Basically no shows are happening due to the coronavirus outbreak (although some performers are doing live broadcasts instead), but if you already feel like seeing a show, or just need to a brief distraction from the madness of the world right now, luckily there is YouTube which has an incredible range of live footage from all the history of pop music, movie clips of concerts, TV performances and more. professional filming footage, to tons of videos shot by show fans. If you’re looking for a place to start, we’ve picked out some of our favorites. Here are five more:
Microphones @ Pete’s Candy Store in New York – 9/9/2002
With the exception of a one-time event in 2019, Phil Elverum hasn’t performed under the name The Microphones since 2003. He still releases jaw-dropping albums under the name Mount Eerie, but his beloved era Microphones remains exceptional and this video captures it perfectly and transports you well. back to the early 2000s. Phil opened the show with a full rendition of Microphones’ latest album, Strange mountain, four months before the album’s release. Then he did a quick question-and-answer session with the fans and played a bunch of other songs, including several from The light point 2, a cover of Little Wings, and more. It’s nearly impossible to hear Phil’s devastating songs without being completely sucked in, and it looks like you might have heard a fly fly at Pete’s Candy Store that day. As soon as he opens his mouth to sing in this video, he sounds as powerful as I have ever heard him. [Andrew Sacher]
ABBA @ Wembley Arena 1979
This concert film begins, as you would expect from ABBA, with shots of Benny and Bjorn drying their hair. Soon, however, we are on stage and what a spectacle! What is the name of the game? Razzle dazzle and these Swedes have it in spades, plus the hits, and they do a spectacular job recreating the intricate arrangements and vocal harmonies of their records live. The only bad thing here is that despite the video’s title promising “Full Concert,” it’s only the first 35 minutes, but you still get a lot of classics and costume changes in that too short amount of time. [Bill Pearis]
Pedro the Lion @ Ridglea Theater in Fort Worth, TX – 05/14/2002
Pedro the Lion has been together for a while now and they put on some great shows and released a great new album, but as good as they are today there is a very specific charm to the era of the captured group. in this video. Their beloved Control had just been released a month earlier, and David Bazan is joined by some of the band’s classic members: guitarist TW Walsh, bassist Johnathon Ford (frontman of Unwed Sailor) and drummer Casey Foubert. They looked fantastic, and the very modest, no-frills performance (with no visuals, light show or anything) really feels like a raw snapshot of indie rock history. [Andrew Sacher]
Baxter Dury – Pocket Night 2014
Baxter Dury hasn’t performed in the US for at least 10 years (although he did come to New York to take the pictures for his new album), so we’re going to have to settle for that when it comes to shows. live (coronavirus or not). It’s a very beautiful film, filmed by the people from La Blogothèque, for one of their shows “Soirée de Poche” which is shot in a private apartment in Paris. This one comes from the release of Baxter’s album in 2014, Pleasure, and he and his band sound fantastic and, being a production of La Blogothèque, there are some surprising arrangements and interludes in this apartment show. [Bill Pearis]
Thursday @ Chain Reaction, Anaheim, CA – 11/18/2018
Thursday celebrated the 20th anniversary of two of their most classic albums, Complete collapse and War all the time, playing them in full in intimate places during a series of shows a few years ago. This Anaheim, California lounge is one of Complete collapse nights, and it’s an exciting watch. Thursday remains a living force, and hearing the roar of the crowd singing, fists raised, overpowering Geoff Rickly’s voice at times gives me goosebumps. [Amanda Hatfield]
For more of our favorite live videos, head here.
