Roy Orbison in Concert, a great recording of a great artist.

Roy Orbison was one of the greats in American Rock and Roll. His Rockabilly music inspired artists from several decades including the Beatles, Linda Ronstadt, Bruce Springsteen, Bono of U2, and Chris Isaacs. Roy was born in 1936 and started appearing on the charts in 1956 with his first hit, "Ooby Dooby". A string of hits followed over the years with his signature voice and guitar. Many became American pop icons listened to by millions on their car radios and on 45's and became part of the soundtrack of life during the 50's and 60's. Such hits as Pretty Woman, Crying, Only the Lonely, Uptown, Running Scared, Blue Bayou, In Dream's, and It's Over were big hits, then became hits again as younger artists discovered Roy all over again. Roy's songs often told heart wrenching tales of lost love, but no matter what the theme, his tunes were the kind that were contagiously good. They got inside you and became part of your life. His production values were high, his technique and voice were the best.

Roy was installed in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and saw a bit of a popular resurgence right after. He orchestrated a concert on Showtime in '87 and gathered together an incredible crew to help recreate the best of his earlier hits live on the stage of the now defunct Coconut Grove nightclub in LA.

The backup vocal groups included Bonnie Raitt, k.d. lang, Jennifer Warnes, Jackson Browne, and others. The band included Elvis Costello, Bruce Springsteen, T-Bone Burnett, Tom Waits, and many more. All this amazing talent in one room for one night to honor this great man! And they sure look like they had fun too!! That terrific concert is all lovingly recorded on black and white film with full 5.1 surround sound for all of us to see again and again. The performances are stellar, the photography is dramatic and clear. The audience includes Hollywood celebrities really getting in to the spirit of the music, hooting, whistling, and clapping for all to see what a great night it must have been. Occasional audience shots will have star watchers catching glimpses of Kris Kristofferson, Jennifer Gray, Billy Idol, Patrick Swayze, Sandra Bernhardt, and more.

If you remember Roy, you will certainly enjoy this performance and if you're too young to remember him, take a chance. As Duke Ellington said about music, "if it sounds good, it is good".

The entire video is a continuous black and white film record of that night with no dialog, just the music and the audience's response. Kind of a unique way to present a concert but very effective. The whole stage is an Art Deco set with spot lights creating dramatic backlighting at times and shadowy backgrounds. The curtainless stage is fairly low with different levels to accommodate the large number of artists and instruments. The men on stage are dressed in dark comfortable suits and the women in low key dark dresses. No sequins or flashy clothes, it’s all about the music. The show starts out with crowd noises and a slow pan to the stage with Roy plucking the opening notes of Only the Lonely. The band picks up on the intro and Roy, standing there center stage, dramatically spot lit, dressed in a fringed buckskin jacket and western tie, begins the lyrics. The whole stage is filled with musicians and vocalists with two full drum sets, acoustic bass, numerous guitars, keyboards, strings, and more. The not too shabby guitar team of Elvis Costello and Bruce Springsteen play back up. You can see and hear the audience's enthusiastic participation throughout the show as they clap and hoot, bob in their seats at tables on the floor.

Applause leads right in to the next number, Dream Baby. The song starts out quietly with a guitar hook from Roy, the band picks up the intro, then Roy croons the first lyrics, "Sweet Dreams Baby". Bruce Springsteen joins in and sings harmony while playing along on his guitar and moves up to the mike to sing and play next to Roy in a terrific harmonious duet. Meanwhile, in the background, Bonnie Raitt, kd lang, and Jennifer Warnes are doing a great girl group "Sha-la-la-la" while beaming with the kind of pleasure this whole experience must have created. It’s contagious to see their faces expressing the fun and exhiliration they all must have felt recreating these great songs. Watch for Bruce’s perfectly timed "Ha!" punctuating a momentary pause in the music. This song alone is worth the entire video but it keeps on going and keeps up this high level of musicianship and enthusiasm.


Blue Bayou is next with an understated delivery with traces of an island paradise mood. The restraint of the backup vocals adds to the quiet beauty of this song.

The program is a mixed bag of tender love songs like Leah, plaintive ballads like In Dreams, Crying, and It’s Over, upbeat rockabilly tunes like Ooby Dooby, Uptown, Candyman, and Claudette.

Elvis Costello does a commendable harmonica riff in Candyman. The back up girls (Bonnie, kd, and Jennifer) are just right, and the audience's hoots of "Wo!" come in at just the right times too.

Oh Pretty Woman caps off the evening. This one is another crowd pleaser with dueling guitars during a long midway instrumental riff. Bruce and James Burton improvise on the theme playing point / counterpoint responding to each others licks.

This is one of those rare concert videos that is just about perfect. The glimpses of the artists and audience show a synergy that makes me long to have been there to experience this wonderful evening. There are many more titles in this concert and each one is a gem. Watching the big stars behind him give it their all without looking for center stage spotlight is a wonder to see. The fun, the terrific music, the ambiance of the club that night, it all combines to make a memorable video event well worth seeing again and again. Roy passed away in 1988 of a massive heart attack so we will never see him live again. He is sorely missed. Thank goodness this recording exists as a testament to the staying power of his music.