Now of course we all know about what the visuals have looked like from the We Are The Night tour onwards - and the visuals from the Push The Button tour are pretty well-documented as well. But what about prior? In the long-forgotten days before people could upload grainy cellphone videos to Youtube, what did a Chemical Brothers concert look like? What were all those excited people on the recordings I listen to not just hearing, but seeing?
Now this thread will likely only be of use to the fresh-faced whippersnappers like me who only got into them fairly recently (though you wouldn't guess by my post count). That being said the whole forum seemed to go off when I found that footage of Got Glint so I'd like to know: even if there's no recorded evidence of them, can those of you who've been attending their shows for a while rack your brains and list some of the visuals that have been lost to the sands of time? Anything you remember would be of use; I'd like to create a sort of archive of their visuals. So rarities like My Elastic Eye or Piku Playground, right up to what, for instance, HBHG looked like in 2002 would be fair game. Just so long as you've got something I don't know already!
...Aaaaaaaand start!

I don't know if I can even wrack my brain with this one let along come up with any worthy video. I saw them (1999) for the first and only time that tour - a total Chems gig virgin. There was no messageboard and I wasn't a part of the mailing list that early, so going in... I didn't read up on their live shows beforehand. I had absolutely no idea whatsoever, what to expect. The first time was all very overwhelming. Back then it was more of a... a music:response type experience, and how that music physically made me feel - the bass shaking my bones. The twinkling whirl at the beginning of Sunshine Underground making my hair stand on end. Those things stuck with me and are clear as day, while the memory of what I saw on those screens has long since faded - which kind of makes me sad actually that that part feels a bit lost in time forever. Like I have no recollection of the visuals for Flashback but will never forget hearing it and what it felt like. Then again, I was really far away from the stage, I do remember punctuated flashes and flickers of light above the haze. Some robots, stained glass and church like imagery. Some clowns. Things we've all seen before as they were recurring themes and visuals used later on, and have been talked about a lot.

I'll put this out there since it's a rarity now - there is this lovely thing from 2002 that I was lucky to have seen and remember. It was the closer when I saw them, and it's just one of those rare things you never forget. http://www.youtube.c...h?v=CISts5piH6o

This was also pretty poignant: http://www.youtube.c...h?v=pn_no4zWGgo

There's also the exploding teapot. That's a favorite that has withstood the test of time.

Sigh.

the exploding teapot always reminds me of that fatboy slim video, think that was gangster trippin'

back to the topic. it is weird, I can hardly remember old visuals ot at least not as clearly as I would like to. I have also very much like the black-and-white things: the mule and also the dancing cops (was it cops? was that even fully black-and-white?)

Hey Boy Hey Girl (Live at Red Rocks, Colorado 1999): http://www.youtube.c...h?v=gxuaIvHg0cg
--This is how Hey Boy Hey Girl looked until the We Are the Night tour
---Look at Tom's long hair! (lol, hippie)

Edit: This might be a better video to look at from Glastonbury, 2000 for Hey Boy Hey Girl (it has visuals spliced directly into the vid): http://www.youtube.c...h?v=VhuGwSqMDhM

Block Rockin Beats (Live at V Fest, 2005): http://www.youtube.c...h?v=5UXsKvvoQH4
--Love the segue from Music: Response during this tour!!!
--Music: Response visuals were traditionally the silhouetted white cop/businessman with a black background; Block Rockin' Beats visuals were primarily the uber-quick cuts of buildings and construction

Chemical Beats (Live at Glastonbury, 1997): http://www.youtube.c...h?v=JMJmjVe-F7c
--Very simplistic visuals here, standard psychadelic pattern with a bunch of colors on loop

Setting Sun (Live at Glastonbury, 1997): http://www.youtube.c...h?v=vp1B9WxOHHU
--You can get a sense of old visuals for this track at about 2:50 or so.
---Note the first comment on this YouTube video. (lol)

Edit: FORGOT ABOUT THE OLD REEL VISUALS!!!
The Private Psychedelic Reel (Live at Glastonbury, 2000): http://www.youtube.c...feature=related

It looks like the Vegetable Vision/Flatnose George folks have recycled, reused and reworked the visuals since the beginning. Very well, I might add.

