MTV Unplugged Streaming on Paramount+ is a Reminder That MTV Once Gave a Sh*t About Music
Dig out your flannel, put away the amplifiers, and prepare to get a little moody, because a huge list of MTV Unplugged and VH1 Storytellers episodes are now available on the Paramount+ streaming service.
For the younger readers out there, both MTV Unplugged and VH1 Storytellers were unique shows that got bands and artists to strip down their songs and play them acoustically in front of a live audience. You see, there was a time when channels like MTV and VH1 actually showed music on TV. Music videos, which are now largely relegated to YouTube, were shown on these channels pretty regularly. Artists were welcomed on the airwaves to promote their new music, leading to an entire generation of youths to find the music that spoke to them. Lots of us elder millennials learned about metal through shows like Headbanger’s Ball or even Total Request Live, where bands like Korn and Limp Bizkit maintained insanely long runs at the top of the charts.
But I digress…
According to a press release about the shows making their way onto the aforementioned streaming service, many of the episodes available today “haven’t been available in 20+ years.” And while iconic unplugged performances by the likes of Alice in Chains, Nirvana, and Pearl Jam have remained in the general zeitgeist all these years, it’s easy to forget that many of the other bands and artists listed below got their own acoustic showcases.
If any of this sparks your sense of nostalgia, or you’re a young’un that wants to see what it was like when music television did some really cool shit, you can catch these shows on Paramount+ (as long as you have a subscription).
MTV Unplugged
Aerosmith (1990)
Alanis Morissette (1999)
Alice in Chains (1996)
Alicia Keys (2005)
Allman Brothers (1990)
Annie Lenox (1992)
Arrested Development (1993)
Babyface & Friends feat. Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton, and K-Ci & JoJo (1997)
Bob Dylan (1994)
Bryan Adams (1997)
Chris Isaak (1995)
Cranberries (1995)
Crowded House/Tim Finn (1990)
Dashboard Confessional (2002)
Duran Duran (1993)
Elton John (1990)
Elvis Costello (1991)
Eric Clapton (1992)
Hall & Oates (1990)
Hootie & the Blowfish (1996)
Jewel (1997)
John Mellencamp (1992)
kd lang (1993)
Kiss (1995)
Korn (2007)
Lenny Kravitz (1994)
Live (1995)
Mariah Carey (1992)
Melissa Etheridge (1995)
Neil Young (1990)
Nirvana (1993)
Oasis (1996)
Paul McCartney (1991)
Paul Simon (1992)
Pearl Jam (1992)
Queensryche (1992)
R.E.M. (2001)
Rod Stewart (1993)
Seal (1996)
Shakira (2001)
Shawn Mendes (2017)
Sheryl Crow (1995)
Sinead O’Connor/The Church (1990)
Smithereens/Graham Parker (1990)
Soul Asylum (1993)
Staind (2001)
Sting (1991)
Stone Temple Pilots (1994)
The Wallflowers (1997)
Tony Bennett (1994)
Tori Amos (1996)
Uptown Show feat. Jodeci, Father MC, Mary J. Blige, Christopher Williams, and Heavy D (1993)
VH1 Storytellers
Alicia Keys (2012)
Bee Gees (1997)
Billy Joel (1997, 1998)
Black Crowes (1996)
Bruce Springsteen (2005)
Christina Aguilera (2010)
Coldplay (2005)
Counting Crows (1997)
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (2000)
Dave Matthews (1999)
Dave Matthews Band (2005)
David Bowie (1999)
Def Leppard 1999)
Ed Sheeran Live (2015)
ELO (2001)
Elton John LIVE (1997)
Elvis Costello (1996)
Eurythmics (1999)
Foo Fighters (2009)
Goo Goo Dolls (2002)
Grace Potter & The Nocturnals (2012)
Green Day (2005)
Hanson (1998)
Jewel (1999)
Jill Scott (2012)
John Mellencamp (1998)
Johnny Cash & Willie Nelson (1997)
Mary J. Blige (2008)
Melissa Etheridge (1996)
No Doubt (2000)
P!nk (2012)
Paul Simon (1997)
Pete Townshend (2000)
Phil Collins (1997)
R.E.M. (1998)
Ringo Starr (1998)
Rod Stewart (1998)
Sheryl Crow (1998)
Snoop Dogg (2008)
Stevie Nicks (1998)
Sting (1996)
Stone Temple Pilots (2000)
The Chicks (2006)
The Pretenders (1999)
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (1999)
Tom Waits (1999)
Tony Bennett (1998)
Tori Amos (1999)
Wyclef Jean (1999)
ZZ Top (2009)
