Customer Reviews

The Concert for New York City

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Once again, the Who show just why they are the greatest Rock and Roll band to ever walk the earth. There show was simply amazing. To hear the ovation they got at the end was truly shocking. They get it started with Who Are You and Pete is just amazing in his windmilling. Entwistle keeps it all together on bass and Daltrey gets the crowd going, while Starkey does a fine job on drums. Baba O'reilly and the reaction the crowd gives after hearing the first few cords brings goosebumps to everyone. Daltrey shows hes still go it with a killer harmonica solo in the end. Behind Blue Eyes brings everyone down to tears, only to pick us up again at the end of the song. And in Wont Get Fooled Again, Townshend and Entwistle go crazy, while Daltrey wails away at our ear drums. Starkeys drum solo at the end is just fantastic, and Daltrey gives one more screaming "Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" at the end. They were simply amazing. As Billy Crystal said, they "Just blew me away. Absolutely blew me away."

I am a NYC Police Officer who found comfort and catharsis at this concert. I am grateful to those performers and to the Americans celebrating this music. Seeing the faces of my fellow Americans who gave themselves over to Rock and Roll for a mercurial moment made me proud yet overwhelmingly sad. I know that a lot of my fellow civil servants often have trouble reaching certain levels of emotion and, through good old fashioned Rock and Roll, we were able to let go. Listening again to those first few crashing chords from THE WHO still gives me chills. I know how every one of us was feeling at that moment.

This is not just great classic music -- this music defines us. We grew up on it. Billy Joel, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, James Taylor --this music fueled our youths and made us who we are. After September 11, 01 we found new meaning to these lyrics just as we had discovered more about ourselves. We should be proud to celebrate this music, in a country that lets us play it freely and with the volume all the way up. It reminds us how powerful music can be and how healing. I replay this concert over and over. I recall the images of every wife and girlfriend, wearing their hero's hat and clutching them with all of their might, grateful for that precious moment together. I have new-found love for life, for life's simple pleasures.

Perhaps the concert's newest artist summed it as well as the veteran acts that night. In a song I have loved since I first heard it last summer, though I never fully knew what it meant until that night: "Five For Fighting", SUPERMAN -- "I wish that I could cry. Fall upon my knees. Find a way to lie. About a home I'll never see. It may sound absurd but don't be naive. Even heroes have the right to bleed. I may be disturbed but don't you concede? Even heroes have the right to dream. It's not easy to be me...."

God Bless America.

Overall, 99% of this concert is very good. David Bowie, the Who, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Paul McCartney and Elton John all played fantastic sets here. But I have a problem with some of the other music. Eric Clapton plays "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man," totally unreated to 9/11. Jay-Z also had no business appearing at this show, especially if the only piece he can come up with is "H to the Izzo." My other complaint is that this DVD is incomplete. Two Paul McCartney songs, one Eric Clapton song, one Goo Goo Dolls' first song, and a good cover of "With a Little Help From My Friends" are all missing. The entire 6-hour concert could've easily been released. But what's here, for the most part, is very good. So on the whole, this is a good buy.

Despite the unfortunate historic events connotated with this incredible music event, during which I was just a naive 8th grader, this concert introduced me to some great music that still continues to inspire me today. After flicking through the TV channels until I came up to the first thing I saw on VH1, it was the Who doing Baba O' Riley at this concert. This was pretty much my very first conscious exposure to rock and roll, and what an amazing revelation it was! The Who saved this young impresionable mind from the attractive grip of banal MTV culture. I now have almost every Who CD and follow by my personal creed that the Who is the greatest rock and roll band in the world. I'm greatly thankful that such a phenomenal band was there to lighten the spirits of all those New Yorkers during those tough times with the healing power of Rawk and Roll! Oh yeah, and Bowie performs Heroes, one of the best songs he ever wrote, and it had an extra special impact on the audience that night.

This show was amazing for a number of reasons, particularly due to its ability to get NYC back on its feet after 9/11. As far as the music goes, Pete Townshend and The Who absolutely stole the show. Those guys were incredible. My six year-old son has sworn off the Backstreet Boys and N'Sync for good after seeing The Who do their thing. Nice performances by Clapton, Mick and Keith as well as James Taylor. Paul McCartney was a little hoarse but it was great to see him nevertheless. Adam Sandler was hysterical, while Hillary Clinton got booed off the stage (what were they thinking when they put her in front of that crowd!). A must have DVD.

In two dvds, totaling nearly five hours, you can see the concert for New York City. It's all there, the music, the entertainment, the speeches, the cheers, the booing (remember Richard Gere?). I only sat through about two hours worth, the night it was originally telecast live, so I was glad to be able to buy this dvd so I could see the rest. There are lots of audience reaction shots but the panning does not get in the way of good coverage of what was happening on stage. There is almost no editing as this dvd is a reproduction of the live tv broadcast. Fortunately, the director of the live event had done a great job. The sound quality is very good.

