Rating: 
Summary: ok
Review: after Yolanda Adams's performance i thought i found an amazing music dvd, but no. other artists arent that good, some of them shouldnt have shown up. you cant sing a john lennon song half asleep (moby).
Kevin Spacey sings mind games, - amazing! he's quite good!
also skipping cheesy in-between songs speaches is a must, too bad for 9-11, otherwise it could have been just a regular lennon tribute.
too bad for lennon too... could have been a nice lennon concert...
oh well.
Rating:
Summary: Better than Expected
Review: As a general rule, I don't like John Lennon covers, so I was pleasantly surprised when I watched this DVD. Here's a rundown on the performances:1. Imagine (Yolanda Adams and Billy Preston): This was one of the worst performances of the show. Billy Preston isn't bad but Yolanda oversings this intentionally simple song. 2. In My Life (Dave Matthews): This is one of the best Beatles covers I've heard. I was really moved by this performance, and it's worth watching the DVD for. 3. Revolution (Stone Temple Pilots): Another great and faithful rendition of a Beatles song. The band really shines on this one. 4. Dear Prudence (Alanis Morissette): I don't like Alanis's music, so I was surprised to find that this was actually a really good cover, even if it pains me to say so. 5. Across the Universe (Moby, Sean Lennon, and Rufus Wainwright)Ugh. Moby provides some seemingly cough syrup induced vocals and Rufus Wainwright and Sean Lennon help out in this amazingly bad cover. 6. Strawberry Fields Forever (Cyndi Lauper): One of the biggest surprises was this performance. The area in my mind filed "Cyndi Lauper" is placed in the category of cheesy 80's ballads. Therefore, I was expecting this cover of a really difficult to cover Beatles song to be terrible. I'm happy to say, I was wrong. A really nice performance. 7. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds (Marc Anthony): Awful. 8. Mother (Shelby Lynne): This performance of Lennon's devastingly emotional song is turned into some sort of cheese-country confessional best suited for tawdry bar. 9. Instant Karma (Nelly Furtado and Dave Stewart): Again, I'm not really a fan of either of these people, but the cover wasn't that bad. 10. Jealous Guy (Lou Reed): Before all of you Lou Reed fans get angry at me, I like Lou. I really do. However, this was just a terribly bad cover. Easily one of the worst performances on here. 11. Nowhere Man (Natalie Merchant): Again, another surprise performance by a person I've never been that impressed by. She does a nice job on this song. 12. Mind Games (Kevin Spacey): Before you laugh, this is in the running for best performance of the night. It's either sad or exhilarating that an actor outdoes professional singers and musicians. I suppose I have even more respect for Kevin Spacey than I did before. 13. Come Together (Craig David): Auugh! Perhaps the worst on here. Treat your ears nicely and avoid this one. 14. This Boy (Sean Lennon and Rufus Wainwright): Well, it couldn't be worse than their cover of Across the Universe. And guess what, it wasn't! Not bad, but not great either. 15. Julia (Sean Lennon): Sean performs a faithful cover of his Dad's song, and it's pretty good but certainly not in anyway better than the original, as some have suggested. 16. Give Peace a Chance/Power to the People (Ensemble): The typical ensemble, sing-a-long sound.
Rating:
Summary: Cyndi Lauper - John Lennon
Review: Cyndi Lauper's interpretation of Mr. Lennon's Strawberry Field song leaves the audience breathless. What a great perfomer! Cyndi Lauper takes the song and makes your soul wonders in the strawberry field. Every word, pause and her voice captivates the audience. This is the best part of the show. The DVD is for collection. The artists, the cause and Cyndi's interpretation really makes the event a magical one!
Rating: 
Summary: Great Intentions Outweight Negatives -Could've Been Better
Review: During the weeks and months following the tragedy of September 11th, there was an intense need to pay tribute toward the good in humanity. We saw the world differently. We held our friends and neighbors close. We appreciated the everyday heros, firemen, police officers and EMT staff with a new intensity, and deservedly so. What better time to invoke the spirit and message of the peace loving John Lennon? And what better way to raise funds for the efforts? "Come Together: A Night for John Lennon's Words and Music" was produced at Radio City Music Hall in October 2001 to salve the wounds of New York.
