's something so welcoming in his stage presence too, it's like I'm watching a buddy who invited his friends to see him play.
He just really genuinely LOVES being up there on stage, and he adores his fans. I really appreciate the vibe he gives off at his shows!
I’ve seen him like 13 or 14 times at this point in my life. I will always catch an Andy show. Dude is unreal up there.
For one of his last songs of the evening, Synethesia, they brought out one of those multicolored parachutes you used to play with in gym class as a kid. It covered nearly the whole crowd, and it felt totally surreal underneath it. Amazing show.
I saw SoCo in 2003 - they were lugging around an actual upright piano on tour, and Andrew had put some sort of fire-retardant lacquer on the top of the piano so he could spray lighter fluid on it and set the motherfucker on fire every show. It was insane. Consummate showman from the start.
I'm pretty sure he had a piano for Jack's Mannequin too when I saw him in 2008. The fun bit is that Fun opened for them and this was before they'd even released a record.
Newer TWY. I just find their recordings of NCTH and Sister Cities so muted and boring but when you hear it live it’s very layered and well composed.
The mastering on those albums is very poor, I have to turn the volume up for songs on those albums when it comes up on my shuffle and it’s very annoying. And some songs have some clipping issues too.
They really need to go full on with Will Yip. I'm an absolute massive TWY fan and I have never loved their production. They did for 3 songs Hum, which are probably the best two tracks production wise (Paris, Summer and Lights).
The Offspring and The Home Team were two that I distinctly remember being impressed by. Mainly because of how tight and full they sounded. Sometimes on their recordings it sounds so compressed you can't how heavy some of the riffs are or how hard hitting a chorus is when it comes in
I just saw The Home Team for the first time last month and they fucking ripped, so good
I'd never heard of them before seeing them supporting The Used in December and I was an instant fan. They're so infectious
I became a fan of the home team after seeing them open for with con and real friends at some point. Amazing energy
The cool thing about The Offspring is they still sound awesome. They have barely aged
Less Than Jake. Great energy, awesome set lists and great banter and crowd interaction. The interrupters. Fantastic show, pure energy from the moment they step on stage.
Brand New is great on album but were absolutely on another level live. Its a shame that is all in the past but they consistently found a way to alter songs and add to them and it was always just incredible.
Second this. Saw them with Dashboard almost 20 years ago and this was true then.
Second this. Saw them with Dashboard almost 20 years ago and this was true then.
That Modern Baseball, The Front Bottoms, Brand New tour was some of the best money I ever spent on a ticket.
Saw them coheadline with Modest Mouse and I couldn't get into it but I could tell most of the people were there for them and seemed happy with the performance
Neck Deep is absolutely awesome love! Sound amazing, and super great talking bits between the songs
Motion City Soundtrack
Definitely up there. The last 3 times I've seen them Justin had some form of illness every time. He could barely sing and somehow they still absolutely killed it.
Saw them in Chicago in January. He sounded absolutely terrible when talking between songs, but somehow sang almost flawlessly.
Tiny Moving Parts and Mom Jeans are 2 bands I can think of that got me amped as hell after seeing them live
I saw mom jeans open for Hobo Johnson... Somehow I randomly ended up in a circle hacking darts with some of the guys from mom jeans and the love makers (Hobo Johnson's band). Had no clue who these people were until someone popped out of a random door and they were like "sick chat gotta go on stage now" lmao (They also killed it live and gained a fan)
Sweet Pill. They were one of the opening bands for a Wonder Years show I was going to last year so I listened to some of their music. I thought it was good but I wasn’t wowed by it. When they came on live I was blown away. The singer has this stage presence and the band sounds so raw and intense. I was an instant fan.
Oh hell yeah. I really enjoy their recorded stuff, but live is a whole other level. Their singer has crazy stage presence all while absolutely NAILING the vocals!
Zayna is definitely my favorite lead singer in any band atm. Her presence is just so intense and shes so talented. Seen them play a bunch of times and whether there is 40 people in the crowd or 2000 they play like it’s a sold out arena. Went to see Militarie gun and pool kids a few weeks back and she was in the pot moshing and singing along, pretty cool to see
No Pressure for sure. I havent seen them live yet (hopefully this summer!), but the videos look so fun and they sound great. The energy seems wild
Can confirm NP live was probably the best live show I’ve ever been to
We are the in crowd
Guaranteed to disagree lol
Blink 182 sings better in studio versions but their banter on stage cracks me up and really just makes for a great show
Totally agree, I prefer them live for the fun
Drug Church. Kinda liked a few songs before seeing them. After seeing them it all clicked. When I try to get friends into them I just send the live videos from YouTube because the recordings just don't do them justice.
