Customer Reviews

The Go-Go's - Live in Central Park

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was able to view this video a few weeks shy of its' release on my satellite tv provider and I have to say it's great! Having not given The Go-Go's much musical credit before, my jaw dropped in awe upon watching this. They choose a perfect show opener, Head Over Heels with Charlotte Caffey's wonderfully hypnotic keyboard playing on it . But this 1 hr. 6 min. show is not just the women's playing of a predictable collection of fan fave hits . Front and center are songs from their recently released " God Bless the Go-Go's " CD, their first all new effort in 17 years . The new tunes - La La Land , Unforgiven, Apology, Stuck In My Car, Sonic Superslide ( a kind of "Age of Aquarius" that rocks for the New Millenium ), Automatic Rainy Day, Insincere (..." Have a nice life " indeed ) , and Throw Me A Curve, easily meet or surpass the quality of their best 80's material . These are the kind of songs that can get stuck in your head all day at work but you don't mind because you like them so much . The music in this show that is meant to rock does so with incredible energy . The slower songs are in no way throwaways , but are also very listenable, even moving at times.

Anyone viewing this can see that all five of these talented women enjoy playing music together . Belinda Carlisle's very brief breaking up at the beginning of one song ( I think because she see's that Jane Wiedlin has not made it back to her microphone yet ), shows they don't take themselves too seriously . They also don't act like the're doing the large Central Park audience a favor just by showing up. A nice moment in the show is when after playing "Unforgiven ", the first single off their latest album , the audience cheers wildly as Jane and Charlotte raise pinky and index fingers high in the air as if to say " Number 1 , Yeah ! " This is all done very lightheartedly for their many fans present , and not in a conceited kind of way . Of course if it weren't for the endless glut of gutless radio station program managers who barely even played it , " Unforgiven " would have been a top ten song at the very least. - Ok end of digression .

Visually the concert is filmed extremely well . Any musician will appreciate the many instrumental shots of Charlotte, Kathy, Jane, and Gina while they're playing . Gina Schock's drumming is amazing to watch ... without a doubt, she's one of the best . Running the stereo sound through a receiver/amplifier instead of your built-in tv speakers is the only way to watch and hear this . To sum it up, this show is very entertaining ... so much so that I've got to see their live show for myself next time they come around . An accompanying CD release would be welcomed by many because the music performed really hits the mark in every way . Play this concert dvd for your teenage kids and they'll see that The Pussycat Dolls, Britney, and Christina, entertaining as they might be, have nothing on The Go-Go's .

received my copy of this dvd yesterday, and i must say that this was worth the wait and every penny! the girls sound great, much better than i remember on the vh1 special of the same concert. girls have a lot of energy on stage and sound completely perfect (altho you can watch belinda forget the words to sonic superslide which is hilarious).
also includes behind the scenes footage of them prettying themselves up before the concert. jane is completely adorable and definitely the most fun of all the girls on this dvd. I HIGHLY recommend this to any music lover, especially any GO GO's fans out there. gotta get this dvd and God bless the Go Go's for the holidays!

Nicole needs to put in her Miracle Ear.

This concert was a triumph, and true fans and music lovers are thrilled to finally have this DVD! Those that were lucky enough to enjoy the performances on the Go-Go's recent tour can attest to the fact that the band's sound was excellent, and each member was showcased while showing off a collection of amazing new material and classic hits.

Don't miss this chance, people!

This DVD is exactly what fans of any band are looking for.

First, a totally awesome concert that proves once and for all that The Go-Go's are back and better than ever. They are so much fun to watch. Belinda Carlisle's endless energy, Kathy Valentine, ever the Rock Star, Jane Wiedlin and Charlotte Caffey showing that they still got the beat, and Gina Schock, one of the most amazing drummers of all time. Who else could chew gum and drum like that at the same time? It's a great mix of their Top 40 songs, some older album favorites and some new stuff off of their first album in 17 years "God Bless The Go-Go's".

The Bonus footage is a fun "fly on the wall" view of The Go-Go's getting made-up for the show, Gina's commentary alone is worth the price of the DVD. The footage in the van provides a fun view of what it's like to be a part of the madness that is The Go-Go's.

Forget Britney, Christina and the rest of them-The Go-Go's are the real thing.

Well a dear friend of mine in LA send me this DVD on my request. I just have a new surround system..uptil this DVD I thought about my neighbours..Music not too loud !!
But with this DVD I let them listen along and enjoy it hopefully as much as I have done ! Unfortunately in 2001 Go Go's cancelled a short tour through Europe. Hope they change their mind
Never was much into the Go Go's as a teenager but now being in my 30-s I love their songs !! These chicks know how to rock !
This concert can make the sun come out on a rainy day !
Your mood will change instantly when you see the positive energy and fun these girls have on stage.
Belinda, will you marry me?

