The concert opened with a traditional
Sanskrit invocation, the Sarveshamchant, followed by
Indian music starting with
Anoushka Shankar, daughter of
Ravi Shankar, playing "Your Eyes". Next, Anoushka Shankar, Dhani Harrison, and
Jeff Lynne performed "
The Inner Light", followed by a Ravi Shankar composition "Arpan" (Sanskrit for 'to give'), specially written for the occasion.
The event was filmed and a
motion picture version, directed by
David Leland and photographed by
Academy Award-winning cinematographer
Chris Menges, was released on DVD on 17 November 2003. A
compact disc version was also released on the same date although the Monty Python and Sam Brown tracks were not included on the CD. A Blu-ray version was released by
Rhino Records on 22 March 2011.[4]
In 2018, to honour what would have been Harrison's 75th birthday, the concert made its debut on streaming services, and was issued on a vinyl LP set for the first time.[2]
Set list
"Sarveshaam"
Traditional prayer – including a dedication by Ravi Shankar
Anoushka Shankar: sitar; Jeff Lynne: vocals, acoustic guitar; Dhani Harrison: backing vocals, piano; Rajendara Prasanna: shahnai; Tanmoy Bose: tabla; Sunil Gupta: flute; M. Balanchandar: mridangam; Unidentified musicians: other instruments
"Arpan" (Ravi Shankar) – 23:01
Anoushka Shankar: conductor; Sukanya Shankar: vocal-shloka; M. Balanchandar: mridangam; Rajendara Prasanna: shahnai; Vishwa Mohan Bhatt: mohan vina; Tanmoy Bose: tabla, dholak; Chandrasekhar, Balu Raghuraman: violins; Eric Clapton: acoustic guitar;
Pedro Eustache: wind instruments; Sunil Gupta: flute; Anuradha Krishamurthi, O.S. Arun: vocals; Jane Lister: harp; Gaurav Mazumdar: sitar; Snehashish Mzumdar: mandolin; Ramesh Mishra: sarangi; Pirashanna Thevarajah: percussion; Kenji Ota: tanpura; Barry Phillips: cello; Emil Richards: marimba; Partho Sarathy: sarod; Hari Sivanesan, Sivaskti Sivanesan: veena; Boys and Girls Choir courtesy of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan; English Chamber Choir;
London Metropolitan Orchestra (Andrew Brown, Roger Chase, Chris Fish, Helen Hathorn, Lynda Houghton, Ian Humphries, Zoe Martlew, Stella Page, Debbie Widdup)
Michael Kamen – string conductor, string arrangement
Comedy Interlude including four members of Monty Python: Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin. Also performing: Neil Innes, Carol Cleveland, Tom Hanks, and The Fred Tomlinson Singers.
"
Sit on My Face" (Eric Idle / Harry Parr-Davies) – 0:44
"
The Lumberjack Song" (Terry Jones / Michael Palin / Fred Tomlinson) – 4:09
Joe Brown: vocals, acoustic guitar; Neil Gauntlett: acoustic guitar; Dave "Rico" Niles: bass; Phil Capaldi: drums; Andy Fairweather-Low: electric guitar
Joe Brown: vocals, mandolin; Neil Gauntlett: acoustic guitar; Dave "Rico" Niles: bass; Phil Capaldi: drums; Andy Fairweather-Low: slide electric guitar
Tom Petty: vocals, 12-string acoustic guitar; Mike Campbell: guitar; Benmont Tench: electric piano; Ron Blair: bass; Steve Ferrone: drums; Scott Thurston: backing vocals, guitar
"
Handle with Care" (George Harrison / Jeff Lynne / Roy Orbison / Tom Petty / Bob Dylan) – 3:27
Tom Petty: vocals, 12-string acoustic guitar; Jeff Lynne: vocals, guitar; Dhani Harrison: acoustic guitar; Scott Thurston: backing vocals, guitar, harmonica; Mike Campbell: guitar; Benmont Tench: electric piano; Ron Blair: bass; Steve Ferrone: drums; Jim Keltner: drums
Paul McCartney: vocals, acoustic guitar; Ringo Starr: drums; Eric Clapton: 12-string acoustic guitar; Dhani Harrison: electric guitar; Klaus Voormann: bass; Marc Mann: slide guitar
Eric Clapton: vocals, guitar; Jeff Lynne: vocals, acoustic guitar;[5] Paul McCartney: piano; Ringo Starr: drums; Andy Fairweather-Low: vocals, guitar; Supergroup of Guest Musicians: other instruments