Product Description

On December 14, 1999, 300 people squeezed into the Cavern Club in Liverpool to watch Paul McCartney perform at The Beatles' legendary venue for the first time since 1963. Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour and Deep Purple drummer Ian Paice were among the other great musicians joining Paul on stage. You can now view this unique piece of rock 'n' roll history, as well as two of Paul's latest music videos and an interview with him on this special DVD release. Songs: Honey Hush, Blue Jean Bop, Brown-Eyed Handsome Man, Fabulous, What It Is, Lonesome Town, Twenty Flight Rock, No Other Baby, Try Not to Cry, Shake a Hand, All Shook Up, I Saw Her Standing There, Party. 63 minutes.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #68912 in DVD
• Released on: 2001-06-19
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, DVD, Live, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 60 minutes

Amazon.com
When Paul McCartney and a select band of ace musicians played this 15-song set of vintage rockers (including two new "old" tunes) on December 14, 1999, 300 lucky people were packed into Liverpool's legendary Cavern Club, where the Beatles got their start nearly four decades earlier. But the show--comprised entirely of songs from McCartney's 1999 release Run Devil Run--was also seen by a record-setting Internet audience, allowing the whole world to share the joy of seeing McCartney return, literally and musically, to the roots of his illustrious career. This is no-frills McCartney, liberated from the Beatles and Wings (with the exception of a rousing "I Saw Her Standing There"), and while the trademark McCartney howl has grown rough at the edges, his love for this music is enduring and infectious; it's easy to imagine him 40 years earlier, in the Cavern's previous incarnation (the old club was excavated and refurbished in 1984), belting out a similar set with the same youthful fervor that he demonstrates here.

Boosted by the flawless guitar duo of David Gilmour and Mick Green, McCartney starts out unevenly (his vocals on "Lonesome Town" are undeniably strained), but the show steadily improves, and the Mac original "Try Not to Cry" qualifies as a bona fide highlight, proving that McCartney can hold his own in any rock-historical context. And while the 45-minute set is regrettably brief, this DVD includes two excellent features--a McCartney interview and a Run, Devil, Run promo documentary--that combine illuminating history with latter-day perspective. Band-member biographies and two 1999 music videos make this a well-rounded package for McCartney's devoted fans. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

McCartney's BEST Live Video
This concert is definitely worth owning on DVD. Paul performed in December of 1999 at the Cavern Club in Liverpool as a way of celebrating the end of the year/century/millenium. It was also a celebration of his career in rock'n'roll. Hands down, this is the best available live video McCartney has released. It is brimming with energy and he is in excellent voice-- really belting out these old classics. Most of the songs were from his '99 album "Run Devil Run" (also HIGHLY recommended, especially as a companion piece to this).

The concert includes 13 songs. Notable musicians accompanying him are Pink Floyd's David Gilmour on guitar, and Deep Purple's Ian Paice on drums. These guys put their all into these performances, you won't find McCartney rocking out with more abandon in any of his other concert releases. Unlike the "Get Back"(1990) and "Paul is Live"(1993) documents of his world tours, this is not a slick polished presentation-- it's raw, old-fashioned rock'n'roll.

While the concert itself runs only 46 minutes, a couple worthwhile extra features have been included. Most notable, a 22 minute featurette that documents the making of the "Run Devil Run" album, with Paul explaining how the songs were chosen for the album (this includes some in-the-studio footage from the recording sessions). There is also an entertaining 17 minute interview with Paul giving song-by-song commentary on the songs chosen to be performed in the concert. Also included are music videos for two songs from "Run Devil Run". These videos are actually pretty interesting and worth seeing, definitely different from other McCartney music videos. All together, there is a little over 90 minutes on this DVD if you watch everything-- worth the money in my opinion.

Even if you've seen this concert when it was recently broadcast on PBS, you really should pick this up. The picture is crystal clear and the sound is awesome.

"RUN DEVIL RUN" CONCERT SHINES FOR SIR PAUL.
This review of the "Live at the Cavern Club" DVD is based on the PBS Special which aired in 2000 across the U.S.A.

"Live at the Cavern Club" was the live "end of the millenium" concert that Sir Paul and friends (including Dave Gilmour (Pink Floyd) and Ian Paice (Deep Purple)put on at the "new" Cavern Club at the end of 1999. This has long been rumored for DVD release for at least a year now, and with the new "Wingspan" documentary Paul must think the time is right for the release now.

The concert consists almost entirely of songs from the then new "Run Devil Run" rock oldies album. If you like this album and/or want to see a legendary figure perform in the place that started it all, than this DVD will be for you. However, besides a nod to the Beatles with "I Saw Her Standing There" at the end of the concert, there are no other Beatles/Wings or Solo songs in the show. If you want that check out the other new DVD Release of Paul's "Flowers in the Dirt" "Get Back Tour Live" DVD which is being released at around the same time.

All in all, a very spirited performance by a rock legend who seems to be really enjoying himself and a chance for us to enjoy it now on DVD as well.

A McCartney DVD that's everything it should be...
The concert itself was fantastic - setting viewing records via the Internet, containing a great lineup (besides McCartney, David Gilmour, Mick Green, Ian Paice and Pete Wingfield) - but here, the extras really shine.

First, a 22 minute interview where you learn more than you ever could via the usual celebrity interviews, with their same old questions (Yes, we know that "Yesterday" came in a dream...)

Next, a 22 minute "making of" documentary much in the same style as his previous "compilation" documentaries, "The World Tonight", "Movin' On" and others. This one's chock full of great studio footage and personal anecdotes, and isn't even listed on the DVD package as one of the extras.

Then, there's the two complete videos made to promote "No Other Baby" and "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" - an especially welcome addition for the American fans (and I imagine others) who never get to see these things uncut, and in quality, if at all. (One hopes Paul will see fit to include the relevant videos on any future re-issues of his older documentaries, to DVD.)

And then there's the concert itself - a wonderful, intimate concert (300 in attendance, in person) - wonderfully recorded, and wonderfully transferred to the DVD.

All in all, there's absolutely nothing which would make this better - a complete, interesting coverage of the "Run Devil Run" album and the Cavern Club concert, with great classic rock'n'roll to spare.