Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame & Museum Live
9 discs of rock and roll that honors music, the musicians, and a whole lot more
Tags: Misc DVD 2009 Categories: DVD/TV Reviews, Reviews
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Oct 27th, 2009
Paul McCartney’s induction of John Lennon appears on disc one and seven of this set, which gives you an indication of just how jumbled Time Life’s box set of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame & Museum Live is. On the second disc, we get AC/DC’s acceptance speech (truanted) and one song performed (“Highway to Hell”). The 7th disc features Steven Tyler’s induction of the band as one of the bonus features. Induction speeches, acceptance speeches and musical performances are all over the map, and this isn’t even a complete set as it is.
It is this disorganization that is so disappointing in the box set. Time Life has this golden opportunity to preserve and present these historical moments. Some of these band have had key members pass on since they appeared, or in the case of solo artists (such as Johnny Cash) passed on themselves. It is a shame, really that we are only presented with a snippet of their appearances. I also shouldn’t have to pop in two separate discs to get the songs from a band’s performance (such as The Who on discs 5 and 
On the 7th disc we start off with Eddie Vedder’s induction of the Ramones, and it’s not even the full speech he gave, nor do we see the surviving band members accept. This is a real shame, as Dee Dee Ramone’s appearance was a highlight of the evening. We do get Green Day performing “Blitzkrieg Bop” as if their life depends on it (which, let’s be honest, does). And how messed up is it that Elvis Costello & The Attractions acceptance speech (along with one performed song by Elvis Costello & The Imposters) is on this same disc, but on the next disc we get in the special features Elton John’s induction speech for Elvis Costello & The Attractions.
On that 8th disc we get one of the more complete offerings of an induction, but again it falls short. I remember watching Neil Young induct The Pretenders and being moved by both his speech and its (at times meandering) honesty but also at the heartfelt tribute the two surviving original members gave to their fallen comrades. At least we get all three songs performances here. And why do we get 3 songs from The Pretenders but only one from James Taylor?
The final disc is The Concert For The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Here we get less than an hour highlight reel of some of the performances. It is very obvious that this was an all day/night affair with a massive list of performers. Instead of even a quarter of the concert viewers are presented with 11 songs. These are great performances, but not only does this short change the audience it doesn’t really honor the performers. Not only that, but at less than an hour, it doesn’t warrant a separate disc, as it feels like a bonus feature.
So, do I have nothing but complaints? No, but my enjoyment of this set is tempered by what should have been. I defy you to say anything disparaging about Aretha Franklin as she belts out her numbers. She displays why she belongs in Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in no short order.
This box set plays out like a highlight reel that got shuffled around. There is no rhyme or reason to its progression. Each disc jumps around chronologically, leaving any sense of narrative progression lost. The performances themselves are worth seeing, even the cover versions. At times a band can’t get together on stage to perform, so some other able bodies are always more than willing to fill in, and we get quite a few of them here (such as the all-star tribute to George Harrison).
While we are getting a highlight reel of moments, some great ones are missing. Not only are some of the more memorable acceptance speeches missing, but some of the other notable moments (such as the Sex Pistols’ refusal of the honor). Still, this is a great starting point. Any fan of rock and roll would love to have this in their collection. It’s just a shame that this is most likely as good as we are ever going to get. Is it worth $120? Almost. If you love rock and roll and its history the way I do, then yes, but you’ll feel a little short changed.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
|
+ It's Rock and Roll honoring Rock and Roll + Some amazing performances and emotion |
5.0 |
| What Doesn't | |
|
- Not chronologically arranged - Stuff is all over the place appearing on multiple discs - If at all - Very much not a complete set of anything |
|
| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| A "must see" for music fans, but the disjointed nature keeps it from being a "must own" unfortunately. | |
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Tags: Misc DVD 2009
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Oct 27th, 2009 and is filed under DVD/TV Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
