Customer Reviews

Pat Metheny Group: The Way Up - Live [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(55)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The performances here are inspired and beautiful. What a great group of musicians. I like the long 22 minute interview with Pat because he talks about what The Way Up reflects about living in our time and touches on various topics concerning music. It's pretty classy too that they put The Way Up in its entirety without any bonus tracks or other tunes. Like on Branford Marsalis' A Love Supreme they didn't add other tunes just to fill up time. With just the full piece it makes a statement that this is what this performance is about. Just like the album, the audio has a very even balance which becomes more noticeable during solos but I find it sounds better overall when you crank the volume up. The camera work is very good, no stupid angles, MTV style diagonal shots or video effects. If you like Pat Metheny you will really dig this DVD...

Cleveland, the Rock and Roll Capital of the World, is not always a regular stop for the Pat Metheny Group. In previous tours, they often played in small venues with lousy acoustics.

Unfortunately, Cleveland wasn't a stop for "The Way Up" tour, which, after listening to the new album almost every waking moment for about a month, left me utterly inconsolable; thus, I was eagerly awaiting the DVD of the concert.

"The Way Up" is a departure from previous Metheny productions where a collection of individual songs comprises the album. Instead, it's a 68-minute unbroken suite of four parts, similar to a classical composition. Before seeing the concert DVD, I knew the piece well and could not imagine how they were going to pull it off live with only 7 musicians.

But, there was Pat, in his signature striped shirt, in an amazing mind meld with the drummer only a few feet away. Every Metheny fan knows you have to give his music time and attention, like nurturing a beautiful courtship, in order to really appreciate its complexity and melodious richness.

The recurring theme in the suite came from a short cut from "Secret Story." Who knew that little piece could be developed into such a vast and magnificent journey? This performance will slay you - leave you bleeding in the gutter gasping for air. As with all Pat Metheny concerts, when it was over, I continued to sit, paralyzed, reluctant to break the spell by moving.

If I could afford it, I would send everyone I love a copy of this DVD. For some of them, it may be one of the greatest things they ever received, shifting their musical universe forever. At the very least, some might catch a little glimpse of heaven, if they recognize it.

When I got the CD for this I couldn't think of how they could possibly pull this off live. Then I went to the concert at the Beacon and was blown away how they not only performed it, but embellished upon it.

This recording captures that accomplishment faithfully. The symbosis with this, possibly the best line up the group has ever had, is palpable.

It was true to the Pat Metheny Group concert experience. By that I mean that there is an intimacy to the group's music that even in a large auditorium, holds firm. You are drawn in and are along for the ride whether it be the 68 minutes or the typical 2.5 hours of the average PMG concert.

Everyone has their moments on this recording, everyone shines within the context of this piece, which while a perfect vehicle for improvisation never loses it's melodicism. Everyone plays in context.

It would've been nice if they would've also included some of the other pieces which were part of the tour, that were revisited after a long absence from the group's repertoire.

I guess you can't have everything but I am satisfied with this DVD and the beauty and vision it contains.

I highly recommend this DVD as both an entertainment entity as well as an musically inspirational entity.

I had the privilege of seeing the Pat Metheny Group on their "The Way Up" tour. When I first studied the CD, I was absolutely blown away by the new tonalities and ideas that permeate the piece. When I saw this piece performed live, I was blown away by the musicianship again in that the complexity of each musician's role was so perfectly orchestrated into a live performance. The dynamics so powerful. The passages so melodic. The concepts so bold.

This DVD successfully captured all that I--as well as anyone else who has seen this live--experienced from the live performance.

One can never tire of Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays as they are always evolving and innovating--never stagnating.

Very few musicians have contributed to the art of music to the extend and level that Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays has.

I saw the Copenhagen concert in this tour, and for me, this DVD is more magical than the live show. Not that the live show was less than expected - it was an extraordinary experience, but this DVD packs all the emotion and intensity of the performance, and offers much more. Quite simply, you feel as though you are 'living' the music right there on stage with Pat, Lyle, Steve and the others.

Others have commented that the Steve's direction and camera work are superb, and they are: probably the best I've seen in any concert DVD, and certainly the most ambitious.

