CHUCK BERRY: ROCK & ROLL MUSIC

Chuck freaking Berry, one of the greatest Rock N Roll pioneers of all time! A Rock N Roll musician so great that he per-dates "The King Of Rock N Roll" Elvis. How could you not appreciate the classic Rock N Roll songs that he wrote like "Roll Over Beethoven", Maybellene", "Johnny B. Goode", and "Rock N Roll Music" and not enjoy his showman ship as a performer with his cool Guitar playing and iconic movements such as the "Duck Walk" for example. The guy is 89 years old and still he's playing! Since I reviewed some concert videos in the past,every now and then, I'm going to review a few concert videos and films that star this Rock N Roll legend starting with...




As I was "YouTube" suffering clips of Chuck Berry, I came across a few full length concert videos of him performing, and the one that I thought would be a good start for me to review is him performing at the "Toronto Rock And Roll Revival" in 1969, which was a festival held at Varsity Stadium, at the University of Toronto as classic Rock N Roll musicians such as Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bo Diddley, and even rock legends and bands of the 60s like "The Doors", Alice Cooper, and John Lennon and "The Plastic Ono Band", all played for an audience of over 20,000! The concert was also documented into an hour and 10 minute documentary called "Sweet Toronto" that's now titled on the DVD release "John Lennon And The Plastic Ono Band: Sweet Toronto". There's even videos showing the complete performance of Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis that I might possibly review in the future along with the film (But I make no promises). So with being one of the most awesome Rock N Roll concerts of all time, does Chuck Berry's on stage performance at the concert prove to not disappoint (Even though he's Chuck Berry); ON WITH THE REVIEW!

ROCK & ROLL MUSIC

Chuck Berry makes a cool entrance as he Hi-Fives (I'm amusing) the guy who introduced him, and has the crowd chant the words "Ole" and "Peace" before he starts opening up his set with the song "Rock & Roll Music". As good as Chuck Berry’s singing and on stage presence is as he sings one of his hit songs, the tempo and beat moves pretty slow, instead of being played as fast and energetic as the song originally sounded. Chuck Berry even on one occasion slows down his singing almost as if he's trolling us saying "If you think the beat is slow, well I can make this song even slower with my singing". Actually, after the song Chuck Berry says that this song and performance was really more for a chance for him and the band to tune up, instead of being the actual opening number for the show (Which technically is). The opening credits that appear during this number are pretty cheap looking, but since the footage is as raw and old as most recording of classic concerts from the 60s it seems pretty fitting. By the way, as good as Chuck Berry looks, I will say that his mustache looks really weird in this video. It almost looks like that he used a bit of shoe polish to use as a substitute for his actual mustache and stuck a few hairs on it for it to stand out. It just looks weird. Still as slow as the number is, it is still a decent opening number or tune up number that Chuck Berry likes to call it, that gets you pumped up for more of Chuck Berry's songs.

SCHOOL DAYS (LONG LIVE ROCK N' ROLL)

After Berry jokes around about claiming to not have a set-list as they just randomly choose his songs as they go along, Berry starts his "real" opening song number "School Days", which at first the tempo for the song is just as fast as the song is, but then it just suddenly slows down during the middle of the song, to then going back to it's normal fast pace after Berry's guitar solo. Speaking of guitar solo, we get two short ones. One from the guitar player playing with Berry who sounds a bit out of tune, and the other from Berry who of course does a great job as he hops around on the stage making up for the first guitar solo. As a matter a fact, just Berry strumming his guitar during the guitar players solo, already he still manages to save the failed solo, as well as stealing the spotlight away from the guitar player. Chuck Berry also gets the crowd to join in with him before the song ends, and once the song ends; he's still not finished with the crowd participation as he once again has them shout out the words "Ole". The tempo in the song is off, but Chuck Berry still manages to make it rock with his guitar solo, strumming, singing, and having the crowd participate with him.

JOHNNY B. GOODE/CAROL/PROMISED LAND

Chuck Berry announces that he and his band are finally tuned after their "opening song" (Even though he just said he and his band were already tuned after their actual first song. How many times is he going to use that excuse when the tempo is slow or uneven) and immediately plays another one of his iconic songs "Johnny B. Goode". I have to say despite that the tempo is still a bit slow and Chuck Berry seems to be out of breath on one or two occasions, I'm not going to lie, this performance is awesome. While his singing is good and his interaction with the audience is inviting, his guitar solo is what makes it so great. It does sound out of tune at times, but it still sounds rockin, and how he plays the guitar as he dances around is phenomenal! I can't describe it in words; you'll just have to see the performance for yourself. The surprising part is just when you think the song's over, Berry immediately transitions to his next song "Carol" and he's still rockin out with his guitar playing, singing voice, and interaction with the audience. Yet, just when you think Berry's two song medley is over, he's playing a little bit of his song "Promised Land" to close out the medley, and yes, he's still doing just as great as he did when he started the medley. It's also nice that we get to see glimpse of the audience dancing around as Berry's playing, instead of just seeing them singing along with him and applauding! This medley is indeed one of the highlights in the whole video, where Berry really shines at his best.