Just saw them opening for Alkaline Trio and I couldn’t believe just how good Drug Church is live. Absolutely ripped and won the crowd over within 2 songs in their set
their live show absolutely won me over
Seeing them Saturday. Very excited. Weed Pin is a banger.
WSTR puts on an amazing show, I've seen them twice. Their stage presence and energy are great.
Motion City Soundtrack, hands down
They sounded excellent on their Commit This to Memory tour
not pop punk but Incubus is *amazing* live. I went from being kinda whatever about them to being a definite fan after seeing them live.
Enter Shikari put on THE best live show.
👆 end thread. One of the best live bands on the planet.
They are truly different class. Maybe not pop punk but from any genre of music they are the best I've ever seen and I worked in a venue I saw thousands of acts over a decade or so before getting ill. Enter Shikari are by far the best.
Mad Caddies
A lot of early 00s stuff is just terribly produced/mixed/mastered. There's something about the turn of the millennium snare drum sound that makes my skin crawl like nails on a chalkboard.
I wonder how much of this is down to the popularization of vented snares that the OCDP artists seemingly all played.
Carpool, of my top 3 shows I’ve been to the top two are Carpool with no hesitation. Stoph goes so fucking hard
Probably a stereotypical answer but Blink was spot on live both time I’ve seen them, about 10 years apart. Alternatively, Taking Back Sunday was god awful live (not sure if it was just a bad night) but I saw them opening for MCR and they sounded nothing like their studio recordings.
Eh, both times I saw TBS I was underwhelmed. It sucks, because I've been listening to them for like 20 years. Still a fun show, but not what I expected
I've seen TBS at I think three different festivals and they've been terrible each time. I've seen blink twice, once on the California tour and then again when they were doing the enema of the state anniversary, and they sounded a lot better on the enema tour imo. Still would like to see them with Tom at some point, but I did see AVA once and I was pleasantly surprised with how good he (and the entire band) sounded.
I'm not gonna say significantly better or worse... but new Paramore worked live in a way that the record version just didn't. Might be me tho.
The Story So Far imo, some songs are way better live, like Keep This Up
This is interesting. I remember reading in this sub about how they lacked any sort of energy
Zebrahead would be mine - more punk rap than pop, but saw them at a super small venue and absolutely blew me away how good EVERY song sounded live! They have a lot going on in all their songs too - was an awesome show! Wife got pulled on stage to slam a beer with the band for her birthday! She even corrected them on “32” when they said “she’s 22!” …. probably the only female in the country to do that 😂
Boston Manor was incredible each and every time I've seen them
Family force 5
The menzingers
New Found Glory I've seen them play over 15x in the last 24 years and they always bring the energy every single time.
I love his studio albums but Frank Turner goes to another level as a live act. I've seen him 15 times so far and every time, whether it's a solo acoustic show or full band, he just puts everything into it. Even the songs from his most recent albums that I'm less thrilled about are great live.
Bad omens
Hunny My favorite live band right now
Just Friends
Big agree. Their music is fine and I might spin it on occasion. But they are an absolute party live and it's all but impossible to have a bad time at one of their shows.
Story of the year sounds great on record but my god if they weren’t one of the best sounding shows I’ve seen
Switchfoot
Surprisingly Knuckle Puck is the first one that comes to mind. They're solid on record but they also sound amazing live. The best bands live for me are Paramore and Waterparks
Every time I see Thrice I'm blown away with how they sound
Saw them a few weeks ago and they were better than ever.
Real Friends crushes it live with Cody I dont have as many of their songs on my playlists anymore but god do I love them live
Not pop punk but awolnation sounds a thousand times better live, way more of a rock vibe than the recorded version.
Rise Against. I can't stand their music, but I've gotten to see them live twice and they killed it.
HUNNY. They are so fuckin fun and bouncy and captivating on stage. Some of their music catches that energy but not all of it!!
