Customer Reviews

Eels with Strings - Live at Town Hall

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had the fortune of attending a special screening for this DVD in Hollywood. I arrived not that familiar with the Eels, but left a huge fan of them. This is beautifully shot, the Director did an amazing job highlighting just how spectacular of a performance this was. I immediately came home and placed an order for it and several of the Eels albums.

An excellent performance that exemplify why we love the Man called E (Mark Oliver Everett)!

The 2006 Eels with Strings - Live at Town Hall DVD offers glimpses into the musical genius that is E. His stage presence and sardonic delivery only enhanced the dark whimsy of many of his pensive compositions. If you love Eels, you will love this DVD. The production and sound quality is excellent, you feel like you are right there on stage with the musicians.

The music is not studio polished--but perhaps better, if not just as good. It is taken mostly from the Blinking Lights and Other Revelations double album, and it sounds even better live. While the man called E smokes smoothly on his omnipresent cigar, sipping from a glass of brown whisky-like liquid, he delivers his impeccable best. This is a man who sings for the underdog, the misunderstood, the disenfranchised and even if you aren't any of those things, you still feel a pull towards his lyrics and a deep empathy for the "bus stop boxer" and "dog-faced boy."

Eels unique keyboard style and guitar strums are accompanied by a backdrop of excellent musicians. Chet's musicianship is nothing short of amazing, big Al's bass can't be beat. The four ladies will wow you with their skills on the violins and cello. All of the instruments synch up and commingle in a way that keeps things sounding spontaneous and fresh. The familiarity of the songs are sprinkled with diversion, keeping the DVD dynamic and endlessly intriguing. In

In between live performances, we're treated to behind the scene moments with E--in all of his cynical glory. We want to love this man, sit down with him and hear all about his idiosyncrasies. The only disappointment is that it seemed too short, but that could be because the entire series of performances was nothing short of astounding. It defies time, bringing the listener into the realm of pure musical nirvana. The concert outro's with the pajama wearing band on stage playing an abbreviated version of Mr. E's Beautiful Blues from the Daisies of the Galaxy album (my all-time fave). I could not think of a better way to end the concert.

I would have like to hear a few more songs from other albums, but that is a minor quibble. This is a concert experience not to be missed. And thanks to this DVD, you won't.

The DVD is first-rate. This is not eels music that all will be familiar with, but it's not supposed to be. The strings are beautiful, Chet and the other guy play more instruments (or variations of instruments) than Mike Oldfield on horse tranquilizers and E sounds great. You can tell he's having a blast, and for him to have fun is not always so easy.

If you are looking for a greatest hits concert, this isn't it. What it is, however, is a splendid collection of great songs in an intimate setting. One song I particularly loved is Pretty Ballerina, the old Left Banke song.

Nicely done, Mark Oliver Everett aka "E" and the rest of the strings and band. A++++++

Having had the fantastic oppurtunity of seeing Eels on their last two tours of Australia, I really am looking forward to a visual reminder of this experience.
The Eels with strings concert I saw in Sydney was an absolute pleasure. Intimate and Personal, E was at his brilliant best. Chet and Big Al played more different instruments than I thought was humanly possible. The string quartet were just superb, look out for that special moment of vibration.
Anyone who had the pleasure of witnessing the Eels with strings tour will know this is not a rock show, and the songs come accross incredibly.
Eels are progressive, and E of course is the centre of which their universe revolves. However, the only similarility between the latest Eels with strings show, and the Tour of Duty shows, is E himself. E is Eels no doubt, and he picks the musicians to make the mood and the moment. Being able however, to relive the Eels of a couple of years ago, Butch and the rest, would be a chance to really appreciate the talent of Mark Oliver Everett.

I have not had a chance to check out the DVD yet (although I have the CD and it is spectacular).

I also had the privelage of attending this show. While much of it (particularly the songs off of the new album, Blinking Lights) is not the same as we are used to hearing the Eels play, I feel it is a necessary change for the already-diverse Eels repertoire.

This was not your average Eels concert. It was definatly more of an intimate experience. There was no standing and it was not the kind of theater youd expect to see the Eels in, but the experience was undescribable. Completely not what I expected.

And leave it up to Mr. E to make you leave with a smile (as depressing as alot of his music is). I remember for the second encore, they waited till the house lights came back on and most of the crowd had left, then came out in their pajamas. Good ole' E.

While it took me a while to get used to the new music (as it did with other albums, such as Souljacker), it really grew on me. Listening to the lyrics gave me a whole new appreciation of E.

The band that performs with E is also nothing short of amazing. The string section sounded beautiful and the other two members of the band played more instruments then I could possibly remember.

E was completely on point that night too.

Overall, I think they picked a great show to release on DVD and hope they release more DVDs in the future.

Love all that the Eels have to offer but I agree with other reviews that many great songs were missed.

Mark Everett is one of the true geniuses of our 21st century music....but this concert could have been better.

After seeing this amazing film, I would think that even a non-fan could just feel, and appreciate, the beauty and pain oozing from this amazing, amazing performance. I think Mark Oliver Everett is one of the best SONGWRITERS out on the scene today. With this fantastic performance, he(and his amazing,incredible band) is undoubtably one of the best at PERFORMING his incredible body of work.

All in all, as a fan this was a true pleasure to witness and hear. To anyone who has not discovered the low-key, amazing entertainment of Mark Oliver Everett("E"), please take the time and uncover this true talent. Then you also can watch this film and see what everybody's been missing.

This is a great gift for any EELs fan. You get to follow Mr. E around and watch as he and the rest of the band prepare for shows and joke around onstage and off. The photography was great and made the concert and backstage scenes feel more like a independent movie than a concert dvd. It even includes a low budget music video which I found hilarious. He holds the camera in one hand and lip syncs his own song as a cd player plays it in the background. So great I hope they make more dvds in the future.

a longtime fan of eels, i was delighted to find this dvd, which turned out to be an excellent piece of film, capturing Mr E. and his band both onstage and offstage in new york. here eels are comprised of a three piece, multi-instrument, trio, backed by a wonderfully talented string quartet of ladies. Mr E's songs are beautifully served by these talented musicians, and the whole film is over too soon at 99 minutes running time (not counting bonus material). the backstage footage is funny and nicely integrated into the concert footage. the encore material is especially entertaining (and funny). Mr E is one of the most talented of contempory song writers, and sings with a voice capable of reaching into a depth of emotions in a way that is absolutely moving. beside his own material, the group covers "pretty ballerina," the splendid left banke oldie, and bob dylan's "girl from the north country." they also cover another performers song in the afterhours encore set, but i will let you see that for yourself. it would simply be too hard to write about. all in all, one of the best concert films i have seen.

Person I bought this for as a gift was very happy with the product.