The concert was a joyous and somber event, supported by good intentions; however, it seemed that many holes went unfilled by artists whose only connection with Lennon was that they were fans, or perhaps, friends of Yoko and Sean rather than John himself. This provided an emptiness that was palpable.
The lineup of musical artists seems like a cadre of the famous and the quasi-famous, all befriended by Sean and Yoko. Some were fine, some unremarkable. Nelly Furtado sang a limp and effected "Instant Karma" with Dave Stewart who, despite all his great work with Annie Lennox, was the most uninteresting Eurethmic to start with, and remains boring here. Craig David (who?) did a decent version of "Come Together" which turned into a hip hop rant. (What better way to show how a song is dated to the young generation than by turning it into a rap?) Shelby Lynn, known for showing the most of her belly in skimpy outfits during 2000 - 2001 while being lauded as the next EmmyLou (only to disappear), did a dreary "Mother". And Leelee Sobieski? What was she doing there other than just being (or about to be) Sean Lennon's girlfriend? Where were John's friends? Harry Nilssen? Elton John? David Bowie? Macca? Ringo? Most importantly - where was Julian? (Sadly, George Harrison was gravely ill at that time and would pass away a month later).
There were some great moments. Stone Temple Pilots kicked butt on "Revolution". Cyndi Lauper singing "Stawberry Fields Forever" at Strawberry Fields in Central Park was haunting and plain gorgeous. Dave Matthews did a moving, lilting "In My Life". Alanis was pretty damn good singing "Dear Prudence". "That Boy" crooned by Sean, Rufus Wainwright and, well - I guess a bandmate of the young Lennon - was hamonically tight and terrific. Even Rufus, a singer I find annoying vocally, knows how to sing "Across the Universe" better than anyone, other than Lennon himself. If only Moby stopped singing - it would have been perfection.
Kevin Spacey did a dramatic turn as presenter - along with Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Bacon and various New York based/born/bred actors. Although Spacey is a great singer, I couldn't help but cringe a bit when he forged into "Mind Games". There was something beyond the realm of ego in that performance. I can't put my finger on it; however, the audience loved it, jumping to their feet in a wave of cheers - so what do I know? It was an emotional time, and therefore, a bit of over the top drama and gushing was probably needed and is perhaps forgiven even in hindsight.
The evening was interspersed with audio of John talking about his beliefs, and about peace, love. A heartbreaking clip reveals John explaining to the four year old Sean, the concept of age, and how you spend a full year being four or five, until one has a birthday. The tenderness of a father, explaning to his little boy the fundamentals of life stopped the show. That clip alone illustrates even further, the horror of John's passing, the despair and futility of violence and the irony of how such a peace loving icon died so horribly.
There are many moving moments; however, with the addition of John's own friends and more of his loved ones, the connections would have been more meaningful, and the meaning much more explosive. (For an example of a great tribute concert see "The Concert for George". Proceeds also went toward charity.)
Rating: 
Summary: DISAPPOINTING....MEDIOCRE ....
Review: I guess I was expecting a little bit too much from this dvd, having just watched "Concert for George."
This show somehow failed to show John's genius through the mediocre performance of the guest artists.
One thing that annoyed me was the TALKKKK!!! There was quite a bit of guest appearances...actors and actresses, in between performances. One satisfaction I get from buying a good concert DVD is the fact that I can play and listen to it over and over again while I'm doing my chores at home during weekends like a regular CD or help put myself to sleep at night watching it in my bedroom TV. This is not one of those DVDs. Yeah, I would probably watch this dvd one more time, just to watch and listen to Across the Universe, but that's about it. I'm actually thinking of selling my dvd already. The only other positive thing I can say about this DVD is the DTS option, hence the 2 stars. Ergo, if you own "Concert for George" DVD, you will be disappointed with this one.
