I have to admit that “The Big TNT Show” isn’t nearly as good as “The TAMI Show.” Despite being a big sixties fanatic and lover of the styles and attitudes, “The Big TNT Show” suffers from being a pretty humdrum concert with an unusual line up. If anything the best way to watch and appreciate “The Big TNT Show” is as a sixties oddity that took a lot of what was coming in the decade, and what was popular and kind of mixed them together in one weird show with an enthusiastic audience. If anything there is a ton of good music and some raucous performances.
It’s also borders on unusual to see actor David McCallum, who sometimes looks kind of bored, but also conducts an orchestra to play versions of “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction” and “1-2-3” which open and closes the concert. That inexplicable presence aside, the roster for the concert includes some pretty awesome and unique performances. Ike & Tina Turner is easily my favorite of the group, singing a medley of five of their best songs. There’s also the Ronettes who sing a great version of “Be My Baby,” and end on a so-so version of “Shout.”
The concert takes a down beat turn in the middle, which is where the movie kind of sags. While I love Donovan and the Byrds, the concert’s energy dwindles with the Byrds singing three of their folk hits including “Turn! Turn! Turn!,” along with Donovan who sings four very stern folk songs about the Vietnam war. That said, the concert is pretty much raised back to peak energy again with the raucous performance by Ike and Tina Turner. I enjoyed “The Big TNT Show” for its pure sixties energy and wonderful performances, and I recommend this for music geeks and or sixties fans like moi.