The 25th Anniversary: Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Concerts

After reading some of the negative reviews for this Blu-ray I was hesitant to purchase it. I am so glad I did because this concert is amazing and everything other reviewers complained about has apparently been fixed. Sound quality is excellent 5.1 DTS-HD, not Dolby Digital as stated on the case. Video is 1080i and looks great. Fortunately, this is not one of those videos that changes angles every 2 seconds and sends the viewer into an epileptic seizure. I loved every performance, especially seeing Simon & Garfunkel on stage again! Many reviewers complained about slow loading, cumbersome menus. The menus on my discs loaded right away and there were no issues. There were also numerous complaints about the sound cutting out on disc 1. I watched the entire disc, including extras, and had no issues with the 5.1 track. The discs also contain a 2.0 track so I don't know if any issues exist with that one. I should also note that I have a receiver capable of decoding the 5.1 DTS-HD sound. One reviewer complained that the scene where Stevie Wonder breaks down with emotion during his Michael Jackson tribute was edited out. That scene is fully included on the Blu-ray set I received. My only minor complaint is that I know when this Blu-ray was first released, a booklet was included. There was no booklet with mine even though I bought it new and factory sealed.

I still have The 25th Anniversary Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Concert on my DVR from when it originally aired on HBO at the end of 2009, and I still often find myself viewing many of the standout performances pretty regularly to this day. I have vowed not to erase it until it is released on Blu Ray and DVD, and finally owning this will be a welcome treat! If you're wondering why the Blu Ray version of the 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concert is available at Amazon 30 days after the DVD release date, it's because the Blu Ray version of the package is available only at Best Buy for the first 30 days. Man, I hate that. But I've waited now for a year for this release, so waiting an extra 30 days is no sweat I guess. Anyway.... If you were at The 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concerts or you saw it when it aired on HBO you already know how awesome these performances were that occurred over the course of two nights in late October 2009. If you haven't seen this and you like music, even just a little, you're in for a great experience. This collection is worth its weight in gold. The great news is that the DVD and Blu Ray releases include a ton of bonus stuff that wasn't aired on HBO, so it'll be great fun again for me to give this entire release a fresh look. According to Time Life, following is what's going to be on the release, and I've marked the standout performances with this mark: ***** Rest assured that almost every performance stands out; it's all a matter of musical preference. I like all kinds of music with a preference for hard rock, but some of these performances truly converted me into a fan of acts that I never liked or really paid little attention to prior to seeing this: TOM HANKS Introduction JERRY LEE LEWIS Great Balls of Fire CROSBY, STILLS & NASH Woodstock***** Almost Cut My Hair Love Has No Pride with Bonnie Raitt The Pretender with Jackson Browne Love the One You're With with James Taylor STEVIE WONDER For Once in My Life The Tracks of My Tears with Smokey Robinson The Way You Make Me Feel with John Legend (watch how Stevie chokes up singing this tribute to Michael Jackson...quite touching) The Thrill Is Gone with B.B. King Higher Ground/Roxanne with Sting***** Superstition with Jeff Beck***** PAUL SIMON Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard (not included on the HBO airing) You Can Call Me Al Here Comes the Sun with David Crosby and Graham Nash The Wanderer with Dion DiMucci Little Anthony and the Imperials: Two People in the World SIMON & GARFUNKEL The Sounds of Silence The Boxer***** Bridge over Troubled Water ARETHA FRANKLIN Baby I Love You Don't Play That Song Chain of Fools with Annie Lennox METALLICA For Whom the Bell Tolls Sweet Jane with Lou Reed Iron Man/Paranoid with Ozzy Osbourne All Day and All of the Night with Ray Davies Enter Sandman U2 Vertigo Magnificent Because the Night with Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith and Roy Bittan I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For with Bruce Springsteen Gimme Shelter with Mick Jagger and Fergie***** This performance just blew me away; I've watched this over and over again! Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of with Mick Jagger Beautiful Day JEFF BECK People Get Ready with Sting Let Me Love You Baby with Buddy Guy Foxy Lady with Billy Gibbons***** A Day in the Life***** This number is also part of Beck's Live at Ronnie Scott's DVD which I also highly recommend, but the performance of it here at the R&R 25th is greatly enhanced by large images of The Beatles behind the band. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND (Gotta admit that I was not the biggest Bruce fan prior to seeing him here; his performances with Sam Moore, and then of all people, Tom Morello absolutely knocked it out of the park.) Hold On I'm Comin' with Sam Moore***** Soul Man with Sam Moore***** The Ghost of Tom Joad with Tom Morello***** Okay, this is THE most memorable performance of the entire concert for me; Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine plays a guitar solo in this song unlike any rock solo I've ever seen! Fortunate Son with John Fogerty Pretty Woman with John Fogerty Jungleland***** A Fine Fine Boy with Darlene Love New York State of Mind with Billy Joel Born to Run with Billy Joel Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher with Darlene Love, John Fogerty, Sam Moore, Billy Joel and Tom Morello BONUS MATERIAL CROSBY, STILLS & NASH Mexico with James Taylor Teach Your Children with Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne and James Taylor STEVIE WONDER Uptight I Was Made to Love Her Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours Mercy Mercy Me with John Legend SIMON & GARFUNKEL Mrs. Robinson/Not Fade Away METALLICA Turn the Page Iron Man/Paranoid with Ozzy Osbourne (the HBO version was edited; this apparently is not) U2 Mysterious Ways Where Is the Love/One with the Black Eyed Peas JEFF BECK Freeway Jam Big Block BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND London Calling with Tom Morello Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher with Darlene Love, John Fogerty, Sam Moore, Billy Joel and Tom Morello (the HBO version was edited; this apparently is not) I don't know how the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Concert organizers could ever top this. All of these artists join together and play like they've been playing together forever to give viewers one of the most memorable shows in recent rock history. There is no question here. Add this to your cart.

