What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Product details
|
Reviews
Amazon.co.uk Review
The Concert for New York City took place at New York's Madison Square Gardens six weeks after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. As presented here, with about five hours of musical performances and celebrity cameos, it was a frequently awkward affair: the traditional fatuous jollity of American show business ceremonies is not, perhaps, the ideal medium for articulating the feelings engendered by the kind of tragedy America had just suffered.
It is often evident--and actually quite endearingly so--that the film and television stars who appear here feel somewhat foolish accepting applause while standing alongside the members of New York's Police and Fire departments who take the stage to offer brief tributes to fallen comrades (it would be nice, but naïve, to believe that September 11 caused our celebrity-obsessed culture to redraft its parameters of heroism).
The performances captured here are mostly pretty good, though David Bowie's opening, with an eerie and affecting take on Paul Simon's "America", followed by a rumbustious "Heroes", sets a standard not subsequently matched. The short films by New York directors are also worth seeing, especially Kevin Smith's daringly funny New Jersey perspective (the concert's only other overt attempts at humour misfire woefully--especially the toe-curling George W Bush impersonator).
However, the concert is principally of interest as a document of a moment in history, rather than as a musical artefact. All of what America felt, for better and for worse, in the immediate wake of September 11, is on view here: sorrow, defiance, pride and, as Richard Gere famously discovered when he suggested that perhaps there were more constructive responses than carpet-bombing Third World basket-cases, anger.
On the DVD: The Concert for New York Cityhas a viewing option which screens out everything except the musical performances. Sound is available in Dolby 5.1 Surround and PCM Stereo. --Andrew Mueller
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This is an execellent DVD, I bought the CD a couple of years ago, and was in NYC when the original telecast was aired. I think some of the bands give great performances, Bon Jovi (who I was never a fan of) performed a great rock set, Goo Goo Dolls with and execellent cover, Bowie was perfect, and The Who were superb and stole the show. Good comedy slots with Operaman (Adam Sandler) being the pick of the bunch. There are also celeb's accompanying Heros from 9/11, Meg Ryan with the Stackpole family is particularly moving. Overall a great benefit concert and funds from the DVD go to the Robin Hood charity. Buy it and enjoy, I am not sure if it was broadcast in the UK, but is worth getting your hands on, new or second-hand.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Great performaces by music and film artists. The Who steal the show. Shame its not available in region 2 format.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I had the same problem as other reviewers. Bought it from Amazon, it didn't play on my dvd player. Sent it back for a replacement - that wouldn't play either. After doing that three times gave up. Amazon didn't even have the courtesy to reply to my queries. If it can only be played on a laptop in the UK the blurb should say so.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Outstanding performances
The performances in this concert are some of the best I've heard, The Who in particular are at their very best (without Keith Moon). Read more
Published 12 months ago by Bad Robot
Wrong zone for the UK not specified in the blurb
Not fit for purpose as it wouldn't play on my dvd or x box, therefore cannot rate it.
Published on 19 Jan 2010 by Mrs. Sj Heffernan
concert for New York
The contents of the concert were very good, however the American format of the DVD did not work on my home DVD player or PC. I had to watch it on my laptop. Read more
Published on 14 Oct 2009 by Z. Katnik
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
