Customer Reviews

Bryan Ferry in Concert (Live in Paris at Le Grand Rex, March 2000)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

My wife and I, along with a friend, were lucky enough to catch the first show of the tour that this DVD captures. It was in a very small venue in Washington DC, filled to capacity (and then some). The female string quartette started the evening with several numbers and then the band took the stage. Bryan Ferry actually had to read the music and lyrics to the first song ("The Way You Look Tonight") and seemed visably relieved at the warm response he was given. From this somewhat rocky start, the Bryan Ferry and the band amazed us with its broad range of musical styles, moving seemlessly from a Cole Porter song to "Editions of You" to "Falling In Love Again" and then "In Every Dream Home" (a song about an inflatable doll).

I have been a Roxy Music fan since 1972 and own nearly every album and or CD (or both) that Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry have produced. I was lucky enough to see Roxy Music perform many years ago and have seen Bryan Ferry now three times. While I agree that he doesn't have the strongest voice, it is, in my opinion, an almost perfect voice for this tour and the album it promoted.

This DVD captures the energy that Ferry exudes during his shows. He truly seems to enjoy performing in front of an audience and the entire band shares in that enthusiasm.

In the show I saw in DC, most of the older songs (e.g., the ones from the 30's) were grouped together, with some Roxy and Bryan Ferry songs in the latter third of the show, followed by a few more old ones and ending, of course, with "Do the Strand". That is the one song I really miss from this DVD. I have seen it done four times and I have loved it every time.

If you are a fan of Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music, get this DVD and be sure and share it with friends. If you watch one song, make it "Jealous Guy" - the mix, with an emphasis on the string quartette, make the song especially good and moving. Enjoy it.

I cannot believe how good this video is. The performance completely blew me away! This is one of the best perfomances I have ever seen on video. The musicians Mr. Ferry has in this performance are amazing. I absolutely love the way he uses the strings - 2 violins, viola and cello. There is one song where the strings are used to create bird-like sounds and the effect is stunning. I have always loved Mr. Ferry's voice but seeing and hearing him perform with an orchestral group is incredible.

The performance of Casanova is worth the price of the DVD. Don't wait, order this now.

I was very interested to get a live performance DVD from one of my favorite musicians, Bryan Ferry. I wanted to hear the standards of "When Time Goes By" mixed with his Roxy and other solo efforts.

Bryan Ferry always had a great stage presence and the DVD showed his style and elegance. Always fashion conscience, his horn and rythym section were dressed in tuxes and string section comprised of beautiful women in black leather pants and they let their hair down at the end.

While I figured the standards and some Roxy tunes ("Oh Yeah", "Jealous Guy", "Avalon") would translate well into this orchestra format, I was unsure of other tunes listed on the jacket. But two songs from Country Life, "Out of the Blue" and "Casanova", were masterfully done. "Casanova" had a blusey-jazz-calypso beat to it that I can't get out of my head.

At the end, the climaxing songs ("Avalon", "Jealous Guy", "Let's Stick Together", and "Love is the Drug") bring down the house.

All in all this is a real treat for all Roxy Music fans. Bryan Ferry is at his best and the band and audience react to his incredible performance.

I highly recommend this DVD for all Roxy fans.

This DVD contains some of the best moments from Bryan Ferry's stellar 1999-2000 "As Time Goes By" Tour.

Ferry has never shied away from interpreting others' songs. He even re-did some of his own creations on his "Let's Stick Together" solo album. Listening to Ferry's cover songs is akin to looking at the same painting and discovering new things in the process.

Aided by the fresh arrangements of Colin Good, Ferry's tradition continued during this enjoyable concert at Le Grand Rex in Paris in March 2000. Ferry's setlist includes 30's songs from the October 1999 release "As Time Goes By", his solo stuff, and some Roxy classics.

Ferry may front the stage; but the true stars of the tour were the musicians. It is awesome to see a classically trained ensemble perform the "harder" early Roxy songs like "Chance Meeting" and "Casanova" and casually switch into faithful jazz renditions of Cole Porter.

