The Concert For George feels like an update to The Concert For Bangla Desh. The two could be watched back-to-back for interesting evening of rock. Unlike many tribute concerts where they get anyone who happens to be on the charts at the time to come and do a song (ie. John Lennon and Bob Dylan), The Concert For George is limited almost exclusively to George's friends and colleagues, most of whom have been putting out great records since the sixties. Eric Clapton, Jeff Lynne and Dhani Harrison lead the assembled band through Harrison's best known songs and they are joined by Billy Preston, Tom Petty, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney & Ravi Shankar (who wrote a beautiful indian piece for George). Even the gang from Monty Python, George's favorite comedy troupe, turn up to do a couple of sketches. The performances are mostly good and there are a few magical moments (The long coda to "Isn't It A Pity", Clapton's solo on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", McCartney's rendition of "All Things Must Pass" and the moment when McCartney's ukelele rendition of "Something" suddenly turns into a full band rendition). Every flower petal in England falls from the ceiling during the finale. It's also a little strange seeing Dhani Harrison on stage, as he resembles his father greatly.
My only complaint is that they sometimes interrupted a good song (like "Handle With Care") to go to an interview. All in all, great for George's fans or fans of good music in general.
My only complaint is that they sometimes interrupted a good song (like "Handle With Care") to go to an interview. All in all, great for George's fans or fans of good music in general.