Here's an incredible archive of early gigs by 22 legendary artists

By Mike Vago | July 2, 2013 | 4:15pm

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Here's an incredible archive of early gigs by 22 legendary artists

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Ever wished you could have seen the Ramones at CBGB in 1974? Or the Beatles at a club in Liverpool in 1962? Or the Smiths at the Hacienda? User Daniel Kohn, on no-fi web site Ranker.com, has compiled 22 video clips of sparsely attended early gigs from a legion of heavy hitters, ranging from Nirvana rocking out in an empty Radio Shack four years before "Smells Like Teen Spirit" hit it big to an 11-year-old Beyonce rehearsing in a backyard with Destiny's Child.

The clips also include high school gigs by Green Day and Eminem; the first-ever performances by Pearl Jam and Rage Against the Machine; the Beastie Boys from their punk days; Rihanna at age 15; then-teenage U2 on Irish TV; early rehearsals by Oasis; and early clips of The Who, Pink Floyd, LL Cool J, Guns 'n Roses, Social Distortion, Soundgarden, The Strokes, Biggie Smalls, and 50 Cent.