Customer Reviews

George Michael: Live in London

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As someone who saw George on his U.S. 25LIVE tour in 2008, I can say that this blu ray does a great job of reproducing the live experience. The video and audio are fantastic!

VIDEO: All the vibrant colors of the light show are brilliantly reproduced. The wide variety of camera angles have been well edited together, giving you a sense of the show from every seat in the house while keeping it visually interesting. For you videophiles out there, very occasionally, there is a little macroblocking as the camera pans across the LED wall, but this is not distracting or prevalent.

AUDIO: I was concerned by some negative comments about the sound on this recording, but I was pleasantly surprised by the audio. I had to switch from the stereo track to the DTS-HD track, but after that, the audio was great. It might be a little bass-heavy, but that is how the performance was originally engineered, and it never interferes with the vocals or the other instrumentals. I suspect other reviewers' concerns are caused by the live performance nature of the show. At any rate, I can say that it sounds like the original show, and I found it to be thoroughly enjoyable.

SONG SELECTION: Just about every song you'd want to hear at a George Michael retrospective is here. I personally would have traded a few of the songs from his "Patience" album for older hits (I Want Your Sex), but I don't begrudge his wanting to perform recent work in front of an audience. It is also fun to see the inflatable parody of George W. Bush that was understandably omitted from the U.S. tour. The following is the disc's set list:
WAITING (REPRISE)
FASTLOVE
I'M YOUR MAN
FLAWLESS (GO TO THE CITY)
FATHER FIGURE
YOU HAVE BEEN LOVED
AN EASIER AFFAIR
EVERYTHING SHE WANTS
ONE MORE TRY
A DIFFERENT CORNER
TOO FUNKY
SHOOT THE DOG
JOHN AND ELVIS ARE DEAD
FAITH
SPINNING THE WHEEL
FEELING GOOD
ROXANNE
MY MOTHER HAD A BROTHER
AMAZING
FANTASY
OUTSIDE
CARELESS WHISPER
FREEDOM '90

Bonus Tracks
PRECIOUS BOX
JESUS TO A CHILD
FIRST TIME EVER

BONUS FEATURES: The 42 minute documentary is a bit fluffy and silly, but it gives a nice taste of the European tour. It's nice to have the crew behind his performances introduced, even if we don't really learn more than their names. It's especially interesting to see the little changes he made to his set list for specific locations.

In summary, if you're a George Michael fan, you should definitely pick this up. It's likely the only performance you'll get on home media from George Michael, and it's a great one. On blu ray, it looks and sounds fantastic.

Well, first of all, the theater version was missing several songs from the dvd, including:

Flawless
You Have Been Loved
An Easier Affair
Too Funky
My Mother Had A Brother
Fantasy
Careless Whisper
John And Elvis Are Dead (Intermission song from the concerts)
Precious Box
Jesus To A Child
First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

I'd Know Him A Mile Off(Documentary)


That's a whole lotta stuff to be missing but it was still absolutely INCREDIBLE!!! I felt like I was right back at those three concerts watching George in person. The volume in the theater was extra loud so it really was almost like being there again. If you didn't have the pleasure of seeing him live, this dvd will make up for it, believe me! The energy of Spinning The Wheel is worth a mention, it's amazing that this 45 year old man with rods in his back can still get his groove on like that. WOW!! The ONLY thing missing from this entire dvd (for me) was Kissing A Fool. George did that song here in the U.S. as a gift to us. He had never done that song live on any other tour, so it really was a very special gift. Sadly, it is not included because this entire dvd was filmed in London (as you can see from the title). Luckily, I bought a dvd of the Madison Square Garden show, so at least I get to see George sing it on that one. This dvd is beautifully filmed with behind the scenes costume changes, close-ups and shots of the videos/images on the screens behind him as well as some great shots of the audience/arena. To put it simply, if you went to his concerts, buy this!! If you didn't go to his concerts, buy this!! It's an experience to remember for a lifetime!!

I read all the other reviews and I'm wondering if any of the previous reviewers actually listened to this before making their comments?

If you have the means, you deserve to watch this in High Def. The depth of color and separation of detail is fantastic. All the way through I was loving the crispness, the colors and the sheer clarity. The concert backdrop is interesting to watch anyway for the artistic vision supported through giant video with appropriate video and photos. The lighting and laser show is about the best you'll see anywhere. Thankfully George Michael is not overshadowed by supporting band and singers; you know they are there, they sound great, but you don't get the sense that any of them is ever the main act. And nobody in the audience will feel cheated for not featuring in the credits. Visually, brilliant. You won't regret buying Blu on that basis.

