Category Archives: Concert films

Classic Concert, Concert films, Film, Leonard Cohen, Live

Classic documentary: Leonard Cohen Bird On A Wire (1974)

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Classic Documentary: Leonard Cohen Bird On The Wire  (Documentary, 1974)

On March 18th 1972, Leonard Cohen began a 20-city European tour, beginning in Dublin and ending in Jerusalem on April 21st. Other cities included London at the Royal Albert Hall, Paris, Stockholm, Vienna, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Berlin and Tel Aviv. This film is an impression of what happened during that tour.

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Bird on a Wire is a great documentary of Leonard Cohen in his prime. Tony Palmer was given complete and intimate access to Cohen, filming him on stage, backstage, on the bus and in hotel rooms. The band is incredible. There are songs where Jennifer Warnes and Donna Washburn stand behind Cohen and sing over his shoulder, sharing one microphone. Most of the concert footage is very close on Cohen’s face, giving the movie a strangely intimate feel.

The movie begins a couple of days before the Tel Aviv concert. This is not just a concert film. The live performances are interspersed with insightful interviews in which Cohen talks about a range of topics:  “I don’t have a good voice, everybody knows that” and the difficulties of performing personal songs night after night on stage. Cohen has always been candid but it doesn’t get more personal than this.

The world premiere of this feature film by Tony Palmer was at the Rainbow Theater on July 5, 1974, in London. The original version cost over 120.000 USD to produce, but Cohen was not satisfied. He spent six months in England editing and rearranging the film to show the deeper elements in music, the conditions that produced it, and his interaction with the audiences. It contains songs from albums as well as concerts, including those of Berlin, Vienna, Copenhagen, and Israel in March and April 1972. It is a documentary rather than an art film.
– Ira Nadel: Life in Art and Dorman & Rawlins: Prophet of the Heart

The footage from the last show in Jerusalem is amazing.  Halfway through the show, Cohen walks off stage, quoting Kabbalah and saying that he just wasn’t giving a good concert.

A stoned(he seems so) Cohen jokes about being “bombed in Jerusalem” and after smoking some ( a lot of) cigarettes, he goes back on stage to deliver a legendary encore that included Famous Blue Raincoat.

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Classic Concert, Concert films, John Prine, Live

Classic concert: John Prine Sessions at West 54th (full concert)

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John-Prine

John Prine  Sessions at West 54th (full concert)

This is a great concert and a rare treat as there are very few Prine concerts on the web. The only problem is that it is too short! John Prine is the type of singer that makes you listen to his lyrics. He infuses humour in his, sad but entertaining lyrics. Each time you hear him, you hear something different. Bob Dylan had this mix of humour and seriousness on his first album and Townes Van Zandt and Warren Zevon made a real art out of it. John Prine fits fine in their company.

The crowning moments for me are the duets with singer Iris Dement, who with great pride joins him in some “questionable lyrics” as he puts it. And the wonderful song , Lake Marie, I never get tired of that song. Prine tells the story wonderfully on this concert.

 

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“Sessions at West 54th gave Prine a chance to work his charm on a television audience (and in 2002, a VHS and DVD audience). The appearance coincided with the successful release of In Spite of Ourselves, and a number of that album’s songs appear on this set. Prine begins his performance by reaching back to the very beginning of his career for “Blow Up Your T.V.” and “Six O’Clock News.” He’s accompanied by guitarist Jason Wilber and bassist David Jacques, players who provide a simple and warm setting for these songs. Iris Dement joins Prine in the middle of the session for a number of duets, including fine versions of “In Spite of Ourselves” and “Let’s Invite Them Over Again.” Other classics, including “Sam Stone” and “Hello in There,” fill out the disc. Watching Live from Sessions at West 54th is a lot like getting a good seat to a Prine show in a small venue.”
– Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr. (allmusic)

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Classic Concert, Concert films, Film, Jeff Beck

Classic concert: Jeff Beck Performing This Week… Live at Ronnie Scott’s


jeff beck live rs

In November of 2007, legendary guitarist Jeff Beck took to the stage of London’s Ronnie Scott’s, a notorious jazz club with a rich history. Unfortunately, given the size of the club, only a few were lucky enough to see him and his band – Vinnie Colaiuta (drums), Jason Rebello (keyboards) and Tal Wilkenfeld (bass) – perform. Lucky for us it was recorded, and  released on film. This is a  compilation of these concerts of sorts, and I would love to see all seven shows released.

Beck’s series of concerts at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London’s Soho became the must have ticket of 2007 in London.

With a setlist that features classic tracks from across his career, a stunning backing band and special guest appearances by Joss Stone, Imogen Heap and Eric Clapton, this concert film captures for the first time the unique experience of Jeff Beck live in concert.

Highlights: Stratus (shorter than Cobham’s versions but oh so good!),  Tal Wilkenfeld’s bass solo on Wonder’s Cause we’ve ended as lovers and Jeff Beck who shines all through this film, what an incredible musician!

The band:
– Jeff Beck / guitar
– Vinnie Colaiut / drums
– Jason Rebello / keyboards
– Tal Wilkenfeld / bass guitar

Guest artists:
Joss Stone
Imogen Heap
Eric Clapton

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Classic Concert, Concert films, Rick Danko, The Band

Classic concert: Rick Danko Live At Capitol Theatre Dec 17 1977

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Classic concert: Rick Danko Live At Capitol Theatre Dec 17 1977

About a month after the release of his self titled album, Rick Danko, Danko did a tour to support the album. He did not mean to rest on his laurels after The Band had split up and he clearly enjoys this concert. And the album is good, he had some very fine songs to bring the audience. In the concert we present here today he played 8 of the 10 songs from the album and included a few covers and some favourites from The Band’s catalogue.

Enjoy!

Rick Danko Live At Capitol Theatre Dec 17 1977 :

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Concert films, Leonard Cohen

Video of the day: Leonard Cohen Songs from the road

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Video of the day: Leonard Cohen Songs from the road

Songs from the Road is a live album/and concert clip collection by  Leonard Cohen. Released on September 14, 2010, it is his twentieth album.This is a great release both on audio formats and video, great sound and nice filming.

The audience is non-intrusive but warm. They are appreciating the music, but they are firmly in the background. Leonard Cohen wraps his warm velvet voice around every syllable. His backing vocalists complement him with angelic beauty. The band is tight and precise.

The songs are taped on different arenas but they flow effortlessly and it’s not a distraction at all. There are just small colour differences on the stage from one song to another, very subtle and classy.

Highlight for me: Hallelujah at sunset at Coachella, pure magic!

Enjoy!

Leonard Cohen Songs From The Road:

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