Concert Film Of The Day: Burn The Fields by The Elms

Released 21 years ago today, this is the first concert DVD released by rock band The Elms and has been long out-of-print, though you can watch it on YouTube for free. After two records, The Elms were between record contracts and released this concert film independently, and it captures really well the unbridled energy and infectious rock 'n' roll spirit of this band. They play 9 of their songs previously released, 3 new songs, and a few covers. My favorite part is their epic, 7+ minute version of "Come To Me", and then goes into an excellent cover of "My Generation" by The Who complete with lots of guitar solos. The video of this film has a frenetic energy and tries to cover everything at once with the very fast cuts, and it captures well a bit of the crazy of brothers Owen Thomas, lead singer, and Chris Thomas, the drummer. In this show, too, they had someone playing keyboard with them, which brought a bit more to the sound. By modern day standards, the video quality is pretty terrible, but it was not easy back then to make a good, quality video and it adds to the indie vibe. The band sounds excellent, and it's fun to see The Elms captured for posterity in the middle of their career. This is one of my all-time favorite bands, and I've had the pleasure of being at their reunion concerts in both 2015 and 2025.
Release Year: 2005
Watch on YouTube

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