Concert For George--Your Thoughts?
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Erik what I mean by George being the best of the Beatles is that he was the nicest. I hate to say this but he felt Paul was arrogant. He said not towards him but he got that feeling about Paul. He also said George was a private person too. He plays sitar in there so I'm sure you've seen him. His name is Gaurav Mazumdar.
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Hi PaulFan, Thx for your reply! I will look for him--I love sitar! I picked up Ravi's Tana/Mana a while back.
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I was there, 8th row center, these are some of my memories of that night. Before the show it was cold so the minute they let people in I went in and once inside I realized they were still rehearsing for the show. So I stood and watched them run through "The Inner Light" Dhani and Jeff were onstage with the Indian musicians just like in the movie. While watching them go through "The Inner Light" I heard a very familiar voice behind me and turned to see none other than George Martin standing there. I didn't approach him though. I ran into the rest room prior to the show starting and a bunch of the Indian musicians were in there checking their outfits in the mirror. I wasn't sure if I had gone into an area I should have not been in. At the beginning of the show Clapton made a goof and referred to "George's wife Dhani" this became a sort of running gag for the rest of the show but was corrected for all the official releases of the show. The only part of the show when I thought I might start to cry was during The Monty Python portion when all the Mounties turned and saluted the giant portrait of George. I remember being in awe of the people on stage. It was essentially like a George Harrison This is Your Life show. I remember being really impressed to see Klaus Voormann on bass for a couple of numbers. Actually seeing "Rocky" George's psychedelic Stratocaster live and in person. Andy Fairweather Low played Rocky during My Sweet Lord. They also had George's Rickenbacker 12 string on stage for the show. Standing on my chair at the end of the show to try and get a picture of Paul and Ringo hugging. I got one and it is pretty rough (but it means the world to me)
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Hi Shaun, Wow fantastic story! Did you fly over to England for the show?? My in-laws live over there (near Bath) so we try and go when we can. Wish I'd gone over for that show! Seeing the warm up must have been a real treat and also noticing George Martin must have been like a dream. Also seeing those guitars must have been incredible. That Rickenbacker is serial number 2! I just ordered an identical 6-string to it--should be here in June! I'm in northern Bergen County--what part of Jersey are you in??
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Erik in NJ:
Hi Shaun, Wow fantastic story! Did you fly over to England for the show?? My in-laws live over there (near Bath) so we try and go when we can. Wish I'd gone over for that show! Seeing the warm up must have been a real treat and also noticing George Martin must have been like a dream. Also seeing those guitars must have been incredible. That Rickenbacker is serial number 2! I just ordered an identical 6-string to it--should be here in June! I'm in northern Bergen County--what part of Jersey are you in??
Yes I flew over for the show, I grew up in Middlesex county but now live on the border of Somerset and Hunterdon Counties I could not have had a better time at the concert, it is my favorite concert I have seen. Enjoy your new Ric!!
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Thanks man! I just got an Epiphone Casino (a new one made in China, but great fit and finish) and a guitar that is spectacular: Gretsch Country Gentleman...it's a gorgeous guitar. Have a Vox AC15 on order to try and get their sound
Do you play?? Would be cool to get together sometime. Was Lucy there? You know the Gibson Eric gave him that was stolen and recovered?? I was wondering if any of George's guitars were there...I think it would have been cool if Eric played one of them! I wonder how much stuff we didn't see in the video that you did. Interesting that they did that edit 
Thx again for the great first hand account!! -
Erik in NJ:
moptops:
I thought that Olivia and Dhani really missed an opportunity to speak about George...it's amazing how little they had to say about him--I think that would have been very interesting as we don't really know them and seeing GH thru their eyes would have been a treat! I think a memorial concert for George Harrison is a forum where his music speaks best. Furthermore, emotionally, it must have been wrenching for them to get through it.