Rating:
Summary: DISAPPOINTING....MEDIOCRE ....
Review: I guess I was expecting a little bit too much from this dvd, having just watched "Concert for George."
This show somehow failed to show John's genius through the mediocre performance of the guest artists.
One thing that annoyed me was the TALKKKK!!! There was quite a bit of guest appearances...actors and actresses, in between performances. One satisfaction I get from buying a good concert DVD is the fact that I can play and listen to it over and over again while I'm doing my chores at home during weekends like a regular CD or help put myself to sleep at night watching it in my bedroom TV. This is not one of those DVDs. Yeah, I would probably watch this dvd one more time, just to watch and listen to Across the Universe, but that's about it. I'm actually thinking of selling my dvd already. The only other positive thing I can say about this DVD is the DTS option, hence the 2 stars. Ergo, if you own "Concert for George" DVD, you will be disappointed with this one.
Rating:
Summary: DISAPPOINTING....MEDIOCRE ....
Review: I guess I was expecting a little bit too much from this dvd, having just watched "Concert for George."
This show somehow failed to show John's genius through the mediocre performance of the guest artists.
One thing that annoyed me was the TALKKKK!!! There was quite a bit of guest appearances...actors and actresses, in between performances. One satisfaction I get from buying a good concert DVD is the fact that I can play and listen to it over and over again while I'm doing my chores at home during weekends like a regular CD or help put myself to sleep at night watching it in my bedroom TV. This is not one of those DVDs. Yeah, I would probably watch this dvd one more time, just to watch and listen to Across the Universe, but that's about it. I'm actually thinking of selling my dvd already. The only other positive thing I can say about this DVD is the DTS option, hence the 2 stars. Ergo, if you own "Concert for George" DVD, you will be disappointed with this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Amazing
Review: I was present at Radio City Music Hall for this particular event and it was simply amazing. As a native Long Islander, I have spent many a night in NYC, whether for a show or just for dinner and coffee. This concert was my first return to NYC after 9-11 and the music and the lyrics of John Lennon spoke volumes to me. Even though he was shot and killed when I was only five years old, his ideas and beliefs make sense to me. Being at this concert live was an experience I will never forget. Being with a large audience during that time aided the healing process for me. As for the performances, Keving Spacy was a great host and all of the artists (with the exception of one) translated John Lennon's songs beautifully, keeping the original tone and spirit of the music. I highly recommed this show, particularly for the John Lennon fans out there!
Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: I was present at Radio City Music Hall for this particular event and it was simply amazing. As a native Long Islander, I have spent many a night in NYC, whether for a show or just for dinner and coffee. This concert was my first return to NYC after 9-11 and the music and the lyrics of John Lennon spoke volumes to me. Even though he was shot and killed when I was only five years old, his ideas and beliefs make sense to me. Being at this concert live was an experience I will never forget. Being with a large audience during that time aided the healing process for me. As for the performances, Keving Spacy was a great host and all of the artists (with the exception of one) translated John Lennon's songs beautifully, keeping the original tone and spirit of the music. I highly recommed this show, particularly for the John Lennon fans out there!
Rating: 
Summary: Not worth even 1 star
Review: I've been a Beatle fan since my high school days in the early 60's. John and George were always my favorites. I've heard some good artists do good renditions of some of their songs, but what I never heard were so many Lennon songs done so poorly by so many muscian/singers(?) at one sitting. Who chose these people? And who picked the house band? Frankly, I found most of the performances an insulting tribute to John's music. Many songs I wouldn't have recognized if it weren't for the words, which I know so well. Too many times I found myself watching musical wanna-be's reveal why they will always be wanna-be's. What I did see were many performers caught up in their own ego's while they performed, basically trashing the songs so bad they were hardly recognizable, again, except for the words. Yeah, the concert stunk in my opinion and I'm glad I rented it so I can take it back because it isn't something I'd ever watch again. The only redeeming quality to the concert were some of the video clips and words of John I hadn't heard before. I've got a huge Beatle collection, but this is one item I don't need.
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