Got a first-rate entertainment system on your jet? Consider putting it through its paces with one of these popular-music concert films.
- Leonard Cohen—Live in Dublin. This recently released video, the first to capture a full Cohen concert in high definition, explains why people love his music—and him. Save it for a long flight because the show—performed the month the singer turned 79—runs three hours.
- Counting Crows—August and Everything After: Live at Town Hall. The band serves up everything from its seven-million-selling debut album in an emotion-packed New York show. Lead singer Adam Duritz is at his theatrical best throughout and the band captivates on classics like “Mr. Jones.”
- Crowded House—Farewell to the World. The best rock group ever to emerge from Down Under performs an outdoor show in Sydney, Australia, for an audience estimated at up to 250,000. It was supposed to be the quartet’s final gig, but after watching it, you’ll be glad it wasn’t.
- Love—The Forever Changes Concert. Love leader Arthur Lee and friends deliver every song from the band’s Forever Changes, one of the most original and enduring rock albums of its time, even though it sold only modestly in the years after its 1967 release.
- Roy Orbison—A Black and White Night. The biggest hits, that inimitable three-octave voice and backup from such adoring fans as Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Bruce Springsteen, k.d. lang, Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne.
- Bruce Springsteen—Hammersmith Odeon. Available as part of a 30th-anniversary edition of Born to Run, this 1975 London concert leaves no doubt what all the fuss was about.
- Bruce Springsteen—Live in New York City. Bruce, Clarence and the rest of the crew are at the peak of their powers in 2000 at Madison Square Garden.
- Talking Heads—Stop Making Sense. Director Jonathan Demme captures the rhythmic, funky and unique sound of David Byrne and his bandmates.
- Various artists—Bob Dylan: The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration. An amazing body of work meets a terrific list of performers—Tom Petty, Neil Young, George Harrison, Eric Clapton and many more, including the man of the hour.
- Various artists—The Complete Monterey Pop Festival. Arguably less important culturally than Woodstock, but unarguably more important musically, Monterey featured seminal work by the Who, Simon & Garfunkel, the Byrds, Janis Joplin, Otis Redding, Jimi Hendrix and many others.
- Various artists—Concert for George. This film of a London concert, which took place on the first anniversary of George Harrison’s death, includes fine covers of his songs by many of his friends—and what friends he had: Tom Petty, Eric Clapton and Ravi Shankar are here, as are both surviving Beatles.
- Various artists—25th Anniversary Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Concerts. More than five hours’ worth of stellar performances by everyone from John Fogerty, U2 and Simon & Garfunkel to early rock icons like Little Anthony, Darlene Love and Dion.
Want more lists? Stand by for Business Jet Traveler's 4th Annual Book of Lists, coming in the magazine's June/July 2015 issue.
Jeff Burger joined Business Jet Traveler in March 2004, a few months after the publication’s launch. Besides editing the magazine, he has written many articles for it and conducted its interviews with such luminaries as Sir Richard Branson, James Carville, Suze Orman, Donald Trump, F. Lee Bailey, and Steve Van Zandt. Burger helped to oversee the introduction of BJT’s annual Readers' Choice surveys and Buyers’ Guide.
During his years with the magazine, it has won well over a hundred editorial awards. In 2011, Burger received the Gold Wing Award for Reporting Excellence from the National Business Aviation Association and the Aviation Journalism Award from the National Air Transportation Association. He has also won writing and editing awards from the American Society of Business Publication Editors. BJT, meanwhile, was named Best International Publication in 2017 in the Aerospace Media Awards. It was also a Magazine of the Year finalist in 2011, 2013, and 2016 and an Overall Excellence winner in 2018 in competitions sponsored by the American Society of Business Publication Editors.
Before coming to BJT, Burger spent 14 years at Medical Economics, the nation’s leading business magazine for doctors, where he served on the editorial board; directed staff recruiting; oversaw a $2 million annual budget; and was financial editor, news editor, and director of special projects. He has been editor of several publications, including Phoenix Magazine in Arizona, and has been a consulting editor at Time Inc. His articles have appeared in more than 75 magazines and newspapers, among them The Los Angeles Times, Barron’s, Reader’s Digest, Gentlemen’s Quarterly , and Family Circle. Chicago Review Press published his books, Springsteen on Springsteen: Interviews, Speeches, and Encounters, Leonard Cohen on Leonard Cohen: Interviews and Encounter, Lennon on Lennon: Conversations with John Lennon, and Dylan on Dylan: Interviews and Encounters. His music writing appears on multiple websites, including his own byjeffburger.com.
Burger, a summa cum laude graduate of the State University of New York at Albany, lives in Ridgewood, N.J. He and his wife, Madeleine, have two grown children. His off-hours passions include cooking, travel, technology, movies, and music.
