The next ‘Live at Glastonbury’ by 22 -year -old American singer can boost the resumption of a dying format
Last week, Olivia Rodrigo made a surprise ad on the sequence of Guts (2023). But instead of another disk with unprecedented material, Live at Glastonbury (A BBC Recording)which will be launched in December 2025, will register all your show at this summer festival, with the right to Robert Smith in two versions of music from the The Cure.
See this photo on InstagramA publication shared by Olivia Rodrigo (@oliviarodrigo)
Here is the even more surprising detail of the ad: will she release… a live album? In 2025? Who does this today? In the scenario of the big names in pop and rock, almost no one. But perhaps it is time for a return to the records that offered an experience of “being there” and revealed aspects of the work of a band or musician who did not appear in the studio.
You remember live albums, right? Depending on your generation, maybe not, since Taylor Swiftalways attentive to the sources of recipe, has released a complete album of the tour Eras. THE Live at third man recordsfrom Billie EilishIn acoustic version, released in 2019, it was a limited edition in vinyl, which immediately made it an underground item. But for decades, the concert LP was a must -have presence in countless music -addicted homes. No matter how much genre you followed, one of them was certainly in your collection.
Classic rock fans had copies of GET YER YA-YA’S OUT!of the Rolling Stonesor Live at leedsfrom The Who. Soul lovers probably had Live at The Apollofrom James Brown, In Person at the Whiskey a Go Gofrom Otis Reddingor the gospel foray Amazing Gracefrom Aretha Franklin. Metal fans swore for Made in Japanfrom Deep Purpleor Live Shit: Binge & Purgefrom Metallic. For Southern Rock, Live at Fillmore Eastfrom Allman Brothers Bandor One More From The Roadfrom Lynyrd Skynyrdthey were indispensable. And we already mentioned Woodstock? Or MTV UNPLUGGED of Nirvana?
In its golden era, which lasted a few decades, the live album served several equally valid purposes. In some cases – At Budokanfrom Cheap Trick; Alive!from Kiss; Frampton Comes Alive!from Peter Frampton; and Live Bulletfrom Bob SEGER – He became the moment of turning to artists who had been on the road a few years ago, but had not yet burst. Why not gather the best songs so far, record them in front of an excited audience and give another chance? Live records could also be a way of fulfilling contractual obligations (there are too many examples to name) or a way to calm fans who would have to wait for another studio album (such as the concert album Fleetwood Mac in 1980, which bridged between Tusk and Mirage).
In this century, the live album has not fully disappeared, but the market has been dominated by file material: the continuous flood of rare recordings of the GRETEFUL DEADthe boxes of Bob Dylan of several tours and so on. Radiohead It is finally launching concert cuts – but 20 years ago. Some modern names – Dua Lipa, The Weeknd, Florence and the machine – They released concert records in recent years. But despite the weight of their names, none of them had the same impact as the classic albums of the past. Today, these releases are seen as footnotes and ephemeris, not events.
The reasons for the collapse of the live album are not good for anyone. Thanks to Youtube (Where you can watch or listen to whole shows for free) or to websites that allow you to convey or download performances, maybe fans do not feel the need to spend on an official release. If we want to be cynical, perhaps some suspect that some use of pre-recorded vocals or instruments is already a normal part of a show’s experience and therefore a “live” album would not be that authentic.
After all, part of the appeal of the concert albums in the old days was to listen to how singers and bands sounded outside the controlled boundaries of a recording studio. You knew you wouldn’t hear note note by vinyl or CD versions, and that was part of emotion – and sometimes the disappointment. THE LED ZEPPELINso volcanic in the studio, it sounded disappointingly sloppy in The Song Remains The Same. Dylan & The Dead They seemed to bring the worst of both (look for the rehearsal ribbons, they are better). But who would imagine that the The Roots would take the music of Jay-z at another level in your MTV UNPLUGGED or that the orchestration would give a new sense of opulence to Live from the royal albert hallfrom Dua Lipain 2024?
To Dua Lipa and now Rodrigolive discs are a logical extension of their position in pop firmament. After all, they are artists like them who today occupy the prominent places in arenas and festivals, just as rock bands did in their auges. As many saw last year, on the tour Gutsthe shows of Olivia Rodrigo They were vibrant and, with the help of their road band, some songs (such as “All American Bitch”) They gained a raw and more loose energy than in studio versions. Will this translate into their performance in Glastonbury, heard only in audio? Is it early to say, but she deserves credits for plunging into concert albums. After so much time of decline, someone needs to relive historical – and necessary – album art.
+++ Read more: the young hardcore band worshiped by Olivia Rodrigo
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Source: Rollingstone

Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.