Post by Tom on Aug 21, 2004 13:24:37 GMT
From alt.music.who:
From DVD Talk at:
www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=11992
The Who - Live In Boston
Rhino // Unrated // $19.99 // September 14, 2004
Review by John Sinnott | posted August 19, 2004
The Concert:
Just about everybody has a favorite band; a special group that can seemingly
do no wrong, where even their weaker efforts are better than most other
bands best works. For me, that group has always been The Who. I have
listened to all their albums countless times, and have heard many of their
live concerts. Song for song, they have more energy and power than any
other band. Well, for my money at least.
Unfortunately, The Who that tours now is different than the group that first
came to fame in the 60's. Keith Moon, the bands maniacal thrashing drummer,
died in 1978, and John Entwhistle, the stoical band member who was
responsible for some of rock's greatest bass riffs, passed away in 2002.
The remaining two members, singer Roger Daltry and guitarist/songwriter Pete
Townshend, still tour using session musicians to fill in the voids in the
group. But The Who was one of those entities that are definitely more than
the sum of its parts. None of the band members solo albums, though some
were very good, were able to capture the magic that occurred when they all
played together. So how does this remaining half of the group sound in
concert? Not too bad after all, but they have lost some of the excitement
that made the group so enthralling in the past. Some of that can be
explained by the fact that they are a lot older now, but a good deal of it
is because they aren't quite complete.
This DVD captures The Who's concert from September 24, 2002 at the Tweeter
Center in Mansfield, MA, a show from the group's first tour after the
unexpected death of bass player John Entwhistle. Lasting slightly over two
hours long, the band sure gives your money's worth with a set encompassing
their entire career.
As for the line up, in addition to Pete Townsend on guitar and Roger Daltry
singing, Zak Starkey, Ringo's son, is on drums, and Pino Paladino, an active
session musician who has worked with Eric Clapton, Elton John, and Jeff Beck
among many others, replaces John Entwhistle on the bass. In addition,
Rabbit is on keyboards, and Pete's brother, Simon, plays rhythm guitar and
sings backup.
The concert gets off to a mediocre start. I Can't Explain, a rock standard,
feels a little tired, like they've played it thousands of times, which they
have. After a trio of their pre-Tommy songs, the group launches into some
of their later material, which came across as more fresh and energized.
Pete's guitar solo on Who Are You was excellent. While not loud and
glaring, it had genuine feeling to it, and harkened back to The Who's prime.
Pete gives a good introduction to the three songs they preform from
Quadrophenia. Sea and Sand sounded much better than I've heard it preformed
in years. 5:15 was good, though I did miss the brass section, but Love
Reign O'er Me didn't have the emotional impact that the song usually
carries.
The concert did have some great moments in it though. My Generation really
rocked and the changes they made to the song made it feel fresh and new.
The Kids are Alright, a favorite of mine from way back, gets several new
verses added to it. Pete expanded the song and included lyrics that change
the meaning in interesting ways. The new version is an excellent song in
its own right, and it's great to see it preformed live. The songs that they
preform from Tommy as an encore were also great fun to hear, though
Townshend's playing on Pinball Wizard wasn't as crisp as it usually is.
The original members of the band, though aging, still have some life left in
them. Roger's voice retains a lot of its power, much more than I was
expecting. Pete's vocals, on the other hand, are sounding a little tired
and worn, especially in the beginning of Behind Blue Eyes. The ohhhh's at
the beginning of You Better You Bet where Pete and Roger are supposed to
sing in tune are particularly unattractive.
While Pete Townshend's voice might be a little rougher, and though he doesn'
t jump around and cavort around the stage like he did 30 years ago, his
guitar playing isn't hampered by his advancing age. He is still able to
instill a sense of urgency and power into songs like Won't Get Fooled Again
and Sea and Sand.
