(Photo by Fernando Leon/Getty Images)
So you’re determined to somehow catch Taylor Swift and Talking Heads in concert in the same week. We hope you’re not thinking about shattering the fabric of time, when instead you can simply experience the power of the concert film with theatrical releases of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour and Stop Making Sense, on the big screen one after the other.
This concert-hopping was possible in the fall of 2023 when the two films were released in close succession, with Stop Making Sense on its 40th anniversary victory reunion and The Eras Tour bringing audiences together globally for Swift’s nearly 3-hour extravagant show. Both represent the musicians at the peak of their powers, and show off the concert film’s special ability to bring like-minded audiences for communal intimacy in theaters.
With that said, we’re ranking the best concert movies of all time, ranked by Tomatometer, with Certified Fresh films first. Here, you’ll find arena pop extravaganzas (with a little emotion – thanks Katy Perry: Part of Me); more intimate – but no less rousing – moments of music history (witness Aretha Franklin in Amazing Grace); an epic street party (remember those? Dave Chappelle does…); and some of the biggest festival events out there (from Beychella to Woodstock).
You’ll also find some of the biggest names in music: Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Lady Gaga, Janis Joplin, Springsteen, Wu-Tang Clan, and more. The majority of films included are pure concert docs – recordings of live shows with little fuss and extraneous material – but a handful do take a more traditional documentary format, with interviews and behind-the-scenes tour footage. We included those because of the amount of live concert footage they feature, Marley and Madonna: Truth or Dare among them.
#1
Adjusted Score: 105716%
Critics Consensus: Jonathan Demme’s Stop Making Sense captures the energetic, unpredictable live act of peak Talking Heads with color and visual wit.
#2
Adjusted Score: 107385%
Critics Consensus: Brilliantly capturing a remarkable performer near the peak of her prodigious power, Amazing Grace is a thrilling must-watch documentary for Aretha Franklin fans.
#3
Adjusted Score: 100163%
Critics Consensus: Beychella forever.
#4
Adjusted Score: 104092%
Critics Consensus: Among one of, if not the best rock movie ever made, The Last Waltz is a revealing, electrifying view of the classic band at their height.
#5
Adjusted Score: 104459%
Critics Consensus: Helmed in elegant and exhilarating style by Spike Lee, David Byrne’s American Utopia is a concert film that doubles as a joyously cathartic celebration.
#6
Adjusted Score: 100781%
Critics Consensus: Kevin Macdonald’s exhaustive, evenhanded portrait of Bob Marley offers electrifying concert footage and fascinating insights into reggae’s greatest star.
#7
Adjusted Score: 98160%
Critics Consensus: Festival Express is a spellbinding documentary that nostalgically chronicles five days in the summer of 1970, when a train full of now- legendary rock perfomers jammed its way across Canada.
#8
Adjusted Score: 96457%
Critics Consensus: The Boss holds court with arresting charisma and storytelling skill in this one-man show, delivering a rollicking rumination on America’s past, present, and future.
#9
Adjusted Score: 96326%
Critics Consensus: Dave Chappelle’s Block Party is a raucous return to the spotlight for the comic, buoyed by witty, infectious humor and outstanding musical performances.
#10
Adjusted Score: 96383%
Critics Consensus: Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese lives up to its unwieldy title with a delightfully unorthodox look at a pivotal period in its subject’s career.
#11
Adjusted Score: 93713%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#12
Adjusted Score: 93400%
Critics Consensus: Proving that it’s neither better to burn out nor fade away, Neil Young: Heart of Gold works both as a concert film and a meditation on mortality.
#13
Adjusted Score: 91729%
Critics Consensus: This documentary focuses less on the music and more on the personality clashes and in-group tensions to great, compelling effect.
#14
Adjusted Score: 93585%
Critics Consensus: From the stage to the street, Wattstax brilliantly captures a musical moment — and a poignantly passionate response to painful social upheaval.
#15
Adjusted Score: 90774%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#16
Adjusted Score: 90603%
Critics Consensus: It may offer little new for fans, but Martin Scorsese’s document of the Rolling Stones’ electrifying live show should provide satisfaction to audiences.
