favorite rockumentaries/concert films

[weeniebeenie]

Pearl Jam - Sonic Reducer - Dead Boys cover (Live At The Garden '03) 27

Yep! I probably watch this one the most out of all the PJ DVDs.

[e-stone]

Sigur Rós - Heima

Sigur Ros - Heima Trailer

absolutely gorgeous, visually stunning, etc etc...just begging for a blu ray release.

[Colfax]

for me, it starts and ends with STOP MAKING SENSE. I've never seen a better concert film than that.

I had it on VHS for years, but love the add ons on the DVD. David Byrne interviewing David Byrne is a must see.

Tom Petty's Runnin Down a Dream is pretty awesome too.

[Penny Lane]

I think Gimme Shelter is probably the most important, brutal and most sincere music doc ever made. It's perfect.

[sweatboard]

The Last Watlz is the end all be all
Led Zep - How The West Was Won
I have all PJ dvd's, I'd say Madison Square Garden is the one that captures them the best right now.  In My Tree is worth the price alone.   

[sweatboard]

Pearl Jam - In My Tree

[Tired Eyes]

Pearl Jam - Sonic Reducer - Dead Boys cover (Live At The Garden '03) 27

I was at this show and it was great.  I love that I can watch the DVD whenever I want...takes me back to that night.

[Penny Lane]

I love the The Last Waltz but Martin Scorcese was so up Robbie Robertson's ass, I feel like there could have been better footage and interviews with the rest of the band, although they were clearly out of it. The stuff on stage is spectacular.

[bluesky]

I think Gimme Shelter is probably the most important, brutal and most sincere music doc ever made. It's perfect.

those Maysles brothers got it right. i have a story to tell you next time we see each other

[Jaimoe]

I think Gimme Shelter is probably the most important, brutal and most sincere music doc ever made. It's perfect.

those Maysles brothers got it right. i have a story to tell you next time we see each other

Not sure if you've seen it, but SCTV's spoof of Gimme Shelter, "Gimme Jackie", is fucking genius. Jackie Rogers Jr. (Martin Short) watching footage of him on stage singing show tunes in front of a hostile crowd of Shriners. F. Lee Bailey grills him about his manhood etc... God love SCTV.

[Colfax]

The best part about The Last Waltz is the enormous coke booger that you can see in Neil Young's nose.

Kills me every time.

[Penny Lane]

Not sure if you've seen it, but SCTV's spoof of Gimme Shelter, "Gimme Jackie", is fucking genius. Jackie Rogers Jr. (Martin Short) watching footage of him on stage singing show tunes in front of a hostile crowd of Shriners. F. Lee Bailey grills him about his manhood etc... God love SCTV.

need to see..

[Shug]

The best part about The Last Waltz is the enormous coke booger that you can see in Neil Young's nose.

Kills me every time.

Its hilarious how Neil is working his jaw, totally coked to the gills!  We always laugh when we watch that.  Its pretty safe to assume that most of the musicians were doing blow that night and they all do a pretty good job of hiding it, but not Neil!  LD says he looks like he went snorkeling in the coke, ala Scarface!

[e_wind]

My respect for them as a band and for what Eddie's done with his rock star power far exceeds my like of the music. I really wish I liked them more.

This! 

I'm just not interested.  But Vedder et al are decent guys.

Hans, I totally agree, Dig! is awesome!  As is The Devil and Danial Johnston.

Have I mentioned Watch Me Jumpstart?  Because it's AWESOME and kicked off my love of Guided By Voices which was my obsession about 14 years ago and the other community I was part of. When alienlanes pressed play on this movie, I was about 10 minutes into it and I turned to him and said, "I know this is going to sound a little premature, but this is my favourite band in the whole world!"   

I too have never been too huge of a PJ fan, even though two of my favorite songs ever are black and I got shit.  Something to do with his voice just kind of turns me off of the songs, but the way they conduct themselves as a band in the public eye was always commendable.  Still would love to catch them live to see if that would change my mind any.

