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:
My Bloody Valentine @ Liberty Lunch, Austin 02/08/1992
Echoes of My Bloody Valentine’s eardrum destroyer Loveless tour (much of which was with Dinosaur Jr and Babes in Toyland) may still ring out somewhere. Their live set was sensory overload, with flashing strobes that seemed to match Colm O’Ciosoig’s intense drumming; although other times it was almost dark. This video, shot at Austin’s Liberty Lunch in February 1992, is a good representation of that. It’s behind the scenes, so the visuals are far from ideal, but they look great. [Bill Pearis]
Balade @ 9:30 Club, 06/14/1992
Ride were in their poppy, shoegazy prime in 1992, having just released their fantastic second album, Empty again, and on the road in American with Pale Saints. I was actually at this show at the old DC 9:30 Club on F Street and I attribute at least some of my current tinnitus to their “Drive Blind” callback. My recollections of this show are pretty vivid – they indeed sound great here, and the video / audio quality is excellent considering it’s almost 30 years old, and includes a few shots of the infamous line-of-sight blocking post. from 9:30 Club. [Bill Pearis]
Jethro Tull @ Tanglewood in Lenox, MA – 7/7/1970
We have just heard the horrific news that Ian Anderson is living with an “incurable” lung disease, which now makes it a great time to celebrate all the great work he has done while keeping it in our thoughts. and hoping he continues to get out of it. Here is the band in 1970, playing favorite tracks from their first three albums (1968s It was, 1969 Get up, and the 1970s Advantage), and also working in a song of the beloved Scuba diving suit which will be released the following year. Tull was on fire during this show – the band is locked up, the riffs are roaring and Ian looks and sounds like crazy. (And his flute playing is more iconic than ever in this video.) The pictures are excellent too, and it’s a real treat that we get to see this bunch of superstars when they were young, hungry, and thriving. [Andrew Sacher]
Bob Dylan @ Hughes Stadium in Fort Collins, CO – 05/23/201976
Bob Dylan’s first album of new original music in eight years is coming this year (and the singles were really awesome), and he just had to officially cancel his summer tour, so until he hit the road again. , here is a great video from 1976 to help you out. Here are the pictures of the show from his legendary Rolling Thunder Revue tour which became the Downpour live album, and it documents what was a great era for Dylan. He was touring frequently at the time, and he had just released two excellent albums (1975 Blood on the rails and 1976 Desire). He played tracks from those albums on this show, as well as a handful of classics from the ’60s, and as was often the case on this tour, some of Dylan’s very talented friends joined him during the set. Joan Baez did a wonderful duet with him on “Blowin ‘in the Wind” and Roger McGuinn of the Byrds assisted on “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door”. [Andrew Sacher]
Genius Perfume @ Union Transfer, Philadelphia – 05/18/2017
The day before the release of the new album awaited by Perfume Genius Set my heart on fire immediately seems like the perfect time to revisit this video soon after the release of No shape. It’s certainly a reminder of what Michael Hadreas is, a unique expressive force live, from his musical performances to the growing role of dance in shows, and what we can expect from him when he’s sure the shows reproduce. [Amanda Hatfield]
Check out Ride’s photos from their winter 2020 tour:
For more of our favorite live videos, head here.