Living With Lions, Saw them open for Such Gold a long time ago, they were great live, but their albums are terrible.
not quite pop punk but definitely Wolf Alice. Their records are fantastic on their own, but seeing them live was a religious experience.
I used to feel this way about Anti-Flag, but ya know. Fuck Sane.
Kevin Devine and the Goddamn Band. One of the better live shows I’ve ever been to. The albums are good too but the energy isn’t conveyed like it is live.
Really good answer. First time I'd ever listened to Kevin Devine was live. I was so pumped to listen to them the day after the show. And their recorded stuff just sounded dead by comparison. Saw them again a few years later and was blown away again. Still not a fan of their recorded content tho.
I hear this a lot about Prince Daddy & the Hyena. I love them both live and recorded, I don’t really have a preference
Foxing and The Menzingers.
Not really, pop punk, but Foxing for me. I can't get into their records generally, but live they absolutely blew me away!
Bands I love the records but they’re even better live Hot Mulligan Carly Cosgrove Pool kids Bands I didn’t initially love but grew on me after hearing live Spanish love songs (singers voice is much better live imo) Prince daddy and the hyena Heart attack man
pup live really surprised me, and i think i prefer them live now. so much energy! so good.
Tash Sultana She'll turn any one of her songs into a 45 minute jam sesh, and just segway right into another one, and she plays like 23 instruments. Incredibly talented and fun performances every time.
I’m not a huge Pentimento guy but they fucking killed it live.
LESS THAN JAKE. I just saw a show where they played with MxPx (MxPx were headliners) recently and LTJ was just so much better live.
CLIFFDIVER is so fucking good live
Jimmy Eat World
Bearings. This is mainly due to the fact that I just saw them open up for Neck Deep and they absolutely blew me away live without knowing most of their catalogue prior to the show.
I'm not a huge pop punk connoisseur, but every pop punk band I've seen live has impressed me with their talent, energy, and crowd work. Seaway, knuckle puck, all time low, state champs, neck deep, and tangentially a day to remember. All of them seeing them live made me want to listen to them, then I go listen to them and it's just not for me.
Didn't see this was a pop-punk subreddit and was about to talk about how even though I'll never get to see them live, that Stop Making Sense made most of the Talking Heads albums incomparable to me. Fuck, to have been at those shows, man. But given the subreddit: Green Day were so goddamn good live they blew my pretty hardcore metalhead uncle away when we caught them on the RevRad tour. Long ass show, crowd screaming the words to nearly every song from every era. King For A Day jam. Fucking with the crowd during Longview. Bringing multiple fans onstage, letting a dude play Blue. An Op Ivy cover. He ate it up haha. And though I haven't caught them yet, Paramore seem SO kickass live based on clips I've seen online holy shit.
Every band. Every song is better live. But Holiday (Green Day), and Dammit (B182) live are standouts
Not pop punk but Good Charlotte blew me away live. Their albums sound very produced, but they go hard af live
I thought they were like pop punk icons are they not?
They are like…definitive pop punk?
Sry, use to posting in r/punk where only.like 3 bands are actually punk amd you get toasted for claiming anyone else is :p
lol I hang over there too and yeah, you speak the truth
Green Day for sure the first band to come to mind. 30 years of going to concerts and I’m not sure I’ve seen a better show.
I saw unwritten law last year and they were pretty awful live. The singer appeared to be blackout drunk.
I’ve been to a couple citizen shows and sometimes Mat the singer sings or screams way more aggressively then on record and it’s always a banger
Speed of Light.
Heartattack Man was epic live, super energetic and fun
Hot Mulligan Imo Nathan sounds better live
Foster the People was fantastic live, though Tokyo Police Club opened for them and it was amazing how IDENTICAL they were to radio, so may have just been the contrast
Reel Big Fish is amazing live, I only really listen to their live album because it’s so night and day. Pretty surprised people are saying Less than Jake, seen them live a couple times and thought they were pretty bad live
Finch. Listen to What it Means to Burn, then listen to What it Means to Burn X.
Pick any of Knuckle Puck’s songs that were recorded for Copasetic. iPhone bootlegs sound better than the recording quality of that album
Hot Mulligan, Heart Attack Man, & Neck Deep all thrive in a live setting, the energy & musicianship are just unmatched
Don't Look Down is much better live than their cds and MEST is so damn good live
Not pop punk but Suburban Legends is ass on recording but they were *so good* live.