So many good collaborations, those some parts I can just skip, people get ready with sting and Jeff Beck it's just great along with a lot of this DVD set

I first saw this on Netflix and when it was no longer available there I came here in search of it. There are so many artists that I can't name them all but let me say there's something here for fans of just about every genre of rock. From roots to metal to straight forward rock this covers the bases well. Check out Bonnie Raitt & Jeff Beck & CSN & Metallica & Springsteen & Billy Joel & Paul Simon & John Fogerty and many more. The best surprise for me was all the extras on the Blu-ray that weren't included on Netflix, including several more live performances. I also have to say that to me it's obvious someone with live music mixing experience mixed the audio. Let me 'splain...when someone who doesn't have that experience mixes a live music event, you can tell because whoever the camera is on at the moment is the LOUDEST in the mix. For this you hear a true live mix...even if the cam isn't on a certain person you hear whoever is taking lead at the time. And my hubby who is an audio engineer/musician will probably smack me for saying that Tom Morello's guitar solo on Springsteen's "Tom Joad" brought him to tears. If you're a rock fan...get this. Small disclaimer: we watch this on a home theater system with 5.1 audio and upscaling Blu-ray player. Worth it!

I know that every year they have a concert for the rock and roll hall of fame, but it seems that they expended more effort into this one because it was the 25th aniversary. Others reviewers have already stated some of the highlights. The Bruce Springsteen/ Tom Morello Ghost of Tom Joad. Morello gives one of the best guitar solos I have ever witnessed. Really all the the Springsteen set. Then there's Fergie and Mick Jagger. Sting and Jeff Beck also make a good impression. I am not a metal fan, but the Metallica set cooked. If you want to nitpick, you could complain that most of the artists hail from the baby boom generation, getting long in the tooth. Almost all who make it into the hall of fame are going to be in their 50's and 60's, and these artists are featured on this production. They could have balanced out the concert with a few more young artists. I believe that rock and roll is here to stay, and plenty of young bands still carry the banner.

Picture this: before performing together with Bruce Springsteen, Bono begins one of his usual messianic rambling speeches. At a certain point, he goes: "For a lot of us here, rock and roll means just one word: liberation -- political, sexual, spiritual liberation", and takes an inspired breath, looking like he's got plenty more where that came from. At that very moment, The Boss roars into the microphone "Yeah, let's have some fun with that!", very wisely cutting the cr#p to launch into a jawdropping rendition of "Still haven't found what I'm looking for"... PRICELESS :-D As for the A/V quality, it must be one of the best blu-ray I've got. Plays fine on Region B players.

Vraiment très réussi ce 25th Anniversary, inoubliable avec une très belle image et un bon son DTS HD... mais dommage qu'il ne soit pas en DTS HD Master Audio( 7.1). A avoir vraiment dans sa collection!

Beste DVD

Great collection

IN ASSOLUTO UNA DEI PIU' GRANDI CONCERTI DELLA STORIA DEL ROCK,PER TUTTI GLI AMANTI DEL ROCK,DI BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN,E DEGLI U2 NON PERDETE LE VERSIONI DI THE GOST OF TOM JOAD CON TOM MORELLO E GIMME SHELTER CON U2,MICK JAGGER E FERGIE,DA SOLI VALGONO IL PREZZO D'ACQUISTO (MA NON HA PREZZO UN CONCERTO DEL GENERE).