BEST Ever Concert Film

jf852003

I am trying to sttle an arguement with a friend. Which is the best ever concert film "Stop Making Sense" by Talking Heads or "The Last Waltz" by The Band. Or if you have any other suggestions ?

Zaph

As a massive Talking Heads fan I will obviously say Stop Making Sense. However, I only saw The Last Waltz for the first time recently, and I have to say I couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about. Even Muddy Waters disappointed me in it, and that's not something I'd ever though I'd say about the great man.

EDIT: Put up a poll.

lordgoat

zaph wrote:

As a massive Talking Heads fan I will obviously say Stop Making Sense. However, I only saw The Last Waltz for the first time recently, and I have to say I couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about. Even Muddy Waters disappointed me in it, and that's not something I'd ever though I'd say about the great man.

EDIT: Put up a poll.

You hobestly can't see what the fuss was about? Watch Van Morrison or Neil Young's performance and if that doesn't shake you nothing will. The Last Waltz can't be beaten in my opinion. It so well done. Having Joni singing backing vocals before she played on her own. It's a series of concerts that will never be re created and it never leaves me anything but in awe.

lodgepole

Series of concerts? It was one gig, several sets long over the course of one day. I'd love to see more of the footage from it, but Scorsese's film is perfect. The ultimate concert film. The audio commentarys on the DVD are well worth a listen too.

Woodstock is obviously a pretty good concert movie. I hear the recent Glastonbury one is good too.

David Bowie had a great production done for his 50th birthday gig in Madison Square Garden (I think it was there). RTE showed it a few years ago, but I don't think it's ever been released.

Boo-yah

Never seen The Last Waltz but it would have to be preety damn good to better than Stop Making Sense.

damonjewel

Pink Floyd Live at pompeii (the original version)

Captures Pink Floyd at their best period (just prior to the release of Dark side of the Moon) recorded live in a Roman Ampitheatre in Pompeii with no Audience. Great close up shots of the Band playing which is great for people into that kind of thing. edited with tasteful shots of the Ampitheatre, Vesuvius and that.

The newer version is intercut with interviews, the band noodling in the studio, animation and digital graphics and it is super tedious. In fact its ****e.

MoominPapa

the Madison square garden section of the Led Zep DVD box set is magic, as is Live at Pompeii, Ziggy Stardust is great fun too but its gotta be The Last Waltz, as mentioned Van the man and Neil Young are outstanding, but so is Dr John, Dylan (never looked cooler) and each track by the band themselves is amazing. Check it out again Zaph, the sound must have been bust when you watched it

Miguel_Sanchez

It has to be Stop Making Sense - so well planned and executed.

And plus - it's got Talking Heads!

cerebus

Coming slightly out of left field with my suggestion - Big Time, Tom Waits.

Has to be seen.

John

All of these are great but my heart lies with Einstuerzende Neubauten's Halber Mensch, a mix of different concerts from Tokyo during their brief period of being teen idols there (no joke!). Some of it is regular concert footage, some of it is them playing in the middle of the road but the bulk of it is live footage from an audienceless gig a la Pink Floyd but instead of Pompeii it's a scrap yard. At one point, hundreds of ****ed up butoh dancers come in. Utterly surreal.

nlgbbbblth

1 The Grateful Dead Movie
2 Guided By Voices: The Electrifying Conclusion
3 Sign Of The Times
4 Stop Making Sense
5 The Cure In Orange

funktastic

Bootleg stuff is generally ten times better. There are some good live U2 performances from the Rattle and Hum era but they don't come across well in the released film nor in any of their live films really.

Radiohead need to release a decent one. a lot of good stuff is on youtube and has been shown on TV. They should put all of this together in some way.

Bob Dylan - 'Don't Look Back'
Rory Gallagher - 'Irish Tour'
The Stone Roses - 'Blackpool'
Led Zeppelin - 'How the West Was Won' (Esp Earls court) and a few parts of 'The Song Remains the Same'
Oasis -'Lord Don't slow me down' wasn't bad

sambora

S&M - Metallica

DadaKopf

The Year Punk Broke (Sonic Youth/Nirvana)

kc66

Haven't seen a lot of the ones mentioned here but Pink Floyd's Pulse is excellent. Comfortably numb and Run Like Hell is an amazing climax at the end.

Ardent

Good call on Rory Gallagher - Irish Tour above. Great documentary/live recording.

Others I've seen that I thought were good:

* AC/DC in Paris '80, I think it was called Live In Paris
* Metallica, when they were recording the black album, that made for interestng viewing...
* The Eagles - Hell Freezes Over

pig on the wing

This Is Spinal Tap