Soundcheck from the 1980s

Rare soundcheck footage of famous musicians from the 1980s. Browse 8 clips below.

All Soundcheck All 1980s

About Soundcheck Footage

Soundcheck footage is uniquely intimate — it’s often the only time an artist plays in a venue without an audience, and the atmosphere is completely different from the show that follows. Musicians use soundchecks to warm up, try out new material, revisit deep cuts, or just jam. Some of the best unreleased performances were captured during soundchecks.

The 1980s in Music

The 1980s brought MTV, the synthesiser revolution, and the globalisation of pop music. Michael Jackson, Prince, Madonna, U2, and Run-DMC dominated the mainstream, while underground scenes — post-punk, hardcore, hip-hop, and indie — were building the foundation for the next decade. The explosion of home video meant more behind-the-scenes footage was captured than ever before. Tour documentaries, making-of specials, and backstage footage from the 80s reveal an industry in rapid transformation.