Released! The Human Rights Concerts 1986-1998 is a six-disc box set
of music from four different concerts between 1986 and 1998 featuring
performances by Jackson Browne, Lou Reed, U2, The Police, Bruce Springsteen and
many other excellent artists. The net proceeds from sales of this box set
benefit Amnesty International. In addition to the six discs (with an incredible amount of bonus material), there is a forty-page
booklet including background information and photos.
“A Conspiracy Of Hope” (featuring Lou Reed, Bryan Adams, The Police)
The first two discs of
the set feature selections from an all-day concert held at Giants Stadium in
New Jersey on June 15, 1986. This concert was, as a voice over at the beginning
tells us, in celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of Amnesty
International, and it includes performances by Jackson Browne, Lou Reed, Peter
Gabriel, Bryan Adams and The Police. These two discs give us more than five
hours of concert footage. There are lots of shots of the audience too. And dig
those 1980s fashions.
It begins with Bob Geldof
and Steven Van Zandt covering Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song.” Bob Geldof, of
course, was a major force behind Live Aid. He comes out later to do a song with
Little Steven & The Disciples Of Soul. There are no pauses between bands,
and we’re treated to a couple of songs from The Hooters. God, I played the hell
out of that Hooters album when it first came out, and these songs totally hold
up for me – “Day By Day” (with a nice extended ending) and “And We Danced” (one
of my favorites). I never saw this band in concert, and it’s a joy to see this
footage.
Peter, Paul & Mary do
what they did best – an energetic rendition of “If I Had A Hammer” and the
still pertinent, still moving “Blowin’ In The Wind.” During the latter, Mary
says, “Let the world hear your voice.”
One of the highlights is
Joan Armatrading doing an acoustic version of “Steppin’ Out.” She then does an
electric version of “Love And Affection,” with some help on saxophone. I also
dig the Jackson Browne set. We’re treated to several of his tunes, including
“Lives In The Balance” and “For America.” I’m also glad that the DVD includes
his introduction to “I Am A Patriot.”
There is also one tune
from Yoko Ono, and yeah, she does that odd dolphin-in-pain type scream, but I
kind of dig it. This is also a cool set by Miles Davis, who is doing a kind of
funk thing with a somewhat large band. It’s weird watching Miles switch to the
keyboard at one point in the first tune. But of course, anything Miles does is
worth paying attention to (even when he sticks his tongue out at the camera).
I’m personally much more excited by “Tutu.” Watch him guiding Robben Ford, the
guitarist – a really cool moment. And then Carlos Santana joins him.
Joan Baez does an
acappella rendition of “The Times They Are A-Changing,” and then does the Tears
For Fears song, “Shout.” Weird. I never cared for that song. She follows that
with Bob Marley’s “No Woman No Cry,” backed by The Neville Brothers. Then Joan
Baez and Aaron Neville perform “Amazing Grace.”
I do wish there was less
crowd noise in the sound mix. That’s my only complaint about the first disc.
The second disc opens
with Lou Reed. It’s excellent to see him, and of course right now I appreciate
this footage even more. He starts with a great version of “Rock And Roll.” I dig the saxophone. Then he follows it with a fun
rendition of “I Love You, Suzanne,” and then “No Money Down” (a song I love)
and “Turn To Me.” After the line, “And
your apartment’s got no heat,” he tells the summer audience, “I wrote this song in the winter.” The
crowd then understandable goes nuts when he starts “Walk On The Wild Side.”
After that, he does “Video Violence.” Lou Reed later joins U2 for “Sun City.”
The second disc also
features a set from Peter Gabriel, though I have to admit I never liked “Shock
The Monkey” or “Sledgehammer.” Oddly, there’s some voice over interrupting
“Sledgehammer.” Why couldn’t they edit that out? Anyway, I love “Biko,” which
is the final song of his set.
Bryan Adams also
performs. Man, I played those early cassettes of his over and over,
particularly the song “Summer of ’69.” When I was a kid, for a while I made my
own top ten list, and that song was at the top for several weeks. He performs
that song, as well as several other popular tunes from that time – “Run To
You,” “It’s Only Love,” “Straight From The Heart.” He really milks those
built-in pauses, particularly in “Straight From The Heart.” And wow, the whole
audience seems to know the lyrics to “Summer of ’69,” and Bryan Adams lets them
carry it for the first several lines. It’s so great revisiting this song, and
he follows it with another favorite of mine, “Somebody.”
For some reason, the
footage at the very beginning of Joni Mitchell’s first song looks like shit. But
it’s quickly corrected. Following two songs by Joni Mitchell, we get a set from
U2, and this is back when that band was still cool. “MLK” goes right into a
wonderfully energetic version of “Pride.” They follow that with the fantastic “Bad”
and then “Sunday Bloody Sunday.” During “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” Bono gets the
audience shouting “No more.” Their
set is an obvious highlight of this DVD box. This band really had everything
going right back then. They immediately connected with the audience, and you’ll feel
it too in your house in front of your television. It is that powerful. They
then cover Bob Dylan’s “Maggie’s Farm,” mixing in a bit of John Lennon’s “Cold
Turkey,” and it’s fucking fantastic. The band also does a somewhat slow version
of “Help!”
