Customer Reviews

Blues Traveler - Live - Thinnest of Air

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

 

 

Blues Traveler is one of the best touring Jam bands on the scene currently. The Red Rocks July 4th show is a yearly tradition spreading back over ten years and brings in travelers from all over the country and some from overseas to join in this unique yearly experience. Details released from the band indicate that the full concert will be included in this 2 disc set, the following songs were played the night of July 4, 2003:

Carolina Blues> [06:23.25]
You Lost Me There> [05:11.71]
My Blessed Pain [06:40.27]
No Woman, No Cry* [08:58.25]
Save His Soul> [05:07.38]
Hook> [04:38.44]
The Star-Spangled Banner> [03:23.67]
Love & Greed [07:15.09]
All Hands [13:26.10]
Let Her & Let Go [03:41.41]
Crystal Flame> [05:11.06]
Pattern [07:00.00]
Support Your Local Emperor> [08:31.34]
This Ache [05:09.59]
Bagheera [07:46.23]
Eventually [04:38.33]
Slow Change> [07:53.26]
Unable To Get Free [05:26.50]
The Mountains Win Again [05:40.69]
Felicia [08:12.38]
Can't See Why> [04:14.58]
You Reach Me> [08:10.34]
Crash Burn [08:13.41]
E: Sweet & Broken [04:57.63]
Thinnest Of Air [03:36.31]
Brother John [10:33.25]

*= Ziggy Marley guest on vocals

Filming was also done at a small acoustic set performed live at Denver's Twist and Shout records July 2, 2003 with John Popper and Chan Kinchla. This acoustic set included the songs Sweet and Broken, Carolina Blues, The Mountains Win Again, Let Her and Let Go, and, But Anyway. I am not aware of which tracks will make the DVD, but, I for one hope the inspired acoustic "train blues" of Carolina makes it onto the disc.

The disc will also include an exclusive look at life on the road with the band members. Cameras followed the band capturing their life and thoughts. On the day of the show, long time friend of the band and namesake of the song "Gina" joined camera crews roving up and down the famous steps of Red Rocks amphitheater talking with fans and even getting a few snipits of singing and harmonica playing in the mid afternoon July heat.

This first ever DVD release from Blues Traveler gives a great look at a concert and a band not to be missed.

Even if you consider yourself just a modest Blues Traveler fan, make sure you add this DVD to your collection. It is shot like a documentary, with behind-the-scenes footage peppered throughout the concert itself. It is shot widescreen format with incredible sounding 5.1 DTS surround. It's about time that BT came out with a DVD, but I was still stunned to see just how entertaining it truly is. The interviews are great, and the play list selection is impeccable. This DVD should appeal to all levels of BT fans.

I am a HUGE Blues Traveler fan - never miss 'em when they hit NorCal. The concert footage is great, especially for their big fans tired of seeing/hearing Runaround and But Anyway (absent on this DVD, but Hook does appear). Included are some nuggets from deeper in their catalog. Some of the highlights: No Woman, No Cry with Ziggy Marley, Bagheera, Save His Soul, Pattern (really tight musicianship), and Felicia. Although Bobby Sheehan is missed on bass (RIP), Tad Kinchla is an excellent bassist, taking the band in a new direction, and Ben Wilson is a welcome addition on the Hammond C3 (and other keys). Unfortunately, the backstage snippets really take away from the show. They're great for the big fans, and I actually liked viewing them, but they should have formatted the two DVDs as one for the concert, the other for the backstage stuff, instead of interspersing them and stretching the concert out over the 2 disks. Kind of a drag when I have the concert in while entertaining at home and people ask who the fat guy smoking pot in his underwear is. Worth 5 stars, but minus a star on that point.

I hated the last BT live release, and, really, I wasn't too fond of the one before that, but I'm in love with live videos and I really like this band's studio work, so I figured that maybe watching it would make it more enjoyable than listening to it.

