The complete, honest truth is not all of us music-lovers can afford to go to concerts. Between getting the tickets and trying to get the time off of work, being able to see our favorite artists live is out of reach to many fans. So, what do we do? Should we just sit at home, doomscrolling through videos of the concerts we wanted to see? Well, yes. But that is not all we can do.
Concert films and documentaries. I know you have heard of them before. âTaylor Swift: The Eras Tourâ was inescapable when the documentary was released in 2023. âBTS World Tour âArirangâ Live Showingâ in April 2026 had so many participating theaters, the live stream crashed. Concert films are so popular because of two simple reasons: accessibility and affordability.
I live in Western New York. Needless to say, my town is not a must-have venue for the big artists. Why would it be, with New York City, and Toronto being a quick drive away. Despite these popular locations being fairly close, going to concerts I want to see is not realistic for me. Between traveling, getting time off of work, budgeting the money for travel and ticketsâ oh, yeah, the ticket wars, I would have to fight those tooâ going to the concerts I want to see are often unrealistic. But with concert films, I do not have to worry about all of that. Movie theaters are closer to me than concert venues are, with cheaper tickets than the in-person event. It is not a perfect solution, but it is decent enough.
Like myself, many other fans go through this same process. It works for us because it gives a similar sense of community as attending the actual concert would. When I saw the âStray Kids: The dominATE Experienceâ concert documentary in February 2026, many STAY (Stray Kids fans) were gathered together, excited to see what the members had spent months preparing. We sang along to our favorite songs, and cried together during our biasâs interviews (or fell asleep after Felixâs interview, like my friend did). Two months later, I was back in that theater to see âBTS World Tour âArirangâ Live Showing,â and ARMY (BTS fans) filled the screening room. Watching the live stream together united not only the ARMY present, but those in other theaters, and the fans who got to see the concert live in Goyang. We all did not have the same experience, as we were all in different locations, but we all had this shared experience of getting to watch a major concert together.
I appreciate concert films, both in documentary and live stream form, for giving all fans a more accessible option to seeing our favorite artists live. While it does not replace the magic of going to a concert, the cost and ease of attendance makes concert films an amazing option. In November 2026, when I see âStray Kids World Tour
