“Concert For George”, a 2002 tribute event in honor of George Harrison, will be reissued on Friday, February 23 to mark the late Beatles guitarist’s 75th birthday on February 25.
Organized by Eric Clapton and Olivia Harrison, the November 29, 2002 show at London’s Royal Albert Hall landed one year to the day after Harrison’s passing from lung cancer at the age of 58.
The evening featured George's songs, and music he loved, performed by a lineup that included Clapton, Joe Brown, Dhani Harrison, Jools Holland, Jeff Lynne, Paul McCartney, Monty Python, Tom Petty, Billy Preston, Ravi and Anoushka Shankar, Ringo Starr and many more.
"We will always celebrate George's birthday,” says Olivia, “and this year we are releasing Concert For George in a very special package in memory of a special man."
Directed by David Leland, “Concert For George” will be reissued as a Deluxe Edition Box Set, a 4-LP Box Set, plus new CD/DVD and CD/Blu-ray combo packages.
Presented in a 12” by 12” hardbound book, the Deluxe Box Set – limited to 1000 copies worldwide – features the complete sound and film recordings from the concert on 4 180-gram audiophile LPs, 2 CDs, 2 DVDs and 2 Blu-rays, plus an opportunity to own a piece of the historic event, by way of a cutting from the original hand-painted on-stage tapestry used as the backdrop at the show.
The 4-LP Box Set includes the complete sound recordings from the evening, and features a special etching on side-8. This is the first time that all songs from the performance have been available on an audio configuration.
The DVD and Blu-ray feature the complete filmed concert, as well as the original theatrical version that also includes interviews with performers, rehearsal footage and behind-the-scenes material. The Blu-ray also adds an exclusive interview segment, "Drummers", where Starr and Jim Keltner add their personal thoughts on Harrison and the star-studded tribute.
“Concert For George” has been certified 8-times US platinum by the RIAA since its initial release as a 2-DVD set in November 2003, and it earned a 2004 Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video.
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