Customer Reviews

Neil Diamond: Hot August Night/NYC - Live from Madison Square Garden [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What do you buy a blu ray musical performance for? Good video? yes, but you probably get it for the lossless audio track. The TrueHD track on this disc is very poor. It is more like 3.0 rather than 5.1. And the center channel is carrying at least 80-90% of the 3.0. The rear channels are non-existant. The stereo mix is brighter and has a better mix out of the front 3 channels. If you like Neil just get the DVD.

The video is good and the concert is superb like all of his concerts are. It is just that the disc is bad. I have over sixty blu-ray and HD DVD concert discs. This audio mix is one of the worst, similar to some of the first to come out 4-5 years ago. Rating purely on the audio. I would have given it one but Neil is outstanding.

First of all I am a lifelong Neil Diamond fan. I saw this exact concert here in Denver. The great thing about this DVD/Blu-ray is that it is the only video I am aware of where we have a complete Neil Diamond concert. So I will rate in 3 categories.
Performance - Neil has been around for some time now. It has been awhile since the first Hot August Night. But luckily, he was in great voice for this concert. Much better than when I saw him live in Denver. Fans will not be disappointed. Full length concert in hi-def, does not get much better for fans.
Video - I would rate a little lower than I was hoping for here. Not quite as sharp as the best concerts, and some cameras were not as focused as others. But on most TVs, this will be a very pleasant picture.
Audio - again I have some minor issue here. Another review indicated the sound on the true 5.1 track is mostly center channel and almost no rears. Not sure how his system is set up, but that is not the case. The Blu-ray and DVD 5.1 tracks seem to be mastered about the same. The center channel is actually barely used. Vocal comes out of both left and right mains. Sound stage is all in front. Rears are fully engaged but used for arena ambience and crowd noise. Overall the sound is good, but vocals should be in the center channel, and overall sound is not quite as dynamic as the best concerts videos.

All said...a must for Neil Diamond fans.

First off, let me say this, never mind what else you've read, this blu ray disc's surround audio is very good, not perfect but say a 4 or a 4 1/2 out of 5. I played it on a PS 3 connected HDMI to a digital amp with ability to decode the usual and the more recent audio formats and have this to report. The LPCM 2.0 output played through the stereo mode of the amp is satisfactory but nothing to shout about -- stable sound imaging, but congested with slightly boomy bass at higher volume. The Dolby True HD 5.1 output when I perversely played it through the 2 channel mode of the amp sounded worse. The sound was muffled with poor stereo image and sounded awful enough for me to switch off in a hurry. But this same True HD 5.1.output when properly decoded and played through the 5.1. mode of the amp brought back the smile to my face. The differential output through the various speakers varies of course with the track played but generally is about 20-25% each from R and L front, 15-20% subwoofer, 10-15% each from R and L rear speakers and only 10-15% from the central speaker. Despite this timid output from the centre however, the stereo imaging from the 2 front speakers is excellent and the vocals from Diamond and the backup singers are easily discernible even with the full band playing, down to the last p's and t's and sibilants. This type of mix is much preferable to one with a strong centre speaker output which overwhelms and destroys the stereo illusion (for audiophiles getting a centre speaker is akin to getting the bubonic plague). The interesting thing about this particular 5.1 mix is that whilst it uses the centre sparingly as an in between "filler", it uses it more as an ambience channel. Listen to tracks with strong audience noise like claps and whistles and sing-alongs and you'll notice strong ambient noise coming from the centre. This, I think is to convey the illusion of sitting in the front row facing the stage in the gold fish bowl that is Madison Square Garden where of course the ambient noise surrounds you 360 degrees ! Good sound then and not a bad sound stage either.
The video quality is more of a mixed bag. When the lighting is just right you get the high def picture you expect from a blu ray but oftentimes when Diamond moves to a darker area the picture is noticeably softer and some long shots of the audience in poor light show up fuzzy and grainy. A 4 out of 5 perhaps.
But nitpicking aside it is the performance that matters most, and man can this guy perform ! Whether it is in the all out sock-it-to-'em numbers such as Holly Holly, Cherry Cherry, Crunchy Granola Suite and Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show, or in the declamatory I am...I Said, or the syrupy Sweet Caroline or the intimate You Don't Bring Me Flowers, Neil Diamond sizzles, the band is hot and the audience laps everything up clamoring for more, more. What a night. Diamond seldom ever disappoints in a live concert, and this performance is a real gem, 5 carats and all of flawless.

