Concert films are a strange genre. Almost every artist makes a film whilst on tour and releases it as a way to reach out to the fans who couldn’t get tickets, and the die-hard fans who thought seeing twelve live shows in a row just wasn’t enough. While a lot of them are basic recordings of the concert, occasionally a concert film will come along that pushes the genre forward and is more powerful than most Hollywood films being released today. Here are the ten best Concert Films ever made.
10. Soul Power
Taking its title from the legendary James Brown song, Soul Power takes us back to a bygone era of soul music, following legendary performers like James Brown, B.B. King and Miriam Makeba as they perform in a three-day concert before the historic “Rumble in the Jungle” boxing match in 1974.
9. Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest
Titled after their iconic 1996 album of the same name, Beats, Rhymes & Life, sees actor and director Michael Rapaport giving fans an incredible behind-the-scenes look at one of the most influential hip-hop groups of the 90s.
8. Neil Young: Heart of Gold
He’s made so many concert films, that one of them was bound to make this list. Shot over two nights in 2005, Heart of Gold combines interviews with Young and other band members with clips from his concert at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville where Young premiered various songs from the album “Prairie Wind.”
7. Rolling Thunder Revue
Directed by none other than Martin Scorsese, Rolling Thunder Revue cross-references the influential music of one of the greatest country/folk singers and songwriters of all time with the divided America of 1975.
6. Springsteen on Broadway
A change to his usual larger-than-life concerts, Springsteen on Broadway documents one of the artist’s most intimate gigs, featuring only himself, a guitar, a piano, and stories from his life.
5. Festival Express
Featuring footage from their Canadian tour, Festival Express follows the Grateful Dead as they perform from city to city, all the while plagued by worried promoters, inquisitive reporters and protesting students.
4. Marley
Marley is an inside look at the life, family and legacy of the timeless reggae superstar, including rare footage and interviews with those closest to him. Marley is his life story put to the screen.
3. The Last Waltz
Another amazing concert film by Martin Scorsese, The Last Waltz documents the Canadian band known as The Band’s final ever show at San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom in 1976. The Last Waltzalso features performances and interviews with Bob Dylan, Ban Morrison, Eric Clapton, Joni Mitchell and Muddy Waters as they discuss the legacy of The Band.
2. Amazing Grace
Amazing Grace documents the making and recording of Aretha Franklin’s “Amazing Grace” album, which quickly became the most successful gospel album of all time.
1. Stop Making Sense
THE gold standard for concert films for nearly 40 years, Stop Making Sense captures the legendary energy of the Talking Heads during their performance at Hollywood Pantages Theatre in 1983. Stop Making Sense has also been recently remastered by A24, and re-released just last month.
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