What intereted me the most were the performances of classic rock stars. Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, with a large backup band demonstrated that the Rolling Stones are shadows of their old selves. On the other hand, the Who was incredible and brought down the house. I had favorably reviewed the Who's live at Royal Albert Hall dvd and the four song performance on this dvd was another blockbuster, particularly Baba O'Riley. They still play as a solid rock band rather than as a bunch of has beens propped up by a gaggle of backup musicians. Pete Townshend is incredible on the guitar (he now plays Fender Stratocasters) and John Entwistle is better than ever on the bass. Roger Daltry remains a first rate lead singer.

John Mellencamp performed, including his song "Little Pink Houses" with the satyric lyrics "ain't that America?" The purpose of this performance, however, was to honor America and this song, nonetheless, worked really well. Paul McCartney was also on hand as one of the organizers of the event. His talents are not quite what they once were but his enthusiasm and great personality made his performance A#1 all the way!!

Like I say, I was mostly interested in the classic rock stars but, it's all here. Whatever interests you will make this dvd well worth purchasing. I highly recommend it.

These DVD is packed with great and emotional experiences and performances. At the time this event really helped to start our healing and helped to get us through those terrible times. This DVD is a must have commemorative of that day and that time. And a commemorative of the start of our healing. As far as the performances go they were all great; but I have to say, The Who just stole the show, they were on fire.

...and NYPD, FDNY, the EMT's and the PAPD got one - in spades. It's a shame that it took an event like September 11th to motivate us to show those guys how much we appreciate their hard work.

Stunning, emotional performances from Sir Paul, Sir Elton, Eric, Billy, Melissa (oh, if only Bruce had been there)...

...and then there was The Who. Their performance alone makes the DVD a must-own. Absolutely shattering. Their best performance in a lifetime of memorable shows. As Roger Daltrey pointed out after the death of bassist John Entwistle, "... The Concert for New York City was John's last performance in America with the Who. What a way to go out!"

As a still-heartbroken Entwistle fan of 35-years' standing, I can't add too much more to that statement. Long live rock, indeed.

I preordered my dvd in early january, i was not fortunate enough to see this event live. Why buy this? You could cop out and only say: Mc Cartney, jagger,keif, elton john, james taylor etc. etc.. You could buy this to feel the emotions of the firefighters and police who lost so many. Listen to politicians who represent the emotion that we felt at the time. Not fighting for a partisan but for the people. Toss in a few entertainers who can make us laugh and cry. Still you have not gotten to the point of why to buy. This may be the most powerful dvd you can ever buy. You cannot watch washington cross the delaware or see lincoln give the gettysburg address. We have watched the towers be struck and tumble again and again. This concert is the beginning of the healing. We cry with our great servicemen and women We sing along to the songs that we have grown up with. We cannot, will not forget sept. 11th and if only one penny from each item purchased goes to help someone who lost a loved one. Then it is a penny well spent. GOD BLESS AMERICA and may god bless new york city. Thank you for a great piece of history and an even better night of entertainment

Let's get the bit of negativity out of the way. Editing out the chorus of boos when Hillary came on stage was unfortunate. The concert was for the heroes of New York and I wanted to see and hear exactly what transpired. Editing is one thing; Giving the customer a complete distortion of what actually occurred is something different. In a lesser complaint, I was disappointed that a part of Mike Moran's speech to Osama Bin Laden, which brought the house down, was omitted.

This is not a concert but an event for the ages. Just check out the lineup and you'll know that this is more than simply a concert. There are several performances on the DVD that do not occur on the CD. Billy Crystal is a great emcee for any event. The short films are outstanding, especially Martin Scorsese's. The comedians are great, especially Adam Sandler in classic form as 'Operaman'. The celebrities are sincere, especially Robert deNiro. The politicians are limited, which is a good thing. Except for Giuliani. As expected, the Garden erupts when Rudy comes out. The music? Eric Clapton and Buddy Guy on the same stage? Get out of town, man! Billy Joel and Elton John pairing up for 'Your Song'? Incredible. All of the musical acts were fantastic and while I didn't mind, I was curious why so many Brits were on the bill. This foolish thought was put to rest when The Who blew everyone away with an earth-shattering performance complete with British and American flags as backdrops on the giant electronic screen.

The most gripping element which transcends the entire concert is the focus on the firefighters/police/EMTs. Many of them or their families come on stage to be honored, to tell a story, or to pay tribute to their fallen comrades. The camera passes through the audience on a regular basis, with people holding up pictures of the deceased. Ultimately, the emotions of watching this concert run from laughter to tears and make it worth every penny.