FILM: ‘James Brown: Live at the Boston Garden: April 5, 1968’ [Extended Edition]
To approach a review of the new, extended DVD release of James Brown’s April 5, 1968, concert at the Boston Garden as purely a concert is to do it a gross disservice. The show was perfunctorily shot and aired live on Boston’s Public TV station WGBH by standard Sixties black and white television video cameras. The sound mix is also fairly adequate, with Brown’s vocals sometimes running hot in the mix, due to the era’s technology. The show is a record of a pretty typical James Brown review from the era, with Brown opening and closing the night. Sandwiched between Brown are songs from Marva Whitney and an amateurish comedy act from Maceo Parker.
The circumstances under which this show was recorded, however, are anything but ordinary. The day before the show, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had been assassinated. The black community was on fire with understandable rage, and racial tensions were high in cities across the country. The night King was shot, Boston was ravaged by a night of racial unrest and rioting. Mayor Kevin White and city official Tom Atkins made a decision to air Brown’s show live on television in an attempt to quell any riots that would erupt in the city center post-King’s death, and keep people at home watching TV. (Funnily enough, the concert almost wasn’t televised: Brown would lose around $60 000 due to a non-compete agreement with another television opportunity. The city of Boston recouped Brown’s losses, however, and the show went on.
Where this filmed performance succeeds is as a historical document of a time and a place — not too different than our own. Brown is truly the king, the absolute Godfather of Soul, and through his music, the community could find, at least for that 90-minute concert, peace through his energy. Brown’s vocals shine through even in the rough mix, often sounding garage rock-ish in their wailing intensity. A special standout is his rendition of “That’s Life” — its lyrics about the ups and downs of the life experience being particularly poignant.
During one of the show’s most memorable and tension-filled moments, young fans start climbing onstage, and police start pushing back. Brown takes command of the dangerous and difficult situation and calms them down. (An occurrence later captured in last year’s James Brown biopic, Get On Up.) This is an interesting microcosmal moment of the show and Brown’s place in the larger African-American culture at the time. It was fortunate that Brown was supposed to play that day as opposed to an artist of lesser stature who might not have handled the situation with his aplomb and authority.
This new release from Shout! Factory is the first time the full telecast of this show has been presented on a standalone DVD. It’s good to be able to jump around, as the entire telecast feels long and has many skippable elements, good for their historical significance, but making the run time of the entire program feel like a long 90 minutes. For those interested in the events surrounding the show, however, it’s imperative to include Mayor Kevin White and councilman Tom Atkins’ pre-show speeches in your viewing plans. This is some good, relevant history and is worth a watch.
Have you gotten a chance to see this important, historical performance yet? Share your favorite moments in the comments!
