Stop Making Sense

Stop Making Sense (1984) is a concert documentary directed by Jonathan Demme — watch it online on iFILM. Three nights in December 1983 at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles. David Byrne walks out alone with an acoustic guitar and a boombox, plays Psycho Killer, then introduces the rest of Talking Heads member by member until the stage is full.

By the final numbers, nine musicians are up there: Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison joined by guest players including keyboardist Bernie Worrell. The set pulls from across the band's catalog, with the 1983 album Speaking in Tongues at the centre. Demme's camera stays close, lets the performance breathe, and lets Byrne's oversized white suit and kinetic choreography do the talking. The result is less a filmed gig and more a study in collective energy.

Widely regarded as the greatest rock concert film ever made. Stream Stop Making Sense (1984) online on iFILM.