San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
California Streamin’
Concert films to tide us over until live performances return.
It’s been over a year since I last saw a live concert. Nothing can replace the magic of a performer at the top of their game, releasing sonic energy to the crowd only to reclaim it in participation and applause. It’s a uniquely addictive experience, and COVID19 has left us all without it.
But the end of the world is almost over. With the Bay Area gradually reopening, and large music festivals like Outside Lands scheduled to return in the fall, here are seven great California concert films to tide us over.
“Bob Moses: Falling Into Focus” (2020): Let’s start with something good the quarantine gave us. The Canadian electronic duo climbed to the top of an abandoned radio tower in Topanga Canyon to record an hourlong performance surrounded by nothing but the setting sun over the mountains. It’s a lonely but lovely set that perfectly encapsulates the state of music over the past year, when solitude became a central theme and musicians were without an inperson audience. Hopefully it won’t take another global crisis for someone else to try this sort of thing.
Watch it: Available to stream on Bob Moses’ official YouTube page.
“Gimme Shelter” (1970): No list of concert movies is complete without a nod to the documentary “Gimme Shelter,” which shows how the Altamont free concert turned into a deadly mess as rock ’n’ roll fans collided with the Hells Angels security detail. The music often takes a back seat to the violence, but there are some amazing performances by the Rolling Stones.
Watch it: Available to stream on HBO Max.
“Metallica: S&M 2” (2020): Metallica’s collaborations with the San Francisco Symphony are legendary for a reason. The high energy Metallica has always brought to its live music is dialed up by the inclusion of a 100player orchestra. The sequel concert, which celebrates the 20th anniversary of the original 1999 show at the Berkeley Community Theater, sees the band in a more comfortable mode, making for a seamless chorus of violins and distorted guitars.
Watch it: Available to stream with a donation to your local PBS affiliate.
“Johnny Cash at San Quentin” (1969): The Man in Black invented a new subgenre of live prison recordings with his storied set at Folsom Prison, but it was when he hit the stage at San Quentin that Cash debuted “A Boy Named Sue” to raucous applause. The live set has gone down in history, and though it was filmed for a television special and only available on DVD, it’s partially streaming online through the late country singer’s YouTube. Watch it: Available to stream on Johnny Cash’s official YouTube page. “Beyoncé: Homecoming” (2019): If you’ve ever wondered why Beyoncé is widely considered the queen, then “Homecoming” will probably make the case better than anything (other than being in her presence, probably). Filmed during her 2018 Coachella performance and interspersed with backstage footage, it’s a template for what a concert film should be. Not only does Beyoncé bring her Agame onstage, but the camerawork framing her performance is also mesmerizing, and each song is presented as an epic set piece. My favorite number is “Don’t Hurt Yourself,” which features a full marching band.
Watch it: Available to stream on Netflix.
“U2: Rattle and Hum” (1988): “Rattle and Hum” is one of U2’s more divisive projects. It’s a mixture of live originals and covers that was intended to show their influences, but some believed the band members were trying to prematurely anoint themselves as music legends — which is moot at this point.
The film is an interesting look at a band that had just released one of the greatest albums in rock history (“The Joshua Tree”). It also features a performance of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower” in San Francisco’s former Justin Herman Plaza, as well as a scene of Bono spraypainting the Vaillancourt Fountain.
Watch it: Available to stream on various services including Vudu.
“Stop Making Sense” (1984): “Stop Making Sense,” filmed at Hollywood’s Pantages Theater, redefined what a concert movie could be. Directed by “Silence of the Lambs” director Jonathan Demme, it features Talking Heads hot off their hit album “Speaking in Tongues” and pioneered digital film techniques that wouldn’t become standard for another decade. Frontman David Byrne and company weave an enthralling performance from start to finish.
Watch it: Streaming on Amazon Prime.