Concert for George

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: The Beatles were the most successful rock and roll band of all time, and quite possibly the best, too. In my opinion, the best member of the band was lead guitarist George Harrison. This guy could not only play the guitar better than any other musician of the day, but he was also an excellent songwriter. Sadly, on November 29, 2001, Harrison died of brain cancer. A year later, many of his close friends got together and put on a concert in his memory - appropriately called the Concert For George. Another year later, the concert has arrived on DVD and CD! Read on for my review of the Concert For George.

PROS:
-The obvious pro about this compilation is simple - it's the famous artists who got together to make this concert possible. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, former-ELO frontman Jeff Lynne, Billy Preson, Eric Clapton, George's old Beatles comrades Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, George's son Dhani, and a number of others have all gathered together to pay tribute to their fallen friend.

-Some of these performances are nothing short of excellent. The highlights of the show, in my opinion, are the following - A version of My Sweet Lord featuring Billy Preston on lead vocals (this guy can sing just as well as he can play the piano), A version of the highly-underrated I Need You by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, A version of the Ringo Starr/George Harrison collaboration song Photograph sang by Ringo, a killer take on the Traveling Wilburys classic Handle With Care, and a version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps featuring Eric Clapton on lead vocals (for those of you who don't know, Clapton played the guitar solo on the original 1968 version of the song - though the "white album" liner notes don't credit him.)
-A number of lesser-known artists get a chance to shine in this concert - Proof that George was an inspiration to so many people.

CONS:
-I like Ringo's version of Honey Don't, but it's out of place here since it's not a George Harrison song.

-I was really hoping for Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and Dhani Harrison to have larger roles.
-What's up with the PG-13 rating?

OVERALL:
-If you were a fan of Harrison, this is an excellent tribute to him and his music. Normally tribute concerts are very hit and miss, but this one is excellent through and through. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO ANY FAN OF HARRISON.

Rating:
Summary: George!
Review: The concert event had the chance to be sappy and morose. Thank God, it isn't. Instead, it's a lot of George's friends covering his songs, having fun doing it, and otherwise doing what they've always been doing.

Summary: Great guests, superior musicianship. Buy This DVD. Now.

The show opens with a few words from Clapton, who introduces Ravi Shankar and his daughter. They play a fair amount of Indian music. It's pretty good, I have to admit, though not my cup of tea. One word - Ravi Shankar's daughter is quite the sitar player... She plays a piece and violates at least 2 rules of physics. Amazing.

Then the Western band forms up. They play a number of songs, with luminaries being introduces and added to the band over the course of the evening.

Highlights, in no particular order:
1) Ringo :-) During "Honey Don't" Look for Albert Lee. His solo is blistering though short.
2a) Clapton on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"
2b) Clapton having the class to not play all the solos thereby making it the "Eric Clapton Show." Instead most of the real guitar work is being done by someone I don't know. I think it's Clapton's long-time guitarist. My son and I call him "THE Guy".
2c) Clapton in general
3) Watch Tom Petty's guitar player get OWNED by George on "Taxman". Tom does this song kinda weird, it's probably the weakest track.
4) Sam Brown. What a voice!
5) Waa Waa. Amazing.
6) Something by Paul, via uke.
7) Ravi's daughter and her sitar. Your eyebrows will fly up!
8) Dhani has George's spooky eyebrow thing going on.
9) Jeff Lynne is there, and takes an active part doing what he does best. Bob Dylan is notably absent.

Every track is worthwhile and many are superb. And while a lot of similar productions are muddy and horrid, this isn't. Eric is running the show, and keeps it moving and clean.

The only dings I give this production are
1) The "behind the scenes" footage is too sparse. I know there had to me more...
2) The band isn't introduced well enough. I expected a close up of every performer, with a hello, and a name. See 2b) above.

Rating:
Summary: Moving
Review: Oh my, well I'm 13, and now I basically love the Beatles now when I heard the song "My Guitar Gently Weeps". Whenever we watch this video it brings the whole family together because we all love this DVD. It's so touching.

The last song of the concert, "I'll See You In My Dreams" with the ukelele, it's very touching. Makes you want to cry. I can't cry that easily either.

I'll sum this whole thing up: If your a Beatles fan, huge or just like one song, you have to get this DVD. You get to see Ringo and Paul together on the same stage for once after a lot of years to do a tribute for their old friend, with the bonus of Paul and Eric singing together beautifully.

