Billie Eilish is one of the great musical phenomena of our time. Whether you like it or not, she has the ability to fill stadiums and mobilize an obscene amount of people. She is a pop star, she knows it, and that means she can work with the best. Even in other fields of art.
That’s why Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) is now premiering in theaters, a concert directed and produced by James Cameron. But this is neither the first nor will it be the last of the concert films that have existed throughout history. It is a genre in itself, by now, and one that is very well cultivated with some of the most interesting milestones. That’s why we are going to take a small exploration of how it has evolved over time through five of its greatest milestones. The five concert films you must see if you have never seen one and want to
Duran Duran: Unstaged
If we talk about a tremendously popular musician calling on a revered artist to record their concert, Duran Duran: Unstaged is probably the closest we can find to Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D). Because this concert directed by David Lynch is everything we could expect from Duran Duran, including being tremendously 80s, and everything we love about the late David Lynch, as surreal and obsessed with aesthetics as he was. A fascinating concert like an impossible clash of worlds that remains a true delight to watch.
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour
Leaving out the biggest event-movie of, probably, history, would be a mistake. The Eras Tour has been more than just a concert film: it has been a social phenomenon. Popularizing the sing along, drawing fans to theaters when they were down, and demonstrating the ability of what is, indisputably, the biggest pop star of our time, this is an important film. Perhaps not for its artistic merits, but certainly for its reach and its circumstances. Which is something to appreciate.
Adventure In Music
Although today it might not be considered a concert film as such, Adventure in Music can be seen as the pioneer of this type of movie. Released in 1944, it caused a stir because it had no plot and was essentially a concert of different composers, both classical and contemporary, in front of a camera. Although it was not well received by critics at the time and its director, Reinald LeBorg, claimed it was not worth considering for serious analysis, the reality is that this is where it all began. And it is indeed worth doing serious analyses of this classic.
The Beatles: Get Back – The Rooftop Concert
Probably the most famous concert in history is The Beatles’ performance on the rooftop of Savile Row in London. This is the recording of it, remastered, recolored, and, through all the found archival footage, recontextualized as much as possible by Peter Jackson. An absolute delight preserved for the ages that shows why The Beatles were unique geniuses like no others we will have.
Stop Making Sense
The most celebrated and beloved concert film of all time, directed by the director of The Silence of the Lambs, is a 1984 concert by David Byrne. A pioneer in the use of digital audio techniques, but also with a spectacular concert and superb filming, it is one of those must-see films for anyone who considers themselves a cinephile. Even those who are not fans of Byrne or Demme. Because although concert films are a very particular genre, that does not mean they have not left a mark on the history of cinema.
