Customer Reviews

Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds: Live at Radio City Music Hall

5 star:		(135)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

With lossless 5.1 24-bit/96kHz Dolby TrueHD, uncompressed 2.0 24-bit/48kHz PCM and a high bit-rate pristine VC-1 1080p picture, this marks not only the first time a Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds show is being released on a video format, but the first time we have a lossless high resolution surround mix of these two great musicians.
You can read the tracklist to see what is on this disc. D+T shows are always pretty special if you're lucky enough to get one.
Is the difference worth spending $3 more than the DVD? Only if you have a Blu-ray player or a Playstation 3, then you would be foolish to NOT buy it. Even if you don't have an HDTV the high bitrate VC-1 encode will look far superior at 480i on a standard television set than the DVD will.
If you do pick this up, get ready to experience Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds like never before.
As Peter Bracke said on High Def Digest about this release "the TrueHD is without a doubt the best audio presentation I've yet heard on a next-gen release. I mean it -- it's that good."
Do you hear that people? The best audio presentation of any Blu-ray or HD DVD disc to date.
Enjoy. =D

OK OK While I'd like to say I'm a huge Dave fan, I will admit that unlike some of the people that will buy this CD, I only have been to 6 concerts and own 10-12 CDs including 5 live discs.

To most people that is a lot, but to Dave Matthew addicts that might not. I know that there are some people so obsessed that they probably have all 54 or so albums (90% of them live) that have been released.

That being said I have to say that this album in my opinion is well deserving of a 5 star rating for the following reasons:

a) Sound Quality - 5 stars. The sound quality is perfect. Just enough crowd and the band is captured well. Not to much voice not too much band. Perfect.

b) Song Selection - 5 Stars. A Few old songs a few classics, some Lillywhite stuff, but plenty of newer stuff. I also own the Live Trax Fenway album that has 4 cds. I mean I love Dave, but 4 discs is too many. Dave plays so many songs I realize it's tough to pare down a weekend of concerts into one CD, and that is why this disc gets 5 stars. Perfect paring. And yes there are some new tracks on here as well!

c) Performance - 4.5 stars - Comparing this disc to the Luther College Tim Reynolds disc is tough since that was the standard, but despite Tim not shining as bright as he did on that album he still adds plenty to this disc as would be expected. Also I notice that it seems like everyone kind of brings their A game. Not sure if it's Tims presence or what but it is definitely noticeable. And yes there's a little Dave speak, but overall very good. And did I hear a piano in there...

d) Value - 5 stars - Amazon has this for $11.99 that is great for a new release live disc from DMB that contains a couple new songs, but more importantly new live versions of recent songs. I mean if people are comparing this to Live at Luther College from 7-8 years ago then you know it's worth the $.

Overall this CD is great. My favorite still remains the Red Rocks two disc. For the simple fact that at the time it was awesome. It is still good, despite the fact that having heard all those songs played over and over in so many live versions has made it lose its luster. However as a new release live disc, I don't think there's a two disc release from that Dave to date that was greeted with so much widespread enjoyment as that albums was way back in 1997.

I recently had a Pioneer 6010FD, Denon 4306 AVR, and Samsung BDP-1200 installed. I put this disc in to demo the new home theater setup for my wife. To say she was blown away is an understatement.

My AVR doesn't decode TrueHD. However, the PCM 2.0 was incredible. The clarity of the music was unbelievable. The music just seemed to fill the room and take your breath away. Sound seemed to be coming from everywhere.

The video wasn't shabby, either. In 1080p you could even read notes that Dave had written on his hand.

If you want to showcase your new system, this disc is tops for showing the capabilities of the audio and does a fantastic job with the video as well.

This concert is outstanding. The quality is amazing. This DVD has the BEST sound quality of any previous release. The camera work is great. I have been a huge fan of the Dave Matthews Band since I heard "What Would You Say" on the radio back in the early 90s. I thought Live at Luther College was wonderful, but Live at Radio City Music Hall shines in many many ways.

The sound is really like being there. Even the video quality is extremely clear. The track listing is nearly perfect for a newer release. Not too much old stuff, not too much of the crappy stuff, and some excellent new material. I have to say how wonderful it is to witness Tim Reynolds play the guitar. I've only imagined it since their last release in the late 90s. To not only hear him, but see him play will leave you with your mouth open.

To hear Dave tell the stories he has to tell is a real treat. I always enjoy his ramblings, because sometimes, even if they seem like they aren't going anywhere, they always end up of some importance to the next song. The story about "The Bushmen" is entertaining and interesting as he goes into Eh Hee. Also the performance of Crush could be the most moving version I've ever heard.

