Thousands of recordings spanning decades of Chicago-area live shows are being added to the Internet Archive, thanks to a local music superfan named Aadams Jacobs. Jacobs reached out to the Internet Archive in 2024 to digitize and preserve his cassette recordings before they inevitably degrade.
Around 2,500 recordings have been posted so far, with many more to come. The archiving process is ongoing, with volunteers collecting tapes from Jacobs, transferring the recordings to digital formats, cleaning up the audio, and ensuring every performance and song is correctly labeled – even when the bands have long since disbanded.
The recordings span from the 80s to the 2010s and include previously unheard performances by notable artists and indie acts – Pavement, Nick Cave, Fugazi, Phish, Neutral Milk Hotel, Tracy Chapman, R.E.M., The Cure, Nirvana, Sonic Youth, Rilo Kiley, Camera Obscura, Jesus and Mary Chain, Loudon Wainwright III, Dr. Dog, Fountains of Wayne, Belle & Sebastian, Neko Case, etc. – as well as recordings of many punk bands and more obscure artists. It is truly a treasure trove.
Search the archives here: AJC Project at Internet Archive and Aadams Jacobs Collection on Internet Archive
A few of the performances:
Tracy Chapman Live at Cabaret Metro 1988-05-07
Nirvana Live at Dreamerz 1989-07-08
R.E.M. Live at UIC Pavilion 1986-10-19
Rilo Kiley Live at Schubas Tavern 2002-10-20
