Talk about a great rock concert movie. Martin Scorsese's Shine a Light puts such a laser focus on the Rolling Stones live that it might as well be an MRI. I'd rank Shine a Light ahead of Cocksucker Blues and Let's Spend the Night Together and just under Gimme Shelter and Godard's One Plus One: Sympathy for the Devil among the great Stones films. Shine a Light gives us all another excuse—not that we need one—to rank the great rock concerts captured on screen. I'm not talking rock feature films,
where This Is Spinal Tap reigns supreme with A Hard Day's Night tickling its tail. And I'm not talking archival docs where clips and interviews build a story, like what Scorsese did with Bob Dylan in No Direction Home and D.A. Pennebaker did four decades earlier in Don't Look Back. What I want to chew on are the rock concert films that capture the unbeatable thrill of rock & roll in the flesh. Gimme Shelter doesn't make the cut because the tragedy at Altamont oversdhadows the performance. I'll let the debate begin by giving my top three:
1 The Last Waltz 1978
Scorsese again, capturing the 1976 farewell concert by the original lineup of The Band (Robbie Robertson, Richard Manuel, Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson). When Robertson trades blazing licks with guest artist Eric Clapton in "Further Up the Road," you feel like you're in the crossfire. The movie, which ranks with Scorsese's top five films in any genre, was supposed to be about the end of the road for The Band. Instead, The Last Waltz (see photo) celebrates rock & roll as a way of life and no movie before or since has done it better.
2 Stop Making Sense 1984
The first image lets you know what you're in for: David Byrne, alone with a boombox, yelping "Psycho Killer." Jonathan Demme's account of three nights with Talking Heads puts you in the front row of the Pantages Theater in Hollywood, then dares you to stay on your ass. Byrne fills the screen in his Big Suit, but every Head is a star. This is America's peerless rainbow-funk-art-and-party band, and Demme makes it seem like they're playing just for you.
3 Monterey Pop 1969
Go ahead and bitch that you prefer Woodstock as the top rock festival film. I'm going with D.A. Pennebaker's Monterey campout with Janis wailing "Ball and Chain," Hendrix literally setting fire to his guitar during "Wild Thing," and Otis Redding ripping his heart out at the end of "Try a Little Tenderness." And, geez, what about the indelible sight and sound of Country Joe and Fish waking up the sleeping campers with a psychedelic guitar attack on "Section 43."
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Anonymous | August 27, 2009 6:49 PM
But the movie was out in '69...
Anonymous | May 28, 2009 6:24 PM
Monterey Pop was in 1967.
Jens Lowcut | April 8, 2008 9:59 AM
The Decline Of The Western Civilization ('81 LA punk docu)
or
Unknown Passage : The Dead Moon Story
Jim | April 7, 2008 5:28 PM
The Last Waltz
Jeff Tweedy "Sunken Treasure"
Woodstock
The T.A.M.I. Show
Monterey Pop
Stevie Ray Vaughan "Live At El Mocambo"
Monique | April 7, 2008 2:25 PM
I have to agree with Joe, Sign o' the times is as close as I have gotten to Prince in concert....but how can you not love the Last Waltz?!
Steven | April 7, 2008 10:24 AM
Excellent picks and definite classics.
It'd have been nice to see some newer material included.
3 worth mentioning:
Sigur Ros - Heima
Muse - HAARP
The White Stripes - Under Blackpool Lights
Mick | April 6, 2008 12:23 PM
Thin Lizzy's "Life/Live"... all the guitar players who played in the band...
Sherry | April 6, 2008 7:44 AM
Someone mentioned 'Journey Through the Past' - sounds great, I can't believe I've never heard of it.
As someone who was 17 in 1969 I HAVE to vote for 'WOODSTOCK' as number 1 - any of you young kids, just watch it and you'll know what it was like to be a kid in those times. Perfect!
Steve | April 5, 2008 10:52 PM
Gary Moore & Friends Live From Dublin: Tribute To Phil Lynott.
Thin Lizzy from start to finish, with moore soaking in sweat from all-out effort the whole time. Great to see retired Lizzy drummer Brian Downey back on stage as well.
Also, Oingo Boingo: Farewell. The 1995 Halloween Night swan song from the Universal Amphitheater is a career-spanning performance of the criminally overlooked band's hitting on every cylinder. It is a jaw-dropping show, a time capsule and an end of an era all at once.
Oh, and Stop Making Sense is a seminal snapshot.
GoTerps | April 5, 2008 9:05 PM
The Who: The Kids Are Alright and Isle of Wight Festival
Springsteen: Live in NYC
Neil Young: Rust Never Sleeps
The Stones: Rock 'N Roll Circus
Monterey Pop Festival
Mozart | April 5, 2008 5:22 PM
The standard bearers will never be equalled: Woodstock and Elvis:That's The Way It Is. Don't even bring up anything else alongside these two never-to-be-equalled docs. Vote for your favourites, fine. But do so with the understanding that they cannot be whispered in the same breadth as these two hallowed rock classics.