Hope that helps a bit!

That Setting Sun clip from Glastonbury 1997 is awesome! Can't believe that was 14 years ago already. It's cool to think about how much their show has evolved from that point until now, what with their fancy stargate and giant LED screens showing off such crisp visual renderings n'all.

Bizarre Festival 2002 :


i hope the video is up long enough...

MadPooter, on 21 July 2011 - 4:46 PM, said:

Don't make fun about Tom or he will banish you from the interweb (he is that mean!).

ThePumisher, on 21 July 2011 - 11:20 AM, said:

@6:20 -- Those visuals are SIIIIIIIIICK!!!!!!

TOM WOULD NEVER! He loves me. But Ed does more.

And thanks for posting that find! Awesome footage!!!!!

Edit: OMG, A++++ FOR THE CAMERAMEN CAPTURING SOME AWESOME REACTIONS FROM INDIVIDUAL CROWD MEMBERS!!!! (~35:00 the guy screaming silently into the air!!!)

MadPooter, on 21 July 2011 - 12:12 PM, said:

Totally awesome find!! I was only able to skim thru this since I'm at work right now, but I know what I'm going to be doing on my lunch hour. Had to take a peek at the 35:00 screaming guy, hahaha So funny... That's just too awesome!!

ThePumisher, on 21 July 2011 - 8:20 PM, said:

I had already seen the Reel video but I didn't know there was moar footage from that gig...awesome find ! ON WITH YOUR HEAD !
I love when the camera focuses on the cuties Btw everyone looks stoned here. I laughed when I saw the girl with the juice bottle. A lot of priceless moments in that vid.

MadPooter, on 21 July 2011 - 9:12 PM, said:

whirlygirl, on 21 July 2011 - 10:48 PM, said:

The bloke off the internet, on 22 July 2011 - 1:00 AM, said:

The video originally comes from Csar so thank him.


Heres a Depositfile-link to the video
=> http://forum.thechem...post__p__183906

i don't know if the link still works but i can upload it again (or you just download it from youtube)

This footage sucks. Cameramans is showing us the plans like 'the girl who chews gum and keeps wine in her hand', 'boring crowd when the "HBHG to The Test transition" comes'.

The crowd is better filmed than on the Glastonbury 2011 footage !

They had a pretty cool setup in 2002! In my opinion that was their best live era barring perhaps the current tour.
And what about that screen up above them? Reminds me of the Stargate!

it's really really hard to make out, but above their heads there's live footage of Dust Up Beats and Tow Truck (Chemical Brothers Remix) in this interview:



And this is always awesome of course:

It's really amazing to see how thematically similar their visuals have been... seems like they've just upgraded the equipment over the years! They have a visual style as unique to them as their musical style!

2002 was one of my favourites, I think the starguitar visuals from that tour are still the best for that song. The stage setup for that tour reminded of Pink Floyd probably because of the Circluar one in the middle.

MadPooter, on 21 July 2011 - 7:46 AM, said:

@1:15-1:30 needs to come back! one of the best live loops!

ThePumisher, on 21 July 2011 - 11:20 AM, said:

'rips to Ipod'

GREAT SHOW!

@17:07 playing The Test over HBHG beats! just barely noticed this!

BUT.....on 35:59..This by far the best kitten solo I EVER heard! And it was in better condition back then!

Did they ever use the Kitten on a studio recording?
(Also, the "Love Is All" Ending has been around longer than I thought! Though I must say it's a lot more fun now that they've got the LED screen)

Champiness, on 27 July 2011 - 2:17 AM, said:

Yep. TPPR uniquely recorded with it.

Dust Up Beats and Loops Of Fury from Japan, 1995: