The Best Concert Films

Watching a band play a live concert is one of the most exhilarating experiences life has to offer. Sometimes though, it's not possible to get out and watch your favorite act. In those instances watching the concert on film can sometimes be just as exciting, but only when the same care is given to filming the show as the musicians who are playing their instruments give their performances. The films in this list I believe encapsulate and translate the live-concert experience to film best.

"Woodstock" (1970) Of course no list of the best concert films could be without this three hour film that documents perhaps the most famous rock and roll festival in history. Directed by Michael Waldeigh and featuring artists like Joe Cocker, Joan Baez, Jimi Hendrix and Creedence Clearwater Revival, this movie is equal parts concert film and historical documentary. For Hendrix's performance alone this film is a must-watch. Without it, we might never learn how important it is not to eat the brown acid. This film is also monumental in that a young editor by the name of Martin Scorsese worked on this film, and probably learned enough to help him direct another film that made this list.

Somewhere there's a quote that more people claim to have been at Woodstock than were actually there. This is probably due in part to so many people seeing the film and somehow thinking they were there; after all the right combination of drugs and number of times watching this film could have a transporting effect on the viewer. Some of the most iconic images and sounds of the decade were captured at Woodstock. Perhaps the most amazing part of the film is just how much wasn't able to be squeezed in. All parties involved have said that some of the best stuff had to end up on the cutting room floor just to make room for what did make it in.

"Devo: Live in the Land of the Rising Sun" (2004) In 2003, Devo toured Japan and they filmed their performances. Those performances were used to form the backbone of this concert film. Devo are one of the most unique bands from both an aesthetic standpoint and in their group's sound. Equal parts punk, new wave and at times techno, they are quirky, off beat and just a lot of fun to watch as well as listen to. This film is a great piece for either fans of the band, or just fans of live music in general. Nearly 20 years after their most "famous" years, Devo are still playing really electric and eclectic shows that make for really entertaining experiences, and this film captures their spirit wonderfully.

"Stop Making Sense" (1984) You don't even have to be a fan of Talking Heads to really appreciate this film. It's more about the bands' performance than innovative technique for filming a live concert, though there are plenty of "Oh wow!" moments in this film to be sure. Undoubtedly Talking Heads is one of the most cerebral artists of their era, and perhaps of all time. David Byrne imparts highly thought-provoking lyrical content into every song he writes. This same massively artistic approach was put into their live shows; theatricality was the name of the game. To get a sense for what this means, just watch any of their music videos. That same aesthetic-forward sensibility was injected into the bands' performance from start to finish, making this movie tons of fun.

"The Last Waltz" (1978) When The Band decided to call it quits in 1978 they asked Martin Scorsese to film it for them, which may have been the most important decision they ever made about the concert. Filmed in San Francisco's famous Winterland concert hall, this film is the quintessential concert movie, thanks equally to the phenomenal performance of The Band and all their guests (Neil Young, Van Morrison, Dr. John, Bob Dylan, The Staple Sisters, just to name a few) and the job done by Scorsese and his crew of camera operators. The shots that Scorsese got in capturing this event are the template by which all other concert films should proceed. There's a truly cinematic quality to the concert that is so rare to see in any concert film.

Scorsese and his crew had the right coverage and a sense for how to capture each song's performance and who the audience should be focusing their attention on at that moment. Perhaps the easiest way to see Scorsese's stamp on this film is to watch the performance of "The Weight," easily one of the groups' most well known numbers. Scorsese chose to showcase this song as performed on a sound stage, as opposed to at Winterland. The result was a classic music video with truly beautiful camera movement. The slow push in on Levon Helm that quickly swings around as he wraps up the first first is vintage Scorsese that in the context of a musical performance really accents the movement of the instrumentation.

If you're an audiophile or music lover and have a BluRay player, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of this film in the BluRay format. The uncompressed audio and cleaned up picture make this already great film even more amazing. "The Last Waltz" is to me the litmus test by which all other concert films should be judged, and the BluRay print just confirms this theory for me.

Think I missed a film, or disagree with me on my list? Drop me a comment.