Customer Reviews

Kenny Loggins: Outside from the Redwoods

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had the Redwoods concert on audiotape from many years ago. I'm not an especially big Kenny Loggins fan, but I bought it for some reason and wound up playing it a lot. It started to wear out, so I bought the DVD, and it is frankly better than the audio version -- there are songs left out of album, and this a show worth actually seeing because of how much is going on. One remarkable thing you notice about this concert is that (with the exception of some slide guitar playing) the instrumentation is entirely acoustic -- no electronic keyboards, solid-body bass or guitars. Details like the vibraphone playing and African percussion stand out when you can actually see the concert. And it's a treat to be able to see Howard Levy (harmonica), who is worth tracking down no matter what record he's playing on. The only drawback are a couple hoaky Q&A sessions with the audience, but they're short. And for some strange reason Loggins looks like he's about to cry during the first half of the show. But it's a hell of a sound when they get all these great musicians on stage. For a show that was not recorded with a DVD in mind, it makes for a very good one.

I was fortunate enough to have attended this concert back in 1993 at UC-Santa Cruz. It's funny because I didn't start out as a Kenny Loggins fan, and I am still not crazy about alot of his music, but when my girlfriend suggested we go, I decided to take a risk! Every time I hear this concert I am grateful that I made the decision to go!

I have been to many concerts, and Outside-From the Redwoods remains the best concert I have ever attended! Everything about the concert was wonderful. Kenny Loggins is undoubtedly one of the finest live performers living today! Many performers sound great when they are in the controlled environment of the studio, where mistakes and sour-notes can be fixed and as soon as you put them in front of an audience they sound awful! Not Kenny Loggins! I think he is best when heard live! He thrives off of the energy of the audience and draws inspiration from them to sing his heart out for them! His entire group of backing artists from guitar and piano players on down to an amazing harmonica player, have to be some of the most talented and capable musicians around! His Guest artists, such as Michael McDonald and Shanice bring perfect balance to his own remarkable voice.

As far as the DVD is concerned, I am amazed at the stunning quality of both the audio and the video! This could have been recorded last week, instead of twelve years ago! I remember the feeling of sitting on our blanket watching Kenny and his friends in the beautiful and majestic setting of the Redwoods at the Shakespeare Festival Glen. This DVD brought all of that back and made me feel like I was sitting right there, all over again! The video is so good that even on a normal flat screen TV, it felt like I was watching High Definition video!

Of course, the concert wasn't perfect and neither is this DVD. For one thing, even when I was at the concert I found some of Kenny's segue comments a bit strange and they made me a bit uncomfortable. I respect Kenny and his views (which I happen to largely agree with), especially when it comes to the environment, but there were moments, some of which are seen in the DVD, when Kenny would take questions from the audience. Not just questions like, "How did you get started in the business?", but "life-questions" like, "In this crazy world, how do you keep centered?" And then to see Kenny up there, sitting on the edge of the stage like Moses come down from the mountain (or dare I say it, Jesus!), pontificating and philosophizing about how we need to just follow our hearts and teach our children Hope, on so on and so forth.... Well, it just felt very strange. I had paid to see a musical performance, not "Life lessons from Kenny Loggins-Musical Guru". But, those moments were relatively few and they didn't ruin the rest of the concert for me and thankfully they only show a few of these moments on the DVD. And in Kenny's defense they were clearly very heartfelt and well meant.

The other small negative of the DVD is that although it adds 3 songs that were not included on the CD version (which I also have), the DVD eliminated 3 of the songs that were on the CD version. Those three songs were some of my favorites too, such as a second duet with Shanice called "I Would Do Anything" and a wonderful version of "Celebrate Me Home", which is one of my favorites from the concert. Also eliminated on the DVD was an awesome performance of "Angry Eyes". On the DVD, one of the replacement songs was "Return To Pooh Corner", which though nice, unless you have young children, it doesn't do much. I could have done without it, anyway!

That being said, this is still a wonderful DVD of the best concert I have ever attended and would be a treasured addition to any Kenny Loggins fans collection. I would also recommend this DVD (as well as the CD) to anyone, even if they don't think they could ever be a Kenny Loggins fan! This is not your typical Kenny Loggins music and it is performed in a way which is fresh and impressive and the scenery is gorgeous too!

By the way, if your foot isn't tapping to the beat during the energetic performances of "Footloose" and "I'm Alright", you had better check your pulse. You might be dead?!

This DVD still gets a solid and well deserved 5 out of 5 stars!

Like many others I only knew Kenny from Footloose, Danger Zone and an energetic performance on 'Live Aid'. Doing some DVD exploration I decided to risk a concert. It was one of those happy finds.
This is a really good concert and I liked the setting under the redwoods. He began strongly with 'Conviction of the Heart' which I really liked and it went from there.
He has a strong presence and a lot of heart and enthusiasm. Great upbeat rock type numbers and some gentler stuff too - often sung with guests who complemented him well.
His sharing of personal philosophy that other reviewers have referred to only happened, and then very briefly, about twice and was no distraction or discomfort for me.
Footloose is there but not Danger Zone. He had recently been compiling an album of children's songs that parents could comfortably sit through and included 'House at Pooh Corner' from it.
The audience is a family one sitting on rugs under the trees. There is a lovely cameo when a little girl in the audience is seen dancing unselfconsciously: singing all the words as if she knew them intimately.
This is a good concert if you like adult contemporary rock or country ballads (though the emphasis isnt really that way majorly), if you are a former hippie or Earth lover, or just if you have heart and enjoy solid entertainment.