Overall, I this should be on the top of any fan's list of what to buy. If you're choosey about buying the many live discs the group puts out, buy this one without second thought.

I hadn't given Luther College a listen in a long time before picking up this brand new Dave/Tim release. When I placed the CD in the player, the first track, a haunting version of "Bartender", immediately conjured up memories of what it was to sit down on a dark night and pop-in Luther College for some mood music.

That's not to say that Live at Radio City is a purely nostalgic piece. The memories of the past were soon overtaken by the glory of the present, as Radio City easily stands on its own not as Luther College's "little brother" so to speak, but as its equal.

This can be credited to Radio City's unique song selection - only 4 of the 26 tracks presented here are on the previous Dave/Tim release. The unique tracks include Dave and Tim versions of songs from the DMB albums LWS/Busted Stuff, Before These Crowded Streets, Stand Up, and from the Dave solo album Some Devil.

There are also a few covers of Daniel Lanois songs, as well as one Neil Young cover, and Woody Guthrie's staple "This Land Is Your Land". And, of course, Tim plays a few of his own songs, which allows him to demonstrate the full capabilities of his guitar playing. And, if that wasn't enough, there are also a few unreleased Dave-penned songs here including "Eh Hee", "Cornbread", and "Sister," all of which are being played regularly on the current (2007) DMB tour.

Some highlights include a fantastic "Grace Is Gone" (a song that seemed to be made for this type of setting), "Lie In Our Graves", the new song "Eh Hee", "Some Devil", "When the World Ends", and I like both of the Tim songs better than "Stream". And "Old Dirt Hill" is actually kind've interesting here.

That's all I have to say. Happy listening.

My friends and I grew up with Live at Luther. When I found out Dave and Tim were releasing a new show on video, I went crazy. Then I found out it was coming to Blu Ray, so I didn't buy the DVD and waited. My friends all bought the DVD the day it came out, and I couldn't help but cheat and watch it with them. I was amazed! My friend did not have surround sound but did have a 42" LCD, and the picture was great for a DVD. This got me so excited to see what the Blu Ray would look like in HD. WOW! I am so glad I waited!!!

The Blu Ray has a perfect high def picture!!! On top of that, the Blu Ray features lossless DolbyTrueHD Surround Sound(96 kHz/24bit) and PCM Stereo Sound (48kHz/24bit), and I can honestly say it's the best sound quality I've heard on any concert disc. I have a nice 5.1 surround sound setup, and it's had many concerts played on it, but nothing like this!!! Compared to the DVD, I also noticed that when Tim speaks, it can actually be heard clearly on Blu Ray (and he says some pretty funny stuff). On the DVD, it just sounds like he mumbles. They might not have put his audio track on the DVD. The concert is incredible, the bonus material is incredible, and best of all, the quality of audio and video make the Blu Ray version of this show a must own for anyone with an HD setup and surround sound!

I think this is a fine release. The comment that "Tim doesn't shine" on this one as he does on Luther College is absolutely true. But more than this, Luther had an innocent, fun quality. This release sounds more of experience. The more recent songs work surprisingly well in their acoustic form. The "too much talking" comment is also absolutely true. Davespeak was once fun and funny and we couldn't get enough of it...but that was then. Now that we are experienced...

Never has a concert captivated me like this one has. The video is excellent, but it only takes a back seat to the awesome audio. 96kz/24-bit audio in Dolby TrueHD is the best audio I've heard in a musical recording.

Of course, the only thing that makes all of this worth it is a good performance, and Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds do a excellent job. The perfomances sound superb and they are entertaining to watch. The guitars are very spatial and seperated in the surround system. Dave Matthew's voice is clear and sounds great. I was expecting a full band, but what we have are two great guitar players and one of our generations most versatile vocalists.

A pleasure to own. If you're in debate about getting this...stop! Buy now!

I love chocolate, but when someone hands me a Godiva truffle, I know that it's even more special. In that same way, I love Dave Matthews Band, but watching Dave and Tim play is something different. It's a magical thing to watch two amazing artists doing what they love. The concert is full of Dave's fun stories, and the DVD has fun extras as well. This is a great DVD to own.

I hope we can see more Dave Matthews concerts on Blu-ray. This is without a doubt one of the best sounding movies out on blu-ray. If you have a home theater, you can close your eyes and honestly believe you are at the concert. It is without doubt the best sounding disc Dave Matthews has ever released from a audiophile level. Absolutely a must own if you have a stereo and blu-ray player and call yourself a dmb fan.