10 Best Concert Films Ever

'Summer of Soul' tops the list of the 'Guardian'
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 14, 2023 2:55 PM CDT
10 Best Concert Films Ever
Mavis Staples, left, and Mahalia Jackson performing at the Harlem Cultural Festival in 1969, in a scene from the documentary "Summer of Soul."   (Searchlight Pictures via AP)

The Taylor Swift phenomenon took a different turn this week with the release of a concert film based on her juggernaut Eras tour. (Just ask Beyonce.) Which prompted the Guardian to suss out the best concert films of all time. Tops on the list is a recent entry—the 2021 film Summer of Soul, chronicling the 1969 Harlem cultural festival. Here are the top 10 movies in the ranking:

  1. Summer of Soul, 2021, the '69 Harlem festival
  2. Amazing Grace, 2018, Aretha Franklin
  3. Stop Making Sense, 1984, the Talking Heads
  4. Gimme Shelter, 1970, the Rolling Stones
  5. Monterey Pop, 1968, with Jimi Hendrix, Janice Joplin et. al
  6. Homecoming: A Film by Beyonce, 2019, when she was at Coachella
  7. The TAMI Show, 1964, featuring James Brown, the Rolling Stones, the Beach Boys, among others
  8. The Last Waltz, 1978, the Band (with Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, et. al)
  9. Dance Craze, 1981, featuring the Specials, Madness, the Beat, et. al
  10. The Song Remains the Same, 1976, Led Zeppelin
See the full list, plus details on why each film made the cut. (Or check out other lists.)

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