Jean Deschesnes | April 5, 2008 1:55 PM
Hay,
All of you forgot the best concert ever :
1-Concert for George in memory of George Harrison with Jeff Lyne (ELO), Paul Mccartney, Ringo Starr, Jim Capaldi (Traffic), Gary Brooker (Procol Harum), Billy Preston, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty & The Heartbreaker,Joe & Sam Brown, etc...at the Royal Albert Hall, London..4.9 out of 5 stars (330)at Amazon..
runners up :
--The last Waltz.4.6 out of 5 stars (251).
--Rattle and Hum U2.4.4 out of 5 stars (117)..
---a celebration for jim capaldi (cat stevens, joe waslh (the Eagles), Gary Moore, pete townshed, paul weller, Dennis Locorriere(Dr. Hook), steve windwood,Simon Kirke (FREE, Bad Company, John Lord (Deep purple), etc.)...
--The kids are alright The WHO 4.4 out of 5 stars (117), --Concert for Bangladesh (4.7 out of 5 stars (109)...
-- Rolling Stones Bridges to Babylon 4.6 out of 5 stars (56)...
--Porcupine tree Arriving somewhewre 4.8 out of 5 stars (64)....
--Queen Wembley 4.6 out of 5 stars (132)....
--Eagles Farewell 1 Tour - Live From Melbourne 4.5 out of 5 stars (436)...
lightraven | April 5, 2008 1:59 AM
The Grateful Dead Movie
Heart of Gold
whitebear | April 5, 2008 1:57 AM
Heart of Gold
David Richard freezing in ND | April 5, 2008 1:28 AM
I've always had a soft spot for The Last Waltz since I bought the triple LP on my 18th birthday and was amazed at the sax solo by Garth Hudson at the end of It Makes No Difference. However,seeing the Concert for Bangla Desh when I was 12 and the film literally burned up on the screen during While My Guitar Gently Weeps has left a lasting impression on this old Rock N Roll heart. Honorable mention goes out to Gimmie Shelter. Get Yer Ya Ya's Out indeed!
who cares? | April 5, 2008 1:18 AM
I just wanted to say that Peter Gabriel lip syncs the entire Peter Gabriel's Secret World DVD.
That it all.
PapaRasta | April 4, 2008 4:41 PM
Two important criteria in this category:
1. Must be of one concert or event (multi-day festival)
2. Must have been released in movie theaters (sorry, videos don't count on this one -- separate category)
(in no particular order)
1. The Last Waltz
2. Woodstock
3. Rolling Stones at the Max
4. Ladies and Gentleman, the Rolling Stones ('72 Exile on Main Street Tour -- inexplicably AWOL)
5. Rust Never Sleeps
6. Stop Making Sense
7. Concert for Bangladesh
8. No Nukes
9. Celebration At Big Sur (where is this one? -- worth watching for Stephen Stills going off in the audience!)
10. Monterrey Pop
Runners up:
1. Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture
2. Isle of Wight
3. Shadows and Light
4. Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii (does it count if there was no audience?)
Disqualified but great (television or video release; multiple shows; not concert specific)
1. Rattle and Hum
2. Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus
3. Hard Rain
4. Peter Gabriel Secret World Tour
5. Festival Express
6. Journey Through the Past
7. Let It Be (come on guys, let's release this on DVD!)
8. Joni Mitchell - Refuge of the Roads
9. tie - Rainbow Bridge, Jimi Hendrix
10. Gimme Shelter
11. (sorry, couldn't leave this out) Don't Look Now
Okay, so I'm dating myself! At least it's a cheap date.
Mike | April 4, 2008 4:17 PM
The Zeppelin 2-disc DVD is unreal. Especially the Knebworth stuff. Plant just kills it!
The White Stripes at Blackpool is great too. Shot in a grainy 8mm style.
Glastonbury documentary is pretty cool too.
Kenny G. | April 4, 2008 3:55 PM
Live by Kenny G.!
Joe | April 4, 2008 3:40 PM
Sign O' the Times
Bradford | April 4, 2008 1:13 PM
Modern classic: My Morning Jacket - Okonokos
Lady Stardust | April 4, 2008 1:11 PM
All-time favourites:
1) Last Waltz
2) Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture (Pennebaker, again, I believe)
3) Stop Making Sense
4) Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus
5) The Led Zeppelin Two-Disc box (it's chopped up from multiple concerts, which isn't as cool, but the performances are like nothing else.)
Joe Puma | April 4, 2008 10:59 AM
"Last Waltz"has to be number one,with "Woodstock" a close #2."Let It Be"(which inexplicably still isn't available on dvd yet)is a personal favorite of mine.The film simultaneously displays the sad tension that was destroying the greatest band on earth and the ability of the Beatles to make fantastic music despite all the bullshit.This genre is a passion of mine so it's hard to list all of my favorites,but I'll say this I'll never tire of "The Concert For Bangladesh","Rust Never Sleeps","Rock And Roll Circus",,"Jimi Plays Berkeley","Elvis:Aloha From Hawaii",Bruce Springsteen"Live From Madison Square Garden" and a new classic Elton 60.There are so many good ones,I just wish "No Nukes","Celebration At Big Sur",and "The Concert For Kampuchea" would make their way to store shelves one day.
