Lightning In a Bottle: A One Night History of the Blues

Starring:B.B. King, Vernon Reid, Kim Wilson (II), Dr. John, AngÃ©lique Kidjo, Chuck D., Macy Gray, Levon Helm, John Fogerty, Robert Cray, David Johansen, Jimmie Vaughan, Bonnie Raitt, Ruth Brown, Honeyboy Edwards, Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown, Gregg Allman, Natalie Cole, John Hammond, Solomon Burke
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Studio: Sony Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Part concert, part history lesson, part summit meeting, and all blues, Lightning in a Bottle puts a bright spotlight on this quintessential American music. There are some heavy hitters at work here, both behind the camera (Martin Scorsese executive produced, while the film was directed by Antoine Fuqua of Training Day and King Arthur) and especially in front of it, with a superb house band and a mind-boggling array of musicians (including B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, Solomon Burke, Keb' Mo', Macy Gray, the Neville Brothers, Robert Cray, and John Fogerty, to name but a few) performing at New York's Radio City Music Hall in February, 2003. The idea was to trace the music from its beginnings; thus we get an African song (by Angelique Kidjo), some early gospel blues (the great Mavis Staples), acoustic Delta blues, and so on, right up to blues-drenched electric rock and even some rap (a riveting version of Howlin' Wolf's "Killing Floor" by Chuck D.). Virtually all of the immortals who defined the blues (Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, and even Jimi Hendrix, whose fiery style is re-enacted by Buddy Guy) enter the picture, either through vintage film clips or new performances of their songs. One might wish for more insight into the influence of the blues on jazz (Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit," sung here by India.Arie, is a fine song, but it's not a blues tune) or country, but overall, Lightning in a Bottle is an edifying and, most important, highly entertaining portrait of the music and its heritage. --Sam Graham

Customer Reviews:

One Night, but What a Night!.......2007-06-01

I share some of the other reviewers' regrets that I was not able to be there at Radio City Music Hall for this concert. It certainly is a great concert, but it is much more than that. It is history, great history, but it is more. It is the blues, definitely the blues, and more than the blues. What it is is "real". It is an event. It is real in a way that few concerts ever attempt to be. It is an event that few if any concerts can ever hope to be. It is real specifically because it is the people of the blues just as they are. It is the realities of the personalities, and their lives that made the blues what only the blues can be. There are moments during this concert, this event, when any true lover of the blues must shed tears of joy. This reviewer deeply appreciates those who made this event possible. I am certain that hard choices had to be made as to what to include, and what not to include, given the time parameters involved. Certain selections may not please all blues afficionados, but there it is.

Blues in the Bottle.......2007-05-12

A wonderful mix of old and young blues; legends and up-and-comers. A concert I wish I had been lucky enough to see in person. The only disappointing thing about this video is that it wasn't long enough. I would have loved to have heard the entire songs, instead of just portions. Never has enough been ready.

N. Dale

lightning for sure.......2007-05-07

An incredible cast doing great music. Too many highlights to mention, however Angelique Kidjo and Buddy Guy doing Voodoo Child and Ruth Brown, Mavis Staples, Natalie Cole with Bill Cosby as a prop on Men Are Just Like Streetcars are alone worth the price of this DVD

New Blues Fan.......2007-03-22

I stumbled across this DVD in the rental store and watched out of curiosity. I don't know much about Blues but I liked the heck out of this DVD! Very entertaining from a musical and educational aspect. Film clips,still pics,interviews and comments bring together blues history and the artists on stage. So I bought the DVD and the CD both! Great deal and you don't have to be a die hard fan to enjoy it.

A Good Idea Poorly Executed.......2007-02-28

This concert seemingly had the makings of a great blues perfomance film. It was beautifully shot and recorded but the choice of including so much material by artists only tangentially associated with the blues dragged the over-all event down. I always hate it when a performance is interupped by narration over it. If it's about the music, let the music speak. With few exceptions, all the performers under 60 years old were industry filler.

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