One of the most recognized and celebrated musicians as a member of The Beatles, the Concert for George, was a memorial concert held at London’s Royal Albert Hall on November 29, 2002. Organized and directed by long-time friend, and rival, Eric Clapton, the concert was a memorial and tribute to George Harrison, on the first anniversary of his death. The event was put together by Harrison’s widow, Olivia, as well as their son, Dhani. The profits from the once-in-a-lifetime concert went to the Material World Charitable Foundation, founded by Harrison.
George Harrison at the White House in 1974.
Background
Often referred to as “The Quiet Beatle,” Harrison achieved international fame and wealth when he was barely twenty years old. Introduced to Indian classical music and its culture in 1965 by David Crosby and Ravi Shankar, Harrison incorporated the sitar, which he studied passionately, into such classics as Norwegian Wood and Tomorrow Never Knows. Harrison is also credited with writing and performing several Beatles masterpieces, including Something, Here Comes the Sun, and While My Guitar Gently Weeps.
Harrison also branched out beyond the music world starting a film production company, HandMade Films. This was primarily to raise funds for the second feature film by the Monty Python comedy troupe, Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979). A friend and fan of The Python gang, Harrison raised over four million pounds in order to keep the Life of Brian production alive. This was after EMI Films pulled out of the project. Eric Idle of Python fame had later referred to Harrison’s gesture as:
“…the most anybody’s ever paid for a cinema ticket in history…”
In 1988, Harrison co-founded The Traveling Wilburys. The British-American supergroup consisted of music legends Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, and Harrison. Their debut album won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group. The Wilbury’s also helped relaunch the careers of both Dylan and Petty. Sadly, Orbison died of a heart attack in December 1988. Between this and Harrison’s lack of enthusiasm to continue, The Travelling Wilburys disbanded after just two studio albums.
The Traveling Wilburys (L-R) Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, and George Harrison.
The Concert For George
In May 2001, Harrison had a cancerous growth removed from one of his lungs. Then, in July of the same year, he was treated for a brain tumor in Switzerland. In November, Harrison began radiation therapy in New York City for cancer that had spread to his brain. On November 29, 2001, George Harrison died in Los Angeles at the too-young age of fifty-eight. Surrounded by family and friends, he passed at the home of fellow Beatles mate and lifelong friend Paul McCartney. The world had once again lost another musical legend.
It’s only fitting that an all-star gathering for George Harrison at London’s Royal Albert Hall be replete with that which best described and defined him. Fantastic music. Wry and silly comedy. Indian prayer and reflection. All of this and more was in full force for the Concert For George on November 29, 2002, one year after Harrison’s passing. Competently directed by David Leland, the documentary film covers the events of this extraordinary tribute/benefit concert. Olivia Harrison would later state in a press release for the twentieth anniversary of the film:
“A long time ago, imagining his ideal gig, George had said, ‘I could do something like that someday…I mean if I had a ‘special’ I would like to have a few people who mean something to me.’ And he was right, he was so prescient and so right. It went from the sublime Ravi & Anoushka Shankar Orchestra to the ludicrous Monty Python. The most deep moving songs written by George, whose meanings were potentised by his absence, played with heart and soul by a core group of friends. It is a joy to be able to relive that incredible evening again, on a big screen, 20 years on”
Concertfor George pulls together footage from this historical performance, without showing the viewer the entire concert. It does, however, show the genesis for putting assembling this incredible event, and goes behind the scenes for practice sessions and interviews with numerous performers that were involved in the show. Besides the obvious, Concert for George is also important as it was the first time Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr had appeared onstage together since the break up of The Beatles, as announced by McCartney in April 1970.
The Performance
As would be expected of a concert of this magnitude and importance, the artists assembled to pay tribute and jam is truly astonishing. The house band or ‘George’s Band’ consisted of the surviving members of The Beatles, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Billy Preston, Jools Holland, Klaus Voorman, Jeff Lynne, and many other extraordinary musicians who had developed a relationship with Harrison over the years. Harrison’s son Dhani, the spitting image of his father, is also prominently featured throughout the performance.
Most of the songs that appear in Concert for George are Harrison’s own compositions. This includes both Beatles and post-Beatles eras. In between songs, Eric Clapton shares why he’s participating in the concert, how he knew Harrison since they were teenagers, and being able to grieve the loss of his friend via music. There’s also a nice backstage clip showing Tom Petty reflecting on Harrison forming The Traveling Wilburys and what it meant to Petty’s life and career.
As per Harrison’s wish, there’s a comedic break when the surviving members of the Monty Python troupe (without John Cleese) appear on stage. Terry Jones, Eric Idle, and Terry Gilliam, (along with Neil Innes), perform their legendary number “Sit on My Face.” Michael Palin then comes out, decked out in a gold tuxedo to announce that he only ever wanted to be a lumberjack. The Python team, Innes, Carol Cleveland, and even actor Tom Hanks perform the iconic “The Lumberjack Song.”
Throughout Concert for George, the viewer sees the incorporation of Indian and Eastern music as well as Hindu spirituality. Anoushka Shankar (daughter of Harrison’s mentor, Ravi Shankar) and Jeff Lynne performing “The Inner Light” is one of the highlights of the entire concert. A Ravi Shankar composition “Arpan” was uniquely written for the concert. The show closes poignantly with English musician Joe Brown performing a moving rendition of I’ll See You in My Dreams on the ukulele, with all musicians joining in on stage. A fitting end to this incredible show.
Conclusion
Abramorama, in association with Craft Recordings, is commemorating the 20th anniversary of this historical and Grammy-award-winning concert. On November 29, 2022, there will be a very special one-night-only screening of Concert for George in selected theaters across the world. Click here for tickets and listings. Fans across the globe will now have the opportunity to watch this incredible two-decade-old concert in immersive Dolby Atmos® Audio. Concert for George has been newly remastered by Grammy-winning engineer Paul Hicks and also features a brand-new introduction by Olivia and Dhani Harrison.
“20 years ago, I stood on stage beside my father’s dearest friends and celebrated his life and music. It was one of the most beautiful things we could’ve done on that day to mark his passing. There was a lot of love involved in that show, which has been preserved in this Concert for George film. I hope you dig it”
-Dhani Harrison
In addition, Paul Hicks meticulously remastered the film’s accompanying Concert for George album, which is also available in Dolby Atmos®, starting today, on digital platforms. (Click here) to listen. This award-winning twenty-seven-track album can be ordered in a variety of different formats. This includes a 180-gram 4-LP box set, 2-CD/2-DVD, 2-CD/2-Blu-Raypacks, and a 2-CD package. For fans of The Beatles and George Harrison, as well as music lovers in general, this is an absolute must-have. (Click here) to order.
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