The main problem that I had with the concert in general was that Roger's
voice and Pete's guitar were mixed higher than the other instruments in most
cases, which is too bad because it gives the songs a different feel and
sound, and not necessarily better. On Love Reign O'er Me the amazing
synthesizer riff practically disappears into the background for most of the
song. Another example is the way the bass guitar is handled though out the
concert. Where as John Entwhistle's bass would act as a foundation for a
lot of the songs only to leap to the front for several intricate bars and
then unexpectedly returning to the background, in this concert the bass just
sits in the back, never really emerging. This is too bad because Pino
Paladino is an excellent bassist. He was able to pull off all of John's
riffs without missing a note and it's unfortunate that he was regulated to a
background position in the mix. The songs suffer for it.
Zak's drumming, while not as energetic as Keith Moon's (but then who is?)
was very competent. He managed to keep the beat and put in a lot of frills,
even though the first minutes of I Can't Explain let it be known that he
wasn't able to fully fill Keith's shoes.
Pete wasn't in the best of humors during this concert either. Before they
launch into three songs from the aborted Lifehouse project (two of which
ended up on Who's Next) there is an odd exchange between Pete and a member
of the audience who apparently was heckling the band. Pete cusses him out,
and concludes with stating "I don't know what band you think you're
following, but sometimes I think you've got the wrong one." Later in the
set he stops while introducing a song as says "For F*ck's sake, be quiet. I
'm trying to concentrate." He berates the audience a couple of times for
talking, and even threatens to walk off if people don't shut up.
The Who preformed the following songs:
I Can't Explain
Substitute
Anyway Anyhow Anywhere
Who Are You
Another Tricky Day
Relay
Bargain
Baba O'Reily
Sea And Sand
5:15
Love Reign O'er Me
Eminence Front
Behind Blue Eyes You Better You Bet
The Kids Are Alright
My Generation
Won't Get Fooled Again
Pinball Wizard
Amazing Journey/Sparks
See Me Feel Me
Listening To You
The DVD:
Audio:
This DVD has a PCM stereo track and a 5.1 Dolby Digital track. Both tracks
sounded outstanding in their own right. The 5.1 audio really put you in the
middle of the music, with some backing vocal and cymbal crashes, in addition
to the noises from the audience, in the rear. This actually works much
better than it sounds, giving the feeling of being in a club where sound
seems to assault you from all directions. The stereo track was more pure
and precise, with the audience sounds being mixed a lot lower, but not as
encompassing and powerful as the 5.1. There wasn't any (unintentional)
distortion in either track, and even the really loud parts were accurately
reproduced. In short, this disc sounds great.
Video:
Filmed live, the full frame video quality was good but not outstanding.
Some of the songs were a little dark, but this is more of a lighting problem
than anything inherent in the DVD. The lines were fairly tight, though
people in the long shots were not as defined as I would have liked. Digital
defects were not a problem. An adequate disc.
Extras:
I wasn't expecting much in the way of extras on this DVD, and was pleasantly
surprised to find some interesting bonus' included on this disc. First off
is an art gallery with approximately 25 images drawn by the late John
Entwhistle. I enjoyed the characatures he did much more than the realistic
drawings. There is also two interviews; a fourteen minute talk with Pete
and an eight minute interview with Roger were they discuss their reaction
and feelings about John's death.
There is also an Easter Egg: On the song selection submenu cursor down to
"Relay" and then press left to highlight the emblem on Pete Townshend's
T-Shirt. Select it and you will be treated to a 13-minute audio interview
with Pete Townshend from March 2004 where he talks about the guitars that he
currently uses and how they differ from the guitars that he used back in the
60's.
Final Thoughts:
Without Keith Moon and John Entwhistle this group isn't really The Who.
Roger Daltry and Pete Townshend are still talented, but without the other
half of the band they just don't have the energy and power that the band is
known for. That being said, this concert was still very enjoyable. A lot
of the songs really rock, Roger's voice is strong and Pete can still play
guitar. Honestly, this was better than I thought it would be. If you
already have The Kids are Alright and Live at the Isle of Wight Festival and
are yearning for more Who concerts on DVD, this disc is Recommended.
