‘The Official John Denver Celebration Concert’ inside scoop

An unforgettable outtake from the 1994 “Very Best of John Denver” Heartland Music compilation cover as well as the “Take Me Home: An Autobiography” shoot finds a blue denim and brown jacket-clad Denver strumming a National steel resonator guitar in the Great Outdoors. Photography by John Russell / Studio Van Dijken

Decades after the shocking demise of ubiquitous TV, film [e.g. trading barbs with cigar-chomping comedy icon George Burns in Oh, God!], and Hot 100 entertainer John Denver, fans can experience the beloved Colorado poet laureate onstage via video. Taking its cue from the innovative “Elvis: The Concert” — which coincidentally debuted the same year as Denver’s 1997 passing to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death — “The Official John Denver Celebration Concert” is sanctioned by Denver’s estate. Previously known as “John Denver: A Rocky Mountain High Concert,” the multimedia visual experience combines Denver road band alums with archival concert footage. Taken from the past 50 years — a notable chunk derives from the singer’s mid-’80s world tour of Japan and England along with his celebrated 1995 Wildlife Concert — the archival footage eliminates nearly all sounds except Denver’s voice and acoustic guitar.

The live quintet features the renowned Jim Horn on saxophone and woodwinds [with Denver from 1978–1995; also played on the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds and George Harrison’s Concert for Bangladesh], bassist Alan Deremo [1994–1997; e.g. Jimmy Buffett and Colin Hay], pianist-backing vocalist Chris Nole [1994–1997; e.g. the Oak Ridge Boys, Emmylou Harris, Don Williams, and Buffett], master of ceremonies-guitarist-singer Jim Curry…