Heck, I'm watching the concert on my computor right now. So catch ya' later.

Rating:
Summary: Great Viewing, Great Music
Review: It is hard to add anything to what has been said. This is one of the best concert films ever. For any George Harrison fan, Beatles fan or music fan, this is a real treat.

The only complaint I had was with some of the editing during the guitar work. The camera focus was on Clapton, but it was Andy Fairweather Low, Marc Mann or Albert Lee playing the solo. Maybe a "guitar player's cut" will be available one day.

Hard to watch the first time with dry eyes, and each successive viewing brings out more and more of the subtle emotion and love these wonderful people had for their friend George.

Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Pure Magic!
Review: Even though I have been a music fan for 40 yrs, and a collector of concert DVD's--I have never been moved to write a review,until now. Even though I own what I believe to be some of the top concert videos of all time (Eagles-Hell Freezes Over, Bonnie Raitt-Road Tested, Fleetwood Mac-The Dance, Dan Fogleberg-Live, Eric Clapton-Live in Hyde Park, etc.)--the Concert for George clearly tops them. It is magical to see Eric Clapton and Paul McCartney singing together on "Something" and "While my Guitar Gently Weeps" with Ringo Starr playing the drums and George's son Dhani on stage--not to mention Clapton's outstanding guitar solo on the latter. You can feel the love and passion on stage in all the performances. Don't overlook the jaw-dropping performance of Ravi Shankar's daughter on sitar in the opening number and the great performance of Sam Brown singing the last song George wrote "Lead a Horse to Water"--where has England been hiding her?? (It is a crime that this song was cut from the CD version). The theatrical version of the DVD is interesting with its interspersed interviews but the full concert video is the gold standard. If you can keep a dry eye during the last 30 minutes of the full concert video then you need to have someone take your pulse! Again, pure magic and a great Xmas gift to a friend who is a musicphile!

Rating:
Summary: COULDN'T BE MUCH BETTER!
Review: This should be the model for all concert DVD's. Disc two contains the theatrical version while disc one has the complete show from beginning to end. As much as I love "Back In The U.S," I wish they had packaged it in this manner. The audio and video are simply superb, couldn't have been better. The packaging is great, with the tri-fold containing the discs and booklet inside a sleeve. I can think of only one drawback to the DVD. It would have been nice to have included a biography of all the onstage performers from the concert. There are so many that I'm not familiar with. The show was taped in the 133 year old Royal Albert Hall in London on the first anniversary of George's death, November 29, 2002. The concert opens with Olivia lighting candles and then Eric Clapton walks out, speaks briefly, then introduces Ravi Shankar, who says a few words. Anoushka Shankar(Ravi's daughter and the half-sister of Norah Jones) plays an 8 minute piece on the sitar. I enjoy Indian music and she is as beautiful as she is talented. Then she and others accompany Jeff Lynne on "The Inner Light." I particularly enjoy this number. This is followed by a long piece written by Ravi, called "Arpan." He wrote this in tribute to George and both the Indian and Western orchestras play on it. Eric Clapton joins in late on the acoustic guitar. There are moments that I enjoy but overall, I didn't care for this number. I don't care for the next segment at all.I've never cared for Monty Python and their contribution to the show was boring and vulgar, as usual. BTW, although it isn't mentioned to the audience, Tom Hanks is part of their act. Next, the Pop music portion opens with ''I Want to Tell You.'' The instrumentation and vocals are great on this tune. A few highlights from this segment would be....."Here Comes The Sun"-Joe Brown"Horse To The Water''-Sam Brown(Joe's daughter)"Taxman"-Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers"Honey Don't"-Ringo"For You Blue"-Paul McCartney"Something"-It's great when the Clapper and Macca do a brief duet on this one."My Sweet Lord"-Billy Preston This track is simply awesome. Billy sings better than ever. As a Christian, I can't agree with the Hindu aspects of this tune, but I must admit the melody is beautiful."Wah Wah"-Everybody plays on this, but the primary vocal is done by Jeff Lynne, who does a great job."I'll See You In My Dreams"-Joe Brown is incredible on this old standard. It's very poignant as the confetti falls and the camera switches to a giant photo in the arena of a young George holding a guitar. Eric Clapton is great as the emcee, but I only wish that Paul and Ringo had played a bigger part in the show. It would also have been great if George Martin and Pattie could have been there and maybe said a few words. It's really eerie seeing George's son, Dhani onstage playing the guitar. He has a strong resemblance to his father. I recommend this excellent DVD to any Beatles or George fan. I guarantee, you will watch it again and again and........