C'mon it was a whole year after his passing, not a month. It was obviously an emotional show, but it's highly unlikely they were so wracked with pain that they could not speak a bit of George for the occaision. I know of what I speak having sadly lost both of my parents now. As you unboubtedly already know, some of the best parts of live concerts are some of the stories from the musicians. I was suprised that Olivia, as the Executive Producer and George's wife, said nothing! When she got up and lit whatever it was around that rooster (?) a few words about George would have been appropriate as far as I'm concerned. Same for Dhani, he wanted to be on stage and play guitar even though you could not hear his guitar or singing, but a few words about his Dad would have been appropriate and would have been a nice touch. These sorts of things are often done after the first or second song. Clapton's small speech was nice and he speaks well--would have loved to hear a couple more stories of his "best mate." In the 2nd DVD, Clapton admits that they rehearsed music for 3 weeks, but not the talking parts and so what little they did seemed a bit awkward. Even in Bangladesh there was more information about the situation as well as the musicians and show.
moptops:
Clapton as well could have had more to say since he was running the gig...it was a bit like Concert For Eric at times, I think he should have marginalized himself more. Certainly he knew George well and could have shared some great stories with us. What does this mean? He could have had more to say, but he should have marginalized himself more? It was a bit like Concert For Eric??? He's the musical director of the concert, perhaps George's best mate, a truly great musician and the glue that held it all together.
You made the comments about Paul being marginalized, which is fine, he did his songs and sat down at the piano on the side, but the show was a bit Clapton heavy in my opinion that's all.
moptops:
No introduction of the people on stage?? I didn't even know who several were! I know at Bangladesh, GH introduced the musicians, and Eric really should have done it here--this was a big oversight as far as I'm concerned. E.g., not everyone knows what Klaus Voorman looks like these days. I don't think it was an oversight at all! In fact because of the amount of people on stage and to keep the flow going, I'd suggest it was practical and necessary not to introduce EVERYBODY. The beauty of the concert is the intimate and laid back and SINCERE feel it has. Eric did occasionally introduce or acknowledge artists, but everyone knows whoever was playing on that stage was there because they shared a friendship and/or a tight musical bond with George: be they a major star like McCartney or a lesser known (but no less a musician) like the wonderful Emil Richards, Jim Keltner, Jim Horn and others.
C'mon, this is the de facto standard in any show. Clapton is typically lazy and he winged it. GH winged it at Bangladesh too ("we've forgotten Billy Preston!
"), but at least you knew who was up there on stage. Few know what Keltner, Horn, Voorman, etc. look like these days even if they know their names which the typical person doesn't. I think it WAS necessary to mention the musicians that were on that stage! Maybe Dhani could have at least done that.moptops:
What about Julian Lennon? Surely he must have had a connection to GH, no? Oh and Thank God Yoko wasn't there!! I'd love to know why What about Julian Lennon? Yes they shared a connection, but were they close friends? Who knows? Should Zak Starkey have been there? They shared a connection. And I get you don't like Yoko...
I said Julian because no Lennons were represented and he's had some limited success in the commercial realm of pop/rock. Having Yoko there unless she was there to speak about George would have been innappropriate and I'm glad she was not there. You are aware that she wouldn't let John perform at Bangladesh without her being on stage, no?
moptops:
I can certainly understand Dhani Harrison wanting to take part but you could have just put a cardboard cutout with a guitar there and it would have had the same effect musically! No one could hear his acoustic guitar! It would have been nice if he'd learned a couple licks to solo with--he seems like he plays guitar even though you can tell he's not a professional caliber musician. Not just picking on Dhani here, there were several musicians up there that added no real value to the concert as they were not showcased and their volumes turned way down or off. Surely you can appreciate it's about the occasion, symbolism and the fact he's George's boy more than an opportunity for Dhani to fire off "a couple of licks to solo with" I'd have thought. Several musicians up there added "no real value" because they were not showcased?????
I have mixed feeling about this as a musician myself. I can understand him wanting to be there and play and all and I learned from the DVD interview that he originally wanted to pop in and out, but Clapton said play the whole show for some reason. I am not a fan of musicians appearing on stage that you cannot hear--it's rediculous. Certainly he could have done a vocal or guitar intro to lend some credibility to his performance. I feel the same about other musicians that were up there that you could not hear. Cooper on the tambourine waving his hands like he'd just caught a wild bird was a prime example of showmanship with no real essence. Sorry, not a buyer of this.
moptops:
How many drummers did they have including Ringo...3 or 4?? This got to be a bit absurd. I'm not sure why Ringo always needs at least a second drummer next to him--he can still play from what I can tell--he's a "big star" man...put him up front! Ringo's speech was nice, would have liked to hear more and maybe seen his drum kit moved away from the other drummers and nearer the front. Henry Spinetti , Jim Capaldi and Jim Keltner deserved to be on that stage as much as Ringo. Moreover they all deserved to be beside Ringo. And Ringo was not "moved away...nearer the front" because it would not have been in keeping with the intent of the concert: no egos, everybody is a musician and a friend and...an equal. I'm sure Ringo would have demanded he not be treated any differently. By the way suggesting Ray Cooper's (and Dhani's) contributions as comparable to cardboard cutouts is pretty harsh.
