I firmly believe that, in regards to music, nothing tops the live experience. Music is meant to be experienced in-person. It’s not just about hearing the sound – it’s about feeling the vibrations of that sound around you, of witnessing it being created and sculpted there in that moment. Most importantly, enjoying the magic of the musical moment brings all present together. When conditions are right, listeners, dancers, and musicians themselves share in a communal experience that elevates the moment from a mere performance to something approaching the divine. Whether it be in a concert hall or cafe, live music creates an atmosphere that you can’t experience anywhere, or anytime, else.
It’s with this mindset that I went to go see A24’s remastered rerelease of director Jonathan Demme’s 1984 documentary of the Talking Heads in concert, Stop Making Sense. As an avid music fan, I’ve seen plenty of concert docs. Some of them are quite good (The Band’s The Last Waltz, Woodstock, The Grateful Dead Movie) but so many others just feel rote. Train the camera on the stage, and let the band do their thing. If you like the artist, you will enjoy the music and the chance to see them perform. But viewing a filmed concert almost always sets the viewer at a remove. There is the feeling of observing, but not of being a part. All I’ve ever heard is that Stop Making Sense is an exception to all this, that it’s “the best concert film ever.” I’m generally wary of such hyperbolic praise, but I love the Heads’ funky new wave and was excited to see it on the big screen and determine if it lives up to the hype.
Continue reading With the Joyous “Stop Making Sense,” Jonathan Demme and the Talking Heads Transcend the Concert Documentary
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