As cool as the U2 set is,
I enjoyed the footage of The Police even more. They open with a cookin’ version
of “Message In A Bottle.” The audience sings along with “King Of Pain.” (Synchronicity is a very important album
of my childhood.) They follow that with a very cool version of “Driven To
Tears,” and “Every Breath You Take,” before launching into “Roxanne.” I love
this band, and this is a great little set if music. Bono joins them on vocals
partway through “Invisible Sun.”
Bono then tells the crowd
they have eighteen special guests, people who have been released because of
Amnesty International. And all of the performers come back on stage for “I
Shall Be Released.” It’s pretty amazing, and as the credits roll, Bill Graham
speaks.
“Human Rights Now!” (featuring Peter Gabriel, Sting, Bruce Springsteen)
The second concert film
(on the third disc) isn’t just a concert film. It actually begins with some of
the performers speaking at press conferences regarding Amnesty International.
And throughout the film, there are interviews with some of the performers,
including Tracy Chapman and Sting, who speak directly to the camera, as well as
more footage of them at press conferences.
The concert took place in
Argentina on October 15, 1988, and Youssou N’Dor is the first performer we see.
This short set features a great percussion segment. I love the small talking
drum. After that performance, we see footage shot in England, Spain, France,
Italy, Greece and Hungary before returning to the main concert.
Tracy Chapman performs a
solo acoustic set. She speaks in Spanish after her second song, apologizing
that her Spanish isn’t that good. She says the concert is for the audience, but
especially for those who couldn’t be there, that the Declaration of Human
Rights is for everyone. She then performs “Freedom Now,” and “Talkin’
‘Bout A Revolution.” Then, in an interview, she talks about how she became
aware of Amnesty International.
Peter Gabriel again does
“Sledgehammer,” and follows it with a nice, long rendition of “In Your Eyes,”
and then a twelve-minute version of “Biko,” ending with band members leaving
the stage one at a time. The following section includes a short interview with
Bill Graham.
Sting begins with that
updated, different version of “Don’t Stand So Close To Me.” (I always preferred
the earlier version.) The pace picks up toward the end. He then sings “They
Dance Alone” in Spanish. Bruce Springsteen joins him on vocals for “Every
Breath You Take.”
There is some footage of
Bruce Springsteen in concert in Zimbabwe, speaking between songs about Vietnam and
the monument in Washington, D.C. He then
goes into “War” (the Edwin Starr song), but we get just a bit of that before
returning to the main concert for the set by Bruce Springsteen And The E Street
Band. This set is definitely the major highlight of the disc. Bruce kicks it
off with “Born In The U.S.A.” The energy is palpable. The audience is jumping
in unison. It’s beautiful. It’s like the final number of a kick-ass show,
except this band is just getting started. They follow it with “I’m On Fire.”
Then String joins the band on vocals for “The River,” which Bruce starts off on
harmonica. There is also a rousing rendition of “Raise Your Hand,” and a
tremendously fun version of “Twist And Shout,” which leads into “La Bamba” (but
without any of the verses), and then back into “Twist And Shout.” Toward the
end, Bruce asks the crowd if they’re tired.
Then the other artists
join Bruce for “Chimes Of Freedom” and “Get Up Stand Up.”
“An Embrace Of Hope”
The third concert of this
box set was performed on October 13, 1990 in Chile. It opens with Inti-Illimani
performing a great instrumental tune, “Bailando Bailando.” They follow that
with “El Equipage del Destierro,” joined by the singing children of Vina del
Mar.
There are short snippets
from interviews and press conferences from most of the artists between songs.
For example, before Wynton Marsalis plays, he talks about the optimism of the
blues. By the way, Wynton Marsalis’ “Jungle Blues” is, for me, the highlight of
the concert. And check out the crowd’s response. Wonderful.
The film then goes from
its best moment to its worst, with New Kids On The Block. The film also
includes performances by Sinead O’Connor, Ruben Blades, Jackson Browne (doing a
really good version of “Lives In The Balance”) and Peter Gabriel (once again
doing “Biko,” which he introduces in Spanish).
It ends with Sting
performing a couple of songs in Spanish – “Little Wing” and “They Dance Alone.”
For the latter, the other artists join him on stage. Also joining him are women
whose sons or husbands have disappeared. That song features a cool percussion
section at the end.
This is the shortest of
the concert films, at only 72 minutes.
“The Struggle Continues”
The fourth concert took
place on December 10, 1998, exactly fifty years after the United Nations
adopted The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and in Paris, the city where
it was signed in 1948. We get approximately two and a half hours of this show,
and it’s presented just as concert footage, without interviews or footage from press
conferences.
The concert opens with
Bruce Springsteen, Peter Gabriel, Tracy Chapman and Youssou N’Dour performing
“Get Up, Stand Up.” Peter Gabriel performs “Signal To Noise” and a really nice,
long version of “In Your Eyes,” with help on vocals by Youssou N’Dour. This
might be the best version of “In Your Eyes” I’ve ever heard.
