Concert for George Review

Massive collections of musicians paying tribute to their recently deceased or anniversary-celebrating in-tune pal are far more frequent than first expected. Bob Dylan was given a run out of his own for the sheer willpower his career has to continue on with creating new music. George Harrison received one because, tragically, he passed. Leaving behind an eclectic mix of recordings fit to be covered by some of the best in the industry, Concert for George represents the best of Harrison’s work, performed with a range of talent that are either up to the task of covering great works or just present for the sake of it. As mixed a bag as any concert feature, the highs outweigh the lows.

Concert for George boasts a hefty bag of talent, from a calming introduction from Eric Clapton of all people, to fellow Beatles alumni Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. That set of collaborators is already impressive enough, but then Jeff Lynne and Dhani Harrison are factored in, and the many session musicians that surround them. Concert for George is as impressive a piece as expected, and does not spread itself thin over too many musical appearances. The balance is right, the execution is stellar and the intimacy of the event is set out through the values that guided Harrison’s music. Big names of musical history come together to give Harrison a truly movingsend-offf, his life’s work documented on stage, as Lynne puts it so nicely.

It is a testament to the quality discography Harrison had on his hands. An impromptu collection of tracks dating from the days of The Beatles all the way through to snippets of The Traveling Wilburys. Cutting into the likes of Petty and Lynne reminiscing about their late friend is as touching as it gets, but it comes at the price of the musical accompaniments. A clip show with bits and pieces of a track cut away from, and when full footage of that is available and not used, there is a somewhat unforgivable merit to that. Harrison’s friends coming together and performing his music is a rare treat and a genuine, star-filled moment, but it cuts to the rehearsals and behind-the-scenes moments more often than not, to remind people it is, at its heart, a documentary.

To the credit of Concert for George though, there are plenty of moments for music fans to feast their eyes on and to see this collection of musicians, even in an often frequently cut and edited state, is phenomenal. Renditions of Something and While My Guitar Gently Weeps are, obviously, the highlights. Jools Holland can be spotted on the piano, jamming away like nobody else can. A group performance of All Things Must Pass, led by McCartney, is as touching as it gets. Concert for George is not the album experience, but there is real beauty in the faces that show up to honour a late and great musician. Plenty of presence is given to the likes of Dhani and Lynne, the instrumental pieces of this intricate performance honouring the life of George Harrison.