BluRay Music Video Poll Waters, Roger - US + THEM [Blu-Ray]

[Neil Palfreyman]

Gave this a first spin last night (Blu Ray, standard 5.1 mix) and thoroughly enjoyed it. The surround quality is quite incredible, and the surround is active enough to add to the overall experience and in quite a lot of places is very active.

Video quality is, as you would expect, superb and the audience shots were no big deal imho. I didn't see the live show, so the setlist was a surprise to me. It's very well constructed to deal with the theme of the show, and works really well.

Haven't voted yet, but it's at the very, very least a nine.

 

[kvsawilson]

I did see this tour and enjoyed it thoroughly and this disc is a great release. The sound quality and surround mix for a live album are top notch. A lot of the performance comes off sounding as more a studio recording as it doesn't have a real live sound and the audience is barely there for much of it and that's fine by me. And the two songs from Animals are the highlight and worth the cost alone for me. The only knock from me was I don't understand why they didn't just put all the songs in the regular program instead of having them as additional material.

K

 

[LuvMyQuad]

I saw the tour as well (2x) My only complaint with this release (and the tour itself) is I didn't care for the performance of the guy who sang Gilmores parts. I've heard tribute bands with better lead singers.
I gave it a 9.

 

[perzon57]

I saw the tour as well (2x) My only complaint with this release (and the tour itself) is I didn't care for the performance of the guy who sang Gilmores parts. I've heard tribute bands with better lead singers.
I gave it a 9.

I agree with you on this,Gilmore is much better singer.

 

[Progfiend]

I agree with you on this,Gilmore is much better singer.

Agreed, but the other guitar player who plays Gilmour’s lead guitar parts, Dave Kilminster, does a fantastic job as usual.

 

[Fourplay]

Short take: not completely taken.

OK, finally got to this last night. I am a Roger Waters fan and enjoyed the tour, so I was very much looking forward to this. I must say my reaction to the presentation is mixed.

On the plus side, the audio is very clean and clear. It is not possible to fault the audio fidelity. Also, the video is well shot and looks beautiful. And in contrast to his Total Re-Wall video, this one does not cut away from the live event to annoying asides and vignettes that have nothing to do with the concert.

On the down side, I find the mix to be nearly devoid of surround interest. For those who commented that the mix (5.1 only for me) had some interest, would you please post specific examples so I can go back and hear what you are referring to. There can't be that many, as far as I can tell. So if the mix counts for anything, for me so far that aspect is a zero.

Finally, I found the audience to be so low in the mix that this sounds like a studio recording with an audience "noise floor." While I personally dislike audience and ambience only in the rears, most live recordings (including stereo) will at least swell the level of the audience between musical selections or at critical moments of audience response. Here there is just kind of a low level hum of the crowd. I found the effect of this choice to leave the music feeling a little antiseptic. They had video shots of people feeling something, but we hear very little of their response.

I will wait to cast a vote, pending some identified use of surrounds. I isolated them at points and found them wanting. Overall I found it to be a decent to very good document of the proceedings, but stripped of some of the emotional content of a concert. Perhaps the perfect metaphor for a Covid Concert! Like TV comedian without an audience, or a sporting event without a crowd of fans. Does anybody else in here, feel the way I do?

 

[Muppet69]

Does anybody else in here, feel the way I do?
[/QUOTE]

Well I for one have become comfortably numb.

 

[rugene]

The surround mix doesn't bring much in the rears except some special effects if I can remember, will give it a spin this weekend. It's not a discrete mix for sure

 

[mrcond]

On the down side, I find the mix to be nearly devoid of surround interest. For those who commented that the mix (5.1 only for me) had some interest, would you please post specific examples so I can go back and hear what you are referring to. There can't be that many, as far as I can tell. So if the mix counts for anything, for me so far that aspect is a zero.

Finally, I found the audience to be so low in the mix that this sounds like a studio recording with an audience "noise floor." While I personally dislike audience and ambience only in the rears, most live recordings (including stereo) will at least swell the level of the audience between musical selections or at critical moments of audience response. Here there is just kind of a low level hum of the crowd. I found the effect of this choice to leave the music feeling a little antiseptic. They had video shots of people feeling something, but we hear very little of their response.

I will wait to cast a vote, pending some identified use of surrounds. I isolated them at points and found them wanting. Overall I found it to be a decent to very good document of the proceedings, but stripped of some of the emotional content of a concert. Perhaps the perfect metaphor for a Covid Concert! Like TV comedian without an audience, or a sporting event without a crowd of fans. Does anybody else in here, feel the way I do?

I had a similar reaction - this is carried over from my post in the other thread on this release - see my comments on specific use of surrounds:
.......................
A few impressions of the blu-ray (I only can play in 5.1 so I can't comment on the Atmos mix):

1. The sound mix was really good in some respects, and seemed to be lacking in others, creating an odd disjointed feeling for me. For example, the surround effects from the Dark Side tracks were well-placed and at good volume (voices, cash registers, alarm clocks, etc.). I feel like that was all done in the mix post-production - it didn't sound "live" to me but it did sound good nonetheless. The other effects (explosions, etc. of which there were many, synched with the images shown on-screen) definitely had low-end punch - a real good subwoofer workout. However, the sound of the band playing their instruments just seemed lacking punch and seemed to be mixed in at too low a volume. This is where that disjointed feeling came in for me. I wanted to turn the volume way up during the songs but then dial it back during the effects.