I’m not all that keen on
Alanis Morissette (her voice makes me want to hurl kittens from rooftops) or
Asian Dub Foundation (they’re just not good). But we are treated to a good set
by Tracy Chapman. She does a nice version of “New Beginning,” following that
with “Fast Car” (that song still totally works for me) and a sweet rendition of
“Baby, Can I Hold You?”
Of course, a highlight of
this concert is the set by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. They open with “When
The World Was Young.” They follow it with “Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You,” the
crowd going nuts at the first notes played by Page. And it’s a fairly long
version, ending with a little “Stairway To Heaven” tease. Jimmy Page pulls out
the double guitar for a fantastic version of “Gallows Pole.” And then they do
the fun “Rock And Roll,” with a short drum solo at the end.
The other major highlight
is Bruce Springsteen performing a solo acoustic set, starting with “No
Surrender.” It’s seriously awesome. I saw Bruce perform solo once in the
mid-1990s, and it was one of the best concerts I ever attended. So this was a
real treat for me, being able to have another taste of that. One thing I
remember clearly from that night was an amazing bluesy rendition of “Born In
The U.S.A.,” and he does that here. It’s worth owning this box set just for
that footage. He follows that with “Working On The Highway.”
Anything after that is
anticlimactic for me, but that being said, Radiohead does a good set. I
particularly like “Karma Police.” Youssou N’Dour and Peter Gabriel perform
“Shaking The Tree.” Then Tracy Chapman and Jocelyn Beroard join them for “7
Seconds.”
Bonus Material
There is a large amount
of bonus material in this box set, split onto two discs – the third and sixth.
Much of the bonus material is arranged by year, the first section dealing with
the 1986 concert, including a short bit with Elliott Gould and Richard Belzer,
and a bit with Pat Benatar interviewing Bill Graham and other folks. Some
well-known actors introduce the musical acts, and we get footage of that.
Several folks (including Michael J. Fox) mention The Secret Policeman’s Ball. There is also a series of messages
from actors and musicians (including Sam Waterston, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Robin
Williams).
There is a montage from
Peter Gabriel’s home movies of the 1986 tour, including shots on the plane and
backstage. And even better is the footage of the jam session at a hotel lounge
from June 10, 1986, with Bono, who plays piano for a moment during
“Satisfaction.” It’s so great that some of this footage survives –
approximately eleven minutes worth. It was shot by Peter Gabriel. Fuzzbee Morse
and Larry Klein then recount the events of that night.
There is also a bit of The Today Show from June 16, 1986, with
Sting, Peter Gabriel, Bill Graham and Jack Healey.
Then, from 1988, we get
some footage of the Los Angeles show, with Bruce Springsteen performing “Chimes
Of Freedom.” He is joined by Tracy Chapman, Sting, Peter Gabriel, Bono, Youssou
N’Dour and Joan Baez. We also get a bit of footage from the Montreal show, with
the artists performing “Get Up Stand Up.”
The bonus material also
includes The Universal Declaration Of
Human Rights, an animated short film illustrating the thirty articles and
narrated by Jeff Bridges and Debra Winger. From 1998, there are bits of
interviews with Robert Plant, Alanis Morissette, Peter Gabriel and others
regarding the Declaration of Human Rights on the fiftieth anniversary of its
signing.
Light A Candle! The Story Behind The Human Rights Concerts is a
38-minute film directed by Peter Shelton featuring interviews with Pete
Townsend, Martin Lewis, Sting, Peter Gabriel and Bruce Springsteen, as well as
footage from press conferences. They talk about how the 1990 concert in Chile
was held in the same stadium where people had been tortured.
There are two excellent
new interviews. The first is with Bruce Springsteen. He says, “The news conferences, which if I had known I
had to do, I might not have done the tour, because they were the most harrowing
parts of the entire six weeks.” The second is with Sting, who talks a bit
about playing with The Police again in 1986, about the song “They Dance Alone,”
and about stealing Bruce Springsteen’s spare costumes and donning them with
Peter Gabriel during Bruce’s set on the tour’s last stop, mimicking him on
stage.
There is footage of Pete
Townsend and John Williams performing “Won’t Get Fooled Again” in 1979, and
Sting performing “I Shall Be Released” in 1981, backed by folks like Phil
Collins, Bob Geldof and Eric Clapton.
The bonus material
includes several other musical performances from the years since the 1998 show,
including songs by Bono with Damien Rice, Coldplay, David Byrne, and Mumford
& Sons. There are also some music videos, including Ozzy Osbourne’s
rendition of John Lennon’s “How?” and Pete Seeger’s version of “Forever Young.”
Released! The Human Rights Concerts (1986-1998) was released on DVD
on November 5, 2013 through Shout! Factory. Also released on that date was a
two-disc CD set, with performances from all four shows.
(Note: I also posted a
slightly shorter version of this review on Pop Culture Beast.)
