Never Say Die: The Complete Final Concert [LIVE]

Waylon Jennings

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 24, 2007)
• Original Release Date: July 24, 2007
• Number of Discs: 3
• Format: Live
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B000S6LSXE
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #10,018 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #19 in

  Music > Country > Live Albums

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Journeyman country outlaw Waylon Jennings might have been nearing the end of his road on this performance, but he had a full tank of gas when he hit the Ryman stage for two nights in January 2000. Although too ill to stand, Jennings is in fine--even exceptional--voice, as he and his Waymore Blues Band, augmented with horns for the first time, cruise through a tight and tough two-hour gig. This 2007 expanded edition of Jennings's final album not only adds eight tracks and a second audio disc, but also throws in a professionally shot DVD remixed in crystal-clear 5.1 surround sound. Guests Travis Tritt, Montgomery Gentry, and John Anderson add cameos, along with Waylon's wife Jessi Colter, who appears on four tracks. But this is Jennings's show, and although the country legend's health was on a downslide from which he would never recover, he sounds inspired and vital throughout this set of hits (and some obscurities). Extra tracks such as Tony Joe White's "Trouble Man" and the Band's "The Weight" are terrific additions, and the disc has now been reconfigured to follow the original sequence. Fans might lament the omission of signature Waylon fare such as "Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line" and "Lonesome, On'ry and Mean" and the inclusion of fluffier pop like "Never Been to Spain," but this remains a moving and exciting live recording. The DVD is an indispensable bonus. It shows Jennings's obvious delight playing with this exceptional 11-piece outfit and their enthusiasm working with a country legend. The package is a fitting final document to one of roots music's most edgy trailblazers and essential listening/viewing for any country fan. --Hal Horowitz

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you, Legacy!, July 24, 2007

By	Min L Shaw (KY) - See all my reviews

First off, the technical side of things. I have a widescreen 30" Philips HDTV with a Trutech surround sound DVD player and was very impressed with the audio and visual qualities of the DVD. I started listening to the first CD in the car as soon as I bought this release today and it sounded great, too.

As for the content, it is truly amazing how a nearly two hour concert video can be so thoroughly engaging when the main artist never even so much as stands up on stage. For those not in the know, by the time of this concert, Waylon's health confined him to a specially designed chair on-stage. Unlike Johnny Cash, though, Waylon's vocals never diminished and so he still sounds as vibrant as he does in the "Waylon Live" recordings from a quarter century earlier. Sure, there are nitpicks with the set list; being the final concert recording from a music icon, everyone has at least one song they wish he'd included. But then, the funny thing is, the "Waylon Live" recordings occurred before he'd even had most of the hits that came to define him for most listeners.

Finally, for those who bought the original 14-track singular CD release and are wondering if this is worth the upgrade...hell, yes, it is! First off, the packaging is far superior, full of clear photos, unlike the original release's few blurry ones. Secondly, the original release sequencing is far off from the full concert and the previously unreleased material is not fluff; it's great stuff that should have been included earlier. The only gripe I have is that on the original release, Waylon has a conversation with Travis Tritt about making movies with Willie that was pretty entertaining, and that's not included on this release. Still, it's a trade-off I think any fan would make. Unless, like me, you plan on keeping your earlier release, too. ;)

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fitting swan song for a hard-country icon, August 5, 2007

By	Joe Sixpack -- Slipcue.com (...in Middle America) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

Few performers, in any genre, have had as much sheer charisma as Waylon Jennings, and that comes through loud an clear on this poignant set, recorded live at the Ryman auditorium in January, 2000, when Waylon's health was starting to fade. He's backed by his hand-picked Waymore Blues Band, who put as much heart and soul into the performance as ol' Waylon himself. Waylon, who had to stay in a chair during the show, knew he was on the way out, but he had a great attitude about it, cracking jokes about being "a cripple" and even singing his on gentle epitaph on "Might Be A Good Time." He threw himself fully into each and every song, and graciously shared the limelight with buddies like John Anderson, Travis Tritt and Montgomery Gentry, as well as with his wife, Jessi Colter, who leads on a few tunes and sings some heart-rending duets with Waylon.

