amazing live videos of Bill Withers, Tom Petty, Siouxsie & The Banshees & more to watch while every show is cancelled

April 3, 2020

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:

Bill Withers – Live on BBC, 1973

This morning, amidst all the terrible news that’s already in the world, came the news that soul legend Bill Withers passed away from heart complications at age 81. Bill was truly one of the greats and his voice was unparalleled. We already miss him, but right now I’m finding some solace in watching this genuinely moving BBC session he filmed in 1973. Bill is seated, playing acoustic guitar, and backed by a suitably laid-back band, and his voice sounds as pristine as it ever did. [Andrew Sacher]

Siouxsie & The Banshees @ Warwick Arts Centre, UK 3/9/1981

Filmed for UK series “Rock Goes to College” just a few months before they’d drop their great fourth album, Juju, this is peak early Siouxsie & The Banshees. It’s only 30 minutes but it’s packed with goth classics like “Spellbound,” “Israel,” “Arabian Nights,” “Christine” and more. They sound fantastic here, with Budgie and guitarist John McGeoch in especially fine form, and Siouxsie Sioux commanding the stage. Why haven’t they reunited? [Bill Pearis]

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Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Pack Up the Plantation: Live! (1985)

Tom Petty’s 1986 concert film Pack Up The Plantation: Live! is a testament to how he and The Heartbreakers were a force to be reckoned with onstage. Shot across two shows at Los Angeles’ Wiltern Theatre in August 1985, these shows contain a few cuts from the then-recent Southern Accents, but there are tons of older favorites on here too, like “Refugee,” and “American Girl,” among others. One highlight is the film’s version of “Breakdown,” where Tom steps away to let the audience sing the first two verses; the crowds at these shows were particularly crazy, with fans throwing clothing onstage, and one fan rushing the stage to cover Tom in a bear hug before being dragged away by security. The band sounds larger than life, and this is the type of heart-racing escapism we need during times like these. [Jeremy Nifras]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrW5YHFfx4c

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Fun Boy Three @ Regal Theatre, Hitchin UK, 1983

At the height of The Specials UK success in 1981, vocalists Terry Hall and Neville Staple, and guitarist Lynval Golding, quit the band and formed Fun Boy Three, a group that merged new wave pop, Afrobeat and dub into a unique sound. They had six UK hits, including their version of “Our Lips Are Sealed” which Hall co-wrote with Jane Wiedlin of The Go-Go’s (who had a US hit with it in 1981). This 1983 concert, shot for BBC live music series The Old Grey Whistle Test, was filmed right after “Our Lips are Sealed” was released and their 35-minute set is heavy on songs from their David-Byrne produced second album, Waiting, including “Tunnel of Live,” and “The More I See.” They also play their fantastic cover of Cole Porter’s “Summertime,” “It Ain’t What You Do (It’s the Way That You Do It)” and even The Specials’ “Gangsters.” Backed by a six-piece band, FB3 sound fantastic, and there’s even a little awkward backstage interview to kick things off. [Bill Pearis]

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The Knife @ Terminal 5, 4/30/2014 & 5/1/204

The Knife’s 2014 tour supporting 2013’s Shaking the Habitual was a true audio-visual spectacle, complete with choreographed dance routines and lots of glittery face paint. The tour stopped at NYC’s Terminal 5 for two nights in 2014 (we attended both), and those shows were the basis for a live album and video that came out a few years later. It’s definitely worth revisiting, and I dare you to keep from dancing along. [Amanda Hatfield]