As a tot, I spent countless hours glued to my television watching one of my favorite idols serenade me on the television screen: ‘A Young Children’s Concert with Raffi’ was played so many times, I think my father secretly broke the VHS to spare himself from the wrath that is ‘Banana Phone.’ From the Canadian singer’s rendition of ‘Day-O’ to the rousing ‘Baby Beluga,’ I oated my oples and bononos while Raffi sang to me in my living room on a daily basis.
That was probably my last concert film for a while until my Dad went through a STYX revival and played their ‘Caught in the Act’ concert one too many times for my liking.
As MTV slowly becomes one giant infomercial for the forthcoming 3-D Jonas Brothers concert movie, it got me thinking about concert films and what a funny, but brilliant concept they truly are.
Think about it: going to a concert is about the experience. There’s dancing, cheering, drinking, souvenirs . . . With a concert film, all you really can do is watch and admire. Is it just as good as being at an actual show? No. Yet it does provide you with numerous things that may have been missed at the live show.
Had a bit too much fun at that DMB concert last summer? No problem, just go get a copy of the band’s’ ‘Listener Supported’ DVD and perhaps it will jog your memory. Did you have nosebleed seats for Madonna because you weren’t willing to pay $350 to see her botoxed face up close? Front row, only $19.99 with the ‘Confessions Tour’ DVD.
Concert films are also ideal for shows you couldn’t make it to, either because of distance or because the band was before your time. I have been fortunate enough to be able to see at least four Kylie Minogue tours via DVD because the woman won’t perform a single show in America. Meanwhile, one of my best friends recently admitted to me that she watched the Talking Heads’ ‘Stop Making Sense’ show an astonishing three times in one day because it was so good and she never had the chance to see them live.
Filmed concerts might not capture all the magic of a real show, but there’s no doubt when I come home from Britney’s Circus Tour next month, disappointed with the fact that she danced like she had a two-by-four stuck up her butt, I’m naturally going to put on her ‘Live in Las Vegas’ DVD to remind myself that at one time she was damn good.
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