The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has been around since 1965 with Jackson Browne being one of the original line up. Of the originals, Les Thompson, Jimmy Fadden and Jeff Hanna are still hanging in there supported by John McEwen who replaced Jackson Browne after only a few months and Jimmie Ibbotson who joined in 1970. As one of the first Country Rock Bands they had influence on such bands as The Eagles and Alabama and were the major force (along with The Byrds) in transforming Folk-rock into Country-rock.
Filmed at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville using 7 cameras, the picture quality is variable, the sound however is superb having been mastered in Dolby Digital 5.1. Being mainly an acoustic set, the overall impact is not as immediate as a full electric concert, although as country based music, this is no bad thing.

This concert was really a celebration of the acclaimed "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" collaborative albums and the band is joined on stage by such luminaries as Vince Gill, Rosanne Cash, Taj Mahal, John Hiatt and many others.
You need to be a fan of both types of music (country AND western) to really appreciate this DVD Concert although any Blues aficionado will love the country-blues story telling. I'm not sure I could sit through too many viewings as most of my favourite songs (Mr. Bojangles, House on Pooh Corner etc.) are missing. Still, the essence of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is present and gets the old feet tapping - now if only I can find that old bottle of moonshine!

Video 3 out of 5
Audio 4 out of 5
DVD 3.5 out of 5