3 Deep Cuts I Wish These Famous 90s Musicians Would Play Live at Least Once (But That Probably Won’t Happen)

These deep cuts and underrated tracks from some of the most recognizable musicians of their respective eras have never gotten proper live performances. And, considering these songs are decades old at this point, we will probably never get to hear them live. At least we can enjoy the album versions, I suppose.

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“Don’t Pray On Me” by Bad Religion from ‘Recipe For Hate’ (1993)

Recipe For Hate is a solid melodic hardcore punk rock album, best remembered for the single “American Jesus”. But a lot of the other tracks on that album don’t get enough love, especially “Don’t Pray On Me”. It’s an intense but ultra-danceable protest song about the Rodney King riots, war, and women’s rights, with a hefty dose of criticisms of modern-day religion and control. This song would be a showstopper live. And yet, according to setlist.fm and some fans online, Bad Religion have never performed this deep cut live. Considering how old it is now, they probably never will. What a bummer.

“Caribbean Blue” by Enya from ‘Shepherd Moons’ (1991)

Enya’s setlist.fm listing is abysmal. And that’s because the famous new age musician, whose songs are still very much loved today, never really toured. Even at the height of her career. The Irish singer simply dished out some of the best Celtic music of the late 1980s and early 1990s, then dipped out to her castle, where she lives in peace to this day. Honestly, good for her. But I would love to hear “Caribbean Blue” played live at least once before I die, and that’s definitely never going to happen. We can’t always get what we want, I guess.

“Caribbean Blue” peaked at No. 13 in the UK and was less successful at No. 79 in the US, but it did reach the international charts across Europe, Canada, and beyond.

“The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite” by R.E.M. from ‘Automatic For The People’ (1993)

“The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite” was quite a hit for alt-rock band R.E.M. back in the day. Even non-fans of the band can remember that interesting vocalization at the beginning of the song. Released in 1993, “The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite” was a No. 1 hit on the UK Airplay chart and also made it to the Top 30 on the Alternative Airplay and Mainstream Rock charts in the US. It was a hit, for sure. Surely the band played it at least once, right? Wrong! R.E.M. has never performed this entry on our list of deep cuts live, and the band hasn’t really elaborated on why that is, though they’ve acknowledged it.

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