Behind the scenes

Ever wonder what it looks like behind the scenes of a concert or a tour? How is a recording studio or just a band's everyday life? I personally think it is dangerous to get too close to or know too much about musicians. I always thought that the audience should be in front of the stage and the band on it. Like knowing how the members like their coffee would make the magic disappear. But a quick look behind the scenes can't hurt anyone, right? So what is the best way to glance into the backstage area without looking like a desperate gruppie? Here are the top ten examples how:


10. The Wallflowers: 6th Avenue Heartache

At 10 we have a heartbreaking ballad from the 90s. Extra brownie points for making the video black and white. It makes New York look more tragic.

9. Incubus: Wish You Were Here

This is proof that a shirtless Brandon Boyd is not only for the carefully directed and scripted videos. It is an everyday habit. No one seems to complain.

8. Arctic Monkeys: Teddy Picker

This song looks and sounds like it's coming from the backstage area. Alex's voice is anything but polished. And the management didn't spend much on set design and make up either. This is how you know you're getting the real stuff.

7. Supergrass: Moving

With this one I cheated a little bit. This is not an actual behind the scenes video, but I think it shows exactly how life on the road looks like. No how we imagine it, but how it really is. Mostly boring.

6. 30 Seconds To Mars: Closer To The Edge

Now this one is a well directed and edited video, that is precisely put together. This is why it looses its edge a little. And I wasn't even trying for a word joke. Kudos to the kid standing at the top of the crowd. He is in the video now so i guess it was worth risking a broken neck.

5. The Strokes: Someday

For some reason the image of Slash and Julian playing flipper amazes me. You can't put Slash in your video and not look cool. I bet the members of the band knew that.

4. Arctic Monkeys: Fake Tales Of San Fransisco

Arctic Monkeys, again. I know it is not fair. But this is my blog and I don't care. This video is from the early days and it has the charm of that era. The song has one of the coolest lines ever, talking about "proof that love is not only blind but deaf." The unique accent just adds a little extra to the song.

3. The View: Face For The Radio

How does one come up with the insult: you have a face for the radio? I mean it's smart and wity, but kind of hurtful too. Anyway, you can hear another interesting accent in the video. Good luck understanding what they are talking about at the beginning though. The amazing thing to me is how they can suddenly pronounce everything so clearly when hey are singing. Oh and check out the making of the album cover for Hats Off to the Buskers.

2. Foo Fighters: No Way Back

After soo many concerts and tours I'm surprised it took so long for the Foo Fighters to put together a touring collage. Maybe after so many awesome videos (Everlong, Learn To Fly, In My Life) making one out of touring images seemed like the easy way out. Anyway, the shot of Dave Grohl sharing a beer with the crowd, and then spitting it out was worth the wait.

1. Audioslave: Your Time Has Come

Amazing images of the crowd going crazy, lots of behind the scenes footage, Chris Cornell playing air guitar and a statue of John Lennon in Cuba. What else do you need for a number one behind the scenes video. And by the way how many times does one have to try riding a bicycle down the hill before getting majorly injured?