LIVE AT THE ISLE OF WIGHT FESTIVAL

Fourteen years ago I watched on TV the film called "Message to Love" which is about the Isle of Wight Festival of 1970. That film shows not only some songs performed by some bands, but also the violence from some parts of the audience against paying for their attendance to Rock Music Festivals and also some verbal violence against some musicians like Joni Mitchell (a very unfair thing). By 1970 some of the idealism of the sixties disappeared and some parts of the audiences saw Rock Festivals as only "money making" activities for the people who created them. In the end, the promoters of this Isle of Wight Festival had to make this 1970 Rock Festival as for "free admission" due to the violence of some parts of the audience.

There were several very good bands appearing at that Festival and in that "Message to Love" film, and also other DVDs and / or CDs have been released from some complete concerts from some bands (Jethro Tull, ELP...). And also some seven years ago I watched on TV to this film from The Who playing at that Festival. They looked somewhat sober (I think) and they did not suffer the violence of the audience, who looked very happy at the time of The Who`s apperance. The band first played some of their hits plus other not very well known songs from their repertoire. They even laughed and did some jokes (particularly done by Pete Townshend and Keith Moon), making the audience laugh too. They also played an almost complete version of their rock opera titled "Tommy". It seems that being a quartet they could not reproduce all the songs from the album live, and most of the songs from the "Tommy" album have a lot of overdubs. Anyway, it was a brave attempt by the band to try to play this rock opera live during 1969-70. And I really missed some of those overdubs. The band played an almost "raw" version of that rock opera, maybe looking a bit tired of playing it live during those years.

Rock Festivals were a fad during the late sixties and early seventies. Unfortunately, the increasing violence by some parts of the audiences made them not very attractive as jobs for the musicians and not very attractive as businesses for the promoters. In the DVD from Jethro Tull from the Isle of Wight Festival from 1970 Ian Anderson talks about his dislike of this kind of Festivals.

The quality of the images and sound is very good.

There is a dedication to Keith Moon at the end of the film, showing him doing one of his very famous jokes in front of the camera.