The Greatest Punk Shows Ever Filmed

In our opinion, these are the greatest punk shows ever filmed, and you can watch them on YouTube right now.

Maybe the all-time great punk concert ever caught on film was when the Bad Brains performed a short residency at CBGB’s in 1982. Over the Christmas holiday, the legendary D.C. hardcore punk band came up to New York City and absolutely destroyed. The Bad Brains were at maximum power at the time, with vocalist H.R. giving a masterclass in how to be the most energetic frontman humanly possible.

Long before the Ramones had truly broke in America, the band was gigantic in Britain. On New Year’s Eve 1977, the Ramones performed an iconic show at the Rainbow Theatre in London, which would become the band’s first live album, It’s Alive. Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen, Elton John, and Marlon Brando were reportedly in the crowd that night to witness a perfect Ramones setlist comprised of the band’s first three albums… played at lightning fast speed. It’s Alive remains one of the greatest and most underrated live albums of all time, and crisp footage of the show can be viewed on YouTube.

FEAR may have been the first act to be banned from Saturday Night Live. The punk band was recruited to play SNL by John Belushi himself, and a full-on riot happened when FEAR launched into their opening number, “Beef Bologna.” Frontman Lee Ving hilariously said, “It’s great to be here in New Jersey,” onstage at the NYC institution, and SNL even cut to commercial early as FEAR began “Let’s Have a War.” Short it may be, but the show is truly a classic.

Check out the Greatest Punk Shows Ever Filmed in the Loud List below.