The audio is something else. There are 3 sound tracks; standard is 2 channel Linear PCM. With multiple speakers this comes across as a little better than crap so I won't dwell on it. Flip up to DTS 5.1, even for head phones. I experimented at length with different speaker and EQ settings and couldn't get it quite right at almost any volume. Most of the time I felt there was too much bass. Down low and at medium volumes I felt I needed to keep turning it up to appreciate the whole show. Problem was that distortion kept creeping in and becoming more obvious on any song with strong bass bits. Don't get me wrong, I'm not speaking the mantra as some super-critical audio purist where the sound should always be perfect. I'm saying my wife and her friends noticed it as well the next day before I said anything about it. Crank it up and the dance tracks will make your ears want to bleed out. The peaks in each beat just seem to rumble and vibrate badly and you will be torn between turning it up ('cause it feels like the right thing to do) and turning it down (because it doesn't sound as damaged). The 3rd sound option is Dolby Digital 5.1 where the volume drops and the quality seems similar to good MP3. Go back to DTS and remember! it is not the default for almost every player!

I really wanted to love this completely and give it top marks, but I have to be fair and take one star back for the quality of the audio. I'm sure the engineers could have delivered better on this if they wanted to, so why isn't it better? After all, aren't most people buying this because they love the sounds and the songs and they want the best audio experience possible? Surely the visual is secondary to a killer concert soundtrack?

I don't feel ripped off, just a little disappointed.


This is the full concert. More than 2 hours and packed with decades of hits. George's commentary along the way is entertaining and seems heart-felt, but multiple F-bombs means it won't get the PG13 rating. Great nonetheless.

Alright I have to say that people should listen to a bluray or dvd before they write a review and say that it is not good enough.
One person on [...] said that this concert on blu doesnt sound right and that there is too much bass and distortion.
Well I have to say is if you think this concert will sound good on a $200 Home Theater in a box then your wrong.
I am using Definitive Technology Mythos Seven and a Supercube III via an Onkyo 606 and I have no distortion, rather it is the best sounding bluray concert
to date so far.
If you use cheap speakers and amps, this will not work the way it was meant to be.

So for everyone next time you write a review and have anything negative to say check your equippment if it can handle it otherwise please dont write anything.

All I can say is that this concert is the best in video and audio quality, especially the DTS HD MA soundtrack.

Thank God they released it on blu-ray.

If you like George Michael do yourself a favor and buy it no matter how much the cost.

Enjoy!

You could definitely say there were some 'exepectations' about this first -and if we have to believe George, his only- full live show that George puts out in his career. And does he deliver? Yes he does. The songs are great, the visuals on stage are incredible and the voice is good. Just good? Well, there was a time that no one could beat Georges voice. In the early nineties it was no coincedence he had 2 worldwide no. 1 hits with live recordings (Somebody To Love with Queen and Don't Let The Sun.. with Elton). George díd loose some of the magic in his voice in the roaring 17 years that followed. But between the always catchy and joyously performed uptempo tracks like 'I'm Your Man' and 'Too Funky' there are still flashes of the genius singer he can be, like in 'A Different Corner' and the more recent, very touching 'My Mother Had A Brother'. And for those who find 23 songs without guests or solo's by musicians a bit much of the same, there's is a nice documentary on disc 2 that shows sides of George we don't get to see much. A dedicated performer and perfectionist who seems to do this more for his fans than for himself, and the kind, very Britisch guy who seems to have actually almost got over 17 years of troubled life.

I went to see his concert in Anaheim, it was great, I took the whole family and a friend, I had waited for so long to see him live again after seeing him during the Faith tour.
Actually my wife was pregnant during the Faith tour and now my twin boys were coming to see him, they grew up listening to his music and they love him.
it is good to have this DVD available since we don"t see much of him, at list this will remind me of the great time my family and our friend had at this concert.
if you really enjoy good music, I recommend that you buy this DVD.

What a great way to remember such a wonderful night that I had in Chicago. Not the same set list, but he put on all the favorites. I think the sound quality is great and the blu ray quality is superb! If you like performances quality shows, then is your DVD. You don't have to love George Michael to truly enjoy this show.

When I saw George Michael in concert in Tampa at the St. Pete Times Forum I was amazed. He came on stage and he sang every song i really wanted to hear. He sang every song live no lip-syncing like other pop stars today. He apologized for having a cold and he said he almost cancelled but he couldn't do that to us. Especially since we've been waiting 18 years to see him he was so full of energy it was great. To watch him dance around and get the crowd going and singing along to every song. What a entertainer I am so excited to see that this DVD is finally coming out.

I saw George in Boston last summer on this tour, he was truly amazing. I highly recomend seeing this show. He is a true legend! DD

I always knew George Michael as a talented composer and musician. However, when I watched this concert I was completely in awe of his showmanship. The kickin' band and the visuals are worth every penny of this concert release. His perfectionist spirit is evident in the production value. As well, you can tell he loves his audience as much as his craft. He brought the house down in London!!!