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amazing live videos of Replacements, Frank Ocean & 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:

The Replacements in Rotterdam, Holland – 1991

The Replacements famously put on some disastrous live shows, but when they were on they were on, and at this 1991 Holland show they were on. Their nearly two-hour, 30+ song set included favorites like “I Will Dare,” “Waitress in the Sky,” “Bastards of Young,” “Androgynous,” “Kiss Me on the Bus,” “Can’t Hardly Wait,” “Alex Chilton,” and much more, plus plenty of covers (including great renditions of The Only Ones’ “Another Girl, Another Planet” and T. Rex’s “Raw Ramp”), and the ‘Mats were in fine form all night. [Andrew Sacher]

Redd Kross @ Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles, CA – 3/30/1985

Going off that Replacements set, here’s a different side of ’80s punk-turned-power-poppy-alt-rock: Redd Kross. Redd Kross were still a couple years away from releasing Neurotica, the glam/garage/power pop/psych-inspired punk album that helped predict the ’90s alt-rock boom, but they did some of its material at this show, alongside cuts from Red Cross, Born Innocent, and their Teen Babes from Monsanto covers EP, and they were on fire all night. The band is decked out in attire as eye-catching as the Neurotica cover art, their stage banter is as loud and irreverent as their music, and they’re tearing through these songs like it’s their last night on earth. [Andrew Sacher]

Frank Ocean @ FYF Fest, Los Angeles, CA – 7/22/2017

Live sets from Frank Ocean were rare even before the pandemic put concerts on hold, but he was supposed to headline Coachella in April. The festival has since been postponed to October, but it seems likely it’ll be cancelled, and whether or not Frank will play next year, or whenever it returns, is very much up in the air. With that in mind, there’s no better time to revisit his FYF Fest set from 2017, which featured an appearance from Brad Pitt, and a cover of his favorite song, Stevie Wonder’s version of The Carpenter’s “Close To You,” as just two highlights of a uniquely intimate set. [Amanda Hatfield]

Hoodoo Gurus @ Chevron Hotel, Sydney 7/18/1984

Aussie alt-rock greats Hoodoo Gurus are supposed to tour the U.S. this fall — their first trip here in a decade — which is still on for now. But to hold you over till then (or perhaps longer given the way the concert industry is going this year), here are the Gurus in the ’80s prime, playing Sydney’s Chevron Hotel, ripping though surfy classics like “I Want You Back,” “Leilani,” “Tojo,” and “I Was a Kamikaze Pilot.” [Bill Pearis]

Midnight Oil @ RMIT, Melbourne 3/7/1987

We’ll stay in Australia with one of the best rock bands the country has ever produced, and one whose convictions have always driven them. This Melbourne show happened during the making of their worldwide breakthrough Diesel & Dust, and is heavy on songs from that, including “The Dead Heart,” “Dreamworld,” “Bullroarer” and more (but not “Beds are Burning”), plus other classics like “The Power and the Passion,” “Kosciusko” and “Best of “Both Worlds.” Midnight Oil are always a powerhouse live and are on fire at this show. [Bill Pearis]

Check out pics from Midnight Oil’s NYC shows in 2017:

For more of our favorite live videos, head here.