Music Box Series Brings Top Rock Docs Back To The Big Screen

By Joel Wicklund in Arts & Entertainment on Jun 6, 2016 6:00PM

Four acclaimed music documentaries will get big screen revivals thanks to the Music in Motion Film Series starting this Wednesday night, with subsequent screenings in July, September and November. Two of these films (Stop Making Sense and The Last Waltz) are widely considered among the best concert films ever made. All showings will be at the Music Box Theatre and the series is co-sponsored by WXRT, with one of their DJs introducing each film.

Stop Making Sense, June 8
Jonathan Demme (The Silence of the Lambs, Something Wild) assembled footage from three Talking Heads' concerts for this 1984 film, which is still the standard for capturing a live act at their very best. The movie is especially valuable as a document of the band in action, as it appears lead singer and chief songwriter David Byrne is dead set against any Talking Heads reunion.

Shut Up and Play the Hits, July 6
Unlike the Talking Heads, LCD Soundsystem has already reunited and is back on the road, so this 2012 film's tagline—about it capturing "the very loud ending" of James Murphy's rock/dance music ensemble—is prematurely dated. Still, this mix of concert footage and a behind-the-scenes profile of Murphy was very well received by critics and fans.

I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, September 29
Breaking from the concert focus of the other three films in the series, this 2002 film about Chicago's own Wilco puts the emphasis on the creative and commercial struggles of the recording process. The making of the album Yankee Foxtrot Hotel marked a hard-fought independence for the band, as well as the breaking point between leader Jeff Tweedy and multi-instrumentalist and key collaborator Jay Bennett (who died in 2009). The conflict between Tweedy and Bennett is captured with brutal honesty in this compelling film.

The Last Waltz, November 16
Martin Scorsese's film about The Band's 1976 farewell concert will play just over a week before the 40th anniversary of that landmark performance. Though the group would later reunite without leader Robbie Robertson, there is a true sense of finality as members discuss finishing before the road finished them. Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Muddy Waters and Eric Clapton are just some of the music legends who made guest appearances at the show, while Scorsese also filmed some performances after the concert on a soundstage, including the rousing collaboration with The Staple Singers seen above.

Stop Making Sense plays Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. with veteran XRT personality Terri Hemmert introducing the film. Show times and D.J. hosts for future shows will be announced later, with details available here.