To see a complete concert from the Doors is like taking a wild trip into a different frame of mind in rock and roll, when you could see just about anything on stage creatively. This concert, from 1968 in Hollywood, is the band in their utmost prime. With the Doors you get the strange, overpowering presence and lead-man power of Jim Morrison, who gets in such a frame of mind during his sets one wonders if he puts himself in a trance (or maybe not- before 'The End' plays, he tries to tell the lighting people to fix something, and it becomes a little comical). Bottom line is that the concert features the best of the Doors live, and for especially the more blues-driven rock fans, there are some great numbers of 'Alabama Song', 'Back Door Man', and 'Five to One'. But mostly, and this was the pleasure for me, the highlights include the longer songs- the slow, pulsating 'When the Music's Over', the classic hit 'Light my Fire' (as many times as I've heard it on the radio, it never gets old live), 'The End' being one of the Doors most notorious and beautiful epics, and their most stream-of-consciousness work 'Celebration of the Lizard' which has the distinction of having Morrison's poetry overcoming the rock parts of the song. Basically, it's one of the purest rock concert videos out there, and it may even turn on some casual observers of the Doors to check out more of the non-radio stuff like 'Lizard' and 'Spanish Caravan'. A+
The Doors: Live at the Hollywood Bowl
(1987 Video)
four of the greatest rock epics ever, all in one concert!
22 July 2005