Rating:
Summary: The Concert Touched My Heart!!!
Review: I Watched Both Discs, The Short Concert, And The One That Was Over Two Hrs. Long, Well I Couldn't Help But Remember How George Was Back In The Day When He Was The Quite Member Of The Beatles, To The Day He Was Part Of The Traveling Willberys. The Songs He Did Write While With The Beatles, With Paul,& Ringo Sing Those Songs, It Really Brought A tear To My Eyes. Just Seeing George's Son, I thought It's George When He Was Young. Then Having Jeff Lyenn & Tom Petty Come Out, Play Handle With Care, And The End Of The Line... Well I just Loved This Concert... I Haven't Bought Too Many Concerts On DVD, But I'm Sure Glad I did Buy This One.....

Rating:
Summary: An outstanding and professional tribute to George
Review: Concerts don't get any better than this! What do you get when you have world-class musicians coming together to dedicate a night to a world-class musician such as George Harrison? A world-class production!
Not only are ALL the musicians top notch, they were all friends with George, and their dedication to performing his songs to perfection was obvious - and they came as close to perfection as one could expect.
In my mind, if you're debating about purchasing this DVD, there's only one thing to do - buy it! I've shown this DVD to almost a dozen people, and even the few that were in their 20's (too young to have grown up with George's music, much less The Beatles) were raving about the concert and how well it was done. Simply put, this DVD raises the bar for concert DVD's into the stratosphere. Good luck to those who try to match it's quality; I doubt it will ever be done.
Many thanks to Eric Clapton, Jeff Lynne, Ray Cooper and Olivia Harrision for their production efforts - you've produced a tribute to George he deserved.

Rating:
Summary: Emotionally riveting without feeling contrived...
Review: George Harrison is, and always will be, my favorite Beatle. Not only was he insanely talented (and too often overshadowed) but he was unpretentous. He never tooted his own horn or acted like he was the king of everything. I miss him terribly and I am so glad that I will always have his beautiful music to keep me company.

This concert DVD is enough to convince you of George's brilliance. You can tell how much he touched the lives of all of the performers. And a large picture of George hangs over the stage throughout, reminding you why all of these wonderful people have come together. I'm very gladthat no one tried to steal the show. This could have easily become the Eric Clapton or Paul McCartney show. But both men let George's songs stand as they were originally written.

This concert accomplishes many things all at once. It is one of the most touching tributes I have ever had the pleasure of hearing, but it is also uplifting. The show isn't about crying and feeling grief. It is about celebrating one amazing man and remembering everything that he did. The show starts off with an amazing Indian section. First, Ravi Shankar's daughter Anoushka plays a glorious sitar solo. I was stunned at its beauty and at her talent. Then Jeff Lynne and Anoushka play George's "The Inner Light" together. Finally, an entire orchestra of Indian musicians play "Arpan"- an offering Ravi wrote just for George. It is beautiful and a wonder to watch.

And, just as George was many different things, the mood changes entirely. The Indian music was haunting and lovely. It is followed by the Monty Python cast singing "Sit on My Face" and the Lumberjack Song. Both are incredibly funny and they work somehow. Finally, we reach the Western music portion of the show. Almost every song is a work of art. The only songs I did not enjoy was Tom Petty's whiny version of the incredible "Taxman" and "Horse to the Water" because Jools Holland sounds like she is yelling.

However, every other song is touching and lovely. I especially enjoy Billy Preston's "My Sweet Lord", Paul McCartney and Eric Clapton's "Something" and the riveting "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". I'm so glad that George's brilliance is so evident in this concert. He is just as, if not more, talented than John Lennon and Paul McCartney. You should buy this DVD right away because it is a wonderful experience and it will remind you of all of the great songs given to us by George.

God bless you, George and I hope you enjoyed the show.

Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful Tribute!
Review: I was lucky enough to view this Dvd with a friend of mine from England. We were both mesmerized by how great the performers were. My personal favourite was Billy Prestons version of My Sweet Lord. His rendition was both soulful and spiritual and it could have gone on for another 20 minutes as far as I am concerned. Clapton gets top marks for organizing a well balanced show. The audio and picture quality is bar none and this Dvd is
an absolute must for any that appreciates great music of this gender.