Got Live If You Want It

By Scott Smith in Arts & Entertainment on Dec 8, 2004 6:37PM

Often assailed as a huge megaplex with no soul, the AMC River East does have the occasional free screening that makes it worth braving the crowds who are all amped up to see National Treasure. Tomorrow night they’ll be showing The White Stripes – Under Blackpool Lights, which was released this week on DVD. Documenting a January 2004 show at the Empress Ballroom in Blackpool England, the Detroit duo pulls out their own “hits” as well as covers of Bob Dylan and Dolly Parton classics. The film starts at 7 PM.

Speaking of concert films, there’ve been a couple of major releases onto DVD over the last month. After years of bootlegging, Live Aid finally saw the legitimate light of day in a four-disc set to commemorate its 20th anniversary. While organizer Bob Geldof had promised the bands that they would not be taped, MTV and the BBC must have kept their fingers crossed behind their backs as the master tapes were recently unearthed in some mislabeled boxes. Unfortunately, it’s not a complete version of both shows. The biggest loss is a reunited Led Zeppelin though they turned in a lackluster set by most accounts. But take heart you Nik Kershaw and Ultravox completists: an expanded version will inevitably surface for the 30th Anniversary.

Also released on DVD this week was Simon and Garfunkel’s Old Friends, Live On Stage, a chronicle of their 2003 reunion tour. Chicgoist thinks a more accurate title from their canon would be Fakin’ It. Simon has never really been able to let go of the acrimony between himself and his erstwhile muse. Rather than convert that energy into a heartbreaking performance, the words and music become the sounds of early retirement.

Image: Mtv.com