Stages to silver screens: The rise of the concert film
Key players in the concert cinema space discuss how artists are using the medium to deliver their tours to audiences beyond those sat in venue seats
Feature By IQ | 1 July 2025
While blockbuster tours come and go, tour films live on in cinemas and in homes to be watched and rewatched long after an artist takes their final bow.
“One of the best places to see a concert is live in a stadium or arena – but everybody gets a front-row seat in the movie theatre,” says Ray Nutt, CEO of US-based speciality film distributor Fathom Entertainment.
Iconic concert films stretch back for decades and can be as simple as show-to-screen translations – think Led Zeppelin’s 1976 The Song Remains the Same documenting their three-night stand at NYC’s Madison Square Garden – or as complex as made-for-film performances with behind-the-scenes footage.
Nowadays, seemingly every major act has a visual project to accompany their live shows, with Taylor Swift,…
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