A great music documentary is about more than seeing a band or artist you like in concert.
Here are our picks for the best music documentaries of all time, and how to watch them.
There’s a reason why that year’s festival became known as “Beychella.”
Beyoncé in ‘Homecoming: A Film By Beyoncé’.Courtesy of Parkwood Entertainment
The result is as anarchic as it is bracing.
Doug E. Fresh and DMC also make appearances onstage alongside the Boys.
(Murphy wound up reforming LCD Soundsystem in 2016, partly at the urging of fanDavid Bowie.)
Joni Mitchell and Neil Young in ‘The Last Waltz’.Everett Collection
I Am Trying to Break Your Heartcan only be foundon DVD.
Where to watchHeavy Metal Parking Lot:Tubi
Anvil!
The Story of Anvil.
Adam Horovitz, Adam Yauch, and Mike Diamond of the Beastie Boys.Matthew Peyton/Getty Images
In 2008, filmmaker Sacha Gervasi tracked down the two-man nucleus of never-quite successful Canadian headbangers Anvil.
It’s a boisterous, empathetic, and ultimately almost uplifting tale of heavy metal optimism through the years.
Like Radiohead’s music, the ironically titledMeeting People Is Easytakes some patience to appreciate the ambition.
James Murphy in ‘Shut Up and Play the Hits’.Everett Collection
Meeting People Is Easyis only availableon DVD.
(2004)
For more about the miseries of rock fame, check outDig!.
That you’ve never heard of most of them is depicted as a mix of many factors.
Wilco.Everett Collection
Her soaring performance in the classic song is invaluable.
Through it all, the brothers come off feelingly as the dedicated craftsmen and innovators they actually were.
Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns)is only availableon DVD.
Alice Bag in ‘The Decline of Western Civilization’.Everett Collection
Half Japanese: The Band That Would Be Kingis only availableon DVD.
Dont Look Back (1967)
D.A.
The Nomi Songis only availableon DVD.
The Devil and Daniel Johnston.Sony Pictures Classics
Some Kind of Monsteris an intimate and illuminating examination of the private toll of a very public life.
The film charts the band’s struggle to getSt.
Angermade after a studio session blowout leads to frontman James Hetfield checking into rehab.
Heavy Metal Parking Lot.Heavy Metal Parking Lot
Luckily, a meticulous and painstaking editing job brought Franklin’s lost masterpiece of a set back to us.
The resulting show is, well, Prince.
Big Timeis a must-see for Waits fans, while a complete puzzle to others.
Steve ‘Lips’ Kudlow in ‘Anvil! The Story of Anvil’.Everett Collection
Curious passersby intermittently peek in to catch what the tuneful weirdness is all about.
Where to watchStorefront Hitchcock: Amazon Prime Video
Related content:
Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain in ‘Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck’.Dora Handel/Corbis/courtesy of HBO
Amy Winehouse.Daniel Boczarski/Redferns
Meeting People Is Easy.Parlophone
Dig!.Interloper Films
Darlene Love in ‘20 Feet From Stardom’.Radius / TWC
Elvis Presley in ‘Elvis: That’s the Way It Is’.Everett Collection
Barry Gibb in ‘The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart’.Everett Collection
The Velvet Underground.Apple TV+
Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns).
Half Japanese: The Band That Would Be King.Jeff Feuerzeig
Bob Dylan in ‘Dont Look Back’.Everett Collection
Klaus Nomi.David Corio/Redferns
Mick Jagger in ‘Gimme Shelter’.Everett Collection
James Hetfield in ‘Metallica: Some Kind of Monster’.Everett Collection
Nina Simone in ‘Summer of Soul’.Searchlight Pictures
Aretha Franklin in ‘Amazing Grace’.Neon
Prince in ‘Sign O’ the Times'.Everett Collection
Big Time.Island Visual Arts
David Byrne in ‘Stop Making Sense’.Everett Collection
Robyn Hitchcock in ‘Storefront Hitchcock’.Everett Collection