To my great surprise and delight, I was proven right and then some - almost all of the complaints I'd had with the previous releases are not at all present here, and the video is excellently shot and edited.

The set list at this show is better than the other two releases, which helps. The mix of the instruments is much more open and less cacophonous than What You And I Have Been Through, which lets it actually sound like music, even the songs that are played exactly the same way. And, now that the new bassist and keyboardist have had time to integrate with the band, they've almost totally taken over - the keyboards fill most of the holes left by removing the multiple tracks in the studio, making many of the songs I previously thought shallow into masterpieces. Also, Chan seems to have improved at playing lead guitar - the jams here were much, much tighter and more energetic than before.

There are only two remaining problems. One, actually, is the material from Bridge - somehow, all of these songs just completely fail live. They sound shallow, uninspired, and empty. It's an excellent album, one of my favorites, but it just doesn't work live at ALL. The other is Chan's inability to play rhythm guitar - almost always, when he isn't soloing, it sounds like there's no guitar at all. He might as well not be there, and it's a little distracting. The band is reduced to a bassline and a piano part plus vocals; they desperately need a rhythm guitarist.

Thankfully, though, the new bassist and keyboardist are almost always up to the task, and this is, while not perfect, an excellent DVD and a worthwhile purchase.

Although I cannot rate the DVD since it hasn't been released yet, I was at this wonderful Red Rocks gig. Hopefully they include Ziggy Marley and his performance of 'No Woman No Cry' with the band. Blues Traveler have been doing this Fourth of July Show for over 10 years at Red Rocks. Fireworks are included just behind the stage (which were actually fired off at Bandimere Speedway.)and shown fading in and out of the camera shots.
Really looking forward to its release, but wish Amazon could get more details before they post these things.

This was filmed on the 4th of July, 2003. This 2 Disc set is full of great, Jam, Band, Blues Rock Music. Plus, you get guest vocalist Ziggy Marley, on the classic, late/great Bob Marley song, "No Woman No Cry". So you also get a little bit of Reggae Music, along with the Blues Rock Music. Ziggy is Bob Marley's son. The lead singer of Blues Traveler is John Popper, and he is great on the harmonia, & lead vocals. If you like the Allman Brothers Band,Widespread Panic, and/or Warren Haynes & Gov't Mule, and their type of "Jam Band",Blues Music, then you'll really enjoy this one. Also, throughout the DVD, you get some "Behind the Scenes", Material. Overall, this is a great 2 disc set, and I highly recommend it to any blues rock fan. Thanks!!!

P.S. Also, I'd like to mention, that if you like this Blues Traveler 2 Disc DVD, then you'll probably like Warren Haynes' "Benefit Concert" DVD. It includes the John Popper Project, which is a continuation of The Blues Traveler Band. It's a great DVD also. Thanks!!!

This was not a very good DVD. They needed to move the concert to disk one and have evry thing else on disk two. With that being said, in general, this concert sucks. I have seen them before and they are way better than this live. I really don't know what happend, but Popper couldn't sing half the songs even close to how I've heard them done before. Also, the set list was terrible, most of it was the crap songs from the newer CD's. Now I will say that I am so glad I didn't have to listen to another crappy version of Run-around. But I did have to listen to them butcher Hook(again). I really think half of the problem with them live, is they try to jam way too much and cut the rhythms so much in order to pull off the long jam sessions that they lose it. Oh well, at least I didn't buy this dvd set, I watched it on NetFlix Instant. If you have it, I recommend you do the same.

I saw Blues Traveler at red Rocks over fourth of July in 2006. Since I couldn't record that performance i am glad I can look back on this one. My favorite part is John Popper playing the star spangled banner on his harmonica. He is the best in the world. If you are a Blues Traveler fan, or even into other jam bands like DMB or Phish buy this! Also Popper and Ziggy Marley do a No Woman No Cry duet that kicks.