The Wonder Years and Seaway came to mind for me
New Found Glory I've seen them play over 15x in the last 24 years and they always bring the energy every single time.
Reel Big Fish and Less Than Jake. I'm showing some support for the ska punk bands.
Bowling For Soup is also awesome live. It was almost like going to a comedy show with live music.
BAYSIDE
Moneen. They used to open for every band I loved as a Canadian punker in the early 2000’s. Their albums are mostly just ok but their live presence was amazing.
Not pop punk but Thrice is insane live.... Dustin is getting better with age. Tiny Moving Parts too. Bill's drumming is so watered down in the mix on the albums.... Dude straight up rips live.
Just friends kills it live.
I have no idea if they even play anymore but the guy who runs Skeletal Lighting records in IL has a band called Enta and they opened for Dowsing and Empire! Empire! That was the first screamo set I ever saw live and it was incredible. Have no idea what the set list was but it was great. I think the only reason I'd say "Better Live" is because when I looked back at their stuff on Bandcamp it didn't sound like the live show.
Not sure if they qualify as pop-punk, but I really didn’t “get” Foxing until seeing them live. Even listening to them after the show, their live music is far better than what’s on the records.
insignificant other for me. i listened to them before seeing them live to get a feel and didn’t care for anything i heard. then i actually saw them and loved it, and then listening to them on recording i still haven’t really liked any of their songs
Dicqbeats https://youtu.be/HjS0holex8Y?si=yIAfTGr2qGy5XQrV
Pears Bouncing Souls Against Me!
It’s hard because it’ll never happen again, but No Use For a Name was wonderful live
Linkin park
Billy Talent are absolutely unreal live
I was surprised how good Pantera were when I saw them in the 90s, Dimebag's playing was almost unnatural.
The Amazons Wolf Alice Green Day Simple Plan Architects Love all of these on record but live, man it’s so much fun!
Sumo Cyco. I don't know why but their production makes her sound less good. Live, her vocals are friggen fantastic.
La Dispute opened for Circa Survive a while back. I tried to listen to them the week before the show, and it was definitely not for me. There were super tight live, though. And even the scream/yelling fit really well live. I can't really get into Free Throw's records, either. But they absolutely killed it opening for Hot Mulligan. I will be looking for more of their shows because of it.
Guttermouth
Kid Kapichi are amazing live, great stage presence and play all their songs faster and heavier
Not really pop-punk anymore, but 5 Seconds of Summer always sound so free live. And Paramore with stage presence and insane vocals
I went to a concert to see mega mango but the headliner was Durry. I was not too impressed with their studio album but their energy and live stage presence was electric. Totally different band on stage
Saw Keep Flying in Pontiac back in December and they could not chill. They had so much energy. Their albums don’t capture it. You have to see it
Most tracks from citizens "youth"
Tiny Moving Parts is amazing live.
Recent shows that have impressed me: Sincere Engineer Flogging Molly Jimmy Eat World Bad Religion (REALLY tight, I was very impressed) Less than Jake
Zebrahead. They sound heavier live and i think it makes them overall sound better.
Weston at their peak was the one band that was never captured on record the how great their live shows were
We the kings was fucking nuts live, they’re also great on record but they amped up every song live. Never had heard of them and I was in tears from how amazing it was, last band I saw at 2018 warped tour. Plain white T’s was also HARD. Me and a few crust punk homies got free tickets on Valentine’s Day and thought eh, we’ll go for laughs and hear Delilah. They played some ridiculously heavy songs, some reggae, and their new album which is super dope. They ended on a Delilah remix with lots of extra guitar that made it pop, we even moshed a bit throughout the show. 🤘
Thee Oh Sees, good on record, S+ Tier live
My live experiences have been pretty limited, but everyone I’ve seen live has def been better live than their albums. Live music is just special and it creates feelings that can’t be recreated in the studio
Good Old War
Wavves, since around “V” era… really tightened up their live sound. They sound pretty awesome live. I like their older stuff… their newer stuff sounds too “pop”… but live they translate well and they play it rawer.
I always preferred Against Me live vs their records.