Great bands that play great live.

I'm sitting here with a few hours to kill before an outdoor concert that will certainly roast what is left of my brain, so what better use of my time than to listen to music I haven't heard in a while?  This afternoon I picked Billy Joel's Songs in the Attic. The first observation I make when I listen to this album is that this band can really play. There aren't many bands that sound this good live. The band is Billy Joel on vocals and piano, David Brown on lead guitar, Richie Cannata on saxophones, flute and organ, Liberty DeVitto on drums, Russell Javors on rhythm guitar and Doug Stegmeyer on bass. David Brown was the latest addition to the band. The rest of the guys had been with Joel for a number of years. It shows. They know where the songs are going and still keep a freshness to the sound. I'm not always the biggest fan of Billy Joel's lyrics, but one of his best is on display on this recording in the song Summer Highland Falls. I think that song, along with Vienna from The Stranger comprise the best of what Joel was capable of lyrically. That doesn't mean I don't like Captain Jack, I've Loved These Days and many of the others, but those two songs are the apex of his abilities. But I digress...the point is that the band is tight and you won't find many better live performances than this one.