Ten Legendary Live Rock Albums Recorded in Texas

I've covered 11 artists that recorded albums in El Paso, but this list is strictly for LIVE albums. Which bands & artists gave such amazing performances in Texas that they dedicated an entire album for people to enjoy? Well let's start the list with one of the most well known Texas live albums done by one of the biggest bands from the 2000s: Linkin Park.

Linkin Park:

After the release of Hybrid Theory & Meteora, Linkin Park were HUGE. So huge they capitalized by recording their first live album (Live In Texas) at 2 different Texas shows in 2003:

• August 2nd at Reliant Stadium in Houston
• and the next day, August 3rd at Texas Stadium in Irving

The result? A true portrait of Chester & the band performing for thousands of screaming fans in Texas that would sell millions of copies.

Metallica:

Yes the mighty Metallica recorded a live album in Texas; back in 1998 Metallica released the live album on CD & VHS called Cunning Stunts. It was recorded over the course of 2 days in 1997: May 9th & May 10th at the Fort Worth Convention Center in Fort Worth. Needless to say, these are definitely some of the wildest live performances you'll see at a Metallica show.

Blue October:

Back in 2014, Blue October would film a concert during Thanksgiving weekend at the House of Blues in Dallas. The album Things We Do at Night would be released a year later in 2015. It was their 4th live album & 11th album overall.

Arctic Monkeys:

Before the Arctic Monkeys would become alternative rock giants, they recorded their first live album Live In Texas: 7 June 2006, in Austin's Stubb's Bar-B-Q. They performed the entirety of their debut album, Whatever People Say I Am. It's fascinating that they recorded this album BEFORE they really made it big. But they did.

The Rolling Stones:

Yes the Stones recorded a live album in Texas, back in 1978. The July 18th, 1978 concert at the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Ft Worth, Texas would be the setting for their live concert film/album Some Girls: Live In Texas '78. The interesting thing is that the film wouldn't come out until 2011. Better late than never I guess...

Journey:

The Escape album is regarded as one of Journey's best albums to date; with songs like Don't Stop Believing, Open Arms, Who's Crying Now.. it became a huge success for the band. So it makes sense that they recorded a live album based around that tour. They would record the Live In Houston 1981: The Escape Tour album in 2005 on both CD/DVD. It still contains some of the best performances of Journey to date, in my opinion.

Judas Priest:

The 80s were a time that Judas Priest dominated the metal world. In 1986, Priest were doing their Fuel For Your Life tour & would record 2 dates for their Priest...Live! album:

• June 15th at The Omni in Atlanta
• June 27th at the Reunion Arena in Dallas

If you watch the live videos, all the footage was used from their Dallas performance.

Rush:

My favorite band of all time recorded their Clockwork Angels Tour album in 2012. They actually recorded/filmed the album over the course of 3 dates:

• November 25th at the US Airways Center in Phoenix (fun fact: I actually WENT to that show)
• Nov 28th at the American Airlines Center in Dallas
• and Nov 30th at AT&T Center in San Antonio

Most of the audio & video were used from the Dallas show. However there are some extra songs that used the Phoenix shows. So somewhere buried in the crowd... is a cheering Daniel as he geeks out watching his favorite band live.

Nine Inch Nails:

I already went into great detail about Nine Inch Nail's Beside You In Time Live that you can read here. But the important thing you need to know is that that 2006 concert... was filmed right here at the El Paso County Coliseum.

ZZ Top:

Last but certainly not least, we have "The Little Ol' Band from Texas"... ZZ Top. It was back in November 1st, 2007, at the Nokia Theatre in Grand Prairie, Texas, ZZ Top would record their Live From Texas. Honestly it's some of the best live material from ZZ Top out there.

They would record another live album, RAW, which was the soundtrack for the 2019 Netflix documentary "That Little Ol' Band From Texas". They recorded a live performance at the Gruene Dance Hall, in New Braunfels, TX. The was album was dedicated to the memory of the late Dusty Hill...

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