trimmerb1234 In this concert Roy Orbison was surrounded by an aristocracy of stars in their own right from a younger generation. But almost completely self-effacing they were there to pay tribute to the master himself and to be present at the great occasion. And what an occasion it turned out to be. The world is familiar with Orbison's classic songs recorded from 1960 onwards and most remember how he then sang them. The surprise was that at this, what was to be his last, concert he brought enhanced interpretations to his established classics There was more expression, sometimes in places more power and real unexpected drama. The climax at the end of Running Scared was absolutely electrifying. All participants paid verbal tribute in their own ways to Orbison in pieces to camera at the end. k d lang said it best: Orbison didn't sing songs, he sang epics. Of all that younger generation she was perhaps best placed to make that judgement.

Michael_Elliott Roy Orbison: Black and White Nights (1988) **** (out of 4) Roy Orbison is joined on stage by Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Elvis Costello, k.d. Lang, Bonnie Raitt, Tom Waits and many others but this concert belongs to the legendary Roy from start to finish. Kicking off with "Only the Lonely" and finishing with "Oh, Pretty Woman", this concert features one great performance after another with numerous songs bringing the house down including great versions of "Dream Baby", "Ooby Dooby", "In Dreams" and "Crying". Seventeen songs are packed into a fast paced 65-minutes making this one of the greatest concert/documents ever recorded. From the opening lyrics of "Only the Lonely" it's clear Orbison has control of the stage and that remarkable voice of his. I've read reviews stating his voice was hit and miss during this portion of his career but there's no doubt he's on fire here. All one really has to do is look at the face's on his supporting cast to know how special a night this was and especially Springsteen who had always admired Orbison. What really amazes me about the show is how it's able to take you back to the 1950's. Perhaps this is due to the B&W cinematography but I think it's something more than that. It's somewhat as if we were transported back to when Orbison first hit the stage because you'd never know this concert was coming towards the end of the singer's life. The film has some incredible cinematography with beautiful shades and the contrast is just remarkable. The sound, be it on the DVD or Blu, is downright incredible and really brings this thing to life. The entire show is rather remarkable but I'd say the highlight for me was the breathtaking "In Dreams".

ahuber8 I grew up with R&R, and this is one of the best performances I have ever seen. I also have a video tape of this show that I made from the concert on TV, and this is the consummate Roy Orbison. The rest of the crew are all great, too, and when you watch this, you know they were having fun! The B&W makes it seem even better, for me; I love every second of it, and the jam sessions are totally and ecstatically foot-stompin' wonderful! The guys doing their things individually, as in "Oobie Doobie" and in "Pretty Woman", seem to go on forever. This concert must have been one of the best times these folks ever had. The emotions in songs like "Leah", "In Dreams" and "Cryin'" will just get into your heart. Oh, BTW: Turn the volume UP!!

sunbeam-4 As an amateur musician, I truly appreciate great music, and this was one of the best hours of television I've ever seen. Everyone was great, especially Roy, Bruce and the other guitar players and musicians. I especially liked Jennifer Warnes, K.D., and Bonnie as backup singers. To sum it up- a truly inspiring hour of music and a tribute to Roy, who passed away way too young. There should be more shows of this caliber- TV would be a better place.