The Concert for New York City

Rating:
Summary: They deserved a party...
Review: ...and NYPD, FDNY, the EMT's and the PAPD got one - in spades. It's a shame that it took an event like September 11th to motivate us to show those guys how much we appreciate their hard work.

Stunning, emotional performances from Sir Paul, Sir Elton, Eric, Billy, Melissa (oh, if only Bruce had been there)...

...and then there was The Who. Their performance alone makes the DVD a must-own. Absolutely shattering. Their best performance in a lifetime of memorable shows. As Roger Daltrey pointed out after the death of bassist John Entwistle, "... The Concert for New York City was John's last performance in America with the Who. What a way to go out!"

As a still-heartbroken Entwistle fan of 35-years' standing, I can't add too much more to that statement. Long live rock, indeed.

Rating:
Summary: Set politics aside
Review: ...Even though the DVD menu gives one the choice of just viewing the
musical performances, one should first watch the entire 2 discs.

To pass up the movie shorts by Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee and
Woody Allen would be just as bad as clicking past a group or song
that's not your cup of tea or not watching Meg Ryan with a tearful
family, who lost their hero, introduce The Back Street Boys.

One can only imagine what the worried parents of the 60's & 70's teens thought their kids would turn out to be listening to The Who and similar groups.

Well now they(and we)know they are the proud parents of the Hereos in the audience mouthing the words to "Who Are You".

With all the canned shows on the tube one can get a high watching
real talent as they performed live. Great production, both visually and sound wise(Dolby Digital 5.1). While not perfect, it is worth five stars plus considering the little time the production crews and performers had to rehearse.

Rating:
Summary: A Concert That Will Live In Infamy. . .
Review: ...It was several weeks later, this night, October 20, 2001, that America honored our heroes by doing something we do best, throw together memorable concerts....
David Bowie starts out playing his tune, "America" and then we move on to the heart-pumping sounds of Bon Jovi, Jay-Z, and the Goo-Goo Dolls. Next is one of New York's own, Billy Joel. He takes us through on a trip of New York, singing about his "New York State of Mind." Destiny's Child entertains us with a few light tunes, and then Eric Clapton with Buddy Guy, playing a nice-moving tune, "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man." Adam Sandler takes the stage next, eagerly displaying his grief over Guliani's departure and his confusion over how "Tough Osama" is "exterminating" in a cave.
Disc 2 starts off with Mike Moran offering some Irish Wisdom to his good friend, Mr. Bin Laden. The Who then delivers an absolutely amazing performance (almost half of the second disc), rocking out on three songs for over 30 minutes...a performance to go down as one of the greatest sets of all time. Disc 2 is not as jam-packed as the first, but finishes out with Paul McCartney singing several songs,including never-aging renditions of "Yesterday" and "Let It Be". The CD ends with Paul McCartney and most of the artists there that night (minus a Mick Jaggar) playing his new song "Freedom" with Eric Clapton taking numerous exhilerating solos.
A CD collection to be remembered, a collection for the masses, a collection which no other can be compared to...
It was this night the greatest from all ends of the silver screen and the LP, from the "American Bad (...)" himself to American icons such as Jerry Seinfeld, James Lipton, and Billy Joel, that these images of America took a step back to focus the light on America's NEW heros,...

Rating:
Summary: One for the Ages
Review: Amazing - forget about the fact that they edited out the boos for Hillary. I think everyone knows she was booed - point taken. Set it on "play musical performances only," sit back, and enjoy a once in a lifetime concert.

Rating:
Summary: A Poignant Moment in History
Review: As a New Yorker who went through the Sept. 11 tragedy, I experience this concert as one of the most poignant memorials I've witnessed. These top artists sing their souls out as a tribute to those who lost so much. In one moment in time the police, firemen and rescue workers are able to release deep emotion through music.

Rating:
Summary: Great Concert - May Not Play Well on Cheap Players
Review: Great Concert. Who performance superior to their Royal Albert Hall Concert (also on DVD). Disc may have problems getting past the Columbia Music Video logo set up on Oritron DVD players (helped prompt me to upgrade player!).

