| | |  | FUNKY MUSIC | Home » » » James Brown: Live at the Boston Garden - April 5, 1968 | | | | | | | Description: | | On April 5, 1968, soul star James Brown took to the stage in Boston Garden on the day following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. In a show that was nearly cancelled and ultimately broadcast on public television, Brown rose to the occasion with an electrifying set of songs. This presentation of the historic concert shows Brown performing hit after hit to a shocked city on the edge of chaos. 90 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English. | | | Product Details: | | | Actors:
| James Brown | | Format:
| Color, DVD, NTSC | | Language:
| English | | Number of Discs:
| 1 | | Studio:
| Shout Factory | | Run Time:
| 90 minutes | | DVD Release Date:
| January 27, 2009 | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 9 reviews |
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| New | |
| $7.52 | New | | | $7.71 | New | | | $7.72 | New | | | $8.97 | New | | | $8.97 | New | | | $9.02 | New | | | $9.08 | New | | | $9.67 | New | | | $9.70 | New | | | $9.96 | New | | | $9.99 This item is eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. | New | | | $10.07 | New | | | $10.24 | New | | | $10.35 | New | | | $10.50 | New | | | $10.65 | New | | | $10.79 | New | | | $10.95 | New | | | $11.58 | New | | | $12.68 | New | | | $13.01 | New | | | $13.09 | New | | | $13.29 | New | | | $119.99 | New | |
| Used | |
| $7.99 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $9.98 | Used
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| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 9 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 30 found the following review helpful:
 The bestFeb 21, 2009
By Volunteer of America
This has got to be one of the greatest performances ever available on DVD. The incredible originality and talent of James Brown and his players are on full display in this 1968 concert. You can read elsewhere about the social setting and great contribution made by these musicians (and dancers); as well, rest assured, this is one of the greatest live performances you'll ever experience. James Brown is in his prime; totally confident, totally in sync, like his successor Prince an extraordinary singer, dancer, showman; his band is fully up to his standard. What a great DVD, and what a great price! Great crowd too.
15 of 15 found the following review helpful:
Simply the bestDec 24, 2010
By Soul Survivor
My apologies to Tina Turner for stealing her song title, but there are no better words to describe James Brown in concert, and this video captures him at the very pinnacle of his incomparable talent. Just as James Brown's life had its glaring imperfections, this film, produced as it was on a public television station during an incendiary moment in American history, has some faults. The camera angles are often distracting, missing some of Brown's amazing dance moves, and the sound quality is lacking in spots. HOWEVER....the bottom line is this film, shot in black and white, captures both the unmistakable magnetic, almost hypnotic effect James Brown had on his audiences, and the aura of sheer energy and passion that succeeds in making you completely overlook any flaws. And for two hours, the film succeeds in showing James Brown somehow making the audience in Boston that night forget their angst and anger over the murder of Martin Luther King just the day before.
Throughout my nearly sixty years on Earth, I have had the good fortune of seeing literally hundreds of musical artists live, from Artur Rubenstein to Elvis Presley; Miles Davis to Bruce Springsteen, Tina to the Temptations. Most were extremely enjoyable if not memorable, but all of them take a back seat to the indelible performance I saw from James Brown on a cold winter night in February, 1969 at the Milwaukee Auditorium. Before now, the only DVD I had of James Brown live was a poor imitation shot at Montreaux in 1981 when he was clearly past his prime. When I serendipitously happened to see the Boston Concert available on Amazon, one I never knew even existed, I couldn't pull out my Visa fast enough, and was like a little kid again when the package arrived.
After viewing the video the first time, I had to replay it again. And again. And yet again. I couldn't believe what I was seeing through the tears in my eyes. The feelings I experienced brought me back to that night in Milwaukee forty-one years ago as though it were yesterday. The magic of a performer only a few ever attain. Sinatra had it. Springsteen has it. But in his own inimitable fashion, James Brown performing live inspires like no other, and this video, despite its sixties television look, makes you forget your reality for a while, transporting you to a time and place as only the Godfather of Soul could. If you truly appreciate the greatness of rhythm and blues and soul music, this is the best twelve dollar investment you'll ever make.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
Even better as an historic document than as a concert filmJul 03, 2011
By K. Gordon
While this is far from the best filmed James Brown concert technically and arguably even in terms of performance
but this film, off a rough B+W live broadcast for television has a good share of amazing moments.
