7 Essential Rock Concert Films from the 1960s to 1980s
A survey of seven landmark rock concert films, from the 1965 T.A.M.I. Show featuring Chuck Berry, James Brown, and the Rolling Stones, to the Beatles' 1969 rooftop performance restored by Peter Jackson in 2021. The list includes D.A. Pennebaker's Monterey Pop (1968) capturing Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix's U.S. breakthroughs, the Woodstock documentary (1970) covering the 1969 festival of 400,000 attendees, and the Maysles brothers' Gimme Shelter (1970) documenting the Rolling Stones' disastrous Altamont concert. Martin Scorsese's The Last Waltz (1978) records the Band's final performance with guests like Bob Dylan and Van Morrison, while Jonathan Demme's Stop Making Sense (1984) features the Talking Heads at the Pantages Theatre. The article traces the evolution of the rockumentary genre from early cinema verité shorts to feature-length hybrids.
Key facts
- The T.A.M.I. Show (1965) was filmed at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium with a lineup including Chuck Berry, James Brown, the Rolling Stones, and the Beach Boys.
- Monterey Pop (1968) by D.A. Pennebaker covered the 1967 Monterey International Pop Festival, featuring Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and the Who.
- Woodstock (1970) documented the 1969 festival with over 400,000 attendees, including performances by Santana and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
- Gimme Shelter (1970) by the Maysles brothers and Charlotte Zwerin covered the Rolling Stones' 1969 U.S. tour and the Altamont free concert where a fan was killed.
- The Last Waltz (1978) by Martin Scorsese recorded the Band's Thanksgiving 1976 concert at San Francisco's Winterland, with guests like Bob Dylan and Van Morrison.
- Stop Making Sense (1984) by Jonathan Demme features the Talking Heads at Los Angeles' Pantages Theatre, including songs like 'Psycho Killer' and 'Once in a Lifetime'.
- The Beatles' rooftop concert (1969) was restored by Peter Jackson in 2021 as part of the Get Back documentary, showing their last public performance above Apple Corps in London.
- The article highlights the shift from 16mm cinema verité to 35mm productions in concert filmmaking.
Entities
Artists
- Chuck Berry
- Diana Ross and the Supremes
- the Beach Boys
- Jan and Dean
- Lesley Gore
- James Brown
- Smokey Robinson
- Marvin Gaye
- the Rolling Stones
- Gerry and the Pacemakers
- Glen Campbell
- Leon Russell
- Hal Blaine
- Teri Garr
- Toni Basil
- John Phillips
- Janis Joplin
- Jimi Hendrix
- the Who
- Jefferson Airplane
- Ravi Shankar
- Scott McKenzie
- the Grateful Dead
- Joni Mitchell
- Santana
- Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
- Neil Young
- Mick Jagger
- Keith Richards
- the Band
- Robbie Robertson
- Rick Danko
- Richard Manuel
- Levon Helm
- Garth Hudson
- Van Morrison
- Muddy Waters
- Dr. John
- Ringo Starr
- Ron Wood
- Eric Clapton
- David Byrne
- Tina Weymouth
- Jerry Harrison
- Chris Frantz
- Al Green
- Tom-Tom Club
- Paul McCartney
- John Lennon
- George Harrison
- Billy Preston
- Sha Na Na
Institutions
- Apple Corps Ltd.
- Criterion Collection
- Hells Angels
- Madison Square Garden
- Pantages Theatre
- Santa Monica Civic Auditorium
- Winterland
- the Mamas and the Papas
Locations
- Altamont Raceway
- California
- London
- Los Angeles
- Monterey
- New York City
- San Francisco
- Santa Monica
- United Kingdom
- United States
- upstate New York