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Concert for George: A Fitting Tribute |
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Concert for George , Warner/Radical Media, Directed by David Leland, Musical direction by Eric Clapton, Liner notes by Paul Theroux, Internet: http://www.concertforgeorge.com 
On November 29, 2002 a group of musicians got together at London's Royal Albert Hall to celebrate the life and music of former Beatle George Harrison, who had passed on a year before from cancer.The concert, which has been recently released in a two-DVD package, included virtually every musician or performer who had either worked or been friends with Harrison. The only absence - which went unexplained - was that of Bob Dylan, a longtime friend of the former Beatle. The first disc contains the entire concert, and the viewer can experience the show pretty much as the audience did that night, including the pauses between songs, the band's slow entrance on stage after Monty Python's hilarious performance, close friend Eric Clapton's opening speech and the full Indian section of the show, and, of course, the rock section featuring a supergroup assembled by Clapton. The complete concert might strike some as a bit boring to watch, but only if one chooses to see the theatrical version first. The clever editing that jumps back and forth throughout the show makes for much more exciting viewing. The rock section includes a blend of George's songs from when he was still a Beatle and some of his solo moments. Eric Clapton explains: "All I wanted to do was to really share our love for George and his music with the people." The first impression one gets from the viewing is that everyone is having fun on stage, but everyone also seems deeply touched by being there. The presence of Dhani Harrison - George's only son - in the band playing rhythm guitar was especially poignant, due to his striking resemblance to his father and also because of his subdued, quiet manner which also reminds us of the late musician's stage persona. One notices how emotional both audience and performers are - when Billy Preston and Clapton duet on Isn't It a Pity, it becomes clear how the song's lyrics are taken to a different place in their voices - a kind of feeling that couldn't possibly be the same in another kind of setting. One feels the same when Paul McCartney sings All Things Must Pass, and it becomes clear how these words strike home in the wake of their writer's departure: All things must pass/all things must pass away... There were a few moments, though, that made this critic cringe a bit. Why did Ringo Starr perform a couple of usual staples from his show (Photograph and Carl Perkins' Honey Don't) instead of some other songs, such as Wrack My Brain (a Harrison-penned song that was featured on 1981's Stop and Smell The Roses)? I didn't quite like Jools Holland's take on Horse To The Water (George's final single) much. She overdid the singing, and instead of sticking to the melody, she just screamed and jumped about like a bad white version of a soul singer. I enjoyed seeing Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers perform The Traveling Wilburys' Handle With Care alongside Jeff Lynne and Dhani Harrison. In the theatrical version, Petty tells us how the song was written and how the whole concept of The Wilburys - a group that included Petty, Harrison, Lynne, Roy Orbison and Bob Dylan - came about.
George Harrison was a huge fan of Monty Python (he produced several of their films), so it is quite natural that they too would be part of the show, opening with the short Sit on My Face which ends with a glimpse of the group members' naked bottoms. We are then taken to The Lumberjack Song. Blink and you'll miss the presence of Academy Award winner Tom Hanks in the choir. The Indian section is one of the show's most beautiful parts. A clearly emoted Ravi Shankar introduces Arpan, a song he'd written especially for the event: "I strongly feel that George is here with us tonight", he begins. "George was like a son to me. This is a song for my dear George. " The Indian orchestra, conducted by Anoushka Shankar, plays alongside Western musicians in the very long song (it lasts for over 10 minutes) that culminates with an acoustic guitar solo by Eric Clapton, who seemed to be having some trouble keeping up with the odd timing of the song. While it is always a pleasure to see Anoushka playing sitar, I felt that it was a bad idea to have Jeff Lynne sing The Inner Light (A 1968 Beatles B-side), and from his apparent uneasiness as he performed the song, I think he might have felt the same way. The concert comes to a close with a lovely rendition of Jones & Kahn's I'll See You in My Dreams by Joe Brown. Ukelele in hand, Joe sings Lips that once were mine/eyes that still shine/they will light my lonely way tonight/I'll see you in my dreams. While the song itself celebrates romance, the words gain a different meaning as they become a happy salute to a departed friend. Concert For George is bound to become a classic, and it is something that will please not only Beatle fans, but also anyone who loves contemporary and world music. |
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Paul McCartney (right) joines Eric Clapton on many others on stage in a tribute to the late Beatle George Harrison