BBC Radio 2 will celebrate 50 years of brilliant pop music performances on the BBC with a special series “In Concert 50”.
The network’s flagship live music season takes place each Autumn and this year, together with BBC Sounds, BBC Four, BBC iPlayer and Red Button, broadcasts some of the most memorable gigs once again – 50 years of incredible and powerful live pop music performances that could only have been produced by the BBC, from Sunday 1 to Monday 30 November.
From Fleetwood Mac and Bill Withers in the 70s to Craig David, Florence and the Machine and Sam Smith in the 21st Century, In Concert on the BBC in sound and vision has charted the history of popular music and this month of special archive shows and performances looks back across 50 years.
From Sunday 1 November, all 50 performances are on BBC Sounds, with a special 10 artist Box Set available to watch on BBC iPlayer (with all sets available for 30 days on both platforms).
BBC Four broadcasts Seal (Friday 13 November) as a TV-first In Concert exclusive. Seal is recorded at the BBC Radio Theatre in 2015, performing tracks from his album 7 and hits including Kiss From A Rose and Crazy.
Radio 2 presenters are curating their own favourite tracks of all time from In Concert 50 to play during shows across the month and in special programming on the station.
In Concert presenter, Jo Whiley, says: “As the presenter of In Concert it’s been an absolute thrill to watch some incredible performances by the hugest of music legends in the tiniest of intimate venues.
“But there are many more that I’ve not yet seen and that is the joy of In Concert 50.
“Nowhere but the BBC has such a unique archive of music performances from some of the most important artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.”
Jeff Smith, Head of Music, Radio 2 and 6 Music, added: “We are all missing going to see live music at the moment so this November, even though we cannot stage a full scale In Concert season at Radio 2, we can celebrate 50 years of In Concert performances that we think audiences will love from the BBC’s In Concert vaults.
“It really is a unique collection from some of the world’s greatest musicians to hear on Radio 2 and BBC Sounds and watch on BBC iPlayer.
“I have so many special memories from these performances, I can’t wait for audiences to enjoy these performances once again.”