Watch: Dave Matthews Band – Live in Bristow, VA (full show, pro shot)

During the second half of the nineties, Dave Matthews and his Band released a trio of great albums that brought the jam band aesthetic to a new audience. ‘Under The Table & Dreaming’ and its superior successor ‘Crash’ appeared to blend the complex melodic charms of ‘Mars Hotel’ era Grateful Dead with the more commercial strains of mid 70s Steve Miller, but latch onto a contemporary audience. With ‘Before These Crowded Streets’, the band hit their studio peak when introducing jazzier elements.

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Watch: Screaming Trees live in 1996 (full show)

When Screaming Trees visited the UK on the ‘Dust’ tour in 1996, it was very much a cause for celebration. Having already pulled out of that year’s Reading Festival line up and now having another hugely successful album under their collective belt, it was no wonder that fans absolutely joyous at their long-overdue return. In addition, ‘Dust’ was arguably their finest work to date. With its heavy elements counterbalanced by huge swathes of dark psychedelia and prominent use of mellotron, it was almost as if their retro sound had come full circle and harked back to the 60s inspired parts of albums like ‘Invisible Lantern’, but it also had the benefit of much stronger song writing.

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Watch: Meat Loaf – Live At Toad’s Place, New Haven, CT 1991

In terms of rock stars, Meat Loaf was unique. A larger than life character whose best music took in elements of hard rock, light opera, pop and prog to create a musical theatre that became the soundtrack for a generation of fans in the late 70s and beyond.  So much of Meat’s greatness was enhanced by his collaborators, of course, and when working with Jim Steinman, members of Todd Rundgren’s Utopia and Roy Bittan of Springsteen’s E Street Band on the world dominating ‘Bat Out of Hell’ album, he was a genuine force of nature.

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Listen: Marillion – Buffalo, July 1983

For years, the ‘Recital of The Script’ VHS was only available document of Marillion’s earliest live shows. Recorded at Hammersmith Odeon in 1983, the gig was drummer Mick Pointer’s last public appearance with the band. Although visually brilliant, the performance is rather slow in retrospect, not always doing full justice to some great material.

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