There was a time when punk shows cost $3 and were staged in abandoned warehouses or in a field. Such things are sadly becoming extinct. But if you put on I against I and squint while staring at a Bad Brains poster, you can almost be there again. Live shows were the REAL Bad Brains. They put on the best shows at places like the Complex or the 9:30 Club in DC during a time when you couldn't swing a dead cat without hitting 10 hardcore bands. Apart from being ridiculously fast they were excellent musicians and influenced countless acts to follow. Unlike Minor Threat and others, Bad Brains music is timeless and listenable even 20 years (sic) later.

see, here's the thing: every genre of music has a seminal band that typifies the essence of that genre. but sometimes a band comes along and defies imitators and just IS the genre. i know, i know, "Black flag is a hardcore band"....blah, blah. shut up. greg ginn revolutionized the way people looked at guitar playing; henry rollins embraced the darkest, most base emotions and put them on display on stage and practically invented Tool, Korn, and dozens of other bands. but nobody EVER made music like Black Flag, before or since. they are legends.