This edition expands the original Y2K release into the full concert length -- two CDs worth, plus a concert DVD that covers the same material. The concert film is a mixed blessing: on one hand, in technical terms, it's pretty poorly produced -- great sound quality but the cinematography and editing are both pretty rough. But as a document of Waylon's waning years, it's simply invaluable. You see what his road band was like, how they mixed showmanship and honest emotion, and of course you see Waylon, vigorous and vital, though also clearly wounded and with a real weight on his shoulders. Musically, it's all very solid -- most of the songs are oldies, but none of them are played by rote, and the sincere feeling these folks put into their performances comes through loud and clear. If you're a Waylon fan, you'll wanna check it out. (DJ Joe Sixpack)

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jennings' grand, final hurrah on video and CD, December 14, 2007

By	hyperbolium (Earth, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

Having kicked cocaine and survived bypass surgery and a mild stroke, Jennings was slowed by emphysema and taken off the road by diabetes. But his love of the stage never left him, and in place of riding the bus for extended tours he scheduled one-off shows here and there. He reconstituted and expanded the Waylors with a horn section, fiddle player and backing vocalist and focused them on live performance. This January 2000 concert at the Ryman Auditorium wasn't Jennings' last (that came the following year in Kansas City), but with cameras and tape recorders rolling it as a something of a final hurrah, a grand celebration played out before a hugely appreciative audience.

Jennings remained seated throughout the show, but with his crack band pumping out hits, obscurities, covers and new songs, he remained quite robust. His voice showed feint signs of age on the edges, but the core of its authority, power and charisma was still completely intact. Though lauded as an elder statesman in Nashville, and passing away just two years later, Jennings was as artistically vital as at any point in his illustrious career. He treated this show with the same ferocity with which he'd rewritten the playbook for live country music. Opening with the fiery declaration "Never Say Die," the set list was filled out with a deft mix of classics, rarities, personally-loved covers and a few new tunes. This was a working artist whose creativity and drive lasted until the very end.

Much like his pioneering bands of the 1970s, Jennings' revitalized combo was a twangy country group with the power and presence of a rock band. The three-piece horn section added sharp accents, guitarist Reggie Young stood in for Jennings on lead with grace, and steel player Robby Turner (who also added mandolin and guitar) provided a flavorful presence throughout. Jennings was a natural showman, with down-to-earth patter between songs that jokingly took aim at his own infirmities ("I can still kick a** - you just gotta bring 'em up here"). He graciously shared the spotlight with guests John Anderson (for a super fine version of "Waymore's Blues" that clearly tickles Jennings), Montgomery-Gentry ("I'm a Ramblin' Man"), Travis Tritt ("I've Always Been Crazy"), and his wife Jessi Colter. A shot of Jennings gazing livingly at Colter as she sings "I'm Not Lisa" speaks volumes about their relationship, as does their duet on "Storms Never Last."

Additional highlights include a medley of Waylon & Willie tunes that found Jennings imitating Nelson's nasal delivery, a pairing of "Amanda" and "A Couple More Years" that hung emotionally on Jennings' mortality, the rare Shel Silverstein collaboration "It's the World's Gone Crazy (Cotillion)," the soulful "Shakin' the Blues," a cover of Hoyt Axton's "Never Been to Spain," and the never-give-up "Goin' Down Rockin'." Two staples of Jennings' live shows, The Band's "The Weight" and The Outlaws "Can't You See" brought the set to a stirring finish.

Columbia previously released 14 tracks from this show on 200's "Never Say Die" via the subsidiary Lucky Dog label. This 1-DVD, 2-CD set reproduces the show in sequence from the opening curtain to the final thank you. The DVD includes both stereo and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround, and in addition to the concert footage, there's a snappily produced 32-minute making-of featurette that includes interviews (Willie Nelson, Bobby Bare, Chet Atkins, Travis Tritt, Billy Joe Shaver, Jessi Colter, Jack Clement, Kris Kristofferson), photos, rehearsal footage. Rich Kienzle's liner notes are complemented by superb photos, rounding out a package that provides superb memories of one of country music's giants. [©2007 hyperbolium dot com]