Cities have started to reopen (NYC is in phase two) and some people are finding socially remote ways to host concerts, but the world of live entertainment as we know it is still far from over. normal. Aside from watching the many livestreams that happen every day, one thing we’ve turned to in these non-concert times is the live concert footage, and luckily there is YouTube which has an incredible array of live footage. from all the history of pop music, from movie clips of concerts, TV performances and other professional filming footage, to tons of videos made by fans of shows. If you’re looking for a place to start, we’ve picked out some of our favorites. Here are five more:
Hum @ The TLA in Philadelphia, PA – 02/28/1998
There’s a new Hum album out in the world for the first time in 22 years (read our review), and it’s really, really good. This finds them moving forward and really adding to their already excellent discography, so I don’t want to get too carried away with the nostalgia, but since it’s going to be a while before they can turn again, I thought I would revisit this fantastic live video from their classic ’90s era until then. It was shortly after Down is up to the sky came out, and they played a lot of the songs on this album, and this video is as fascinating as this album. The sound and video quality is excellent – especially for a 90s amateur video – and this footage shows how much larger than life Hum is on stage. [Andrew Sacher]
Sigur Ros’s Jonsi has just announced his first solo album in 10 years, and while waiting for the universe to allow him to take this album on tour, here’s a comeback on the DVD that documented Jonsi’s astonishing tour of the support of her 2010 debut solo album Go. Sigur Ros’s music was often meditative, but Go was loud and grand and brought Jonsi’s voice to the fore, and the Go the tour followed suit, with an amazing multi-member group, bold visuals and more. This movie captured the tour perfectly, and watching it this morning really makes me want to know what Jonsi will have in store the next time he hits the road. [Andrew Sacher]
The Avengers @ Winterland – 1/14/1978
The Sex Pistols went their separate ways immediately after their January 14, 1978 concert at San Francisco’s Winterland, with Johnny Rotten making the famous remark “Have you ever felt like you’ve been cheated on?” The perhaps unenviable task of opening this show fell on the big local punks The Avengers who delivered a formidable ensemble in less than ideal and gobby circumstances, opening with “The American in Me” and ripping 13 songs in one. half an hour, including a cover of “Paint it Black” and ending with all three songs from their first 7. ”The evening may have ended on a bitter note, but it started well. [Bill Pearis]
La Chute @ L’Hacienda – 10/18/1984 & 10/09/1985
There were almost as many lineups in the fall as there were months together, but one of the most successful was when Brix was in the band (and married to frontman Mark E Smith) in the mid-1980s. In this five-year run, they recorded their first Top 40 hits, wrote the music for a ballet and left us a handful of great records. They were also a formidable live band, with Steve Hanley on bass and Craig Scanlon on guitar, and often two drummers (Karl Burns and Paul Hanley). Here are footage from two shows, one year apart, but both at Factory Records / New Order club The Hacienda, which sound pretty amazing with some of the band’s best songs from this era, including “2×4” , “LA” and “I am Damo Suzuki.” [Bill Pearis]
Tierra Whack @ The Rainbow Room – 05/10/2018
Tierra Whack’s debut in 2018 Whack world has been acclaimed as much for her colorful and vibrant accompanying visuals as Tierra’s rhymes, but she can still truly deliver outside of the video world. At this unique Red Bull Music Festival performance on New York’s chic rooftop The Rainbow Room, she wowed a crowd that included David Byrne, Dev Hynes and Aaron Maine from Porches. This video is not from the full show, unfortunately, but Whack worldThe songs are short and you can hear several of them in this 15 minute recording. [Amanda Hatfield]
For more of our favorite live videos, head here.
