On June 30, 1990, the Knebworth House in Hertfordshire, England, hosted the Silver Clef Award Winners concert. The show featured a wide array of musical artists including Pink Floyd, Cliff Richard & The Shadows, Tears for Fears, Eric Clapton, Dire Straits, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Robert Plant (with guest Jimmy Page), Status Quo and Phil Collins with Genesis. MTV (remember them?) showed the highlights, and subsequent Knebworth CDs and DVDs have come and gone. Now, at last, Live At Knebworth comes to Blu-ray Disc.
The Knebworth concert of 1990 is true snapshot in time – a transitional period for most of the veteran rock acts on the roster. Genesis, Pink Floyd and Dire Straits were all sort of in wind-down mode, with final studio albums from each looming in close proximity. On the upside, Paul McCartney returned to the concert trail in the late 80s after an extended absence and was just then finishing the first of many subsequent tours.
Knebworth also brought Robert Plant and Jimmy Page back together. Three years later, they reformed as a duo, recorded a couple of albums and toured the world. By 1990, Tear For Fears were of a certain superstar pedigree, but had peaked commercially and on the verge of breaking up. Of course, Eric Clapton and Elton John had already traded in their rock and roll images of the 70s for leisure suits and MTV cred. Having Cliff Richard and Status Quo on the bill gave the show a pinch of British seasoning for the rest of the world.
Drenched by falling rain, Tear For Fears run through “Change,” “Badman’s Song” and “Everybody Wants To Rule The World,” and you’re immediately tossed into a time warp. Going back even further, Cliff Richards and the Shadows deliver a light and frothy set of tunes that includes “On The Beach,” “Good Golly Miss Molly” and “We Don’t Talk Anymore,” which elicited a wave from the audience.
At the time, Phil Collins’ career had all but eclipsed that of Genesis, who had pretty much rolled over and played dead. Yet both are the bill, with Collins going out first and winning over the masses with “In The Air Tonight.” Unfortunately, “Sussudio” almost killed the momentum. Seeing Paul McCartney and his band tumble through “Coming Up” doesn’t help improve things. Those disco dips never felt less comfortable, but a heartfelt “Hey Jude” comes to rescue. The players, which included wife Linda, were seasoned musicians and much safer in their approach to the material than the younger group of California session musicians who’ve been McCartney’s core band since the late 90s. Neither compare to Wings, but that’s another story.
Back to the daytime, Status Quo comes along and flat out rocks the house with “Whatever You Want,” “Rockin’ All Over The World” and ‘Dirty Water.” Eric Clapton follows with “Before You Accuse Me” and “Tearin’ Us Apart.” He’s joined by Mark Knopfler and Dire Straits for “Solid Rock,” “I Think I Love You Too Much” and “Money For Nothing.” Elton John joins the ensemble, and they ply through “Sacrifice” and “Sad Songs.” Can it get any headier than this? Indeed it can.
Knebworth gave Robert Plant and Jimmy Page the chance to make up for the lackadaisical reunions of the 80s. Plant was in the throes of a burgeoning solo career, having recorded his most successful venture, Now & Zen and following up with the exotically entranced Manic Nirvana. On the Blu-ray, Plant and his band ripped through a couple songs from both albums before Page comes up for a seismic stab at an obscure Led Zeppelin track, “Wearing And Tearing.” Clearly, Page and Plant are more aligned and in sync than they were for Live Aid in 1985. It’s unfortunate their high-impact reunion is followed by a less than an ebullient set from Genesis.
“Mama” hops and skips, but the “Turn It On Again” medley is the kind of revivalist, Vegas schtick you wouldn’t expect (or want) from Genesis. Sorry guys, but Motown deserves better. At least they didn’t resort to this charade of dumbing the setlist down during their 2007 reunion. Which leaves Pink Floyd, then a three-piece without Roger Waters. This was one of the last (if not THE last) performances of their highly successful A Momentary Lapse Of Reason tour. Only “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” and and “Run Like Hell” are featured on the Blu-ray although “Comfortably Numb” was also played that night. Four years later, Pink Floyd regrouped for The Division Bell, the last scream from the band until the Live 8 reunion.
For fans of any of these artists, these performances are the main ingredients for a complete collection. Selective, fair-weather observers may not respond as favorably to the tracks here from say, Plant, Genesis or Pink Floyd, as they would from more definitive live releases. The Blu-ray, despite being in standard definition, is punched up aurally with DTS-HD Master 5.1 audio. At this point, 25 years later, it’s more of a historical document. Or perhaps the performances on Live At Knebworth are simply a by-product of the cause, giving it a unique sheen all its own.
~ Shawn Perry
