In Concert: Jukebox Edition
Awesome Live Performances
In the mood for some music? Let’s fire up the jukebox!
As part of my desire to mix entertainment elements into the vibes we are creating here at The Stone Age, I thought it’d be fun to bring some quality tunage into your home this week.
This time around I am showcasing some of my favorite live performances; from Elvis to Joss Stone to Disturbed, these musical moments are raw and (at least as far as I can tell) autotune free!
So grab a tasty beverage and plug in whatever version of headphones you desire, as we prepare to enjoy the show…
Prince and The Revolution
Purple Rain
Filmed at the American Music Awards in 1985, this is not only my favorite live Prince performance… it’s my favorite live performance period. Captured when the man from Minneapolis was at his absolute peak…
Fleetwood Mac
Rhiannon
Drummer Mick Fleetwood once said watching Stevie Nicks in the early days was oft like seeing someone go through an exorcism; this live performance, from the mid-70s, truly captures that…
Elvis Presley
One Night With You
Of the (undoubtedly) dozens of hours of film we have of ‘The King’ in concert, this may well be the one song which captures the entire essence of Elvis. From the 1968 ‘comeback’ special, this short clip has it all; the voice, the swagger, the humor, the humility, and the undeniable magnetism…
Melissa Ethridge & Joss Stone
Cry Baby / Piece of My Heart
Shot at the 2005 Grammys (during Ethridge’s successful battle with cancer), the pure soulfulness of this video is palpable. Of course Ethridge performed with her trademark passion, but I think many forget just how good Stone really was, with her vocals and her stage presence…
Metallica
Fade To Black
While there are many - MANY - live versions of this tune, I am partial to this one; part of a 1989 concert film, it captures all the intensity of the band at a time when Metallica was on the rise…
Cyndi Lauper
I Drove All Night
While Lauper is outside my normal musical vibe, I have always dug this rendition; say what you will about her curious dance-moves… girl’s got pipes on her. From the 2004 ‘Live… At Last’ concert film…
Nirvana
All Apologies
Filmed for the ‘MTV: Unplugged’ series a few months before Kurt Cobain’s death, it is the best example of why this man - and this band - spoke to (for?) a generation of forgotten youth.
And people wonder why us Gen X’rs are… well, the way we are…
Linda Ronstadt with The Eagles
Silver Threads and Golden Needles
Captured in 1974, this is all about the power of Ronstadt’s voice; in her prime, she was one of those people who could have made singing the dictionary sound good. There was just something about female singers in the 70’s…
Disturbed
The Sound of Silence
From Conan in 2016; much like Nirvana’s Unplugged did for the band in 1994, this captured a side of lead-singer David Draiman few had ever witnessed. One of the most powerful vocal drops I have ever seen - and also one of the best covers…
And that’s all for this good-natured - if somewhat-frivolous - Jukebox drop. I hope you enjoyed it.
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Notes…
-- I was very (so very) tempted to use, “Where Did You Sleep Last Night,” for the Nirvana entry, but decided “All Apologies,” captured the overall vibe better.
-- Unless otherwise credited, all images were generated by the author, using Grok 2 [on X] or Substack’s AI Image Tool, with digital alterations when needed.
Linda Ronstadt with the Eagles….I missed that pairing. Thanks so much for that. What a treat. Not frivolous, good music and art add value and feed our souls. At least that is how I feel about it. This was great and a lovely reprieve from intense subject matters. The jukebox reference was very clever.
I'm liking this jukebox you are spinning tunes on. Great compilation.