When great artists take innovative music on tour, they not only provide a novel and memorable experience for fans, but can also shape the future of music in unexpected ways.
In his new book, "Lighters in the Sky: The All-Time Greatest Concerts, 1960-2016," veteran music critic Corbin Reiff catalogs a well-researched, year-by-year breakdown of the most seminal concerts in each of the last six decades.
Business Insider spoke to Reiff about six of the many notable concerts he covers in the book. We focused on one defining show from each decade.
From a massive Beatles concert to the monumental stage design of Kanye West's "Yeezus Tour" in 2013, these shows have had a striking influence on the history of live music.
Here are six of the best concerts of all time:
SEE ALSO: The 50 best-selling music artists of all time
1960s: The Beatles — 1965 US tour
Notable show: Shea Stadium — New York, NY — August 15, 1965
In 1965, The Beatles kicked off their second US tour in front of the largest crowd they had ever played in front of: a packed house of around 55,000 people at Shea Stadium.
"No rock band had ever played a single venue of that enormity before," Reiff said. "It kind of justified The Beatles as a potent force in rock music, and it made people in America and beyond take rock music more seriously than they might have otherwise."
Cranking through a setlist that included early hits like "Can't Buy Me Love" and "A Hard Day's Night," the show stood as a seminal live moment in the trajectory of a band that would stop touring altogether just over a year later.
"It was a high-water mark in their live career," Reiff said. "Even though they didn't play very long, and the amplification wasn't great, it was a spectacle the likes of which had never been pulled off before, and they really did pull it off."
1970s: David Bowie — "Ziggy Stardust Tour," 1973
Notable show: The Hammersmith Odeon — London, England — July 3, 1973
On July 3, 1973, David Bowie officially retired "Ziggy Stardust," an extraterrestrial rock persona that brought him critical acclaim and a legion of fans.
After the "Ziggy Stardust" tour's high production value proved to be unsustainable for his management, Bowie decided to abandon "Ziggy" in a London show that Reiff described as a celebratory "wake."
The performance was filmed by D.A. Pennebaker, a documentarian who made the iconic, 1967 Bob Dylan documentary, "Don't Look Back."
"Bowie, being the genius that he is, saw that opportunity, and knew that the cameras were rolling," Reiff said. "He knew he had this audience that extended beyond the building that could kind of create this legend for him, and he made the most of it."
1980s: Prince — "Purple Rain Tour," 1985
Notable show: The Forum — Inglewood, California — February 23, 1985
In the final show of an extended residency at Inglewood's The Forum, Prince ran through a career-spanning setlist that centered around his blockbuster 1984 LP "Purple Rain."
"1984, 1985, that era after 'Purple Rain,' was maybe the most commercially potent and critically potent of his entire career," Reiff said.
That particular Inglewood show featured a guest guitar solo from Bruce Springsteen, and a side-stage appearance of Madonna dancing.
"It represented this defining cultural moment of the '80s to have those three figures interacting with each other in front of a live audience," Reiff said. "To go back in time and witness something like that would really just blow your hair back."
See the rest of the story at Business Insider