Most concert movies are fairly standard.  The band gets up on stage, plays some songs, the crowd cheers and it’s over.  There is the usual quick shot of someone in the crowd rocking out and pumping their fist, then the wide shot of the band with occasional close ups of the various members doing their thing.  Sometimes the music is good, sometimes even really good but the excitement of the live performance sort of gets lost in its transition from concert to movie.  This is definitely not the case in Stop Making Sense, the 1984 Talking Heads concert film directed by Jonathan Demme.  Some say this is the best concert movie ever made.  While I would probably call it the second best, you’d get no argument from me.  The energy in the performance booms through your television and don’t be shocked if you find yourself shirtless and jumping up and down on your couch somewhere during the mid point of the film.  Maybe that’s just me, but none the less it is hard to stay sitting down at times.

 

The concert starts off with David Byrne walking on to an empty stage with a guitar and boom box.  He then belts out a solo version of Psycho Killer.  Bassist Tina Weymouth then joins Byrne on stage to plays Heaven.  For the next couple songs the rest of the band slowly makes their way on stage until they are all there and absolutely rock out Burning Down The House and Life During Wartime.  Byrne immerses himself in each song.  He is focused in every word, note and beat.  While his dance steps are hilarious the guy can really move and his band mates follow his lead and are with him step for step.  He runs around the stage, in place and never stops moving.  He’s literally all over the place, but you would never hear it in his voice.  There is not a moment where he seems to even remotely lose his breath. 

 

The band does not let up for the next set of songs.  Demme uses lighting and movie screens behind the band to turn the stage into a different world.  The colors and shadows are eye popping.  The band continues at a frenetic pace constantly moving and switching instruments between songs.  This set comes to an apex with the genius Once In A Lifetime.  Byrne takes on the character of what is best described as the preacher of some sort of cult; jerking around and going into convulsions as if possessed by a spirit then looking up with his arms raised in the air while singing the chorus. 

 

Byrne takes a song off and lets the focus shift to the rest of the band who gets incredibly funky with Genius Of Love.  You don’t miss anything with Byrne off stage as the rest of the band is filled with very talented live performers.  With that said, this is Byrne’s show and it’s his energy that makes it go.  He returns to the stage in the famous giant suite for the last three songs including an epic version of Take Me To The River.  The way he moves in that giant suite makes him look like his bones could be made out of rubber.  By the time the show is over you find yourself exhausted but still wanting an encore.

 

There are no interviews and no peaks back stage.  This is strictly about the music and the performance.  The music sounds just as good as any studio recording could which can’t be easy with all the instruments, instrument changes, running around and dancing that occurs throughout.  The brilliance of this movie has to be credited first to Byrne and the rest of the Talking Heads, but Demme who went on to direct such movies as Silence Of The Lambs and Philadelphia nailed the execution of this project.  I can’t imagine it being done any better.  The Talking Heads went on to record many great albums up until their breakup in 1991.  In 1986 Byrne wrote, directed and starred in a strange but enjoyable comedy called True Stories that featured some of the band’s music.  The group was together for 16 years and few would argue that Stop Making Sense was their finest moment.  Whether you are a fan of their music (which I am) or not, this is a great movie.  I have to thank my buddy Rob for introducing me to it 4 or 5 years ago.