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It seems School Of Rock isn’t the only film rocking
the socks off movie-goers this month. In fact, I may have
found one that rocks even more.
News hit in November of 2001 that George Harrison,
one quarter of the greatest rock band of all time, passed
away after a long bout with cancer. It shouldn’t have come
as a surprise to anyone. His illness had been publicized weeks
before and the reports made us all too aware that his final
days were at hand. The world had plenty of time to prepare
for this loss. There was no shock surrounding the death of
this Beatle the way there was when John Lennon was
killed in 1980. It was something we could all ease into like
a warm (or rather cold) bath and yet, I remember feeling genuinely
sad when I read the headline that Harrison was gone. I guess
there was something intriguing about his quiet demeanor. He
seemed to possess a shyness and restraint that people hungered
desperately to break through. Luckily, Eric Clapton’s
concert for him on the one-year anniversary of his death seems
to have found a way to penetrate that shell and expose the
genius to us in a way Harrison himself never could.
Concert For George takes place against the beautiful
background of the Royal Albert Hall in London. There’s an
almost eerie feeling about it. As the film opens into a dark
stage we see Harrison’s wife lighting some sort of transcendental
centerpiece as soft Indian music is performed in the background,
all under the watch of an incredible portrait of the deceased
hanging behind it all. Just as it’s starting to seem more
like a séance than a celebration, Clapton and company enter
stage left, plug in, and the rocking begins.
The concert itself is very much like a funeral. Close friends
and family members pay their respects, say their piece about
Harrison, and then celebrate his life by playing his music.
As far as concert movies go, there is no real departure from
the norm. There are nice interludes in between songs (and,
somewhat disappointingly, during them) showing the tremendous
cast rehearsing and goofing around while giving short interviews,
usually pertaining to the songs they’ve chosen to do and why
they were special to them.
The best part of the film is watching the high caliber musicians
who have shared a relationship with Harrison in some way or
another through the years. Obviously he and Clapton must have
been close. After all, Clapton wooed Harrison’s wife, Patti,
with the lyrics of Layla while the two were still married
and ultimately married her himself after she and Harrison
divorced. If you can stay friends after all that then you’ve
got something. Several former members of The Traveling
Wilburys (a group Harrison co-founded in the seventies),
including Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne, offer up
incredible performances. Petty lends his unique nasal twang
to Taxman and Handle With Care, while Lynne
sings back-up most of the night, but shines when doing a solo
of The Inner Light, a lesser-known gem that was recorded
with The Beatles. Speaking of the surviving members
of the Fab Four, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney
each offer their own takes on some great songs. McCartney
in particular does a beautifully humble version of Something
on the ukulele. Ravi Shankar, whose music is well known
for influencing Harrison’s fascination with Indian culture
and music, brings a dozen musicians to perform a beautiful
piece that he wrote specifically for the occasion. Mr.
Billy Preston, perhaps best known to Beatles fans for
filling in on the Let It Be sessions and playing the
Hammond organ on songs like Don’t Let Me Down and Get
Back, is a true highlight of the evening. He’s still truckin’
and more impressive than ever. Given the task of singing lead
on several songs, he delivers with that tremendous soul sound
you won’t find on many Beatles numbers. Watching this guy
play the organ is insane. During Isn’t It A Pity he
does about a 30-second, 90-mile-per-hour solo and doesn’t
look down once.
All of these performers highlight a period of time in Harrison’s
life, but the one who perhaps was most meaningful is the one
that we don’t see enough of. Harrison’s teenage son, Dhani,
is onstage throughout the entire film, palling around with
Clapton, strumming along to every song and, most notably,
creeping everyone out. It is downright bizarre how much he
looks like his father. For this reason I was extremely disappointed
not to see him do a number on his own. I don’t care if he
can sing or not, if he had done a Harrison song on his own
it would have brought the house down without a dry eye.
The set list was very good. There are about equal parts of
Beatles and Harrison solo songs. I was very pleased to hear
many numbers from Harrison’s first solo album All Things
Must Pass. Not enough people know this album and it’s
a damn shame. Perhaps my favorite moment is at the very end
after everyone has joined together on stage after the final
number. Joe Brown (an old Beatles friend whom they
used to open for) makes his way to the front with a ukulele
and quietly plays the old jazz tune I’ll See You In My
Dreams as thousands of rose petals descend upon the crowd.
This was by far the most seemingly out of place moment in
the movie, and yet, for me, the most moving.
Clapton himself admits that Harrison’s low-key manner would
have gotten in the way of this celebration if he were still
alive. He would have modestly insisted that it was too much
and might have even been a no-show. It seems sad that only
now that he’s gone we can all take a deep breath and tell
him how great he was, but it was well worth the wait. There
needed to be a celebration that showcased the life of this
quiet genius and that celebration is one grand movie with
a kick-ass soundtrack.
Bottom line: Concert For George is a must for hardcore
Beatles fans and a safe bet for the casual rock fan to appreciate.
—Corey Herrick
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