Cities have begun to reopen (NYC is in the second phase of doing so) and some people are finding socially-distant ways to put on concerts, but the world of live entertainment as we know it is still far from back to normal. In addition to watching the many livestreams that happen every day, one thing we've been turning to in these concert-less times is live concert footage, and thankfully there’s YouTube which has an amazing array of live footage from throughout the history of pop music, from clips from concert films, TV performances and other pro-shot footage, to tons of fan-shot video from shows. If you’re looking for a place to start, we’ve been picking some of our favorites. Here are five more:
Hum @ The TLA in Philadelphia, PA - 2/28/1998
There's a new Hum album in the world for the first time in 22 years, and it's really, really good. It finds them pushing forward and really adding to their already-great discography, so I don't want to get too caught up in nostalgia, but since it's gonna be a while before they can tour again, I thought I'd revisit this fantastic live video from their classic '90s era until then. This was shortly after Downward Is Heavenward came out, and they played a good chunk of that album's songs, and this video is as mesmerizing as that album. The sound and video quality are great -- especially for an amateur video from the '90s -- and it's obvious from this footage how larger-than-life Hum are on stage. [Andrew Sacher]
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Jonsi - Go Live - 2010
Sigur Ros' Jonsi just announced his first solo album in 10 years, and while we wait for the universe to allow him to take that album on tour, here's a look back at the DVD that documented the astonishing tour Jonsi went on in support of his 2010 debut solo album Go. Sigur Ros' music was often meditative, but Go was loud and grand and pushed Jonsi's voice to the forefront, and the Go tour followed suit, with an incredible many-membered band, bold visuals, and more. This film captured the tour perfectly, and watching it this morning is making me really want to find out what Jonsi will have in store the next time he hits the road. [Andrew Sacher]
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The Avengers @ Winterland - 1/14/1978
The Sex Pistols broke up immediately after their January 14, 1978 show at San Francisco's Winterland, with Johnny Rotten famously remarking "Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?" The perhaps unenviable task of opening that show went to local punk greats The Avengers who delivered a terrific set under less than ideal, gobby circumstances, opening with "The American in Me" and ripping through 13 songs in a half hour, including a cover of "Paint it Black" and finishing with all three songs from their debut 7". The night may have ended on a sour note, but it sure started off great. [Bill Pearis]
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The Fall @ The Hacienda - 10/18/1984 & 10/9/1985
There were nearly as many lineups of the fall as their were months they were together, but one of the most fruitful was when Brix was in the band (and married to frontman Mark E Smith) in the mid-'80s. During that five year run, they scored their first Top 40 hits, wrote the music for a ballet and left us with a handful of great records. They were also a fearsome live band, with Steve Hanley on bass and Craig Scanlon on guitars, and often two drummers (Karl Burns and Paul Hanley). Here's footage from two shows, a year apart but both at Factory Records/New Order's club The Hacienda, sounding pretty amazing with some of the best songs of that era of the group, including "2 x 4," "L.A.," and "I Am Damo Suzuki." [Bill Pearis]
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Tierra Whack @ The Rainbow Room - 5/10/2018
Tierra Whack's 2018 debut Whack World was acclaimed as much for its colorful, vibrant accompanying visuals as Tierra's rhymes, but she can still really deliver outside the world of video, too. At this unique Red Bull Music Festival show at NYC's fancy rooftop The Rainbow Room, she thrilled a crowd that included David Byrne, Dev Hynes, and Aaron Maine from Porches. This video isn't of the full show, unfortunately, but Whack World's songs are short, and you can hear quite a few of them in this 15 minute recording. [Amanda Hatfield]
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Check out pictures from Tierra Whack's Rainbow Room show in the gallery below:
