She lets her staff know that she’s depressed, but allows herself to be brought into hair and makeup. There is one scene in Katy Perry’s 2012 tour documentary that should be cemented in pop music history: After receiving word (via text message!) from her then-husband Russel Brand that he would be filing for divorce, Perry is visibly distraught she’s in the midst of her “California Dreams” tour, and she has a show that evening. The mayhem fans witness at shows by modern-day hardcore heroes like Turnstile and Knocked Loose owes a great debt of gratitude to the wild precedent set decades ago by acts like Bad Brains. ruled the stage like a man possessed, surrounded by a sea of stage divers - only occasionally slowing things down for the band’s more reggae-tinged tunes. There’s nothing fancy about this concert film, but the fact that it captures one of the greatest live bands playing one of the most legendary venues of all time results in a magnificent document of the ‘80s hardcore scene. As recorded by these cameras, complied by these editors, we witness the artist’s struggles, as well as their triumphs… all captured for posterity, the ephemeral preserved for generations to come. But also, many of these films are iconic because they take rock stars, our modern-day gods, and make them feel simultaneously human and immortal. Many of these films are iconic not just because of the artists involved, but because of what they have to say about the moment in time during which they were filmed. It was an important rule, because what becomes apparent about this genre is how much context plays a role in these stories - context which usually only comes with an understanding of what was happening backstage that night, or what was happening in the world at that time. If there’s one word that embodies the challenge any maker of a concert film faces, it’s “capture.” How do you use cameras and sound and editing to not just depict live performance, but deliver its raw energy to an audience in such a way that even decades later, its power is palpable? It’s a difficult task, for sure, but it’s not impossible - as the 25 movies on this list prove, assembled as the iconic Stop Making Sense begins its upcoming theatrical re-release.īecause the line between “music documentary” and “concert film” can be a little blurry, we came up with one rule for this list: While we weren’t watching these titles with stopwatches in hand, we did require that approximately 50% of the film needed to consist of the artist performing for a live audience.
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