dbmay75
500 Club - QQ All-Star
Hi gang,
I wouldn't normally type so much for a DVD review, however I've been a huge, die-hard fan of Satriani since I was introduced to one of his videos on MTV back in '88. Satch inspired me to pick up the guitar at age 14 and I've been collecting his albums and paraphernalia almost obsessively for the last twenty years. Hell we even live in the same city!
With that, here's the shakedown:
The DVD was released in the US on Feb. 2nd, 2010. I purchased it new from Amazon for $7.99 shipped via 2-day Prime. Included is a 22-song performance in both Dolby 5.1 and 2.0 Stereo as well as a 40-minute interview with some brief moments of behind-the-scenes activity. Joining Joe on stage is his longtime drummer Jeff Campitelli, rhythm guitarist/tour manager Galen Henson and bass extraordinaire Stuart Hamm. The concert is also available as a 2-disc CD set.
Video: video quality was excellent between my OPPO BDP-80 set to 1080p and connected via HDMI to my 37" Toshiba LCD. I was particularly surprised at how much detail I could see during the interview portion considering this concert is unavailable on Blu-Ray.
The #1 problem with this DVD, however, is the tacky and overtly excessive special effects used to "enhance" the concert - holy crap Batman AND Timothy Leary! I found myself looking for a hidden tab of LSD tucked inside the box just to survive the rainbow of colors, still shots, bleed-ins, fading, patterns, flying text and overall low-grade editing job that was added to nearly every song. At least the audience at the show didn't have the endure this much abuse!
Sound: as I write this, I am pondering the idea of sending my copy back to Amazon for replacement (something I've never had to do before) or even sending Joe (who produced the DVD) a complaint via his site's webmaster. The reason why is the Dolby 5.1 mix is extremely quiet and odd-sounding on my system. My system is not the culprit. Without reducing the volume on my receiver, I switched over to the 2.0 Stereo option and was literally blown out of my chair. I would have preferred a louder, fuller-sounding 5.1 mix of course and the lack of a DTS option further makes the listening experience a bit of a downer.
Material: outside of the acid trails, it is nice to have some older Satch tracks ("Time Machine", "Cryin'") make it to live video for the first time alongside the typical classics ("Satch Boogie", "Flying In A Blue Dream", "Summer Song") as well as a barrage of new tracks from his last two albums.
The 40-minute interview will give some insight to those who don't know his bio (he began with drums at age 9 then instantly devoted his life at age 14 to mastering the guitar the day he learned his musical hero, Jimi Hendrix, had died) however despite Joe maintaining a smile and appearing to be interested, the woman interviewing him clearly knows nothing about him or his music and therefore makes the interview rather bland. I can't imagine I'll watch this portion more than twice in my lifetime.
In conclusion, buy this DVD if you're a serious Joe fan like myself as the music is excellent and the lengthy interview has its moments. Don't forget the $7.99 price tag at Amazon is probably your best bet price-wise. However, be prepared for a dysfunctional 5.1 mix and enough visuals to choke a hippie.
Cheers,
Dan
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Live-Paris-Ju...ef=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1265528229&sr=8-1
www.satriani.com
I wouldn't normally type so much for a DVD review, however I've been a huge, die-hard fan of Satriani since I was introduced to one of his videos on MTV back in '88. Satch inspired me to pick up the guitar at age 14 and I've been collecting his albums and paraphernalia almost obsessively for the last twenty years. Hell we even live in the same city!
With that, here's the shakedown:
The DVD was released in the US on Feb. 2nd, 2010. I purchased it new from Amazon for $7.99 shipped via 2-day Prime. Included is a 22-song performance in both Dolby 5.1 and 2.0 Stereo as well as a 40-minute interview with some brief moments of behind-the-scenes activity. Joining Joe on stage is his longtime drummer Jeff Campitelli, rhythm guitarist/tour manager Galen Henson and bass extraordinaire Stuart Hamm. The concert is also available as a 2-disc CD set.
Video: video quality was excellent between my OPPO BDP-80 set to 1080p and connected via HDMI to my 37" Toshiba LCD. I was particularly surprised at how much detail I could see during the interview portion considering this concert is unavailable on Blu-Ray.
The #1 problem with this DVD, however, is the tacky and overtly excessive special effects used to "enhance" the concert - holy crap Batman AND Timothy Leary! I found myself looking for a hidden tab of LSD tucked inside the box just to survive the rainbow of colors, still shots, bleed-ins, fading, patterns, flying text and overall low-grade editing job that was added to nearly every song. At least the audience at the show didn't have the endure this much abuse!
Sound: as I write this, I am pondering the idea of sending my copy back to Amazon for replacement (something I've never had to do before) or even sending Joe (who produced the DVD) a complaint via his site's webmaster. The reason why is the Dolby 5.1 mix is extremely quiet and odd-sounding on my system. My system is not the culprit. Without reducing the volume on my receiver, I switched over to the 2.0 Stereo option and was literally blown out of my chair. I would have preferred a louder, fuller-sounding 5.1 mix of course and the lack of a DTS option further makes the listening experience a bit of a downer.
Material: outside of the acid trails, it is nice to have some older Satch tracks ("Time Machine", "Cryin'") make it to live video for the first time alongside the typical classics ("Satch Boogie", "Flying In A Blue Dream", "Summer Song") as well as a barrage of new tracks from his last two albums.
The 40-minute interview will give some insight to those who don't know his bio (he began with drums at age 9 then instantly devoted his life at age 14 to mastering the guitar the day he learned his musical hero, Jimi Hendrix, had died) however despite Joe maintaining a smile and appearing to be interested, the woman interviewing him clearly knows nothing about him or his music and therefore makes the interview rather bland. I can't imagine I'll watch this portion more than twice in my lifetime.
In conclusion, buy this DVD if you're a serious Joe fan like myself as the music is excellent and the lengthy interview has its moments. Don't forget the $7.99 price tag at Amazon is probably your best bet price-wise. However, be prepared for a dysfunctional 5.1 mix and enough visuals to choke a hippie.
Cheers,
Dan
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Live-Paris-Ju...ef=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1265528229&sr=8-1
www.satriani.com
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