Sacha Howells,
Mar 04, 2009
Sure, the Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience didn't really soar at the box office. But if you're looking for bands in movies then we've got you covered. Enjoy!
Beastie Boys Video Anthology
Awesome; I F@#%ing Shot That! is recent and captures the band in good form, edited together from footage shot simultaneously by 50 fans. But the Criterion Collection Video Anthology really pushes the limits of DVDs. Eighteen songs are spread across two discs, with multiple audio and video tracks that let you choose how to watch and listen in hundreds of combinations. With 40 remixes and loads of extra behind-the-scenes footage (like an appearance on Sofia Coppola's short-lived TV show as the cast of Sabotage) there's hours of material.
Decline of Western Civilization, Parts I and II
Penelope Spheeris' series captures distinct moments in Los Angeles music. Decline showcases the anarchy of L.A. punk with great performances from Black Flag, Fear, and L.A.'s answer to the Sex Pistols, the Germs. Part II: The Metal Years goes deep into the excesses of the Sunset Strip scene of the late '80s, with big stars like Ozzy, Poison, and Alice Cooper and not-so's like London and Odin. (Part III, made in 1998 and never released on DVD, features much smaller bands and focuses on the street life of gutter punks.)
DiG!
The Dandy Warhols aren't exactly a household name, and the Brian Jonestown Massacre definitely aren't. This documentary, shot over seven years, follows the two bands' different paths. The Warhols signed to a major label and played to ever bigger crowds, while their friends in the Brian Jonestown Massacre devolved into drunken binges and on-stage fistfights, mostly sparked by frontman Anton Newcombe, with a healthy -- or unhealthy -- slab of jealousy. The route to stardom takes a lot more than talent, and DiG! shows how easy it is to fail.
Gimme Shelter
The Rolling Stones' free show at Altamont is called the moment the '60s ended, when 300,000 fans ran into the Hell's Angels, who were providing security, leaving one person dead. By chance, documentary makers Albert and David Maysles were on hand to film the show and perfectly capture the anger and animosity as the crowd gets ugly. The film is beautifully put together, mixing footage of the tour as it approached its terrible finale, the behind-the-scenes wrangling to get the event together, and scenes of the Stones screening what happened that night for the first time. With appearances from Ike and Tina Turner, Jefferson Airplane, and the Flying Burrito Brothers (the Grateful Dead skipped out after Airplane singer Marty Balin was coldcocked onstage by an Angel), it's a great document of the end of an era.
The Last Waltz
Martin Scorsese directed this document of what was to be the Band's final performance after 16 years on the road (a different lineup re-formed years later), considered one of the best concert movies ever made. Studio scenes and interviews tell the Band's story, but it's the music, with guest stars like Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, and Muddy Waters, that make it a one-of-a-kind performance.
Stop Making Sense
If The Last Waltz defined the concert movie of the '70s, Jonathan Demme's film of the Talking Heads defined it for the '80s. Because their live act was more than just four people standing on a stage, Demme basically just shot the show, with its incorporated performance pieces (like the iconic big white suit) and video art backdrops. Long shots and no audience reactions make it still arresting to watch, and the music holds up better than you might imagine (even the mid-show song by Tom Tom Club, made up of half of the Talking Heads).
Pink Floyd The Wall
Pink Floyd's 1979 concept album became a monster world tour, with elaborate stage sets and, of course, a flying pig. The film version isn't just a concert movie, but a reimagining that tells the story of Pink, a rock star-turned-fuhrer. The iconic marching hammers and striking performance by Bob Geldof as Pink make this more than your usual band film.
Wattstax
Seven years after the Watts riots, Stax Records organized a concert at the L.A. Coliseum that gathered R&B, soul, and gospel singers. This Golden Globe-nominated documentary includes performances from The Staples Singers, Isaac Hayes, and Rufus Thomas, with running commentary from Richard Pryor. More than just a concert movie, it shows conditions in Watts and in urban centers around the country, using the music to highlight the politics.
X: The Unheard Music
This all-but-forgotten film incorporates interviews, live footage, studio recordings, and short films to give a portrait of X, a great band who never broke through to the mainstream but are still out there on the road. Intercut with stock footage and classic TV commercials, the unfolding story of the band, its members, and their struggle with corporate labels is a work of art itself, and yet another cautionary tale about the rough road to success.
