Forget the silly Christ imagery and bad poetry that pollutes
Doors lore. They were a good band, Jim Morrison was sexy and had an expressive
voice, and he could put on a good show. Aside from a few breaks to allow him to
indulge in his drivel, The Doors’ historic concert at the Hollywood Bowl in the
summer of ’68 was short on bullshit and high on entertainment.
The audience and the band are in good humor, betraying the
dour reputation of both parties. When Morrison and Ray Manzarek create a moment
of incredible tension in “When the Music’s Over”, Jim snaps it with a well-timed
burp. As the show progresses, the acid he dropped backstage starts to kick in,
and his performance becomes more unpredictable without completely losing the
rhythm. The band is tight, turning in stand out renditions of “Spanish Caravan”
and “The Unknown Soldier”.
Eagle Rock Entertainment’s presentation of The Doors: Live at the Bowl ’68 is as
exceptional as the show. Large chunks of vocals hadn’t been recorded properly
in ’68, so original soundman Bruce Botnick scoured other live recordings until
finding replacements that matched Morrison’s lip movements, while making
additional alterations digitally to sync with his body language. That there is
an impressive attention to detail, friends. The extras are nice too, with some
TV clips and substantial features on the restoration, the Bowl, and the concert
with new interviews from Botnick, Manzarek and Robby Krieger, and
opening act The Chambers Brothers.
