Heart - Alive in Seattle (2003) Review

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(More customer reviews)The 2003 DVD release HEART: ALIVE IN SEATTLE is one of the best video recordings of a live performance of a rock band, and it is especially impressive when considering that it documents a recent performance from a band that has been playing kick-*ss rock for nearly 30 years (their debut album, DREAMBOAT ANNIE, was released in 1976).
The performance was recorded at the Paramount Theater in Seattle (Heart's hometown) on Aug. 8, 2002, the last gig on the band's 2002 "Summer of Love" tour. The response to the tour was tremendous, with longtime fans and newbies alike enthusiastically welcoming fronters Ann and Nancy Wilson and their new back-up band--an ensemble that includes former Ozzy Osbourne and Alice In Chains bassist Mike Inez and Lovemongers drummer Ben Smith. The tour was so successful, in fact, that they turned right around and toured again in 2003 (the "Alive in America" tour) playing basically the same song set. So fans who missed either or both of those tours can still experience that concert atmosphere vicariously with the HEART: ALIVE IN SEATTLE disc--but with much better "seating"!
The Wilson sisters made an excellent choice for the set list, which includes the band's very popular pre-`80s hard-rock standards like "Crazy on You," "Straight On," "Magic Man," and "Barracuda," as well as some great post-70s tunes such as "Alone" and "These Dreams." In addition, the band does a fantastic job on covers of Led Zeppelin's "Battle of Evermore" and "Black Dog," the Elton John ballad "Mona Lisas and Madhatters," and an old garage-band ditty called "The Witch."
Dark-haired Vocalist Ann Wilson, as beautiful as ever, proves that she still has what it takes to belt out the band's old hard-rock standards, and she still sounds as angelic as ever on the softer melancholy favorites like "Dog and Butterfly" and "Dreamboat Annie." When Heart plays their classic stuff, Ms. Wilson sounds exactly like she did when the songs were first recorded--which is a lot more than you can say for most rock vocalists from the '60s and '70s, who can no longer hit those high notes. But she and sister Nancy (who mainly plays guitar and other strings) also easily keep up with the newer, younger artists when they perform some of their latest compositions like "Heaven," "Sister Wild Rose," and the really cool hard-hitter "Break The Rock." Both women are certainly in top form and prove they can go the distance in the studio and on stage. And with HEART: ALIVE IN SEATTLE, they leave no doubt that they are still two of the most talented and creative women in rock.
The picture quality on this DVD is crisp and clear, with great color saturation and nice contrast, and the cinematographer does a top-notch job of capturing the energy of the artists and the spirit of their performances. The Dolby sound quality is also excellent, and a sound system that takes advantage of the DTS Surround Sound can really make viewers feel like they are at the live performance.
No longtime fan of HEART will be disappointed with HEART: ALIVE IN SEATTLE. And the DVD will certainly give newbies a taste of just how powerful and emotive this band and the talented duo that drives it can be.

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Music's most famous sisters, Ann and Nancy Wilson, have been successfully writing and performing chart-toppers since their 1975 debut album. From acoustic to folk to hard-driving rock 'n' roll, the ladies instill emotional energy into every song. This special hometown concert showcases a rich musical legacy that's distinctively Heart! Songs: Barracuda, Sister Wild Rose, Mistral Wind, Wild Child, Dog and Butterfly, Magic Man, Crazy on You, Dreamboat Annie, Love Alive, These Dreams, Alone, Two Faces of Eve, Break the Rock, Heaven, Straight On, Black Dog, The Witch, Mona Lisa and Mad Hatters, Battle of Evermore.

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Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire: Live at the Greek Theatre (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)Check it OUT~! I purchased this live DVD to watch Chicago take over Los Angeles. I had been to several Chicago concerts through the years and was wondering if Chicago could still reach the high notes.
I have never seen such a pumped-up session by Chicago until they performed with Earth, Wind and Fire. I could see that the baby boom generation (yep, that's me) in the audience were trying to keep up with Chicago and EWF. Bill Champlin and Jason Scheff struggled on many notes, but they looked happy as ever while performing. It was worth every penny to watch them. Jimmy Pankow and the horns, and Tris Imboden and the percussion, gave tremendous performances. My highest accolade goes to Robert Lamm when he comfortably sang `with soul' "Does Anyone Know What Time It Is" with full support from my leading man Verdine White and EWF.
Step it OUT~! I had only heard of Earth, Wind and Fire. The closest I got to their music was hearing the Tomorrow Land Band at Disneyland play the tune "Let's Groove" through the years. I also didn't realize I was that old. :(
The first person I could not avoid from the beginning to the end of the DVD was Verdine White. I stared at disbelief at this absolutely crazed dancer. On the other hand, was he an absolutely crazed bass guitarist? OK, which is it? His attitude from the get-go was "We are the Greatest, You are the Greatest, let's Dance Together and be the Greatest Together!" He hypnotized me. :)
Earth, Wind and Fire is one of the most talented bands in the World, at any level. The singing of Philip Bailey and Ralph Johnson is absolutely superb. I was dancing like an absolutely crazed fool on the couches, on the tables and on the walls of my living room (it can be done) trying to keep up with Verdine White. As I was gasping for air, I listened to all the hits of Earth, Wind and Fire for the first time in my life. Over and over again, this band performed each song with class, style and charm. The graceful and talented Ms. Krystal Bailey gave a wonderful performance while trying to maintain Verdine White (who am I kidding).
BUY IT NOW~! You must buy this DVD. You will fly on Fire to the Windy city of Chicago for weeks after you get it. This is one of the most spectacular live performances on DVD. The ambience at the Greek Theatre with the combined sounds of both groups musically sharing their hits together was eclectic. Here is a secret. You have to see Verdine White shake it up with Robert Lamm and Philip Bailey when both groups play "September." When you play this DVD at a party, there will be M A G I C in the room. Let's Groove Together and Don't Care What Time It Is with this DVD. Did I mention that Verdine White is one of the greatest performers in the World? We Wanna Be Free - Peace.

