Most Helpful Customer Reviews
33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The true king of rock and roll, October 30, 2003
Toronto,1969......Varsity Stadium....a great day of rock and roll music.Bo Diddly,Jerry Lee Lewis,Little Richard,Chuck Berry and John Lennon backed by Eric Clapton,Klaus Voorman and Alan White(and of course Yoko).I`ve seen all of the performances and it is a stone fact that Chuck stole the show,even playing with a backing band of young cats he hadn`t even met until just before showtime.Of course he laid down most of the hits but for me the best moment was during Johnny B. Goode when during the first solo he did his crouching scoot from one side of the stage to the other.You can see the guy playing guitar behind him bust out laughing at the sight....it`s Chuck Berry,full throttle and digging the groove so much he can`t help but do what he`s doing. At 45 minutes it is really a basic set but you get to see the legend just as he was hitting his peak as a performer.It might have been just another gig for him but for me it will always be the standard that I judge any live performance against...and THAT is a record that probally no one will ever break.Get it and play it loud and see for yourself what real rock and roll is all about!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
One of the founding fathers of Rock & Roll in concert, 1969, November 19, 2002
Chuck Berry shows why he was one of the founding fathers of Rock and Roll in this 1969 performance that offers up some of his best-known songs including: "Long Live Rock & Roll," "Johnny B. Goode," "Maybellene" and "Sweet Little Sixteen." This concert film has the virtue of D.A. Pennebaker ("Don't Look Back") being behind the camera. The tape only goes 45-minutes, which means Chuck Berry goes non-stop from start to finish. This is Berry from a time when he was halfway between being forgotten and becoming nostalgic, so he clearly has something to prove. "Chuck Berry" Hail! Hail! Rock and Roll," filmed in 1987 for Berry's 60th birthday bash, is a lot longer and has more stars (Eric Clapton, John Lennon, etc.), but this film gives you a better sense for the performer who made it big in the Fifties. Other songs performed include: "Promised Land," "Carol," "Hoochie Koochie Man," "Too Much Monkey Business," "Reelin' & Rockin'," and "In the Wee, Wee Hours (I Think of You)." Definitely worth seeing for fans of the original sound of rock 'n' roll.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great performance; weak band, June 24, 2006
This video will be quite an eye-opener for anyone who didn't experience Chuck Berry performing at his peak. He is, as the other reviewers have said, fantastic. His body language is a natural extension of his guitar phrasing, and he is always finding new slants on his vocal phrasing. He is creativity in action, no question about it, and one of the great showmen.
Here is my reservation, which I'm surprised nobody has mentioned: the backing band is really pretty bad. Berry's predilection for playing with pickup bands was always a crapshoot, and on this occasion he didn't get the best results. They are obviously young and inexperienced, but that doesn't automatically disqualify them. Their big problem is that they drag the tempo seriously, as Chuck gamely, and even heroically, tries to keep things rocking. The drummer in particular is like a pair of heavy boots on Berry, when what he needed was dancing shoes, and you can see and hear CB telegraph his mild irritation in a couple of spots if you are alert.
If you are a Berry fan, or a rock-and-roll fan with an interest in the pioneers, that probably shouldn't stop you from buying this video. It is imperfect, but still a valuable document of a unique performer who could still electrify a crowd under less-than-ideal circumstances. Just don't expect that jumping groove that you get from the old Chess recordings. Keep in mind that the circumstances are less than ideal.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
