Last year I spent a small fortune buying tickets to one of Madonna’s greatest-hits gigs at the O2 in London. Her Madgesty was on top form that night (and on time…) and my wife and I had a pretty good view from our seats in the lower tier.
Well, we did until Mads arrived on stage. At that moment, the couple directly in front of us shot to their feet and proceeded to remain that way for the next two hours. Oblivious to anyone around them, they writhed, gyrated and Vogue-d like they were auditioning to be backing dancers. Instead of watching a 65-year-old pop star turn back time, we spent the evening looking, both literally and figuratively, at a pair of annoying arses.
I had another concert experience in 2023 that was the total opposite of our compromised night in North Greenwich. A great seat I got to sit in for the entirety of the set. A perfect view of the stage that stayed blissfully unobstructed. Flawless sound, epic tunes and not a single camera phone held aloft anywhere in my vicinity. And all for a fraction of what I had spent on Madonna’s Celebration shindig.
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The concert was Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, thrillingly and thoughtfully captured on film in all its three-hour, multi-costumed glory. What a treat it was to savour it in the comfort of my local cinema, safe in the knowledge there would not be one duff note, dodgy key change or screaming Swiftie to temper my enjoyment.
I had just as much fun watching Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé, another fine record of a game-changing performance with revealing backstage footage thrown in for good measure. Not for a moment did I feel I was missing out; if anything, I felt I was getting more bang for my buck than I would ever have got in a stadium. If Tay Tay and Queen B’s cine-triumphs are anything to go by, the new breed of concert film is no longer a lesser alternative: it’s visually, sonically and sensorily superior. Or is it just me?