If you want a good, fun, guitar crunching, drum stomping, bass thumping, harmonious vocalizing concert, get this one right away. This is one of the best concerts I own, and I've got a huge collection.

I thought "God Bless the Go-Go's" was one of the best albums of 2001 and a really great rock `n' roll album. I thought that Belinda Carlisle had never sounded better, mainly because of the wonderful harmonies provided by Jane Wiedlin. I thought Charlotte Caffey was continuing to build on the song writing talent she displayed on "Talk Show" (and on her one album with the Graces, "Perfect View"). Paul Q. Kolderie and Sean Slade were the main producers and mixers on the album and apparently deserve a lot of credit because the Go-Go's never sounded better. The main reason this concert video of the "Go-Go's Live in Central park" is so disappointing is that the sound mix is awful, deplorable, utterly disappointing, and really, really bad. Slightly better than the rehearsal tapes from the early days that popped up on "Return to the Valley of the Go-Go's." For the most part the instruments overwhelm the vocals from start to finish in this concert. I have seen several live performances by the Go-Go's over the years, and Belinda Carlisle is never as good on stage as she is in the studio, but she does not even stand a chance on this one.

The concert is a mix between the new (seven tracks from the new album) and the requisite hits from yesterday ("Vacation," "We Got the Beat," and "Our Lips Are Sealed"). The "Talk Show" album, which represented the original great leap forward by the band from punk group to pop rockers, is woefully under-represented ("Head Over Heels" still starts the gig), but that is understandable since the group's previous concert video was for the tour for that album. Again, the new songs, which rely more on the vocal harmonies (e.g., "Unforgiven," "Apology"), suffer because of the sound problems.

Fortunately the DVD is redeemed, somewhat, by the over 30-minutes of behind-the-scenes footage which show the band getting ready for the gig while their fans get all revved up to party. The person who ends up impressing you the most in this footage is Gina Schock, not only because she is all business drumming away on stage, but because she emerges as the most articulate member talking about the Go-Go's then and now (ironic, since she is the only one of the group who never sings and remains silent throughout the concert, although she is working seriously on her wad of gum). Finally, I do want to point out that "Apology" is far and away the best song for which Kathy Valentine has ever been listed as lead writer. In the end "The Go-Go's Live in Central Park" is for the true Go-Go groupie, who will endure the less than adequate sound just to see the gals rockin' and rollin' again.

After reading many of the previous reviews I was quite skeptical about purchasing this DVD-- especially since I was only a casual Go-Gos fan (though I was a much bigger fan of Belinda Carlisle's solo career). However, I'm glad I took the chance, as I found this concert DVD to be one of my very favorites (and I own over 70 concert DVDs). I just don't understand how anyone could be so negative about the sound quality. Yes, I have a quality home theatre system, but I found the sound quality on both the Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 mixes to be excellent, and no way is Belinda's voice dwarfed by the band.

Why I rate this DVD so high is not only the song selection (which is a superb mix of their greatest hits and songs from their more recent God Bless the Go-Gos album), but especially the energy level of everyone in the band. I'm not sure if I own a DVD where the band was visibly having so much fun on stage, and genuinely enjoying the moment (in this case, of playing together again). It's 65 minutes of pure fun, and beat-thomping rock and roll. A classic, IMO.

In my library of music videos, I have the Go-Go's 1981 VHS music video "Totally Go-Go's!" It was their first video that accompanied the release of their first album. The Go-Go's played a concert at a Los Angeles high school. The concert was full of energy and featured their hits from their debut album with backstage behind-the-scene footage.

Fast forward 20 years and it's the Go-Go's "Live in Central Park." The girls have aged wonderfully. Their performance has the same energy and excitement as in their first video, but "Live in Central Park" is much, much better. I was totally enthralled by this live concert DVD. The high quality sound and footage makes you feel as if you're right there. The selection of songs is outstanding - a mixture of their past hits and from their latest CD "God Bless the Go-Go's."

I truly regret never having seen the Go-Go's perform live in concert. Hopefully, I will get a chance. If not, watching "Live in Central Park" will be the next best thing. The Go-Go's are awesome! This DVD is awesome!

I was there the night this show was happening, and i will never forget it. What a great show, they were amazing, i love these girls. Once you experience (this is for the the young generation!)with these girls what REAL talent is, you'll completely forget about those no-talent jackasses like J-LO, Jessica Simpson and that "cat in heat" Britney Spears and her junkman husband. Thank god these girls are still performing, I last saw them in Atlantic City NJ back in June 2005, and they KICKED BUTT!!!