Tag Archives: Concert

Monty Python: The Meaning of Live (2014) [Fantasia Film Festival]

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FANTASIA FILM FESTIVAL

You really have to appreciate the blunt honesty of the Python crew at their age and why they decided to team together after three decades to tour once again. They needed the money. After a brutal court battle over the creative rights of “The Holy Grail,” they were all left generally low on cash, so they decided to launch a stage show tour of their best bits to garner some quick cash and help seal their debts. There’s no fluff on a documentary that loves the Python crew. They love their fans, they love their work, but they need the money, and I respect the hell out of that.

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The T.A.M.I. Show: Collector’s Edition (DVD)

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Getting 1964’s “The T.A.M.I. Show” finally on a Collector’s Edition DVD fully restored for the rock fans is a special occasion. If only because “The T.A.M.I. Show” has long been a concert film that has been seen mainly through bootlegs and was sabotaged for a long time. Even film buff Quentin Tarantino never had a complete bootleg, and finally the entirety of “The T.A.M.I. Show” is on DVD from Shout! with nary a single dull moment to be had. What’s so fun about “The T.A.M.I. Show” is that it’s just an unabashed celebration of diversity in rock and roll, and how various artists have shaped it in to something incredible.

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Motown 25: Yesterday Today Forever (DVD)

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The first time I ever saw “Motown 25” was in 1987 as a four year old, and I sat with my dad to watch a VHS recording of the 1983 broadcast. The memory of the time and place are fuzzy, but all I remember is watching through the tape entertained, and then being genuinely in awe of Michael Jackson’s performance of “Billie Jean” as he declared that he was his own entertainer now. He did so with a brilliant performance and the introduction of the moon walk.

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The Midnight Special Collection (DVD)

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Though I was born in 1983, I was given the advantage of an uncle who’d recorded hours of musical performances from the original “The Midnight Special” series, and kept them archived well. Through those recordings I was introduced to myriad of pop and rock acts from the 1970’s as well as the charismatic hosting and MCing from the one and only Wolfman Jack. “The Midnight Special” was very much like “American Bandstand” in that it celebrated music, and was more prone to offering harder edged musical acts and performances for a wider audience. It’s still a very valuable artifact of rock and pop, and thankfully has been given a new transfer for collectors.

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Elvis: That’s the Way It Is (1970) [Digibook Blu-Ray/DVD]

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For Elvis fans still celebrating the “Viva Las Vegas” release, Warner re-releases the 2007 DVD except in Blu-Ray Digibook form and in its 2001 edition, which is considerably shorter in length. That’s because the film’s director chopped some fan segments. You can still watch the original version on the DVD supplied in the Digibook edition, while the supplements are rather extensive for hardcore fans. This includes the very detailed aforementioned book within the Blu-Ray case that should act as a fine memento for Elvis buffs.

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Go Go Mania (1965)

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It all started with the Beatles. From there it was a slew of really interesting British Invasion groups, and singers, many of whom ranged from absolutely abysmal, to quite unique. It’s a shame many of these bands never quite garnered the legacy that the Beatles did, but “Go Go Mania!” has value, if anything, in showing how many bands climbed out of the woodwork to claim their own fame once the Beatles stormed America.

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Led Zeppelin: Celebration Day (2012)

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Zeppelin is thankfully not a band that has spent many years announcing their retirement only to return a few years later for a revival tour. When they perform it’s a special occasion, because they rarely ever get together to jam. When they’re together, they make magic, and you know it may never happen again. Since the death of John Bonham, the surviving members of Zeppelin have spent years hesitant to try to re-capture the magic that was Led Zeppelin, so they don’t make it a habit of re-uniting and continuing on. In 2007, the band came together to perform at the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert for a rare line up of some of their greatest and most rocking tunes ever recorded, and took it upon themselves to make it available to fans.

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