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The teaming of legendary groups Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire was the tour hit of the summer. Playing to sold-out venues, this spectacular show brought the GRAMMY-winning artists together in a show that both individually and together highlighted their revolutionary melding of rock, soul and jazz as well as their numerous #1 and Top 10 hits. Now you can have a front-row seat for this amazing concert, performed at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. Every moment, all the energy and excitement of this final show of the tour, was captured in high-definition for this extraordinary DVD. SONGS INCLUDE: Earth, Wind & Fire Set: Magic Mind - Boogie Wonderland - System of Survival - Jupiter - Getaway - Serpentine Fire - Kalimba Story - Got to Get You into My Life - The Way You Move - After The Love Has Gone - That's The Way of the World - Reasons - Fantasy - Let's Groove - Mighty MightyChicago Set: Make Me Smile - Color My World - If You Leave Me Now - Call on Me - Alive Again - Hard Habit to Break - Mongonucleosis - Old Days - Just You n' Me - Saturday in the Park - Feelin' Stronger - I'm a Man - Hard to Say I'm SorryChicago/Earth, Wind & Fire Finale: September - Free - Sing a Song - Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? - Shining Star - 25 or 6 to 4

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Michael Jackson: This Is It (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)When Michael Jackson died on June 25th 2009 it seems a part of the world died with him. It made many people sad all over the world and it seems that for once everyone was being nice to this man who had always been abused by the Medias; journalists, interviewers and others. When I heard of the "This Is It" movie concert I didn't know what to think. I knew it was rehearsal footage from the 50 concerts he was to perform at the O2 arena but I didn't know what was going to come out of it or what they were going to do with it. When I saw the trailers I knew I had to see this and that "This Is It" was going to be something special like I've never seen. And that's precisely what I got, I even bought my ticket in advance for the movie and feel like it was much worth it.
It amazed me how good MJ still was, the dance moves were great and fascinating to me. He was clearly the one in charge of the whole thing. He gave precise instructions of what he wanted, made sure everything was right and did everything that needed to be done. The film shows just how much Michael was respected, there were parts of it where they asked him if he wanted anything or what he thought and if he liked something, it seems no one assumed anything at all. When he talked the crew would listen and he asked things in the nicest way, never to hurt anyone. There's not a part that doesn't make him look like the nice guy he always was. There are mixed feelings about him after all the bad things that have been said about him but after watching this I don't know one could possibly believe them.
To be honest I loved every minute of it, every song was special and was great to watch. Right from the beginning of "Wanna Be Startin'Somethin'" it was amazing. No matter how many people surround him he's always the one who does things better than anyone else and the one you're watching. This Is It was really a unique experience, I felt they chose the right footage parts for the movie and made him look great in every sense. They could truly have messed things up but they didn't and came out with an amazing documentary, it's sort of a testament to his fans, it's just very special. I really liked the Thriller 3D part, it was a 3D video shoot and afterwards you see MJ coming out onstage from a spider, the show would have looked awesome. They Don't Care About Us was amazing, The Smooth Criminal part was very interesting, so was the Earth Song which had a beautiful video of a little girl in a forest, waking up to see that all of it has been destroyed. I won't go further but every song had something about them.
The stage show would have been grandiose, the fireworks, the "fireball" (quite impressive I won't spoil anything), pyrotechnics, the videos that accompany the songs are all very impressive. This could very well have been the best show ever had he lived to perform them. In the end I was quite amazed by the 1: 48 minutes I watched, I can't wait to see it again and the message Michael gives at the end is very inspiring. From the auditions of the brilliant performers to the credits with the "This Is It" song I was captivated.
The said special features will feature more of the rehearsal and a two part documentary on Michael's history and his comeback along behind the scenes. I can't wait to see more of the rehearsal and hopefully the extras will be great and there will plenty to watch.
It's hard for me to describe what watching this movie was like and what I felt about it. I know this is rehearsal footage but it's truly brilliant and while it main not catch Michael at his best it certainly catches him at his most honest. I don't have anything bad to say about either this movie or the man himself, This Is It is a must see. It doesn't matter if you watch in its theatrical run or on DVD/Blue Ray when released, this is amazing and his fans just have to see this. I will certainly be amongst those who buy it and watch it over and over again. This man gave his life to music and his fans and I don't remember where I heard or read this but I do remember that someone said: "He was a gift of god, he was a kind human being who's been mistreated by many opportunists, he's been taken advantage of but he was the nicest person and could never harm anyone" or sometime like that. These words are very truthful and really mean something to his fans.


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SEE THE EVENT OF A LIFETIME AT THEATERS – LOOK FOR IT SOON ON DVD AND BLU-RAY. Michael Jackson's This Is It will offer Jackson fans and music lovers worldwide a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the performer as he developed, created and rehearsed for his sold-out concerts that would have taken place beginning this summer in London's O2 Arena. Chronicling the months from April through June 2009, the film is produced with the full support of the Estate of Michael Jackson and drawn from more than one hundred hours of behind-the-scenes footage, featuring Jackson rehearsing a number of his songs for the show. Audiences will be given a privileged and private look at Jackson as he has never been seen before. In raw and candid detail, Michael Jackson's This Is It captures the singer, dancer, filmmaker, architect, creative genius and great artist at work as he creates and perfects his final show. Directed by Kenny Ortega, who was both Michael Jackson's creative partner and the director of the stage show.

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