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:
REM @ Capitol Theater, Passaic, NJ June 9, 1984
After releasing their second album, Accounta few months earlier, REM were somewhat unstoppable, confident and prolific when they played this show at Passaic, NJ’s Capitol Theater, peppering their set with songs not only from 1985 Fables of the reconstruction but also from 1986 The Wealth of Life Contest. The show actually kicks off with a Velvet Underground cover (“Pale Blue Eyes”), then runs through a killer set that includes early classics “Harborcoat”, “7 Chinese Brothers”, “So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry ), “Gardening at Night”, “Radio Free Europe”, and an encore of all covers ending with “Gloria” by Them. This was recorded for an MTV special called “Rock Influences: Folk Rock”. [Bill Pearis]
Tom Waits @ Hammersmith Apollo, London – 23/11/2004
Recordings by Tom Waits and his excellent backing bands are beloved by fans. While this is primarily due to the power Waits exudes from American music when performed live, the trickle of rare appearances since his last tour in 2008 has only left fans desperate for every contraband moment. of him in action that they can find. This concert of really gone the tour featured many of his cherished show features: ritual convulsions; the searing, skronky performances of longtime collaborators Marc Ribot and the late Larry Taylor; and a career-spanning setlist, driven by Waits’ inimitable growl and avuncular storytelling. [Andrew Marinaccio]
Husker Du @ Camden Palace, London – 14/05/1985
The energy Husker Du brought to the stage was truly vital – Bob Mold still brings much of that same energy to his own shows today – and on this 1985 pro-shot concert film (recorded for the British TV show “Live From London” and later aired on home video), this energy pours out of your speakers and screen. This was done between the releases of New dawning day and Flip your wigand their set leaned the most on songs from the former, but also included two then-unreleased songs from the latter (“Makes No Sense At All” and “Every Everything”), plus they did some killer covers, very Husker Du-sounding from “Ticket To Ride” by The Beatles, “Eight Miles High” by The Byrds and “Love Is All Around” by Sonny Curtis. [Andrew Sacher]
Related: More photos of Husker Du at the Peppermint Lounge in New York in 1985 (like the one at the top of this article) here.
Radiohead – Live At Reading Festival 2009
On tour behind In the rainbows, Radiohead managed to put together a near-perfect setlist for their headlining performance at the 2009 Reading Festival. , which was a fantastic kick for this set. The band also included the usual staples like “The National Anthem”, “Street Spirit (Fade Out)”, “Paranoid Android” and many more, all of which were made more powerful by the band’s dazzling light displays. Meanwhile, incredible versions of In the rainbows highlights like “Bodysnatchers” and “Reckoner” sounded just as good among the older classics. That’s how we play a festival. [Jeremy Nifras]
The Sex Pistols @ Winterland 01/14/1978
If you have never read 12 days on the road by Noel Monk, regarding the Sex Pistols’ first and last tour of the United States, I implore you to immediately rectify this vacancy in your reading history. Director Malcolm McLaren came up with the idea of subverting typical tour routes and bypassing major markets like NYC and LA in favor of an itinerary that would meander them through the Deep South, including stops in places like Atlanta , Memphis, San Antonio, Baton Rouge, Dallas and Tulsa. As the tour progressed, the myriad idiosyncrasies and issues that had been simmering within the band began to manifest in earnest. When the tour’s final gig was at Winterland in San Francisco on January 14, 1978, the little thread holding them together finally snapped and the band broke up immediately afterwards. Finally, in a relevant market with a lot of hype, the sold-out show was simulcast on KSAN FM radio and got a multi-camera recording which you can see below. Aside from Sid Vicious sounding like a three year old playing a bass he found in the trash, the rest of the band sound pretty amazing and Johnny Rotten is in his purest form. [Jeff Bergstrom]
For more of our favorite live videos, head here.
