Customer Reviews

No Doubt: Live in the Tragic Kingdom [VHS]

Over the years I started to really like ska (the Specials, Bosstones, and an excellent local group called Tastes Like Chicken), so I started listening to my bro's albums (he was the one who wanted to go to the concert) and started to really dig their music. So when I saw this in Italy years later, I didn't hesitate to buy it just to piece together my memory. As soon as I watched it for the first time, I remembered what the concert was like. Then I watched it again, just because they're so damn good. Being at the original concert, only now do I realise that they're such a good and technically complex band. T

The level of skill that Tom, Gwen, Adrian, and Tony exudes is so excellent that their show is virtually flawless. Luckily this video shows just how good they are as musicians, and not just pieces of pop fluff on MTV. (This is also why I hold very little criticism toward the new ROCKSTEADY album, I know that they're good musicians, so they have the artistic right to put out whatever type of music they want)The video is well timed and directed in order to pick up the amount of sheer energy that is rampant at the concert, from Gwen's skanking to the horns (Gabe Mcnair and I *think* Phil Jordan) in the back, the energy flows from the screen to the viewer, I actually felt like skanking myself half the time, especially during Total Hate. There is even a part where Gwen jumps onto an amp during "Move On" that simply feels like magic, the energy just shifts as it would if you were in that performance. And the fact that this is a practically uncut concert video merely adds to the value, you get to hear and see great renditions of their best songs, old and new. So far, with no official live CD, this is the best that you can experience of the No Doubt music phenomenon, and if there is one it will be arguably hard to beat.

To sum up, if you are a No Doubt fan, old or new, I highly suggest that you buy this video, because the final product is just so damn good. Tom's guitar playing is amazing, Tony's bass is quick yet he still has the coordination to skank all over the place, Adrian's drumming is the soul of the band, and Gwen is just the irreplaceable Gwen. Plus the Imperial March is just as fun and impressively cool as it was in the concert I went to.