Customer Reviews

The Black Keys Live

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

 

 

So I actually own this dvd (which is odd since it doesn't come out til 10/4/05), and it is incredible! It is an absolutely amazing performance. All it needs is a scratch-n-sniff box that smells of smoke and beer and you'd think you were actually there. The video quality is stunning. The audio is unbelievable. Thick raunchy fuzz tones (as one might expect), and of course Patrick brutally assaults his drum kit like some kind of maniac. It is so good, I caught myself wanting to applaude and go nuts after most songs (as if I were actually there). Now I am using a pretty decent home theatre setup w/ a powered sub, so results may vary slightly. But you will surely have your socks rocked off.

I almost forgot to mention, this dvd also has music videos for 10AM Automatic and Set You Free, a great interview with the guys, and a live photo gallery. Oh, and the song that plays during the main menu is really funky and good. I haven't heard it before. Some kind of jam they must have done.

Dan is so "on" with his gee-tar, it makes you sick. Seriously, the guy is so talented. Rock critics are going to go nuts when this dvd hits the streets in October. Patrick kills it on the drums, but Dan is the frontman and his performance really stands out. The stars and planets must have been aligned that night in Australia...

I just want to say thanks to Dan and Patrick for putting out a dvd of such great quality. I have daily cravings for the Black Keys rocked-out-thick-fuzz-goodness, and this dvd more than satisfies them (at least until they come back to Chicago so I can see them live).

I have to disagree with the reviewer who said that the picture on this concert was distracting and that the extras were great. I've watched this DVD a number of times, and I would actually say the exact opposite, and not just to be a contrarian, or to confuse people who haven't seen it yet. I tend to be very fickle about video and sound quality of live performance DVDs, even if I love the band. If you like The Black Keys, primarily their stuff prior to the album Magic Potion, you'll like this DVD [interestingly, it was driving me crazy until I realized that the menu music was a song from Magic Potion that was not in the concert]. Not too much in the way of extras [a short interview, photo montage and two videos], but excellent footage of an excellent band. I wouldn't necessarily say that if you didn't know The Black Keys that this would make you an instant fan, but it is an excellent representation of them in concert with excellent sound quality and picture [not blurry or hectic]. Naturally, I do like The Black Keys, so this is a treat. You get plenty of music for the money too. On a side note, I found a new found respect for Dan's guitar skills. It doesn't even look like he uses a pick to make all that heavy, distorted blues. Excellent band. Excellent video.

I got this as one of my husband's stocking stuffers. He's already a big Black Keys fan and he loves to watch music DVDs. He really liked it and seems to enjoy watching it.

I've been a Black Keys fan for about a year and a half now, and I finally got around to buying this DVD. My favorite albums by the Black Keys are Rubber Factory, Chulahoma, and Thickfreakness, probably in that order. Lucky for me most of the songs are from those albums. Aside from that, the video quality is great, the sound is clear (as clear as it could be with all of the intentional guitar feedback), and most of the songs are pretty close to the album versions. These guys really rock. Just my opinion, but they would probably kick the White Stripes out of the building in a battle-of-the-bands. The interviews are pretty cool, too. The only gripe I have is Dan's between song "banter." It seems pretty awkward, which I guess is cool because he doesn't try to fake it, but they could have totally left it out. Also, in my opinion this DVD is way better than the Crystal Ballroom DVD. The way I judge that is the house cleaning factor. If I can have it blaring while I'm doing laundry or cleaning and not want to skip any songs, then it's good. This one is way better in that respect.

I have wanted to go see these guys play in Austin(Texas), the last several times they have played there, but something always comes up and I don't go. That having been said, I really enjoyed this dvd. I am going to have to figure out how to get to Austin the next time they play. They have a lot of energy and they are really into the songs. I would have liked to see more of their blues/blues-rock stuff on it, since most of the stuff on it is rock.
They do a lot with the duo setup. I was wondering how they would play some of the songs since there is overdubbing on parts of the albums. I liked what they did, although I got a little tired of the riff/ fill repetition on the songs, but with two people I am not sure what I expected.

I was disappointed with this DVD. Other reviewers made it out to be an amazing performance, but I have a feeling they're just sending underseved praise to their favorite band. The performance is mediocre, at best. As a matter of fact, it's clear that the band is holding back, A LOT. Perhaps the guys knew they were being filmed for a live DVD, and took extra care not to mess up any of the songs, but the performance suffers as a result. There's far less intensity in this performance than in other live performances, or even in the CD recordings. Dan doesn't even bother attempting some of the more difficult licks in a lot of the songs. The lighting is also another sore spot on this performance. There's a crazy red tinge to everything that makes it difficult to see the band and almost hurts your eyes after a while.
That said, this DVD does have a lot of nice extras if you're a big fan of the band. There's interviews, music videos, photos, and the sound quality is excellent, but the performance itself is severely lacking in intensity and quality. If you're crazy into the Black Keys you'll probably want to pick this up, but if you're just the average fan, pass this one by.

I have been trying to teach my dogs "The Black Fleas" how to play instruments and howl in tune for years now. It wasn't until I ordered this DVD and forced them to watch it until they finally caught on. They probably want ever make it to be this big but they can play a mean "Howlin' For You"!