Has any artist this decade been busier than Jack White? The past 10 years alone have seen White emerge from relative obscurity to front three marquee bands — the White Stripes, the Raconteurs and the Dead Weather (with whom White is already plotting a new album) — plus produce country legends like Loretta Lynn and Wanda Jackson. On the big screen, White has rocked out alongside Jimmy Page and the Edge in It Might Get Loud and the Rolling Stones in Shine A Light, plus showed off his acting chops in Cold Mountain and Walk Hard. This week’s Flashback looks back at White at the beginning of the millennium, with Meg and Jack performing their De Stijl standout “Hello Operator” in December 2000 at Chicago’s Empty Bottle.

Bonus Flashback: The White Stripes cover Iggy Pop’s “I’m Bored” in 1999 at their hometown Detroit’s Gold Dollar: (more…)

Neil Young, 2010’s MusiCares Person of the Year, celebrated his 64th birthday yesterday and as a one day-belated present to the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, we’re dedicating this week’s Flashback to the Harvest man. In this September 1969 performance from the short-lived ABC series Music Scene, Young is flanked by Crosby, Stills and Nash for a truncated-but-rocking version of Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere’s “Down By the River.”

As Rolling Stone reported early this week, Crosby, Stills and Nash will salute their former bandmate at the MusiCares gala, taking place in Los Angeles’ Convention Center on January 29th. Dave Matthews, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Wilco will also take part in the Young celebration.

Bonus Flashback: The birthday boy performs “The Needle and the Damage Done” on The Johnny Cash Show: (more…)

After 17 years, Nirvana’s incredible headlining set from the 1992 Reading Festival was finally (officially) released on CD/DVD as Live at Reading this week. As Rolling Stone previously reported, Kurt Cobain and Co. also played Reading in 1991, performing on the bottom third of the bill on the fest’s first day. Just one year later, they were headlining Reading’s third night. Since you can see all of the ‘92 show on DVD, this week’s Flashback journeys back to the band’s ‘91 Reading with a windblown rendition of “School.” Compare it with “School” from the ‘92 Reading here.

Bonus Flashback: Cobain and Dave Grohl, who also released his Foo Fighters’ Greatest Hits collection/”obituary” this week, rave about Shonen Knife at Reading ‘91: (more…)

While we’re likely to encounter dozens of faux Gagas and Glamberts this weekend, Halloween has always reminded us of the one band for whom every day is October 31st — except during the Lick It Up era — Kiss. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees have long been synonymous with tricking and treating, as evidenced by their appearance on 1976’s Paul Lynde Halloween Special. Yes, the dude from Hollywood Squares. Watch Kiss perform three Destroyer songs on the special, “Detroit Rock City,” “King of the Nighttime World” and “Beth,” in the video above.

Bonus Flashback: No Halloween is complete without this Kiss Your Face Make-Up Kit commercial from 1978 (after the jump).

But first, check out Rockers in Hallween costumes. (more…)

Exactly a month from today marks the 10th anniversary of Beck’s Paisley Park-inspired classic Midnite Vultures. In our effort to find a Flashback video worthy of the album’s tenth birthday, we stumbled upon the above clip — recorded for the French program Nulle Part Ailleurs on April 1st, 2000 — of Beck performing “L’Anamour” with actress Jane Birkin, the cover girl who played the title character on Serge Gainsbourg’s Histoire de Melody Nelson. Beck’s Sea Change was heavily inspired by Melody Nelson and, bringing the above performance full circle, as Rolling Stone previously reported, Beck has now collaborated with Serge and Jane’s daughter Charlotte Gainsbourg on her upcoming album IRM.

Bonus Flashback: A clip worthy of Midnite Vultures‘ anniversary, Beck recruits French duo Air to help him on “Beautiful Way” for his second Nulle Part Ailleurs performance. Check it below: (more…)

We just glanced over at the calendar and realized in just over a week Fleetwood Mac’s masterpiece Tusk will celebrate its 30th anniversary. Sure, Tusk wasn’t (and still isn’t) as successful or acclaimed as its predecessor Rumours, but this perfectly flawed double vinyl has a special place in our hearts, and to celebrate, this week’s Flashback features Stevie Nicks’ “Angel” as it appeared onstage in the 1979 Tusk documentary. As Stephen Holden wrote in his Rolling Stone review of Tusk, “In its fits and starts and restless changes of pace, Tusk inevitably recalls the Beatles’ White Album, the quirky rock jigsaw puzzle that showed the Fab Four at their artiest and most indecisive.”

Bonus Flashback: The USC Trojan Marching Band, the stars of “Tusk,” perform the title track live — without Mac — on the 1979 year-end episode of Solid Gold, hosted by Dionne Warwick and Glen Campbell. Watch it below: (more…)