Customer Reviews

Soundstage Presents Michael McDonald - Live in Concert

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have 2 other DVDs of Michael McDonald (Doobies -- Wildlife Concert, Michael McDonald -- A Gathering of Friends) and this one is just as good if not better than those. MM sings his solo hits (Sweet Freedom, I keep Forgetting), his hits with the Doobie Brothers (Minute by Minute, What a Fool Believes, Takin' It to the Streets, You Belong to Me), and songs from Motown 1 album (I Heard It through the Grapevine, Ain't No Mountain High Enough, Ain't Nothin' Like the Real Thing). Patrick Simmons & Tom Johnston from the Doobies also sing 2 of their songs (Black Water, Take Me in Your Arms).

MM is backed up by an outstanding band and singers. I really enjoyed the performances. On his own songs with the Doobie Brothers, I felt he performed them better on this DVD than on the Doobies -- Wildlife Concert, which happened to be a really great performance. He is also backed up by Ashford and Simpson on the Motown songs.

I thought the sound quality was very good; I had no problems with it.

If you're a MM fan, you will really like this DVD! It is a great sampler of some of his best songs with the Doobies, his solo hits in the 80's and the Motown songs. If you want just one music DVD of MM's songs, this is the one to get.

About a year ago my son (from Chicago) called to tell me all about the great Michael McDonald concert he attended at the WTTW SoundStage Studio. He knew I was a old DuBee fan from long ago and exclaimed almost breathless - "Dad - you gotta check this out when it comes on TV!!"

Imagine my suprise when I discovered the DVD out a few weeks prior to the airing of the program. I sat back and waited to be knock over --but -- oopps -- the first couple of songs left me scratching my head (no hair) and wondering which concert Ben had seen.

It took the dynamic duo of Ashford and Simpson - taking the stage with "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" to start the wheels a turning in my head - "Hey - this might be OK afterall."

When Tom Johnston and Patrick Simmons arrive along with a kick ass new guitar star - things really take off.
Always steady - the Sound Stage crew delivers a top notch program - both audio and video - now produced by Steve Dahl - keep up the good work Steve!

Definitely a keeper - have listened now at least twice a week!

4 stars because it is not a widescreen format. What are the people at Soundstage thinking? This is a must have for all U Michael McDonald fans. Excellent audio / video. Definitely a high definition video transfer - but why is it in a 4:3 aspect ratio. Nonetheless - program your DVD player to 16:9 widescreen and it will reformat the aspect ratio. Tom Johnston and Pat Simmons from the Doobbies join in. Very good backing band as well...

The Soundstage doesn't fail me, and this is the second DVD I own from their collection (Chicago's DVD is the other, very good too). The VIDEO and SOUND is at top-notch standards, 5.1 Surround Sound Dolby Digital, (and 2.0 for your older systems).

Michael gives a very soulful performance, and his band keeps a good balance by holding the groove when the music requires it, and pumping out hard energy when it needs it.

This is a great DVD. You won't be disappointed.

I've always been a huge Michael McDonald fan and had taped this Soundstage show when it aired on PBS, so I was thrilled to find it had been released as a DVD and snapped it up.

The DVD is worth it, to me, just to be able to hear Michael's live version of his Doobies hit, "It Keeps You Runnin'," a completely different take on that song.

Other highlights include having guests like Ashford & Simpson singing along on the Motown classics and Michael's new versions of them, as well as bringing out Tom Johnston and Pat Simmons to play some Doobies songs.

I've seen Michael and his band play live for the past five or six years. With the smash success of his MOTOWN CDs, the crowds have gotten bigger and the band has become a little harder to get to after shows--but I'm thrilled for all of them.
Everyone has been gracious and incredibly nice, and I've heard nothing but great things about McD.
A super talent with a genuine affection for great music.

Being a big fan of Michael McDonald, I could hardly wait to play the DVD when it arrived. I love the selection of songs, but the sound quality leaves a lot to be desired. When I compare this the other music DVDs I own, such as The Eagles Farewell I Tour, the sound quality is definitely inferior. It sounds like someone simply held up a microphone from a distance and recorded it. I guess I'll stick to CDs if I want to listen to Michael.

Since there aren't many things out there with his performances, this was a must own for me. I have to say that I was disappointed though. Michael sings most of the songs very differently than originally recorded. Still good, energetic performances, just not exactly what I was after...I'm kind of a stickler for hearing songs sang much like the originals. Some artists do it very well, some kinda do their own thing live. I had no issues with the sound or picture quality on my equipment, as some of the reviewers experienced. Overall, I'm glad I own it, but probably not one that I'll watch very much. I'd rather crank the original cd songs. Buy this one if you really dig him as I do, maybe pass if you don't.

If you like the Doobie Brothers, and you're a Michael McDonald fan, I'm almost certain you'll really like this DVD. The performances are done extremely well, and it was interesting to see and hear some of the Doobie Brothers perform together after many years. It's a wonderful DVD to have in your collection!

I am a long time fan of Michael Mcdonald. I love his new material but still long for some of the early recordings especially if on DVD. this one is fair but not for me his best dvd

I like to write reviews on Amazon, but often find it hard to be objective. At the conclusion of this DVD, I had to run to my computer to comment. This concert is a full five stars! My only negative is that it was only 53 minutes long. Even that was packed with the feeling that I like to get from concert DVDs.

Someone said something about the sound quality being poor. I can only say that that person must not have a system to run it on. On my (somewhat old) 5.1 system, this concert was as potent as the original concert. If you're running decent equipment, you won't be disappointed.

This was the first concert that I played on my new 42" TV. The video quality need make no apologies, either. When combined with the sound, I thought I was in Best Buy watching this on a $5000 system!

As for the content, what can you say? It's Michael Mc Donald singing both the Doobie hits, and the Motown remasteries. A visit from Nick and Valerie -- ba da bing! Great concert (albeit short).

It's a great "come over and watch" concert for singles; and a good "hey hunny" to spring on your spouse. Highly recommended!

I will be buying two more of these DVDs as gifts to friends.