Ambitious, it has to be, given the subject matter: a modern-day symphony in five movements (there is no better way to describe this music). Given the symphonic nature, one needs to invest alot of time absorbing this music. This is not easy listening stuff, but the rewards of listening to it many times are countless. This DVD makes that process all the more enjoyable.

Finally, I think this is the *most amazing display of musicianship* that I have ever witnessed (in any genre/context): seven musicians on stage all simultaneously performing incredibly sensitively and to the very highest standard for a uninterrupted single 65 minute orchestrated performance.

It is turely mind blowing.

I had the pleasure of seeing The Way Up performed live during The Pat Metheny Group's 2005 tour. It was by far one of the best concerts I've ever been to and I've eagerly been anticipating this live concert DVD release.

The DVD was recorded from one of the group's gigs in Korea during the tour. It is an excellent rendition of the title song (which runs about 70 minutes in length) and the musicianship by all involved is top notch. In particular, Pat Metheny moves effortlessly from one guitar to another, alternating between playing the melody, improvising and comping. The picture and sound quality are both amazing (the digital audio tracks particularly so).

My only disappointment with the DVD is that no additional music from the concert was included. There were some standout songs played during the shows including an acoustic version of This Is Not America to open the concert, as well as other numbers from the band's long and varied discography. Sadly, we only get the title track and a brief interview with Pat.

Overall, I'm glad I bought this and I enjoyed it immensely. I would have enjoyed it even more if Pat had seen fit to include more material from the show.

In a career full of gems and highlights, the release of "The Way UP" is the crown jewel in the Pat Metheny catalog. Metheny and crew remind us, many for the first time, that the long form for musical exploration is the most satisfying ride of all. Composed as a response to the falling promise of America during the Bush Administration, "The Way Up" literally takes you on a journey hardly ever taken in jazz: a full blown mind trip. Recorded live in Korea, the band is at it's zenith, the sound is excellent, the direction outstanding, and the performance one for the ages. By the time the vocals appear in Part 4, it's like mana from heaven. Few cresendo's have ever been so grand. Some would argue that this composition is the most advanced piece of music human ears have heard since Mozart. I would be one of them. Be warned! This is not for causual listening. Please, don't do your housework or make love to "The Way Up." Instead, study it. Analyze it. Experience it. This DVD is a piece of history. If you consider yourself a music fan, this is a must.

I have to say I'm really surprised that nobody else has complained about this but I felt the camera cuts were OBNOXIOUSLY frequent to the point that I honestly can't watch the dvd. It sounds ridiculous but I actually recorded the audio into my computer so I can just listen to the concert. The camera cuts to a different performer an average of once every bar through the entire concert and it is common as the intensity picks up for the camera to cut as frequently as every beat. We have to be talking thousands of cuts over the length of the performance. Do we need this? I think the average jazz fan has a longer attention span than most; why do producers always feel the need to "inject" excitement into live music dvd's when the good performers (like these guys) can do that themselves?

Speaking of the performance-as you would expect and as seemingly agreed upon by everyone else, the musicianship and performances are outstanding. Nothing left to be desired there. I really enjoy listening to the CD I made of it!

I picked this up because the price was right and I must say I wasn't disappointed with this disc. The BR video quality is very good (4 out of 5 maybe) and the sound quality on the DOTS HD 5.1 track is excellent.

It's certainly worth picking up if you like the Pat Metheny Group!

this was the first music HDDVD I purchased, after owning hundreds of Music and concert DVDS over the past 10 years. Fantatsic clear picture. I assume thats the only difference between this and the DVD release. The sound is great like every other DVD I have of Pat's. If you own an HDDVD or Blu Ray player then you own it to yourself to buy this for one of those formats as the price on all three formats is similar. That being said if it was 10 dollars more I don't know if the difference in resolution is worth 10 bucks, 480P sure looks fine still, I'm starting to think this whole upgraded format war is overblown. For 5 bucks maybe worth it 10 no. Of course This latest concert is all his new material which was very enjoyable. Its a great HDDVD overall, not much extra content or special HDDVD stuff but thats not why you buy a Pat Metheny disc is it? Summing it up, great picture in HD, great 5.1 sound, New material played as it was meant to be heard as an album. If you love Pat you will love this. Ohh and par for the course great line up for his band.