How many drummer does it take to change a lightbulb?
At one point there must have been four drummers playing at the same time...I know for a fact there were at least three. I even think two looks a bit rediculous (I don't know why Ringo seems to like this format, because he can still play drums!). My opinion is put one drummer up at a time...less is more.moptops:
The two backing vocal women dressed like they were in a Vegas show is something Clapton always has with him to thicken is vocals--it's a bit pathetic to see and watch with their 70s hip swaying like wind in the banana trees...OK thanks gals, here's your 20 quid. Cheers! Seriously, do we really need this and then to have the camera continually cut to them?? Yes Katie and Tessa are Eric's backing vocalists, and sang back up for most the entire night. Your comments dismiss them as unrequired lightweights. Hey they're pretty...so what? So is Anouska Shankar...as you gladly pointed out. Katie and Tessa have worked with everyone...and I mean everyone because they are great singers. That was their job, to augment the other vocalists. Sure they were swaying to the rhythm of the music...or should they have stood still...like 20 quid cardboard cutouts???
Figures they were pulled from Clapton's band! I have seen him live several times in New York and it's always a let down. He's very lazy handing off his signature leads to 25 year old guitarists! I came there to see Clapton play the solo to Crossroads, not Johnny No-name! The band doesn't want to or can't sing backing vocals and so they have an array of those women up there all dressed up in sparkly gowns and swaying like they were part of some 70s pop review. I didn't say they were pretty...I don't think they were pretty. Again, it was for show as there were certainly enough people there to fill out the background vocals.
moptops:
Paul was too marginalized in the performance. His vocals are head and shoulders over Clapton's and Lynn's, he would have been a welcome addition to perform on a couple more Beatles tunes. Poor guy, you could tell he wanted to play more. Well he was a class act as usual and I think he was really the highlight of the show--it just changed everything when we walked onto the stage. You wanted more Paul. That's fine. Yes he was a class act, yes you might say he was the highlight of the show. This was very definitely NOT the place to showcase and spotlight Paul. "Poor guy - you could tell he wanted to play more." Oh boo hoo Paul. If you don't see that, then again, I suggest you might be missing the point of the concert. I think the number of songs he performed and others he contributed to was just about right. Any more and it becomes all about him...entirely inappropriate - unless of course one wants it to become all about him.
You and your buddy obviously don't like Paul--this is a forum attached to Paul's official site, of course there are going to those of us that would have loved to see more Paul. I think Paul McCartney is wonderful and for me he was head and shoulders the best part of the concert. Putting that Monty Python skit right after the Indian musicians was very disrespectful to them as their music is so serious. I know George liked them, but it was in poor taste the way the acts were sequenced. From very somber to the absurd in the blink of an eye.
moptops:
The Indian musicians closed and the Pythons opened after a clear interval in the concert. And rather than poor taste sequencing, I found it perfect! Clearly it was intended to mark a more upbeat 2nd half of music after the more formal Indian music section. AND it was ok'd by Olivia and Dhani. Most of all, George would have loved it, and the Python's "up yours" to convention and all things proper.
It may have been OKed by Olivia and Dhani to be back to back with the Indian segment, but that doesn't mean they (O and D) have any taste...I don't know much about them so I don't know what was going through their minds. I personally thought it showed a lack of judgement, but that's just my opinion. Hey I know, maybe they could have superimposed a big red clown nose and rainbow curly hair on George's pic during the Python skits, that would have been funny too!
:moptops:
The "yukes" kind of look like a joke...I wish they hadn't done that. I don't know why GH became so fond of them as you never saw them "pulled out" during the Beatles' era. A yuke to me has aways been a bit of a comedic instrument. The "ukes" represent George's love of the oddball and his sense of fun. In fact the ukulele has become associated with George as much as the sitar. For my money the concert would not have been complete without the ukulele making an appearance. Joe Brown's piece was exceptionally moving.