The first Kenny Loggins CD I bought was the one from this concert, on a recommendation from a lounge act I heard in Singapore 8 years ago!

Subsequently, this was the very first DVD in my collection (that now numbers 500+) and the only thing any fan could be disappointed with is the non-inclusion of Celebrate Me Home and Angry Eyes, both of which are marvellous renditions on the CD. I won't complain too much about that though, because the inclusion of Forever on the DVD goes some way to making up for that!

Having said that, now I can see the performers, I realise the CD has been mixed with some musicians on the wrong side of the stage so that's something to get used to at first!!!

I'm buying a 2nd copy of the DVD now, because I've damaged the original disc carrying it half way round the world on holiday (yes, it's definitely a desert island disc of mine) so I guess that says I can't live without it.

The quality of the songwriting and musical performances is superb, but what non-fans won't know is how good Kenny's singing voice is. His range is broad and he sings with such power, soul and conviction, you just know he's feeling every lyric. He's also much under rated as a guitarist himself, being very accomplished at picking out some rather nifty tunes.

It's so hard amongst the high quality tracks to pick favourites, but if I had to, they would be Now and Then and Leap of Faith, the first because it has minimalist backing and shows what a great voice Kenny has and the second because of the way the (quite large) band works so well together with a huge range of instruments being used.

I find the video quality pretty good for something shot on video and originally intended for VHS release and my home theatre is normally pretty revealing of 2nd rate transfers. As for the soundtracks, the 5.1 has some slightly artificial depth, but it certainly isn't intrusive and it's just about favourite over the stereo.

If you like good music, interesting lyrics and a lively performance, don't hesitate, just buy this disc - you won't be disappointed!

Kenny Loggins once again proves out of sight isn,t nesessarily out of mind.Its been a few years since his exceptional talent has graced a live stage on a national level,but he,s still posesses all the chops,the emotional connection and the subtle vocal ornamentation, that has endeared him to us through the years. Outside-from the redwoods, is a lush live recording captured in a grove near Santa Cruz,that has all the magic of your first outdoor concert.Recorded in Dolby Digital 5.1 mix the sound quality has a presence and sound image that takes you that special evening. His choice of side men (and women) compliments the standards, and new material well, the tribe of musicians is more a rainbow coilition on percussion (I counted six) harp player (he,s a monster,) one Chris Ramiriz,an extrordinary, percussive standard guitar player,and not to slight any of the artists by exclusion, many fine performers with audio cameos. The sound quality and audio separation were excellent but as this is my first purchase of a DVD that is to be expected. Know that Mr. Loggins is an extremely political person and expect a bit of his perspective in the video. Rent it first if you must, but for all fans of anything Kenny Loggins ever has done, don,t miss this performance.

Knowing that Loggins was born in Washington, you can imagine what is to perform on the forest!.
I think it's a dream come true for Kenny, and just watch the way he sings "Forever". Eventhough there are various Leap Of Faith songs, the environment in the video is very, very good.
Loggins let us see a part of his phylosophy during chats with the crowd.
The quality of images and sound is very clear and almost live when you view it on a 53" inches flat projector TV!!!!.
I must recommend this DVD to all of those whose love the Loggins music.
Very Very Good Kenny!!!!!!!

I found this DVD well performed and produced. I deducted a star because I thought the commentary between a couple songs was a bit preachy, but the message was okay. It just seemed out of place and detracted from the concert. That said, this DVD is very enjoyable and the duet with Micheal McDonald was a nice touch.

If you're expecting an adrenaline-driven outing featuring all of Kenny Loggins' uptempo numbers like "Danger Zone" and "Playing With The Boys", this DVD isn't for you.

It is, however, a fine unplugged-style performance filmed agianst the gorgeous backdrop of the Redwoods, with Kenny backed by a truly talented bunch of musicians and some outstanding guests, including Michael McDonald and Windham Hill Records' founder Will Ackerman.

Beginning with the anthemic "Conviction Of The Heart", carrying on through "What A Fool Believes" (performed as a duet with Michael McDonald), and a zydecko-influenced "Footloose", this concert is just great to watch.

Other stand-out tracks include "Will Of The Wind" (featuring Will Ackerman) and "Watching The River Run".

The sound comes in two flavours, stereo and Dolby Digital 5.1. Skip the stereo track and stick to the 5.1, which has great ambience and just opens up the sound.

The video is pretty ok, though not of reference quality. Part of the concert was filmed during the day, and part of it night. The night-time sequences look a little soft, but aren't distracting.

I have owned the cassette tape of this for a number of years and I have played it so much it is wearing out. I was completely overjoyed when I saw it on DVD. The scenery of the Redwoods is breath-taking and Kenny Loggins is at his best. I will view this DVD many times over!!!

Wow! What more can I say? I wasn't a huge fan of Kenny Loggins, but I bought this DVD on the recommendation of a friend. The sound quality is AMAZING. This DVD truly delivers the realism that DVD is capable of offering. The sound is truly magical, even in regular stereo mode. The music completely envelopes you. I thought that nothing could sound better than CD, but this DVD truly sounds incredible. The music is excellent, too. I'm definitely a new Kenny Loggins fan! This DVD is a must see/hear experience.