Customer Reviews

Best. Concert. Ever. [Audio CD/DVD]

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Warning: Wordy, But Heartfelt Review Ahead...

Being recently introduced to the Jonathan Coulton phenomenon, I watched the concert on this DVD unfold with a mixture of exhilaration and despair. Despair? I'll explain.

The exhilaration came because within less than a month after discovering his music this past spring through a friend of mine, I learned that he was giving a concert here in L.A. I grabbed a ticket and found myself on the evening of the concert seated smack in the middle of the third row. I have never had so much fun at a concert in my life. (Name dropping: Felicia Day and Sandeep Parikh of The Guild and Al Yankovic were in the audience, and Wil Wheaton introduced the concert - the perks of living in L.A.) And then to find that he had a concert DVD that had just (and I mean *just*) become available and they were being sold in the lobby? I snapped one up (along with a Mandelbrot Set fractal t-shirt, but not a Skullcrusher Mountain one, curse the luck - they ran out of my size).

Watching the DVD confirmed that my live experience was not a fluke. Jonathan Coulton is gifted on every level - as a composer, lyricist, musician, singer, performer, entertainer, you name it. His tunes are the kind that you just can't get out of your head, in the good way. His lyrics are brilliantly written. His wistful guitar, warm voice and shy, yet sly, persona add up a throughly engaging presence, both on his recordings and in person. He has an easy intimacy on stage that clearly comes through on video, and if you get the chance to meet him and talk with him face to face, you can tell it's the real deal.

I have been proselytizing to everyone I can about Jonathan Coulton, in part for the many reasons I have mentioned, but also to give my support to a man who did what most of us only dream of doing. He quit his day job to follow his dream, to do what he was "supposed to do" as he puts it, and found success in doing so. More power to him, and to anyone who takes the same chance.

**Which leads to the ultimate point of writing any glowing review: BUY THIS NOW! Seriously. You will *not* regret it. You get the DVD of the concert loaded with extras including a full commentary and extra audience-filmed footage, PLUS the CD of the concert as well. If you only know the "album" versions, many of the songs are done in new ways that give you fresh takes on things you thought you already knew.

So don't think about it anymore, just buy it. Then you can watch it, come back here, read this all again and think to yourself "Wow, he was *so* on the money."

Oh, and where does the despair come in? The fact that I live in L.A, and this concert was filmed in San Francisco more than a year before I had ever heard of Jonathan Coulton. I dearly wish I had been able to be there. It's plain to see that everyone in the audience and on stage is having a ball, and that it was definitely a very special night and an experience to treasure for the lucky few that were there.

And there was cake.

I saw Jonathan Coulton in concert this spring in NYC, and this DVD/CD set truly captures his inventive, witty and beautiful songs, and his wonderfully loyal and creative fans' reactions and participation. He is a troubadour for our time. I can't get his songs out of my head, they haunt me, and I find myself quoting them--and friends, young and old can appreciate his music--there are songs for every taste, every level of sophistication. Buy it--you'll love it!

This was an amazing show to be at and I loved watching it again!
I was able to be at the filming for this concert in SF and there was no way they could pack it all into one DVD. All of the best moments are here and you can feel the excitement of the crowd. Long live Andy Bates!!!

The production of the DVD was great. I enjoyed the bonus material and seeing some behind the scenes things. It was fun to see all of the crowd shots, alternate versions of things and funny inside jokes. The audio was great and it totally different then what you can download from Jonathan Coulton.

If you were at the show I am sure you already pre-ordered the DVD and have watched it by now. If you were not at the show GET IT NOW!!! If you have ever seen or had JOCO this will exceed your expectations. It is a must buy for any fan.

For people who are not fans, never heard of JOCO, maybe heard a few songs - this is a great way to get introduced to it. After watching this you will be marking your calendar for the next show in your area.

I discovered Jonathan Coulton's music about a year ago and have been hooked ever since. Although I previously downloaded many of his songs, I happily purchased this one as well. If you're just starting to get into his music this album is a great one to buy because it plays like a 'best of' and contains his best known songs. Although the concert versions are understandabily not as high of quality as those recorded in the study, I really enjoy the arrangements and find some of them (like Mr. Fancy Pants) to be even better than the original studio versions. It's also a great CD to buy if you saw him in concert and want to relive the experience.

That said, all of the songs here are available on other albums or on his website so if you're not interested in hearing another arrangement of the material it may not be worth the purchase. However, my experience is that the arrangements are just different and fresh enough that it's worth it for me, particularly as a big fan.

I admit I only discovered John Coulton through his Portal song. Wanting to hear more I jumped onto his website where he has samples of all of his music. Liking what I heard, I chose this album as being both comprehensive, and a little bit of a 'best hits' compilation. I was not disappointed. This album features nice recordings of a lot of intriguing songs, with the silliness of stage performance mixed in for some added flavor. The music is good, the atmosphere draws you in, and the price is reasonable.

Be prepared though: listen to a sample of his music before buying. His style is distinctive and regular. His style is recognizable and you will either love it, get used to it, or hate it.

This is very fun. As I've never been able to see JC in concert, next best thing. Warning, the songs stay in your head....they might be taking over.

I don't want to be too wordy here; just wanted to add yet another 5-star rating.

Like the title says, this album has something to offer everyone. (Except, of course, the closing credits theme "Still Alive" from the Portal soundtrack; you need to download it from that album instead) Best.Concert.Ever has one of my favorites, "I'm your Moon" a love song from the moon Charon to the dwarf planet, Pluto. It has "Ikea" an anthem for Swedish furniture, "First of May" which is (to put it more politely than does the song) about the springtime mating rituals of humans and other wild animals, a song for empty nesters, and it even has a Christmas song from another planetary system! I couldn't even choose an absolute favorite song because most of them are just so good and so different from each other.

This is essential for any Jonathan Coulton fan. It is also a great gateway to get non-fans to fall in love. The interview bits are priceless.

The songs themselves are great - I love the acoustic versions of the songs from this live performance - the audio recordings are of a nice high quality for a live show. The DVD of the live performance was great as well.

Buying a second copy because I gave my first to a friend, and this is one independant artist I love to support.

An excellent selection of some of his best work, this live CD has not left my car since it arrived. Songs that sounded good with full instrumentation on his other releases sound even better with just a guitar and his wonderful voice. Coulton truly deserves all the success that comes his way.

Best. Concert. Ever is one of the best live CDs I've heard....EVER!

And the DVD is just as good with a few nice extras thrown in for good measure.