The rise of concert films in media has skyrocketed in recent times with artists such as Charli XCX, Taylor Swift, Beyonce and BTS all adding to film culture. While the concept of concert films is nothing new and each film in itself is different, there’s many pros and cons to think about before paying to watch these films. 

 A benefit of concert films is that it gives an opportunity to those who may have missed out on a concert they really wanted to see but were not able to. While it is a different atmosphere than what a concert would normally be, it still gives the audience the ability to see their favorite artist perform songs “live.” In many cases, a song performed live will have some differences than the originally recorded song. Not only does it give those who haven’t seen the show a chance to see it, but it also gives those who already have another chance to relive those happy memories. After all, who doesn’t love revisiting a great concert experience and reminiscing on the memories? 

However, a downside of concert films that directly follows this up, is that occasionally people who go see these concert films in theaters will forget that they are in a theater and not the actual venue.​ Although these concert films have helped bring back the hype to theaters all over, people are losing respect for the theaters themselves. It is argued among social media whether people should be allowed to sing along to their favorite songs or if it is disrespectful to the others in the theater.​     ​Especially with some artists encouraging their audiences to sing along without the idea of how it may affect the actual theaters hosting these movies.  

Another con to concert films is that it leaves much of the audience questioning whether these films are just “cash grabs” to try and make more money off the albums and music they have out without actually having to release anything new. This is not a new practice as many artists will put out deluxe versions of their albums with no real new changes or will release the same version of a vinyl in 14 different colors for the sole purpose of boosting sales.  

As listeners debate this point with artists such as Taylor Swift, other artists like Charli XCX are actually going in with the bit. In her mockumentary, “The Moment,” Charli XCX has to continue on with the “Brat Summer” trend in the hopes to drag it on as long as possible.  

“The Moment” is a perfect example of another pro, as this film shows the differences in what a concert film can actually be. There are actual concert films that are just the shows recorded fully with no stops or breaks such as a classic oldie, “Nirvana: MTV Unplugged in New York,” which covered two or three shows with just music played during these concerts. There’s also the option of the music biopic, with films like “A Complete Unknown” or “Bohemian Rhapsody” where it is a portrayal of an artist’s life with some rerecorded songs. Or lastly, and the most popular recent style of concert film, are the ones where they play a majority of the show with some behind the scene cuts to show the process of the shows. The most popular examples of this include “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé” and “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour.” 

A great ​advantage to concert films is that not only are these types of films being put into theaters, but they have also branched out to streaming services.​ Many artists are now choosing to have one-night-only shows being streamed to certain platforms permanently or for a limited time. Such as “Harry Styles. One Night In Manchester,” who recently added this Netflix special after the release of his most recent album. These are shows that you can stream right from the comfort of your couch at home, but you have to be careful to not miss some of them as they might not all stay very long due to the fluidity of streaming. An example of this was Bad Bunny streaming the last show of his residency, “No me quiero ir de aquí: Una Más” on Amazon Prime for only 24 hours.

A couple of concert films already out or coming out this year to think about seeing are “ Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour” out May 8 this year or “ENHYPEN [Walk The Line Summer Edition]” that is already out now.  

With all the pros and cons in mind, will you be going to see your favorite music artists in theaters?