Magic music to make your morning mood

Contrary to what my previous post implied, the Internet did NOT kill the video star. If anything, it preserved our 80s guitar heroes for all eternity. Or at least until YouTube.com goes bankrupt.

Here are five more great live performance to cherish:

Rush - Spirit of the Radio: The definitive song by the Canadian trio? I say it is. And one of many Rush songs that any good "air drummer" knows by heart. See it here performed in Frankfurt, Germany, during the band's "R30" tour. (Click to view)

Violent Femmes - Blister in the Sun: Long before it became a commercial jingle for Wendy's hamburgers, it was an anthem of ... well, something unprintable. (Actually, it's about a crush on a girl in high school, according to fan sites.) Enjoy this 1984 performance in London, and particularly savor Gordon Gano's attempt to get the camera man to sing along. (Click to view)

U2- Sunday Bloody Sunday: Everyone knows and loves the live performance at Red Rocks. Try this one though -- 1983 in Germany with Bono introducing the tune in the native tongue of the fans. How long must they sing this song? Probably for every U2 tour until the end of time. (Click to view)

Men At Work - Overkill: Of all the 80s bands reuniting this summer, why can't Men At Work be one of them? Rumors have it that the band is still upset with former frontman Colin Hay over financial issues. In the meantime, relieve the magic in this video from 1982 (and try not to sob). (Click to view)

Big Country - Fields of Fire: Speaking of sobbing, it's hard to watch a Big Country performance without lamenting the untimely and tragic death of frontman Stuart Adamson in 2001. So in honor of Stu, enjoy one of Scotland's favorite bands -- definitely one of the most underrated bands of the 80s -- in this 1983 performance on Britain's legendary TV show "The Tube." (Click to view)

Comments

[Mitch]

Hey what timing! I just got off my lazy butt, bought a video capture card for my computer and Xferred the U2 Live at Red Rocks Laser Disk that has been collecting dust for over 15 years. Its now on DVD!

I did the same to my Cure in Orange LD which is also an amazing concert video.

I prefer Fields of Fire to In A Big Country, so thanks for picking that video, steve!

You are indeed Mr. 80s. If you haven't copyrighted that term, you need to!

[Bassnote]

Wow Steve, those are some great choices. I, like you, lament Men At Work. that was a great performance of Overkill (my favorite MAW tune). Colin Hay has a great acoustic version of that song on his Man @ Work disc.