It would.

[APR]

I love all of PJ's....Immagine and PJ20 already mentioned.  Non PJ fans must check out MMJ doing A Quick One with Eddie, which is one of the bonus features on Immagine. 

But don't forget Single Video Theory!  They were doing no press back then, so seeing behind the scenes footage, rehearsing, and interesting interviews was a rarity back then.   

I love when C. Crowe asks Eddie what Pearl Jam means to him.....  Eddie's expression and then the transition to a rocking Evolution gives chills.  For those that like the band as people/professionals more than the music, you can see the band dynamic and how they interact.  Check out Eddie and Stone discussing Wishlist.  Classic.  And Eddie's, "It's Stone's fault."   A lot of cool moments on SVT.

[alienlanes]

Did anyone mention Festival Express? It's a beauty.

For live concert films, I love Thin Lizzy's Alive & Dangerous and the Deep Puprple black and white Live in Copenhagen 1972 film too.

One of the best, yet still officially unreleased films is the Grateful Dead movie called "Sunshine Daydream". Not sure why it has never been released. Also, while it is cheesy, the "Black N Blue" concert film of Black Sabbath and Blue Oyster Cult never was released on DVD.

I also recommend David Gilmour's Live at the Royal Albert Hall blu-ray, and Opeth's Live at the Royal Albert hall dvd.

[Shug]

Thanks for those suggestions, alienlanes.  I will seek out that Deep Purple and the Thin Lizzy.

I just ordered Hendrix Band of Gypsies on DVD.  Apparently it was remasted for better audio a couple years ago.

I'm always on the look out for good vintage 70s stuff.

Did I mention the Manassas live on German TV DVD?  That is prime Grade A rock in my book.  Stills is kinda underrated, I think.  He was so so good back then, truly blazing lead guitar and a very interesting multi-genre blended style of music in Manassas with Latin percussion, Hendrix-style rock and country rock (Al Perkins and Chris Hillman).  Sounds weird but it really worked.

I prefer straight concert films, the less extraneous stuff like interviews, the better.  I just want to feel like I am at the show.  I wish Festival Express had more concert footage.  It is a good document of a really cool and historic tour that was more fun for the musicians than the fans, probably.

Also, for Wilco, I love Ashes of American Flags over I Will Break Your Heart, for the same reason: more of a concert film than a documentary.  I also prefer the Nels/Pat lineup over the Jay Bennet ones.

And the Grateful Dead Sunshine Daydream film has never come out apparently because the filmmakers and the Dead cannot come to a business agreement about it.  That was a stellar day of music by the Dead, soaked in LSD, with that lethargic yet purposeful feel.  Man, oh man what a great show.  Bird Song, Playin In The Band, Dark Star>El Paso, Greatest Story, tons of highlights.  You can see most of it on YouTube, I believe and there are bootleg versions floating around, too.  It'd be real nice to have it audio mastered and cleaned up, though.  Maybe one day.  it works for me because its all from one concert, its mostly music with just enough footage of the audience and crew to give you a feel for the experience.  A hot summer day in Oregon in 1972 at a hippie gathering, you just don't see stuff like that anymore!

[LeanneP]

I prefer straight concert films, the less extraneous stuff like interviews, the better.

Alienlanes can probably corroborate - and it's probably obvious from my choices - but I love documentaries over concert films.  I like looking into the behind the scenes stuff. As a people watcher, I find that stuff fascinating. 

[Penny Lane]

Did anyone mention Festival Express? It's a beauty.

Love this! what started as a great idea for a tour made for a great film at least..i think we've talked about it before but the nuances are so amazing...the scenes with Rick Danko, Janis and Jerry are incredibly telling...didn't they run out of alcohol after 3 days or something?

[LeanneP]

Alienlanes and I are watching Beware Mr Baker about Ginger Baker and it's fucking brilliant!  He's totally crazy. Highly recommended.