amazing live videos of Bikini Kill, Sufjan, The Darkness & more to watch while every show is cancelled

Basically no shows are happening due to the coronavirus outbreak (though some artists are doing livestreams instead), but if you’re already jonesing to see a show, or just need a brief distraction from the insanity of the world right now, 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:

Bikini Kill @ Yale’s Morse Dining Hall – 3/3/96

Bikini Kill are finally reunited and great as ever (but unfortunately also one of the many bands who had to postpone a tour), and as great as it is to see them play anywhere, watching them on a huge stage doesn’t have the same charm as the up-close-and-personal shows they did in the ’90s, like this one at Yale. It’s a grainy video shot in a modest, intimate environment (no real stage, no light show, probably no sound system worth bragging about), but it still comes across how much of a forceful, impassioned live band Bikini Kill were. This video also gets extra points for the very funny moment when Kathleen Hanna asks the person filming the show why they’re recording it. If only she knew how legendary this video would be one day. [Andrew Sacher]

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Sufjan Stevens @ Sasquatch, 8/6/2016

Sufjan Stevens toured Age of Adz in 2010 and 2011 with a series of vividly neon-hued, electro-frenzied, life-affirming shows. I couldn’t find any full sets from that era online, but happily Sufjan revisited that aesthetic for a run of 2016 festival dates after the release of Carrie & Lowell, including this Sasquatch set. Somehow he manages to incorporate Carrie & Lowell‘s melancholy material into the overall joyous set with ease, along with “dad jazz” keyboard shredding and an epic rendition of “Impossible Soul.” [Amanda Hatfield]

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The Soundtrack of Our Lives on Rockpalast, 2012

Sweden’s Soundtrack of Our Lives were master thieves, knicking the best bits of The Who, Rolling Stones, The Stooges, Love and anything else that fit into their psychedelic rock n’ roll worldview. That went for their live show, too, where they used every rock move trick in the book, and played every show like it was a massive festival. TSOOL used it all like they invented it, which made them such a consistently enjoyable group and an absolute powerhouse live band. They were the kind of group where you could just watch one member of the band for a whole show and never get bored. This show was taped for amazing, long-running German live music series Rockpalast in 2012 — they would call it quits a year later — and is packed with many of their best loved songs, including “Sister Surround,” “Mantra Slider,” “Firmament Vacation,” and “Bigtime.” [Bill Pearis]

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The Darkness @ London Astoria, November 2003

The Darkness’ debut album, Permission to Land, is a perfect record, every song is a hit, packed with RAWK riffs, super-melodic solos (most of which are announced), and no opportunity for a double entendre missed. The rest of their output has been hit or miss but in 2003 they could do no wrong, especially live where their stadium rock showmanship was equal parts tongue-in-cheek knowingness and genuine affection for all the posturing, catsuits and ridiculous rock moves. (Does frontman Justin Hawkins ride through the crowd on a roadie’s shoulders whilst soloing? You know it.) This show at the London Astoria in November of 2003 was filmed for British TV and the crowd clearly knows every word. [Bill Pearis]

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Nas @ The Fever – 1994

Veteran DJ Tony Touch was behind the boards when Nas came to Bronx club The Fever just as Illmatic came out, and Tony uploaded this vintage footage to his YouTube page a few years back. Illmatic is, of course, one of the greatest rap studio albums ever made, but live footage of Nas from this period remains as sought after as his album. Right off the bat, it was clear how good of a rapper Nas was, and that really comes across when he’s on stage getting a crowd going nuts off the strength of his bars alone. Also in this video: AZ comes out for his verse on “Life’s A Bitch.” [Andrew Sacher]

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For more of our favorite live videos, go here.