The Police are winding down their long, legendary career in 2008 and actually playing much better than last year. Just released was some broadcast footage from their hometown “Isle of Wight” performance and it’s killer - more energy and chemistry than anything I saw or heard from the 2007 shows. 
Unfortunately, this DVD includes only two broadcasted songs “Message In A Bottle” and “Can’t Stand Losing You”. There’s also a short interview with Sting and he mentions something about the hometown shows being different than others. I just peeped on their “Rock In Rio” show from last week and looks like they dropped “Syncronicity II” in favor of “Demolition Man”, which they play with renewed enthusiasm. Between these shows and the recent Tokyo broadcast, the latter half of their final tour is being documented fairly well. I still think they’re playing way too short a setlist, which clocks in under 100 minutes.
One night, a few months back, when I wasn’t feeling well and vegging in front of the TV, I happened on this video from Echo and The Bunnymen called “Never Stop”. It was a live performance and very impressive - definitely not the sound I was expecting. I did some research and learned the footage was from a 1983 appearance at London’s Royal Albert Hall. I just got the DVD which is sourced from a broadcast. It’s called ”Lay Down Thy Raincoat And Groove” and it’s a monster show. Relentless drummng, grooving bass…there’s bongos, violins - a memorable live experience with tons of energy and strong performances. From what I’ve read about this gig, it’s regarded as their defining moment. I have another show from the Bunnymen recorded just 4 months prior and it pales considerably from this one.
Another interesting find was Berlin “Live At Hollywood Park” 2007. Normally I could care less about Berlin in 2007. This band has been done for years and only singer Terri Nunn remains from the original lineup. However, I’m a sucker for non-broadcast, proshot videos. This is a one camera, proshot direct from a satellite feed. To me, it’s a true bootleg in that someone intercepted what appears to be in-house only video. Another interesting aspect of this show is the setlist. Apparently Berlin’s last release was a covers album and you’ll find a few here from the fairly good “Erotic City” (Prince) to the ridiculous “Dope Show” (Marilyn Manson). There’s also “Never Let Me Down Again” (Depeche Mode). Not a great show by any means, but interesting for fans of bootleg recordings in general.
Lately I’ve noticed some 2007/08 re-broadcasts of shows from the 80’s, particularly Rockpalast. This is great news as we’re finally getting some quality upgrades of classic shows. One I came across was Men At Work from 12/2/82. This one showcases the band’s unique strengths quite nicely. They are often portrayed as a whimsical 80’s act with a couple of dorky hits. However, if you really pay attention to their playing, here especially, you’ll find a truly solid and talented band all around. As I’ve said before, “they don’t make them like this any more”. An interesting note here is the material from their second album “Cargo” which hadn’t been released yet. The album was finished in 1982 but held back until early 1983 due to the success of their debut album. Oddly the song “Overkill” is missing from the re-broadcast - however, the picture and sound are given a nice upgrade.
Steve Winwood and Eric Clapton played a few shows at Madison Square Garden in February and there have been some nice audience sourced shows to document the event. The one I have is from 2/26/08 and taken from 2 audience cameras. The audio is pretty good and overall a very watchable show. Great to see Steve and Eric together again after so many years. This reunion was long overdue with the catalyst being Steve’s appearance at Eric’s 2007 Crossroad’s Blues Festival. When deciding on the setlist for this tour, I hear they picked songs from each other’s catalogs. This made for an interesting setlist, including Eric’s “Forever Man” and Steve’s “Split Decision” among other highlights. It would be nice to have an official release from these shows, but so far, nothing has been announced.
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