Few movies over the last two decades have made such significant cultural impacts as “Whiplash”, the 2014 film from legendary writer/director Damien Chazelle. In just 10 years, the $3.3 million budget film has made its mark on the internet. It is almost impossible to go on X or Instagram without seeing some reference to “Whiplash”, sometimes in meme form, other times simply referencing the film.
J.K. Simmons’ performance as Terence Fletcher has become the stuff of legend and is often seen as the defining feature of the film, right next to the film’s other defining feature: Jazz.
To celebrate 10 years of “Whiplash”, TIL Events and Street Food Cinema, in collaboration with Horowitz Concerts, took the film on tour worldwide, with the last three shows taking place at the Saban Theater in Beverly Hills. The show featured a full 18-piece jazz band, including studio and travel drummer Jamey Tate, and conductor Justin Hurwitz, who wrote and produced a majority of the songs on the Grammy-nominated “Whiplash” soundtrack.
The anticipation for the show was clearly in the air, with the sold-out crowd anxiously waiting for the performance to start. The theater was lit with red and blue lights, creating a nice mood. The brass and woodwind section was placed on the right of the stage, with the pianist, bass, and bongos on the other side. In center stage was the drum kit, and of course the conductor's podium placed right in front.
The event started with a whimper, as some technical problems made it difficult to sync the film with the live band. After three tries, the concert was ready to begin, with Tate drumming into the first scene.
The band was on point throughout, performing both the soundtrack music that can be heard throughout the film and the music the studio band performs, with the mistakes included. It was easy to get lost in the film and forget a live band was playing during some moments, a testament to how close to perfect the band played.
Before the concert, I wondered whether the drummer could live up to the drumming performed by Andrew Neiman in the film. To my pleasant surprise, not only did Jamey Tate kill on the drums, but he performed “Caravan” like he was born to do it. Tate was the true standout of the concert, bringing the talented Andrew Neiman to life right before our eyes.
The band continued to play through the end credits, covering the song “Drum & Drone" by Justin Hurwitz. The crowd then erupted in cheers, giving the band a standing ovation.
The film itself was played quite standard, with a 15 minute intermission placed just after the second act. The screen was a bit small for the balcony seats, and some of the audio from the film could have been louder. There was also an issue with the house lights, which were on throughout the whole film in the balcony section, which became distracting during certain points.
Though I have seen much better screenings of “Whiplash” without a live band, I have never seen one so unique and full of heart. The performance was fantastic and created a one-of-a-kind experience for those who had the good fortune to attend. The event had some issues, but the band on stage was not one of them. Here’s hoping “Whiplash” in Concert will help to continue the trend of live bands performing during a film.