Customer Reviews

Starry Starry Night

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

 

 

I pre-ordered this DVD before it is released, and did not have any information i.e. length of concert, audio format (dts, Dolby 5.1 or Dolby 2 ch) when I ordered it. When I received it, I played it at once with great expectation. However, I was somewhat disappointed to note that only about 16 songs were included in the DVD (as compared with 24 songs in the CD set). Moreover, the aduio is only 2 channel that sounds a bit inferior with my 5.1 channel AV system. The most valuable part of this DVD, indeed, is the footages of 3 previous concerts with Don at his peak. But one of them is of rather poor sound & picture quality. Neverthless, this DVD is worth buying for Don's friend as it is the only Don's DVD available in market.

When I purchased this DVD, I already owned the CD of the same name. But somehow, despite the great video capacity of the DVD, some suits somwhere decided to only include about 60% of the performances as seen on the original PBS special. Yes, the big hits are there, but many great songs,including Dons opening Buddy Holly cover are sadly missing. The greatest travesty though is the quality of the audio. The CD pressing has great audio, but somehow this DVD issue is lacking fidelity and definition to the point where I swear it's in mono! There is one redeeming feature in the special features portion of the DVD,where Don is shown in vintage performances from the 70's, 80's and 90's. The 70's portion features 3 songs shot probably on 16mm when Don was at his peak as a forcefull singer with passion, not the crooner he has become. If you are a die-hard fan, you're gonna have to have it. But if you are a casual fan, just bear in mind you're paying a premium for some old, vintage footage, because the PBS concert portion of this DVD is not worth having.

I saw this video on PBS 2 years ago, but all that was available was the VHS. I'm a child of the 60's and a mother of the 70's and my kids grew up knowing that "American Pie" was their Dad's and my song. They think we're weird. Perhaps we are. Who cares?
They know all the lyrics to many of Don's songs by heart, so I guess we did something right. I have looked everywhere for a DVD of this concert and the only place I could find it was Amazon! Thank you!

I don't like reviews where people write about how much better a product could be in their dream world...I'll just review what we have. For about fifteen bucks I was not only able to spend a quality hour plus with one of my childhood singer/songwriter heroes Don McLean..in a beautifully staged and filmed show but the bonus footage was alone worth the price of the package. I am so thankful I purchased this!

Don MacLean has written some of the best popular music ever. His 'And I love you so' and 'American Pie' are among the most well- known. I have a special appreciation for his 'Starry Starry Nights' appreciation of the life and work of Van Gogh. MacLean has visited in Israel and has an appreciation of the country .This is reflected in his great song "By the waters of Babylon" and "Jerusalem".
His intelligence his lyricism his sensitivity and his lyricism make for
great musical performance.

My heart bleeds! That's what I feel while watching Don Mclean performing on stage on this DVD for the first time. I am a folk and country songwriter/performer/sound engineer back in the Philippines and now residing in USA. His songs were one of my early tunes I learned while starting to play my guitar. I was so excited to watch this DVD but frustrated to see my idol singing with an empty heart. He can no longer interpret his own songs the way he did in the recording. I don't know if it is with his age or he was just not prepared for that night.

Compounding the problem is the poor mixing of the sound. The snare drum in the backround sounds like trash. The vocals shoud have been sweetened in order to compensate Don's lack of heart voice. Instead it was flat like a rock vocal mix, exposing the poor performance of my idol.

To the producer, please remix the audio of this DVD before sending it to the market. You can have a hint of the following DVD concert I have watched on how they mix (sweetened) the audio professionally: Eagles Farewell Tour (Melbourne), Art Farfunkel (Across america), James Taylor DVD concerts, Neil Young (Heart of Gold).

This movie seems very simple at the beginning and well, that's a good first impression you have because the rest of the movie is simple too. I was surprised the tirelessly-used american movie recipe was not present that time. Throughout the movie, the image is sparkling and Vincent looks like someone you'd take in your arms. One little detail is so unique that it is important. Thank you!