Concert for George (2003)
I was eleven years old on February 9, 1964, the day the Beatles appeared on American TV for the first time, on the Ed Sullivan Show. I reluctantly joined the rest of my family in front of the television set, not understanding what was about to take place.
I was the only member of my family who got hung up about it. I was stricken with Beatlemania for years to come. So why did it take me so long to watch the Concert For George
The concert took place on November 29, 2002, exactly a year after George left his cancer-stricken body behind.
However until I met the Mystic (my significant other) in 2005, I wasn’t much of a movie watcher. You see how he has changed me?
The first disk with Anoushka Shankar (Ravi Shankar’s daughter) and her amazing Indian music was riveting. Arpan, words and music written by Ravi Shankar for his friend, George, lingered with me for days… I couldn’t forget the melody. Even now I want to buy this DVD
I could have done without the Monty Python skits but they were included because George liked them. Enough said, I think.
On disk two, George’s famous rock musician friends did well in their performances of his songs. I found no fault in them. They included Ringo and Paul from the Beatles, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Jeff Lynne, Gary Brooker, Joe Brown, Billy Preston, and others. Still it is the Indian music by Ravi Shankar and his daughter that stays with me, as well as the heartwarming sight of George’s son Dhani, playing guitar, and George’s wife, Olivia, who sat nearby watching, but not participating. Having them take part in this celebration of George’s life and music makes the concert DVD very, very special.
After seeing this I was curious about George’s family which led me to read about them on Wikipedia, watch YouTube, and look at personal websites. Here are a few links worth looking at:
George Harrison – Official Website
All Things Must Pass
The Guardian Interview of Dhani Harrison
A partial exerpt from Arpan by Ravi Shankar:
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