What a half-year it’s been, eh? It feels like it’s only lasted for about a decade so far, with no end of the virus in sight, but in addition to less time commuting and more time at home with pets, there has been at least one other silver lining to all of this for music junkies around the world over the summer: free streaming concerts!
It became clear as far back as mid-March that live music would not be able to continue for some time, putting venues, artists, and many crew people in a very tough position. While research into when and how venues can re-open to resume live music continues, in the meantime, fans have been stranded at home without the ability to scratch that concert itch. Thankfully, several of the biggest and best artists and festivals in the world of rock have come to the rescue by releasing free, streaming concert performances on YouTube and other platforms for fans to enjoy while social distancing at home.
The trend began almost immediately with Dropkick Murphys sending out a live webcast in lieu of cancelling their annual St. Patrick’s Day show on March 17th. They were back at the end of May with a second live stream, with a little help from Bruce Springsteen, broadcasting from an empty Fenway Park in Boston. Shortly after it became clear live music was down for at least the near future, rock legends and jam bands, especially, got things going with weekly archival shows from Phish, Widespread Panic, Grateful Dead, and their modern offshoot, Dead & Company. Dave Matthews Band were a little late to the party, but they have now released 17 full-length concerts over a 21-week span in their Drive-In series. While two to three hours of weekly content from these artists wouldn’t be overwhelming to their fans, the fact that they posted another serving of that length weekly for nearly 25 weeks now is certainly an impressive gesture and has allowed some groups a way to stay in touch with their followers even when touring is (temporarily?) grounded.
Hard rock, alternative, and classic rock artists also participated, but not always to the same degree. While Radiohead released full (or nearly full), previously unreleased concerts for 16 straight weeks, Foo Fighters simply uploaded three of their official live DVDs, footage many of their fans already own or have at least seen before. Both, however, tied their uploads to charity organizations, helping to raise money while fans enjoyed the music. Mike Patton’s Ipecac Records did something similar, streaming four of their official DVDs over a span of a month featuring Fantomas, Melvins, Kaada/Patton, and Isis. The Rolling Stones also featured previously released official material, but their Live Licks series ended up being 6 weeks of DVD bonus tracks from full length concerts or documentaries that can be purchased or streamed for a fee, of course, but the band did not share any of those full length pieces for free.
Pearl Jam could have at least posted some or all of their official DVDs as well but have now only recently announced they will stream a pay per view of a show Labor Day weekend from their 2018 summer tour (tied to charity) which is sort of baffling and disappointing considering the amount of time the group has been together and the years of filmed shows they could have chosen to share (and because they just released a new LP in March and could have seized the opportunity to promote it a bit better). Pearl Jam and other groups who frequently vary the songs included on any given set list are the best artists to share this high volume of material with such frequency, and it’s arguably surprising more such artists did not find a way to participate in the COVID-based streaming trend.
In the rock world, it’s hard to beat Metallica when it comes to consistency, quality, and volume of streaming material released, totaling out to 23 full length concerts (most in HD from the Met Club/5th Member archives) which also functioned as charity fundraisers. Metallica Mondays became a weekly ritual for many rock fans in the spring, and the band only concluded the series last week after an extremely impressive run. While they also took the opportunity to promote new projects and content for sale, it’s interesting to see Metallica giving so much content away, but whether or not they are still trying to make up for their infamous anti-Napster stance 20 years ago, their weekly offerings were always something to look forward to in spite of the days and weeks of depressing news updates.
Some groups attempted to participate but ran into technical difficulties. They Might Be Giants offered a stream of a show from 2018, but it was plagued by a lengthy delay in starting and with synchronization issues once it began. Pink Floyd got in on the action by offering previously released video content, including their classic Live at Pompeii and Delicate Sound of Thunder concerts, but their uploads were only available for very limited amounts of time, ranging from one week to only 72 hours in one instance. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame also raided its vaults and uploaded some amazing performances and induction clips from their 34-year history, but some of these moments would have been more enjoyable in the context of the full induction ceremonies, and the most interesting piece the organization posted, the HBO edit of The Concert for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame from 1995, was only available to stream for a few days before it was taken down.
Festivals also got on board the stream train throughout the summer. While early-season fests like Coachella and Bonnaroo were seemingly unprepared to broadcast archival sets and/or new content in lieu of an in-person event, Lollapalooza put together a decent package that included both (old and new material), and many European festivals, such as Glastonbury, Pukkelpop, Lowlands, Exit, and Hell Fest released excellent sets from previous years. A few attempts were also made to hold all-star fundraising stream events, on par with tribute concerts and telethons such as those that aired following the 9/11/01 attacks and 2012’s Hurricane Sandy disaster. Those events, such as the Global Citizen Webcast, One World: Together at Home, were inconsistent and mediocre at best, partly due to the selection of artists who participated as well as the quality of the performances themselves, which varied depending on where they were being filmed and the type of equipment being used to film and record them. Similar issues were also seen in various musical performances on late night TV shows that have been broadcasting from home. There is a novelty to seeing The Rolling Stones perform a song together while each member is separated in their own (gigantic and expensive) homes, but compared to a studio or live recording, the quality just isn’t there. Post Malone put together an unexpected and surprisingly engaging set of Nirvana covers, performed with friends who were also isolating, and raised charitable donations on his own.
While the history we are living continues to unfold, the
ability for fans and bands (and fans to fans) to connect and engage with each
other online and with these concert streams has been a true lifeline for music junkies everywhere. The summer of 2020
will be remembered for many reasons, but in the world of rock and roll, the
summer of streaming was unique and memorable in itself. (Now back to
daydreaming about all the shows we will enjoy when all of this is over!!)
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