Basically, no shows are taking place due to the coronavirus outbreak (although some artists are doing live streams instead), but if you’re already watching a show, or just need a ‘a brief distraction from the craziness of the world right now, luckily there’s YouTube which has an incredible range of live footage from all over pop music history, film clips from concerts, TV performances and live music. other professionally shot footage, to tons of fan-shot videos from shows. If you’re looking for a place to start, we’ve selected some of our favorites. Here are five more:
New Order @ Shinjuku Koseinenkin Hall, Tokyo May 2, 1985
New Order were truly at the peak of their creative powers in 1985, having drum machines and synthesizers fully integrated into their sound for a truly unique rock/dance hybrid. The week before the release of their brilliant third album, Low lifespan, they played this gig in Tokyo which shows what a good live band they were then (when their delicate equipment was working properly). With the new album fresh on their minds, the setlist is heavy low life, including “Love Vigilantes” and “Sub Culture”, but also incredible deep cuts, like the big, anthemic, should be a single “Face Up” which is just a happy rendition here. Elsewhere in their set: “We All Stand” by Power, corruption and liessingle “Confusion”, “As It Was When It Was” (which will be on their next album, fraternity) and, of course, “Blue Monday” to finish. This was released on VHS under the nice official title full of drugs which, if you’ve read Peter Hook’s New Order memoir, is probably a fairly accurate description of the band at the time. [Bill Pearis]
Minor Threat @ 9:30 Club, Washington, DC – 6/23/1983
Not known for their quality or longevity, I’ve thrown quite a few VHS tapes in the trash in my lifetime. Some, however, will remain in my library forever, even if later DVD or BluRay updates render these dinosaurs obsolete. One such title whose antiquated VHS version I cherish is Minor Threat Live, a beautiful snapshot of the live fury Minor Threat was able to unleash at the end of their career in 1983. ‘before I knew what Criterion was. The video kicks off with a super grainy first B&W video recording of “Minor Threat” as it was performed at DC Space in Washington D.C. in 1980. After that it moves in earnest to a more professionally recorded 17-song assault at 9: 30 Club in DC in 1983. The 9:30 Club material begins with lots of onstage banter to a barely visible audience just standing there. However, the second they go into “Stand Up”, the place absolutely erupts. It’s an incendiary performance that always makes me absolutely amped up. [Jeff Bergstrom]
Fiona Apple @ Tower Theatre, Upper Darby, Pennsylvania – 05/23/2000
Fiona Apple revealed some details about her long-awaited new album earlier this week, so it’s the perfect time to revisit one of her live shows. This is a rare recording of a show from his tour supporting the 1999s When the pawn…and while neither the sound nor the picture is exactly professional quality, the setlist is sublime and it’s a great reminder of what a live force Fiona is. [Amanda Hatfield]
Jefferson airplane at the Monterey Pop Festival, 1967
Before Woodstock, there was Monterey Pop Festival, which was much less disastrous than Woodstock and maybe the concert definitive event of the summer of lovers. The DA Pennebaker-directed (RIP) documentary/concert film is rightly considered one of the greatest concert films of all time, and luckily DA and his crew had tons of footage that hasn’t been integrated into the film, including that of Jefferson Airplane. together. As with their pals the Grateful Dead, you’d never know exactly what you were going to get from the Airplane’s often improvised sets, and they were to in Monterey. They breathed new life into favorites of the newest and now classic surreal pillow (“Somebody to Love”, “White Rabbit” and “Today”), did fiery versions of two of their regular covers (“Other Side of this Life” and “High Flyin’ Bird”), and ended with a performance of the then unreleased “Young Girl Sunday Blues”. Just as incredible as they sounded were the psychedelic splashes of oil drops behind them, which made the whole thing as trippy as any concert visual you can see today. We miss you Paul, Marty and spencer. [Andrew Sacher]
Video of almost the whole thing is on YouTube, but at the end of this playlist is the full concert audio:
Napalm Death @ Salisbury Arts Centre, UK, 06/30/1990
As much as I love Napalm Death, my favorite period is between 1987 and 1992. In that time they released four records; Foam (1987), From enslavement to annihilation (1988), Corruption of Harmony (1990), and Banished Utopia (1992). Foam serves as the foundation for grindcore as we know it, while the following three releases have seen their sound become bigger and heavier. With the release of Corruption of harmony, 1990 was a pivotal year for the group. Although heavily peppered with their signature grindcore blast beats, Corruption of Harmony saw Napalm Death rely more on the death metal sound that dominated the scene at the time. The album sounded more massive and polished than anything that had come before it, and as such their popularity began to pick up steam. While on tour in support of Corruption of Harmonya performance at the Salisbury Arts Center on 30 June 1990 was professionally recorded for possible release in 1992 as Corruption Live. This 19-song assault captures the fury and heaviness of Napalm Death at their peak. It also serves as the final document the sheer ferocity drummer Mick Harris brought to the proceedings; he will leave the group in 1991, even before the release of the video. Interspersed with short interviews with the band outside the venue, it’s an essential document of an important place and time in death metal. [Jeff Bergstrom]
For more of our favorite live videos, head here.
