Who rules the road in 2013? To find out, Rolling Stone magazine asked a panel of writers, industry figures and artists – from Lars Ulrich of Metallica to Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes – to vote on their favorite live performers right now.
To be eligible for the list, a performer must have toured within the last five years and not announced their retirement. So Lady Gaga is ranked at no.45 in the '50 most crowd-pleasing, club-wrecking, festival-killing live acts right now' list.
45. Lady Gaga
Gaga isn't content to just put on conceptual pop spectacles; her concerts double as refugee camps for her Little Monsters, the masses of queer kids and outcasts that drape themselves in police tape and bubble wrap as an homage to their fearless, fashion-forward leader. Gaga never stops thinking big: huge sets, massive choreography, epic speeches about overcoming obstacles. And her ability to dance in foot-high platforms is matched by her killer pipes and effortless piano playing.-RS