Movie - 3 stars
Video - 2 1/2 stars
Audio - 4 stars
Extras - 3 stars
Replay - 4 stars
From DVD Talk at:
www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=11992
The Who - Live In Boston
Rhino // Unrated // $19.99 // September 14, 2004
Review by John Sinnott | posted August 19, 2004
The Concert:
Just about everybody has a favorite band; a special group that can seemingly
do no wrong, where even their weaker efforts are better than most other
bands best works. For me, that group has always been The Who. I have
listened to all their albums countless times, and have heard many of their
live concerts. Song for song, they have more energy and power than any
other band. Well, for my money at least.
Unfortunately, The Who that tours now is different than the group that first
came to fame in the 60's. Keith Moon, the bands maniacal thrashing drummer,
died in 1978, and John Entwhistle, the stoical band member who was
responsible for some of rock's greatest bass riffs, passed away in 2002.
The remaining two members, singer Roger Daltry and guitarist/songwriter Pete
Townshend, still tour using session musicians to fill in the voids in the
group. But The Who was one of those entities that are definitely more than
the sum of its parts. None of the band members solo albums, though some
were very good, were able to capture the magic that occurred when they all
played together. So how does this remaining half of the group sound in
concert? Not too bad after all, but they have lost some of the excitement
that made the group so enthralling in the past. Some of that can be
explained by the fact that they are a lot older now, but a good deal of it
is because they aren't quite complete.
This DVD captures The Who's concert from September 24, 2002 at the Tweeter
Center in Mansfield, MA, a show from the group's first tour after the
unexpected death of bass player John Entwhistle. Lasting slightly over two
hours long, the band sure gives your money's worth with a set encompassing
their entire career.
As for the line up, in addition to Pete Townsend on guitar and Roger Daltry
singing, Zak Starkey, Ringo's son, is on drums, and Pino Paladino, an active
session musician who has worked with Eric Clapton, Elton John, and Jeff Beck
among many others, replaces John Entwhistle on the bass. In addition,
Rabbit is on keyboards, and Pete's brother, Simon, plays rhythm guitar and
sings backup.
The concert gets off to a mediocre start. I Can't Explain, a rock standard,
feels a little tired, like they've played it thousands of times, which they
have. After a trio of their pre-Tommy songs, the group launches into some
of their later material, which came across as more fresh and energized.
Pete's guitar solo on Who Are You was excellent. While not loud and
glaring, it had genuine feeling to it, and harkened back to The Who's prime.
Pete gives a good introduction to the three songs they preform from
Quadrophenia. Sea and Sand sounded much better than I've heard it preformed
in years. 5:15 was good, though I did miss the brass section, but Love
Reign O'er Me didn't have the emotional impact that the song usually
carries.
The concert did have some great moments in it though. My Generation really
rocked and the changes they made to the song made it feel fresh and new.
The Kids are Alright, a favorite of mine from way back, gets several new
verses added to it. Pete expanded the song and included lyrics that change
the meaning in interesting ways. The new version is an excellent song in
its own right, and it's great to see it preformed live. The songs that they
preform from Tommy as an encore were also great fun to hear, though
Townshend's playing on Pinball Wizard wasn't as crisp as it usually is.
The original members of the band, though aging, still have some life left in
them. Roger's voice retains a lot of its power, much more than I was
expecting. Pete's vocals, on the other hand, are sounding a little tired
and worn, especially in the beginning of Behind Blue Eyes. The ohhhh's at
the beginning of You Better You Bet where Pete and Roger are supposed to
sing in tune are particularly unattractive.
While Pete Townshend's voice might be a little rougher, and though he doesn'
t jump around and cavort around the stage like he did 30 years ago, his
guitar playing isn't hampered by his advancing age. He is still able to
instill a sense of urgency and power into songs like Won't Get Fooled Again
and Sea and Sand.