Rating:
Summary: Musical Catharsis
Review: I am a NYC Police Officer who found comfort and catharsis at this concert. I am grateful to those performers and to the Americans celebrating this music. Seeing the faces of my fellow Americans who gave themselves over to Rock and Roll for a mercurial moment made me proud yet overwhelmingly sad. I know that a lot of my fellow civil servants often have trouble reaching certain levels of emotion and, through good old fashioned Rock and Roll, we were able to let go. Listening again to those first few crashing chords from THE WHO still gives me chills. I know how every one of us was feeling at that moment.

This is not just great classic music -- this music defines us. We grew up on it. Billy Joel, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, James Taylor --this music fueled our youths and made us who we are. After September 11, 01 we found new meaning to these lyrics just as we had discovered more about ourselves. We should be proud to celebrate this music, in a country that lets us play it freely and with the volume all the way up. It reminds us how powerful music can be and how healing. I replay this concert over and over. I recall the images of every wife and girlfriend, wearing their hero's hat and clutching them with all of their might, grateful for that precious moment together. I have new-found love for life, for life's simple pleasures.

Perhaps the concert's newest artist summed it as well as the veteran acts that night. In a song I have loved since I first heard it last summer, though I never fully knew what it meant until that night: "Five For Fighting", SUPERMAN -- "I wish that I could cry. Fall upon my knees. Find a way to lie. About a home I'll never see. It may sound absurd but don't be naive. Even heroes have the right to bleed. I may be disturbed but don't you concede? Even heroes have the right to dream. It's not easy to be me...."

God Bless America.

Rating:
Summary: Great in some places terrible in others.
Review: I did see the live concert on VH-1. The quality of the DVD is great (as would be expected from a DVD). They did a good job of cleaning-up the audio. The Who was awesome as well as most of the other performances. HOWEVER, they cut out the second Eric Clapton song as well as the first song performed by the Goo Goo Dolls in favor of stuff that was utter [disgust] (Jay-Z, Jimmy Fallon's 80's melody, Hillary Clinton, and Slick Willy just to mention a few). And speaking of Hillary, they eddited out the boo's and hisses when she took the stage and replaced them with more cheers. Nice rewriting of history, but what else do you expect from a bunch of socialists. If they didn't like boo's and hisses, why didn't they just completely get rid of Richard Geer? He was a joke! For all of the edditing, they did do a nice job making everyting flow (especially with Melissa Ethridge).

Rating:
Summary: POWERFUL
Review: I preordered my dvd in early january, i was not fortunate enough to see this event live. Why buy this? You could cop out and only say: Mc Cartney, jagger,keif, elton john, james taylor etc. etc.. You could buy this to feel the emotions of the firefighters and police who lost so many. Listen to politicians who represent the emotion that we felt at the time. Not fighting for a partisan but for the people. Toss in a few entertainers who can make us laugh and cry. Still you have not gotten to the point of why to buy. This may be the most powerful dvd you can ever buy. You cannot watch washington cross the delaware or see lincoln give the gettysburg address. We have watched the towers be struck and tumble again and again. This concert is the beginning of the healing. We cry with our great servicemen and women We sing along to the songs that we have grown up with. We cannot, will not forget sept. 11th and if only one penny from each item purchased goes to help someone who lost a loved one. Then it is a penny well spent. GOD BLESS AMERICA and may god bless new york city. Thank you for a great piece of history and an even better night of entertainment

Rating:
Summary: The concert for New York City
Review: I WATCHED THIS CONCERT AND LOVED EVERY BIT OF IT! I EVEN BEGAN TO LIKE NEIL YOUNG, WHO PLAYED HIS GUITAR AND SANG "IMAGINE"WHICH MADE FLUID EXPEL FROM MY EYES. IN MY OPINION, SEEING THIS CONCERT IS IMPARATIVE FOR THOSE WHO LOVE, AND CARE ABOUT ALL OF THOSE WHO WERE LOST SEPTEMBER 11, 2001. THESE TALENTED, ADORED, WONDERFUL, MUSICIANS OBVIOUSLY DO.