Live at Radio City Music Hall 2003 [Live]

Luther Vandross | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 28, 2003)
• Original Release Date: 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Live
• Label: J-Records
• ASIN: B0000C9ZLA
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,054 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #18 in Music > R&B > Quiet Storm

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Take Me Back, Take You Back...To A Luther concert, November 10, 2003

By 

G. Bates (Rockford, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Live at Radio City Music Hall 2003 (Audio CD)

I must confess, Luther's last CD "Dance With My Father" was the first time I did not rush out and buy it. I own everything else!! I bought this CD hoping to relive the magic of Luther's concert and like others, hoping that I will be able to see him perform live again.

I was not disappointed. If you are a Luther fan, this CD is a must!!! If you never have seen a concert, here is an inexpensive way to get a taste of what you hear. Luther has been my favorite vocalist since the early 80s and this CD rekindled all these years oflistening to his vocal art. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!!!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars BRILLIANT VOCALS...made all the more poignant by tragedy..., July 29, 2004

By 

G. Mitchell "greggmitch" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Live at Radio City Music Hall 2003 (Audio CD)

Hard to believe this is Luther's FIRST LIVE CD?! How can it be, after literally dozens of hit singles and amazing albums to his credit - but here it is, and sadly, Luther's sterling, stunning, literally UNTOUCHABLE vocal performances here are made all the more POIGNANT by the fact that, after last year's severe stroke, Luther will most likely never sing again - at least not like THIS - it's not just a brilliant VOICE, but his way with a lyric - the sense of rhythm, space, timing, breath, phrasing, and shading to really get INSIDE a romantic lyric - WOW! I've been fortunate enough to witness Luther LIVE in concert a few times during the 80s and 90s, but for those who weren't so lucky, this CD (although I am docking it one star since it's only a single CD and should have deserved a DOUBLE CD!) is ESSENTIAL listening for anyone remotely interested in quality music PERIOD. My thoughts are with you Luther - YOU GO!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Art of Seduction..., November 4, 2003

By 

theanonymousone "theanonymousone" (New York, New York.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Live at Radio City Music Hall 2003 (Audio CD)

The best way to appreciate what Luther -- and his band, OH MY GOD let's please not forget that magnificent band -- has done in this live-recorded CD is to go back and listen to the studio versions of each song, particularly his classic ballads.

When an true artist finally gets around to recording a live CD (and all TRUE artists eventually do!) you hope that he or she will bring a new interpretation of their material and not just sing it verbatim to what they recorded in the studio.

Then there's always that overriding fear when someone releases a live CD they'll be exposed for the fraud they truly are.

Not LV.

He's one of the a select few that actually sounds BETTER live than when he's "augmented" with electronics in a studio. And he NEVER performs his songs the same way twice -- a hallmark of creativity, ingenuity, and skill. Of course, he's been at it a very long time so anything less than perfection would be unacceptable...and perfection is what you get on this disk.

I'll agree with what I've seen in other reviews. The atmosphere on this CD is so intimate that you're completely unaware at times it's being recorded live.

Take Superstar, for example. Everybody familiar with his original version of this song knows it's the vamping/ad-libbing that he does near the end that transforms it from a story of lost love to one of subtle sexuality and seduction. Well, if you thought what he did on the original version was captivating, you will not believe what he does on this live version. With the help of angelic background singers (which are absent during the vamp on the studio version), a near perfect "bass drum" level and pacing (at the same level as the studio version but a much slower pacing!!), and his ability to stretch a harmonic phrase to its breaking point make this one of the most beautiful R&B ballads you'll likely hear in your lifetime. He does three falsetto passes just near the end that will absolutely melt your soul and send shivers down your spine. I guarantee it.

You could right a review like that for each song on the CD but his ballads steal the show by a long shot. You will be transformed after you hear them. Again, I guarantee it.