Westerberg could've become a rock star if he wanted to. Instead, he became a legend.

These 3 and a half minutes alone are better than 99.9% of bands entire careers. Paul's eye-rolling at the censoring and ad-lib on the coda are some sort of genius. There is so much to love about this ONE appearance on a stupid corporate awards show, it perfectly encapsulates everything they were about. Look at how they groove without even really trying, how much they despise the event they are playing at, actively try to be bad, and by extension achieve transcendence just by existing.

Some coworkers recently asked me what my favorite band was (other than the Beatles and Stones) and I said The Replacements. They said,"If they're so good, how come we've never heard of them?" I said, "I'm glad you've never heard of them." I wanted to add that their ignorance was very telling, but didn't want to be arrogant. ANYWAY, if you know, you know. If you don't, too bad.

"What the hell are we doing here" Damn rock

it's too late to take pills here we go

THANK YOU MATT DILLION FOR ALWAYS BEING A REAL FAN OF THE BAND SINCE DAY ONE!

"we might even win this time.. I doubt it" - my hero

This video still makes me laugh hysterically every time I see it. I remember queueing up the VCR for this show back when it was aired. The "feelin' good from the pills we took" line gets bleeped out. Later, in the ultimate f u in typical Westerberg fashion changes the "it's too late to turn back" lyric to "it's too late to take pills" and says it not once but three times. Brilliant! The Replacements were punk rock!

You gotta love when Tommy's bass kicks in! He always played it crazy loud.

The best band that ever was, I got close to Bob when he was in NYC. Boy could he drink, I met Paul too. God I saw them at the Beacon, The Ritz , Maxwells. Never did such a great band take itself so not seriously, they always laughed in the face of the record industry and had a lot of fun. God I remember Bob in a Tutu...Wow.

It's a good sign when the announcer has to apologize in addition

I love how even after the obnoxious censor in the first verse he still manages to sneak in "its too late to TAKE PILLS here we go". I love ya, Paul.

Matt Dillon cheering enthusiastically at the end. Cool

lol at matt dillon at the end, huge husker du and mats fan.

These guys should having been ruling the world in 89', not all that Madonna pop and Poison-spandex and makeup metal jive. Mats forever!

What the hell are we doing in here? Good question Paul. Well said. Reluctant rock stars at its best.

"What the hell are we doing here?" I love it. Gotta love the 'Mats

I think they belong in the rock and roll hall of fame..they were really influential...or maybe they just influenced me...haven't heard a band that comes close to these guys since

They got it in at the end, "Its too late to take pills, here we go !"

"It's too late to take PILLS here we go!" LEGEND with a capital Finger!

Saw Paul live at the Paradise in Boston with the late Tommy Keene on lead RIP

This performance almost perfectly encapsulates them...Miscast...Sometimes really tight, sometimes kinda sloppy...Wavering between caring, and not giving a fuck...The snarky asides...Snickering under their breath at inside jokes...That sort of sheepish grin you get when you realize you're a little more wasted than you intended to be, figuring other people can tell, then it strikes you funny that, apparently, they can't...Amazed that it actually went as well as it did, but realizing that most people weren't paying attention...

As of 05/15/2021, 15 people are being wrong on the Internet. 746 people recognize genius beyond measure.

This band always reminds me of a college frat party band that somehow ended up making real records. I always enjoy them.

Man, this performance so perfectly encapsulates everything I love about The Mats...

I remember this event as a fever dream. Finding it is a truly WTF moment.

I have to come back and watch this every so often. Never gets old : )

Torn shirt/Les Paul junior/stage presence/just great stuff.

One of my moms fav and my fav songs

Everything that made them great rolled into 3 1/2 minutes.....fucking awesome!!!

OF all the guys in the band, it was Tommy whom I loved to reminisce about, I hugged, danced and talked with him so many times.... you will be missed you little rascal (he was too young and too good to leave us).

I think that opening line completely summed up this band.

This really is one of the biggest acts of subversive genius I have ever witnessed. Who else would amend their song just to screw with the censors? Did Paul come up with the eye roll all by himself, or did he take it from Prince? Either way it is really awesome, and it's crazy that two musical geniuses such as them attended the same high school at the same time. Matt Dillon whistles here, and wrote liner notes for All For Nothing/Nothing For All, so he has a free pass for life from me.

one of the best song writers ever, and I love the fuckitall attitude they always had...priceless!

at least dillon knew good music when he heard it... and to the 2 people who gave this a thumbs down~ ahhhh never mind.

I could go on and on about this band, but to cut to the chase, I used to watch them 5 or 6 times a week in Mpls, they played relentlessly at "The Joint", and "Whiskey Junction", if there was ever a band to gain notoriety here in MN, that makes Prince pale to comparison, its these guys, the talent and the fact that most people never even heard of them is almost a crime, its one of those life changing groups that just make you dream of being a rock star ! PS RIP Tommy, I wish you were up on stage

notice they cut "we're feeling from the "pills we took"" at the beginning so he threw in "too late to "take pills"" instead of too late to "turn back" at the end. bet tipper gore loved that

but I love how paul changed the words at the end to "its too easy to take pills..." instead of "its to easy to turn back...". the greatest rock band of all time.

Announcer clearly wasn't expecting the best behavior!

Color me obsessed

Love

The true punks of rock 'n' roll🖤

“What the hell are we doing here?” “We might even win this time, but I doubt it.” Statements like these are the reason The Replacements never got big.

