Reviewed by:
cuige, on june 26, 2007
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Sound: Let me set the scene for you. The Point Theatre, Ireland. Thousands of adrenaline pumped Irish packed inside. Out steps a sixteen piece band armed with fiddles, trumpets, guitars and much more. To lead them then is one of the greatest performers of modern times: Bruce Springsteen. To start the night off they belt out Springsteen's own "Atlantic City". They end with a captivating rendition of "American Land". Along the way they perform Seegar classics such as "Old Dan Tucker", "Erie Canal", "Mary Don't You Weep" and many more. Mixed in is some Springsteen masterpieces like "Highway Patrolman" and "Growin' Up". For me one of the best moments was "If I Should Fall Behind" turned duet between Bruce and his wife Patti Scialfa. Consider this: I never made it to any of the three nights the Sessions band played in Dublin because of the high demand for tickets but I still feel like I've experienced it through the magic of this DVD. Beautifully directed and filmed in high definition the Bruce Springsteen experience is driven home through your own tv screen. The sound is fantastic, if a little unbalanced in places due to the huge amounts of insturments on stage, but all the same the folk, rock, country sound is all captured brilliantly. // 9
Content: There are two versions of this DVD on offer. There is the basic set which is the DVD alone. Then there is the duluxe set which not only contains the DVD but also a double CD with the 'soundtrack' of the DVD so you can listen to the whole show through your car radio or you can put it into your ipod. Due to the small difference in price I would recommend getting the duluxe. The CD by itself is also a brilliant live CD. The DVD contains performances from the three nights the band played in Dublin. They were the 17, 18 and 19 of November 2006. The tracks are then combined to give the impression of it being just one show. This is done to near perfection. The setlist is a good one. Here it is: Atlantic City, Old Dan Tucker, Eyes On The Prize, Jesse James, Further On (Up the road), O Mary Don't You Weep, Erie Canal, If I Should Fall Behind, My Oklahoma Home, Highway Patrolman, Mrs. McGrath, How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live, Jacob's Ladder, Long Time Comin', Open All Night, Pay Me My Money Down, Growin' Up, When The Saints Go Marching In, This Little Light Of Mine, American Land. Then in the main menu one can go to bonus tracks which contains Love Of the Common People and We Shall Overcome. Also at the end of the concert the credits are shown through a performance of Blinded By The Light. I am satisfied with this collection but disappointed with the ommision of the song "John Henry". This was one of my favourites from the Seegar Sessions CD and I see the failure of it's inclusion a blow. All the same it is a great collection of songs and all are performed masterfully. // 9
Production Quality: The production quality is very good. As mentioned before the concert was documented with 9 cameras and filmed in high definition. Again, as I mentioned before, the near two hour long DVD is a collection of performances from 3 shows. The are a few obvious mistakes such as Bruce taking off his jacket and the having it on again by the next song but apart from these minor glitches one would think it was all one performance. The main menu is beautifully done. It is a fantasically shot mixture of the different guitars Bruce has at his disposal. Accompanied, appropriatly, by a guitar duet, this menu is very pleasent and gives viewers something to watch when waiting for those who aren't quite ready yet to watch the show. Overall a beautifully shot DVD. // 9
Impression: When compared to the actual studio album "The Seegar Sessions" we can see, or hear, just how far this band has come. When listening to the album one can hear that it was a band beginning and the songs, nonetheless brilliant, were bare. These shows a were towards the end of the European tour and Bruce and his band have accomplished a fuller sounds. This is due to the addition of singers and musicians since the recording but also because of how much more comfortable the band has become with each other. This togetherness is portrayed through the DVD and is one of the most impressive things on the compilation. I love nearly everything about this dvd. I strongly recommend pricking your ears up for the performance of "Open All Night". 9 minutes long, full of vocal and insturment solos it is one of the stand out tracks. It was almost a risk to play songs like "When The Saints Go Marching In" and "This Little Light Of Mine" because of the number of times they have been played by different artists they have become almost clichéd. Never fear for both are fantastic. The former is slowed down so it is sung like a serious, emotional song while the latters energy is pumped back into it by Bruce and co. Again I wish "John Henry" had been included and there are perhaps one too many shots of Patti looking scornfully at Bruce rather than the minority players such as the brilliant bass player Jeremy Chatzky but all the same I recommend you run out the shops right now and buy this DVD if you haven't already. Robbers beware. I have my copy well gaurded. Overall a great cd, performed by great musicians, led by a great presence, in front of a, or three, great audiences. Enjoy! // 9
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