Ukes
I can do without them!moptops:
Choice of songs was pretty good--they don't really have that many to choose from. Clapton did a very nice version of Beware of Darkness. I think doing that mediocre song "Wah Wah" written about Paul was kind of disrespectful to Paul--Clapton (the musical director), Olivia (the executive producer), and Dhani probably didn't have a clue though. There were some obvious choices that were missed like "What Is Life" and "Apple Scruffs" which would have had a double meaning and been fun. Certainly "Crackerbox Palace" should have been done, WTF?? George Harrison songs: "They don't really have that many to choose from." WHAT??? Wah Wah is a "mediocre song" in your eyes...because it was directed at Paul, right???
They did the usual suspects. He doesn't have a huge catalog of material to draw from that would have worked in that setting. Even before I read that it was about Paul, I never thought "Wah Wah" was a wonderful song. The overproduced Spector version gives me a "Wah Wah" (that was George studio slang for a headache) when I listen to it! It was a bit like them doing "How Do You Sleep" if Paul had been at a John tribute concert or John having to take part in a version of "Too Many People."
moptops:
The pictures of George were quite nicely displayed and I think overall it was a very nice show--just not epic. I enjoyed the interviews on the second disc esp. with Clapton saying "sometimes you'd think you were doing George a big favor only to find out he didn't like it...he might have said 'I didn't really want a show like that', etc." I'm sure it was tough to put a show like that together so kudos to Eric for pulling it off. I'm just being an armchair quarterback and providing my honest feedback on the show, so please take it for what it's worth before flaming me I beg to differ. I say the concert was epic in every sense of the word. It was incredibly well shot, well directed, well sequenced and well executed. All artists were told to check their egos at the door. For that night everyone on that stage was an equal. The final result left me feeling I'd seen perhaps the finest example of a filmed concert - ever.
OK I give in, it was the epitome of epic concerts, in fact so epic that no more tribute concerts need to be ever done again as this concert stands alone in it's epic epicness. Every musician stellar, every note was perfect, every harmony spot on, every guitar and uke in perfect tune as if by some diving intervention--so much so that when the last uke was put away and the colored paper was dropped on the audience, the angels came down and smiled!
I said many complementary things in my review, but you and your buddy seem to focus on the critiques. I thought it was a well balanced review and in the end I said it was a great concert--I'm sure it was even better in person and would have loved to have been there.I believe the thread topic was titled, "Your Thoughts?" My thoughts differ from yours. Hey Erik, just as an aside, how many Paul concerts have you seen in the last 5 years, and when was the last one you attended? I ask this because you live in the United States...
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Robert, Yes it was, and I appreciate your feedback. I like a good debate on things like this
If you have more comments on my comments I welcome it. I think as long as we keep our comments civil it's all good. Macca shows? Well like a good American I usually buy the tour book of tickets and criss-cross the country with the band -
Erik in NJ:
I think as long as we keep our comments civil it's all good.
Erik in NJ:
I try to counter the assertions in a civil tone and I'm negative and snappy?.
Don't try and make out you've been civil - you called my honest post "toxic and inflammatory" and after that anything i said to try and explain you just answered sneerily and full of multiple sarcastic exclamation marks. Oh and btw you asked me to name a thread where you'd been full of it, which is the only reason i mentioned that new cover thread and also the one where you refuse the official explantion of how the king lear excerpts made it onto walrus. (And i wont look in this beatles sub forum again don't worry, like i said it's all yours, in fact maybe have it renamed?!)
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Erik in NJ:
Robert, Yes it was, and I appreciate your feedback. I like a good debate on things like this
If you have more comments on my comments I welcome it. I think as long as we keep our comments civil it's all good. Macca shows? Well like a good American I usually buy the tour book of tickets and criss-cross the country with the band Robert, In all seriousness I have not really attended any of the big rocks shows in the last 10 years or so. If you count Al Stewart as rock, I just saw and met him and Peter White, his original guitarist, back in the fall--great show. I loved attending rock shows in my 20s and 30s and living in the New York area we have Yankee Stadium, Shea Stadium, Madison Square Garden, Giants Stadium, Brendan Byrne arena and more so pretty much everyone plays in the area. In '87 - '88 I started to get pretty heavily into jazz and have to admit that I prefer the intimate NY area jazz clubs like Birdland etc. to the big rock shows. Al Stewart played an intimate show at a winery in PA which was fantastic. I wish Paul could do that, but he's just too popular I guess--I know he likes the idea of intimate clubs. Al was huge in the 70s but has kind of fallen off the radar--still great as ever though! I like the jazz shows because typically no matter how big the artist, they usually make themselves available after or before the show for a meet-and-greet, many even personally answer emails. Having said that I am planning on attending the upcoming Macca tour, but I'm not one to try and catch every tour. I love the magic of the studio and definitely tend to gravitate more towards studio recording. My friend jazz guitarist Stanley Jordan though is someone that I've seen play live scores of times and I never tire of it. Check out his rendition of Elenor Rigby:
I wonder if Paul or anyone at MPL is aware of his unique signature cover of this song.