The main problem that I had with the concert in general was that Roger's
voice and Pete's guitar were mixed higher than the other instruments in most
cases, which is too bad because it gives the songs a different feel and
sound, and not necessarily better. On Love Reign O'er Me the amazing
synthesizer riff practically disappears into the background for most of the
song. Another example is the way the bass guitar is handled though out the
concert. Where as John Entwhistle's bass would act as a foundation for a
lot of the songs only to leap to the front for several intricate bars and
then unexpectedly returning to the background, in this concert the bass just
sits in the back, never really emerging. This is too bad because Pino
Paladino is an excellent bassist. He was able to pull off all of John's
riffs without missing a note and it's unfortunate that he was regulated to a
background position in the mix. The songs suffer for it.
Zak's drumming, while not as energetic as Keith Moon's (but then who is?)
was very competent. He managed to keep the beat and put in a lot of frills,
even though the first minutes of I Can't Explain let it be known that he
wasn't able to fully fill Keith's shoes.
Pete wasn't in the best of humors during this concert either. Before they
launch into three songs from the aborted Lifehouse project (two of which
ended up on Who's Next) there is an odd exchange between Pete and a member
of the audience who apparently was heckling the band. Pete cusses him out,
and concludes with stating "I don't know what band you think you're
following, but sometimes I think you've got the wrong one." Later in the
set he stops while introducing a song as says "For F*ck's sake, be quiet. I
'm trying to concentrate." He berates the audience a couple of times for
talking, and even threatens to walk off if people don't shut up.
The Who preformed the following songs:
I Can't Explain
Substitute
Anyway Anyhow Anywhere
Who Are You
Another Tricky Day
Relay
Bargain
Baba O'Reily
Sea And Sand
5:15
Love Reign O'er Me
Eminence Front
Behind Blue Eyes You Better You Bet
The Kids Are Alright
My Generation
Won't Get Fooled Again
Pinball Wizard
Amazing Journey/Sparks
See Me Feel Me
Listening To You
The DVD:
Audio:
This DVD has a PCM stereo track and a 5.1 Dolby Digital track. Both tracks
sounded outstanding in their own right. The 5.1 audio really put you in the
middle of the music, with some backing vocal and cymbal crashes, in addition
to the noises from the audience, in the rear. This actually works much
better than it sounds, giving the feeling of being in a club where sound
seems to assault you from all directions. The stereo track was more pure
and precise, with the audience sounds being mixed a lot lower, but not as
encompassing and powerful as the 5.1. There wasn't any (unintentional)
distortion in either track, and even the really loud parts were accurately
reproduced. In short, this disc sounds great.
Video:
Filmed live, the full frame video quality was good but not outstanding.
Some of the songs were a little dark, but this is more of a lighting problem
than anything inherent in the DVD. The lines were fairly tight, though
people in the long shots were not as defined as I would have liked. Digital
defects were not a problem. An adequate disc.
Extras:
I wasn't expecting much in the way of extras on this DVD, and was pleasantly
surprised to find some interesting bonus' included on this disc. First off
is an art gallery with approximately 25 images drawn by the late John
Entwhistle. I enjoyed the characatures he did much more than the realistic
drawings. There is also two interviews; a fourteen minute talk with Pete
and an eight minute interview with Roger were they discuss their reaction
and feelings about John's death.
There is also an Easter Egg: On the song selection submenu cursor down to
"Relay" and then press left to highlight the emblem on Pete Townshend's
T-Shirt. Select it and you will be treated to a 13-minute audio interview
with Pete Townshend from March 2004 where he talks about the guitars that he
currently uses and how they differ from the guitars that he used back in the
60's.
Final Thoughts:
Without Keith Moon and John Entwhistle this group isn't really The Who.
Roger Daltry and Pete Townshend are still talented, but without the other
half of the band they just don't have the energy and power that the band is
known for. That being said, this concert was still very enjoyable. A lot
of the songs really rock, Roger's voice is strong and Pete can still play
guitar. Honestly, this was better than I thought it would be. If you
already have The Kids are Alright and Live at the Isle of Wight Festival and
are yearning for more Who concerts on DVD, this disc is Recommended.
Movie - 3 stars
Video - 2 1/2 stars
Audio - 4 stars
Extras - 3 stars
Replay - 4 stars