Historic performance indeed! Great post!

"Historic Performance"...thanks lisacat...that is a better and more accurate description...changing it to that from "Classic Performance"

See if you can spot Ian MacKaye in the audience.

I can!

ultimateforce, John Belushi is in there somewhere too, isn't he? I would think he'd be easy to spot! Sadly, this kind of anarchy will never be seen on the corporate media nowadays.

A Perfect Circle covered their Let's Have a War tune on the cover album eMOTIVe.

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Historic. No other word for it.

You mean it wasn't a skit? Made me laugh...

For an audience member perspective:
http://www.videosift.com/video/Riot-on-the-Set-of-SNL-When-Fear-Played-in-1981

*fear - literally.

Adding video to channels (Fear) - requested by blankfist.

aw, wanted to hear the rest of Let's Have a War.

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag.(show it anyway)

*promote

Promoting this video back to the front page; last published Tuesday, June 19th, 2007 2:14pm PDT - promote requested by dag.

Looks a bit dull to be honest. Does stage-diving plus about 40 people equal a potential riot?

>> ^Deano:
Looks a bit dull to be honest. Does stage-diving plus about 40 people equal a potential riot?

Maybe boring by today's standards but to a major network broadcasting "live" almost 30 years ago...yes.

I was 13 when I saw this live. It blew my mind. When you think about moments that changed your life--this was one for sure. It was scary and thrilling for a Midwestern girl watching this on a tiny TV. I had learn more about this music and those scary, sexy boys that played it.

I'm still boggled by the idea that these guys actually got paid money for sounding that bad.

>> ^Stormsinger:
I'm still boggled by the idea that these guys actually got paid money for sounding that bad.


People have gotten paid a lot more to sound a lot worse. You think FEAR was wealthy? Think again.

Nope, getting paid even 25 cents seems unbelievable to me. I've heard 8 year olds that did a better job of playing their instruments.

Frankly, I'm really having a hard time making the word "music" stretch to cover that noise.

Welcome to the subjectivity of music. I guess its a hard-to-grasp concept, but yes, different people actually DO find different things pleasing.

All opinions are valid! Even those that are not your own. Imagine that.

And that's why you don't understand...because Rock and Roll isn't all about the "music". It can be, but it's not limited to that. The punk movement came about in part as a rebellion to how sanitized, over-produced, and corporate rock and roll had become in the 70's. You can't rebel against that kind of music by playing that kind of music...in it's extreme form you have to take it to the other end of the spectrum. Raw, three-chords, angry, attitude, expressive, etc... It spoke to a generation who grew up in the 70's to sanitized corporate rock and disco music.
>> ^Stormsinger:

Frankly, I'm really having a hard time making the word "music" stretch to cover that noise.

So, to rebel against clean, clear sounds, one must refuse to learn how to play one's instrument, and just scream raggedly into a mike. Got it.

Drop the patronization, please. I'm fully aware of the ridiculous claims made to support the godawful talentless crap they called punk. And it's still nothing but noise. Precisely on the level of the three-year-old throwing a tantrum by screaming and kicking the floor.

I'm not saying there is no value in punk...but the value wasn't actually perceptible until -after- it was gone. Some of the bands now called post-punk are moderately interesting...a few are even very interesting. But that's not a description you'll ever convince me applies to this video.

>> ^Grimm:
And that's why you don't understand...because Rock and Roll isn't all about the "music". It can be, but it's not limited to that. The punk movement came about in part as a rebellion to how sanitized, over-produced, and corporate rock and roll had become in the 70's. You can't rebel against that kind of music by playing that kind of music...in it's extreme form you have to take it to the other end of the spectrum. Raw, three-chords, angry, attitude, expressive, etc... It spoke to a generation who grew up in the 70's to sanitized corporate rock and disco music.
>> ^Stormsinger:
Frankly, I'm really having a hard time making the word "music" stretch to cover that noise.

I'm not patronizing by pointing out that this music had it's place and purpose in rock history and just because it doesn't speak to you (and it's not supposed to speak to everyone) doesn't make it any less music then the music you like. Everyone is entitled to an opinion but your coming off as a music snob. There is a lot of music that I don't care for and sounds like crap to me but to each his own.

By saying things like "So, to rebel against clean, clear sounds, one must refuse to learn how to play one's instrument" just shows your ignorance of the genre. People weren't listening to bands like Black Flag, Dead Kennedy's, The Circle Jerks, etc... Because they had a guitarist like Eddie Van Halen or a singer like Elton John...it wasn't about how good you could play your instrument. It was about the sound that you could create and the energy of that sound and the lyrics. The lyrics to one of the songs in this video "New Yorks Alright if you Like Saxophones" are pretty funny. The lyrics to one of the other songs "Let's Have a War" is also some good satire about how war is good for the economy "Jack up the Dow Jones!" and "General Motors get fat like last time!".

I'm not saying that you have to like this or understand this...just explaining why some people do. Your response on the other hand is basically that what I am telling you and what others have told you about the genre and why we like it is all bullshit.

>> ^Stormsinger:
So, to rebel against clean, clear sounds, one must refuse to learn how to play one's instrument, and just scream raggedly into a mike. Got it.
Drop the patronization, please. I'm fully aware of the ridiculous claims made to support the godawful talentless crap they called punk. And it's still nothing but noise. Precisely on the level of the three-year-old throwing a tantrum by screaming and kicking the floor.
I'm not saying there is no value in punk...but the value wasn't actually perceptible until -after- it was gone. Some of the bands now called post-punk are moderately interesting...a few are even very interesting. But that's not a description you'll ever convince me applies to this video.
>> ^Grimm:
And that's why you don't understand...because Rock and Roll isn't all about the "music". It can be, but it's not limited to that. The punk movement came about in part as a rebellion to how sanitized, over-produced, and corporate rock and roll had become in the 70's. You can't rebel against that kind of music by playing that kind of music...in it's extreme form you have to take it to the other end of the spectrum. Raw, three-chords, angry, attitude, expressive, etc... It spoke to a generation who grew up in the 70's to sanitized corporate rock and disco music.
>> ^Stormsinger:
Frankly, I'm really having a hard time making the word "music" stretch to cover that noise.

>> ^Stormsinger:

Nope, getting paid even 25 cents seems unbelievable to me. I've heard 8 year olds that did a better job of playing their instruments.
Frankly, I'm really having a hard time making the word "music" stretch to cover that noise.




I know this post is old but I had to post just to get this out of my system...stormsinger is an idiot. Lee Ving is an extremely talented musician and Fear were some of the most accomplished musicians of the early hardcore scene. Flea from RHCP did a stint with Fear FFS. I don't expect everyone to understand the Punk movement but don't be an idiot. Go listen to whatever insipid, flatulent, and derivative pop crap is the flavor of the day and keep your opinions to yourself. And yes, Punk was about attitude but it also spawned some of the most creative and powerful rock and roll ever. Nirvana, Greenday, Coldplay etc... all wannabe's. I love Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters but they might as well be Husker Du, and Dave would probably admit it. He often has Grant Hart at their shows! Calling Fear weak is like saying the Ramones didn't influence anything...moron.

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Riot on the Set of SNL When Fear Played in 1981 has been added as a related post - related requested by Grimm on that post.

Overrated performance from an overrated band. Lee Ving is a poseur who stole his entire persona/sound from Black Flag.

what a horrible unwatchable video! there wasn't a better copy than THAT to post? it was just like the you tube "videos" where someone records something with their cell phone by pointing it at the television! oh wait, i think that's exactly what this is, AND on a t.v. where the channel keeps going out. jesus.