Hear Meat Puppets Rage in New York on this Day in 1995

Post-punk rockers Meat Puppets haven’t released an album in a hot minute, since 2011’s Lollipop. But that doesn’t matter. The band, who first lurked up in alternative music circles in the mid-’80s, still occasionally tour—they’re actually playing two dates, one in Phoenix, Ariz., and one in California, later this month. The point is, though they’re not actively releasing music in 2018, Meat Puppets’ devoted fans haven’t gone anywhere. For those who’ve been with the band since the beginning (or, at least, the mid-’90s, when they attracted more mainstream attention), all of Meat Puppets’ greatest work is already out there.

On this day (Nov. 8) in 1995, right around the time when they were reaching that aforementioned mainstream peak, Meat Puppets played a boisterous set at New York City’s now-defunct Tramps venue. The space, albeit it small, played host to everyone from Bob Dylan to Modest Mouse in its 25 years of operation, and Meat Puppets live up to the hype in this particular performance. The hour-long show is a classic rock ‘n’ roll concert, an apt representation of Too High To Die, their 1994 record that’s as arena-ready as it is full of unexpected bouncy folk-rock, even though they only played one track from the record, “Lake Of Fire,” which also appears on 1984’s II. In addition, they played fan favorites like “Plateau” and “Oh Me.”

You can listen to Meat Puppets perform at New York City’s Tramps in 1995 via the Paste vault below. While you’re here, revisit our review of Meat Puppets’ Rise to Your Knees from allllll the way back in 2007 right here.