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:
Arcade Fire @ Lowlands Festival, The Netherlands, 08/20/2005
Fresh off the release of their acclaimed debut album, funeral, in 2004, Arcade Fire had already acquired a reputation as a must-see live band. This Dutch set from 2005 arrived in the middle of a festival-heavy summer for the band, but if they were tired you wouldn’t know it because of the passion and energy of their performance. It gives goosebumps from the first notes of “Wake Up” at the opening of the set, and it never lets up. [Amanda Hatfield]
Tool @ The Glass House, Pomona, CA 10/16/1996
The first show of a major tour in support of a brand new album could almost be a perfect storm for fan discontent. As a band, you run the risk of not having your tour “sea legged” yet and giving the audience a stiff performance. And as an audience, you are sure to be nailed with a lot of dreaded “new songs”. But on October 16, 1996 at The Glass House in Pomona, California, Tool defied the odds and delivered a performance as flawless as they are capable of unleashing. This concert was the first stage of their Ænima tour, which had dropped on vinyl about a month earlier, and other formats a few weeks later. Eight of the 12 songs they performed at the concert are from Ænima and they sound as perfect as if they’ve been playing them night after night for months already. Although Maynard’s vocals might show a bit of fatigue during the very last song, from start to finish he’s relentlessly strong, just like my hero, drummer Danny Carey. This man’s fill-ins are astounding. The uploader calls the video “remastered”, and although the audio is a 10 out of 10 and the video is largely very articulate, I’m deducting points for stretching a 4:3 video to 16:9 like an amateur . [Jeff Bergstrom]
Jawbreaker @ Lupo’s in Providence, RI – 10/23/95
The luminary of the late 90s NJ punk scene, Tim Morris, filmed tons of amazing bands at the time, often in unconventional locations like homes and VFW halls (but in many “real places too), and as we mentioned, Chris Haug has been digitizing Tim’s videos and adding more and more to Tim’s YouTube page all the time. This one was added just a week ago from Jawbreaker playing Providence about a month after the split so Very expensive was out. Jawbreaker’s recent reunion proved they still got it, but there’s nothing quite like watching them go wild on their glory days like this and it’s a treat to hear the Very expensive songs when they were still fresh. [Andrew Sacher]
wire on rockpalastFebruary 1979
Filmed in February 1979, this show — shot for a long series of German live music rockpalast – finds Wire still climbing, changing almost by the second. Two years earlier they were banging some incredible one-minute punk rippers and here they incorporated dark soundscapes, electronics and pure pop into their ever-changing repertoire. Many songs that will appear on the band’s third album, 154 (released October 1979), are here, including big names such as “The 15th”, “A Single KO” and “Map Ref. 41°N 93°W”, alongside “older” songs like ” Pink Flag”, “Practice Makes Perfect” and “Another the Letter”. wonderfully strange. [Bill Pearis]
Botch @ The Joint in Staten Island – 04/25/97
Here’s another one from the Tim Morris archives: Tacoma, WA, mathcore greats Botch in Staten Island, before they even released their first full album. Even early in Botch’s career, they were absolute maniacs and a real force to be reckoned with, and especially for those of us who didn’t get to see Botch before their 2002 breakup, he’s a nice to see still ubiquitous musicians like Brian Cook (later/currently of Russian Circles and Sumac) and Dave Knudson (later of Minus the Bear, now also defunct) this hard (and at such a young age). Like we said before, Botch, please come together! [Andrew Sacher]
For more of our favorite live videos, head here.