Keith Talent | April 4, 2008 9:50 AM
Also, although to be fair these might seem in one case blindingly obvious and in the other a bit awkward...what about
'Let It Be'-for the rooftop gig alone its priceless
'Rock n Roll Circus'-Primetimes Stones and friends rip it up
Keith Talent | April 4, 2008 9:45 AM
What, no brits? Admittedly we're not the best people for producing rock docs, but there are a few good ones...
'Zoo TV Live from Sydney 1993'-U2 (THE postmodern stadium rock concert by which all others should be judged)
'Louder Than War:Live from Cuba'-Manic Street Preachers (culturally significant and with some great songs)
'Familiar to Millions'-Oasis (meant to be good for Liam's rawness)
'HAARP'-Muse (has had good reviews)
'Pulse:Live Earl's Court '94'-Pink Floyd (IT'S PINK FREAKIN' FLOYD!!Watched this with ym mate at Uni with surround sound and it was AWESOME)
'Live at the Astoria'-Radiohead (reissued on DVD recently, good early look at the band and has some rare tracks/B-sides in the setlist)
'Glastonbury'-Julian Temple documentary (excellent as it give youa real feel for the experience. Watched it with some American mates and they were blown away by how different our festival experience is to thiers)
hippie dream | April 4, 2008 8:54 AM
Marty's OK, but he can't compete with the great director Bernard Shakey. I saw Shakey's first film "Journey Through The Past" in the early 70's at one of those midnight film fests. Now, the idea behind the midnight start time was to give everyone all evening to get completely blotto before coming to the cinema to enjoy high art. There is a scene in "Journey TTP" where CSN&Y are crowded into a tiny dressing room after leaving the stage. You can hear the crowd HOWLING through the walls of said dressing room. HOWLING for them to come back and do an encore, excuse this Cormac McCarthy like sentence but I mean it sounded like the walls were going to come down while CSN&Y calmly sit in the tiny room and roll doobs the size of rocket launchers. ...Since that time "Journey Through the Past" has disappeared into obscurity. It hasn't been seen or heard from in 30 years. Y'all haven't had the chance to see the greatest doc, because Mr Shakey has it locked in a vault somewhere, gatherin' dust.
Sherry | April 4, 2008 8:25 AM
Woodstock still tops them all for me. I try to watch it once a year. Then I'd vote for The Last Waltz. Then Monteray.
Long Live Rock n Roll.
Anonymous | April 4, 2008 7:38 AM
Agree that The Last Waltz is a classic. Rick Danko belting out "It Makes No Difference" really cuts deep. That said, I have to give the nod to "Rust Never Sleeps" -- Neil really began to shed his image as the flannel shirted loner on this one, and the masses really didn't know what to make of it. Hard core fans already knew of Neil's affitnity for performance art from his Tonight's the Night tour from a few years before. But it was Rust that cemented his spot as an icon. A quirky one perhaps, but still an icon,
Batfink | April 4, 2008 12:50 AM
Peter Gabriel's Secret World Live, period.
dd | April 3, 2008 11:57 PM
bernie worrell ROCKS!!!!
Anonymous | April 3, 2008 10:39 PM
Jonathan Richman - "Take Me To the Plaza"
William | April 3, 2008 9:51 PM
festival express anyone....
Greg | April 3, 2008 9:39 PM
There has been some great ones, but I'd go with The Last Waltz, which has the bonus of not just a great headline band, but 6 or 7 of the most important musicians in contemporary music history, all at or close to their peak. This film is a history lesson.
Bob Dylan
Van Morrison
Neil Young
Eric Clapton
Joni Mitchell
Muddy Waters
Kevin | April 3, 2008 8:42 PM
Truth or Dare - Madonna
I'm Going To Tell You a Secret - Madonna
The Confessions Tour - Madonna
Scott | April 3, 2008 8:12 PM
Stop Making Sense. Just try sitting still as the band grows, the music builds and the pace intensifies. Can't be done. A seminal concert experience. A seminal concert film.
Brett | April 3, 2008 7:26 PM
Pete, Last Waltz is easily the greatest concert film.
Whuttabout Isle of Wight or Woodstock?
Savon | April 3, 2008 7:02 PM
It may not quite be a "rock concert doc," but I adore U2 Rattle and Hum from 1988. In addition to the classics from The Joshua Tree album, it's great to hear "Heartland." I'm not even sure how often U2 plays "Heartland" anymore.
Anonymous | April 3, 2008 4:05 PM
the kids are alright, it is a no brainer
Dave | April 3, 2008 12:53 PM
I totally agree with The Last Waltz being a great concert film. I also preferred Ziggy Stardust. Pennebaker, despite his shakey camera work, captures the lexicon of Glam rock that is David Bowie. The Wall Live in Berlin is also a memorable concert film. Roger Waters gives a commanding performance along with such greats as Joni Mitchell, the semi-reunion of the Band, and Van Morrison's timeless performance of "Comfortably Numb."