#17
Adjusted Score: 86323%
Critics Consensus: Featuring some incredible performances from many 70s soul legends, Soul Power is an exhilarating snap-shot of a bygone era.
#18
Adjusted Score: 88191%
Critics Consensus: While it may not be the definitive concert film (or the insightful backstage look) some will hope for, Michael Jackson’s This Is It packs more than enough entertainment value to live up to its ambitious title.
#19
Adjusted Score: 83390%
Critics Consensus: Imaginatively shot and edited, Metallica Through the Never is an electrifying, immersive concert film, though its fictional sequences are slightly less assured.
#20
Adjusted Score: 78502%
Critics Consensus: Katy Perry: Part of Me succeeds on the strengths of the pop star’s genuine likability, inspiring work ethic, and dazzling stage show, even if it plays somewhat like a PR puff piece at times.
#21
Adjusted Score: 103534%
Critics Consensus: By documenting arguably the most renowned music festival in history, Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music achieves the rare feat of capturing the unique spirit of its time.
#22
Adjusted Score: 71259%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#23
Adjusted Score: 78542%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#24
Adjusted Score: 100269%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#25
Adjusted Score: 33295%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#26
Adjusted Score: 27746%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#27
Adjusted Score: 102579%
Critics Consensus: TAYLOR SWIFT: THE ERAS TOUR delivers exactly what it promises: A smoothly directed, impeccably performed documentary capturing the concert event of the year.
#28
Adjusted Score: 100702%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#29
Adjusted Score: 98998%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#31
Adjusted Score: 93267%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#32
Adjusted Score: 44079%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Starring:
#33
Adjusted Score: 39788%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#34
Adjusted Score: 36333%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Starring:
#35
Adjusted Score: 88785%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#36
Adjusted Score: 88027%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#37
Adjusted Score: 88455%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#38
Adjusted Score: 86484%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#39
Adjusted Score: 63205%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#40
Adjusted Score: 67798%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Starring:
#41
Adjusted Score: 27635%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#42
Adjusted Score: 81679%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#43
Adjusted Score: 34066%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Starring:
#44
Adjusted Score: 77124%
Critics Consensus: Walk through an enchanted forest and what do you see? Bjork:Biophilia Live, an eclectic delivery of audio technical divinity.
#45
Adjusted Score: 72394%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#46
Adjusted Score: 74594%
Critics Consensus: Gaga: Five Foot Two offers an absorbing glimpse of its superstar subject’s backstage life, albeit one weakened by inconsistent focus and a dearth of performance footage.
#47
Adjusted Score: 76093%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#48
Adjusted Score: 75703%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#49
Adjusted Score: 76703%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#50
Adjusted Score: 72017%
Critics Consensus: This high-energy concert film should please Cyrus’ rabid pre-teen fan base — and may come as a pleasant surprise for parents.
#51
Adjusted Score: 21358%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#52
Adjusted Score: 69756%
Critics Consensus: As a tour documentary, it’s rather uninspired — but as a 3D glimpse of a building pop culture phenomenon, Never Say Never is undeniably entertaining.
#53
Adjusted Score: 66636%
Critics Consensus: It’s mostly for the converted, but One Direction: This Is Us will be fun for fans — and it offers just enough slickly edited concert footage to entertain the casual viewer.
#54
Adjusted Score: 62312%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#55
Adjusted Score: 63005%
Critics Consensus: The unconverted will remain just as perplexed as ever, but for gleeful Gleeks, The 3D Concert Movie delivers exactly what it promises.
#56
Adjusted Score: 42384%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#57
Adjusted Score: 39655%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#58
Adjusted Score: 24167%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#59
Adjusted Score: 17480%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#60
Adjusted Score: 48920%
Critics Consensus: Year of the Horse might be worth a watch for hardcore fans of Neil Young or Jim Jarmusch, but it will likely test the patience of most other viewers.
#61
Adjusted Score: 26587%
Critics Consensus: The unerotic sex scenes quickly become tedious to watch, and the lovers lack the personality necessary to make viewers care about them.