Movies like The Summer of Rave, 1989 (2006)
The best movies like The Summer of Rave, 1989 (2006) are Avicii: True Stories (2017), David Byrne's American Utopia (2020) and Live Aid (1985). If The Summer of Rave, 1989 hooked you with its music and documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedAvicii: True Stories (2017)8.0/10 from 365 votes
- NewestOasis: Don't Look Back in Anger (2026)Released 2026
Avicii: True Stories (2017)
Documentary about the arena-packing Swedish DJ, chronicling his explosive rise to fame and surprising decision to retire from live performances in 2016.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisDavid Byrne's American Utopia (2020)
A filmed version of David Byrne's Broadway show, a unifying musical celebration that inspires audiences to connect to each other and to the global community.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLive Aid (1985)
Live Aid was held on 13 July 1985, simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, and the John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, United States. It was one of the largest scale satellite link-ups and television broadcasts of all time: watched live by an estimated global audience of 1.9 billion, across 150 nations. "It's twelve noon in London, seven AM in Philadelphia, and around the world it's time for Live Aid...!"
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSavage X Fenty Show Vol. 2 (2020)
Rihanna invites you to a high energy and visually stunning experience where you can watch and shop her latest lingerie line. Hear from Rihanna, those closest to her, and go behind-the-scenes of the Savage X Fenty brand as you sit front row to see top artists and models featuring Travis Scott, Rosalia, Bad Bunny, Lizzo, Cara Delevingne, Miguel, Bella Hadid, Normani, Willow Smith and many more.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Up in Smoke Tour (2000)
The Up in Smoke Tour is a West Coast hip hop tour in 2000 featuring artists Ice Cube, Eminem, Proof, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Nate Dogg, Kurupt, D12, MC Ren, Westside Connection, Mel-Man, Tha Eastsidaz, Doggy's Angels, Devin The Dude, Warren G, TQ, Truth Hurts and Xzibit.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOasis: Don't Look Back in Anger (2026)
Experience the meteoric rise of Oasis through rare footage and untold stories as the band reunites for Oasis Live '25, chronicling their journey from Manchester streets to global rock stardom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIron Maiden: Rock In Rio (2002)
Rock In Rio Festival 2001 - Iron Maiden headlines one of the biggest shows on Earth to a massive sell-out 250,000 crowd and a global TV audience of millions. The explosive two hour set, shot using 18 cameras and edited by Steve Harris, is Maiden at its best, performing their biggest show ever on the final date of their Brave New World Tour.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisJustin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids (2016)
In January 2015, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the final nights of the "20/20 Experience World Tour", director Jonathan Demme captures what makes the show soar: gifted musicians, deft dancers and a magnetic star.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Show Must Go On: The Queen + Adam Lambert Story (2019)
A documentary chronicling Queen and Lambert's incredible journey since they first shared the stage together on "American Idol" in 2009.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDua Lipa: Studio 2054 (2020)
Dua Lipa's kaleidoscopic rocket fuelled journey through time, space, mirrorballs, roller discos, bucket hats, belting beats, throbbing basslines and an absolute slam dunk of the best of times in global club culture throughout the decades.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisWestern Stars (2019)
The incomparable Bruce Springsteen performs his critically acclaimed latest album and muses on life, rock, and the American dream, in this intimate and personal concert film co-directed by Thom Zimny and Springsteen himself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisariana grande: excuse me, i love you (2020)
Ariana Grande takes the stage in London for her Sweetener World Tour and shares a behind-the-scenes look at her life in rehearsal and on the road.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisJennifer Lopez: Dance Again (2014)
A documentary that chronicles Jennifer Lopez's life on and off-stage during her first ever world tour. Throughout the majority of her music career, beginning in 1999, a world tour by Lopez was anticipated, though it never materialized. Following the release of her seventh studio album Love? (2011), she was more intent on touring than ever. However, it was not until March 2012 when the tour came into the works. As rumors began to circulate, Lopez later confirmed that April that she would be embarking on her first world tour. It commenced on June 14, 2012, in Panama City, Panama, and concluded on December 22, 2012, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOLIVIA RODRIGO: driving home 2 u (a SOUR film) (2022)
Grammy® winner singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo takes a familiar road trip from Salt Lake City, where she began writing her debut album “SOUR,” to Los Angeles. Along the way, Rodrigo recounts the memories of writing and creating her record-breaking debut album and shares her feelings as a young woman navigating a specific time in her life. Through new live arrangements of her songs, intimate interviews and never-before-seen footage from the making of the album, audiences will follow Olivia along on a cinematic journey exploring the story of “SOUR.”
