amazing live videos of Say Anything, Echo & The Bunnymen + 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:
Hot Rod Circuit & Say Anything (Acoustic) @ Knitting Factory Brooklyn - 1/14/2007
Back in January of 2007, the same year Say Anything would later release In Defense of the Genre and Hot Rod Circuit would go on hiatus, the two bands' singers -- Max Bemis and Andy Jackson -- did an acoustic show together at Brooklyn's Knitting Factory. Most excitingly, they teamed up to play Hot Rod Circuit's "Consumed By Laziness" together, but this show was also exciting because Max debuted a few In Defense of the Genre songs before the album was out, and it's still a treat to hear those songs in these early, stripped-down forms. (I especially recommend the acoustic version of "About Falling" that he played at this show.) Max and Andy both played tons of older favorites too, and though I haven't found video of the whole set, I've rounded up as much of this very special show as I could find in this playlist. [Andrew Sacher]
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Samiam @ CBGB - 10/22/1994
Berkeley emo/punk vets Samiam had gotten scooped up by the major label feeding frenzy in the early '90s and released their sole album for Atlantic, Clumsy, in 1994. The major label deal didn't last long, but they made good use of Atlantic's budget and came out with what is now one of their most classic albums. "Capsized" became a minor hit, and they played it on a legendary Jon Stewart Show appearance, but as great as it was to watch Samiam rip it up on TV, they were really more at home at a place like CBGB, where they tore through tons of favorites from Clumsy (and Soar and Billy) that same year. [Andrew Sacher]
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Rainer Maria @ Fireside Bowl, Chicago - 3/28/1997
This Chicago show from Rainer Maria predates their debut LP, Past Worn Searching, by months - it came out in December of the same year. It's a compelling look at the band's early days, with the seeds of raw potential already firmly planted. [Amanda Hatfield]
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Echo & The Bunnymen @ Royal Albert Hall July 18, 1983
Echo & The Bunnymen were at the absolute peak of their powers at this 1983 show filmed at London's prestigious Royal Albert Hall. They definitely brought their A-game, armed with a string section and a bucketful of great songs. "This is a new one," Ian McCulloch says introing "The Killing Moon" (played faster than you may have heard it before) which would end up on 1984's Ocean Rain, and preview "Silver" off that album as well. Other highlights: the moody, percussive "All My Colours (Zimbo)", a storming version of "The Cutter" and one of their classic extended renditions of "Do It Clean" where Ian works in lyrics of other songs (this ended up on their Sound of Echo/Never Stop EP). Bonus: lots of great '80s looks both onstage and in the crowd.
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Unrest @ Khyber Pass 3/13/1992
He's a recently unearthed and uploaded show from DC indie rock cult heroes Unrest, playing Philly's Khyber Pass which was one of the best small clubs in the city for most of the '90s and '00s. Mark Robinson, Bridget Cross and the rest of the band sound great here, alternating between their hypnotic dreamy/drony numbers and manic janglepop hits like "Suki," "Cath Carroll" and "Cherry Cream On."
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For more of our favorite live videos, head here.