Last week, I opened the entertainment section of the local newspaper and spotted an (over) half-page article titled, BOOTLEG BONANZA, with the subtitle, "Volunteers turn fan's recordings of 10,000 concert into online treasure trove". The fan in question, you've read about here on the blog back in December 2024, Aadam Jacobs has made 1000's of live recordings of shows he attended and archived them in his home before sharing them online. I check the collection on archive.org everyday to see the latest shows posted and I've downloaded a big chunk onto the hard drive in case they disappear at some point. So many great bands I'm already a fan of, as well as lesser known groups that you can listen to and sample without any cost. My first thought when I read the article (you can read it online on the CBC website with additional photos) was, "WOW", have bootlegs and live recordings gone mainstream? I still have the belief these kind of unauthorized live recordings were still considered a grey area and borderline illegal (obviously, I don't feel that way!) and for that reason I stay stealth and under the radar and don't openly record because some venues don't take kindly to audio recording (ban it!). Yet it seems to be common practice to blatantly wave around your smartphone and video record as much as you want without any concern. My definition of the term "bootleg" is more to do with the selling and profit from these recordings, but most of the recordings I've acquired have been through trades and sharing and my recordings have never been up for sale (yet, a local record store has in the past had my actual live concert recordings for sale at the store). This really is a bonanza for fans of live music, as my feeling is that hearing a live recording of a concert you attended is the ultimate souvenir of the show. For hardcore fans, you hear the band in their element, not just the studio versions of the songs, but the performer performing and capturing this moment is special. For many people, the inferior sound quality of an audience recording is hard to listen to with the crowd noise/talking a distraction, muffled vocals and distorted instruments, but for tapers, this is the actual sound we hear at the concert, it's real and it feels like they're there. I'm sure Aadam would agree, the audio recording of the band is just one of the elements of a live show. It's the atmosphere and experience that comes with being in a crowd of like-minded music fans and though there is nothing that beats actually being there live, you can at least relive some of this experience with a tape of the show.
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The Nirvana show from 1989 (below) is described in the opening paragraph of the article and is a terrific listen. The rawness of the recording is something hard to describe without hearing it and we can thank Aadam for being there in the moment. There are several shows of bands on the cusp of success before hitting bigger fame (and fortune?) and it's a treat to hear them play in smaller, intimate venues. There's another Nirvana show in the collection that took place a few months later in a larger venue, that shows the growth of band in a short period, which is cool. Reading the article reminds me I need to digitize the rest of my live recordings on cassette, before it's too late and this will be my goal in 2026.
Enjoy!
Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!
Do NOT convert to lossy formats, except for personal use.
Please share!
Dreamerz
Chicago, IL
July 8, 1989
Recording generously loaned from the Aadam Jacobs Audio Archive.
Source: Aiwa CM-30A Stereo Mic > Sony TC-D5M > Cassette (M)
Transfer: Cassette (M) > Nakamichi LX-5 > WAV
Mastering: WAV > Audacity (tracking) > FLAC > MP3Tag
Recorded by: Aadam Jacobs
Transferred by: Avery/vanark
Mastered by: Kliked
Setlist
1. Intro
2. School
3. Floyd the Barber
4. Love Buzz
5. Mr. Moustache
6. Paper Cuts
7. Polly
8. Big Cheese
9. Spank Thru
10. Dive
11. About A Girl
12. Scoff
13. Negative Creep
14. Blew
Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar)
Krist Novoselic (bass)
Chad Channing (drums)
Jason Everman (guitar)
Opened for Precious Wax Drippings.
NIRVANA- 1989-07-08 Dreamerz, Chicago, IL FLAC. rar