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37 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I wish I knew of more DVDs like this!, December 7, 2006
I'm a stichler and cynic with live concert dvds, and I assure you that this one shines. I am always looking to find the dvd that really wows me, but most are only good for a few songs here and there and then they collect dust. Ironically, I bought this one ASSUMING it was going to be just another gimmick (like "Trilogy"), but I was wrong. This DVD is what concert DVDs are SUPPOSED to be all about. It's a friggin EXPERIENCE.
Let's get the "negatives" out of the way. Much of the shots are smoky looking and hazy, and just about all of the shots are done with less-than-state-of-the-art cameras. So, if this bugs you, you don't get to enjoy one of the best concert dvds money can buy. That's your punishment for being too focused on stuff that is not important! :) The reason I put "negatives" in quotation marks is that the unique camera work really adds to the experience of the concert (or combination of concerts).
The biggest plus to the dvd, and quite possibly the main reason I am in love with it, is the fact that the video wasn't spliced and edited by an idiot, which is unfortunately the case with many recent live dvds (examples: Depeche Mode, R.E.M., Devo). You actually get to enjoy each of the shots for more than a couple of seconds. With one song, the camera just stays in one spot in the center. It works!
A good concert DVD shows you what was at the show. A great concert DVD sorta leaves you feeling like you saw the show. THIS beautiful gem makes you feel like you are at shows from all different time periods and exotic concert locations, floating around in your chair, like a ghost - sort of like ebenezer scrooge going to visit his past, present, and future. I can't really describe it. I am embarassed to say, watching this dvd kind of makes me emotional...
The setting for many of the shows is dazzling, most notably Sicily, and there is one venue where there were actually carnival rides set up! (Maybe it's just me, but many Cure songs remind me of carnivals...)
And the song list! Oh, the glorious song list! You can feel the energy when "M" is playing. I think, for once, the BAND was even a little surprised at the positive reaction of the crowd. It is worth the price of the dvd just to see people crowd surfing to this song - and Robert Smith SMILING as the crowd cheers during the first chords. The people at the show are going nuts, and for good reason. What a sweet live tune. "The Drowning Man" is another rather sweet one, and EVERYTHING from "The Head on the Door" sparkles, shimmers, and gives me goose bumps. Really, REALLY good stuff.
This was a much-needed refresher on why I love the Cure.
P.S. I didn't even notice until three quarters of the way through that they didn't have synthesizers. You won't miss them.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cure Prove They Rock, February 10, 2007
Throw away the synthesizers and crank up the amps. That's what Robert Smith and The Cure chose to do in the Summer of 2005. The result: a sound I like to refer to as 'rock'. No synth-pop or new wave dance stuff here. Robert Smith has always nodded to Jimmi Hendrix from time to time and in this compilation of festival appearances shows off Smith's guitar chops like no other live DVD available. The guy can play guitar.
Snooty video-philes and industry experts will tell you how horrible the editing job is and how terrible the video effects in this compilation turn out. I don't get it. After reading some of these reviews I expected some tortured, terrible creation that was barely watchable. Quite the contrary. The myth of its poor quality is just that - hardly relying on much of the 'amateur' footage from cell phones and what-not, the filming and effects capture the mood of each song nicely. If you have a Phd in film studies, you will not agree since you know oh so much better than the rest of us philistines.
Anyway, if you like The Cure, the price is nice and there is absolutely no reason you do not want this item. I'm glad I ignored the naysayers. You will be too.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Could have been much better, December 6, 2006
Well, I'm not one to normally complain about anything The Cure puts out but this DVD could have been much better. The song selection is overall very good, mixing songs from every studio release except for TIB and WMS, I believe. They play heavy on material from the era when Porl was previously in the band. As a four-piece, the songs that normally require keyboards are unique here with Porl filling in the keyboard parts on guitar and there has been no other "official" live releases for more than a few songs on this DVD such as "Shiver and Shake", "M", "The Baby Screams" or "Signal to Noise." I can't complain about the sound quality, although the packaging did not indicate that that the 5.1 surround was DTS only and not Dolby. I prefer DD over DTS but the stereo surround mix was fine. The fact that the press release and the packaging do warn you that the video is essentially of the guerilla/audience/amateur quality still does not prepare you for the actual picture quality. My God, I just could not continue to watch the DVD. It hurt my eyes. Going for the crappy camera/grainy out of focus quality angle was a poor choice. The cheesy blurring and double images nonense was worse than watching an old Black Sabbath video on VH1 Classic. I've got better quality (even today after multiple viewings) of a VHS recording of The Cure I made 15 years ago from a concert from Germany that MTV aired! This DVD is just plain unwatchable. I will simply turn off the video and listen to the audio. This only makes the absolute need for re-releasing "In Orange" and "Show" onto DVD sooner rather than later. Too bad. This could have been a much better release for Cure fans.
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