What is a concert film? Is it a film focused on music? Is it purely concert footage? Somewhere in between? Maybe viewers can take a page from Potter Stewart’s obscenity test: you know it when you see it. While many great concert films consist entirely of concert footage (hello Monterey Pop), most use a mixture of concert and non-concert footage. A concert is the crux of the film. Despite their greatness, films like 20 Feet From Stardom, Sound City, and May It Last are ineligible for this list.
Concert films cover all genres and eras. Here are the 10 that stand above the rest.
Festival Express - 96%
The Grateful Dead and Janis Joplin gave a very different meaning to the term “touring festival” in 1970. Those three artists headlined a Canadian festival that took place on a train. The festival played its way across Canada with shows in Toronto, Winnipeg, and Calgary. It was a disaster; shows in Montreal and Vancouver were canceled, and protests and financial difficulties plagued the rest. The film captured some off Janis Joplin’s final performances, the Band at the height of their commercial success and the Grateful Dead as they became the defining jam band.
Down from the Mountain - 97%
The soundtrack from Joel and Ethan Coen’s O Brother, Where Art Thou? was the last soundtrack to win the Album of the Year Grammy. Down from the Mountain didn’t receive the same shiny praise, but its presentation of the film’s music received praise from critics nonetheless. Most of the film is a benefit concert by the recording artists featured on the soundtrack. The first 30 minutes are an eccentric and intriguing profile of the artists and their travel to the show. This includes John Hartford, whose interview takes place while he steers a paddleboat.
Stop Making Sense - 97%
The suit. David Byrne’s dancing. The solitary light during “Once in a Lifetime.” Stop Making Sense is filled with so much iconic imagery that it’s a miracle that it’s all in one film. Then’s there the incredible music. Sense isn’t just an excellent documentary; it’s arguably the definitive Talking Heads record. The film’s innovative use of 24-track sound recording allowed director Jonathan Demme to capture both the visual and sonic energy of a Talking Heads live show. They’re not reuniting any time soon, but Stop Making Sense will do just fine in the meantime.
The Last Waltz - 98%
Martin Scorsese has made a lot of music documentaries. His chronicle of the Band’s “final” show is his finest. Like with Stop Making Sense, each song on the accompanying soundtrack makes its case for being the best versions committed to wax. Scorsese captured the show’s parade of guests, from Bob Dylan and the Staples Singers to Muddy Waters and Neil Young.
The film was the start of a partnership between Scorsese and lead singer Robbie Robertson, who was a music consultant on more than 10 Scorsese films.
HOMECOMING - 98%
Beyoncé’s headlining set at Coachella 2018 practically begged to be immortalized on film. So, it shouldn’t have been a surprise when HOMECOMING dropped a year later. The film isn’t just a document of her incredible performance, it also allowed Beyoncé to offer her rationale on every little detail in the show. The resulting is a fascinating look at a performer in action and her thought process as an individual. Hearing her explain one of the biggest festival performances since Daft Punk makes her all the more compelling.
Amazing Grace - 99%
Amazing Grace came out at the right time. The documentary about Aretha Franklin’s performances at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles was too complicated to be completed in 1972. Director Sydney Pollack had trouble syncing the audio and video. There were attempts in 2007, 2011, and 2015 to revive the project, but it wasn’t until after Franklin’s death in 2018 that the film finally saw the light of day. The film is a picture of a star returning her roots at the height of her popularity in a mere 87 minutes.
Justin Timberlake + the Tennessee Kids - 100%
Justin Timberlake + the Tennessee Kids documents the final show of Timberlake’s 20/20 Experience World Tour. It was also the last project director Jonathan Demme filmed before his death in 2017. The pair first met after Demme watched The Social Network and the conversation turned to Stop Making Sense. The influence of that film is evident in the cinematography and Timberlake’s movements and set design. His energy on stage is palpable and Demme’s occasional focus on Timberlake’s backup band humanizes both Timberlake and the film itself.
Jazz on a Summer’s Day - 100%
The only jazz documentary on the list, Jazz on a Summer’s Day showcases the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival. It offers a rare look at several jazz and early rock greats in their prime: Thelonious Monk, Chuck Berry, Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles, and Mahalia Jackson all feature prominently. An early masterpiece of direct cinema, the film consists solely of performances from the festival interspersed with images of the 1958 America’s Cup and Newport, Rhode Island. The film would go on to influence filmmakers such as D.A. Pennebaker and Albert and David Maysles.
Don’t Look Back - 100%
Don’t Look Back is D.A. Pennebaker’s chronicle of Bob Dylan’s 1965 England tour. The tour took place just two months before Dylan went electric at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, and the film certainly has that end-of-an-era feel. Don’t Look Back captures Dylan’s breakup with Joan Baez, or something close to it, as well as Dylan’s famous “music video” for “Subterranean Homesick Blues” and his tirade against Time columnist Horace Freeland Judson.
Woodstock - 100%
The theatrical release of Woodstock is 185 minutes long. The directors cut adds another hour of footage. Such is any attempt to capture something as massive as Woodstock in anything close to a viewable state. Luckily for viewers (and director Michael Wadleigh), none other than Thelma Schoonmaker edited the film. Her artistry is one of the reasons why the film is so beloved. It wasn’t the first film to elevate documentary filmmaking to a new level, but it was one of the first popular documentaries to do so.
