Filming Live Music in Tribute to Rusty Young

I’ve always been a student of the great concert films of the past—Woodstock; the Last Waltz; Monterey Pop; the Grateful Dead Movie; etc. Putting on another hat, for this tribute to Rusty Young, I worked as producer and director, behind the camera, capturing the concert on film.

In late summer, 2021, my team and I embarked on a journey to Joshua Tree where we would capture a one-of-a-kind tribute concert. Still amid pandemic practices for safe social distancing and daily testing, the concert was filmed since most of Rusty’s fans wouldn’t be able to attend the show. And to aid in safer conditions, we decided to work outside, rather than indoors. Let the challenges arise…

Of course, the week we decided to film was during one of Southern California’s record breaking heatwaves. We had gear failure due to heat—we even had some folks suffer heat exhaustion and had to push the concert late to at least reach a sub 100º down beat.

All challenges aside, what we captured was pure magic: crystalline skies; unique collaborations and heartfelt performances. Check out the trailer below.