It took place the day after the assassination of Martin Luther King, and cities across the US were in flames.
In an attempt to keep Boston calm, the mayor has Brown's concert broadcast live, and then re-run through the night.
It worked.
As for the concert, Brown is always a terrific performer, and especially the more bluesy numbers are great and feel heartfelt.
But perhaps more fascinating is the danger in the air, which almost comes to explosion when fans start climbing on the stage.
A very interesting historical document, and showcase of a performer going above and beyond.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Technically just fine except for when the director switched off the cameras or switched to the wrong cameraJan 08, 2012
By C. Scanlon
"least helpful reviewer"
seems like every time he DROPS to one knee, and James does DROP, no punches pulled, amazed he still had knees left at the end, his pants leg all dusty, but he DROPS to one knee, the director cut to a camera in the back, as if he was going to start some Jimi Hendrix kinda of bump and grind thingie on the floor.
This is James, not Jimi; he drops, with style, and grace.
And the way they left the cameras off during his opening speech, about every time a brother is hurt in the ghetto, he feels it, because he is of the ghetto, and about how he started off as a three cent shoe shine boy and worked up to six cents, that speech needs seeing and hearing far more even than Mayor White's cry for interracial peace that night.
But the cameras were not yet on.
This is James Brown, y'all.
Ain't nothing but a party.
Okay, so it is after his huge shows, after so many of his records had become standard in the ghetto (not outside) and for years of his being king of the Apollo, but this is still James Brown.
Mostly it is just a groove show, with the best band in Rock and Roll (INCLUDING Maceo Parker!!) cooking, real tight, grooving, while Mr. Brown screams and wails, this is a tight show, ready to drop on a dime into any of his hits.
But he is not really putting up his hits like a juke box playing record after record. Mostly he sings a verse, a chorus from a hit and moves on, back into that groove. and dog it is hot, that groove, laid back, cooking.
This is what Jimi coulda been doing if he had not run off with the british boys to get his head destroyed, and then die, too.
That night Jimi was playing blues with BB King, mourning together the killing of our Reverend Doctor King, and my my my that is the show that should have been recorded, so we could all mourn forever too.
Here we have the later James Brown doing his show instead. Mayor White figured putting on this nonpolitical minstrel show would save his city from burning. Bread and Circus like the ancient Romans, to keep the plebs from revolting.
Hardly anyone is there in the big stadium.
But the show is well taped, fairly well recorded; watch them work.
Nothing but miking here. .No electronics, just real real. That drummer keeps on and on with that beat, right on time every time, and ready to bust out at a moment's notice, a flick of the wrist from the Hardest Working Man in Show Business, who himself works real hard and comes out to work some more and more and never gets tired, but comes back strong.
What I like is when the Boston City Police in their long leather coats start throwing, literally, people off the stage, James stops them and says, I'll be all right. The spirit of King comes through, and he stops the police from their violence against the people, and let's everyone who wants come up on stage and then gets on with the show. I mean James came up form performing out on the streets, where everyone gets in with you, and then the tiny clubs, and everyone is right there with you, and then the Apollo, where the crowd will throw you off the stage if you do not do it right, and on time and strong.
SO a little Boston crowd was just a nice night out for James and his tight band, complete with strings, and a shake dancer in the back in gogo boots waving her all raised sleeves like an angel.
And he was all right.
We never again will see such, ever again, and this was just about the last we could see of James.
Please see as well the GREAT movie Talk to Me (Widescreen Edition) which steals this show from Mayor White's Boston and moves it to DC, with Petey Greene, and a fifty plus James Brown imitator doing the high kick OVER the mike, see it!
See also, of course the grandson of the godfather of soul out for a little night on the town eight years later, a little night music, in The Mothership Connection Live 1976
entertainingMay 17, 2012
By sonia baha
this dvd was very informative, and entertaining. james brown performs with so much heart and soul it is unbelievable. his energy level is through the roof, i'm really glad i have it in my collection. the only reason i gave it 4 stars was because due to the technical difficulty that the network experienced during recording the concert, it was blocked out for a few minutes, but james more than made up for that, it was like you didn't miss a beat. the audio was not that great but if you have a surround sound system like i do you can kinda make it work. a must have for serious music lovers.
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