The only known professionally filmed concert of Big Star is being released on November 4th through Omnivore Recordings. Entitled Live in Memphis, the recording captures the band’s hometown performance in Memphis, Tennessee on October 29th, 1994.
Coming amid Big Star’s reunion tour, the show was originally pegged as the final US date of the run — though the band wound up playing Los Angeles three days later and remained active for another 16 years. Even still, the Memphis show was filmed due to its significance to Alex Chilton and co.
(Read: Don’t Lie to Me: An Oral History of Big Star)
Big Star’s Jody Stephens explained in a statement:
This second life for Big Star begins on April 25, 1993, in Columbia, Missouri. The performance gets recorded and released. We now have a record to support and a reason to tour. A handful of dates far and wide followed, but then an offer came from the New Daisy to play Memphis. Pretty exciting! Walking into the New Daisy that night brought on a rush of ’70s friends I hadn’t seen in years. So much support there from well-wishers, which included John Fry and my parents. Stepping onstage that night in Memphis with Alex, Jon, and Ken was an incredibly good time and a bit of magic. It wasn’t so much that we were playing to the audience as we were sharing the music with them, and they were sharing themselves with us. We all cared.”
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Live in Memphis also includes a full 20-song audio recording of the show on either CD or 2-LP as well as liner notes penned by Stephens, Ken Stringfellow, Ardent Studios’ John Fry, and producer Danny Graflund.
Pre-orders are ongoing through Ominvore Recordings’ website. The first pressing of the vinyl will be colored and limited to 1,000 copies. Afterward, the vinyl will be pressed in black.
Live in Memphis Tracklist:
01. In the Street
02. Don’t Lie to Me
03. When My Baby’s Beside Me
04. I Am the Cosmos
05. Way Out West
06. Till the End of the Day
07. The Ballad Of El Goodo
08. Back of a Car
09. Fire *
10. Daisy Glaze
11. Jesus Christ
12. For You
13. Baby Strange
14. Feel
15. September Gurls
16. Big Black Car
17. Thank You Friends
18. The Girl From Ipanema
19. Patty Girl
20. Slut
* = “Fire” does not appear on DVD