Saturday, October 3, 2009

Blown away!


What's the best concert you've ever seen? It's one of the most fun questions music fans can ask each other and it's a toughie. I've got mine narrowed down to 3 or 4, but if you forced me to choose it would probably be the Talking Heads circa "Speaking in Tongues."
One rarely gets a chance to revisit a "best ever" moment of anything in life, but Thursday night I did just that. I attended a screening of "Stop Making Sense" (a fundraiser for Sound Opinions and WBEZ) at the Navy Pier imax theater. It was incredible.
I've got to admit I've got a prejudice against concert films and even live albums I think it's pretty rare that the concert experience can be captured even remotely. For the most part, I prefer seeing music live to listening to it recorded, but I'd much rather listen to the studio version of almost anything than any live recording. Thursday night was a massive exception!
I had seen the film when it first came out and on video since. I've always said it's the best concert video ever. But in my book, that ain't saying much! I enjoyed it for the visual aspects of the film - shot perfectly, it captured the energy, fun, deconstruction-reconstruction-deconstruction again artistic vision, showmanship and unity of those Heads shows - but the music was flat. Bottom line: like the Grand Canyon and Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burgers - you have to be there to experience it.
But now after seeing and hearing it as it was intended (when it was filmed in 1983, the technology existed to record directly to digital, but there was no where to play it back that way for audiences) I was blown away. It was the most incredible "recorded live" experience I've ever had. I had to move to the back of the theater and dance through the last 2/3 of the show after my seat would no longer contain me... not a pretty sight, but any one who saw me would have had to turn around and look, so it's on them.
It really transported me to that fun, tight, party of a concert that so moved me over 20 years ago. And it sounded perfect! Amazing. I never thought a concert film could do that.
So.... what's your favorite concert? Your favorite live recordings or films?
Thanks to Colleen for all but forcing me to go.