Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tempe Boys Make Good, October 27, 2002
By A Customer
It's been nearly ten years since the Gin Blossoms exploded onto the American musical scene, as part of the alternative rock movement that defined the music of the early 1990s. The band would disband, and only officially reunite in early 2002, and since their reunion, the band has been busy satisfying fans with re-releases of classic material ranging from an Tenth Anniversary edition of "New Miserable Experience" to this DVD. The largest part of this DVD is a 1993 Chicago concert of the band. Here you see the band while it was still virtually unknown, just as "Hey Jealousy" was becoming popular. Evidently, the follow-up single, "Found Out About You," hadn't been released yet, because it's not on their playlist here. At times the concert footage is a little rough, because the band was still green in places, but there was nothing green to the brilliant lyrics of Doug Hopkins, Robin Wilson and Jesse Valenzuela. The songs they're singing carry a profundity not expected from men who were so young. What's more, those songs come with a biting sting that resonate in your soul, especially when the stories of life's mistakes ring a little too true to the listener. But the concert footage at least gives fans a chance to see what people are talking about when they refer to their phenomenal live shows.The DVD also contains the music videos that helped make the band a staple on MTV during the mid-90s. You'll see the original version of "Hey Jealousy" that never aired, the version that fans of "120 Minutes" and "Alternative Nation" would see, followed by the much more familiar version that seemingly aired on just about any program on MTV for nearly a year. An unreleased version of "Until I Fall Away" is also included with the one we all know. Also worth noting is because of licensing problems, the familiar version of "Till I Hear It From You" featuring scenes from "Empire Records," is instead replaced by the version of the video that ran overseas. Special Features include guitarist and lyricist Jesse Valenzuela providing insightful audio commentary about the videos, how they were made, and why some were remade. This DVD should help tide fans over until the newly reunited band is ready to record a new album. Fans who have seen them play since reunited can vouch for the fact that they've only gotten better with age. And the wisdom of their songs now carries even more momentum and oomph coming from men who have now turned 40. Enjoy this DVD of the men in their younger days, and savor the prospect of their next CD.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Gin Blossoms are Back!!, December 14, 2002
i saw them perform twice over the summer and i have to say that they were amazing!! i bought this dvd and it just brought back some awesome memories of how big this band was. it saddens me to think about what happened with them during the late 90s, but now that they are back together i cant wait for their next album. i really hope they can make it big again. music fans know that music today is just terrible. we need a group like the gin blossoms to help make music respectable again. amazing dvd, and an amazing group...
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Boy, they were awesome, weren't they?, September 30, 2005
What an amazing band! And what a history! A soap opera, a book, a movie, a TV mini-series, should be made about them and none would really do them justice. And all of that before New Miserable Experience even hit the stores! Robin Wilson is an amazing vocalist who is fundamental (just like Jesse and Bill) to every bit of success they ever had. They should be very proud of what they accomplished. Please see Mark Ord's site on Doug Hopkins.
The live concert is awesome, the videos are classics, and Jesse's commentary is truly something special.
Don't miss this. Its magic.
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