Still have this somewhere on VHS...hard to believe this was 20 years ago...

now i know where i get my obsession with red jeans!

Anyone else catch Paul go over and turn his amp up once the rest of the band kicked in?

"what the hell are we doing here"... then slipping in two or three "pills" references after the edit...classic

I had this CD 20 years ago, and I played it to death. I don't know what it is about these guys, but I enjoy listening.

Holy shit, am I glad I found this

Throwing in the main hook of "Portland" for good measure. Even in 1989, The Replacements were still pretty fucking cool.

Good thing they edited out "pills I took", it would've damaged me for life.

one night at the channel in boston a fan came up to sing part of the set as paul was too drunk. still a great show. Bob was fantastic

That look right after the censor is priceless.

classy performance from the 'mats

They have been sorely missed since their break up...by me. I fucking love this band. How can anyone talk bad about them??? Sure, there last album was not their best, but still great.

yes it is. he's a fan & wrote liner notes on All for Nothing&Nothing for All.

Not a single person in the audience is moving. I know I am.

So this is the clip mentioned in "All Over But The Shouting". I'm happy now.

I remember seeing this live... I remember them censoring the line about the pills but didnt notice they change till now :)

Tommy's bass is awesome

Yup, they were great live, but check out their old teachers, The Suburbs. The 'Mats warmed up for 'em for years around the midwest. They taught the 'Mats how to party, and played even louder and faster! Their brilliant guitarist Bruce Allen just passed away before the holidays. If you like 80's music from MN, check 'em out this Valentine's Day for a reunion/memorial concert at First Ave. You never know who'll show up! The Suburbs are breathtaking live too.

Love the little bit of bastards of young they slip in at the end, nice little throw back to the SNL travesty.

Fuck it. Best band ever. That's it. They win.

Love the fact that Tommy is playing his Thunderbird here. Looks bitchin

The white shirts match what they have crammed in their nose. You can hear the drip in Westy's vocals.

Ha. I saw this blasted award show when it aired. The Mats were in fine form that night and Westerberg was always a genius at subverting the moment. He obviously knew that the censors would be silencing "we're feeling good from the pills we took" so he changed the refrain from "it's too late to turn back" to "it's too late to take pills" and sang it three times instead of one. Also, I remember Lou Reed getting booed during "Romeo Had Juliet" for the unkind lyric about New York. Good times.

Yeah I get that same reaction from most people I tell about the band. I don't get it though, it really makes me think less of people sometimes. Not that they haven't heard of The Replacements but that they think because they haven't heard of a band that must mean they're not that great. What IS very telling is that most people who DO know who they are consider them to be among the best. But yeah, I too am kinda glad nobody knows about them. It's like being part of a great club or something! :)

it's sad how kids' knowledge of music history extends to nirvana, skips back to led zeppelin (if we're lucky) and then maybe the who. they don't play great bands like this on the radio because they never had gigantic commercial hits.... like the f*ckin' eagles. need more bands like this for kids to hear.

There's no replacement for The Replacements.

Someone should've set the crowd on fire to get them moving. REPLACEMENTS are LEGEND!!!!!!!!!!

I think he say's The Elvis. That was the name of the award statue they were handing out. I have this on VHS somewhere, too.

"What the hell are we doing here?"

Ha, they censored "feeling good from the pills we took." line. But, they got them at the end with the "It's too late to take pills, here we go." Love them guys.

I think that was 2006 off the greatest hits album "Don't You Know Who I Think I Was?" there were two new song Message to the Boys and Pool And Dive. Chris didn't play drums but he did do the backing vocals. They did ,howerver, re-released all there albums in 2008 but that wasn't new stuff it was just previously unreleased. Replacements rule, great music great legacy Rock n Roll never dies

"It' too late to take pills, here we go....".....lololol

"What the hell are we doing here?" lol

"It's too late to take pills, here we go!" lol F*ck the censors!

PLACE MATS!

in our band could be your life

I guess it was an Elvis award show? Typical Replacements fashion yelling what the hell are we even doing here, then yelling Elvis laughing like the outtro on the studio version -priceless

cant help but love them and trust them to beat the censors

It's never too late to take pills

They were never the same after Bob was gone.

RIP Bob.

Saw 'em a dozen times from 83-their last MPLS show at the Orpheum, the first and last shows were the best! The rest were even better. If you get the Mats you get rock-n-roll, if you don't, sorry :-( They were musically amazing and entertaining 80% of the time and totally entertaining the other 20%..."A person can work up a mean, mean thirst..."

Are there any decent biogs on the Replacements?

i thought the replacements lost their inspiration after pleased to meet me, obviously i was wrong

"It's too late to take pills".....ha ha ha, censor that motherfucker :)

'....what the hell are we doin' here....?'

Yeah, I know. But he was a founding member of the band before he died.

Ha, I remember seeing this and thinking exactly what Paul said. What the....?????? There on TV, people are watching, there going to self destruct ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.......!!!!!!!!!!!

@tablaqueen at least they got around it in the end by sneaking 'PILLS' in again:)

Where in hell is the drummer. Lights & cameras only show guitarists.

BWAHAHAHHAHAHA

Feeling good from the pills we took.

It's too late to take pills here.we.go.

What the hell were they doing there?!

Its too late to take pills, Here we go!

@R0gue11390 I want to think he said "shit we took".

it's too late to take pills, here we go lol......seriously though kids, as the song goes, "excess ain't rebellion"