concert – these things inside

Arcade Fire gives a new gospel

It is undeniably true that Arcade Fire is one of the most amazing bands living, performing and making intense, inspirational and thought-provoking music in this modern age that we are experiencing. Their latest album, The Suburbs, was released in 2010, and while listening to it I realized I’ve never seen them perform live. So, I looked around a bit and found some great webcasts and TV broadcasts of concerts from 2005-2011. If you’re not familiar with this band (or if you are), then watch every one of these concert videos. They’re all great. You can even read all the lyrics here. Very nice. I will definitely be seeing Arcade Fire next time they come around. And probably every time after that, too.

[mp3] [mp4] 2005-01-17 KCRW Morning Becomes Eclectic
[mp3] [mp4] 2005-03-10 Le Nouveau Casino – Paris, France
[mp3] [mp4 ] 2005-03-11 Melkweg – Amsterdam, Netherlands
[mp3] [mp4] 2005-05-11 Paradiso – Amsterdam, Netherlands
[mp3] [mp4] 2005-08-20 Lowlands Festival – Biddinghuizen, Holland
[mp3] [mp4] 2005-08-25 Rock en Seine – Paris, France
[mp3] [avi] 2007-03-20 L’Olympia – Paris, France
[mp3] [mp4] 2007-06-19 BBC Radio 2 Session – London, England
[mp3] [mp4] 2007-06-22 Glastonbury Festival – Pilton, England
[mp3] [mp4] 2007-06-27 Hovefestivalen – Arendal, Norway
[mp3] [mp4] 2007-07-01 Les Eurockéennes – Belfort, France
[mp3] [mp4] 2007-07-07 T in the Park – Kinross, Scotland
[mp3] [mp4] 2007-08-24 Rock en Seine – Paris, France
[mp3] [mp4] 2007-08-25 Reading Festival – Berkshire, England
[mp3] [mp4] 2007-09-14 Austin City Limits
[mp3] [mp4] 2008-01-25 Big Day Out – Sydney, Australia
[mp3] [mp4] 2010-07-09 Oxegen Festival – Ireland
[mp3] 2010-08-05 Unstaged – NYC
[mp3] [mp4] 2010-08-28 Reading Festival – Berkshire, England
[mp3] [mp4] 2010-09-05 MTV Galicia – Spain
[mp3] [mp4] 2011-02-10 KROQ, Los Angeles – Studio R
[mp3] [mp4] 2011-04-16 Coachella Festival – USA
[mp3] 2011-04-24 Chicago – WXRT Broadcast

MGMT live in NYC 2010 webcast

MGMT performed a concert last night at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City to coincide with their TV appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman. This was a really great show, I enjoyed it all. Setlist: Flash Delirium, Destrokk, The Youth, Electric Feel, It’s Working, The Handshake, Song for Dan Treacy, Time to Pretend, Congratulations, Brian Eno. “Time to Pretend” (below) is on youtube, plus some other songs. Or you can watch the complete concert here.

PJ Harvey & John Parish concert in Boston!

I’ve been busy going to shows. It’s one of my favorite things to do, actually. I love seeing other musicians perform, especially great performance artists like PJ Harvey. Last night I took another trip to the House of Blues. The event was an amazing dramatic display of musicianship from PJ Harvey, John Parish and their band. The set was made up entirely of songs from the two albums PJ Harvey and John Parish wrote together – Dance Hall at Louse Point (1996) and A Woman A Man Walked By (2009). Good stuff. PJ Harvey is really able to let loose and be comfortable and relaxed when someone else is in charge of the music and all she has to do is sing. The show was very fun and laid-back. Even the intense, dramatic songs were presented in a way that wasn’t irritating in the slightest. Instead, you could really enjoy and appreciate the music and the performance, without distractions. I’m sure part of this effect was due to the simple, solid white backdrop for the show and the perfect sound mixing.

Here are my photos from Boston, June 6, 2009:

…and here are the “outtakes”. I like the pictures that come out messed up. they don’t really seem messed up to me, it’s like they’re supposed to be that way.

David Bowie live in Germany, 1996

My personal favorite David Bowie era was in 1996 when he was promoting the album Outside. So… I was really happy to find this amazing concert video from the Loreley Festival in Germany, filmed on June 22, 1996. His look, the new band and a new sound with the older songs all combined to make something totally fresh for Bowie, and I think it’s great. Here are my favorite performances from the show. Enjoy! (You can get audio for the complete concert here).

Look Back in Anger

The Heart’s Filthy Lesson

Outside

Aladdin Sane

Andy Warhol

The Voyeur of Utter Destruction (As Beauty)

The Man Who Sold the World

Nina Hagen says the “Future is Now”

German opera singer / punk rocker / cosmic diva Nina Hagen is one of the most outrageous and colorful women in music, and she has one of the most amazing voices ever, to top it off – an unmistakable voice that you will probably never forget. I found a great concert video from the 1999 Rockpalast Festival and some earlier performances, so enjoy! This is an AMAZING concert. Watch highlights below or save the complete mp4 video. There’s also an mp3 version.

7 songs from Rockpalast 1999

2 earlier performances & interviews

3 Classic Cyndi Lauper Concerts from ’83 & ’84

Here are some nice little golden eggs from under the tree … Three concerts broadcast on the radio during the height of Cyndi Lauper’s popularity in 1983 and 1984. Her voice is amazing, the shows are fun and the fans are wild. Also, the “Money Changes Everything” music video was filmed live during the Houston show (watch it below). Enjoy!

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at Ripley Music Hall
November 29, 1983

1. She Bop
2. When You Were Mine
3. I’ll Kiss You
4. Money Changes Everything
5. Time After Time
6. I’ll Try for That
7. Yeah Yeah
8. Witness
9. I’m Gonna Be Strong
10. Girls Just Want to Have Fun
11. What a Thrill
12. Maybe He’ll Know

Boston, Massachusetts at the Metro
May 2, 1984

1. When You Were Mine
2. I’ll Kiss You
3. Witness
4. All Through the Night
5. He’s So Unusual
6. Yeah Yeah
7. She Bop
8. Time After Time
9. Money Changes Everything
10. Girls Just Want to Have Fun

Houston, Texas at The Summit
October 10, 1984

1. When You Were Mine
2. I’ll Kiss You
3. Good Enough
4. She Bop
5. I Had a Love
6. Maybe He’ll Know
7. All Through the Night
8. He’s So Unusual
9. Yeah Yeah
10. Witness
11. Time After Time
12. Money Changes Everything
13. Girl Just Want to Have Fun

Sinéad O’Connor concerts

Sinéad O’Connor is one of my favorite musicians, so I am sharing six amazing concerts that were broadcast on the radio and are unavailable for purchase anywhere. Sinéad’s live performances are full of raw emotion and passion, and her voice is an amazing instrument. I hope you enjoy these shows and support her future projects.