This DVD captures the versatility and the charisma of the most underrated performer in the late 20th century. This is a must-buy for all Ferry/Roxy Music fans and those who appreciate honest renditions of 1930s music.

I had the great pleasure of catching this tour in the USA when Bryan Ferry and these musicians played the Paramount Theatre in Oakland. (...) The setting was therefore incredible, and somehow I suspect that that aspect (the stage and venue), had been a deliberate choice. That evening's performance was a magical, and dare I say an adult, sophisticated rock and soul experience. Yet, like this DVD, it rocked very hard at times, summoning the power of the early Roxy songs and performances. The ballads and the rockers were perfectly paced in the show as they are in this DVD.

(...)

This DVD captures the live show with all it's emotion and subtle themes superbly. The Parisian stage was a very close approximation of the Paramount setting. For those suggesting that his voice and stage presence was somehow lame, I beg to differ. His stage persona has always been the antithisis of rock star bravado. I found his and the band's performance in this DVD to mesh quite well, just as it had at the show I saw. This band was flawless. The "glam" in the string section is something to behold not to mention their collective musicianship.

So little is available on DVD, fans should grab a copy for themselves and view it with the perspective of time and place I referred to. There is a feature in the DVD that is very useful, a discography of all his recorded output solo and with Roxy Music. Get the CD of "As Time goes By" as well as this DVD.

Bryan Ferry is a true artist, in that he understands how to bring so many elements together and form something completely new and unique with them. This is a very special opportunity to see an artist in his element.

The AS TIMES GO BY tour was very intimate and cool. I caught the tour at the Beacon Theater in NYC, which was even more vibrant than this Paris show. In any case, the Paris show is very sublime and has a more smokey great nightclub feel. The musicians are superb - with special note to the glamourous and cool ladies in the string section (especially Julia Thorton), Colin Good, and the horn section. People who expect Ferry's voice to be like Luciano or Celine Dion miss the whole essence of Ferry and Roxy - which was to be cool, original and distinctive. This album and tour was the start of Ferry's revival - leading to a Grammy Nomination, the great 2001 Roxy Reunion, and his best solo disc since THESE FOOLISH THINGS called 'Frantic'.

The once-and-future Roxy Music frontman is in fine form for this March 2000 concert, backed by a near-orchestra at Le Grand Rex in Paris. Ferry makes a strong case for himself as one of the best vocalists in pop, with flawless renditions of many of the '30s gems from his "As Time Goes By" album as well as several Roxy classics and songs from his solo releases. Ferry has always cut an elegant figure, so his own material is right at home among the Cole Porter, Jerome Kern and Rodgers & Hart songs. The large band -- whose players appear to range in age from early 20s to mid-60s -- is a wonder too: Subtle arrangements such as that for "Where or When" get the delicate treatment they require, and everybody rocks out for stuff like "Let's Stick Together" and "Love Is the Drug." It's a powerfully dynamic set, especially the shifts between the crescendo of "Out of the Blue" to the solo-piano beginning of "The Only Face" to the swinging "You Do Something to Me" and "Just One of Those Things." Ferry, with his fine phrasing and theatrical body language, charms throughout. A must for fans, and a great introduction for anybody else. Bonus: Take a look at that string section!

That about says it all. Whoever mixed this for 5.1 Surround had absolutely NO idea what they were doing. The volume in the front very low and the rear is barely audible at full (rear) volume!!! PCM version is likewise very low in volume (I know...that's what volume controls are for but come on...some are recorded 15-20db louder!!).
But it IS a good show.

Bryan Ferry has absolutely the most incredible voice "in the world". This DVD is spectacular. You can watch it once, then, without a break, replay it over & over. His renditions of the OLDER songs literally takes you back to the time of their origin. By far, the GREATEST voice of all time!!

a truly wonderful performance by one of the greats, who through innovation and vision manages to constantly entertain in so many ways.

The musicians on this tour and the song selections are magical, blending modern with classic in powerful ways.

Ferry brings so much musical joy to the world.

Bravo!