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:
The Rolling Stones @ Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona – 12/13/1981
The Rolling Stones would still have been gods if they broke 50 years ago like the Beatles, but they kept going and by 1981 they had reached a new level of stardom. They already had a 15+ year legacy that most bands wouldn’t reach in their wildest dreams, and then came the career rejuvenation of 1978. Certain girls, which launched a new era of dominance that culminated again with “Start Me Up” in 1981. That was the year the Stones recorded this Tempe, Arizona gig for Hal Ashby’s Let’s spend the night together movie, and for a band that had been swaggering, bravado, and arrogant since day one, this gig showed just how far they could go. Mick and Keith almost seem to laugh at their notoriety (and at least one moment, Bill Wyman seems to laugh at Mick), and they make owning a gigantic stadium crowd seem effortless. [Andrew Sacher]
Electrelane @ La Route Du Rock 2011
British band Electrelane broke up in 2007 after touring for their fantastic fourth album, No screams, no calls, but then reformed briefly in 2011/2012 to play a few festivals, including Saint-Malo, La Route Du Rock in France. It was a truly mind-blowing set, featuring motorik Electrelane jams such as “To the East”, “On Parade” and “Birds”, as well as a superb cover of Bronski Beat’s “Small Town Boy”. The band said this show was “one of our all-time favorites. The crowd energy was on another level.”
Dag Nasty @ Chevy Chase Community Center, Washington, DC – 03/21/1986
I’ve got Dag Nasty on my mind lately, as a handful of new bands with Dag Nasty members have released new music over the past few weeks: Fake Names (Brian Baker), Dave Smalley & the Bandoleros and Field Day (1/ 2 of field day line up). This video (from a DC show that Salad days used images of) has the classic can i say line-up (Dave Smalley, Brian Baker, Roger Marbury, Colin Sears) and it apparently features the first known performance of “Values Here”. Smalley and Baker mostly made a ton of great music throughout their careers, but there was a certain magic that happened when they were briefly together, and this classic sequence captures it. [Andrew Sacher]
Mazzy Star @ Shoreline Amphitheatre, CA, 10/02/1994
We still mourn the loss of David Roback, who inspired us to seek out this all-too-brief set, which captures Mazzy Star a year after their second album, So tonight I could see, came out of. Halfway through, they play “Flowers in December” by Among my swan, which would be released two years later, before ending with “Fade into You”. I hope Sandoval’s voice is as gorgeous and haunting as ever, and we wish this video was at least twice as long. [Amanda Hatfield]
Julian Cope at the Ritz 06/07/1987
Julian Cope is best known as an eccentric, but he had flashes of real pop success, first with his band The Teardrop Explodes and then with his 1987 solo album. Saint Julien which earned him a minor US hit (and MTV’s “Buzz Bin” status) with “World Shut Your Mouth.” It’s on the Saint Julien tour that this show at the Ritz (you might now know it as Webster Hall) was shot for MTV, and found him embracing a rock star persona — which he was very good at. Julian also created his unique, climbable mic stand that allowed him to perch high and lean over the crowd. It’s also a nice killer set, with “World Shut Your Mouth”, “Trampolene”, “Sunspots”, The Teardrop Explodes “Bouncing Babies” and a cover of “I’ve Got Levitation” by The 13th Floor Elevators.
For more of our favorite live videos, head here.
