Nothing will ever compare to the feeling of seeing a live concert or musical. But the last few years have seen plenty of people try.

For those who don't know me personally, I am a big fan of music. I am a drummer and the only thing that beats going to see a live show is playing in a live show. I'm sure I don't have to tell you this but throughout the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, live music ceased to exist. During this time, many artists released footage of their concerts and shows to allow people to experience the show from the comfort of their living room.

In today's article, I have put together my five favourite shows that were recorded and released to the public. These movies are not only great shows, but these recordings seem to capture the magic of actually seeing the show live.

#5: THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL (2011)

I'll be honest, I don't adore this recording like the other shows on this list. But I needed to find another show to make this article my top five. Nevertheless, The Phantom of the Opera is a classic show that every musical theatre lover needs to see at some stage in their life and this recording made it so much easier! The first time I experienced The Phantom of the Opera was through this recording, however, after seeing it live in Melbourne at the end of last year, I can tell you that the recording does not capture the magic of seeing this show live!

#4: DISNEY'S NEWSIES: THE BROADWAY MUSICAL! (2017)

Newsies is a musical that I actually haven't seen live. However, this recording allows those who have a subscription to Disney+ to see the original Broadway cast perform this fabulous show! This recording captures everything that the viewer needs to see and allows the viewer to be on stage with the cast. This recording alone can make you fall in love with Newsies.

#3: TAYLOR SWIFT: THE ERAS TOUR (2023)

It was this concert that gave me the inspiration to write this article. Taylor Swift has been one of the biggest talking points in Australia this year with her coming to Melbourne and Sydney early in 2024. If, like most of Australia, you missed out on tickets to see her live, you can see her perform the exact same show in this movie currently playing in cinemas around the world. I would never be brave enough to call myself a Swiftie but I do quite like some of her songs. This concert opened my eyes (and ears) to a whole other side of Taylor Swift that I've never seen before and I realised that I should be listening to some more of her. Not to mention, this concert is really well put together. The band, the dancers and Taylor's interactions with them all create a very entertaining show that is captured perfectly for this movie.

#2: HAMILTON (2020)

Hamilton is another concert movie that received a lot of attention. Hamilton is undoubtedly one of the most popular modern musicals and this movie captures the talented original cast. The movie is filmed in a way that manages to get you as close as possible to seeing the original cast perform on Broadway (which is now actually impossible to see). I'm not sure how many times I've watched this show on Disney+ but every time I become obsessed with the show all over again. But how does it compare to seeing the show live? Well, I've written a Compared review for that.

#1: JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR: LIVE ARENA TOUR (2012)

Article by Tristan Carr

Last edited: 22/11/2023