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBeastie Boys Story (2020)
Here's a little story they're about to tell... Mike Diamond and Adam Horovitz share the story of their band and 40 years of friendship in a live documentary experience directed by friend, collaborator, and their former grandfather, Spike Jonze.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLemmy (2010)
Over four decades, Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister has registered an immeasurable impact on music history. Nearly 65, he remains the living embodiment of the rock and roll lifestyle, and this feature-length documentary tells his story, one of a hard-living rock icon who continues to enjoy the life of a man half his age.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisColdplay: A Head Full of Dreams (2018)
An in-depth and intimate portrait of Coldplay's spectacular rise from the backrooms of Camden pubs to selling out stadiums across the planet. At the heart of the story is the band's unshakeable brotherhood which has endured through many highs and lows.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisStyle Wars (1984)
Tony Silver and Henry Chalfant's PBS documentary tracks the rise and fall of subway graffiti in New York in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJustin Bieber's Believe (2013)
A backstage and on-stage look at Justin Bieber during his rise to super stardom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBiggie & Tupac (2002)
In 1997, rap superstars Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace (aka Biggie Smalls, The Notorious B.I.G.) were gunned down in separate incidents, the apparent victims of hip hop's infamous east-west rivalry. Nick Broomfield's film introduces Russell Poole, an ex-cop with damning evidence that suggests the LAPD deliberately fumbled the case to conceal connections between the police, LA gangs and Death Row Records, the label run by feared rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSynergy: Visions of Vibe (1999)
This comprehensive documentary chronicles the underground rave culture in Southern California, one of its first American strongholds. With roots in a tribal past, this movement attempts to format the future of a truly global community by combining elements of electronic/percussive music, the psychedelic imagination, and mass dancing. From warehouses to mountain retreats to the deserts of the Mojave, an unseen world comes into clear focus; with kinetic camera work and candid interviews, this slice of visual anthropology probes the underbelly of a worldwide subculture with the help of some of electronic music's most acclaimed DJs, a technomusicologist, and a county sheriff. Open your mind to this moving entertainment experience and intimate portrait of a modern counter-culture that follows its own electronically induced beat.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & music
Love Parade: When Love Learned to Dance (2019)
At the end of the Cold War, something new arised that should influence an entire generation and express their attitude to life. It started with an idea in the underground subculture of Berlin shortly before the fall of the Wall. With the motto "Peace, Joy, Pancakes", Club DJ Dr. Motte and companions launched the first Love Parade. A procession registered as political demonstration with only 150 colorfully dressed people dancing to house and techno. What started out small developed over the years into the largest party on the planet with visitors from all over the world. In 1999, 1.5 million people took part. With the help of interviews with important organizers and contemporary witnesses, the documentary reflects the history of the Love Parade, but also illuminates the dark side of how commerce and money business increasingly destroyed the real spirit, long before the emigration to other cities and the Love Parade disaster of Duisburg in 2010, which caused an era to end in deep grief.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & music
Better Living Through Circuitry (1999)
A documentary about rave culture and the Electronic Dance movement of the '90s. It is the first such full-length documentary on the topic. It was produced by Cleopatra Pictures and Entertainment Group, presided by Cleopatra Records founder Brian Perera. The film features interviews with BT, The Crystal Method, Electric Skychurch, Genesis P-Orridge, Frankie Bones, DJ Spooky, Roni Size, and DJ Keoki.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & music
All this Roughness (2020)
An unnamed passer-by is forced to trace a circular route inside an abandoned tram station, facing loss and time. The broken walls act as a channel, transmitting fragmentary, blurred and analogical memories.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & music
American Massive (2002)
Shot on the Moonshine Overamerica 2000 tour, American Massive shows the rave scene from the participants' perspective: the DJs, the promoters, the artists, and the kids. 24 Cities, 13,000 miles in 32 days with some of the America's biggest names in electronic music, including AK1200, Christopher Lawrence, Carl Cox, Cirrus, D:Fuse, Dara, Micro, Frankie Bones and Keoki. American Massive is a documentary about the rave culture. Included are interviews with the people who attend the parties and the behind-the-scenes workers, as well as interviews and music from electronic music artists AK1200, Carl Cox, Christopher Lawrence, Dara, Frankie Bones, Keoki, and more. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music & documentary
A Short Film About Chilling.... (1990)
Follows the Ibiza club scene during the summer of 1990
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & music
Groove (2000)
An inside look into one night in the San Francisco underground rave scene.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe New World of Synthesizer in Osaka (2014)
A documentary of the synthesizer scene in Osaka, Japan
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
.WAVIEE (2026)
Raves are the pinnacle of creating safe spaces; houses creative expression through music, fashion, and icons that promote community building. We follow D Waviee, a DJ and a trans icon in the Filipino rave scene, while we get a glimpse of the local rave scene—as she closes the night of queer joy, with her music.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Drum & Bass: The Movement (2020)
Drum & Bass: The Movement explores how a unique UK club culture rose from an underground movement to become a global phenomenon infiltrating and influencing disciplines from mainstream pop music to video games. From dubplates to mainstream crossovers, to the labels, the tracks and the clubs that shaped the game, Drum & Bass: The Movement is a snapshot of jungle drum & bass history and how it’s always been much more than a genre of dance music: it’s a lifestyle. The movement continues...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Summer of Rave, 1989?
The closest matches to The Summer of Rave, 1989 are Avicii: True Stories (2017), David Byrne's American Utopia (2020) and Live Aid (1985). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Summer of Rave, 1989?
Start with Avicii: True Stories (2017), the closest match to The Summer of Rave, 1989.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Summer of Rave, 1989?
Avicii: True Stories (2017), rated 8.0/10 by 365 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Summer of Rave, 1989?
Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Summer of Rave, 1989?
Yes: Avicii: True Stories (2017), David Byrne's American Utopia (2020) and Live Aid (1985).
How are movies similar to The Summer of Rave, 1989 chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Summer of Rave, 1989, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.