Oh my, what an incredible experience. I have always loved his songs but for the first time "I am...I said" and "Brooklyn Roads" brought tears to my eyes.

People comment on the sound and HD quality (which I believe are excellent) instead of immerising themselves in this moving and wonderful experience. The mood and camera work are excellent. Crowds are not shown crying or fainting, but the pure joy and happiness of the audience is infectious.

One of the best music concert Blu-rays that you will possess.

I agree with "Billy." It defaulted to two channel audio and when I switched to Dolby TrueHD, I was disappointed.

I was also disappointed by the "filming," rather than video like the Elton John and Moody Blues Blu-ray DVDs.

All that technical complaining aside, my wife LOVED the concert, and she has been a Neil Diamond fan for decades and has seen him live MANY times.

The bonus 23 minutes was interesting. He goes back to where he grew up as an early teen.

WOW..... I have been a Diamond fan for years and the only video I had was the Neil Diamond - Greatest Hits Live, from a concert at the Aquarius Theatre in Los Angeles (1989).

What can I say about this performance? Superb, amazing and breathtaking... This guy is almost 70 years old but he moves and sings like a 20 year old. Thank you Neil, thank you... And yes... you are a man of GOD, amen.

What a Beautiful Noise!

I have loved Neil Diamond for decades and am very happy that another classic artist chose to give fans one more video before he grows too old to do so. For a man pushing seventy years I'm impressed with his performance, and with the video quality.

I'll agree with an earlier reviewer that the audio quality is not superb, though more than adequate- (perhaps the reviewer's audio system is not set up well, or he pushed the wrong buttons on the remote & channeled all the sound to the center). When I select the multichannel option I have to turn my Sony Amp's volume as high as 35 to get the volume I desire. Compare that to Collective Soul's Home Blu-Ray disk where I only need 14 on the volume dial. Over all this is a very good disk to own.

While I was excited to be able to see & hear Neil Diamond on my Blu-ray player, I have to admit it was the old hits I grew up with that I was expecting to hear. Where he belted 'em out with power and passion. The songs with heart.

What I got, was disappointment. Not with the quality of the picture or sound, mind you (though I had read about some issues there...); I was actually disappointed in Neil's Performance. He seems to have lost some of his power onstage. Oh, he still has his passion for his music, and it's there in the lyrics, but his presence onstage seemed "lackluster"." Admittedly, I was expecting 70's/80's Neil, and this is just not him.

Now, if they would just remaster & release the Hot August Nights video from the 70's... THAT would be worth the money.

Neil Diamond: Hot August Night/NYC - Live from Madison Square Garden [Blu-ray]

Many years ago Neil Diamond recorded a CD, Hot August Night at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. May of his fans feel that this was his best preformance ever.

This new Blu-Ray captures the magic of the original and presents in with great HDTV and 5.1 Sound.

For Neil Diamond fans this is as good as it gets.

I have been a fan of Neil Diamond's for sometime now. Even though I am pretty young at 35, for some reason or another have always enjoyed his music. Really not sure how to qualify him as either pop, soft rock, or maybe a combination of the 2. Yet his unique style and voice should remain strong for many generations. Live in NY is a great way to view his talent. Songs from all aspects of his career. If you are a Neil Diamond fan be sure to give this a view or if you enjoy some of his music, it might be worth a view as well.

Peter J. Miller
peterjoemiller@gmail.com