 

[LuvMyQuad]

The sound mix was really good in some respects, and seemed to be lacking in others, creating an odd disjointed feeling for me. For example, the surround effects from the Dark Side tracks were well-placed and at good volume (voices, cash registers, alarm clocks, etc.). I feel like that was all done in the mix post-production - it didn't sound "live" to me but it did sound good nonetheless. The other effects (explosions, etc. of which there were many, synched with the images shown on-screen) definitely had low-end punch - a real good subwoofer workout. However, the sound of the band playing their instruments just seemed lacking punch and seemed to be mixed in at too low a volume. This is where that disjointed feeling came in for me. I wanted to turn the volume way up during the songs but then dial it back during the effects.

seems like a lot of action movie presentations doesn't it...

 

[Frogmort]

When I put this on, I usually skip up and play 'One of These Days', 'Dogs', and 'Pigs (Three Different Ones)'. The sound effects are almost too loud compared to the music, but still pretty cool. The Atmos mix is fairly front heavy, but it still has a few discrete things going on regularly. Can't wait for Animals in surround!

Conversely, I actually have some similar thoughts as Roger Waters politically, but I really don't like having this stuff shoved in my face while trying to enjoy the music. Wish he wasn't so retroactively political with the old Floyd stuff.

Still, it's a great concert with a pretty nice Atmos mix. Could've used a bit more deep bass, except for the special effects sounds, which already slam.

9/10 (-1 for political crap and lack of deep bass on the music but lots on effects)

 

[jimfisheye]

I'm more of an old Floyd fan and very much not the target audience here for a 'greatest radio hits' retrospective. But I thought I'd give the surround mix a listen! That's what we do around here after all. Maybe get some cool sounds and soloing with familiar material.

Well mastered.

There's no surround mix here per say. Just the folly fx using the surround channels and that content is very much an aside to the music. There are a few bits of what sound like actual live recording in the mix here and there. There's a juxtoposition in the mix between the studio produced fx and pre recorded bits like most of Roger's vocals and the live content. (Someone else mentioned that above.) Absolutely none of the live soloing aggressively spinning around the room from days of old.

Still well mixed and including the studio surround fx. Just awkward with the obvious non live content. And the band politely but expertly phones it in.

I started skipping ahead pretty quickly because the awkward and cringe factors are off the scale! I skipped this tour because of the price and knowing I wasn't the target audience. I still had interest and was thinking I still missed something. Listening to this has put that to bad at least! I'm now happy I saved myself an enormously expensive ticket for a show I would have likely walked out of.

Before this, Delicate Sound of Thunder was the worst reading of Pink Floyd covers I'd ever heard with actual members in the mix. This recording is much worse! Roger needs to be tied to a chair and forced to listen to Delicate Sound of Thunder while Dave needs to be tied to a chair and forced to listen to this until they agree to talk and work together again!

 

[privateuniverse]

Roger needs to be tied to a chair and forced to listen to Delicate Sound of Thunder while Dave needs to be tied to a chair and forced to listen to this until they agree to talk and work together again!

 

[RustyStatic]

I started skipping ahead pretty quickly because the awkward and cringe factors are off the scale! I skipped this tour because of the price and knowing I wasn't the target audience. I still had interest and was thinking I still missed something. Listening to this has put that to bad at least! I'm now happy I saved myself an enormously expensive ticket for a show I would have likely walked out of.

Yeah... being too young to ever catch Floyd while intact, I caught The Division Bell tour and for years thought that being such a Floyd fan, I'd like to see Waters too—even though it wasn't a huge priority for me to see ol' fussypants without some tempering by his bandmates. When he toured The Wall I was intrigued, but the ticket prices were just so ridiculous that I didn't go. One friend in particular gushed about how it was the best show he had ever seen, and that did make me feel like perhaps I had made the wrong call... so when Us + Them was announced, I bit the bullet even though once again, the ticket prices were just stupid. For my wife and I, in pretty modest seats, I think it was over $400, and that was directly through Ticketmaster (not resale). I still shake my head that I pulled the trigger on that.

Honestly, although I know they're polarizing for folks in this context, one of the deciding factors for us was the idea of seeing Jess & Holly from Lucius as part of the band, because Lucius is freaking awesome—and seeing them in the small venue Union Transfer, a young band at the top of their game, is up there with one of the best shows I've ever seen, no hyperbole.

Anyway... although the visual spectacle was very, very impressive, your description of "the band politely but expertly phones it in" is dead on. I said to my wife "this is like seeing the Saturday Night Live band play Pink Floyd songs." More than competent. Pretty cool here and there. Exciting though? Not really. Even after the expense, the babysitter, the hassle getting down to the arena... we did indeed split before the end because we "got it" by then and were all set.

I never really wanted to admit it when I was younger because I wanted to have the badge of "having seen Pink Floyd live". But I don't. I would have had to see them during The Wall tour or prior because any iteration without the four of them has just been a cover band. And that's totally cool, that kinda thing happens and I have love for plenty of what they did in the studio post-1980, and some scattered love for what they did live... but in my mind, the real Floyd, firing on all four cylinders, was '77 and prior. Not a hot take, I know. I was totally there for what followed and still am intrigued and will check it out if it's out there on disc. But if I revisit anything after the split, it's rare, and I'm always aware that it's more workmanlike than magic—on either/any side of the divide.

 

[Electric Moo]

Although barring discovery of a Tardis & going back in time, solo Gilmour, solo Waters, ( and solo Mason? ) is all we've got

Would be nice if those two patched things up & did something together again.

 

[hedkandi]

I know it's post-production but the abrupt stop in "Money" and what happens next is thrilling.

 

[JoshBasswood]

I only joined this board recently, so please excuse me for the rather late post in this topic. I have yet to buy the blu-ray, but streamed the gig on Amazon some time ago. I am Dutch and attended one of the shows that were filmed at the time in Amsterdam. One thing is for sure: the audience in the film is NOT the Amsterdam audience.