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Erik in NJ:
Hi PaulFan, Thx for your reply! I will look for him--I love sitar! I picked up Ravi's Tana/Mana a while back.
You're welcome Erik. Gaurav is a very nice guy. I've seen him play sitar before too. I asked him to do a concert with Ravi Shankar but he wasn't sure how to make that possible. Ravi is gone now so maybe I can catch Anouska sometime. Another great instrument the tabla. I will see Zakir Hussein this weekend if you know who that is. Anyway I love the Concert For George. Sitar is a great instrument which makes you feel like you'll float.
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Do you play?? I liked when Eric played those Indian scales on guitar. It was interesting because the "blues player" finally come out at one point. It's also tough on guitar b/c it doesn't have the 1/4 steps, but he did a commendable job! I'd love to see Anoushka live too. Where are you located by the way and what's your name? Anoushka sounded American in the supplementary video so there's a chance she might be playing in the Greater New York area.
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Erik in NJ:
Do you play?? I liked when Eric played those Indian scales on guitar. It was interesting because the "blues player" finally come out at one point. It's also tough on guitar b/c it doesn't have the 1/4 steps, but he did a commendable job! I'd love to see Anoushka live too. Where are you located by the way and what's your name? Anoushka sounded American in the supplementary video so there's a chance she might be playing in the Greater New York area.
No I don't play sitar but my background is Indian. I live in South Carolina and my name is Giri.
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Hi Giri! Sorry for my delayed reply....long and busy weekend
I looked at Anoushka's touring schedule and I think she plays closer to you than to me in the near future! I'd love to see her live and perhaps chat a bit. If your friend is in touch with her I'd strongly recommend Birdland in NYC and maybe Trumpets in NJ as suitable venues. My friend Stanley Jordan usually plays at Iridium (and Trumpets from time to time), but I think Birdland is much nicer than Iridium. There's also Dizzy's club but I haven't been there yet. Drop me a PM if you'd like to chat more about this. Best, Erik -
love is a religion...in and of it's own...an archetypal religion...an original religion "We were talking" ~ George
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I was given this two set DVD a few years back. It's a great show but I really loved George. He was my favorite Beatle (don't tell Paul) since the late 80s. I kept crying so hard I had to stop playing the show at first. this happened a few times. I've learned later I'm not alone in doing that. (Though I didn't cry during Living in the Material World at all) I prefer the full concert over the theatrical version. Paul playing on Wah Wah was ironic given George wrote the song about the fights he had with Paul during LIB. and what's not to love about Monty Python coming out after the sacred and holy Indian band performing an Indian ritual singing, "Sit on My Face and Tell Me That You Love Me" and then turning out they had no pants displaying their bums. That sums up George and his paradoxes nicely.
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Two parts that moved me the most: Ringo saying how the meaning of Photograph has now changed. Joe Brown. I'll See You In My Dreams.
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^ I agree about Joe brown. What a lovely song.
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Kathryn O:
and what's not to love about Monty Python coming out after the sacred and holy Indian band performing an Indian ritual singing, "Sit on My Face and Tell Me That You Love Me" and then turning out they had no pants displaying their bums.
I don't think George would have liked the way it was sequenced it and I personally consider it a gaffe. As you mentioned, the Indian music is sacred and holy and very serious. I'm not a terribly religious person, but I respect the sanctity of this music. Following that up with a comedy sketch like that showed a lapse of judgement on whoever sequenced the show as far as I'm concerned. It would be interesting to hear from PaulFan (Giri) who actually knows someone that was in the Indian band. I think after the Indian music, it would have been nice if there had been several individuals getting up and speaking a bit about George's life, like his son and wife, maybe Ringo, Paul, Clapton, and Ravi Shankar. They could have sequed into the next segment (including the comedy) verbally at this point.