(I'M YOUR) HOOCHIE KOOCHIE MAN

After that incredible three song medley, Chuck Berry starts Bluesing up the stage with the Rock and Blues song "(I'm Your) Hoochie Koochie Man". The minute Berry and the band played the notes, already I was sucked in by the song and performance. Berry's singing is as cool as the song is; he gets some killer guitar solos that make the song cooler than it already is; and even the band make the song sound as cool as Chuck Berry playing and singing it. What else can I say; it's just a really cool song and performance.

MAYBELLENE

After seeing Berry really rock up the stage with the last few songs he performed, things suddenly go downhill when he starts playing "Maybellene" at the audience’s request. Now I love the song "Maybellene", it's a Chuck Berry classic and Chuck Berry does a decent job singing the song, but the band sounds like their having trouble keeping up with Berry, as well as Berry himself having trouble leading them. The sound quality also sounds pretty off and the tempo for the song is very slow compared to his "Tune-Up" numbers. However, I will admit as slow and off as the sound and music is, I still found myself tapping my toe as I heard the song, and the audience themselves seemed to enjoy his performance ok, so it's definitely not terrible, it's just comparing his performance here, to the previous songs he sang at the concert, it is pretty weak. By the way, be on the look out for “The Doors" hanging out on the side of the stage, where you'll see the lead singer Jim Morrison wearing a blue coat. However their appearance is really hard to see, so try to look for them as Berry plays his guitar solo.

TOO MUCH MONKEY BUSINESS

After a pretty weak performance of a great Chuck Berry song, Berry quickly bounces back up when he plays "Too Much Monkey Business". Alright yes I'll admit the tempo is still a bit slow and the sound quality is still a little off, but it's not only not as bad as it sounded in the last number but Berry pretty much saves it as he gets another cool guitar solo with his iconic movements, and putting in a little humor when he sings after the guitar solo. It’s definitely a great performance that redeems Berry and the Band’s weak performance of a classic song.

REELIN' & ROCKIN'

While "Too Much Monkey Business" showed Berry and the Band bouncing back up after their disappointing live performance of “Maybellene”, Berry really rocks up the stage with his song "Reelin' & Rockin'". Yes the tempo is still a bit slow, and the song itself does go on a bit too long, but none of that really matters because Berry really seems to be having fun playing this song. Granted he seems to already be having fun throughout the concert, but Berry really seems to be having a ball from the way he sings and delivers these lyrics to the audience, to later on playing another great guitar solo. I really can't explain how he seems to be having more fun here compared to the other songs that he's performed at the concert, he just seems to be really at home when playing this song; and the audience seems to really get a kick out of it as well.

SWEET LITTLE SIXTEEN

Chuck Berry performs his heart out with another one his classic songs that's so good that "The Beach Boys" stole the tune for their song "Surfin' USA" which is "Sweet Little Sixteen". The slow tempo still remains, but the charm, singing, guitar playing, and showmanship that Chuck Berry brings rises above it, where he's still in total control. Just for the record, I still enjoy "Surfin USA" despite being a rip-off of a Chuck Berry classic, for its harmony and at the Beach feel.  At least Chuck Berry is now credited as being one of the writers for the song.

IN THE WEE,WEE HOURS (I THINK OF YOU)

Berry performs his slow Blues rock song "In The Wee-Wee Hours (I Think Of You)" and this is definitely where the slow tempo from the band is totally welcomed considering that most of the songs he sings at the concert are classic rock songs that are fast paced, while this song is meant to be slow; and man does his back-up band really shine at playing this number. Berry himself sings the number very smoothly, but it's his cool guitar playing that makes him shine in this number. Though to be honest, when does Berry's guitar playing not put a smile on your face? He's seriously one of the best Rock N Roll guitar players of all time!

BRENDA LEE/JOHNNY B. GOODE (REPRISE)

Berry ends the show by singing his own version of singing "Good Night Sweetheart", where he sings the first verse in French as puts his Chuck Berry charm into; to singing an improv version of the song at the second and final verse. However, before he goes, his goodbyes are not finished until he rocks up the stage one last time with a reprise of Johnny B. Goode, and just like how he performed it the first time, it's just as incredible. Even the slow band is really picking up the pace with this song. The only downside to this is when we're half of way through Berry's final guitar solo, the picture becomes dark and the credits start to roll, which is a bit disappointing considering that this is his last song at the concert. With that aside, it's still a great conclusion to Chuck Berry's performance at the concert that "completes his show” perfectly!

OVERALL

Aside from the slow paced Band that's backing-up Berry, I honestly don't have much to fault this video for. This video and performance really captures what a great artist that Chuck Berry is, from his singing, to his guitar playing, to his interaction with the audience. Even when the Band is at their slowest, Berry still manages to give a great show. If Berry had a better back-up Band, I'm willing to bet that this concert would have been twice as amazing, but for what we're given, it's still a really awesome performance. Yeah it has some problems, but really they aren't bad enough to ruin the performance that Berry gives. If you want to see a Rock N Roll legend, than be sure to give it a watch!

RATING 4/5