George Harrison Memorial Concert Coming to Theaters
Eric Clapton’s 2002 memorial show for George Harrison is being screened in movie theaters across North America just as it arrives on home video this week.
The remastered 5.1 stereo Concert for George is available in several formats, including a deluxe limited-edition box set. You can watch the trailer above and see a full list of theater dates on the official website.
Clapton and Harrison’s wife Olivia staged the Concert for George event at London’s Royal Albert Hall on Nov. 29, 2002, a year to the day after the ex-Beatle’s death from cancer at the age of 58. The tribute, described as an “amazing and historic event,” featured performances by Clapton, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Billy Preston, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty and others.
The first part of the performance was led by sitar player Anoushka Shankar, daughter of Harrison’s mentor, Ravi Shankar, who performed an orchestral piece inspired by Harrison’s “spiritual aspirations.” It included an acoustic guitar solo by Clapton. The second part featured the Monty Python comedy troupe performing some of Harrison’s favorite Monty Python’s Flying Circus sketches. The final part featured Lynne, Jools Holland, Petty, Starr and others performing songs written by, originally featuring or inspired by Harrison – including, on ukulele, McCartney, who joined Clapton for renditions of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and “For You Blue.”
Along with the deluxe box set, Concert for George will be available in four-LP box set (the first time it’s been pressed on vinyl), a CD and DVD combo pack, a CD and Blu-ray combo pack and a two-CD set. A limited-edition digital, complete with cuttings from the hand-painted tapestry that was used as the show’s backdrop, has already sold out. All profits from concert product sales will be donated to the Material World Charitable Foundation, which Harrison founded in 1973.